Monoprice 44517 Wireless Headphones Review

In the box you get a very nice hard case and a USB-C (yay!) charging cable; they do charge quite quickly by the way. And that’s about it, however, you don’t need more to get going. Simply charge them up, connect via Bluetooth to your phone and you are good to go. If you don’t want to use the case, they fold up nicely and can be transported rather safely as they feel pretty rugged. Overall build quality and finish is an 8/10.

Comfort-wise, they do an amazing job, much better than most sub $100 headphones I’ve tried. The headband has plenty of cushion and so do the earcups. Overall weight is 11.3oz, I weighed them myself because for some reason Monoprice doesn’t have this listed on the specs, weird right? I give them a 7.5/10 for comfort. They are light and plush with little fatigue after 30 minutes of listening.

Sound quality is unfortunately the only downside here and I am normally very forgiving with budget headphones. The first pair I got in just sounded bad, really bad and Monoprice sent me a replacement. It was better, but the weakness of these is quickly apparent in the mid-range. The highs and lows are surprisingly good, but the plastic-sounding mid-range really hurts these headphones. After a 12-hour break-in, they were no better. The mid-range just sounds tingy and fake.

I found hip-hop to be the best-sounding music on these headphones as the vocals and bass drowned out any mid-range flaws. Rock and metal were less than stellar. It’s rather uncommon to hear a pair of headphones with pretty good highs and bass while being nearly non-existent with the mid-range. They aren’t bad, but in the sub-$ $100 category, there are better-sounding options.

So, let’s talk about the active noise canceling for a minute. It’s good, really good at this price point. I feel like they designed these headphones for blocking out noise first and then designed the drivers. They block out more noise than most $200-300 pairs of headphones I have tested. I often wear these headphones with some very quiet music playing while working just to focus better with fewer distractions. If you’re looking for an affordable ANC solution, this is it. ANC is a solid 8.5/10.

Listening Setup
iPhone 13

Sample Music
Diamonds – Rihanna
Forever – Chris Brown
Valiant Hearts – Alaska
Talk to a Friend – Rain City Drive
PVRIS – White Noise

The Monoprice 44517 headphones strangely enough hit everything I am looking for except in audio quality. They are comfortable, have excellent battery life, an affordable price, and awesome noise canceling. They just don’t sound very full-bodied, and I feel there is definitely room for improvement in a Gen 2 model. But if you’re looking for a comfortable pair of headphones to wear to block out distractions, this is the pair to get, just don’t expect them to sound that good.

They have great value for what they are, build quality is sturdy and USB-C makes them easy to charge. The side buttons are a bit confusing, but a quick read in the manual and you should be good to go. Overall, these are a 6/10 pair of wireless headphones, if blocking noise and comfort are higher on your priority list than audio quality then definitely check them out. If you value mid-range sound, look elsewhere.