Monster iSport Immersion review: Headphones for athletes

In recent years Monster has been known more for its celebrity-endorsed headphones and other products, including a now-defunct partnership with Dr. Dre and Beats. But Monster has also made a quiet push into the wired sports-headphones market with its iSport line, which is set to expand this fall with a couple of new models.

8.0

Monster iSport Immersion

The Good

The <b>Monster iSport Immersion In-Ear Headphones</b> offer a very secure fit and impressive sound, as well as a sweatproof design and flat, tangle-resident cord. They also have an integrated iPhone-friendly ControlTalk inline remote with volume controls, and come with a nice carrying pouch.

The Bad

For some people, these earphones' noise isolation may shut out too much of the outside world. Also, if you can't get a tight seal, bass response won't be as good.

The Bottom Line

The iSport Immersion headphones rank among the best wired in-ear sports headphone models out there in terms of fit and sound quality.

The model reviewed here, the iSport Immersion In-Ear with ControlTalk, comes in a couple of different colors and flavors, including a higher-priced yellow LiveStrong version and a significantly more expensive limited-edition USA model that Monster released around the time of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

I tested both the standard $99 blue-colored iSport (it also comes in black) as well as the USA model ($199). Both rank among the best wired sports headphones I've tested, with the USA model offering a slightly superior fit and slightly better sound.

Tight seal
All iSport models are sweatproof and Monster says you can literally wash the earphones; I did dunk mine briefly in the pool and they came out no worse for wear. The iSport models all have a flat, tangle-resistant style cord and an inline microphone for making cell phone calls.

However, the key here is the fit. Monster includes four different sizes of SportClips and silicone eartips. Those SportClips, made out of firm but flexible rubber, hook comfortably on the inner rim of your ear and help keep the eartip securely in place. The medium eartips and SportClips worked for me, but you can obviously mix and match large with medium or small depending on the shape of your ear.

While I ended up getting a slightly tighter seal with the step-up USA model, I still got a good fit and tight seal with the standard iSport Immersions. That tight seal is crucial to maximizing bass response and the iSports not only offered detailed sound but big bass as well -- not overwhelming, just meaty and pretty tight. They sound very good for sports earphones, and very good for earphones in general.

I went on several runs with them and they stayed in my ears without a problem and kept their tight seal. The only issue for some people will be that the noise isolation is so good (particularly with the USA model) that very little sound from the outside world is let in. I ran against traffic on a country road, so I could mostly see cars coming, but on a couple of hills where I couldn't see over the other side, I had to stay on alert because there was almost no shoulder to the road and I couldn't hear cars until they were about 10 yards away.

All the iSport models have an L-shaped plug, which is typically more durable than a standard straight plug. However, it's worth mentioning that if you have a thicker "tough" case on your phone you might have some trouble getting the plug to fit into the phone's recessed headphone jack.

On a positive note, I appreciated the protective spring-clasp pouch that's included with the headphones. Monster ships the same pouch with other earbuds and I consider it one of the best protective cases on the market because it offers decent protection but isn't bulky at all. It's also easy to get the earphones in and out of.

As for the integrated ControlTalk microphone, (t's compatible with most recent iOS products, but check this list to see whether it's compatible with your smartphone. I found it worked well for making calls. Interestingly, the standard iSport Immersion has volume controls on the remote while the step-up USA doesn't. As with all ControlTalk remotes, there are no transport controls per se. You simply simply tap the answer/end (pause) button twice to skip a track forward and tap it three times to skip back. Since it's easy to skip forward but more challenging to go back, this won't be the ideal remote for some folks.

Conclusion
Overall, I really liked the Monster iSport Immersion headphones. As I said in the intro, I consider them to be among the best wired sports in-ear headphones available and I wouldn't hesitate to use these on a day-to-day basis. While they won't fit everybody equally well, I got a very secure fit and they stayed in my ears on all my 4-mile "test" runs. They fit more securely than the Polk Audio UltraFit 3000 in-ear headphones and sound better, with bigger bass and more detail. But the Polks, which sound pretty good, allow more outside sound in, which some people may prefer.

I was able to get a slightly tighter seal with the limited-edition USA model, which helped augment the bass a bit, but I can't say it's worth spending the extra money on that model. For most people the standard iSport Immersion will be fine. While it may offer too much noise isolation for some, I recommend it to anyone looking for in-ear sports headphones with a secure fit and premium sound. They're great for the treadmill or elliptical machine at the gym and will also stay in your ears when you hit the road outside.