biggbenn74
500+ Head-Fier
Hello all,
It has been a while since my last official Head-Fi entry, but today, I have a good one that will hopefully spark up a good discussion. This year has seen the widespread release of the Monoprice Monolith M1060 planar magnetic headphones. Upon its release, the immediate response was "that looks like a clone of the LCD-series from Audeze" and it is in a lot of areas. Let's take a look at the physical aspects first.
NOTE: For this comparison I own the LCD-2F 2014 edition and M1060 Rev. 2, other variations may, well, vary.
Aesthetics: Both headphones are trimmed in a wood grain. In my case, I have the beautiful Caribbean Rosewood on the LCD-2, while the M1060 is unspecified as to their website. When looking at the wood alone, the Audeze's definitely win out in the looks category, finished with a deep lacquer, whereas the M1060's look almost untreated.
The grilles are very similar, both wearing their respective companies insignias. The laser cut grilles of the LCD-2 are smoother to the touch than the M1060's, but only just. I have the 2nd revision of the M1060's, first gen had issues with sharp grilles.
Overall, if you were to rank these headphones simply based upon looks, the LCD-2 would win out every time.
Comfort: This one's pretty subjective. For me, the LCD's headband fits nicely over my large head and I have no issues. Both headphones are incredibly heavy, but it's due to the materials they are built with, and I see that as a good thing. I can wear both headphones for hours on end, although I will say that overall, the M1060's are more comfortable.
Ear pads are nearly the same size on both headphones, with the Audeze's being a sheepskin leather, and the M1060's being pleather. The LCD's ear pads have more give to them to provide a slightly better seal than the M1060's, and I can't say for sure if that affects sound in any way as I do not have any sort of testing rig.
I want to talk about the connectors for a second. Both headphones have dual plug, removable cables. For me as a frequent headphone buyer, this is a CRITICAL feature for myself as I tend to swap and mod as I go. It's also great if you have a cable fail, you can just replace it. Audis again has the upper hand with their connector pin setup. It is much higher quality than that found on the M1060 (which it should be, given its price point)
Ok, so here is what everyone has been asking me about for the past couple weeks:
"Is it (M1060) really a baby LCD-2?" -In more ways than not, yes. Wood grain cups, open metal grilles, plush angled pads, planar magnetic drivers and their sound, which I'll get to shortly, is similar in quite a few ways.
"Is your M1060 stock or modded?" -For this comparison review, my M1060's are stock... Although hopefully in the very near future, they will be modded to kingdom come, and I'll be reserving a post directly below this entry for updates and mods.
"Is there really a difference to justify the price of the LCD-2?" -Yes, there is. Guess I could just end this entry right here and call it TL;DR, but at any rate, they are worth the price difference.
Time to get to the most anticipated category, how do they sound? I'll try to make the best comparisons I can, so here we go:
I'm going to link some songs on YouTube for reference. I am using an iMac > Modi > Magni setup for this review.
Metallica - Nothing Else Matters (2003 5.1 Remaster)
Here is where the LCD-2 shows its strengths AND weaknesses (if you can call it that)
LCD2: Orchestra in background presents itself much better and has clearer imaging. James Hetfield is front and center, emphasis on vocals throughout song. BUT, the hiss of the recording is almost deafening at the beginning of the track. Now, this does not happen on every older recorded track, but I do have to say, it's about 50/50 where I have noticed it.
M1060: Immediately the track is more relaxed. No noticeable hiss at beginning of track. Vocals are more recessed, and I would say more "intimate" as the LCD-2's imaging is superior (this will be recurring in most songs) On the same note, the track seems more "crowded" when there are more instruments playing, it all blends together, but not in an intolerable way... it's still enjoyable. The track has more of an emphasis on drums than anything else. (this is also true in most songs)
Daniel Caesar - Won't Live Here
I listen to a lot of "lesser known" artists, and here is one who I feel is under appreciated. This genre of music has quickly become my favorite listening with the LCD-2.
LCD-2: At the very beginning of the track, you feel like you are there in the crowd as he starts playing the piano. You can literally hear him take his first breath before he starts singing and it is noticeable. It's so noticeable, you really don't have to be actively trying to listen for it to hear it. Around the 1:25 mark, the bass guitar comes in, and it's such a smooth and balanced addition. There are 2 main elements in this song, and that is vocals and piano. These are 2 things that the LCD-2's do so much better than the M1060's. ALSO, the separation between his voice and the piano is phenomenal. Each has their own space in the music.
M1060: As stated above, the LCD's are going to take the cake on this one. The M1060's simply do not have the separation like the LCD's have... and it's very, VERY noticeable in an A/B comparison. Swapping back and forth, you'll find that the vocals on the M1060's are more veiled, almost to the point of sounding... synthetic? I really don't know how to accurately describe it. This track was the most telling in the differences that I could hear easily.
Chance The Rapper - Big B's
This is the point where I will just go ahead and say it. If your music library primarily consists of hip hop / rap / heavy bass, the M1060's may be a better fit for you.
LCD-2: Right off the bat, the synth-line in the background is almost distracting from the rest of the song. This is one of those 50/50 situations I mentioned above, where you can hear every nuance and recording flaw. Not much else to say here. For the record, all the songs mentioned here I regularly enjoy, so this was a strange experience for me.
M1060: These were much more enjoyable to listen to. Sub-bass emphasis, no distracting synth line and you really can't tell there are many recording flaws. This track thumps. That's the short and sweet of it.
Final Thoughts:
Both headphones are strong performers. I recommend both in a heartbeat.
Price wise, you can pick up a brand new M1060 for around $300, whereas the LCD-2's on Audeze's website in this Caribbean Rosewood finish will run you $1,145 brand new... yikes. And not to mention cables, most of the ones for the LCD-series are priced around the entire M1060's...But fear not, you can pick up a used pair for around $500-$600 all day, and Audeze has a 3 year, transferrable warranty. I picked mine up used and one of the drivers got damaged in shipping, but the awesome people at Audeze issued me an RMA and I was taken care of in just about a weeks time. -so trust me when I say you have nothing to worry about.
SQ wise, the Audeze's win...... But let's go back to the "baby LCD" question on the M1060's. At their given price, the M1060's are a strong performer. Most of the sound characteristics are reminiscent of the LCD-2. I'd say it's less refined (and it is the truth) with the bass being more uncontrolled and most tracks sounding "crowded". The LCD-2 gives the track more room to breathe and really squeezes every ounce out of a well recorded track. With that being said, the M1060's are about 80-85% of the LCD-2's (to my ears) at well under 1/3 the price when new.
For my music tastes, I've found myself going back to the LCD-2 almost every time. I'm even wearing them as I've spent this past hour writing all of this.
If you have the means, and are looking for a set of warm, open backed cans, the Audeze's are a fantastic choice. However, if you are more budget oriented, the M1060's are a wonderful, cost effective option to the LCD-2.
*End Of Review*
*Please feel free to ask me any questions that I have not addressed on this subject, I would be more than happy to give you my thoughts. Thanks for reading!
It has been a while since my last official Head-Fi entry, but today, I have a good one that will hopefully spark up a good discussion. This year has seen the widespread release of the Monoprice Monolith M1060 planar magnetic headphones. Upon its release, the immediate response was "that looks like a clone of the LCD-series from Audeze" and it is in a lot of areas. Let's take a look at the physical aspects first.
NOTE: For this comparison I own the LCD-2F 2014 edition and M1060 Rev. 2, other variations may, well, vary.
Aesthetics: Both headphones are trimmed in a wood grain. In my case, I have the beautiful Caribbean Rosewood on the LCD-2, while the M1060 is unspecified as to their website. When looking at the wood alone, the Audeze's definitely win out in the looks category, finished with a deep lacquer, whereas the M1060's look almost untreated.
The grilles are very similar, both wearing their respective companies insignias. The laser cut grilles of the LCD-2 are smoother to the touch than the M1060's, but only just. I have the 2nd revision of the M1060's, first gen had issues with sharp grilles.
Overall, if you were to rank these headphones simply based upon looks, the LCD-2 would win out every time.
Comfort: This one's pretty subjective. For me, the LCD's headband fits nicely over my large head and I have no issues. Both headphones are incredibly heavy, but it's due to the materials they are built with, and I see that as a good thing. I can wear both headphones for hours on end, although I will say that overall, the M1060's are more comfortable.
Ear pads are nearly the same size on both headphones, with the Audeze's being a sheepskin leather, and the M1060's being pleather. The LCD's ear pads have more give to them to provide a slightly better seal than the M1060's, and I can't say for sure if that affects sound in any way as I do not have any sort of testing rig.
I want to talk about the connectors for a second. Both headphones have dual plug, removable cables. For me as a frequent headphone buyer, this is a CRITICAL feature for myself as I tend to swap and mod as I go. It's also great if you have a cable fail, you can just replace it. Audis again has the upper hand with their connector pin setup. It is much higher quality than that found on the M1060 (which it should be, given its price point)
Ok, so here is what everyone has been asking me about for the past couple weeks:
"Is it (M1060) really a baby LCD-2?" -In more ways than not, yes. Wood grain cups, open metal grilles, plush angled pads, planar magnetic drivers and their sound, which I'll get to shortly, is similar in quite a few ways.
"Is your M1060 stock or modded?" -For this comparison review, my M1060's are stock... Although hopefully in the very near future, they will be modded to kingdom come, and I'll be reserving a post directly below this entry for updates and mods.
"Is there really a difference to justify the price of the LCD-2?" -Yes, there is. Guess I could just end this entry right here and call it TL;DR, but at any rate, they are worth the price difference.
Time to get to the most anticipated category, how do they sound? I'll try to make the best comparisons I can, so here we go:
I'm going to link some songs on YouTube for reference. I am using an iMac > Modi > Magni setup for this review.
Metallica - Nothing Else Matters (2003 5.1 Remaster)
Here is where the LCD-2 shows its strengths AND weaknesses (if you can call it that)
LCD2: Orchestra in background presents itself much better and has clearer imaging. James Hetfield is front and center, emphasis on vocals throughout song. BUT, the hiss of the recording is almost deafening at the beginning of the track. Now, this does not happen on every older recorded track, but I do have to say, it's about 50/50 where I have noticed it.
M1060: Immediately the track is more relaxed. No noticeable hiss at beginning of track. Vocals are more recessed, and I would say more "intimate" as the LCD-2's imaging is superior (this will be recurring in most songs) On the same note, the track seems more "crowded" when there are more instruments playing, it all blends together, but not in an intolerable way... it's still enjoyable. The track has more of an emphasis on drums than anything else. (this is also true in most songs)
Daniel Caesar - Won't Live Here
I listen to a lot of "lesser known" artists, and here is one who I feel is under appreciated. This genre of music has quickly become my favorite listening with the LCD-2.
LCD-2: At the very beginning of the track, you feel like you are there in the crowd as he starts playing the piano. You can literally hear him take his first breath before he starts singing and it is noticeable. It's so noticeable, you really don't have to be actively trying to listen for it to hear it. Around the 1:25 mark, the bass guitar comes in, and it's such a smooth and balanced addition. There are 2 main elements in this song, and that is vocals and piano. These are 2 things that the LCD-2's do so much better than the M1060's. ALSO, the separation between his voice and the piano is phenomenal. Each has their own space in the music.
M1060: As stated above, the LCD's are going to take the cake on this one. The M1060's simply do not have the separation like the LCD's have... and it's very, VERY noticeable in an A/B comparison. Swapping back and forth, you'll find that the vocals on the M1060's are more veiled, almost to the point of sounding... synthetic? I really don't know how to accurately describe it. This track was the most telling in the differences that I could hear easily.
Chance The Rapper - Big B's
This is the point where I will just go ahead and say it. If your music library primarily consists of hip hop / rap / heavy bass, the M1060's may be a better fit for you.
LCD-2: Right off the bat, the synth-line in the background is almost distracting from the rest of the song. This is one of those 50/50 situations I mentioned above, where you can hear every nuance and recording flaw. Not much else to say here. For the record, all the songs mentioned here I regularly enjoy, so this was a strange experience for me.
M1060: These were much more enjoyable to listen to. Sub-bass emphasis, no distracting synth line and you really can't tell there are many recording flaws. This track thumps. That's the short and sweet of it.
Final Thoughts:
Both headphones are strong performers. I recommend both in a heartbeat.
Price wise, you can pick up a brand new M1060 for around $300, whereas the LCD-2's on Audeze's website in this Caribbean Rosewood finish will run you $1,145 brand new... yikes. And not to mention cables, most of the ones for the LCD-series are priced around the entire M1060's...But fear not, you can pick up a used pair for around $500-$600 all day, and Audeze has a 3 year, transferrable warranty. I picked mine up used and one of the drivers got damaged in shipping, but the awesome people at Audeze issued me an RMA and I was taken care of in just about a weeks time. -so trust me when I say you have nothing to worry about.
SQ wise, the Audeze's win...... But let's go back to the "baby LCD" question on the M1060's. At their given price, the M1060's are a strong performer. Most of the sound characteristics are reminiscent of the LCD-2. I'd say it's less refined (and it is the truth) with the bass being more uncontrolled and most tracks sounding "crowded". The LCD-2 gives the track more room to breathe and really squeezes every ounce out of a well recorded track. With that being said, the M1060's are about 80-85% of the LCD-2's (to my ears) at well under 1/3 the price when new.
For my music tastes, I've found myself going back to the LCD-2 almost every time. I'm even wearing them as I've spent this past hour writing all of this.
If you have the means, and are looking for a set of warm, open backed cans, the Audeze's are a fantastic choice. However, if you are more budget oriented, the M1060's are a wonderful, cost effective option to the LCD-2.
*End Of Review*
*Please feel free to ask me any questions that I have not addressed on this subject, I would be more than happy to give you my thoughts. Thanks for reading!
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