Monoprice Monolith 13" THX Ultra Subwoofer Review

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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
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Monoprice’s foray into the subwoofer market has seen some real expansion. The success of their Monolith THX series prompted the release of a monster dual 15” that blew our socks off when we experienced it at the 2019 CEDIA, but they are not stopping there. Monoprice has just launched two new beasts in this segment, a large 13” THX Certified Ultra subwoofer and an enormous 16” ported subwoofer, both powered by 1,800 watt RMS amplifiers. These new subwoofers are a step up from their existing line, as is evidenced by their more powerful amps, but it’s also seeing upgrades in a more refined aesthetic and even higher build quality. They also have even beefier drivers than the 15” THX Ultra, a feat that beggars belief given how massive that 15” driver is. These higher-end Monolith subs are priced at $1600 for the 13” and $2000 for the 16”. In for review today is the 13” sub from this product line. Read our full review to see what Monoprice has done to raise their subwoofer game even further...

READ: Monoprice Monolith 13" THX Ultra Subwoofer Review
 
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Hetfield

Audioholic Samurai
That sub is an absolute BEAST! Wow with the 3 giant ports, that has to have some output.
 
Eppie

Eppie

Audioholic Ninja
3:00am post? I hope that's eastern and Shady is on the west coast. :)
They seem to be a price point leader with THX certified speakers, don't they. For a company that started off selling cables at great prices they continue to offer great value in their other product lines.
 
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Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
Shady the picture is on the site but your making us wait for the article!!!!!! How could you torture us like this!!!! o_O

This is your revenge for what we're doing to your back isn't it?

For what it's worth I'm sorry. But thank you for your sacrifice to audioholics :D
 
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Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
Link is now live.
WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW.! What a great review Shady!!! This thing is off the charts with its performance.

It can do it all midbass and deep and it's very accurate with like no distortion

I mean this beast literally gives the SVS 16 ultra a run for its money especially above 25hz. That's crazy for how much money you save

Thank you for the review. How much more performance do you think the 16 thx version is going to give based on your experience with the 13?

I can't even begin to imagine
 
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Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW.! What a great review Shady!!! This thing is off the charts with its performance.

It can do it all midbass and deep and it's very accurate with like no distortion

I mean this beast literally gives the SVS 16 ultra a run for its money especially above 25hz. That's crazy for how much money you save

Thank you for the review. How much more performance do you think the 16 thx version is going to give based on your experience with the 13?

I can't even begin to imagine
Ummm have to correct myself SVS has the edge from 25 to like 50hz but still for the price that 13thx ultra comes pretty close
 
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Hetfield

Audioholic Samurai
Ummm have to correct myself SVS has the edge from 25 to like 50hz but still for the price that 13thx ultra comes pretty close
Don't forget the app that makes life incredibly easy.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
 
ryanosaur

ryanosaur

Audioholic Overlord
Impressive.

As always, nice work, @shadyJ !!!

For what Monolith seems to be shooting for, I agree, it would be nice if they could find a way to push the aesthetics just a tiny bit forward. I don't mind robust, functional or even industrial-esque design, but they could easily refine their look and promote themselves into the next higher class of product. Don't need a gloss finish, though it would be nice to see. ;)

But, d@mn, if only we could get a review of the 16!!! :D

C'mon out West Shady and meet their 16" smaple sub up here in Wine Country. I'll arrange the heavy lifting, and you can do the testing! ;)
 
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Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
Don't forget the app that makes life incredibly easy.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
I've owned the 4000's and have 2 2000 pros in my bedroom

The app is great but honestly once you set a sub you don't change it enough anyway I can live without the app. But it is nice tho
 
panteragstk

panteragstk

Audioholic Warlord
I've owned the 4000's and have 2 2000 pros in my bedroom

The app is great but honestly once you set a sub you don't change it enough anyway I can live without the app. But it is nice tho
Geeze, you single dudes get all the fun toys.

Now I just need to remind myself that my theater has passive subs so I can't use this one.

I could use it in my office though...
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
@shadyJ nice job. On the subject of the feet, what threading are they? I'd think if taller feet were needed and it's a somewhat standard threading the user can easily replace with something else?
 
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Hetfield

Audioholic Samurai
I've owned the 4000's and have 2 2000 pros in my bedroom

The app is great but honestly once you set a sub you don't change it enough anyway I can live without the app. But it is nice tho
For the most part yes but I don't think I'll ever be without an SVS sub again just because at night I like to turn the sub down a bit and I don't have to fool around with the back. I also don't have to guess where the dial is and if I got it back right where it was. Usually at 17, turn down a bit and then back to 17 the next day. I love that app just got that alone.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk
 
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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
@shadyJ nice job. On the subject of the feet, what threading are they? I'd think if taller feet were needed and it's a somewhat standard threading the user can easily replace with something else?
I don't know the threading, but I would guess it isn't something weird, so I would imaging you could replace the feet with something more substantial pretty easily. I am sure if you got in touch with the Monolith rep, he would tell you what the threading is.
 
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Bruno62

Audiophyte
Have the monolith 15 inch sub and love it , would the new 13 inch sub be that much of an upgrade?
 
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shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
Have the monolith 15 inch sub and love it , would the new 13 inch sub be that much of an upgrade?
The Monolith 13" is a significant upgrade for sure, but it isn't an absolutely gigantic upgrade. If you wanted a more immediately noticeably upgrade, look at the Monolith m-215 or the Monolith 16" THX Ultra.
 
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Danzilla31

Audioholic Spartan
The Monolith 13" is a significant upgrade for sure, but it isn't an absolutely gigantic upgrade. If you wanted a more immediately noticeably upgrade, look at the Monolith m-215 or the Monolith 16" THX Ultra.
Or since he already has the 15 and they went on sale for 1149 how about a second monolith 15?
 
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Bruno62

Audiophyte
The Monolith 13" is a significant upgrade for sure, but it isn't an absolutely gigantic upgrade. If you wanted a more immediately noticeably upgrade, look at the Monolith m-215 or the Monolith 16" THX Ultra.
 
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