The Lowdown
Having used the Monoprice Monolith M-TWE for many Zoom meetings and phone calls back to back, I can say that they can get uncomfortable after extended periods of time, such as after a two-hour-long phone call with friends. But on the positive side of that, they have great battery life, and I have rarely had to switch them out to charge mid-phone calls. All in all, the Monolith M-TWE earbuds are solid desk earbuds that would be great headphones to use at work.
Overall
Pros
- Sound quality is impressive
- ANC at a nice price
- Great mic sound quality
- SoundID compatible
- Plenty of earbud tips to choose from to get your best fit
Cons
- No skip function
- Not great for use while being active, as they do become uncomfortable after a while, and I have to keep adjusting them
The Monoprice Monolith M-TWE earphones have been an exciting maze to explore with few dead ends. Monolith went all out on these earbuds adding Sonarworks’ SoundID, Qualcomm aptX Audio, Qualcomm cVc 8.0 Echo Cancelling and Noise Suppression, Active Noise Cancelling (ANC), and making them “Sweatproof.” With a current sale price of $99.99, these true wireless earbuds pack a big punch for a small price.
The first thing to note is the quality of the packaging. The Monoprice Monolith M-TWE came with a charging case, carry bag, 20″ charging cable, 4 sets of ear tips varying in size, and a neat, accessible user’s manual. The headphones themselves weigh 0.23oz each and with the case with 2.70oz.
The earbuds and case are finished in a mix of matte and gloss black with a flat grey logo on the top of the case and touchpads of the buds. The case has a small light indicator in the middle, and the earbuds have light indicators on the respective bottom corners.
Coming in at the dimensions of 2.5″ by 1.75″ by 1″, the portable charging case is small enough to fit in your pockets but not small enough to lose in them. The charging case has a magnetic lid and magnets that suck the earbuds into their slots.
The earbuds’ controls include swiping up and down to control volume, press and hold for 1 second to reject calls, 2-second hold to activate the voice assistant, single tap to chose listening modes, and a double-tap to pause, pay and, answer calls. There’s no skip function, however, and I wish that had been included.
Monoprice Monolith M-TWE Specifications:
- Drivers: 10mm neodymium dynamic
- Audio Codecs: SBC, AAX, Qualcomm aptX
- Water Resistance: IPx4
- Battery Life: 10 hours playtime without ANC on. 20 additional hours are stored in the portable charging case.
- Wireless Connection: Bluetooth 5.0
- Earbud Weight: 6.6g each
The first thing that I tested was the listening modes. There are three: Normal, Ambient Listening Mode, and Noise Cancelling Mode. Much to the distress of those who have tried to talk to me in the past week, the noise-canceling mode works very well, and I’m loving it. I’ve spent little time without these earbuds in my ears.
When I first listened to music with these earbuds in, I thought they sounded bassy and weird, but then I realized I was hearing parts of songs I hadn’t heard before.
The Monoprice Monolith M-TWE earbuds are SoundID compatible, so I had to set it up. I was amazed at how much the earbuds’ sound could be tweaked and changed to my preferences and really enjoyed using it. The SoundID app takes you through a series of listening tests to gauge the kind of sound you are looking for and adjust the earbuds’ sound output levels. The difference that it made was eye-opening, or should I say ear-opening, to the possibilities of these earbuds.
The next feature to address is the Monoprice Monolith M-TWE’s microphone quality. I was happy to know that my grandfather (who happens to wear hearing aids) and everyone else I have talked to on the phone has been able to hear me loud and clear.
As a lacrosse player, I am always looking for headphones to use while practicing to stay in my ears and have good sound quality. Using the Monoprice Monolith M-TWE earbuds while practicing is fine as long as I adjusted the earbuds in my ears every so often. However, when I did not adjust the earbuds, they would fall out. Luckily they were fine, seeing as we were practicing on grass.
Having used the Monoprice Monolith M-TWE earbuds for many Zoom meetings and phone calls back to back, I can say that they can get uncomfortable after extended periods of time, such as after a two-hour-long phone call with friends. But on the positive side of that, they have great battery life, and I have rarely had to switch them out to charge mid-phone calls. All in all, the Monolith M-TWE earbuds are solid desk earbuds that would be great headphones to use at work.
The Monoprice Monolith M-TWE True Wireless Earbuds sell for $99.99; they are available directly from the manufacturer.
Source: Manufacturer provided review sample
What I Like: Sound quality is impressive; ANC at a nice price; Great mic quality; SoundID compatible; Plenty of earbud tips to choose from to get your best fit
Needs Improvement: No skip function; Not great for use while being active, as they do become uncomfortable after a while, and I have to keep adjusting them
