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This one is a hard one for me to sell. A lot of upgrades into these, and even though they look great on my headphone rack, I am just not using them enough. So my first closed-back headphone was the Denon AH-D9200. I definitely wanted something in the fostex line of headphones. The denon's had great detail but lacked in bass. There are highly regarded upgraded wood cups made by Lawton but they are for the EMU/Fostex/Denon X000 line of headphones. So I purchased a set of EMU Teaks Rosewoods ($425) with the intent of modifying them. I bought a full upgrade kit from Lawton which included:1. Instrument grade Bloodwood grade type 5 wood cups ($429). last picture for accurate representation of color2. Lawton damping system ($138)3. Lawton upgraded ear pads ($95)because of the increased weight I also swapped the OEM EMU headstrap with a ZMF Crescent Strap ($49)So what can I say about the sound of these? WOW. The detail of the teaks is (subjectively) the best detail of the Fostex driver lineup. With the addition of Lawton cups and custom ear pads, the bass is outstanding and easily surpasses the Fostex TH900 series. I describe the to friends like having mini speaker cabinets on your head. They were the heaviest headphone I had at the time, but the Crescent strap helps. I have since bought some ZMF, Audeze and Monolith M1570 all of which are heavier than theseso included in this auction are the original EMU cups, headband and ear pads. So you could convert these back to teaks and use the cups on a compatible Fostex headphone. Also included is the original (nothing to talk about) EMU cable and an upgraded 7' Twisted pair Hart Audio cable with a 2.5mm balanced and 1/4" SE adapter ($100+) I am trying to show all the prices of the upgrades involved so you can see the value in this listing. There is no case for this headphone, but I will pack it securely. I did make a custom cut out for a pelican case and would be willing to add that to the listing for another $65 (case and increase in shipping)Free shipping to CONUSPlease contact me if you have any questions.Please contact me if you have any questions.Thank you for reading this lengthy description
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Monolith is the premium audio label of Monoprice, a U.S. consumer-electronics company founded in 2002 in California. The Monolith sub-brand appeared in 2017 and was developed to give Monoprice a more serious hi-fi and home-theater identity, with product development led by Hobie Sechrest. It is not an old-school heritage marque, but a modern house brand built on Monoprice’s direct-to-consumer model.
The range is broad and performance-oriented, including headphone amplifiers, DACs, preamps, power amplifiers, AV processors, subwoofers, loudspeakers, and some accessories. Monolith products are also known for collaborations with audio engineers and for using technologies such as THX AAA amplification and Dirac processing in selected models. The lineup tends to emphasize measured performance and feature density rather than ornate industrial design.
In the market, Monolith sits in the value-focused end of the serious-audio segment: above budget entry-level gear, but usually below traditional high-end brands on price. Its reputation is strongest among buyers who want strong specs, credible engineering, and competitive measurements without paying premium-brand margins. It is best understood as an enthusiast-friendly, price-aggressive contender rather than a boutique or collectible label.
See all Monolith listings on RADAR.
