REVIEW – Although I wouldn’t call myself an audiophile, I do enjoy decent quality music and audio playback. The Monolith by Monoprice M1000ANC Bluetooth Headphones review offer came along, and it had the one feature my other headphones were missing. Read on to find out what it is!
What is it?
The Monoprice Monolith headphones are Bluetooth headphones that feature Active Noise Cancellation and state-of-the-art Virtuo Spatial software from Dirac.
What’s in the box?
- Monoprice Monolith M1000ANC Bluetooth headphones
- USB-A to Type-C charging cable
- 3.5mm audio cable
- Carry pouch
- User’s Manual
Hardware specs
| Driver Size | 40mm |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz ~ 20kHz |
| Bluetooth® Version | 5 |
| Bluetooth® Chipset | BES2300Y |
| Bluetooth Frequency | 2.402 ~ 2.480 GHz |
| Bluetooth Pairing Name | MP43453 |
| Audio Codec | SBC |
| Noise Reduction (ANC HI) | 35dB |
| Noise Reduction (ANC LOW) | 20dB |
| Battery Type | Lithium-ion |
| Battery Capacity | 720mAh |
| Charging Connector | USB Type-C® |
| Playback Time (ANC off) | About 60 hours |
| Playback Time (ANC on) | About 40 hours |
| Playback Time with 5 Minute Charge | About 2 hours |
| Charging Time | About 2.5 hours |
| Weight | 9.3 oz. (263g) |
Design and features
The Monoprice Monolith M1000ANC Bluetooth headphones simply have everything I need. One of my primary requirements is the ability to use them wired or wireless. I don’t always want to go through the hassle of pairing or unpairing the Bluetooth connection. The included 4ft 3.5mm audio cable is compact and always appreciated when included with products.
My second requirement for headphones (and almost all devices now) is a USB Type-C charging port. I refuse even to use Micro-USB devices unless I have no other choice. The included 20-inch USB-A to USB-C cable might be short for some people, but I have other cables if needed. The supplied cable is perfect for my use.
The third requirement I have is active noise canceling. I have a good sound system on my computer, but when I want to use headphones, I want to block out all external sound. The Monoprice Monolith M1000ANC Bluetooth headphones do that very well. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Qualcomm cVc Echo Cancelling and Noise Suppression allow music and phone calls to come through with clarity but filter out unwanted noise. The ANC works very well, even filtering out the fan noise of the computer that sits right next to me. The ANC uses internal and external microphones to cancel out an extended range of low and middle-frequency noises. The ANC switch has 3 positions, high, off, and low. High ANC has noise-canceling up to 35dB, and low has noise-canceling up to 20dB.
Dirac Virtuo Spatial is advertized by Monoprice as delivering “…an immersive sound experience by creating a spacious, natural soundscape beyond the physical confines of your sound system, with accurate sound localization.” I could definitely notice a difference in the sound with the Dirac on.
One of my favorite features of the Monoprice Monolith M1000ANC Bluetooth headphones is the conversation/ambient mode. Simply placing the palm of your hand over the right earcup decreases the volume so you can hear conversations and surrounding sounds. This feature makes it easy to have quick conversations without removing the headphones or messing with your volume settings. I’m not sure of the exact volume reduction, but it must be close to 95% or more; I could barely hear my music when in this mode.
Battery life usually isn’t as much of a priority for me as long as I can get 8 hours or more, I’m happy. The Monolith delivers up to 60 hours of playback from a single charge. When ANC is enabled, playback time is reduced to 40 hours – still plenty for me. Need a quick battery boost? A short 5-minute charge provides 2 hours of playback time!
So what about comfort? I was impressed with these headphones. The earcups fit great, and the padded headband was just right. An ample 1.25″ (32mm) of adjustment on each side ensures that they’ll fit just right. The earcups also fold inward and rotate about 95 degrees.
The max volume (as measured by the Decibel app on iPhone and playing audio on YouTube Music) was about 85dB. For me, this was plenty, as that is pretty much the safe level for listening.
The Monoprice Monolith M1000ANC Bluetooth headphones have the typical tap/swipe playback controls for play, pause, next track, previous track, and volume up/down. It also implements the typical tap/swipe playback controls for answer/end call, reject call, hold, and switch between calls.
What I like
- Active Noise Cancellation
- USB Type-C charging
- Nice fitting memory foam ear pads
- Conversation mode
What I’d change
- I would prefer a sliding on/off switch instead of a push and hold button.
Final thoughts
I’m pleased with the Monoprice Monolith M1000ANC Bluetooth headphones. The sound quality was great, and the noise-canceling was just what I needed. I’ve had a few Monoprice products in the past, and so far I’ve been happy with all of them.
Price: $129.99
Where to buy: Monoprice
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Monoprice.
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Dear Mike, normally i dont leave comments.
But in this case i would liie to mention 2 things:
1) Maybe choose another platform as gadgeteer is pushing so many ads that one can barely read the review. Disabling pop up ads isnt possible as the privacy button is on top of the close button.
2) I was wondering about these headcans. Would like to know what it sounds like? Sound signature? flat or dynamic, close or broad, bassy or bright, warm or cold etcetera.
Dude, this is Julie… We don’t have popup ads. Let’s take this to email ( [email protected] ). Please send me a screenshot of what you’re seeing and what device are you using to view the review?
Cool, but where is the sound review?