iBeats: Monster’s answer to cheap iPod earbuds

Its easy to hate the earbuds Apple includes with the iPod, or even the iPhone. They aren’t very good, and as Jimmy Iovine puts it, “they’re just there to make sure the iPod works.” Monster’s answer is with the appropriately named iBeats.

The iBeats are simple in-earphones that carry the “Beats profile.” They are aimed at kids, specifically. The idea is to get kids who are listening to the music for the first time to listen to it with a good pair of headphones, rather than spending a at least $100 on an iPod and only $12 on a cheap pair of earbuds. The earphones will probably appeal to anyone who wants a Beats sound without having to spend all the extra cash. At $99 they aren’t a bad deal at all.

The iBeats weren’t available for testing, though that makes sense as you wouldn’t want someone else’s earwax all over the buds when you go to try them out. It wouldn’t be too surprising if they sound just a bit better than Monster’s Li’l Jams, the company’s other iPod/iPhone earphones line.