By Tham Yuen-C

EVERYTHING about Lady Gaga, from her make-up to her costumes and songs, screams 'look at me'.

So too the Heartbeats by Lady Gaga earphones designed by the American singer and made by Monster.

Aesthetically, the earbuds will not appeal to those who are trying to be low-key. They have a shiny, multi-faceted triangular face that sticks out of your ears.

There is a practical benefit, though, to the triangular design: It lets you figure out which bud is for the left ear and which is for the right, without having to check the 'L' and 'R' letters printed on them.

It will not feel right if you accidentally stuff the right earbud into your left ear.

For those with small ear canals, the earphones may prove to be uncomfortable. As the triangular part of the earbud is rather large, it is hard to fit them snugly into the ear.

In fact, the earbuds tend to push themselves out of my ear and are always sitting precariously at the edge. Even with the different-sized eartips provided, I could not find a good fit.

Despite not sealing up my ear canals fully, the earbuds block out sounds pretty well. Even with the music volume turned to low, I could not hear my colleagues calling me.

The earphones also come with flat cables that are slightly heavier than what you will find on regular earphones. The cables hang nicely and do not tangle.

Designed for the Beats by Dr Dre line, the earphones are supposed to let you hear music the way the artistes meant for them to be heard.

That probably explains why they work well with dance, pop-rock and hip-hop tracks like Lady Gaga's Poker Face. The lively beats come out loud and clear, without drowning her slightly girlish voice.

Bass sounds are also strong but not overpowering so you can still hear the lyrics.

With jazzy tunes, though, the sound is slightly flat and the earphones do not do justice to the full range of sounds.

Final say

For those who have deep ear canals and like strong bass in their music.