Monolith M1570 Over Ear Open Back Balanced Planar Headphones

[tutetibiimperes]

Hey fam, SO just thought I'd post this given the hours and hours and hours of reading that went into making the decision to buy the m1570 (for $400 from Monoprice) - thanks forum peeps.
So, my first unit arrived with a bolt or headband-cup fastener snapped off which led me to take them apart and find the rattling.. I didn't realize what the part was at the time then one of the fasteners popped off, which prompted me to be like efff this, RMA time.

Chapter 2:
Monoprice loses my RMA and the entire process takes around a month.

I get the cans back - they really have a chemically kind of smell that takes a while to disappear and they work GREAT.

The imaging on these is insane - like the spatial placement of sound is absolute magic. Yes, they're heavy AF but I'm slowly starting to get used to it. They're more comfortable/ less heavy with the velour pads supplied

FYI - running from an smsl m500 -------(balanced)----> THX 789 -> m1500. I still haven't gone full loser audiophile and picked up the custom balanced cables but I'm running out of things to spend frivolously on during quarantine so it's inevitable. For reference, I'm coming from a hifiman 400i and a Beyerdynamic dt880 600ohm (the latter of which is insane when powered well like in this stack).

Another cautionary point: the 1/4 - 3.5mm jack converter sucksssssssssssssssssssssssssss (or it's a build quality issue just affecting mine - classic monoprice). i.e. mine doesn't fit snuggly at all so you're S.O.L. walking without experiencing cut outs every step.

Bonus tip: if you're in Canada like me buy via NewEgg when the price is $552 because (I think?) they don't charge tax like amazon (because it's still shipped from their warehouse in Cali).

I agree, that adapter is absolute trash, I used it for a little while until my balanced cable came in and if I jostled it at all the sound would cut out.

the headphones are pretty sensitive so don’t absolutely need a balanced connection, but I needed a 12’ cable so I figured since I was getting a new one anyway I might as well go balanced with it.

 

[Kamto]

I just bought a pair of the m1570 from Monoprice Europe and really like them. Glad that I returned the m1070.

Now I also have the cable dilemma, especially with the pathetic 3.5mm adaptor ( using one that came with Sennheiser HD518 at the moment.) I'm wondering if it's possible to rewire inside the cans instead of ordering a specific cable, because here in the EU I don't know where can I order a cable from. I'm planning to buy a cable made for Audeze cans with a balanced 2.5mm end.

An suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[tutetibiimperes]

I just bought a pair of the m1570 from Monoprice Europe and really like them. Glad that I returned the m1070.

Now I also have the cable dilemma, especially with the pathetic 3.5mm adaptor ( using one that came with Sennheiser HD518 at the moment.) I'm wondering if it's possible to rewire inside the cans instead of ordering a specific cable, because here in the EU I don't know where can I order a cable from. I'm planning to buy a cable made for Audeze cans with a balanced 2.5mm end.

An suggestions would be much appreciated.

My general recommendation is to buy a cable wired for the M1570s (they provide a pinout here) as opposed to rewiring inside the cups. The big reason being Monoprice offers a 5 year warranty on these headphones and fiddling around with them internally is likely to void that warranty. Any custom cable maker should be able to make one with the correct pinout if provided with the diagram.

If you're in Europe I'm not sure if the warranty is the same however, so it may be worth checking that out before moving forward.

 

[talan7]

My general recommendation is to buy a cable wired for the M1570s (they provide a pinout here) as opposed to rewiring inside the cups. The big reason being Monoprice offers a 5 year warranty on these headphones and fiddling around with them internally is likely to void that warranty. Any custom cable maker should be able to make one with the correct pinout if provided with the diagram.

If you're in Europe I'm not sure if the warranty is the same however, so it may be worth checking that out before moving forward.

I was able to get my cable done pretty easily. Any reputable cable company should be able to do it. They probably already have. They’re pretty good like that as they want sales. I recently had a cable company reach out to Hedd for specific info regarding the Heddphone cable and they were able to get the info, make my adapter and was happy to be able to make a new listing on eBay. If you search back in this thread, you can see the 1570 cable I had made. It was worth it.

 

[Kamto]

Thank you both for your suggestions.
I had a search and found some uk custom cable makers.
I might get in touch with this guy for an estimate:
https://github.com/nlovell/diy-audio/blob/master/cables.md

 

[jotaku]

Thank you both for your suggestions.
I had a search and found some uk custom cable makers.
I might get in touch with this guy for an estimate:
https://github.com/nlovell/diy-audio/blob/master/cables.md

I plan on reversing the wiring on the headphones soon, and then posting a tutorial on it.
Would you guys rather see that or see a tutorial on a really short adapter cable for an unmodified M1570. (I have some mini-xlr connectors coming from aliexpress to make some custom cables)
Basically a 4-6" mini-xlr extension from each cup so that the unmodified cans will work with audeze cables.

 

[tutetibiimperes]

I plan on reversing the wiring on the headphones soon, and then posting a tutorial on it.
Would you guys rather see that or see a tutorial on a really short adapter cable for an unmodified M1570. (I have some mini-xlr connectors coming from aliexpress to make some custom cables)
Basically a 4-6" mini-xlr extension from each cup so that the unmodified cans will work with audeze cables.

I wonder if it wouldn't make more sense to make the adapter for the amp-end, that way you only need one adapter instead of two (if that's possible to do anyway).

 

[Kamto]

I plan on reversing the wiring on the headphones soon, and then posting a tutorial on it.
Would you guys rather see that or see a tutorial on a really short adapter cable for an unmodified M1570.

Would it be possible to post both? Would still be interested to see the difficulty of each. To pick one, I would like to see the reverse wiring tutorial.

 

[Litmustesticle]

Replace the 3.5mm adapter with something like this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H7H1BMK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Way better and safer than that sorry excuse for an adapter. It seriously is asking to break off inside whatever equipment you have it plugged into.

Thanks! Great idea - kills two birds with one stone.

 

[jotaku]

I wonder if it wouldn't make more sense to make the adapter for the amp-end, that way you only need one adapter instead of two (if that's possible to do anyway).

That would make sense if you didn't want to get after market cables. But if you wanted to get after market cables and have them usable with other headphones down the line, switching the wiring in the headphone cup itself or making the mini XLR adapters would be the way to go.

Unless you meant go the Hart Audio Cable route and have a mini XLR adapter that would allow to change the termination on the source end. That probably would be the easiest, and it wouldn't void warranty.

 

[tutetibiimperes]

That would make sense if you didn't want to get after market cables. But if you wanted to get after market cables and have them usable with other headphones down the line, switching the wiring in the headphone cup itself or making the mini XLR adapters would be the way to go.

Unless you meant go the Hart Audio Cable route and have a mini XLR adapter that would allow to change the termination on the source end. That probably would be the easiest, and it wouldn't void warranty.

I was thinking along the lines of something like this: https://www.amazon.com/FEMALE-PHASE-REVERSE-REVERSAL-ADAPTER/dp/B008M5PHNU but with a 4-pin in and out, and instead of reversing polarity, reversing the ground vs signal wires, that way you could just plug it into the amp and plug an Audeze cable into it. That way you only need one adapter instead of two.

 

[petitpierre]

hello
has anyone compared the M1570 with the verum one?

 

[talan7]

Good question. I’ve heard a lot about the Verum one.

 

[InvisibleInk]

Good question. I’ve heard a lot about the Verum one.

Have you heard how much Garuspik, the Verum 1 creator, has been embroiled in a scandal over racist comments he made in various chat sessions? He basically stated black people were not as good as white people at math, etc..

 

[talan7]

That’s a stupid thing for him to say, especially when he was trying to establish himself as a reputable online merchant.