When it comes to earphones, "you have got to pay if you want to play" is a recurring theme. The further you go up the price ladder, the better audio your ears are treated to. Similarly, with lower prices comes lower sound quality. So it is a very pleasant surprise whenever we see this "bigger price tag is better" equation being turned on its head. And Venture Electronics' Monk Plus wired earbuds certainly do just that. Nothing special about packaging and design Mind you, they do not give any indication whatsoever of being special performers. They come in a plastic package that seems as if it contains shampoo or liquid detergent, a package that you have to cut across the top to open (like a bag of chips?). And what the package reveals is again nothing that will make you curious. The Monk Plus looks like a very routine pair of wired earbuds, with a 3.5 mm audio jack. They are on-ear in terms of fit and stay on top of the ear canal rather than going inside them. They are made of plastic and although the buds are slightly semi-transparent, there is nothing premium or even sophisticated about their design. The only hint of design distinctive-ness comes in the form of four very colourful pairs of ear tips - red, blue, green, and orange. As these are on-ear earbuds, the ear tips are more for protecting the earbuds themselves. The tips are colourful but seem to be made of foam-like material. Let’s be honest, there's nothing about the Monk Plus that seems to indicate that you are going to hear something special - in terms of appearance, they bring to mind those earphones one used to get in the box with mid-segment and budget smartphones. We would even go so far as to say that they seem a little overpriced at Rs 699, given their extremely routine design. Everything special in sound All thoughts of "cheap," however, will leave your mind the moment you plug the Monk Plus into a 3.5 mm audio port and start listening. The Monk Plus has a remarkable level of clarity and unlike most sub-Rs 1,000 earphones in the market, comes with a very balanced sound signature. There is no attempt to rattle your ears with bass. You instead get bass that is punchy without being overwhelming, clear mids, and even some treble without it sparkling too much. Frankly, the fact that you can get a sense of all three frequencies at this price point is amazing. But what really is surprising about the Monk Plus is their sound stage. We did not expect to be hit by the sound that seemed to have distinct locations inside our head - we have not heard this sort of soundstage even in much more expensive earphones, where the stress is on bringing out the bass through fitting deep inside your ear canal, let alone budget earphones. The Monk Plus has a much more "open" sound and thanks to the presence of large 15.4 mm drivers, very impressive volumes too. This makes them very good at listening to classical music, rock, and old pop numbers. They will not meet the requirements of bass heads who love techno and underground but are super for listening to podcasts and watching shows and films (unless you are the type that likes films with lots of explosions). And as these are wired earphones, they are perfect for gaming with zero lag. We particularly loved using them for "atmospheric" games like The Room, Myst, and Assassin's Creed as the wide soundstage gives you sound with a sense of direction. The presence of treble is also great for highlighting sharp sounds of short duration, such as creaking doors. There's a microphone attached to the connecting cable so you can use the earphones to make and receive calls too, although there are no volume controls on the buds - that has to be adjusted from the connected device. They have astonishing clarity, good volume levels, and a balanced sound signature. Small wonder that experts consider them to be the closest thing you can get to audiophile-level headphones at the lowest possible price. No, they are not for bass heads who want earphones with a thump, but if what you are seeking is clarity, and have devices with 3.5 mm audio jacks, then these are perhaps the best earbuds you can get for three figures. "The Monk Plus is our statement to the audio community that you do not need to pay big to hear a truly high-fidelity sound," says the back of the package of Monk Plus. And it is totally on point - within that modest, plasticky exterior of the Monk Plus lies fantastic sound. You can get them for Rs 699 from Headphone Zone.
