Monster T1 Tron: Legacy headphones ears-on review: The CLU is in the title

When Crave logged into the Grid (read: went to CES 2011) we were lucky enough to spot a pair of these lovely, luminous Tron: Legacy T1 headphones hanging around in the Monster audio booth.

Admittedly they were on the head of an unassuming Monster representative, but consumed with gadget lust, we wrestled them off, and subjected them to a quick ears-on. Click through the photos above to gaze lovingly at our snaps of these futuristic 'phones.

The Tron T1 headphones will certainly draw attention if you wear them out and about -- as well as being quite large, they're futuristically styled, and the earcups themselves light up a cool shade of blue.

We don't think they'd look amiss worn in tandem with the Sony 3D goggles that were also being demoed at the show. You'd have to be brave to wear them out and about, but we have to confess, we're a little bit in love with the T1's angular, menacing stylings.

Often more boisterous headphones like this feel cheap and plasticky, but happily the T1s don't feel too cheap and nasty. They're hardly hewn from precious metals, but they didn't feel to us like they were about to fall apart, which is a definite bonus. They're quite light, and felt very comfortable to wear, avoiding the brain-squeezing tightness that can sometimes afflict headphones.

But how do they sound? We donned the T1s to give them a quick listening-to, and we think they sound pretty good. We're not making any firm claims until the review samples roll in, and we can examine the T1's sound quality away from the insane noise of the Las Vegas Convention Center, but we thought the T1s sounded accurate and clear, and not quite so skull-mashingly bassy as Monster's most popular product line, the Beats by Dr Dre headphones.

There's a remote control way down the cable that lets you turn off the lights, and also answer calls, skip track and adjust the volume if you're listening using an iPhone. There's an optional extra microphone attachment too, so you can use the T1s a gaming headset. We didn't get to test this at the show, unfortunately.

We thought the T1s sounded good, but we'll need more time before we can determine whether they sound good to the tune of £280, which is how much they'll cost you to pre-order from HMV. You might find these cans cheaper elsewhere, but expect to shell out a great deal of cash for the privilege of having a glowing head. Still, Monster knows how to put together a decent pair of headphones, so here's hoping the T1s prove to be worth the cash.

What do you think? Are the T1s the coolest thing on the Grid? Or would you sooner be de-rezzed than be caught wearing these? Let us know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.