Monoprice Monoprice Monolith M1570 Over Ear Open Back Review

Overall score in the 17th percentile. A wired, open-back planar magnetic headphone for $450 that sacrifices every modern feature for a specific sound. Only consider if you want planar tech at a budget price and never need wireless, ANC, or a mic.

The Monoprice Monolith M1570 is a wired, open-back planar magnetic headphone that sits in a weird spot. Its overall score lands in the 17th percentile against all headphones in our database, which frankly isn't great. But that score is heavily skewed by categories like 'calls' and 'connectivity' where it scores a dismal 4.2 and 20th percentile respectively—things a wired studio headphone just doesn't do. The real story is in the sound. It uses a 106mm planar driver aiming for accuracy and low distortion, and it's priced between $419 and $450. This isn't a wireless daily driver; it's a specialist tool.

Performance is a mixed bag depending on what you're measuring. For pure sound quality, it hits the 25th percentile. That's not top-tier, but for a planar magnetic at this price, it's respectable. The open-back design gives it an airy, spacious soundstage that typical closed-back wireless cans can't match. Build quality is at the 42nd percentile, and comfort sits at the 38th—the plush headband and removable earpads help, but it's not the coziest option out there. Where it falls off a cliff is in modern features: ANC is at the 31st percentile (it doesn't have it), the mic is at the 22nd, and connectivity is at the 20th. It's a wired headphone, and our scoring reflects that.

At $419 to $450, the M1570 is a value proposition only if you're specifically hunting for planar magnetic sound on a budget. You're trading every modern convenience—wireless, ANC, a good mic—for that driver technology. Compared to wireless all-rounders at similar prices, like the Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus, you're getting a worse overall score but a different acoustic experience. It's a niche value.

Let's compare numbers. The Sony WH-1000XM6 will crush it in ANC, mic, connectivity, and overall score, but it's a closed-back dynamic driver. The M1570's open-back planar design offers a soundstage the Sony can't match. The Apple AirPods Max has a higher build and comfort percentile, but costs nearly double. The JBL Tune 770NC offers ANC, wireless, and a mic at a much lower price, but its sound percentile is likely lower. The M1570 exists for the user who wants planar magnetics and an open design, and is willing to sacrifice everything else to get it at this price.

Skip these if you need a headphone for anything other than sitting quietly at a desk. The 4.2 score for calls, the 20th percentile connectivity, and the 31st percentile ANC mean you should avoid them for travel, work calls, commuting, gaming with friends, or just walking around. If your usage percentile aligns more with 'daily driver' than 'studio specialist', the data says look elsewhere.

We can't recommend the Monolith M1570 as a general-purpose headphone. Its data-backed weaknesses in calls, connectivity, and overall utility are too severe. But if your use case is strictly critical listening at a desk, and you're curious about planar magnetic technology without spending $1000, this is a data-validated entry point. You'll need a dedicated amp, you'll annoy anyone nearby with the open-back sound leakage, and you'll never use it on a Zoom call. But for that specific, narrow purpose, the numbers suggest it might fit.