Monoprice Monolith M1060 and M560 Planar Headphones
Sep 23, 2017 at 11:10 PM Post #5,716 of 8,051
Do you get stereo sound or is it just not loud enough for you? The 1/4 inch adapter provided has been known to cause issues sometimes making the sound mono. If it's not loud enough then you might need a stronger amp such as the newly announced Magni 3.
 
Sep 24, 2017 at 1:13 AM Post #5,718 of 8,051
Yes I suspect the adapter was faulty as the sound would become mono when I touch it. Have tried another adapter and it was better, but still not as loud as I expected. For comparison if I use my iPhone to run it directly I can get twice as loud, so I suspect something is not right in the amp.
 
Sep 24, 2017 at 3:16 AM Post #5,720 of 8,051
Yes I suspect the adapter was faulty as the sound would become mono when I touch it. Have tried another adapter and it was better, but still not as loud as I expected. For comparison if I use my iPhone to run it directly I can get twice as loud, so I suspect something is not right in the amp.

I don't have the Little Dot MkII anymore, but I remember testing the M1060 on it and had no problems getting ear bleeding volume levels from it. I think I had the gain set at the second to last highest. I also didn't think the M1060 was a great match with the LD since that is an OTL tube amp with a fairly high output impedance. But I still don't think you should have any issues getting lots of power out of it. Have you tried it with any other headphones?
 
Sep 24, 2017 at 3:02 PM Post #5,722 of 8,051
Does anybody run these M1060 with Little Dot Mk2 amp? No matter what gain I set it to I can't seem to get much power out of it. The volume needs to be cranked all the way up to get decent listening volume. Tried on different sources such as Denon amp, Apple Airport Express, PC audio out, etc.

Both my LD Mk2 (mid gain) and my old Onkyo receiver put enough power out to drive the M1060 as well as an LCD-3 I had for a bit. Whether it's a "good" match is a different story, but they certainly got them loud enough.
 
Sep 24, 2017 at 7:49 PM Post #5,723 of 8,051
Just an update with the fazors. Molds came out alright. I ran a test resin cast but it was more viscous than expected so the edges didn't catch all the way through. The bottom is going to need a bit of sanding as well. The resins are paintable but I'll have to leave that up to you guys. Resin material is cheaper than expected so I can lower the costs more than expected. I'll let you guys know when I get more casts done to have them shipped out. Still need to create the mold for the rear fazors.
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Amazing work, I'm sure the finished product is going to be amazing
 
Sep 25, 2017 at 3:17 AM Post #5,724 of 8,051
I have a LD MKII it has more than enough power to drives these to ear bleeding levels, using the C3G driver tubes I can not listen to my other headphones T1, D7000, X2, MDR900MA as the M1060 is out performing them.

The other HP's have such a small image in comparison.
 
Sep 25, 2017 at 4:01 AM Post #5,725 of 8,051
I have a LD MKII it has more than enough power to drives these to ear bleeding levels, using the C3G driver tubes I can not listen to my other headphones T1, D7000, X2, MDR900MA as the M1060 is out performing them.

The other HP's have such a small image in comparison.
I'd be hard press to say the M1060 was even close to the T1 in imaging/sound stage when I heard the M1060 a few months ago. To me the X2 had a similar sound stage as the M1060 but this is from memory since I didn't keep the X2.
 
Sep 25, 2017 at 4:14 AM Post #5,726 of 8,051
I'd be hard press to say the M1060 was even close to the T1 in imaging/sound stage when I heard the M1060 a few months ago. To me the X2 had a similar sound stage as the M1060 but this is from memory since I didn't keep the X2.
The sound stage is a little wider on the T1 but the but the hight of the image is much smaller it is like having boarders on a movie, putting the M1060 back on and the boarders are gone the room fills with sound.

The Image is around a foot in front of my eye's wide and tall the T1's do not do this, do not get me wrong I have loved the T1's for years but they do not do what the M1060's do for me with the LD MKII with the C3G driver tubes.

Many will find the T1's their favourite HP and I am not saying the M1060's are a better HP I am saying they are for me :)
 
Sep 25, 2017 at 6:39 AM Post #5,727 of 8,051
The sound stage is a little wider on the T1 but the but the hight of the image is much smaller it is like having boarders on a movie, putting the M1060 back on and the boarders are gone the room fills with sound.

The Image is around a foot in front of my eye's wide and tall the T1's do not do this, do not get me wrong I have loved the T1's for years but they do not do what the M1060's do for me with the LD MKII with the C3G driver tubes.

Many will find the T1's their favourite HP and I am not saying the M1060's are a better HP I am saying they are for me :)
I like the analogy of borders on a movie but since I normally use my T1 for classical I guess I don't I don't notice that there is no height and to be honest its not something I really notice as being missing. The M1060 when I tried them didn't give me a nice spaced out stage with good instrument separation, it seemed congested and lifeless for classical, jazz and blues but did do pretty good with pop since most pop music is limited in sound stage and overly compressed to start.
 
Sep 25, 2017 at 7:44 AM Post #5,728 of 8,051
I like the analogy of borders on a movie but since I normally use my T1 for classical I guess I don't I don't notice that there is no height and to be honest its not something I really notice as being missing. The M1060 when I tried them didn't give me a nice spaced out stage with good instrument separation, it seemed congested and lifeless for classical, jazz and blues but did do pretty good with pop since most pop music is limited in sound stage and overly compressed to start.
I listen to most genre's and I DJ so I spend a lot of time checking new tracks out and the bass is great on the M1060's they perform well with EQ.

I also game and these are very good for positional cue's with dolby.

For my use I do not mind giving up some detail for a bigger sound I could bring the detail up with EQ but I am enjoying the relaxed highs after the T1's.

I do go back through my sets and listen to well engineered / produced music but I always end up saying I miss that big sound, tall and wide.

Maybe it just a good synergy with the amp and tube configuration, whatever it is I am glad its happened :)
 
Sep 25, 2017 at 7:56 AM Post #5,729 of 8,051
@J Mirra, consider yourself lucky you found something that works for you. For me I just like all the different sound signatures of various headphones, not looking for flat, neutral or natural since I'm not looking for "how the artist" wanted it to sound but rather how each headphone has its own interpretation of a song. I guess this is why I love wine and food which go great with music and friends. I tried the M1060 due to so much hype but the first impressions of the M1060 was not a good one for me but it may have been a poor example of what the M1060 is so I'm still a little interested and am hoping for a great Black Friday sale on these and a few others
 
Sep 25, 2017 at 8:03 AM Post #5,730 of 8,051
@J Mirra, consider yourself lucky you found something that works for you. For me I just like all the different sound signatures of various headphones, not looking for flat, neutral or natural since I'm not looking for "how the artist" wanted it to sound but rather how each headphone has its own interpretation of a song. I guess this is why I love wine and food which go great with music and friends. I tried the M1060 due to so much hype but the first impressions of the M1060 was not a good one for me but it may have been a poor example of what the M1060 is so I'm still a little interested and am hoping for a great Black Friday sale on these and a few others
I totally agree with the change of headphones for mood, genre and a different take on the same album say. Talking about this now makes me want to listen to my other headphones again :)

There is so many other HP's I would love to listen to and own, I do not think I have found my endgame I just like the big sound from these right now.
 

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