IMAGE: MONOPRICE DECEMBER 2019 MACWORLD 123
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.Monoprice Monolith desktop
balanced headphone amplifer:
A high-value audio component
This desktop headphone amp with THX AAA technology will bring out the best
performance from your headphones.
BY THEO NICOLAKIS