Monoprice Monolith 7-Channel Amplifier Review

[everettT]

Thanks for reviewing this one. Is there a chance to review the IOTAVX AVXP1? Iotavx came out of Nakamichi and the power amp seems a pretty good deal
Thanks
Daniel

Will they ship one to USA?

 

[Homolka]

Are you saying this isn't available in the US? Wow

 

[mattlach]

I think all the amp companies should be afraid if everyone catches on to this amp (made by ATI for Monoprice).

Monoprice 200WPC x 7Ch is $1,500.

Emotiva 200WPC x 7Ch is $2,000.

Outlaw 200WPC x 7Ch is $2,150.

This is a good point, and the comparison to the Outlaw is particularly apt, as they are likely manufactured side by side in the same ATI factory...

I wonder though, ATI makes amps to different brands specifications. One thing that is often missing in amp reviews is a direct comparison to the competition. I'd like to know how it compares to the Emotiva and Outlaw units. A review in isolation is of very limited value. We need side by side comparisons!

 

[everettT]

This is a good point, and the comparison to the Outlaw is particularly apt, as they are likely manufactured side by side in the same ATI factory...

I wonder though, ATI makes amps to different brands specifications. One thing that is often missing in amp reviews is a direct comparison to the competition. I'd like to know how it compares to the Emotiva and Outlaw units. A review in isolation is of very limited value. We need side by side comparisons!

Not applicable for amplifiers FWIW.

 

[TheAVInsider]

This is a good point, and the comparison to the Outlaw is particularly apt, as they are likely manufactured side by side in the same ATI factory...

I wonder though, ATI makes amps to different brands specifications. One thing that is often missing in amp reviews is a direct comparison to the competition. I'd like to know how it compares to the Emotiva and Outlaw units. A review in isolation is of very limited value. We need side by side comparisons!

I had similar questions as you have now, before I acquired my Monolith 7x. I have compared it side by side with my Oulaw 5000. In my unpaid and unprofessional opinion the Monolith 7x is substantially better than my, now sold off, Outlaw 5000 in every single way, except price, size and weight. Also I have a bit of a ground hum, never had it before, in only one channel on my specific unit. Originally I feared my (4) 101db sensitivity Klipsch Chorus II's and (1) Klipsch Forte II were not going to benefit from the amplifier change. I usually pull very few watts and I thought it could be a waste of all those extra watts. Shockingly impoved best describes the move for me. Not a lateral move in anyway. Increased Dynamic range, increased output in the lowest frequencies, faster attack, decay, transients, instrument separation, wider sound stage, greater clarity, less smear. Overall more neutral now, meaning my titanium diaphragms are even less bright as they will never really reach a warm range.

I did some troublshooting and ended up removing a chromecast from my system, which was causing some feedback noise. I am also working through some various rca interconnects to further lower the noise floor on that one pesky channel. So to be clear, I am fully and wholly satisfied with the Monolith 7x, and have no desire to "upgrade" any further to any other amplifier.

I have never done a side by side comparison of any emotiva, anywhere, so I can't help with that. I have owned and used several older Carver amplifiers, and again, not side by side, but from memory, my feeling is the Monolith amplifiers are "better" than my previously owned Carver amps in the same room with the same equipment for the most part.

My System
Main system : Panasonic TC-P60ST60 plasma; Denon AVR-X6200W; Monolith 7X; Klipsch RSW-10 sub; modified Klipsch Chorus II Fronts; modified Klipsch Forte II center; modified Klipsch Chorus II surrounds; modified Klipsch Academy rear heights; JBL L20T3 front heights; Mogami 10ga speaker cables, BJC LC-1 interconnects; custom gaming pc

 

[TheAVInsider]

Not applicable for amplifiers FWIW

So to your point, how can I be sure that in my side by side comparison, there were real measurable differences, and not some preconceived subconscious feelings telling me the thoughts I shared are indeed real, noticeable, and significant?
Here is how. Immediately after the final side by side comparisons were completed, and the final Audyssey room corrections were made, I played my copy of Dunkirk. Within the first 20 minutes of the movie playing, I received an announced visit from my nearest neighbor wondering what the hell was going on with the obnoxious noises that were emminating from beyond my property lines. I quickly apologized for the disturbance, set my Denon X6200W boundary gain compensation to -1, and sat back down with a permanent grin on my face knowing I had confirmation of having made the correct decision choosing the Monoprice Monolith 7x.

 

[Verdinut]

So to your point, how can I be sure that in my side by side comparison, there were real measurable differences, and not some preconceived subconscious feelings telling me the thoughts I shared are indeed real, noticeable, and significant?
Here is how. Immediately after the final side by side comparisons were completed, and the final Audyssey room corrections were made, I played my copy of Dunkirk. Within the first 20 minutes of the movie playing, I received an announced visit from my nearest neighbor wondering what the hell was going on with the obnoxious noises that were emminating from beyond my property lines. I quickly apologized for the disturbance, set my Denon X6200W boundary gain compensation to -1, and sat back down with a permanent grin on my face knowing I had confirmation of having made the correct decision choosing the Monoprice Monolith 7x.

If there are measurable differences, what is the use if nobody can hear those differences? This is what has been happening to well designed amplifiers for the last 60 years or so!

The people who say they can hear differences should apply as guinea pigs in a research center and they will be rejected because, based on several experiments, their assumptions don't make any sense!

But that theory of testing differences helps unscrupulous audiophile manufacturers to make money with their bullshit publicity on gullible people who have no knowledge of acoustics science, human hearing and real facts!

 

[TheAVInsider]

If there are measurable differences, what is the use if nobody can hear those differences? This is what has been happening to well designed amplifiers for the last 60 years or so!

The people who say they can hear differences should apply as guinea pigs in a research center and they will be rejected because, based on several experiences, their assumption don't make any sense!

But that theory of testing differences helps unscrupulous audiophile manufacturers to make money with their bullshit publicity on gullible people who have no knowledge of acoustics science, human hearing and real facts!

Over the past year I have used four different amplifiers in the same space on the same system, all four amps of different designs and specs. Each one sounded different and each performed differently. I have also replaced all of by disk players with OPPO players, and do not have time to even begin the differences I have benefited from with those.

I currently own 33 speakers and always enjoy the differences they each provide to my multiple listening environments and source materials. However I am struggling to hear the improvements with my new Morrow Audio Interconnects series MA1 MA1.1 and MA2 even after a 10 day burn in service courtesy of Mike Morrow.

Anyone want to send me a link to a local medical research firm looking for volunteers for testing? I mean I have been a A/V hobbiest for over 30 years, but now I find out I am really just a gullible guinea pig ignorant of science, facts, and even without human ears!

 

[everettT]

So to your point, how can I be sure that in my side by side comparison, there were real measurable differences, and not some preconceived subconscious feelings telling me the thoughts I shared are indeed real, noticeable, and significant?
Here is how. Immediately after the final side by side comparisons were completed, and the final Audyssey room corrections were made, I played my copy of Dunkirk. Within the first 20 minutes of the movie playing, I received an announced visit from my nearest neighbor wondering what the hell was going on with the obnoxious noises that were emminating from beyond my property lines. I quickly apologized for the disturbance, set my Denon X6200W boundary gain compensation to -1, and sat back down with a permanent grin on my face knowing I had confirmation of having made the correct decision choosing the Monoprice Monolith 7x.

I'm talking about amps only, not what's feeding them. Gene's measurements show me everything I need to know about an amp.

 

[PENG]

Anyone want to send me a link to a local medical research firm looking for volunteers for testing? I mean I have been a A/V hobbiest for over 30 years, but now I find out I am really just a gullible guinea pig ignorant of science, facts, and even without human ears!

I doubt anyone meant to imply you were gullible.....etc., but credible research, as those conducted by Dr. F.Toole do seem to suggest if you can see it, then the differences you hear doesn't matter (he wanted to use polite wording I assume..). Those guys (Toole and Olive) were mostly talking about speakers, and we all know differences between quality amps are even much less audible than that between speakers . Moving your ears a few inches should result in more quantifiable/measurable difference in sound quality than swapping good quality amplifiers that are designed, built, and tested to amplify music audio signals accurately, yet we don't need to freeze in our sweet spots when listening to our favorite music.

Thanks to scientific and technological advance in recent years, we can focus more on the quality of the source media and much less on preamp/amps as they are becoming more and more affordable and still manage to get over to the good side of the curve.

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

Over the past year I have used four different amplifiers in the same space on the same system, all four amps of different designs and specs. Each one sounded different and each performed differently. I have also replaced all of by disk players with OPPO players, and do not have time to even begin the differences I have benefited from with those.

I currently own 33 speakers and always enjoy the differences they each provide to my multiple listening environments and source materials. However I am struggling to hear the improvements with my new Morrow Audio Interconnects series MA1 MA1.1 and MA2 even after a 10 day burn in service courtesy of Mike Morrow.

Anyone want to send me a link to a local medical research firm looking for volunteers for testing? I mean I have been a A/V hobbiest for over 30 years, but now I find out I am really just a gullible guinea pig ignorant of science, facts, and even without human ears!

I’m surprised you can’t hear any differences with the Morrow Audio Interconnects with their SSI Technology. I wonder if you have these connected correctly. Are there arrows on the cable that indicate which direction they are to be connected to the device? Is the room temperature correct? Is it too warm or too cool? Is there enough humidity in the room? Is it too dry? Are the interconnects rubbing against any foreign objects while connected? If so, this could upset the flow of electrons and cause all kinds of distortion. All of these factors come into play when using audiophile cables. Make sure you follow their instructions to the letter and perform any required procedures before any further listening tests.

By the way, I have a neighbor who swears by his audiophile cables and every day he sets them out in the sun for about an hour to absorb the solar energy. He claims the sun makes the cables sound better. He says he gets better top end and better bottom end. However, he never did tell me what he does on cloudy days. Well anyway, happy listening.

 

[Irvrobinson]

Gene's measurements show me everything I need to know about an amp.

Interesting that Gene doesn't feel that way.

 

[everettT]

Interesting that Gene doesn't feel that way.

That's why it was regarding me I'm sure his measurements tell him about the capabilities of a particular amp and thats the info I'm looking at.

 

[Verdinut]

There are notable circumstances where amplifiers will sound differently because of a mismatch with the speaker.
If you know of another situation, don't hesitate to mention it.

1. The amp is underpowered for the speaker and clips on higher demands
2. The amp cannot handle the low impedance speaker
3. The amp has a low damping factor and can't control cone motion of a high Q speaker with resulting poor transients

 

[mattlach]

I had similar questions as you have now, before I acquired my Monolith 7x. I have compared it side by side with my Oulaw 5000. In my unpaid and unprofessional opinion the Monolith 7x is substantially better than my, now sold off, Outlaw 5000 in every single way, except price, size and weight. Also I have a bit of a ground hum, never had it before, in only one channel on my specific unit. Originally I feared my (4) 101db sensitivity Klipsch Chorus II's and (1) Klipsch Forte II were not going to benefit from the amplifier change. I usually pull very few watts and I thought it could be a waste of all those extra watts. Shockingly impoved best describes the move for me. Not a lateral move in anyway. Increased Dynamic range, increased output in the lowest frequencies, faster attack, decay, transients, instrument separation, wider sound stage, greater clarity, less smear. Overall more neutral now, meaning my titanium diaphragms are even less bright as they will never really reach a warm range.

I did some troublshooting and ended up removing a chromecast from my system, which was causing some feedback noise. I am also working through some various rca interconnects to further lower the noise floor on that one pesky channel. So to be clear, I am fully and wholly satisfied with the Monolith 7x, and have no desire to "upgrade" any further to any other amplifier.

I have never done a side by side comparison of any emotiva, anywhere, so I can't help with that. I have owned and used several older Carver amplifiers, and again, not side by side, but from memory, my feeling is the Monolith amplifiers are "better" than my previously owned Carver amps in the same room with the same equipment for the most part.

My System
Main system : Panasonic TC-P60ST60 plasma; Denon AVR-X6200W; Monolith 7X; Klipsch RSW-10 sub; modified Klipsch Chorus II Fronts; modified Klipsch Forte II center; modified Klipsch Chorus II surrounds; modified Klipsch Academy rear heights; JBL L20T3 front heights; Mogami 10ga speaker cables, BJC LC-1 interconnects; custom gaming pc

That is good to hear. That said, the Model 5000 probably isn't the best comparison.

It's in a completely different price class, and much lower power level, and I recall reading it is made in China for low cost purposes, as opposed to their higher end 7 channel models all manufactured by ATI in the U.S, like the Monolith.

A better comparison would probably be the Monolith 7 channel vs. the Outlaw Model 7700. They seem to have VERY similar specs, and are both manufactured by ATI in the same factory. Beggars can't be choosers though. I'm glad you chimed in with your Model 5000 comparison.

 

[Verdinut]

That is good to hear. That said, the Model 5000 probably isn't the best comparison.

It's in a completely different price class, and much lower power level, and I recall reading it is made in China for low cost purposes, as opposed to their higher end 7 channel models all manufactured by ATI in the U.S, like the Monolith.

A better comparison would probably be the Monolith 7 channel vs. the Outlaw Model 7700. They seem to have VERY similar specs, and are both manufactured by ATI in the same factory. Beggars can't be choosers though. I'm glad you chimed in with your Model 5000 comparison.

I agree with you in that we have to compare apples to apples.

 

[lovinthehd]

I’m surprised you can’t hear any differences with the Morrow Audio Interconnects with their SSI Technology. I wonder if you have these connected correctly. Are there arrows on the cable that indicate which direction they are to be connected to the device? Is the room temperature correct? Is it too warm or too cool? Is there enough humidity in the room? Is it too dry? Are the interconnects rubbing against any foreign objects while connected? If so, this could upset the flow of electrons and cause all kinds of distortion. All of these factors come into play when using audiophile cables. Make sure you follow their instructions to the letter and perform any required procedures before any further listening tests.

By the way, I have a neighbor who swears by his audiophile cables and every day he sets them out in the sun for about an hour to absorb the solar energy. He claims the sun makes the cables sound better. He says he gets better top end and better bottom end. However, he never did tell me what he does on cloudy days. Well anyway, happy listening.

Lifted from Randy Wells on Bullshit Audio: "My money is here today, and NOT gone to Morrow..."

 

[M Code]

Comparing schematics of the subject ATi, Outlaw and MonoLith amplifiers I find very little differences in basic internal components for all 3 versions. A closer physical examination may reveal certain component upgrades but for the most part the units are electrically identical other than the input stages mainly for the XLR capability...
Morris Kessler, owner & chief engineer for ATi is an experienced, proven veteran for amplifier design and assembly, so he knows very well to keep the the insides common whenever feasible. Plus the higher qty volumes of MonoPrice gives him so leverage for his internal component buying process. Explaining any audible differences may be difficult to substantiate, but may be due to different protection circuit settings....
Few consumers realize that where the protection circuit thresholds are set can clamp down an amplifier's ability to handle high, level dynamic sources..
Which can be very audible..

Just my $0.02...

 

[PENG]

Few consumers realize that where the protection circuit thresholds are set can clamp down an amplifier's ability to handle high, level dynamic sources..
Which can be very audible..

Just my $0.02...

Well, if true, that's poor design. Protective circuit thresholds should be dependent on not just magnitude, but time, as well as the characteristics of the components it is design to protect. Even the simple protective device such as fuses, have different time/current characteristics to choose from for different applications.

If designed well, it should not need to sacrifice or limit dynamics. Obviously for a class AB multi channel AVR such as Yamaha and Denon's, the designer has to make some tough choices, so what you stated could well be true, but there is not much excuses for heavy units such as Monolith's.

 

[PENG]

That is good to hear. That said, the Model 5000 probably isn't the best comparison.

It's in a completely different price class, and much lower power level, and I recall reading it is made in China for low cost purposes, as opposed to their higher end 7 channel models all manufactured by ATI in the U.S, like the Monolith.

A better comparison would probably be the Monolith 7 channel vs. the Outlaw Model 7700. They seem to have VERY similar specs, and are both manufactured by ATI in the same factory. Beggars can't be choosers though. I'm glad you chimed in with your Model 5000 comparison.

It did get a lot of praise from Gene. We can ignore the subjective part, but the measurements indicate this little amp. 314 said " I usually pull very few watts and I thought it could be a waste of all those extra watts. " , so power did not seem to be a factor. To me, it is the same old, if you can see it, all bets are off..

https://www.audioholics.com/amplifier-reviews/outlaw-5000/measurements