In an earlier post we discussed at length the possibility of Dr. Dre being on his way out the door at Monster. However, we understand your hunger for more than pure speculation. As such, we thought we’d dive a bit deeper into one of the potential Dre replacements discussed in the expose. The pair in question are the Lance Armstrong iSport Livestrong headphones: Yes, these are a set of in-ear buds sponsored and furnished by the one and only cycling legend and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. Monster’s been cooking this one in the oven for quite some time now, and as such, there’s certainly a lot to discuss.
If it isn’t obvious by the photo, these puppies come fully decked out in the (in)famous Livestrong yellow. Obviously, this won’t appeal to everyone, and in fact, we’re having a hard time finding an outfit in our closet that will go well with it. However, we’re still stuck with the hue, as it’s proudly featured on both the earpieces themselves, as well as the seemingly thick cables.
Lance Armstrong iSport Headphones by Monster
We can look beyond the aesthetics, however, as the iSports come stock with a few more interesting additions. Most noticeably, these guys are completely sweatproof, meaning you can take them to the gym as many times as you want, and then ring them through your greasy-ass mop afterward like nothing had happened. If however, they do become somewhat gross, Monster promises they’re washable—no word yet if that means machine washable, as we’d like to not feel guilty about leaving these in our pocket during a cycle.
The headphones also come with an innovative form factor that features a patented in-ear clip designed to hug the curve of the inner ear, providing an even tighter fit during exercise. If you’re into jogging with your in-ears, this will likely be quite the boon, as theoretically, you’ll never have to worry about your buds sliding out again.
Best of all, you can expect the iSports to come fully loaded with Monster’s ControlTalk, the innovative, in-built controls for managing both music and movie payback on your smartphone. In the past, we’ve seen this technology work quite smoothly, and we’re excited to see it landing here on the new Lance Armstrong models.
Lastly, it’s not just you, the consumer, that gets to benefit from these killer set of buds: Monster promises it will donate a portion of the proceeds from sales to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, one of the leaders in cancer research and development. So, in essence, purchasing a pair of iSports is not only an incentive for you to get healthy, but a way for thousands of others to find treatments that get them well, too.
These buds are also part of partnership with RadioShack, so you can expect to find them there starting in February of 2012, retailing for roughly $179.95. Afterward, expect a roll-out to other distributors as well, appearing at roughly the same price.
