I was able to use these for a week and I have to say, they are very very good. To me, they sound somewhere between LCD3 and HE-1000. Not quite as natural as he-1000 but not quite as sweet/warm as LCD3. They just sound very good. I was listening to Roger Water's and that guitar hits very crisp, total pleasure. I won't go into the minor details of sound signatures, mostly because I will sound clueless, but it's also because everyone has their own likes and dislikes.

Now, let's discuss build a bit: The most intriguing is the connection. This headphone uses mmcx connection, which is what is used by shure/westone and other earphone makers. When I initially got the cans, I was thinking... why? but then I realized that I already have few silver cables, including trrs balanced, so I plugged it into my balanced DAP and heaven occurred. Obviously, i can do the same with any other connection, but then, i'd have to make / but the cable and that takes time - this was instant gratification.

Otherwise, the headphone it build nicely. Metal where possible and soft leather like material for cups and band. Would I have liked lamb leather for cups or some exotic wood for veneer? yes? would I have liked to pay $599 for that, NO.

One other thing these headphones have: the cups rotate, so they can lay flat if you need to store them in a smaller case that it comes with.

I also had a chance to listen to its smaller brother and while that one improved after a week, this one didnt seem to need a burnin.

Overall, I would say this is similar to LCD-2, at 1/3rd the cost and much better build.*Monoprice invites the most trusted reviewers to post opinions about new and pre-release items to help their fellow customers make informed purchase decisions.

I rec'd my 1060's yesterday. Plugged them into my Fiio X5 (1st gen) and even with no amp, they are wonderful. So I tried them with the best amp I have here with me, (my JDS Labs 02) and they are marvellous. I've owned the HD800's, and sold them. They left me unsatisfied. The only thing I can say is that Monoprice may very likely change the headphone market to some degree with these 1060's. At $299 I doubt you will find anything even remotely close. I'm guessing that you will have to spend at MINIMUM 2-3 times this to start to get to the level of these. I don't even know where to start. Buy them. You will love them.

Check the thread on head-fi.org for these headphones for more info and measurements. They are absolutely one of the best sounding Planar headphones you can get for $300. I enjoy them more than the HE-500. The bass is stronger than most other Planar headphones while retaining clear vocals.

Use them on a Balanced Amp with a Balanced MMCX audio cable for best results.

Fixes that Monoprice can implement to make them even better:

-Offer a better MMCX cable. I replaced it with my own cable and it keeps a much better connection. I happen to like MMCX on the M1060 as I can share the cable between my IEMs and this headphone.

-Don't glue the ear pads. Use hooks or something where we can easily swap out the ear pads if needed instead of using glue.

-Offer a Velour or Microsuede Ear Pad accessory. The Audeze "Vegan" Ear pads sound good on these. If Monoprice can offer similar replacement pads for ~$20, they would be bought by both M1060 and Audeze users. There is a demand for them.

Ordered this yesterday, came in today. Savagely opened the box and started listening to it. First impression - Did this really only cost me $300? ... I had a very "Woah" (Neo from Matrix) moment. The person before me did a pretty explanation of the product in terms of sound optional hardware that could be used and stuff so I'll kinda skip that and add a few other things.

-Ears can get pretty warm with long listening sessions
-The inside of the ear cups are smaller than expected so my ear lobes do touch but it's comfortable
-I don't believe the earcups are removable. They looked glued on from initial inspection.
-Not too fond of the mmcx connectors personally because my collection of cables don't consist of any mmcx connectors and I never buy IEM's.
-The exterior grill is pretty sharp. Not complaining for $300 but I feel like I can go slicing stuff with my Schiit stacks and shred stuff with this m1060
-moving the head band up and down feels very plastic-y = cheap. Then I tell myself I spent $300 and I feel okay again.
-I kind of wish they included two cables of different length or better yet, an mmcx to female 3.5mm so I can just use my existing cables. the 4ft cable included can be short at times. I'm used to using 5-6ft cables.

Other than that, the build quality is pretty impressive.

I will now get into breaking-in these bad boys and see if I can find myself some balanced cables for these from someone and then I might come back and add to my review. But by then, I think there will be many others who want to throw in their 2 cents.

OK so Monoprice M1060. I gotta give it a while to break in still. So far the sound is great, definitely clear across all frequencies as is expected from this kind of headphone. However the low-end is crazy responsive and punchy. The soundstage is super wide. Definitely a different tone and space from the HD650s Again this is the part I'll have to wait to review after break-in. They obviously had to cut costs a lot to get this headphone down to $300 (Compared to Audeze LCD2 charging ~$1000) and it shows in a couple spots. Earcups are comfortable, soft, and thick, but they're glued to the cup. The cups also rotate fully so you can lay the headphone down flat. The connectors on the headphones are mmcx which is a pain in the ass for building/buying aftermarket cables. Mmcx disconnects easily in case you tug on it accidentally as well, usually used for IEMs. Speaking of cables, the 1060 comes with a very short 3-4ft cable thats 2 mmcx -> 3.5mm @ 90 degrees so really only meant to be used with a desktop amplifier close to you. If you want to use it with an amplifier you'll need an adapter for 3.5mm -> 1/4 inch which is NOT INCLUDED. The cable also transfers some definitely noticeable noise if you scratch or tap it. The headphones come in over 1.1 lbs so they're heavy but surprisingly the adjustable leather strap is comfortable and doesn't irritate at all. They aren't joking with the low-end response of this headphone, I ran a sin wave on this thing and even though I couldn't hear it at 10Hz really, it was rattling my tear ducts and making me cry.

I tested it using a Schiit Magni 2/Modi 2 stack.

This is what I kept thinking after only two hours of use. Before these M1060's arrived, my 'go to' headphone was the EL-8's (using the Deckard amp). Now, the EL-8's have been put away as i'm intrigued by the M1060 sound signature and where it may take me next. I played one track that was unfamiliar to me which had some dialogue. At one point, I turned around as I thought someone was trying to get my attention from behind. Its been a while since I've been this excited about a headphone... AND FOR ONLY $300.

I usually get my reviews from YouTube, specifically Z Reviews. Zeos has a superb channel where he already recommended the M560s. He mentioned the 1060s were in stock here at Monoprice, and I rushed to grab a pair. Came today, listened for hours... and they are, pure and simple, some of the best sounding headphones I've ever heard. Full bass, open mids, and colorful highs... but never too harsh or brassy. Very natural sounding to my ears. For reference, I also have the Philips X2, and AKG 7XX. The X2s bass is still a bit deeper, but these are way more controlled. And the 7XX's mids and especially the highs are very pronounced compared to the 1060s. The only quibbles I have found so far are what others have mentioned- the connectors are not the best, the cord is too short, and they're a bit heavy after a few hours of listening. All totally manageable for the wonderfully warm and natural sound of these 1060s. Price is truly unbeatable, and these may make you listen to your old music all over again. Cannot recommend highly enough!

QC

The wood band in my left cup has cracked. I also have occasional dropouts in the right side.

Other issues
The cable is way too short and the 90 deg angle is a pain for desktop use. The mmcx connection are not quite solid enough even after a week of use.

Pro
The sound is great. I hope they get this bugs worked out of the beta product so it can go on to be a star in their lineup.

Anything I say will about these headphones has already been mentioned. The imaging, bright and natural highs are not fatiguing, bass extension is there, but not overly boomy. This is just an overall wonderful headphone that's making me skip out on my weekend just to listen to move music. With my Technics 1200, Emotiva phono preamp, Rega Ear amp, and Grado G1+ w/ 8MZ stylus I cannot imagine a more natural sounding phono setup. Pink Floyd The Wall's frightening background sound effects and samples really made me uneasy last night. I had to pull off these headphones since I thought the noise came from my kitchen! So, yes, despite the poor cable design choice and sharp metal grill I'm keeping these!
As for defects, mine are nearly perfect out of the box. Both MMCX connectors and cable functioned properly without poor connections. The wood also wasn't cracked or scratched, however, the lacquer finish could use an additional coat since it appeared sprayed on and uneven. Otherwise, for the price, I cannot complain. I'm certain with care this will last me at least 5 years of use without issue.

I really like these headphones. They sound awesome, and sound stage is good. The ear pads are soft and comfortable. My only gripe thus far has been the headband, as it has come undone several times. I've remedied the problem for now, but hopefully Monoprice will make the headbands a little sturdier in future revisions. I'd say that for the price, these are a steal.