This and That:
Advertised as $5 but has cost me close to $10 with shipping (I ordered only the standard package without any additional foam/sponge covers, as I don't need that stuff anyway).
Comes in a plastic bag with several silly stuff printed onto it, including a weird photo of the Venture Electronics founder. Inside are two business cards designed in the same manner as the plastic bag. No pouch/case, but that's not surprising given the low price. Four red and four blue sponge/foam covers come included as well (the red ones are denser).
Really good build quality. Super supple cable; commendable strain relief and even has a chin-slider.
Sound:
Like most earbuds, I don't like the Monk Plus with installed foam covers - too damped and fuzzy, poorly differentiated and foggy. With the blue covers this is not quite as noticeable as with the red ones, but there is a clear difference compared to the "naked" earbuds. That said, I'm only using my Monk Plus without any foam covers.
Tonality:
Bassy-dark and v-shaped.
The upper bass along with parts of the midbass and lower fundamental range are elevated. Fortunately no bleed into the midrange. Bass quantity is somewhere between the Pai Audio Flat and FiiO EM3. Closer to the Pai, so definitely not too different from the Apple EarPods. Probably around 6 dB of boost. Bass extension is definitely not bad for earbud standards; actually even quite good.
The mids are a bit more on the brighter side. Not too coloured or too unnatural but clearly noticeable. Quite comparable to the EarPods: somewhat bright midrange that's also somewhat tinny, but not overly coloured for the price.
Just like on the EarPods, the Monk Plus show a lower treble emphasis that's responsible for some tinnyness and upper midrange brightness. Above, the upper central and upper treble are recessed and appear dark.
- - -
Yeah, that tuning is, to my ears, mostly comparable to that of my Apple EarPods (except for that lower central treble peak that is somewhat steeper and narrower in comparison), however the EarPods sound technically superior.
Resolution:
The first thing one could notice is that the bass is very tight and fast. No softness, no sponginess. But that's about it in terms of advantages.
Midrange and treble resolution aren't overwhelming but appear dull and lacking differentiation. It's okay for the price of less than $10, however I know one earbud and several in-ears that are also below $10 including shipping but are technically superior.
It's not that the Monk Plus sounded like junk (they really don't), however they sound just like what they are - cheap entry-level earbuds. Better than some of the crap that used to come included with different products, but not as good as some other still inexpensive earbuds. They're simply a good bit away from sounding detailed or differentiated; they sound washed-out and dull; their lower treble sounds tinny, somewhat more so than when compared to the EarPods that also resolve better than the Monk Plus. Many of the older Knowledge Zenith in-ears below $10 including resolve better, just like my SoundMAGIC EP10 earbuds that also cost around $10 (to be fair, the EP10 are only slightly better though).
Sure, one doesn't expect much for $8-ish, and for that price the sound is indeed decent, and the Monk Plus have a really good cable, however the sound and resolution just aren't worth much more than that $8.
Compared to a lot of the junk one can find in this price range, they are good earbuds, but don't really stand a chance when tested against several other decent-ish sounding models in the low price range (such as the Logitech/Ultimate Ears UE200 or Fostex TE-02 that I've already seen in a sale around $10, or some of the older Knowledge Zenith models in the same price range).
Solely the bass is of really high quality, but the rest is merely average. Good enough and more than just sufficient for listening to the radio, some careless background music listening, internet videos or podcasts, but not good enough for even low standard music listening.
Soundstage:
Nothing special to my ears - neither noticeably open nor large sounding, but not cramped or bad either; just about average.
Compared to other Earbuds:
FiiO EM3:
At least the Monk Plus are better than the EM3.
The Monk Plus are better balanced, especially in the mids. The EM3 is simply too warm, bassy and full sounding.
Bass quality is better on the Monk Plus while midrange and treble details are somewhat comparable.
The EM3s' soundstage is larger while the Monk Plus' is deeper and more precise.
Winner: Monk Plus.
SoundMAGIC EP10:
The EP10 are warm and bassy if used with the included foam covers. Without them, the sound is thin, bright and a bit tinny.
The EP10 win in terms of midrange and treble details by just a hair. The Monk Plus' bass is tighter, faster and better controlled. Those preferring a full-bodied sound with still quite decent quality will likely prefer the EP10 with foam covers as they are also more even in the treble.
Both have comparable soundstage reproduction. Ultimately the EP10s' stage is still a little larger and also somewhat more precise.
Winner: EP10 (close).
BlackBerry WS-430:
To my ears, the WS-430 are pretty neutral earbuds that are slightly on the darker side. The Monk Plus are bassier and somewhat tinny sounding in the upper mids/lower treble.
Both feature about comparable resolution while the Monk Plus' bass is tighter and faster. The WS-430 distort somewhat even at quieter volume levels. The BlackBerrys' frequency response is more even.
The WS-430s' stage is larger. Both are similarly precise in terms of spatial cues.
Winner: None (Draw).
Pai Audio Flat:
In the beginning, I didn't like the Pai too much - it appeared to me like a less bassy, more spacious sounding Koss Porta Pro. Meanwhile that I have some more experience with cheap earbuds, I have to say that the Pai Audio Flat aren't even too bad - they are technically better than the EM3, EP10, WS-430 and also Monk Plus, although not as good as the EarPods.
The Pai sound comparably bassy but are a bit warmer and darker than the Monk Plus. They don't have a lower central treble peak wherefore they sound more natural in the highs.
The Monk Plus' bass is somewhat faster and tighter, however not by much. In return, the Flat appear better differentiated and more detailed in the mids and highs.
The Pais' soundstage is bigger and deeper, with similar precision.
Winner: Flat.
Apple EarPods.
The tonality is definitely comparable.
Bass extension is slightly superior on the Venture Electronics earbuds while the Apple EarPods extend higher in the treble and have a less tinny peak located around 2.x kHz.
Bass precision, speed and tightness is similarly good. In terms of midrange and treble details, the EarPods are audibly ahead.
The EarPods' soundstage is somewhat wider at the cost of some depth compared to the Monk Plus. However, the EarPods render the more precise soundstage.
Winner: EarPods.
DUNU Alpha 1 ("Balanced/Musical" attachment Rings):
The DUNU sound neutral using these attachments. Well, that's only half of the truth, as they've also got elevated, (sometimes too) telephonic mids.
The Alpha 1s' bass is somewhat faster while the body appears nicer at the same time. Midrange and treble resolution are a good bit higher on the DUNU.
The Alpha 1s' soundstage is only marginally larger but features the more precise instrument placement and separation.
Winner: Alpha 1 (quite clearly).
Shozy Cygnus:
The Shozy sound slightly bassier and warmer.
The Cygnus' bass is somewhat faster and also somewhat better controlled. Treble- and especially midrange resolution are where the Shozy show quite clearly that they are superior. In addition, their tuning is much more even in comparison.
The Shozys' soundstage is larger and more open, with the superior spatial control and precision.
Winner: Cygnus (quite clearly).
Conclusion:
Very good, supple cable; very fast and tight bass with really good control; only average resolution for the price. Unnecessary purchase for those who already own the Apple EarPods.