Verdict
The Monoprice Monolith is the proud exception to the rule that says pile up the feature on a product that ’s build down to a price must surely terminate in tears …
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Monoprice , for the uninitiated , is an American on-line retailer that has done rather well for itself selling various detail of audio / video equipment under its namesake private label . Monolith is the good example name attached to quite an extensive image of amplifiers , cables , earpiece , speakers , subwoofers … and turntables .
This Monoprice Monolith turntable is limit , and price , to vie with standardised mathematical product from the likes ofCrosleyand House of Marley – but it ’s fair to say my experience of this form of thing has n’t been all that pep up up to now . Is the Monolith the product to change all that ?
Availability
The Monoprice Monolith turntable sells for £ 249 in the United Kingdom , pinch . In the United States it can be had from the Monoprice web site for $ 249 . It ’s been foxy to give a damage in Australia , to be perfectly true – but if it ’s not as fast-growing as the UK or US damage , I ’ll eat my lid .
If you want an equivalent(ish ) product from a brand with , let ’s say , a little more hi - fi credibleness – likePro - Ject , for example – it ’s going to cost you quite a lot more money . But there are similarly specified designs from Crosley , from House of Marley and fromLencoat more - or - less the same damage – so it ’s obvious who and what Monoprice ’s challenger is .
Design
When you ’re prove to shoehorn in as much functionality as possible , and you ’re endeavor to do so while keeping the costs down to a minimum , there ’s almost for certain nothing left in the jackpot for design . And besides , who in their correct mind has the time to reinvent the wheel ? So as far as excogitation goes , the Monoprice Monolith looks exactly as you ’d expect – with a dustcover on top .
Mind you , just because not much design has happened here , that does n’t think the Monolith is carelessly built or finished . The plinth , which is available in gloss blackness as well as the walnut wrap of my critique sampling , is built from damped MDF and feel both stalwart and reasonably square . It sits on three pretty pliant , vibration - take in foot , and on top there ’s a hinged clear - Perspex dustcover .
The banner of build and coating is everything you could realistically go for for given the request cost . Everything is properly put together , there are no seeable seams or shrill corners , and all the controls manoeuvre as they should . In truth it ’s hard to know what more could reasonably be expected .
Features
The Monoprice Monolith has all the features you ’d expect from a turntable – but it also has a few more for in effect cadence . And even those feature you ’re look to see are specified beyond what you might be expecting .
This is a belt - drive pattern , and the branded felt slip - mat sits on a low - mass aluminium phonograph record . The tonearm is a very acceptable carbon copy - fibre design – it ’s straight , 219 mm long and come pre - fit with a proved and highly capable Audio Technica AT - VM95E moving - magnet cartridge . You ’re expected to agree the definitive sportfishing lineage anti - skate weight , and fit and adjust the equaliser – but after that , procedure is automated ( up to a point , at least ) .
There is a stoppage / start restraint just beneath the magazine when the tonearm is in its cradle , and there ’s automatic speed - variety – on the diametric side of the footstall is a mastery for choose between 33.3 and 45rpm . If the Monolith had an auto - stop feature article , it would be as painless to operate as these things ever get .
The rear of the plinth lets you know this is , by prevailing turntable measure , a lineament - plentiful gadget . read from will to right , the rearward control panel features a grounding post , stereo RCA outturn , a replacement to enable or stop the mix phono stage , a USB - atomic number 5 output , a socket for main power , aBluetoothindicator light , and a major power on / off switch . Which , I reckon we can all agree , speaks of functionality beyond that offered by your average turntable .
The structured phono leg intend the Monolith can output through its RCA sockets at either line - level or phono - stage – which means , in act , it should be potential to connect this turntable to jolly much any kind of organization without too much difficulty .
The USB - boron output means the lazy Susan can be connected to a computer , and with the use of appropriate software ( Monoprice advocate Audacity , which I ’m not about to argue with ) it ’s possible to make digital copy of your vinyl . The Bluetooth indicator fire up flashes when you first power up the Monolith , and then shines steady once the lazy Susan has mate with the wireless gadget you ’re using .
Sound Quality
Any reasonable reader has season their expectations by now . After all , when a turntable cost as little , relatively speaking , as this one , and when it ’s so extensively destine , well … there ’s got to be a craft - off somewhere , correct ? And sure enough , there is – but what ’s striking is just how mild and satisfactory a trade - off it is .
A full-grown , heavyweight reissue of Tricky ’s Maxinquayeallows the Monoprice to demonstrate its talents nicely . Outputting to my mention stereophony system via the RCA outputs , and with its internal phono point switched on , this turntable is a decent balanced , quite elaborate , and properly organised listen .
From the deep , convincingly shaped , and well - controlled scurvy oftenness to the well - deport top end , the Monolith extract a fair amount of item from the rut and arrange everything into a confidently unified whole . The midrange love a little bit of blank on the pretty open soundstage , so the two very contrasting vocal styles across the record are both present plenty of reflection .
There ’s a fair amount of impact and straight - edged attempt at the bottom end , so regular recurrence are treat naturalistically , and if the threefold response is just slightly rolled off then that ’s preferable to a slender , intemperate , or sharp top end . Overall key is just slightly on the warm side of impersonal , but not fatally so .
Switching the lazy Susan ’s integrated phono microscope stage off and letting a ( relatively expensive ) outside alternative do the same job increases the drive and tone-beginning of the sound , as well as sharpen up treble response and claim a little of the haziness away from the layout of the soundstage . But at the same time , it demonstrate that the Monolith ’s onboard amplification is more than capable enough in the context of the case of system this lazy Susan is potential to be part of .
unhook the turntable from the system and then making a wireless Bluetooth connexion bring out merrily reproducible performance – the part of the Monolith does n’t falsify in any meaningful way regardless of the way it connects to your system . The rather full - on process of analogue - to - digital rebirth , wireless transmission and digital - to - analogue conversion use up its price on detail levels and the outright graduated table of the presentation , and some of the grim - relative frequency positivity goes astray too – but where overall tonality is concerned , the Monoprice does n’t falsify its stance . Which is in force tidings if you fancy exploiting the convenience of wirelessly stream your vinyl to a speaker , or to earpiece .
Using the USB - B turnout to make digital copies event in slightly less compelling sound , it has to be said – but , at the same time , if you want digital copy of your favourite records then this is a square enough way to get them . Copies are made in real time , of course of action , and then there ’s cart track legal separation , metadata and all the residuum of the necessary admin to be done – but even though the resulting copies are rather flavorless and undemonstrative by the standards of the Monolith ’s other outputs , they ’re nevertheless perfectly listenable .
About the only area in which the Monoprice Monolith is n’t a surefooted , value - for - money performer is dynamic response . No matter the sorting of music you hear to , and no matter the method you utilize to make it hearable , there ’s a set level of intensity level the Monolith performs at and from which it is very reluctant to deviate . It does n’t really weigh how softly and tenderly , or how raucously and vehemently , the musicians on your disc are playing , nor how regularly they might switch between those two states , the Monoprice ca n’t or wo n’t give much expression to those variations .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
The Monolith is as adaptable as it is enjoyable to take heed to
This is about the one area where the Monolith seems unwilling to make an effort
Final Thoughts
Nine time out of ten the combination of extended functionality and very affordable price results in big - clip compromise – but I ’m happy to say that ’s not the case here . The Monoprice Monolith is all set for purpose and will be easy to recommend .
Trusted Score
How we test
We prove every turntable we review exhaustively over an extensive period of time . We use industriousness standard trial to equate features properly . We ’ll always tell you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to review a product .
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FAQs
The honest place to buy the Monoprice Monolith is from the Monoprice website . It is available at other retailers such as Amazon.com but the turntable is often going in and out of breed .
