BLING! That’s the only way to describe the Monster Diamond Tears Edge Headphones. These fashion headphones stand out thanks to their crystal encrusted ear cups and music control. The sharp edges of the headphones immediately remind you of the facets on diamonds, and the transparent crystalline look of the Clear Diamond review sample we were sent (they also come in black) catches light and makes the appearance even more striking. Clearly targeted to a female audience, the Diamond Tears Edge headphones make as loud a fashion statement as you are going to find.
There is no doubt what Monster was aiming for with these headphones. As they explain on the product page, “The Diamond Tears high-definition headphone was created much like an object of high fashion…” Yet despite targeting these headphones to a fashion-conscious female audience, Monster goes to great lengths to focus on these headphones as a high-end audio accessory. They note:
When you’re hearing Diamond Tears, you’re hearing your music the way you’ve never heard before: through proprietary driver technology and the cut-no-corners materials required for high-performance audio. It was the only way to deliver the ultra-accurate response that Diamond Tears promises.
The Monster Diamond Tears Edge come in nice packaging that is reminiscent of opening a jewelry box. Lift the top of the inside box, and the headphones move toward you. It makes for a striking unboxing experience that is worthy of the over-$300 price tag. Speaking of the box, inside you will find:
– Monster Diamond Tears Edge headphones
– ControlTalk and Control Talk Universal for hands-free phone and music control
– Low profile, right-angle connector
– Three no-hassle, tangle-free cables
– Monster Cleaning Cloth with advanced Aegis Microbe Shield
– Touring Case, stylish protection for your headphones (It is actually a cheap soft case…)
Here’s a look at them on video.
As you can see, the Monster Diamond Tears Edge headphones are stylish. As Monster puts it, they are, “Like a fine example of haute couture — a marriage of style and comfort.”
The foam ear cups are dense, providing a comfortable fit for anyone with a smallish head. Again, these are designed for women, and as a result were a bit too tight for me. The dense foam also helps block out a good deal of ambient sound. These headphones don’t offer active noise cancellation, but they do shut out much of the outside world once they are on.
The Monster Diamond Tears Edge aren’t all about the looks; these headphones also sound good. The have no amplification or noise cancellation circuitry, so the music comes through without all of the tweaking that some audio devices subject it to. That a mixed blessing since, while the headphones sound good, I didn’t think they sounded great. And at an MSRP of over $300 a pair of headphones that don’t also offer noise-cancellation had better sound amazing. They aren’t bad, but they didn’t inspire me to hand them to Elana and say, “You have GOT to hear these!!” the way some other headphones have. I compared these to the Monster DNA headphones we reviewed last month, and I found that while these certainly offers sharp, focused sound I preferred the overall experience of listening to the Monster DNA.
On the bright side, Monster didn’t cheap out on the included accessories. The protective bag is fine, not exciting but fine, and the inclusion of three different cables is quite nice. Each offers a tangle-free design and a right angle connector. One cable is a straight audio line, one is designed to work with Apple devices, and the third is designed as a “universal” ControlTalk cable for non-Apple devices.
The two cables with inline controls have a diamond-esque crystal as the button. In other words, the bling doesn’t stop at your ears. Finally there is the inclusion of Monster Clean cleaning solution and cloth, so you can keep your diamonds shining. Seriously, how cute is that!
As you will see in the included gallery the Monster Diamond Tears Edge headphones have a collapsible design that folds up nicely, and since there is a line-in port on both ear cups, the headphones also offer the MonsterShare feature that I found so striking when we reviewed the White Tuxedo Monster DNA Headphones. Plug your audio source into one of the ports, and your friend’s headphone cord into the other, and you can share the music together… privately. It is a neat trick that, even if you rarely use it, is nice to have available.
When I first saw the Monster Diamond Tears Headphones at the Monster Press conference during CES 2012 I dismissed them as an example of “form over function”- or in this case “form of fidelity”. That is certainly not the case. The Diamond Tears do stand out as a striking fashion accessory, but they also sound good. The design isn’t for me, though, and they were a bit uncomfortable after wearing them for any amount of time. Then again, I’m not the target audience for these headphones, and they are not intended for someone with a head the size of mine. For people who love fashion and have smaller heads however, these will be a good fit. You can learn more here. You can order them for $299.95 here through our Amazon Affiliate Store.
MSRP: $329.95
What I Like: Fashionable; Sound good; Fold up nicely
What Needs Improvement: Pricey; Put too much pressure on my ears
Source: Manufacturer supplied review sample