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The Turbine Pro Copper Editions (MSRP $399.95)
When I first heard about these "Professional In-Ear Speakers" I was naturally skeptical, nevertheless I was excited and hopeful. Note: The Copper Editions are one up from the Golds, which is a bit confusing.
What’s in the Box
1 Turbine Pro Copper Editions Professional In-Ear speakers
8 different sets of ear-tips
Monster SuperTips: 2 sizes
Performance Eartips: 3 sizes
Foam Eartips: 1 size
Segmented Eartips: 2 sizes
1 1/4 inch adapter
1 cable management clip
1 semi-hard case
1 soft case
1 multiple ear-tip holder
Documentation
My Background
I got into headphones in a big way last year. I tried at least a dozen standard over the ear headphones and did quite a bit of research. I ended up with the new generation Grado RS-2i headphones. So they are my benchmark and I'm very pleased with them.
The Turbine Pro Coppers for this review now have 100+ hours break in time on them. With about 20 hours of solid listening.
Headphone System
My modest dedicated headphone system I recently put together from the outlet to my head.
Grado RS-2i headphones
Cary Audio SLP-50B Tube Pre-amp
Pro-Ject Head Box II
Pro-Ject Phono Box II
Yamaha CDC-685 CD Player
Entech 205.2 DAC
Sansui SR-838 Turntable w/AT-15Sa (Shibata) Cartridge
Monster and AudioQuest Interconnects
Zebra Power Cables
ExactPower EPDS AC Conditioner
Build
The quality of the build is very solid, simple and well thought out. I especially like the cable. It's slippery firm cable material and moveable slider resists turning into a tangled mess when stored. The cable length (46 inches) is good for a laptop or portable player, but it's a tad to short for using on a main system. One thing I didn't care for was the 1/4 inch adaptor. It has a bulky logo part that adds unnecessary extra weight, especially when used with an extension cable.
Fit and Comfort
Proper fit is “critical” for great sound! All the ear-tips were comfortable but only the smallest size of the Monster SuperTips, Performance Eartips and the Foam Eartips fit my ears properly. For normal listening they were quite comfortable and after long periods I’d forget I had them on. The metal bodies when it’s cold can be uncomfortable until they warm up, which doesn’t take long. The rubber ear-tips seem to fit better too.
The Foam Eartips were the best fit for me and the result was the best sound. The outer material is similar to the spongy foam ear plugs found at shooting ranges. The critical review is with these foam ear-tips. They also did very well isolating sound. The smallest size in both the Monster SuperTips and Performance Eartips fit well, but not good enough. The highs and mids sounded better than other headphones but the bottom end leaked out. The other ear-tips did not fit properly and were essentially useless and sounded like crap. They were bright, harsh, and with no mids or bass whatsoever.
I took the Coppers with foam ear-tips out on a run on a cold day. Immediately I found that they transmit the shock of running right to the ears. It’s inherent to this type of in-ear design. It was extremely loud and nearly drowned out the music. I loosen them up some and it helped, but the sound suffered dramatically. But even half way out, they stayed in place after 6 miles and sounded better than the stock iPod plugs. The metal body also transmitted the cold and eventually gave me sort of a brain freeze. Not exactly the ideal listening environment.
Sound
With the right-size ear tips the sound is superb and I can't emphasize enough the "right-size." The highs have sparkle and shimmer without being bright or tinny. The mids and vocals are true, with some warmth and very engaging. The bass is tight and full. The soundstage is wide and more personal than the Grado RS-2i headphones. I can’t believe how good these little Monster sound!
Music
Diana Krall - Love Scenes. This album is a favorite for picking apart the bottom end on headphones and speakers. With the foam ear-tips the Coppers did an excellent job with the stand up bass. I could hear the twang and thump of the bass notes. Not as clear as the Grados but with more bass kick. Diana's voice was ripe, juicy and alluring. You could hear the moisture in between her breaths. The piano an instrument that's so hard to capture, sounded pretty darn real.
ZZ Top – Greatest Hits. Another favorite because you can hear all of the instruments individually, especially at loud volumes and because the music can really pound. The Monsters did not let me down. The song Sleeping Bag has a great punchy drum intro that sounded live. In fact I had such a good time, it had me looking around for other great loud rockin' albums to play!
Yo-Yo Ma – The Essential Yo-Yo Ma. The pieces that were played with a small group were wonderfully personal. His cello was very engaging and you couldn’t help sway with the notes. The music with the orchestra was very good but didn’t have the “air” and openness to the soundstage that I enjoy with the open-backed design of the Grados.
Norah Jones – The Fall. Great headphones will show you how lacking your system can be. In this case the Monsters pointed out immediately several bad tracks on this album. Something I didn’t first notice with the Grados. The song Light as a Feather has a constant electronic buzz though out it. Other than this annoyance, this album is a more fun departure to Norah’s music. These Monsters make it an up close and intimate experience. The music comes out very well balanced. Clear, warm and with depth and emotion.
Dire Straits – Dire Straits.
This self-titled album is one of my all time favorites. The Monsters did not let me down and did an exceptional job.
Since these Monsters are “portable” in nature I used them with the iPods and a MAC laptop with ALAC files with great results. I also tried them out briefly on various receivers and integrated amps with great results, but they were not as quiet or precise as on my dedicated system.
In the End
I’ll say it again, fit is critical. The smallest sized rubber ear-tips worked well for me. The highs and mids were excellent. Even the bass was tight but it just didn't have enough weight or extension, especially with electric bass heavy music. With the proper ear-tips, it just got immensely better.
Overall it came very close to my favorite Grados. But that’s a personal choice and it’s like comparing apples to oranges, with the different designs. Where it gained with bass punch, but the Grados pulled away with a tighter bass and spatial airiness. I can't help but wonder if I could get a better fit, would they sound even better?
These little Monster Turbine Pro Copper Editions In-Ear speakers are not your casual headphones. They are designed for some serious listening. Perfect for sitting around at home or better yet getting away on a long flight. They’re not perfect, but they sound very, very good and as good or if not better than conventional full-sized over the ear headphones in the same price range.
Cheers,
Carl
EDIT: Forgot to mention in this thread that these headphones have a lifetime warranty. You break them Monster will give you one set replacement for free.
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I'm not criticizing, I'm just genuinely surprised, as anything but lossless is VERY deficient in SQ imo. (Or do you mean you don't like digital files, whether lossy or lossless, in general compared to a preferred source?)
If you like the ER-6i's sound try to listen to the ER4S or ER4P they offer more in the same house sound. Another nice option would be the Westone 2's. Good luck.