Monolith M1570 Over Ear Open Back Balanced Planar Headphones

[Jas Ramz]

Monolith announced on Instagram that the balanced cable will be available as for september.

 

[hottyson]

Nice write-up of all of the different amps. I just have two, a Massdrop THX AAA 789 and a cheap Bravo tube hybrid. I haven't tried them with the tube hybrid, but with the THX 789 they sound great. I've been tempted by the Rebel Amp and the new Singxer SA-1 just to try out what the whole Class A amp thing is about, but the Rebel doesn't have XLR in or out, and I've heard the Singxer described as 'warm' which is something I'd rather avoid, I think I'd prefer a completely neutral and transparent amp that doesn't color the sound in any way, as I can always use EQ to get whatever bass/mid/treble tweaks that I'd like.

Thanks,
I have been listening to the M1570 on the Singxer SA-1 this evening. It fits in second place right after the RSA XP-7 with this headphone.

New #2 SINGXER SA-1 $540 better imaging, deep ambient sound stage.

 

[hottyson]

Not to say that anyone should buy the Singxer SA-1. From my initial listen today with the HiFiMan Ananda, I get an entirely different order of favorite amps.

With HiFiMan Ananda$600

1. SCHIIT JOTUNHEIM $300 serious slam even on guitars
2. HEADAMP GILMORE LITE MK2 $800 Bass and details, good for low volume listening
3. SINGXER SA-1 $540 Too smooth, no slam when listening to rock

No real conclusions yet, just initial impressions likely to change once I get used to all of the new sounds and characteristics. But so far the Monolith M1570 sounds better than the HiFiMan Ananda. But as every owner of the M1570 knows, the heavy weight kinda sucks.

 

[Admor]

Every owner does not agree. I do not feel them on my head. Completely. Maybe it is a matter of being sporty man, been practising martial arts since twenty years and I do work out regularly.. for me they are super comfortable, no weight felt, no fatigue even after 4 hours and more.

Ohh, and I do think they are avarage.. without EQ from oratory1990 (God bless you, our hero!). I do not see any point in making big ventures into which amp suits them better or worse.. just use EQ, end of story.

After hearing out tens of headphones, M1570 are my top1 favourite.

 

[talan7]

The bass boost on the iFi signature really sounds great on the M1570, but I think 3D is what really opened up the soundstage and surprised me the most. Whatever it's doing, it makes the M1570 go from a $500 headphone to at least a $1000 headphone. Oh, and the balanced cable helps too.

 

[talan7]

The M1570 is very heavy, but the weight isn't the main problem. It doesn't have enough clamp for its weight/size. It sort of just sits atop your head. Move forward or backward and it falls forward or backwards. Turn your head fast from side to side and it just falls off. It's really cheaply made. They should make a more upscale version where they concentrate on the build/ergonomics, offer balanced cable and better case/packaging from factory and maybe slightly tune it for better sound. They'd have a big winner on their hands.

 

[iFi audio]

The bass boost on the iFi signature really sounds great on the M1570, but I think 3D is what really opened up the soundstage and surprised me the most. Whatever it's doing, it makes the M1570 go from a $500 headphone to at least a $1000 headphone. Oh, and the balanced cable helps too.

Thanks! Although I haven't yet tried these cans, it's good to know that they work well with our iDSD Signature.

 

[tutetibiimperes]

I’ve never tried the Zen Can myself.

I could see just a bass boost working well for the velour pads since the frequency response above that is pretty solid.

With the leather pads, at least IMO, it needs a good bump in the upper mids and lower treble, though fans of the stock UN-EQ’d Audeze house sound may be OK with it as it is, I just find any lack of intensity in that region tends to make headphones sound a bit dead and hollow.

I wonder what exactly the iFi ‘3D’ feature does. Is it just a frequency response tweak, or is there crossfeed and/or psychoacoustic DSP trickery going on as well?

The M1570 is very heavy, but the weight isn't the main problem. It doesn't have enough clamp for its weight/size. It sort of just sits atop your head. Move forward or backward and it falls forward or backwards. Turn your head fast from side to side and it just falls off. It's really cheaply made. They should make a more upscale version where they concentrate on the build/ergonomics, offer balanced cable and better case/packaging from factory and maybe slightly tune it for better sound. They'd have a big winner on their hands.

Honestly for me the lack of clamp is the best part. I absolutely hate headphones with strong clamping force (the amount on the HD6XX is too much for example, to the point where I rarely reach for them).

If you’re moving around a lot I could see the low clamp being an issue, but if you’re just leaned back in your recliner listening it’s wonderful.

 

[iFi audio]

I wonder what exactly the iFi ‘3D’ feature does. Is it just a frequency response tweak, or is there crossfeed and/or psychoacoustic DSP trickery going on as well?

It's a fully analog filter, so not a DSP, please see this: http://media.ifi-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/iTubeTechpaper2_3DHolographic.pdf

Enjoy

 

[jotaku]

Finally got around to switching out the headband to a HiFiman HE560 V2 headband I had picked up from adorama a few years back for $10.

Way more comfortable! Weight is much more evenly distributed. As a result it seems lighter. Don't have a small scale so I can't say quantitatively if that is the case, but it sure feels that way qualitatively.

 

[hottyson]

Finally got around to switching out the headband to a HiFiman HE560 V2 headband I had picked up from adorama a few years back for $10.

Way more comfortable! Weight is much more evenly distributed. As a result it seems lighter. Don't have a small scale so I can't say quantitatively if that is the case, but it sure feels that way qualitatively.

That looks spectacular!
.
Is it difficult to remove the old headband? How would I begin? The reason I ask is that I would like to swap the headband with some of my other Hifiman headphones.

 

[jotaku]

That looks spectacular!
.
Is it difficult to remove the old headband? How would I begin? The reason I ask is that I would like to swap the headband with some of my other Hifiman headphones.

It's super easy. I can take some pictures walking through the whole process this evening.

 

[hottyson]

It's super easy. I can take some pictures walking through the whole process this evening.

Thank you so much!!!
I am very excited to fix the only negative of my favorite headphone!

 

[ufospls2]

Finally got around to switching out the headband to a HiFiman HE560 V2 headband I had picked up from adorama a few years back for $10.

Way more comfortable! Weight is much more evenly distributed. As a result it seems lighter. Don't have a small scale so I can't say quantitatively if that is the case, but it sure feels that way qualitatively.

Nice mod dude!

 

[Shane D]

The bass boost on the iFi signature really sounds great on the M1570, but I think 3D is what really opened up the soundstage and surprised me the most. Whatever it's doing, it makes the M1570 go from a $500 headphone to at least a $1000 headphone. Oh, and the balanced cable helps too.

Interesting to know. I have been curious about these, but was very disappointed with the M570's. I recently picked up a used iFo Pro iCAN and it can have massive improvements with certain headphones. I will keep an eye out for a used pair or a super sale.