VE Monk

I'm not a fan of earbuds. However, if I had to pick earbuds, I'd take the classic VE Monk anyday! These earbuds proved that excellent cheap earbuds actually exist. These earbuds have amazing volume levels, excellent moderate bass response and clear and balanced mids and highs. The hype around these earbuds was not exaggerated!

NOTE: Unfortunately, this model was discontinued in favor of the better-looking VE Monk Plus, which actually sound noticeable worse, and the plug's strain relief was compromised as well. Still, for such a cheap price, both options are more than acceptable!

I find most earbuds quite uncomfortable, and they tend to put pressure on my ears after a while. These earbuds' housings are very generic and used for many other earbuds, so there isn't anything special about the lack of ergonomics with these earbuds.

The bass isn't so deep, as expected, but it's accurate and punchy. It's not muddy and doesn't leak into the mids, yet provides enough warmth for vocals and instruments. Even electronic music genres sound decent with these.

The mids are probably some of the best mids you can get. They are not especially detailed, but are loud and upfront, properly pronounced and not exaggerated. Any kind of vocals will sound natural and lively. These are the best reference earbuds to compare to other budget earbuds.

The highs have a nautral tone. Not exaggerated, and not too detailed. Even so, the highs are loud enough to enjoy and impressively clear, compared to some other earbuds I had the chance to try. There are no sudden peaks and no evident drops, everything was tuned properly. From a brightness and clarity perspective, these could use more of it.