Macworld

Monoprice Monolith desktop balanced headphone amplifer: A high-value audio component

It might be disappearing from smartphones, but plenty of home and mobile audio gear still has a headphone jack. Most manufacturers, however, treat the component as a mere checkbox item—they give very little consideration to the performance it will deliver when paired with a great set of cans.

Whether it’s the quality of the DAC (the chip that performs the digital to analog conversion), the amplification stage, or both, most any audiophile will sing the praises of a high-quality, dedicated headphone amp. The Monolith by Monoprice desktop balanced headphone amp is in that class, and it’s priced hundreds less than some competitors that don’t offer nearly as many features.

Not that $500 is cheap, of course, but Monolith once again delivers a high-performance product that delivers a tremendous amount of bang for the buck.

SOLID BUILD AND SPECS

Monoprice has a well-earned reputation for building high-quality devices and selling them for reasonable prices. Sometimes that means an unadorned, plain Jane device that arrives in

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from MacWorld

MacWorld2 min read
What Wattage USB-C Charger Can You Use To Charge A MacBook?
Apple offers a wide variety of USB-C chargers corresponding to the many models of MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro it’s made that remain available or that it offers replacements for. You might think because these are so specific, like a 29W or 1
MacWorld2 min read
Macworld
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Matt Egan EDITOR IN CHIEF, CONSUMER BRANDS Jon Phillips DESIGN DIRECTOR Robert Schultz EXECUTIVE EDITOR Michael Simon SENIOR EDITOR Roman Loyola STAFF WRITER Jason Cross SENIOR CONTRIBUTORS Glenn Fleishman, Rob Griffiths, Joe Kisse
MacWorld3 min readIntelligence (AI) & Semantics
AI Is Coming To The IPhone–and It Could Change Everything
After years of the market complaining that Apple is “behind” on artificial intelligence, the company is poised to make a big push in the technology with its platform updates this year. It’s a rare move that’s been confirmed by no less than CEO Tim Co

Related Books & Audiobooks