Monolith M1570 Over Ear Open Back Balanced Planar Headphones, With Plush, Padded Headband, Removable Earpads, Low Distortion For Studio

I'm still a newbie at the Hi-Fi listening track, only started it by owning a Beyerdynamic DT990 Limited Edition at the end of November 2023. Since then I've owned many pairs, including HiFiMan HE-X4, HiFiMan Sundara, Moondrop Moonriver PARA, Monoprice Monolith M1070, Gold Planar GL2000, HiFiMan He-5xx, HiFiman He6Se V2, Monoprice Monolith AMT, Fostex TR50P 50th Anniversary Edition, and now finally the Monorpice Monolith M1570. Frankly, this is by far one of the best cans I've put onto my ears(at least on par with the GL2000, and a little bit better than the initially insanely priced He6Se V2). It delivers very accurate mid to high-range vocal and piano reproduction, and also very accurate treble and bass without much over-exaggeration or distortion. I like how it feels very comfortable for more than 6 hours of listening sessions, without overtly being sweaty like those HiFiman counterparts, and not as clampy as others. One best things is that despite having an insane sound stage, it is not leaky at all. I can use it in the office without being criticized. I have to say this is really a piece of art, and definitely on the upper hand even compared to those higher end of Audeze models that people claim it copies from. The sound reproduction is just so clear and crisp, with all the aspects finely adjusted. With little to no EQ, this easy-to-drive headphone delivers a ton, no matter on the Monolith THX DAC/amp or the HiFiman EF400. The natural yet accurate reproduction almost reminded me of how an E88CC tube amp would produce.

I'd really love a balanced cable for these headphones

This was my first pair of open back planar headphones..I had always used Beyerdynamic in my studio, but for crazy low price of these their flagships at $600 I thought why not ..they're big but well made, and very comfortable on my head..and the sound is fantastic..lots of definition and the frequency response is well balanced..they don't sound "plasticy" like some do?if you're looking for this style of headphone..get em..and look really nice on my walnut HP stand?

This monster met all my expectations for wonderful sound.

Great value for what they are. My only frame of reference is against Focals which do sound better to me, but are more than double the price. A little EQ goes a long way, but wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

They're heavy and big. If you have a small head or ears these cans might not be the ones for you. If you have a melon head like me then it's not a deterrent. Great sound quality. Full spectrum, good dynamics and relatively wide sound stage, though not as great as much higher price headphones. At this price point it's hard to beat these.

Very good sound and response for the price range. The bass may be a bit heavy, and the highs aren't perfectly balanced, but that's to be expected for the price. With how much more pricey a set with say 5% better quality becomes these are a great option. Unless you're financially prosperous or your buisiness relies on the quality of your cans, I'd definitely recommend.

This is my first set of planar headphones (actually, they are my 16 yo's xmas present). They offer amazing sound which is airy, full bodied, and detailed. They are heavy and you have to be a bit careful of moving your head too quickly when wearing them. They are very comfortable, though, despite the size and weight. I have some problems with the connector jack pulling out when I move around too much. I have purchased an adapter to try to minimize this small issue. I may buy the closed back version when they go on sale at some point.

Take this with a grain of salt, while I?ve been listening to music for 35+ years (49 now), I?m not a music reviewer as I lack the vocabulary. I just know what sounds good to me. I wish I had two identical headphone amps so I could more easily do A-B testing. Right now I have a SMSL SU-9 and SP200 setup using J-River as my player. No EQ for this comparison, but I do recommend EQ because some headphones like the Audeze LCD-X sound bizarre without the proper Audeze provided EQ profile. I do use the Hart Audio Cables system of interchangeable headphone cables and connectors so that all my headphones can be wired and played back in balanced mode. Yes, the m1570 and m1570c need a specialty mini-XLR wiring because it is non-standard from my Audeze headphones. The m1060c open back sound a bit hollow as compared to the m1570 and m1570c. The 1570's have an additional layer of air and a smoother presentation. I like the 1060c modified for open back, they are big name headphone killers for the price, but there is a definite level of refinement when stepping up to the 1570's. On Donald Fagen's "Morph the Cat" there is a lot of low bass with the bass guitar pretty high in the mix. The m1570's not only hit lower, they are significantly more controlled. "Into the Space Age" by the English band Amplifier is another bass heavy rock song where the controlled bass from the 1570's not only feels more robust, but also considerably more textured and detailed. When the music is less complex on songs like Sting's "Shape of My Heart", the m1060's handle themselves rather well. The sound is intimate and direct. You can tell the acoustic guitar has nylon strings, but the notes decay fairly quickly. With the 1570's the nylon strings are much more profound, partly due to better refinement but also due to the much wider soundstage. You can really hear the width and depth of the room. Vocals is another area that the m1570's are outstanding. One of my favorite vocalists is Annek Van Giersbergen (ex- The Gathering) because she has such an amazingly nuanced and powerful voice. On the Devin Townsend track "Hyperdrive!" you have Hevy Devy's trademark wall-off-sound. Here is a major difference between the m1060 and m1570, the ability to resolve details during complex passages. On the m1060's the vocals feel burried and almost over powered by the music. On the m1570's her vocals stand out and the wall-of-sound feels as wide as the Grand Canyon. Sonically night and day difference. The 1060's are definitely brighter with the m1570's being a considerably darker by comparison. But don't think the m1570's as dark, just nowhere near as bright as the m1060. The soundstage on both isn't all that wide, definitely wider on the m1570's, but not as wide as the LCD-X or even the LCD-XC. Still, if you are stepping up from consumer grade headphones or near audiophile grade headphones like Beats or Bose, these will be a major revelation that will happily force you to relisten to all your music all over again. For example, Devo?s 1980 hit ?Whip It? has a lot more bass than you?d remember. The amount of bass is pretty much on par with the Audeze LCD-XC and better than the LCD-X. Now the sound refinement of the Audeze is definitely a step above the Monoprice 1570's respectively. But I'd have a hard time saying that the sound refinement is worth the 3-4x price difference. Also, this assessment is made on the Sale Price for the m1570?s. At full price, the recommendation is still to get the m1570 if you can afford the double price over the m1060, but at the sale price, it?s a no brainer. Keep in mind, these are weighty headphones (see chart below). The headband on the m1570?s is based on the Focal headphone band and is an ultra significant step up from the m1060 headband which is amazingly flimsy. I?m also weird, the weight of the Audeze and 1570?s don?t bother me. Even after 6+ hours. Listening preference: 1.Monoprice m1570 & m1570c 2.Fostex T50rp (personally modified) 3.Audeze LCD-X (equalized with Reveal plugin) 4.Audeze LCD-XC (equalized with Reveal plugin) 5.Audeze EL-8c 6.HiFiman HE-560 7.Beyerdynamic DT199x Pro Headphone weight: ?25.5oz - Audeze LCD-XC ?25.1oz - Monoprice m1570c ?24.1oz - Monoprice m1570 ?21.9oz - Audeze LCD-X ?21.30z - Monoprice m1060c - open back ?19.2oz - Audeze EL-8c ?13.9oz - Fostex T50rp

They are heavy but so are the Audeze offerings that these clearly are targeting. I love the Audeze LCD 4 but these actually do somethings better such as vocals and provide quick and impactful bass that is very satisfying. Why did I wait so long ? I'm kinda cheap lol

I own - > DT1990, DT990, Sundara, 6XX and a handful of others This is my favorite headphone? Are there a few QC issue? Sure and tbh neither the weight nor the "bendable" metal slider/cup holder are even remotely bad. I think the ability to bend is completely exaggerated.... My pair required a small DIY fix on a single small washer but it's 200% worth it. The stock sound is good because some AMPs have bass boost but not many have lower bass, get this with the iFi Zen CAN or a more expensive one with bass boost and 3d and it's legitimately near endgame... Did I mention it's my favorite even WITHOUT the iFi amp features? With it there is no question it is by far my favorite headphone, so it won't out detail or resolution the insane DT1990 and it won't sound more natural than the anemic Sundara but it's better than both and besides a little weight even more comfy.... The bass is literally near perfect besides my preference for a bit more, mids aren't even a bit recessed OR forward, treble present sibilance in tracks where it exists but never hurts the ear.... Enough resolution to match many more expensive sets and ust enough detail to be 100% non fatiguing, a ?wide soundstage and insane imaging! All this with a 5 year warranty from a major company... cannot be beat, any issues are worth the price of entry for a headphone competing with $1000+ sets and with the iFi Zen CAN it's got a handful of $1000 "good value" sets sweating the price to performance will not be bear at the near $500 price point for non professional users.

Honestly, the reviews are accurate. Sound? Great. Great soundstage and imaging, but the treble is muffled (fixable with some EQ; you won't be using these in a portable setting anyway). For the price, I haven't heard better... with EQ, of course. Feel? Not great. I've owned more comfortable headphones at a sixth the price. Clamp force is nonexistent, and with the weight of these, it feels like they shift a bit every time I move my head. The padding is good, but I would pay a little extra for a suspension strap (which would also cut down on weight). Build? Laughable, honestly. The metal parts look like plastic, and the leather parts feel like plastic. You know that weird plasticky fake-leather stuff they used to upholster furniture and car interiors in the 1980s? That's what the pads and headband feel like. Adding insult to injury, Monoprice doesn't sell replacement pads, which means any pad swap will render EQ settings useless until you re-measure the headphone. Oh, and the pinout on the headphones is nonstandard, so you can't easily swap out the cable. The diaphragm also looks warped, assuming that's what I see when I take off the earpad. Build quality loses this headphone a star. Lack of pad replacement options lose it another. If it were any more expensive, it would lose a third. All of that said... it's pretty darn good (once again, with EQ) for the price. If you're on the fence, wait for a sale.

Do these sound good? Yep. Are they built like absolute doggy doo-doo? Yep. The included 3.5mm adapter also doesn’t work. Returned first pair and would like to return the second but I already bought a custom cable so am unsure. It’s really too bad. Can’t recommend

The Monolith M1570 is a great headphone. It is very comfortable to wear for long listening sessions. I wear a size 7 hat and the clamping force is super nice. Definitely not too big or loose. It doesn't move around or just sit on top of my head or fall off when I lean forward. The weight of the headphone is negligible. The leather ear pads are super soft and comfortable. The M1570 is really smooth sounding because the bass, the midrange and the treble is very relaxing and not aggressive sounding at all. No harshness to the vocals and it has a wide sound stage which is super nice. They are a great buy if you love listening to hifi music on a great set of cans. A super great value.

MONOPRICE M1570 Planar Wow wow wow the best sound I have a hurt for long long long time I'm amaze I'm amaze wow you just nailed it I recommend everybody that love music to have one of M1570 100% the best sound ever I use with them Amplifier ifl X CAN It's Bluetooth and I really recommend it thank you again I'm so happy the best gift I get to myself for the New Year thank you again love your products

Is it worth it? Hell yes it is. Can i drive this with my phone and enjoy it? Yes you can!!!!!!!! you read that right. Does it sound better with a good DAC and more power? yes it does. Whats the difference in tuning vs ALL the other planar offerings- plain and simple its clearer, more dynamics and sounds better than the other offerings. does it have bass? yes it does very well actually. Will it benefit from tuning? user preference so i lean toward yes. Should you buy this if you looking for a clear resolving planar headphones that a very flat frequency response that is very easy to listen to with out eq-ing the living crap out of it? Hell yes you should buy it. once again YES,YES,YES you can use your phone for playback and be very pleased with the results