Monolith M1060 Over Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones - Black/Wood With 106mm Driver, Open Back Design, Comfort Ear Pads For Studio/Professional

These are only the second pair of open-backed headphones I've owned, and my very first planar magnetics. I've always been a closed back or IEM user, mostly from necessity. In the time leading up to choosing my very first pair of openback phones (the Philips Fidelio X2's - well worth a listen) I tried a lot of headphones and before purchase I read a fair amount too. Frankly the choice can be overwhelming and it's not helped by so many wildly conflicting opinions. One person will tell you the m1060's are utter tripe, the next will say they're the dogs danglies - you begin to second guess yourself!. Those opinions are based on so many things - sound preferences, hearing ability, the revision of headphone they have, the equipment they're using to drive the headphones. I even noticed something I can only call snobbery - some people seemed almost threatened by headphones that cost so much less than the headphones they own and to which they're being compared, there's a lot of snippy Audeze owners out there. Out of all the headphones I looked into, the m1060's seemed by far the most divisive; they'd been hyped to the hilt and were subjected to incredible scrutiny. The Internet is a wonderful resource, but for certain products it's often more confusing than informative. And here I am, adding my two cents!The only way of knowing if you like something like headphones is to put them on and listen. So that's what I did prior to buying. I have a friend with an enormous array of audio equipment, and headphones in particular. In trying out his headphones I found that cost often had nothing to do with how much I enjoyed listening to them. I chose the Philips Fidelio X2's blind (he was plopping them on my head from the back so I had no idea what was on there!) and when it came to take them off I was seriously smitten. Then I saw how well they were made and figured I was gonna be spending quite a chunk of change. Turns out they cost me £150 new, there was plenty of money left over and I decided to buy another pair that used a different driver type - planar magnetic.So the blind testing started again (you'd think I was imposing on my mate but he loves this stuff!) and I whittled the smaller field down to two headphones that had exactly the kind of sound I like - open and detailed but not bright; warm with a nice tight solid low end. And there really wasn't much between them, there was a difference but it wasn't significant enough for me to have a clear preference - they both sounded great and were very comfortable. I examined the build quality of both and while the m1060 wasn't as solid as the others, when I learned the price I made the decision that I wasn't going to pay another £500 if I didn't have to, especially as they're for home use and will spend most of their time in the supplied case (which is very nice but bloody huge!). They were so similar otherwise, and the build is certainly good enough, so it just didn't make any sense to spend more than I had to. They look very smart, they're extremely comfortable, and they come in at a price that belies their appearance and sound quality. I was almost beginning to think that I had a preference for cheaper headphones until I learned the price of the similar sounding alternative. My friend assured me that they (and the X2's) were excellent headphones and advised me to just trust my ears - after all its me who's going to be listening to them!. If you ever get the chance to test products blind like that then take it. I can't count the times I've gone with the high end brand, the top model or the most expensive "because it must be the best", only to be left feeling duped once the dazzle wore off and reality kicked in. Off topic I know, but Google "pricing placebo" and "perceived value" - it's an eye-opener!.Anyway!. I've been living with the m1060s for a while now and they really are a superb headphone. They're not just great for the money, and when you look at the price of other planar magnetics you'll see what I mean, they're just plain great. Once they're on your head they're really comfortable, those big thick wide earpads really hug your head and they're easy to adjust to fit. The sound from a planar driver is actually quite difficult for me to describe, it is distinctive from the dynamic drivers most of us are used to. They're also physically very different at over 10cm tall!. They have a very clean sound, voices and instruments seem more natural and vocals in particular sound wonderfully sweet. The midrange is very detailed. I'm a bit treble sensitive and the m1060s suit me perfectly with their slightly quieter highs. One of the perhaps less obvious advantages I get from them is speed, which might sound like an odd thing to say. Bass in particular sounds punchy and accurate - maybe the nature of the driver allows it to recover more quickly than a dynamic driver so it's ready to do its thing again?. They might not have the thump of a particularly bassy dynamic headphone, but they're absolutely no slouch at the bottom end. They extend all the way down and what's there is cleaner. I've never heard the double bass or drums sound so lifelike and defined in a mix, and it's easy to pick out each individual instrument and its location. Sub bass from music or films (or film music!) is eerily like a subwoofer. Just to be clear though - they're not the type of headphone that adds bass to everything, they just deliver it incredibly well when it should be there.I'm a chatty type so if you've stuck with me this long then cheers!. I just wanted you to know that I did what I could to buy headphones that I really enjoy and I tried not to let anything but the sound of them guide me. I did my due diligence before actually going ahead with the purchase by learning what I could about them, but I'd enjoyed them so much that barring learning they were radioactive it was a forgone conclusion. I've forcibly thrust them onto every friend and family member's head I can and I watch their faces light up with smiles and surprise - a far better gauge than anything they can say!. I'm going to keep an eye on future audio products from Monolith because I think that they, along with many of the Chinese audio companies, are going to shake up an industry where its not unusual to find headphones/DACs/amps that cost in the thousands, and often for no apparent technical superiority. It's gotten out of hand!.Next stop for me is a pair of electrostatic headphones, for many audiophiles they're considered the best type of driver for detail. The planar magnetic is generally considered to sit somewhere between the dynamic and electrostatic in terms of audio reproduction, but of course that's not always true. They're closer to electrostatics in both in quality and design, but cost less and are far more convenient too as they don't need a specialist amp. I can't recommend the m1060s highly enough, they not only sound fantastic but Monoprice also give a 5yr guarantee and are no nonsense when it comes to customer service. I would highly recommend that you at least try them out for yourself, Amazon are also no nonsense so there's nothing to lose. I hope something in this ramble was at least slightly useful and that it might have swayed you to give the m1060's a chance. I don't think you'll regret it, happy listening :)

Mine sounded great, but I could hear some movement in one of the earcups. To be fair the customer service was get prompt and honest (I felt) about the shortcomings of this (budget end of the) high end product.Purchase for studio use (mixing down) but not really fit for my purpose. If you are looking for just 'Home listening' high end audio, then they are a great set. You won't get bass response and depth like this from another £300 set of headphones. I also own a pair of Pionset HD2000 MK1 ( that cost over £300 when I bought them) and the monoprice blows the socks off the pioneers in terms of sound quality (acknowledging they are designed for different situations).A good introductory pair, but I ended up going with a pair of Audeze LCD2's purely down to the build. The Monoprice's don't sound a patch on the sound of the LCD2's to to be fair they cost more than twice the price.

These headphones were a surprise to me, firstly a planar magnetic design and secondly the materials that are used.The build is a bit flimsy, not too much of a revelation considering that they are so cheap! They came packaged really well and for the ridiculously low price, have a case included in the box.They sound fine and for the price point-this alone is amazing. No they won’t do anything that more expensive headphones do, but at this price delivered in a custom case with a cable I can’t really fault these.I know the experts will complain about sound quality and and finite detail missing but I suppose those so called audiophiles who have golden ears should know better? After all I bought relatively cheap planar headphones. I managed my expectations and was pleasantly impressed.I purchased cheap headphones and they work perfectly fine and are of ok build. To those who purchase cheap things then criticise or compare to other items that they have never owned and only read reviews of: these probably won’t be for you.If you like music and appreciate that you are purchasing a cheaper version of something better then you may understand why this product is popular and have managed expectations appropriately.

What a super pair of headphones for sensible money, Myself I think they are a bargain and was looking at spending nearly double but took a punt on these after reading reviews and they are worth every penny. I have to say they are not lite and could have had a better headband but this is only a small gripe, if you hunt around you will find a good few aftermarket parts for these so you change them up, luxurious soft ear cups (nothing wrong with standard) high end cables standard Jack and various balanced options and they come in a nice case to keep them in good nick, lastly absolutely no build quality issues at the price all good and the only plastic part is really the headstrap build well..

These took my by surprise. Better than Oppo-3, although some recordings sound better with them. My reference pair has been Shure 1540, these are different but so far have not been able to put them in order.If you are after outlandish soundstage, these are you cans. If you thought AKG K-701 had a wide soundstage, these are possibly even wider. The case included is massive and impractical though, probably fills pretty much the trunk of Nissan Micra...