Monster has unveiled a new pair of headphones the company is claiming to be its most affordable pair of high quality in-ear headphones ever. The ClarityHD High Performance Earbuds were designed to convince listeners to trash that muddy pair of smartphone buds in favor of something a bit more refined.
A handsomely designed set of earbuds, the latest in the ClarityHD lineup come in black, white, or black with pink or green accents, sporting inline controls. They’re available in both wired and wireless formats, and retail for $50 and $90 respectively.
“The free earbuds you get with phones and portable devices break easily, fail on sound, and are uncomfortable with poor isolation. Still, we’ve found that many consumers that settle for these inferior earbuds pay to replace them, often multiple times, with the exact same models, despite their dissatisfaction,” said Monster CEO Noel Lee in a press release.
The headphones were designed as an addition to Monster’s Clarity line of audio products, which aim to buck costly frills in favor of the highest possible quality audio reproduction for the price. It’s a marketplace that the primarily high-end audio company needs to break into — and creating a product that’s a cheap, high-quality upgrade for the average smartphone user is an excellent way to branch out.
Historically we’ve liked most of the headphones we have tested from the audio company, but just like Beats offerings, Monster is often regarded as a style-first brand, and the cost of its top-tier offerings too often outpaces the performance, in favor of flashy designs. It appears that, with the ClarityHD, Monster is looking to take a more sensible approach to target the average mobile user.
We’ll have to go ears on with the buds to know for sure, but if they can deliver on their promise, consumers looking to buy some affordable new in-ears may now be able to add Monster to the list.
