It seems I was quoted up above. I am flattered.

One thing that pops out when comparing the Cascades and the Monarchs is the fact that the Cascades aren't Phase Coated. Phase coating or Phase correction is a process done to the prism in roof prism binoculars in order to get the maximum amount of clarity, sharpness and contrast. Without PC the image just doesn't look quite as good as a PC binocular or a porro prism model.

My two votes for binoculars in the $300 range would be the Monarchs and the Bushnell Legends.