Monoprice Monolith 10” THX Select and 12” THX Ultra Subwoofers Review

[gene]

THX certified subwoofers were once the reserve for high-end home theaters, but Monoprice Inc. has now brought them within reach of us mere mortals with the launch of their Monolith series subwoofers. In this review, we look at two high-powered but affordable subwoofers, the 10" THX Select and 12" THX Ultra. The operative word for the design of these subs is 'overkill' which can be discerned from their ultra heavy-duty enclosures, beefy drivers, and powerful 500-watt amplifiers.

Read our review of these beasts to find out if your home theater can handle this much low-frequency muscle.

Read: Monoprice Monolith 10” THX Select and 12” THX Ultra Subwoofers Review

 

[burntcore1]

If the 12" weighing 100 pounds is the only drawback that's a very, very small price to pay. Aside from that then there are no cons which atcually would mkae this the perfect subwoofer at this price. Period

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Monoprice is certainly turning heads with their Monolith Amps and now Monolith THX Ultra Subwoofers.

Now they need a Monolith THX-Ultra Monitor Speakers (or equivalent speakers) to go along with their THX Ultra Subwoofers.

 

[ack_bak]

I was able to buy 2 15" Monolith subs recently (on sale) for under $2K shipped. I have them in boxes right now and am about 2 weeks away from my theater room being finished so can't wait to try them out (previous owned an HSU-VTF15H and most recently 4 times 15" sealed subs). I hope you guys get a chance to review 15" Monolith, I am very impressed with the review of the 10 and 12" models especially in terms of clean output.

 

[shadyJ]

I was able to buy 2 15" Monolith subs recently (on sale) for under $2K shipped. I have them in boxes right now and am about 2 weeks away from my theater room being finished so can't wait to try them out (previous owned an HSU-VTF15H and most recently 4 times 15" sealed subs). I hope you guys get a chance to review 15" Monolith, I am very impressed with the review of the 10 and 12" models especially in terms of clean output.

There is a review of the 15" THX Ultra planned, but it will be awhile before that one is done. By the way, two for less than $2k is an absolute steal!

 

[ack_bak]

There is a review of the 15" THX Ultra planned, but it will be awhile before that one is done. By the way, two for less than $2k is an absolute steal!

I pounced on the deal as soon as I saw it. I was going to go DIY again (the movers damaged the drivers and boxes on 3 of my 4 DIY subs) but I just don't have time with the basement build and a crazy job and three kids + puppy.

My room is 20 x 12 x 8 so two 15's should do the trick

 

[snakeeyes]

Think that a big factor as far as their value is these probably will go on sale so their price is going to be lower. Hopefully these will turn out to be as reliable as they are heavy. Also the weight means once you place them in the room, your wife can’t move them... LOL

 

[speakerman39]

Another excellent review Shady! Those drivers look to be massive! I am very impressed with them. How on Earth did you lug these around w/o breaking your back? Just wished Monoprice would come out w/a 10"/12" sealed version albeit smaller cabinet and I would be all in. Perhaps, that is in the works. There is absolutely no doubt that any of these subs would get me evicted........LOL!!!!


Cheers,

Phil

 

[shadyJ]

How on Earth did you lug these around w/o breaking your back?

I moved them around using a shoulder dolly, but I just got a gorilla cart that should work a lot better than the shoulder dolly for moving these things out in the middle of the field that I am testing in.

 

[Verdinut]

Monoprice is certainly turning heads with their Monolith Amps and now Monolith THX Ultra Subwoofers.

Now they need a Monolith THX-Ultra Monitor Speakers (or equivalent speakers) to go along with their THX Ultra Subwoofers.

How about a solidly built and highly performing universal Monolith 4K Blu-ray player to replace the OPPO units of which production has ended?

 

[Rick Ross]

Reviewer failed to mention the room size used in this session and if it is sealed or open to other areas. That's a notable omission, as room size will play a big factor in how a sub performs, particularly the 10"

 

[shadyJ]

Reviewer failed to mention the room size used in this session and if it is sealed or open to other areas. That's a notable omission, as room size will play a big factor in how a sub performs, particularly the 10"

Room size normally does play a role, but I used these subs with a near-field placement, which mitigates SPL losses from the rooms. I probably should have mentioned that kind of placement though.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

How about a solidly built and highly performant universal Monolith 4K Blu-ray player to replace the OPPO units of which production has ended?

That could make some people happy.

I don’t care for any media players since I exclusively use my HTPC with BD-ROM, so a Monolith BD player wouldn’t interest me at all.

I wouldn’t buy that Oppo or any 4K BD player if they had it on clearance for $50 because of this.

 

[Danzilla31]

Hey shadyJ I'm new to this forum although I've been following you guys for awhile. I got a lot to learn was nervous some of you guys really know your stuff. But this is my favorite site and forum and your guys reviews are the best. The reason I'm reaching out to you is I'm slowly upgrading my home system used 50/50 for music and movies. It's an open floor plan. Ive been wanting to try to hold out for these but man I shop at Bjorn's here in San Antonio and they had a killer deal on 2 SVS PB 2000's. So I thought try em out and return if I like what I hear in your reviews on these. I do like them even those dang metal grills. But the review came out just a hair past my return opportunity. And I'm all sad boy cus I think the sound signature of the monolith is a little more what I want then the svs. But there's still hope! My area is a little too big even for the PB 2000's SVS was great in helping me confirm this. But to upgrade right it's dual 4000's or the Ultra 16's. Man that's a huge chunk of change so maybe I could flip the dual SVS recoup some cost and put it down on 2 Monolith 15's. My question is how does the Monolith 12 stack up against the PB 2000 and from what I'm hearing from others that 15 monolith can go up against a PB 4000 so 2 of them for 2600 roughly is a hell of a lot better then 2 of the 4000's. Any input you could give me to help spend my money lol would be greatly appreciated. P.S. I was also thinking of SVS to put 2 cylinders behind the couches I want 4 subs in that room eventually. Also I'll send you room pics to give you an idea of the room layout size etc. Thanks for your time any input from any of you guys would be appreciated

 

[Danzilla31]

The server was having trouble uploading my pics here goes hopefully guys yeah it says the files are too large sorry I can't send you guys any more info with pics basically open living room flows to 2 open dining rooms and kitchen it's a 1700 square foot house and a big chunk of it is in that living room area thanks again for any input

 

[shadyJ]

Hey shadyJ I'm new to this forum although I've been following you guys for awhile. I got a lot to learn was nervous some of you guys really know your stuff. But this is my favorite site and forum and your guys reviews are the best. The reason I'm reaching out to you is I'm slowly upgrading my home system used 50/50 for music and movies. It's an open floor plan. Ive been wanting to try to hold out for these but man I shop at Bjorn's here in San Antonio and they had a killer deal on 2 SVS PB 2000's. So I thought try em out and return if I like what I hear in your reviews on these. I do like them even those dang metal grills. But the review came out just a hair past my return opportunity. And I'm all sad boy cus I think the sound signature of the monolith is a little more what I want then the svs. But there's still hope! My area is a little too big even for the PB 2000's SVS was great in helping me confirm this. But to upgrade right it's dual 4000's or the Ultra 16's. Man that's a huge chunk of change so maybe I could flip the dual SVS recoup some cost and put it down on 2 Monolith 15's. My question is how does the Monolith 12 stack up against the PB 2000 and from what I'm hearing from others that 15 monolith can go up against a PB 4000 so 2 of them for 2600 roughly is a hell of a lot better then 2 of the 4000's. Any input you could give me to help spend my money lol would be greatly appreciated. P.S. I was also thinking of SVS to put 2 cylinders behind the couches I want 4 subs in that room eventually. Also I'll send you room pics to give you an idea of the room layout size etc. Thanks for your time any input from any of you guys would be appreciated

The SVS 2000 subs are quite good. I think the Monolith 12 sub might have a slight output advantage, but given that SVS also strives for very low distortion, I would guess their sound character would be pretty much the same, since both have a very flat frequency response and extremely clean bass. I wouldn't fret much about going with PB-2000s vs Monolith 12" THX Ultras, at least as far as raw performance is concerned. Personally I really like the PC-2000, it is a breeze to pick up and move.

As for the PB-4000 vs the Monolith 15", I wouldn't be so quick to assume that the Monolith has some kind of huge output advantage. I suspect that it might have an advantage in midbass frequencies, but that is only speculation. As for the PB16-Ultra, the Monolith 15 is very unlikely to match its output at 30 Hz and below. The PB16 is a deep bass monster, but then again it costs almost as much as two of the Monolith 15s.

 

[Danzilla31]

The SVS 2000 subs are quite good. I think the Monolith 12 sub might have a slight output advantage, but given that SVS also strives for very low distortion, I would guess their sound character would be pretty much the same, since both have a very flat frequency response and extremely clean bass. I wouldn't fret much about going with PB-2000s vs Monolith 12" THX Ultras, at least as far as raw performance is concerned. Personally I really like the PC-2000, it is a breeze to pick up and move.

As for the PB-4000 vs the Monolith 15", I wouldn't be so quick to assume that the Monolith has some kind of huge output advantage. I suspect that it might have an advantage in midbass frequencies, but that is only speculation. As for the PB16-Ultra, the Monolith 15 is very unlikely to match its output at 30 Hz and below. The PB16 is a deep bass monster, but then again it costs almost as much as two of the Monolith 15s.

Hey thanks for your help Shady! That makes me feel a whole lot better about my options and it really was a super killer deal on those PB 2000's plus I do like em. Looking forward to learning from you in the future. By the way really great review I really enjoyed it

 

[Rick Ross]

After $100 dual discount, two Monolith 15's do cost the same as a PB16-Ultra.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

James: What's your thoughts on Monolith 12" vs VTF-3 Mk5 (except extra shipping on HSU) these cost same, while having a noticeably higher performance from 30hz and higher.

 

[shadyJ]

James: What's your thoughts on Monolith 12" vs VTF-3 Mk5 (except extra shipping on HSU) these cost same, while having a noticeably higher performance from 30hz and higher.

I have not tested the VTF-3 mk5, but I know the driver that Hsu uses is a real overachiever. The Hsu is likely an overall more powerful sub, but the reality is Monolith is less expensive and has a better warranty. You can buy an extended warranty on the Hsu to match the Monolith, but that would bring its price close to $1k. Both are killer subs and great values for sure.