Monoprice 8323 headphones- Wow!

That's what this thread is about. The MHP-839 is Monoprice stock number 8323.

I had a pair for a little bit. I saw fit to give them away.

I won't give mine away. Love the sound and the fit - they feel comfortable to me, and though they are rather large, they aren't heavy at all. If I wear 'em too long I do tend to get sponge-ear, but for me the same can be said for any 'phone or bud. I hate buds, including the Monoprice.
 
I just received mine and, I must say, I don't understand what the fuss is all about. The bass and mids are fair, but the treble is rather etched and unpleasant. Not much detail at all either.

They also make my ears sweat and are somewhat uncomfortable due to their weight. They sound about as good as expected for the price. I will be returning these to Monoprice.
 
As a follow-up to my earlier post: I have received my replacement pair of these headphones from Monoprice. The return process was painless. Monoprice supplied a paid return shipping label. The Monoprice website offers detailed tracking of the return process, return shipping, and replacement shipping. They are a great company to deal with.

My new pair is fully functional. The only other headphones I have are my (well-loved) Grado SR-60's. My findings are similar to many other AKers: The closed back design of the MP 8323's allowed for greater extension into bass frequencies than I am used to from the Grado's. However, some quickly-moving bass parts suffered from a lack of definition, making those passages sound muddled. In fact, the MP cans lacked the clarity and separation of the Grado's in the mids and trebles as well. Compared to the SR60's, what the 8323's gain in bass, they lose in treble. The design of the MP cans also reduces sound leakage--which, depending on the situation, can be an asset or liability. I find the headband and earcups quite comfortable (I would say that I have a larger-than-average head), but these headphones are quite large and really ugly IMHO.

Overall, I still like the Grado's better. But I am happy to add the Monoprice headphones to the fold, for situations where I want more bass and/or sound insulation. At this price, I wouldn't be too distraught if they were lost or broken, either. However, based on my experience with a defective pair, I have my concerns about the longevity of these headphones. The cost-per-year may end up being higher than my SR-60s which I have been abusing for 5-6 years with no problems. I don't think these headphones justify the price of the identical Kicker 'phones, but for the MP branded model (sale price of about $17 and change), I have no regrets.
 
I saw a rebadged, celebrity endorsed version of these headphones at the airport last week. Think they were Kickers. Forget what celebrity was endorsing them. They were however, $120.

Thought you guys would like to know. :D
 
So, late to the party as usual, but I think that for 30 bones shipped these are a fantastic bargain. They sound really good to me, are well built, and after adding these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GC7YJ2/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, infinitely more comfy...I would not have kept them without this simple upgrade though...the stock pads made my ears sweat. I have read about the cheap cord which was included, but so was a much longer and higher quality one as well so mayhap Monoprice has read these comments as well and chosen to upgrade the sale with this, I don't know. Either way, no worries about this cord as its great. anyway, just my .02 :thmbsp:
 
I just received mine and, I must say, I don't understand what the fuss is all about. The bass and mids are fair, but the treble is rather etched and unpleasant. Not much detail at all either.

They also make my ears sweat and are somewhat uncomfortable due to their weight. They sound about as good as expected for the price. I will be returning these to Monoprice.

How can the treble be etched and unpleasant and yet not have MUCH DETAIL? I'm not understanding you, here! Oh, I see, you're a Grado enthusiast; that makes some sense as I don't really care for that sound, myself, talk about shrill tricked out highs? An in your face fatigue festival! This hobby is so SUBJECTIVE, one man's etched is another's laid back, no end to differences of opinions.

Certainly the M-price are not the end in "detail", what makes them extremely listenable are the "omissions" that one will never notice until they do an A/B comparison with better phones. I have a pair of these and they are "easy listening" phones. The HIGHS are in NO way etched! They are a pleasing go to phone for PC listening. I prefer them for that purpose to my far more expensive phones which have all the detail and soundstage most would want but really need a H-phone amp to sound "good"!

No way these phones sound like $28 phones.

No, these are better seen as a phone for the people. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. And what you "don't" hear, you won't miss unless you're OCD. Which, let's face it, so many of us are! lol

Or for the Audiophiles among us let me put it this way: these are not cans for CRITICAL LISTENING. But critical listening often ends up not actually being a "joyful" experience because the analytic apparatus takes precedence over the more "creative" areas of your gray matter and you forget that you are supposed to be losing yourself, becoming ONE with the MUSIC!

cnh2
 
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I was reading up on Monoprice and they have a very interesting business model. They go to the manufacturer of a given product and find out if the Chinese outfit has signed a exclusivity agreement with the "brand name" outfit that is selling them. If they don't then the have that same Chinese company make the same thing for them only with the Monoprice name on it and then sell then for less. Kilpsch has a cheap $399 surround sound system that had great reviews, the best in it price range sort of thing. Monoprice went to that company in China and found out Kilpsch had not made the company sign a exclusivity agreement so they had this outfit make this same speaker for them with the Monoprice moniker. Kilpsch sued.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57583930-38/klipsch-monoprice-settle-patent-dispute-over-speakers/
 
I have a pair 8323 that I ordered upon reviews that have read earlier and they are worth the price of $27.00 but not more....The bass is muddy and the highs are not high. Compared to my Sennheisers and Fanny Wangs, they are fair...You get what you pay for.......
 
I finally bought a pair for my church' soundboard. They sound better than their price, but not amazing like some people here are saying. Better for male voices than female. The field replaceable cable was what sold me as we go through a lot of cans because so many people use them. The bulid quality seems very sturdy for the price range. I feel great about these for the purpose of live sound, but can't see them even coming close to displacing my Grado SR-60s or Yamaha HP-1s in the home system.
 
I've had these for some time now and I will say that they are OK - for their price. Not going to say too much more on that since so many have already chimed in...

My problem with them is that they are too tight (or maybe my head is too big?) and the vinyl/pleather ear pads get rather hot and sweaty after awhile. I just can't keep them on for very long. Yes, I know they are adjustable, but nothing I've tried has helped.

So - sound is good "for their price" but comfort (for me) is lacking. Even if the sound is good, I'm not going to sacrifice comfort - which detracts from the the listening experience.

David
 
Another cool thing about these is that decals for the Kickers fit perfectly. There are thousands to choose from, so you can easily customize and conceal the humble Monoprice logo. I went old school 2600 style:

8bc578aa493b196c21cf07376b237cb4.jpg
 
OLD THREAD ALERT!!!

That's what this thread is about. The MHP-839 is Monoprice stock number 8323.

I had a pair for a little bit. I saw fit to give them away.

I won't give mine away. Love the sound and the fit - they feel comfortable to me, and though they are rather large, they aren't heavy at all. If I wear 'em too long I do tend to get sponge-ear, but for me the same can be said for any 'phone or bud. I hate buds, including the Monoprice.

I gave them away. :oops::biggrin:


Monoprice is out of stock on the 8323:sigh:

Bought another pair last week for listening when I need more isolation. They're sixteen bucks at Monoprice site right now, I believe. I keep seeing where people talk about mods, but my searching only came up with replacing earfoams with some $25 Beyerdynamics. I had found them comfortable a few years ago when this thread was begun, but now, not so much. I do like the sound - very good for the money. Has anyone done any mods? The cups are just a bit too small compared to my AKG and Hifiman models, and hurt my ears a little, which grows bigger the longer the session. I think a thicker ear-pad to increase depth a bit would also help comfort, and in a different material. Anybody do anything to theirs?
 
This thread caught my eye so I just had to buy the 8323. Sometimes I have more money than brains and this was one of them. I received them yesterday. These are terrible headphones (well almost terrible) but I suppose they are worth $16.00. But when you add shipping it becomes questionable. The whole sound spectrum sounds like it's trapped behind a blanket trying to get out. At least Monoprice heard the comfort complaints and put a half way decent headband on them. Why these phones got so many positive reviews is a mystery to me. For less than the price of trying to upgrade and mod these, spend $15.00 or $20.00 more and buy the Sampson SR850 or Superlux HD668B and get significantly more than your money's worth. The Superlux has a detachable 3.5mm cord. My 8323 will be returned. Just my 2 cents.

Update: After a burn in period of 30 hours, which probably didn't do much, and using the Macetron BT amp/receiver plugin these 8323's have a pretty decent sound after all. Also find that my Nokia device has much better sound quality than android devices. I may keep them if I can get over the cheap pleather earcups. Or transfer some velour cups from a pair of Head Trips I have. Seems the same size.
 
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This thread caught my eye so I just had to buy the 8323. Sometimes I have more money than brains and this was one of them. I received them yesterday. These are terrible headphones (well almost terrible) but I suppose they are worth $16.00. But when you add shipping it becomes questionable. The whole sound spectrum sounds like it's trapped behind a blanket trying to get out. At least Monoprice heard the comfort complaints and put a half way decent headband on them. Why these phones got so many positive reviews is a mystery to me. For less than the price of trying to upgrade and mod these, spend $15.00 or $20.00 more and buy the Sampson SR850 or Superlux HD668B and get significantly more than your money's worth. The Superlux has a detachable 3.5mm cord. My 8323 will be returned. Just my 2 cents.

Update: After a burn in period of 30 hours, which probably didn't do much, and using the Macetron BT amp/receiver plugin these 8323's have a pretty decent sound after all. Also find that my Nokia device has much better sound quality than android devices. I may keep them if I can get over the cheap pleather earcups. Or transfer some velour cups from a pair of Head Trips I have. Seems the same size.

I bought a pair of Tranesca protein leather pads for $13 from Amazon. Extremely comfortable, wedge-shaped and much thicker than the stock pads... improved the sound as well as comfort. They are a bit larger, providing more space for the ear.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XRH8WPJ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
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