Monoprice Monolith M1070 Planar Headphones and Headphone Amplifier Review

While not normally thought of as a hi-fi brand, their selection of quality audio products has expanded rapidly over the last few years. Going by the flagship name “Monolith” with the tagline “the best value in high-end audio” Does this pair of headphones and its accompanying amp deserve the name? Let’s jump into the review.

Before I begin, note that I had to update this review as I was nearly finishing it up, not because anything went wrong, but because both the headphones and amp went on an awesome sale. The headphones went down to $280 from $400, and the amp went down to $224 from $300. At $700 this combo was pushing it, but at $500 the value is insane!

Let’s start with the Monolith, it’s actually the “Monolith by Monoprice THX AAA Balanced Headphone Amplifier featuring THX AAA 887 Technology” (product# 39359). So, I am guessing it’s just called the Monolith for short? This amp certainly has some beef to it and it’s not a light little unit. It also has options to drive just about any pair of headphones you can find. There are three gain settings with XLR, quarter inch, and 3.5mm jacks on the front, while the rear has RCA inputs and passthrough with XLR inputs. Also worth mentioning is a three-year warranty, not very common on gear like this. So how does it sound?

Listening Setup

Sample Music

Together the M1070Cs and the Monolith Amplifier sound superb! Their clarity is extreme, and the mids and bass are super detailed. It’s hard to imagine anything sounding better than this combo. I found music to be relaxing and not fatiguing to listen to. There is a flaw though, not in the sound, it’s the weight and size of these cinder blocks. At nearly a pound and a half, they are anything but light and the case is the same size as those hat boxes your grandparents keep in their closets. I could really only listen to these sitting down for maybe 30-45 min before my neck would say enough is enough.

Planar headphones can be a tricky tech to review as they are commonly far more expensive than a few hundred dollars, with prices reaching well into the thousands. These headphones were on sale for $280 at the time of writing. Now if you’re bugged by the weight like I am, I have no problem laying down to listen to headphones to relieve the issue. But for $280, they are a pretty good value for the level of sound you get.

Let’s take a look at the Monolith amp here, it too came down in price to just $224 from $300. You’ll have a hard time finding a headphone amp this good for even three times the price. It really makes headphones sing with plenty of power on tap. And it has many options to connect any cans you might have. I felt the amp sounded crisp, not warm or cold, but pretty neutral sound-wise. It’s definitely an amp that just disappears, you don’t really think about it because you can’t hear it changing the sound at all.

Let’s review the highs and lows of the headphones and amp. The headphones are great, an entry-level planar headphone that really sounds good for the price. Is it as good as a $900 pair of planar cans? Not quite, but for $280 they are a great value. I however wouldn’t pay $400 for them. Add to that they also weigh a ton and are hard to wear for more than 30-40 minutes. On to the amp, it’s a stellar value and really has some great sound packed into it.

It’s feature-rich and will work with nearly any set of cans you can throw at it. At $224 it’s a definite win! Monoprice’s exclusive Monolith line is something unique and worth exploring for some incredible hi-fi value, just be aware of the headphone’s weight.