OneOdio Monitor 80 Review: Profound Sound and Outstanding Value

OneOdio Monitor 80 Review

I spent the afternoon listening to the once again charting Beatles 1967-1979 (2023 Edition), better known as The Blue Album. The 2023 edition includes the recently released Now and Then, which is fine, but it pales in comparison to the songs that the Beatles produced in their psychedelic period. The songs on this album continue to influence singers and song writers (and probably AIs) even if they don’t know it.

Serious Insights has attracted a wide range of earbuds for evaluation. Listening to music on earbuds is fine. The latest employ software and improved hardware to create more open listening vistas that squeeze every possible note out of their small drivers. But there is a difference between putting on a 40mm studio monitor and cranking up a lossless, wired audio experience.

Every song opens up like an auditory flower, with all of its petals, pistils, and the stamen’s anthers perched upon their filaments unfurling at first, then waving in gentle breezes, in strong winds, reacting to the touch of bees collecting pollen, of hummingbirds sucking nectar. It’s like that point in A Day in the Life when Paul sings: I had a smoke, and somebody spoke, and I went into a dream.

As technology improves, prices fall and performance increases for even lower-priced products. We have that today in headphones and earbuds. Amazing sound does not require big brands or huge investments. Beyerdynamic makes great headphones. You might find their DT 900 Pro X headphones in any studio from Los Angeles to Nashville to New York. But you don’t need to pay $270 for a sound that approaches the best open-back studio monitors.

Enter the OneOdio Monitor 80, which is listed for $120.99 on the company’s website but rarely reaches that price on Amazon. On Black Friday 2023, they ran only $77.59.

What we like

Pros

• Great sound
• Outstanding value
• Included cables and case

Big and roomy. The sound and the earcups. The velvet-lined earcups deliver all-day comfort when combined with the soft cushion of the head strap. The headphones are sturdy, mostly plastic, sure, but metal where it counts, in hinges and on the headband adjustment.

The 250-ohm nominal impedance, 40mm drivers provide ample auditory space for the Beatle’s updated mixes to paint their inspired soundscapes across my left and right ears. I almost experienced synesthesia, closing my eyes and imagining patterns and characters, seeing the voices hidden under the through line out of the corner of my eyes. Neutral in general. Highs, mid, and solid bass when called upon. Great stereo separation. You can follow notes across your brain.

OneOdio wants the OneOdio Monitor 80 to serve multiple purposes, even multiple masters. The standard 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable is accompanied by a 1.5m-3.5m coiled cable for patching into panels and instruments—the cables are included and detachable. The headphones and the cables can be stored and transported in the roomy, roundish case that also comes included.

The OneOdio Monitor 80 offers a nice unboxing experience with a printed cardboard cover over a silver box. OneOdio thought about the customer experience.

Being wired headphones, there is no worry about touch controls, built-in microphones, pairing or Bluetooth® codecs. The OneOdio Monitor 80 headphones just play music from a wire.

OneOdio suggests that all listening experiences come through an amplifier. I ran mine directly from a MacBook Pro 14’s audio port and found the sound outstanding. Unlike most devices, Apple offers impedance detection. When detecting 150 to 1k ohms, the headphone jack delivers 3-volt RMS—no need for an amplifier on late-model MacBook Pros.

OneOdio doesn’t play the fashion card. They clearly state that black and silver is the fashion. I get a sense that they mean that in a timeless way. I would not expect pink or white or rose gold versions of these any time soon.

Good basics on sustainability with cardboard packaging. I would like to see OneOdio develop a sustainability statement and match that with recycled materials in packaging and products, including ditching plastic retail hangers.

What could be improved

Cons

• None really…bigger, oval earcups, maybe?

As with many product categories, emerging technology manufacturers offer very good products at a reduced price. I’m not sure what I’d ask for to make these headphones better than their real less-than-$100 price demands. Perhaps oval earcups for those with bigger ears. OneOdio needs to be watched for their next round of innovations.

I will also suggest that the coiled connector is better when the coil connects to an external device and not the headphones. The coil adds some weight that pulls the headphones to the right. For use with my MacBook, both cables worked with equal fidelity.

Some reviews complain about the “velvet” earcup material versus the more common faux leather. I don’t have an issue with the fabric, as it is likely to last longer than the faux leather, which I have had deteriorate over time, even on Bose products. I don’t see the “velvet” drying out and crumbling into the case.

OneOdio Monitor 80: The bottom line

At less than a hundred dollars on a good sale day, the OneOdio Monitor 80s are a bargain-priced audio extravaganza. I think that says it all.

OneOdio provided the Monitor 80 for review. Images courtesy of OneOdio unless otherwise noted.

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