Monolith M1060C Closed Back Planar Headphones impressions
Dec 18, 2018 at 12:03 AM Post #676 of 1,409
Really interested to hear what you think of the 1060c closed vs. open since you have owned the 1060 before. Once you get your open grills sorted out of course!

I'm tempted to just say the M1060's are garbage, and leave it at that, but things are never that simple. Out of the box, the stock M1060 had a general sonic profile similar to the Sennheiser HD-650 (which I loathe). Warm - very, very, very warm, bassy, slow, etc. (I'm obviously more an HD-600 guy). I hated them, but I bought them to try out the mods, so I proceeded. First I added the 3D printed hex grills and removed the stock foam. That changed them for the better, getting rid of most of the warmth, but now they were too bright, so much so that they were downright painful. I put the foam back in and the pain went away, but they were still unpleasant. I then added the rear fazors (which didn't do much) and a pair of thinner foams (which made them noticeably better). At that point, I realized that even though the warmth was (mercifully) gone, they still weren't particularly good sounding headphones. There are so many problems, I don't know where to begin. The most glaring issue was the soundstage, which is wide, but with a huge hole in the middle. Very strange. The brightness is still there too. Not as painful as with no foam, but still unpleasant. That's just the tip of the iceberg. They really are a mess. Granted, however, I never tried the fuzzor mod, and I have a set of the 3D printed fazors that I intended to try as well. I held off on those mods because I didn't want to go to the trouble of pulling the pads off, thereby making it harder to return them for a refund. Then I just sort of gave up hope. They're such a mess sonically that I'm not convinced anything could ever make them enjoyable. I'll probably try the fazors at some point, but it seems like an exercise in futility.

The M1060C, in comparison, is like the total opposite of the M1060. The "C's" have none of the excessive warmth or bassyness. They're comparatively neutral. Out of the box, they just sound wonderful. I could be happy with them stock. Which brings me to my point: Why are these two (supposedly) closely related models sound so different? Here's my theory...

My guess is that the consistency and quality control of the planar drivers used in the M1060 is hopelessly erratic. If you read the comments in the M1060 thread, along with other reviews all over the web, it seems like people are describing very different headphones. Some hear ringing at certain frequencies, some don't. Some find them very warm, some don't. Some like them stock, some insist they must be modded. Some reviewers claim they're nearly as good as the LCD2, others find such claims laughable. I really don't think there's any other explanation. I can't remember where I read it, but I believe someone even measured more than one pair of M1060's and confirmed very different results. Also, there has to be a reason Monoprice decided to go with a different planar driver in what was basically intended as nothing more than a closed version of the M1060. They must have known there was a consistency issue with the original drivers and thought it best to switch to another OEM. I wouldln't be surprised if we see an M1060 Mk.II before long, using the same drivers as the C's... once the contract with the M1060 driver OEM expires.
 
Dec 18, 2018 at 3:49 AM Post #677 of 1,409
I’ve gone back and forth on my impression of the M1060C. We all have different ears so what can sound amazing to one person sounds terrible to someone else. The one thing that I can’t overlook is that I have multiple headphones that sound better than the M1060C to my ears and at a lesser price. I agree that each pair is probably hit or miss. So maybe Monoprice is taking notes of their QC issue and will incorporate this into a new model. Ironically, I was just on the website and noticed an uber model called Electrostatic that hasn’t been promoted as far as I know.
 
Dec 18, 2018 at 2:08 PM Post #678 of 1,409
Looks like the library got it right this time.
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Dec 18, 2018 at 2:19 PM Post #679 of 1,409
I’ve gone back and forth on my impression of the M1060C. We all have different ears so what can sound amazing to one person sounds terrible to someone else. The one thing that I can’t overlook is that I have multiple headphones that sound better than the M1060C to my ears and at a lesser price. I agree that each pair is probably hit or miss. So maybe Monoprice is taking notes of their QC issue and will incorporate this into a new model. Ironically, I was just on the website and noticed an uber model called Electrostatic that hasn’t been promoted as far as I know.

What are the headphones you like at a lesser price also they have to be closed-back otherwise unfair comparison.
 
Dec 18, 2018 at 6:02 PM Post #680 of 1,409
If it turns out they are unable to get it right for you, try 3D Hubs, that's where I got my grills for my M1060 and they arrived flawless.
How much did it cost you for a pair of grills?
 
Dec 20, 2018 at 11:32 PM Post #684 of 1,409
Just bought a pair of M1060C's from monoprice missed the sale for $249. Can't wait I liked the M1060 when I heard them but the open-back wasn't for me. If any one can find a headband mod to get rid of the awful headband please let me know.
 
Dec 21, 2018 at 12:25 AM Post #685 of 1,409
Just bought a pair of M1060C's from monoprice missed the sale for $249. Can't wait I liked the M1060 when I heard them but the open-back wasn't for me. If any one can find a headband mod to get rid of the awful headband please let me know.

HERE is a post I recently made about modding my M1060 headband.
 
Dec 22, 2018 at 10:39 PM Post #687 of 1,409
I have the M 1060 v2 and absolutely love them .... driven by a modest Cavalli Liquid Spark and a Teac CD-1000 sacd/cd player. I use typical cd's; nothing hi-resolution. I bought the M1060C with great anticipation and hated them. The upper mids were to shouty and the bass while very good made my ears hurt. The treble did not seem as open as the M1060. I returned them.

I see a lot of people mod these so they are open. I wanted a closed back. If I want to do open I have the M 1060's.

I read the M 1060 impressions and I am puzzled even though I know people hear differently. For me, no ringing, no darkness or excess brightness, fast, dynamic, open and clear mids and the bass is powerful without any excess bloat or mud. I have the HD 58x and the 6xx which are known quality headphones which sound great and I prefer the M1060 most of the time. The little Cavalli amp is awesome and drives all the headphones I mentioned exceedingly well.
 
Dec 29, 2018 at 1:01 AM Post #689 of 1,409
Dec 29, 2018 at 2:29 AM Post #690 of 1,409
I use ZMF Eikion suedes on mine and I love them. http://www.zmfheadphones.com/pads-and-cables/eikon-pads

Im thinking of replacing the headband on my m1060c's, I found 2 that might work. What do you guys think

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/met...D2000-D5000-spacing-95-110mm/32820967436.html
or
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/SR6...al-head-beam-plus-metal-ring/32823587312.html

looks like I can make either work pretty easily.

The mechanics of the first one are closest to current M1060C based on appearance. The only thing I don't like about the first option is the branding. Can that be removed or customized? Either way, i prefer the second option. It just looks cooler and appears to be designed to distribute weight well.
 

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