Hello, I am struggling to pull the trigger on either the Monolith m1060 or ThieAudio Phantom’s. My budget is 400 dollars for a headphone. I was going to buy a dac/amp along with the headphone. I was looking for a warmer headphone with bass? I listen to mostly rap/hip hop then Pop/Soul. I narrowed it down to these two headphones after as much research as I could do. Any help would be greatly appreciated, Thank You
I know some others may ask these questions too, as it may help others narrow down a good headphone+dac/amp pairing for you:
Is 400 your total budget or just for the headphones themselves? If the latter, what is your budget for a dac/amp?
Do you want to be able to take the headphone with you on a subway/plane or out and about, with a possibility of a portable amp/dac, or are you okay having it stuck to a desk amp/dac set up?
Do you need the headphone to be isolating and/or have little sound leakage into your environment?
Do you know if you’re sensitive to brighter headphones with higher treble response?
Some of those questions may help people narrow down some great alternatives to the one’s you’ve listed. I unfortunately don’t have experience with the m1060 or Phantom’s but hopefully someone here who has can tell you more about the experience of those headphones as well.
I get exactly what you’re looking for and if you’re okay with an amp picky headphone go for the verum 1 Mk 2 over the M1060 it’s got that weird 5k ring issue and the build is heartbreakingly shit. I fully understand looking at a big planar.
I’d go with the Verum and add an XDUOO hybrid tube amp to get that current as planars love power and since its a class A amp it should sound really smooth and not too analytical as you’re looking to have fun clearly but still sound really detailed but most of all rich and lush. As that’s what the verums will need. Something like a Xduoo MT602 as that’s a hybrid class A cheap amp.
If that’s not to your taste then a more V shaped headphone like the Sivga P-ii where its got nice bass roll off and amazing treble slightly recessed mids so it’s a fun headphone
I’d also recommend a 4XX as it would be an amazing pairing with the Xduoo class A amp and it’s low end and resolution is great for the price.
All of these are fun headphones for the kind of music you were mentioning and the M1060 would be fine if it just weren’t your first mid range headphone. I personally think that this amp is gonna start being the default budget go to as not only has great power and class A but can drive Heaphones like T50-rp’s well
Definitely heavily consider what kind of amp you want as well as usually your first amp you’ll be stuck with for a while. When it comes to dacs anything that’s 100-200 and clean will do. Smsl, Geshelli, ifi den dac whatever fits really heres a review on the amp mentioned above
Hi yes sorry didn’t even think to include those! But the 400 dollar budget is for just the headphones
I would not want to bring them on the subway I would just listen in my room
I do not like more bright headphones I was thinking of going for a warmer headphone
Thank you for the reply!
Thank you so much you really described exactly the type of experience I was going for when you said
“ you’re looking to have fun clearly but still sound really detailed but most of all rich and lush.”
I had another question is the hybrid amp you recommended with the Vernums just an AMP or a AMP/DAC?
If it is just an amp would a schitt DAC work well I was looking at the modi 3 and the Modius?
Thank you again for the response I appreciate it a lot!
I agree on the Sivga P-ii. Though the bass boost on an Ifi Zen dac can do wonderfully things with it
That’s what I was thinking too
It’s just an amp. A schitt dac would be a perfect combo really any of these dacs will do.
I do have one other fun combo which I think fits for what you’re looking for but is kind of the opposite of bassy and fun planars mentioned above and priorities vocal euphoria fun. So this is the other end of the spectrum.
Sennheiser 6XX with a darkvoice tube amp. This would have to be the other dark and SUPER vocal lush sound but the tubes are what really make them come alive.
With tubes it lifts some of the sennheiser veil and opens them up soundstage wise and the vocals are a perfect 10.
This is an amazingly fun sound but will not have the bass of the other two mentioned above. The dynamic slam added by the tubes this is a real audiophile combo and the sheer fun of tube rolling with this is the meaning of what is possible knowing the right synergy.
For a heads up tube Amps that aren’t hybrids don’t play well with planars that’s why they’re suited to the hybrid setup rather than an OTL (output transformer less) tube amp.
If you end up buying a second hand pair of 6XX’s please immediately replace their pads seeing as the pads get destroyed quickly and need to be replaced once a year. Dekoni I believe now makes a pad that doesn’t change the sound but has memory foam that’s a great recommendation. Also a 6XX sounds nothing like it does on solid state.
Tube recommendations:
(the big one) 6AS7 Power tube: NOS RCA Black plate 1950’s
6SN7 Pre-amp tube: 6SN7GTB Tung Sol reissue or the CV181 Shuguang treasures. [There’s also a mk2 of this tube by PSAVE]
Thought I would provide a little update! I am going to get the Verum ones with the XUDOO MT602 with the ifi den DAC. I was hoping a little for reassurance that all that makes sense and sounds good haha. Thank you again!!
Makes perfect sense 
Enjoy! Solid starting choices.
Some concerns in the community about some business practices and vocal stances on non-audio related topics that may or may not be of concern to you. Something you may want to look into. You don’t have to think about this with most producers.
Definitely glad I recommended the Xduoo MT602
