Today I will be giving my impressions on the Monk Lite along with comparisons with the Monk+. First of all is the gold/black 40 ohm version.
gold/black 40 ohm Monk Lite and darth black Monk+
They have the same laid-back presentation of the Monk+ but they are tuned differently. Whereas the Monk+ has a warm tonality, the Lite is more neutral sounding, leaning towards a bright signature.
There is less bass than the Monk+ and possibly better quality, less bloom. The Monk+ has a warm midrange, the Lite in comparison will sound thinner with less body and weight, having said that, the Lite has better clarity and the mids will sound more clean and clear. Treble is brighter and more crisp on the Lite, while the Monk+ is on the smoother side but I do think the Lite's treble is also more refined, however I did experience some piercing treble on one of my recordings, having only listened to a fraction of my music library, there is the possibility that it can happen again.
Soundstage is quite decent with a good sense of space showing good instrument separation, it passed some of my test tracks showing no heavy congestion. Not the most detailed, you may have a harder time picking out details, they are still there but a bit more subdued. The size of the soundstage is similar between the two, but the Monk+ has better instrument separation and resolution is a bit higher.
silver/white 120 ohm Monk Lite
As mentioned in the first paragraph, the above opinions are based on the 40 ohm version, the silver/white 120 ohm version that I have, to my ears the only significant changes I can hear compared to the 40 is that they have a little more mid-bass, maybe an extra 2-3dB, they are a tad warmer sounding and have a bit less treble. Perhaps for the treble sensitive, the 120 may be the better option. If you listen to a lot of female vocals, then the 40 will most likely have the edge due to the fact that its upper mids are brighter.
My impressions are based on using the Monk+ thin foams, the included foams that come with the Lite and those in the Ex Pack Lite are slightly thicker than the Monk+ thin foams. They will add a bit of warmth but you also lose a bit in clarity so you need to weigh up the pros and cons.
In terms of SQ, the Monk Lite is not going to set the world alight and for sure they won't replace your better sounding earbuds, however the SQ is acceptable in this price segment and I think they are quite suitable for casual listening, for critical listening you should look elsewhere.
Would I recommend them? Well I would say they are not a must-buy, but I for one will keep hold of them as I prefer smaller shells for my ears due to better comfort, as opposed to the popular MX500 shell, and for $6 they are not going to put a big dent in your wallet either.