First Look: Spider International Moonlight Studio Monitor

Gigantic even by comparison with the largest Beats headphones, Spider International’s Moonlight Studio Monitor ($350) is a deluxe pair of over-ear headphones — the young company’s “flagship” model. Made from aluminum and black plastic with oversized memory foam/leather pads on both the earcups and headband, Moonlight ships with unusually separated left- and right-channel Kevlar cabling, with a 3.5mm headphone plug that screws into an included 1/8″ adapter. Thanks to 50mm drivers, the company claims true full-spectrum audio reproduction and a “multi-dimensional” soundstage, with the ability to pick individual instruments out from songs; in our testing, Moonlight appeared to require enough headphone port power that it’s really not well-suited to stock iPod, iPhone, or iPad audio hardware. Spider bundles Moonlight with a massive zippered carrying case and armstrap.