****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
First, some quick context: I pair these mainly with a PC. I use JRiver Media lossless audio player for music, and a Topping NX4 DSD headphone amp (both of which I recommend highly). I listen to a wide range of music that excludes few genres, but mainly electronic, experimental, synth pop, and hip-hop. I also mix and master electronic music of my own, work with spatial effects a lot, and tend to be a critical listener. I've owned or extensively tried out Beyerdynamic DT 770s, 880s, 990s; Sennheiser 598Cs; Sony MDR-V6s; and a couple others not worth mentioning.This is the only pair of "planar magnetic" cans I've used to date. While I'd love to compare these directly to the Hifiman Sundaras or 400is, which seem to be the go-to choice for planar cans currently (and probably the main competition for these on specs and pricepoint), I haven't tried those yet. But I will say that I absolutely LOVE my Monolith M1060Cs. They are my favorite cans I've owned to date, ever, hands down, period. They are HUGE, have a lot of personality, deliver stellar sound and comfort, and ever time I reach for them it is with genuine affection. I don't see them mentioned all that much, or getting the same degree of attention or appreciation that Hifiman and Sennheiser tend to get, so I definitely wanted to give them a little love in the form of a detailed review, as I'm super happy with having purchased them despite the high-ish price. However, there are definitely some quirks and caveats worth going over for anyone researching models at this price-point and trying to make a decision, and a couple bits of advice to go with them, so here we go....Let's start with the sound: Some argue "burn-in" is an absolute myth, while others swear it is not a myth at all -- I've never gotten to the bottom of that and have seen persuasive arguments on both sides, but subjectively, I'm going to say that these cans benefited noticeably from burn-in, where other pairs I've had seemed no different one way or the other after burn-in. Not that these sound bad out of the box -- they sound excellent -- but I do believe they came to life more so after a hundred or so hours of use ... like the mids loosened up a little and the highs began to sparkle more or something. It's hard to objectively measure that, but, that's my impression. That said, the sound on these is really great all around, boasting an excellent frequency response range (see specs). I’ve directly and attentively cross-referenced these with my Beyerdynamic 770s (which I’m pretty fond of) and Sennheiser 598Cs (which are just ok), and these are quite noticeably superior to both of those – richer, livelier, deeper, more spacious. Better. Let’s go through the list:Bass: The bass is awesome, thick, and reaches deep into the subs, without being artificially inflated or muddy; (the excellent isolation/seal that the gigantic earpads provide probably helps in this department too. It probably isn't the "tightest" bass I've ever heard, but it's full, clear, and satisfying.Mids: The mids are rich and lovely, although sometimes vocals can be recessed a bit, especially on rock or other mid-frequency-happy genres. EQ tweaks can help to a degree, but honestly in many cases, I think it’s often just a case of music that was mastered with lower quality audio equipment in mind. As audiophiles like to mention, one downside of getting amazing headphones and lossless music, is that any flaws or idiosyncrasies in the mixing/mastering/rip of the source material tend to become far more evident, and to me this seems to be most true in the mids.Highs: I really like the highs on these; initially I was a little underwhelmed and felt they were just a hair lacking, but they seemed to brighten up and shine after some burn-in. Something I really like about these, though, is how much I can push the volume without the overall sound becoming shrill to the ears. By contrast, I had a pair of Sony MDR-V6s, which are a great sub-$100 pair of headphones with great treble, imaging, and accuracy -- but man, could they be abrasive at high volumes. These almost never grate on the ears, even at high volumes. I’m not sure how they do that, but maybe it has something to do with ...Soundstage: This term refers to the degree to which headphones produce an illusion of listening to music in open space – a spatial feeling, vs. feeling like the sound is directly centered in your head. Closed-back headphones don’t usually fare well in this department when compared to open-backed headphones, but the 1060Cs have the best soundstage I’ve ever head from closed-back phones, and they're easily as good and maybe even better than the Beyerdynamic open-backed 880s or semi-open-backed 990s in this department. (You can also push the soundstage even further by customizing some spatial enhancements in JRiver’s excellent media player for PC, or Jet Audio’s on iPhone). I think the excellent soundstage has something to do with why these cans never seem to be fatiguing even at high volumes.Imaging: Imaging refers loosely to how distinct and detailed the different frequency ranges sound – good imaging = crisp/clear/detailed sounding, poor imaging = “muddy”/canned sounding. The 1060s have excellent imaging and you will certainly be able to pick out all kinds of cool subtleties in your music that you would miss with a lesser pair. Intuitively I feel that these cans lean towards a more "warm/organic" character than a "clinical/technician" character -- I suspect there are cans out there with (slightly) better imaging, but to me these really hit the sweet spot -- the imaging is good enough for careful, detailed audio work, and never sound muddy, but they also never sound too cold or clinical, making them versatile and great for audio work, gaming, movies, music, and everything in between.Isolation: The isolation on these is kind of fascinating. On the one hand, they won’t utterly block out all ambient sound – they actually let in noticeably more of it than my Beyerdynamic 770s – but, maybe that’s why the soundstage is so good? Despite the closed-back design, sound seems to “breathe” with these a bit. And yet at the same time, it is truly impressive to me how little sound leaks *out*. I can play something at a pretty high volume, and if both cans are sealed against a surface, there is surprisingly little leakage. It's a shame they look too goofy to wear in public, because their isolation qualities are actually well-suited for that usage.With sound out of the way, let’s address the physical design:One thing there is no denying, is that these are huge -- and though beautiful, they tend to look ridiculous on your head. If you wear these in public, don’t be surprised if someone hands you a leafblower. They call a lot of attention to themselves. It’s not just the size, but something about the headband, too ... they’re just ... a lot. I use them almost exclusively at my home studio. But if you’re looking for something to take out to the coffee shop with you ... well, just be aware that these are not exactly subtle.The upside of this, is that, partly because of the gargantuan memory foam over-ear cups, they are extremely comfortable. They aren’t light-weight – in fact, they’re on the heavy side – but I can and often do wear them for hours on end quite happily, sometimes forgetting they’re even on. The clamping tension, to me, is about right – enough to create a definite seal, but not enough to be uncomfortable.The cord provided connects separately to each ear-cup, and it is replaceable, which is awesome. The down side, is that I'd recommend replacing it right out the gate. The main reason being that the microphonics are pretty noticable with the stock cable (i.e. you can "hear" it every time you tap or rub against the cable). This may or may not be an issue worth addressing for you (most stock headphone cables have this issue to some degree, and most people ignore it easily enough) -- but, I replaced mine with the "Monolith Dual 2.5mm to 3.5mm Headphone Cable (5 feet)" which is braided, works great, and resolves the microphonics issue. However, that cable is almost $40 at the time of this review, and for some reason only comes in pink (!). I don't even dislike pink, but it doesn't exactly match the cans, and it is just bizarre that's the only color option available. I also find it vaguely annoying that the "L" and "R" labels are so difficult to see/read. The stock cable looks great, but I chose the braided replacement for its lack of microphonics.The headband of the 1060Cs is pretty unique, and I find it very durable (relative to its purpose) and really well-designed. Some people don't care for it, and describe it as flimsy. I disagree strongly with that characterization, but it definitely is *flexible,* to a startling extent. The armature holding each earcup can rotate and swivel any and every which way -- you can even turn them completely around and inside-out. I think this flexibility is nice, and probably a part of what helps create such a definite and comfortable seal when you wear them. However, the cans do tend to sort of flip and twist and collapse on themselves when not in use, and sometimes it takes a second to sort of reorient them before popping back them on after setting them down. I personally just find this idiosyncrasy to be part of the personality of these cans and kind of get a kick out of it. Physically, they're definitely one of a kind, and your reaction to the design and physical behavior of these things is going to be a very subjective thing, I think. They're big and beautiful and twisty and goofy and comfy, and I personally love 'em.I think that covers pretty much everything. Closing thoughts: these are my absolute favorite pair of headphones for both serious sound work and listening for pleasure. I kept them instead of a pair of Beyerdynamic DT880s and 990s. Those were actually both very good cans, worth their price, and probably a better value if you're on a budget. But to me, these are definitely superior to those in numerous, noticeable ways. I do still have a pair of 770s, which I use with my phone on the go, and for $150 or so those are an excellent choice for a cheaper pair of closed-backs. But the 1060s are definitely the crown jewel of my current and past collection, and if you can afford them, I recommend them highly.
