Product review: Monster ROC Live Life Loud headphones

If there is one thing I love, it’s a pair of headphones and over the years I have owned quite a few.

But I am a devotee of Dre Beats and have never had any complaints on that score. This listener’s not for turning – or so I thought.

When I was asked to test the new Cristiano Ronaldo endorsed Monster Roc Live Life Loud phones, I did not expect too much difference as they are around the same price - £250.

I decided to try a few albums that would test the phones to their max, but the best control album turned out to be Steve Hillage’s 1975 classic ‘Fish Rising’. Sorry Bowie. Sorry FFS. Sorry John Grant.

I am not sure what Ronaldo listens to when he wears his Monsters and cannot imagine 17-minute prog rock classic ‘Solar Musick Suite’ is high on his list – but I noticed a clear difference between headphones that I never imagined possible.

Live Life Loud applies to every aspect of these headphones, starting with the black, silver and gold colouring which makes you stand out on the morning commute.

You have to be extrovert to wear them in public as they do attract attention but what else would you expect from anything CR-themed?

But, like a boss, I fronted it out on the Victoria to Brighton line.

They do not compromise on comfort though. They are surprisingly lightweight for such chunky creatures and the lush earpads add to the snugness of the whole sensation.

Perhaps it is the fact that those pads trap every note and beat that makes them different from any earphones I have tried before.

But I could hear everything Hillage was belting out, little nuances, tweaks and breath catches that I had not noticed before. Fish on a grand scale, you might say…

The sound was clear and crisp, even at a low volume – but ratchet up the sound and things got even better.

No distortion, no tinniness, no earache and most importantly, no looks of disapproval from train carriage sharers who didn’t want to share my 40-year step back in time.

I tried the wired headphones – with a jack hole either side – but there is a wireless version. I am ambivalent about wireless phones but I was disappointed the lead only allowed me to turn the phones off and not adjust the volume.

Having to reach for the iPod to turn Steve Hillage up or down is just so 1975…

But to be honest, that was the only fault I could find with them.

Storage is easy as they fold away to nothing and I particularly liked the swivel cup function that a DJ would use to free up an ear to hear me ask for a Gong track to be turntabled before having me escorted from the premises.

Are they worth £250? Are any earphones worth £250? It depends how seriously you take your music listening and if you want people to notice just how big your overear headphones are.

But you get what you pay for and the clarity and quality of sound cannot be questioned.

I never thought I would deviate from my Beats but these Monster Rocs really opened my eyes – sorry, ears – and although I might not be brave enough to don the Rocs in public every day for fear of being labelled the oldest swinger in town (1980s meaning, not current day), I look forward to my next long train journey or spell of free time so I can sit back and listen to music how it is supposed to sound.

Features

 Apt-X Bluetooth® for top wireless quality

• DJ-style swiveling ear cups

• Long-wearing, comfortable ear cups

• Dual mode listening: both wired and wireless

• Built-in-high intelligibility microphone for hands free crystal clear calls

• Total noise isolation

• Universal cable for android, tablets and other devices