What Hi-Fi? Verdict
A good sound for the money, but don’t quite deliver a Boogie Wonderland
Pros
- +
Good build
- +
nicely finished
- +
open, airy sound
- +
expressive midrange
Cons
- -
A little fussy to fit
- -
bass lacks definition
Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.
You might have noticed that Monster is partial to the odd celebrity hook up: Dr Dre, P Diddy and Lady Gaga to name but three.
Now the company has joined forces with the funk-soul brothers from Earth, Wind & Fire for its latest model: Gratitude.
They’re a neat-looking, noise-isolating in-ear design, finished off with a rather luxurious rose-gold effect, attached to a wafer-thin brown cable, complete with inline mic and controls for iPhone.
Monster Gratitude: Fit and finish
To ensure you get the perfect fit for your ears, there are no fewer than 11 pairs of Monster ‘SuperTips’ provided.
Once in place they don’t feel too intrusive, although the edges of the earpieces rubbed a couple of our reviewers up the wrong way.
Sound quality from the inline mic is good and both you and callers can be heard loud and clear.
The iPhone controls work well, and there’s no sense of vagueness to button presses. Musically, they’re a different flavour to close rivals such as the Klipsch Image X10i.
Monster Gratitude: Sound with music
The Gratitudes favour a very open and airy sound, with a powerful and punchy midrange.
Spin LL Cool J’s Phenomenon, and low frequencies sound powerful and weighty, but there could be greater sharpness and definition around. As a result, their agility and timing can’t quite match that the leading rivals.
Overall, the Gratitudes do enough to warrant an audition. They look funky enough to do Earth Wind & Fire proud and have a decent amount of soul, too.
See all our headphone Best Buys
