Overall, we tend to like Monster headphones. Heck, they basically reinvented the genre with their award-winning line of Beats by Dr. Dre cans, earning a tiny amount of respect in our eyes, as well as more than a bit of our pocket change. However, we simply cannot get behind one of their latest headphone additions, the iFreePlay. These iPod Shuffle-enabled headphones are certainly a novel concept, and though we’d like to applaud the innovation, we’d look too dorky doing so with an iPod sticking out the side of our dome. For our full thoughts on this interesting set of cans by Monster, check out our headphone reviewbelow!
Design and Comfort Rating: 
Monster iFreePlay
If you’re like us, you either use an iPod Shuffle during your workout sessions, or you know someone who does. Either way, Monster understands our proclivities, and in what could have been a truly spectacular move, has designed a set of headphones geared entirely towards our yuppy, exercising demographic. The end result are the iFreePlays, a pair of headphones you can directly attach your Shuffle to. It’s a neat thought, as plugging the shuffle into the left ear cup provides all the power the headphones needs, requiring no cables, batteries, or tangled messes. However, it’s a bulky concept for a number of ideas. Primarily, we hated the fact that our Shuffle was upside down in the cup. This is a problem as working to change the track produces a mirrored layout to what we’re used to. If this isn’t irritating now, try running with it, then let us know what you think. Furthermore, the construction just felt shoddy, a word we hate to apply anywhere near the Monster brand name. All in all, it’s a sub-par construction performance.
Sound Performance and Audio Quality Rating:
When discussing the iFreePlay’s design, we forgot to mention that aside from the integrated Shuffle dock, there’s almost nothing about these headphones that isn’t already inherent to any other pair of $15 to $20 cans. On that note, the iFreePlays sound like a fifteen to twenty dollar pair of headphones, producing a sound that’s neither great, nor exactly too terrible to listen to. In other words, you won’t want to rip your iPod out and throw it across the street (or track) but you won’t be wowed by the performance either. That being said, we aren’t sure this will be much of a problem, as you’ll likely be torturing yourself on some exercise machine, rather than listening intently to the tunes.
Overall Value Rating:
If you have an iPod Shuffle, and also have an extra $30 to spend, the iFreePlays are a decent idea. They remove the need for cables and other expensive headphones while supplying you with a neat idea for a product you already own. That being said, they’re an average set of headphones at best otherwise, and require little other discussion.
