My first listen to these Monolith by Monoprice M1070C headphones was not a good experience to be honest. I was in awe of this massive beast with the lambskin pads, but immediately knew it was going to test my neck muscles. I suppose I should thank Audeze for preparing me, but then I listened to some of my usual tracks and quickly realized the M1070C has a mild V-shaped tuning many have done better at a lower cost. The tuning itself isn't bad; it just is not backed by the technicalities to provide that slam the bass shelf requires. EQ does help here, including when I toned things down slightly in the upper mids to have female vocals sound less nasal, and I then tried the velour pads.

Let me tell you that it is the experience with the velour pads that has me recommending this set for the money since it makes the M1070C the most relaxing closed-back set I have used to date. It still feels heavy on your head, but the added breathability and plush pads improve comfort. The tuning also changes quite significantly as a result of the worse seal, but it makes for a set that even reminds me of some well-tuned open-back headphones; I am not sure Monoprice wants this comparison to ever be made, especially as there is an M1070 open-back equivalent already. The planar drivers are not the best I have heard by any means though, and the various technical shortcomings do play a role in not making this an outright winner. But for the price, you can do so much worse, and I dare say this is worth trying out as a first set of closed-back headphones, with the planar part just added icing on the cake. I now want Monoprice to make some hybrid or fenestrated/perforated pads, which would perhaps make for a very good middle ground other potential customers may find appealing.