Monolith Over Ear Planar Magnetic Headphones - with 66mm Driver, Closed Back Design, Comfort Ear Pads for Studio/Professional, 20 Ohms, 2 Watts Maximum Power Handling, Black/Wood

Wanted a set of closed back planars and something that wasn't huge. Not a lot to choose from. Saw some negative reviews about these but I already own a pair of Monolith M570's and love them so I pulled the trigger. They couldn't sound more different. However, with some EQ I have them pretty much exactly where I want them. Sound is subjective but they soundstage incredibly well for being closed back. They are also light for a planar and the comfort is nothing short of amazing for me. My ear touches the drivers on many other headphones that I own and it irritates the heck out of me. For some reason, these pads are exactly right on my ears. Some will mention the build quality being substandard. I kind of disagree. They're slightly odd and can rotate in strange ways if one isn't careful with the way they store them. Hasn't been an issue with me. I kind of know what to expect from the Monolith line of headphones though. In my opinion, one gets the performance of significantly higher priced headphones with caveats. Headband is kind of flimsy. I can foresee maybe some issues with loose screws or something build wise that could go wrong. I'm totally willing to accept those as they come. Even to the point of having to fabricate a new head band if I need to. I'm cool with that. If you want these to be a pair of beats or AT's that you can just throw in a backpack these aren't for you. I don't think these can be abused and I'm not going to. If I travel with them they'll go into their case. I'm also not going to unplug the 2.5mm connections from the cups if I don't have to. They are very tight when connected and could see a very strong "tug" causing some issues. So I'm just going to leave them plugged in and store them that way. It should also be noted that these have a 5 year warranty and from my understanding, Monoprice has stood behind all the headphones they make and have made things right with any issues related to build. As one reviewer put it about a Monolith headphone... you've got to know what you're getting yourself into with these. Brilliant performance with maybe an occasional tweak here and there. I love them. They sounded similar to me as a pair of Audeze LCD-1's that I returned. These are also half the price and closed back. I don't love the stock sound but I love them how I have them EQ'd. I actually like the build of the headband too. It's a little quirky and different and I like that in a sea of Bose and Beats they stand out and they should. I'm a big fan of what Monoprice is doing with their Monolith line. I also have a pair of 1060's on the way and their portable THX amp. Edit 6-15-20: took the pads off and switched them out with a set of brainwavz hybrid pads and the sound is excellent. The existing pads actually obstruct the driver which I think makes the sound signature much darker. They are now crystal clear and full. It’s a bit of a trick to get the pads to adhere though as the stock pads are held on by Velcro. I basically cut a Velcro cable tie in half and stuck it to the driver side and then put super glue gel on the opposite side and then stuck on the pads. Not the best but at least I can change them if I need to. Great headphones and even better with new pads.

I've enjoyed the sound and comfort from the M565C's but I'm disappointed with their longevity. I've had my pair for a little over a year, and they're already showing serious signs of aging. The pleather on one of the ear cups is coming away from the foam inner, which has affected its isolation capability and low end response. Additionally, one of the earphone cables is fraying at the strain relief connection. The frayed cable is replaceable, but based on my research Monoprice doesn't sell replacement earcup pads. Despite their sound, these headphones are a bit of a let down. After about 15 months of relatively gentle use—they permanently live on my desk—I would hope that the M565C's wouldn't be coming apart at the seams.

Build quality: I find the build quality of these to be very good. The cable connections seem to me to be really, really solid - it is actually hard to get the pins inserted, or to pull them out. There is no looseness - wiggling the cable connection just wiggles the whole headphones, no other movement. Comfort: The comfort is decent, but not ideal for me. They could have allowed room for even taller heads - I have them maxed out, and it presses a little hard on the top of my head, not to the point of any discomfort, but it makes me aware they are there. I had to replace the earpads because the supplied ones are too small for me. I replaced them with the same Brainwavz Hybrid pads I use with my M50x headphones. Bow these use velcro to attach the pads, instead of the groove method of other headphones, but with a little ingenuity you can modify the brainwavzs to work with these (either cut off the retention cuff and add some velcro to the pads, or just cut slits in the cuffs so that they extend around the headphone cups, and then bind those tabs in place with a little decorative duct tape or electricians tape.) Sound In comparing these to my M50x, I would describe the sound as different - not better, not worse, just different. There is definitely more bass, and overall a little more warmth, but that comes at the cost of clarity - I find vocals on these to be a little muddy compared to the M50x. I'm definitely inclined to want to play with eq settings with these (dial down the bass a bit, push the mid-highs a bit), but that's probably because I'm accustomed to the sound of my M50x. There definitely wasn't any "wow" factor in "A-B"ing between these and my M50x, as compared to when a colleague lent me there Mr. speaker Aeons (made me want to take the M50xs off my head and stomp on them after listening to the Aeons.) What surprised me is that these produce a lot more more volume than the M50x - I would have thought that these would require more to drive them, and I would have lost a little volume. Overall I'm pleased with this purchase... but still wishing for a pair of Mr. Speaker Aeons.

Best sound I have ever heard in a headphone. Seriously, the lows were great without blooming into the mids and the highs were beautifully neutral. The mid range was just a little bit warmer than I'm used to but still exceptionally clear. Overall these sound very smooth, I wish I could have kept them. So why the one star rating and return? Sadly, like others here have noted, there is a cable connector design flaw. Brand new right out of the box, when I connected the cables to the cans they felt "loose", like they were held in with magnets and they had "wiggle room". I didn't think much of it, these are pretty premium looking cans after all but while listening if I turned my head a little either one side or the other would cut out. If I touched the wire they would cut out. i could jiggle the wire a bit and they would work again until I moved. Really too bad, these are great sounding headphones that I was excited to get but if they cut out its worse than having bad sounding cans. I returned these and ordered the Sennheiser HD 600 headphones from Amazon. I looked at the other monolith versions and would have gotten the $500 ones but it looks like the connectors on those are the same as these, with people reporting the same issues.

I use these headphones daily! For everything at my desk - listening to music and videos; during video conferences via Zoom, Webex, and Teams; and for producing/editing elearning and microlearning modules. I use these headphones along with a Blue Yeti and a Blue Yeti Nano USB mics for video conferences and recording production/editing. As well as with a Meridian Explorer 2 DAC for listening to music from Prime, Tidal, and Pandora. I've used several headsets, headphones and in-ear monitors from Logitech, Sennheiser, Grado, Klipsch, Paradigm, Skullcandy, and Apple, I like the Monolith M565C headphones the best so far because of their sound, clarity, and audibility. It was by chance that I purchased the M565C headphones, I wanted to hear what planar headphones were like. And make no mistake, there are better headphones, but so far, from my experience, for the money these are exceptional. As some have said, these headphones have good, surprising good bass, no bloat. These remind me a lot of my Zu Audio loudspeakers, if you're familiar with them, then you understand, if not, that's ok. Midrange is clear, distinct, and sounds like the voices that I am familiar. And the treble is as you would want it, sparkly, twinkly, but not shrill. In video conferences I find the voices of others clearer, more distinct, more detailed, and more audible as compared to various headset and speakerphones I've used. And video conferences typically have bad audio, so any little bit extra helps, a lot! For Editing audio and video recordings, it allows me to hear background sounds I wouldn't normally hear with other headphones. This helps me edit a better audio version of each recording. That said, I understand a couple of comments about these headphones. No, the headphones aren't labeled left/right, BUT the cables that connect are labeled L/R. And since the cables can be disconnected for traveling, it's important to know which cable is left, and which is right. The cables are then plugged into either earpiece, it doesn't matter which one. So I have marked the cables slightly for quicker, visual identification. Additionally, the cables plug into the each earpiece. And the first couple of times you plug them in, it is tight, and requires a good push to click them into place. And once properly plugged in, you'll know it, they are in secure and very tight. But that first time or two plugging the cables in, that final click will take a bit of extra effort. The headphones might get a little warm and/or uncomfortable after a few hours, but that's what breaks are for. I've worn these for much of the whole day, and during worldwide user conferences, with minimal issue. As I started with in my review, I use these pretty much every day, for much if not the whole day. Typically from 4-8 hours of use, but with breaks away from my desk. That said, at just shy of two years of daily use, one of the earpieces stopped working, that was a real bummer. After contacting Monoprice and verifying my order details and problem description, I returned the headphones to Monoprice. I shipped my broken headphones this past Monday, and by Thursday I had the replacement set!!! That turnaround time was incredible. That's why I felt compelled to write this review, product does what it supposed to do very well, I like it, and the customer service was exceptional. Enough said, Wirecutter likes them/recommends them, as do other reviews, so buy them, you're obvious thinking about it and trying to do some research.

I love the sound, the fit, and the comfort. (Great for people with small heads.) I love that the cable separates, so if I have an issue with it it can be easily replaced (and I can remove it so that the joints don't get stressed in my bag). However, I have the same leather-separation issue others have, which is a bummer. I've had them for a year and a half, for most of which they only saw light use in my house. However, for about seven weeks now I've been bringing them with me to school, and now I have the issue. At this rate I'm going to have to glue them back together or they'll be unusable before the academic year is over. Considering that I'm not the only person with this problem, there's a serious design, manufacturing, or quality-assurance problem with these $200 headphones that the manufacturer needs to address. It's unacceptable. I've had other over-ear headphones, from Monoprice, that made my ears hot and sweaty pretty fast, and that squeaked on my glasses. These do none of that, and I can wear them comfortably for hours while studying. The coming-apart flaw is really unfortunate because these headphones would otherwise be perfect. It's an Achilles' heel.

I demoed several headphones - Meze 99 Neo, Sundara, Monoprice M565C, Sennheiser HD1's (Momentum 2's). I ultimately liked the sound of the M565C the best but that was closely followed by the Sundara. All of the headphones I tried had particular things about them that I didn't like enough to keep them. And so, I ended up just buying ear pads for my old Phillips Fidelio X1's, which honestly, were still comparable to any of these newer headphones. SUNDARA The Sundara headphones were technically the best headphones and I believe that they excelled when listening to classical music. In almost every way, I felt the sound was absolutely sublime but they did sound a bit sterile. The bottom end felt a bit anemic and didn't "fill out" the music the way a balanced closed back headphone will. The clarity and response were terrific; however, and these were the only headphones of the bunch that truly brought the music to life in an impactful way. I think these headphones offer great value for the money and I believe you will likely have to spend quite a bit more money to get anything that really gives you a better sound. The reason I returned them was the build quality was poor in regards to the ear cups. The metal band that attaches to the ear cups and inserts into the headband was very loose. It wasn't loose at the ear cup end but the end that inserts into the headband. There is a plastic connection there and it was simply to wide by about 1/16" and this allowed the entire ear cup assembly to wiggle freely with about 3/16" of movement. When they headphones are placed on your head, this becomes a non-issue but it still is either very poor design or poor QC. I'm inclined to believe the headphones I received were out of spec in this regard. Monoprice M565C These headphones were almost as good as the Sundara’s across the board but they also had better bass. I personally preferred the tradeoff and felt that the overall sound was slightly more pleasing to my ears. Out of all the headphones I tried, these were by far the best value. Build quality was very good and they were comfortable. The headband isn’t the greatest design but you can wrap it with padding to solve any comfort issue. My main issue is that the headphones were incredibly heavy. I just couldn’t wear them for more than about an hour before they became a nuisance. Regardless, I highly recommend these headphones - they are vastly superior to the Meze 99 Neo’s and the Sennheiser HD1’s. Meze 99 Neo Like many reviewers have stated, these are very fun headphones. They are incredibly comfortable - being quite light with a superb design. Construction quality is awesome. However, they are very bass heavy. On certain songs this works great and gives the recording a lot of fullness and warmth. However, I just found you miss a ton of detail and many songs feel imbalanced. If you are looking for an audiophile type of headphone and are trying to find just one headphone to meet your needs — then look elsewhere. If you just want a fun headphone to listen to then the Meze 99’s are a fantastic choice.

I never actually tried this product, which was well made, very well packed, and presumably clarity of sound good as well. I am writing this review only to say that this is a heavy earphone, and was just too bulky for me. This is not the earphone for someone who wants a lightweight one, which is what I prefer.

value for money . good quality . take note NO MIC.

sounds amazing, build quality is bad. 4stars

Beautiful in sound and design. Sound is detailed and accurate but still warm

Eccoci qua! Arriva prima del previsto le monolith 565c. prima impressione estetica STUPENDE, davvero bellissime, con la copertura in legno, la custodia compresa e un bel cavo telato (anche se un po' microfonico). Alcune considerazioni iniziali, queste sono molto più facili da pilotare delle Sundara, possono essere usate serenamente con un normale mp3 o con lo smartphone, che è quello che speravo ed è il motivo per cui le avevo comprate, in più speravo che avesse un basso più corposo senza bisogno di equalizzarle, e questo è vero, nel senso che i bassi sono in effetti da non equalizzate, ben più piazzati delle sundara, ma solo lo spettro dei bassi medi, diciamo fino a 80/100hz, al di sotto sono carenti come le sundara e beneficiano di qualche db di incremento Ma come suonano? Premetto che sicuramente non ho orecchie d'oro e non ho l'allenamento e la finezza di ascolto di gente che ci lavora, quindi prendete con le pinze queste valutazioni. Rispetto alle sundara mi sembra che sulle frequenze un po' più acute delle voci siano un po' sotto, ho trovato una piacevolezza maggiore tirando su di 2db i 4kz e di 3db gli 8kz, ma ancora sto facendo test. fuori dalla scatola suonano bene ma con una tonalità un po' troppo calda per i miei gusti. Una volta equalizzate a orecchio sui miei gusti le ho potute confrontare per bene. Be queste monolith suonano davvero bene per cuffie di questo costo, molto dettagliate e pulite, il basso anche se tirato su, di 4db nei 30hz, mi pare non arrivi alla pulizia e profondità di quello del sundara (ma da equalizzato eh) ma è assolutamente godibile, i medi mi piacciono davvero molto, le voci escono fuori benissimo, naturali e piacevoli, sullo spettro più acuto la sensazione è che sundara faccia la differenza di più, gli alti del sundara sono precisissimi come bisturi, definiti e separati, sulle monolith, probabilmente complice la chiusura posteriore, mi sembrano un po' meno puliti e precisi, ma sono comunque assolutamente piacevoli. La sensazione di "ariosità" è tutta a favore delle sundara, ma me lo aspettavo data la differenza filosofia progettuale. Quindi per ascolto critico e dedicato le sundara sono sicuramente avanti, ma per un ascolto rilassato queste monolith sono fantastiche davvero a questo prezzo. Quello che mi piace delle moltissimo monolith è il fatto che nel complesso suonino veramente molto bene da subito, anche senza o con minima equalizzazione e che non hanno bisogno di un amplificatore dedicato o di un dap ad alta potenza, già può pilotarle a volumi pericolosi per l'udito lo smartphone, in più posso dire che sono stupende e davvero ben costruite, dal vivo fanno un bellissimo effetto. Quindi assolutamente si, valgono quei pochissimi soldi richiesti secondo me (io le ho pagate appena 121 euro) Ultima nota sul comfort, sono più piccole delle sundara quindi si sentono maggiormente intorno all'orecchio, ma sono anche molto morbide e confortevoli, sono riuscito a tenerle a lungo solo con un minimo riscaldamento delle orecchie

bonjour a vous bien reçu mon colis , le casque est en parfait état rien a redire , même si ces un occasion , même au niveau son ras , encore en rodage . j ai déjà acheter sur amazon le casque ; monoprice monolith m 1060 c . excellent casque au dessus du m 565 c . merci a vous .