Pure Monster Sound® and Adidas® Sport Come Together
Monster is known for its high-performance audio cables and it’s Pure Monster Sound®. It is this very sound that is integrated into their headphones and speakers. Adidas® is a world-renown brand for all things sports. This past year, these two major brands teamed up to create sports headphones equipped with Pure Monster Sound. What they created was the Adidas Sport Supernova™ in-ear headphones by Monster.
Initial Thoughts – Adidas Monster Headphones Review
The Adidas Sport Supernova comes to us with plenty of promises: superb sound quality, tight grip in the ear, waterproof design, perfect for extended workouts, total noise isolation, lightweight, and durability. All these promises come at a price of under $100. Based on the things I’ve heard, I was excited to get the chance to try them out for myself.
The packaging is sleek, yet simple. What you don’t use and/or wear (i.e. cardboard, plastic) can make its way straight to the recycle bin. Not counting the black-and-white patterned headphones, the packaging consists of the following:
- A rugged and breathable mesh carry pouch
- 3 sets of ear tips
- 3 different sets of the SportsClip™
- A multi-language user manual
The first time using the Adidas Sport Supernova was while walking along the busy, noisy streets of Downtown Boston during the afternoon rush. Upon placing the headphones into my ears, and turning the music on, the surrounding noise immediately disappeared. Everything around me went silent. The music I was listening to sounded fresh and clean. These in-ear headphones were truly noise isolating. The Pure Monster Sound definitely fulfilled my expectations.
The sweat-proof, water-resistant design held true to Monster’s promise. This means that you can wash them off after each use, but don’t toss them in with the laundry.
While the grip wasn’t as comfortable as I had initially expected, with some adjustment, it became much more so. You can thank the nine different customizable fits of the SportClip for this.
Another feature of the Adidas Sport Supernova is ControlTalk™. On the headphone wire, there’s a controller with three buttons and a microphone. These buttons are to answer and end calls, turn the volume up or down, pause music and video, skip, and rewind. It’s easy to access if you’re on a run and can’t pull out your phone to pick up a call. It’s useful in everyday settings like walking or just sitting as well. Note: the functions of the buttons vary on the manufacturer of the mobile device. Below is a table that covers eight manufacturers of mobile phones.
Graphics Credit: Monster Inc.
One Week Later
When I started using the Adidas Sport Supernova, I was enamored with them. I couldn’t go without having them in my ears. The sound was so good. But, it didn’t take long for any negatives in its design to manifest.
Photo Credit: Monster
Due to its noise-isolating design, the Sport Supernova in-ear headphones are for indoor use, primarily with cardio equipment. They are not intended for anything longer than 1-2 hours of use. Even with their ergonomic design, I found it difficult to use them beyond this 2-hour time period. As they are designed to isolate noise, they did need to be removed from my ears for a while to let them rest from the pressure. This was a bit disappointing as I would have liked to use them longer.
(If you’re looking for a comparable pair of headphones designed for outdoor use, then check out the Adidas Sport Response™.)
The headphone’s audio is impressive! There’s no doubt about this. Yet, it is stifled by one complication, its cord. I noticed that problems arose from it while exercising.
The 4′ long black-and-white cord is wide and flat to make it tangle-resistant. Unfortunately, this made it encumbering when it needed to be fluid. Many times during my workouts, the wire would tug on anything it touched and managed to pull out the headphones, despite the grips. This flat design is not ideal for running. If there’s ever a Sport Supernova 2, I hope Adidas and Monster choose a round cable design.
The Sound
I was impressed by the Pure Monster Sound when I first popped the Sport Supernova into my ears. The bass sounds were deep and strong. Everything sounded nice. Smooth, quiet melodies flow in the isolated noise and the high notes felt just right.
However as I listened more, I began to notice a little distortion. The sound began to crack slightly on the high notes. From then on, these high notes felt a little thin, but the overall sound was still solid.
The playlist that I used to test these in-ear headphones was originally put together by JamAudio. You can see all the songs listed here.
One of my playlist favorites for testing speakers and headphones is Brass Monkey by the Beastie Boys. One play of this song’s intro reminds me why these headphones sound is so impressive. Even after the recommended break-in period of 20 hours, and despite the light distortion on some highs, the sound produced by the Adidas Sport Supernova in-ear headphones is undeniably amazing!
The Verdict and Final Thoughts
The Adidas Sport Supernova is fantastic in terms of sound quality. It isolates noise well, it has a suitable fit, it is sweat resistant, tangle resistant, and has ControlTalk.
Yet on some of its promises, it falls a little short. It fell out of my ears while working out, even with the correct SportClip. And it wasn’t as long-term comfortable as I would have liked. Because of this, the functionality doesn’t come together as well as I had hoped.[Tweet “the sound produced by the Adidas Sport Supernova in-ear headphones is undeniably amazing!”]
As a practical audio accessory, it is very good quality for $79.99. If you can look past the issues with the flat cord and a little distortion in the highs, you will have truly found a great pair of headphones.
Have you tried the Adidas Sport Supernova in-ear headphones by Monster? Were you surprised by the quality of the product? What do you love about them? And what do you think of the SportsClip? Let us know over on the Beantown Review Twitter or Facebook pages. And don’t hesitate to head over to the Monster Products website. Feel free to check out their 2016 product lineup as seen at the recent CES. They’re doing some great over there!
FTC Disclosure: Monster Inc. provided Beantown LLC with an Adidas Sport Supernova in-ear headphones sample for review purposes. We’re not paid ambassadors. Our opinions are 100% our own.
All photographs and graphics are the copyrighted property of Monster Inc. and/or Beantown LLC.