[Tech Junkie]

I recently received my M1060 cans.I have been listening to them for about a week. I will do an in depth review after I burn them in and receive a pair of Audeze LCD 2's which are supposed to be here next week.
My initial impression is very favorable.
Before going further I want to let you know about some of the other headphones in my collection. They include Sennheiser HD700's,HD 6XX, HD 600,Grado RS1i's, Hifiman HE 400i's, Beyerdynamic T90's, DT 990 250 ohms,Philips X2's, AND AKG K7XX'S.
On to the good stuff. I have to tell you these compete with any of my other cans. They have a balanced sound that goes deep without bloat or being too boomy. Mid's are smooth and buttery with voices right where they belong neither too forward or back. High's are detailed not overly rolled off or strdent. Soundstage has width and depth comparable to the K7XX's.
I can't wait to sit down and do some serious critical listening with different amps and match ups especially with the LCD 2'S when they arrive and after burn in.
I will be returning the loser of the M1060 vs LCD 2'S.

 

[serman005]

I recently received my M1060 cans.I have been listening to them for about a week. I will do an in depth review after I burn them in and receive a pair of Audeze LCD 2's which are supposed to be here next week.
My initial impression is very favorable.
Before going further I want to let you know about some of the other headphones in my collection. They include Sennheiser HD700's,HD 6XX, HD 600,Grado RS1i's, Hifiman HE 400i's, Beyerdynamic T90's, DT 990 250 ohms,Philips X2's, AND AKG K7XX'S.
On to the good stuff. I have to tell you these compete with any of my other cans. They have a balanced sound that goes deep without bloat or being too boomy. Mid's are smooth and buttery with voices right where they belong neither too forward or back. High's are detailed not overly rolled off or strdent. Soundstage has width and depth comparable to the K7XX's.
I can't wait to sit down and do some serious critical listening with different amps and match ups especially with the LCD 2'S when they arrive and after burn in.
I will be returning the loser of the M1060 vs LCD 2'S.

Based on initial impressions, would you say the M1060 bests most of your other cans, or merely equals them?

 

[Tech Junkie]

My initial impression with limited time comparing them side by side is they are somewhat better over all. However I want to do some long listening sessions with with them one on one with my other sets before making a definitive statement.
However, I am very impressed with their performance for the price to compete with my cans costing much more.
Next question will be how good their quality is. Time will tell.

 

[Tech Junkie]

I sure hope they compete with the Audeze LCD 2's because I would prefer to pay the price of admission of the M1060's rather than the premium price of the Audeze. Seems like a tall order but I am anxious to find out.

 

[serman005]

I sure hope they compete with the Audeze LCD 2's because I would prefer to pay the price of admission of the M1060's rather than the premium price of the Audeze. Seems like a tall order but I am anxious to find out.

Let us know how it shakes out.

 

[Tech Junkie]

Will do.

 

[Tech Junkie]

First thoughts on comfort,styling and build quality.
Styling is very subjective but I find them quite attractive. They are a mixture of Hifiman and Audeze. The headband like that of Hifiman, pads like Audeze and Hifiman. The metal grills on the outside of the ear cups a direct copy of Audeze with just a slightly different pattern.
The headphones are heavy but lose most of it once you put them on. I have worn them for three hours at a time so far with no pressure points or undue comfort. I did notice a little heat build up but not at all bad. The ear pads are quite comfortable. Out of the box the ear pads have a chemical smell that goes away after a couple of days if you leave out of there case. The headband seems like it might be a weak spot while comfortable enough it seems rather weak at its attachment points. Time will answer that. They do have a five year warranty so it's not a major concern.
The wood looks good until you look closely and touch it. The staining is uneven in spots and the wood not as smooth as it could be.
While the finish is not top tier it can be forgiven once you cue up your favorite music and get lost in the sound. It then becomes obvious that in order to get that level of sound quality at this price they had to cut costs somewhere so they chose to pay less attention to finish details.
Overall I believe the build seems pretty good. Comfort for me was fine. I do love the styling. For the price considering the aural nirvana I think they hit it out of the park with these.

 

[ZJee]

Would you consider the sound sig more balanced or does the bass or treble intrude on the mids any?

 

[Tech Junkie]

A balanced sound signature. Mid's stand on their own without the low's or high's intrusion.

 

[Tech Junkie]

I decided to do some short impressions of headphone match ups. I know before I got them I was searching for info on the Monolith's but found little.

Today I had a chance to spend about three hours matching up the M1060's with my HD6XX'S and HD600'S.

Comfort

HD 600 best for comfort by a hair due to light weight

M1060 next up due to very comfortable pads and moderate clamping force. Extra weight almost disappears when you put them on.

HD 6XX very comfortable but of the three has strongest clamping force. Not problematic but noticeable. Head pad has more pressure points again ok just not as good as the other cans

Sound short and sweet

M1060's get the top billing here. Everyone knows that both Sennheiser's are excellent and well reviewed. However, the Monolith's does everything the Sennheiser's do but with a wider and deeper sound stage. Instrument placement is much more apparent with less congestion. Detail is better, instruments have more clarity. Basically the M1060's are the rookies showing the all star veterans that the new player on the block is a clear and present danger to the status quo.

 

[Mr Head P Hones]

I think I'm going to have to get me a pair of these

 

[Tech Junkie]

I will be posting some more comparisons to the AKG K7XX'S, Beyerdynamic T90's, Hifiman HE 400i's, Philips X2's and Grado RS1i's over the next several days.

As I pointed out that the weak spot in the build seems to be the head band. Well I saw yesterday that Z reviews did a short video on his 1060's headband pulling out. A quick 5 minute repair but should not be necessary. Teething problems I guess. Hopefully I will not have to test Monoprices customer service.
In the end of the video he has a couple of thoughts on them as well.
I did do a side by side with one of the cans I listed above last night and it was a slug fest. I am going to do some more listening with some more genres of music and sources before posting my impressions.

 

[Tech Junkie]

Next up M1060's vs AKG K7XX's

Comfort

K7XX is the winner due to its lighter weight. But the M1060's are very close.

Sound

The AKG'S soundstage has a slightly larger witdth and more depth.
But the Monolith's have a more intimate resolving sound. They have better instrument placemt and separation. Bass is cleaner with more presence. Mid's are little more engaging, smother. Treble is more accurate the AKG'S are a bit artificial at times.

We have a clear winner here in my opinion. The Monolith's are now 3-0.

 

[Tech Junkie]

Planer vs Planer Monolith M1060's vs Hifiman HE 400i's.

Comfort

Monolith's win with more comfortable pads despite being heavier.

Sound

These headphones share similar sounds. This is a closer match up than with THE AKG K7XX'S.
However, once again the Monolith's have the edge. They have a larger soundstage. The lows are a bit deeper and less boomy. High's are less rolled off with better presence.

Monolith's add another win and are now 4-0.

Next up is the slugfest the Monolith's take on the Sennheiser HD 700's.
I started to listen to this match up. But before posting my thoughts I need to do some more time with them. I have spent an hour so far but feel I need more time. It is a interesting match up.
I still want to do a comparison with the Grado's and Philips.

 

[ItsOnlyTony]

Thanks for doing these comparisons, gives me a little more insight on what I should keep, and what I should sell.