Last year Monster’s mantra was “Join the Revolution.” At the International Consumer Electronics Show this year the head monster, Noel Lee, stated that the “Revolution has now begun.” Mainly, that revolution deals with Monster’s continued commitment to the headphone market, which over the past year has been inundated with new products. “Everybody has jumped into the headphone business,” Lee says. “Over the holidays it felt like ‘Headphones are Us.’”
To differentiate itself from the competition, Monster is will focus on blending three concepts together: fashion, entertainment/sports, and technology. To prove the point, Monster hosted a fashion show of sorts, showing off some of its hip, innovative designs that included colorful interchangeable headbands (some which looked like feathered hats and others with dangerous looking spikes and studs), military green headphones and dazzling diamond cut headphones. A cast of celebrities were there to endorse the modern designs: supermodel Tyson Beckford, Sheila E, actor Nick Cannon, Sugar Ray Leonard and 2009 Super Bowl winning quarterback Drew Brees.
Designed with both the music and fashion consumer in mind, Monster DNA headphones, for example, feature a distinctive “not-round, not-oval,” but totally new, bold and striking triangular shape. The color scheme itself is just as innovative, with the inside color asserting itself just as prominently as the outer headband color. In yet another innovative design twist, you can customize the DNA’s– from brushed steel to white leopard, with Monster DNA™ Custom Looks. The Custom Looks “skins” also give the headphones an extra layer of protection, and can be removed without leaving residue. Adding even more style flexibility, Monster is announcing its Factory Customization program – Monster DNA will be the first headphone that will allow users to select one of many unique patterns direct from the factory, including styles that are not sold either in retail stores or online.
The DNA headphones also feature the debut of the Monster Music Link, which features dual-port inputs that allow up to five headphones to connect at once and share their audio music.
In another fashion-forward move, Monster and Diesel announced an expansion of their jointly created Monster Diesel Noise Division VEKTR headphone family. New additions to the Diesel Noise Division include the On-Ear Military Green VEKTR and a mirror finish Chrome VEKTR (SRP: $279.95). The new models join the recently introduced white On-Ear VEKTR headphones.
Gaming is another hot area, and Monster has teamed up with EA Sports to launch a headphone designed specifically for gaming, featuring HDHS (High-Definition Surround-Sound technology). The new EA SPORTS MVP Carbon by Monster® headphone (SRP: $269.95) is the first-ever collaboration between a game developer and a headphone manufacturer that offers an unprecedented level of immersive sonic gameplay.