Last updated on January 29th, 2024 at 09:58 pm
Venture Electronics, a brand based out of China is a well established brand among the Audiophiles and owned by Wild Lee the man himself. Well expertise brand in manufacturing some high end Earbuds, IEM’s, DACS like the infamous Odyssey HD! And also the new trending DAC named the MEGATRON! I have previously tried their BIE earphones and they sounded really fun and exciting.
| Design Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Construction Material | Plastic |
| Cable Quality | Above average |
| Fit | Subjective; potential issue for some users |
| Comfort | Average; additional foamies provided |
| Prolonged Use | Uncomfortable feel, upper concha discomfort reported |
Table of Contents
Sound:
| Sound Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Bass | Neutral profile, shallow sub-bass and mid-bass |
| Impact | Lack of body, fullness, and impact |
| Sub-bass Presence | Subtle quantity, shallow reach |
| Separation & Detail | Above-average, minimal bleed |
| Midrange | Star of the show, neutral, tonally accurate |
| Staging | Wide staging, vocal presentation at a good position |
| Instruments | Nice and engaging, good layering |
| Lower Mids | Warm and natural despite lacking mid-bass body |
| Upper Mids | Pleasing, avoids harshness on female vocals and strings |
| Timbre | Natural, clear presentation |
| Detail Retrieval | Above-average, good wide staging |
| Treble | Crispy, above-average detail retrieval |
| Percussion & Cymbals | Natural strikes, good attack and decay |
| Sparkle & Brilliance | Adequate, controlled, minimal sibilance |
Technicalities:
| Technical Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Staging | Very well done, nice and wide with great height |
| Depth | Lack of depth due to less authoritative low end |
| Imaging & Layering | Great layering due to expansive staging |
| Transition | Smooth channel sweep and transition |
Other Details:
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Driver Type | Dynamic |
| Driver Size | 15.4 MM |
| Impedance | 64 ohm |
| Frequency Response | 20 – 20000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 116dB (1mW) |
| Microphone | YES |
| Audio Jack | 3.5mm Stereo I-Shaped 24K Gold-Plated Plug |
| Cable Length | 1.2m OFC cable |
Verdict:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent tonality | Leaner bass |
| Neutral midrange | Detail retrieval could be improved |
| Impressive layering and staging | |
| Detailed yet inoffensive treble | |
| Competitive price |
Overall Impressions:
- Monk Plus, a budget offering, showcases a well-tuned, balanced profile with emphasis on midrange and treble.
- Not a typical fun-sounding set; neutral, midrange-oriented, and pleasant.
- Modest and lighter bass may disappoint bass enthusiasts but compensates with midrange and treble.
- Natural tonality, layering, and melodious sound make it a must-have in the budget range.
- Not everyone’s choice, but excels in ear health, calmness, relaxed sound, and staging.
- A solid option for those venturing into earbuds without breaking the bank.
The Monk Plus is their budget range earbud which is made available for all the budget audiophiles out there to enjoy the goodness of the Earbuds. Let’s check out how good the Monk Plus sounds and it’s worth in the current market out there.
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SPECIFICATIONS:
Driver Type: Dynamic
Driver Size: 15.4 MM
Sound pressure level (SPL): NA
Impedance: 64 ohm
Frequency Response: 20 – 20000 Hz
Maximum Power Handling: NA
Sensitivity: 116dB (1mW）
Microphone: YES
Audio Jack Size: 3.5mm Stereo I-Shaped 24K Gold-Plated Plug
Cable Length: 1.2m OFC cable
DESIGN AND FIT:
Design is the usual earbud style where construction is made out of plastic with some above average cable. The fit is subjective since for most of the users the fit might be an issue since the IEM provides more isolation and a secure fit. Additional foamies are provided in the package even then they are average at best for me.
The design does make some uncomfortable feel after some longer listening sessions but that’s for me hence it might differ from person to person. The upper concha gets pain after some longer listening.
SOUND:
The sound profile of the Monk Plus is more on a neutral side where the full focus is towards the midrange and the treble section. The low end has been tamed out while delivering some miraculously melodious midrange with exceptional tonality and crisp treble section. The staging being an advantage for an earbud it takes up the sound of the Monk Plus to a next level. Let’s discuss the sound in detail in the following sections.
LOW END:
The low end in the Monk Plus is neutral. No emphasis over the sub bass nor the mid bass section. They feel shallow and neutral. People who are used to the engaging, rumbling and authoritative bass section would definitely feel disappointed after using out the Monk Plus. The body, fullness and the impact is not as good as what you would experience from a closed back IEM and headphones.
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The sub bass is too subtle to experience and even with some suib bass focussed tracks like the TAKE IT- THE SIEGE the Monk Plus can exhibit only a subtle quantity of sub bass presence and even with that they lack that impact. The reach is quite shallow hence one would find it null in existence.
The mid bass lacks the body thus the fullness factor is too subtle to experience in this earbud. The slam and the weight is on the thinner side making the presentation less impactful.
Despite all these shortcomings the separation, detail and the bleed of the bass are exceptionally done well. The tracks are well layered out with some nice detail retrieval. The bleed is very minimal due to the thinner bass but overall on the technical aspect of the low end they are observed as above average while the fun is disappointing.
Tracks Used:
- Mountains – Hans Zimmer
- Murphy’s Law – Reconite
MID RANGE:
The midrange is the star show here which made the Monk Plus a must buy in most of the Audiophiles collection out there. The tonality and the timbre of the Monk Plus is tuned very well with some natural tone all over the serene. The staging being super big and wide made the mid range a welcoming positive aspect of this earbud.
The vocal presentation is done neither too forward nor too laid back instead they are positioned at a very good position. The instruments in the background feel nice and engaging without being too subdued or shallow. The overall presentation feels nice and wide with some great vocal presentation.
The lower mids even though they lack the mid bass body they still sound very good with some nice warm and natural tone. The upper mid has that sweet pleasing tone without being too harsh or sibilant on the female vocals and stringed instruments.
The timbre of the instruments felt very natural with some clear presentation overall. The acoustic guitar strings, piano notes and the kick drums had that natural beat and strike possessing some natural tone overall without some artificial spike in their tone.
The layering effect is done well where the instruments and the vocals are positioned and presented very clearly without any sort of congestion. The detail retrieval in the mid range felt above average combined with the very good wide staging made this a nice mid range focussed earbuds that one can get in a budget price range.
Tracks Used:
- Sexual Healing – Marvin Gaye
- Perfect – Ed Sheeran
- Only Time – Enya
TREBLE:
The treble section feels nice and crispy with some above average detail retrieval overall. The percussion instruments feel nice and crispy with some natural strike over their tone. The cymbal strikes are natural with some good attack and decay.
The speed of the instruments are at a very precise nature hence the presentation feels pretty untouched. The sparkle and the brilliance are good but definitely needs some improvement but considering this is an earbud the work they deliver in the treble section is very good.
The treble section has no sort of sibilance even when some sibilant prone tracks are played out like the MOVE YOUR BODY – SIA. The treble section is kept under control with some nice and adequate sparkle in the top end to make the listening more exciting, engaging and also focussing on delivering some non fatiguing sound in the longer run. The upper treble section feels nice and smooth without any sort of harshness. The percussion instruments have that nice natural tone with precise strike.
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Overall the treble section feels matured and well tuned with some gripes over the brilliance and shimmer due to its open back nature. The detail retrieval is above average while the technical aspects like the layering and the separation are delivered out very nicely without much compromises.
Tracks Used:
- Something Happened On The Way To Heaven – Phil Collins
- Sultans Of Swing – Dire Straits
- Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
TECHNICALITIES:
STAGING: The staging of the Monk Plus is done very well with some nice grand presentations. The staging is nice and wide with some great height too. Due to this expansive staging the layering and the separation felt very good. The instruments are spreaded out nicely without any noticeable congestion around the staging. The depth is not that great since the law is not that authoritative.
IMAGING AND LAYERING: These are another great aspect of this Earbud. The layering is done beautifully due to its expansive staging. The instruments and the vocals are placed precisely with a nice layered effect. The imaging is pretty good too where one can easily spot out the instruments precisely even when some complex tracks are played out.
The channel sweep felt smooth and the transition never felt stuttered out or irregular. Overall a worthy earbud in this price range which has a very good layering effect.
VERDICT:
Monk Plus, an earbud offering from the house of Venture Electronics is a well rounded budget offering. The earbud has a very well tuned balanced profile with some more emphasis over the mid range and the treble section. Definitely not your typical fun sounding set, rather it’s a very good neutral, midrange oriented and pleasant sounding one for sure.
The VE is already a very good brand with expertise in Earbud manufacturing and they have done their best in their Monk Plus too. The bass being too modest and lighter makes some serious compromises for the fun and bass listeners but it compensates on the midrange and the treble for air. One would easily fall in love with the natural tonality, layering and the melodious sound of the Monk Plus and it’s definitely a must have set in every one’s collection for sure.
The Earbud may not be everyone’s choice out there since even im not a big fan of earbuds since they don’t have that typical sound which the IEM provides but still the earbuds have an edge like the easier on your ear health, calmer and relaxed sound, staging etc.. and in that regards the Monk Plus takes the champ title in the budget range and if you want to give a try to earbuds then thus budget option would never make you go bankrupt and let you enjoy the UNTOUCHED GOODNESS!
PROS AND CONS:
Pros:
- Tonality
- Neutral Midrange
- Layering and Staging
- Detailed yet inoffensive treble
- Price
Cons:
- Leaner Bass
- Detail Retrieval
This Review is Written By KATHIRAVAN.C
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I’m Kathiravan from Tamilnadu. A budding audiophile here with high love towards music and audio equipment. My first experience of enjoying the hifi audio came when I started to use budget chi-fi gears and now it came all along the way of reviewing the gears with high end stuffs. I love reviewing audio products.
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This content is collaboratively crafted and vetted by Shubham, a Mechanical Engineering specialist. His passion for unraveling the intricacies of machinery and consumer electronics mirrors his avid interest in gaming. With his wealth of expertise, Shubham adeptly navigates readers through the complexities of audio, home appliances, and everyday products, guaranteeing a smooth and enjoyable shopping journey. For every product you read about on this site we do rigorous research and testing behind the scenes to bring you the best value for money options. For any query directly reach out to me at my personal Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shubhamgarg8024/
