Slickdeals is community-supported.  We may get paid by brands for deals, including promoted items.
Heads up, this deal has expired. Want to create a deal alert for this item?
expired Posted by TattyBear | Staff • Jan 17, 2023
expired Posted by TattyBear | Staff • Jan 17, 2023

Monolith by Monoprice Liquid Spark Headphone Amplifier

+ Free Shipping

$80

$130

38% off
Monoprice
56 Comments 25,085 Views
Visit Monoprice
Good Deal
Save
Share
Deal Details
Monoprice has Monolith by Monoprice Liquid Spark Headphone Amplifier by Alex Cavalli on sale for $79.99. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Hunter TattyBear for sharing this deal.

Specs:
  • Dimensions: 4.6" x 3.7" x 1.5" (117 x 94 x 38 mm)
  • Weight: 9.6 oz. (271g)
  • Headphone Output: Unbalanced stereo 1/4" TRS jack
  • Preamp Output: Unbalanced stereo RCA jacks
  • Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 108dB (ref. 1 Vrms input / 2 Vrms output @ 1kHz)
  • Crosstalk: –73dB (ref. 1 Vrms input / 2 Vrms output @ 10kHz)
  • Output Impedance: < 0.1 ohms
  • Gain: +3dB or +6dB
  • Input: Unbalanced stereo RCA
  • Output Protection: Delay and offset protection

Editor's Notes

Written by SaltyOne | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • This price is $50 lower (38% savings) than the list price of $129.99.
  • About this product:
  • About this store:
    • Information about Monoprice's return policy here.

Original Post

Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Monoprice has Monolith by Monoprice Liquid Spark Headphone Amplifier by Alex Cavalli on sale for $79.99. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Deal Hunter TattyBear for sharing this deal.

Specs:
  • Dimensions: 4.6" x 3.7" x 1.5" (117 x 94 x 38 mm)
  • Weight: 9.6 oz. (271g)
  • Headphone Output: Unbalanced stereo 1/4" TRS jack
  • Preamp Output: Unbalanced stereo RCA jacks
  • Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 108dB (ref. 1 Vrms input / 2 Vrms output @ 1kHz)
  • Crosstalk: –73dB (ref. 1 Vrms input / 2 Vrms output @ 10kHz)
  • Output Impedance: < 0.1 ohms
  • Gain: +3dB or +6dB
  • Input: Unbalanced stereo RCA
  • Output Protection: Delay and offset protection

Editor's Notes

Written by SaltyOne | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • This price is $50 lower (38% savings) than the list price of $129.99.
  • About this product:
  • About this store:
    • Information about Monoprice's return policy here.

Original Post

Community Voting

Deal Score
+30
Good Deal
Visit Monoprice

Price Intelligence

Model: Monolith by Monoprice Liquid Spark Headphone Amplifier by Alex Cavalli

Deal History 

Sale Price
Slickdeal
  • $NaN
  • Today

Current Prices

Sort: Lowest to Highest | Last Updated 7/3/2025, 10:53 PM
Sold By Sale Price
Amazon$129.99
Monoprice.com$129.99

Leave a Comment

Unregistered (You)

Top Comments

vid1900
1954 Posts
1179 Reputation
Simplified answer:

Most phones, PCs and laptops were not designed to handle the 300 ohm loads of "real" headphones.

So although sound will come out, it will be anemic and lacking deep bass.

So the goal of these amps is not to make the sound louder, but to drive the headphones from the deepest notes to the highest, without distortion
vid1900
1954 Posts
1179 Reputation
Not perfect, but a pretty good headphone amp for the money.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/ forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-monoprice-liquid-spark-headphone-amp.5224/

(like always, remove space for detailed measurements and review)
d3a1z
684 Posts
310 Reputation
I have owned all 3 at some point. The Atom and Magni are a little cleaner to me. This has a little warmness to the sound. I liked all 3 amps, but ended up keeping my Schiit stuff. They were all a bit redundant to each other. The best combo IMO is the Modi Multibit with the Magni 3. I know that DACs with any type of distortion get trashed, but for me that DAC is still something special. Of course, I am a bit subjective and not 100% on the measurements only train.

For a shorter answer, pick the ecosystem you want because they are all close. I like Schiit because there is an EQ you can add also, and made in USA.

55 Comments

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Pro
Jan 17, 2023
1,954 Posts
Joined Sep 2016
Jan 17, 2023
vid1900
Pro
Jan 17, 2023
1,954 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank vid1900

Not perfect, but a pretty good headphone amp for the money.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/ forum/index.php?threads/review-and-measurements-of-monoprice-liquid-spark-headphone-amp.5224/

(like always, remove space for detailed measurements and review)
3
3
Pro
Expert
This user is an Expert in Computers
Jan 18, 2023
11,647 Posts
Joined Oct 2009
Jan 18, 2023
TekkenLord
Jan 18, 2023
Pro
Expert
This user is an Expert in Computers
11,647 Posts
This or Schiit Magni?
1
2
Jan 18, 2023
248 Posts
Joined Jan 2016
Jan 18, 2023
Buck_Flanders
Jan 18, 2023
248 Posts
Anyone use this for PC gaming? If so, is it worth it?
Jan 18, 2023
402 Posts
Joined Jan 2017
Jan 18, 2023
KVW
Jan 18, 2023
402 Posts
Same price on Amazon too. I'm considering buying it there since I've built up Amazon credits I can only spend there.

https://a.co/d/eOFcCzz
Pro
Jan 18, 2023
2,259 Posts
Joined Nov 2010
Jan 18, 2023
MasterRigger
Pro
Jan 18, 2023
2,259 Posts
Educate me please. Why would somebody want to amplify their headphones. Wouldn't that be bad for your hearing?
2
2
Jan 18, 2023
322 Posts
Joined Nov 2014
Jan 18, 2023
jinjuice
Jan 18, 2023
322 Posts
How does this compare to Schiit Magni and JDS Labs ATOM? or any other amps around $100?
Pro
Jan 18, 2023
1,954 Posts
Joined Sep 2016
Jan 18, 2023
vid1900
Pro
Jan 18, 2023
1,954 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank vid1900

Quote from MasterRigger :
Educate me please. Why would somebody want to amplify their headphones. Wouldn't that be bad for your hearing?
Simplified answer:

Most phones, PCs and laptops were not designed to handle the 300 ohm loads of "real" headphones.

So although sound will come out, it will be anemic and lacking deep bass.

So the goal of these amps is not to make the sound louder, but to drive the headphones from the deepest notes to the highest, without distortion

8

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Jan 18, 2023
2,701 Posts
Joined Dec 2019
Jan 18, 2023
User18383921
Jan 18, 2023
2,701 Posts
Quote from TekkenLord :
This or Schiit Magni?
According to some Amazon reviews, they are very similar. I would read the Amazon reviews
Last edited by RunningOnEmpty January 18, 2023 at 09:51 AM.
Jan 18, 2023
273 Posts
Joined Aug 2018
Jan 18, 2023
robteee
Jan 18, 2023
273 Posts
Quote from vid1900 :
Simplified answer:

Most phones, PCs and laptops were not designed to handle the 300 ohm loads of "real" headphones.

So although sound will come out, it will be anemic and lacking deep bass.

So the goal of these amps is not to make the sound louder, but to drive the headphones from the deepest notes to the highest, without distortion
Can you also educate me how this would be configured?
It looks like you plug the headphone into the front, but would you run a headphone jack-to-RCA L+R splitter or something to plug into the back? Or how would you plug a PC into the back of this? And why are there two sets of input?
2
Jan 18, 2023
157 Posts
Joined Aug 2007
Jan 18, 2023
Fieryphoenix
Jan 18, 2023
157 Posts
Quote from robteee :
Can you also educate me how this would be configured?
It looks like you plug the headphone into the front, but would you run a headphone jack-to-RCA L+R splitter or something to plug into the back? Or how would you plug a PC into the back of this? And why are there two sets of input?
The headphone is plugged into the front. Your input comes from a stereo RCA source, and it passes through as a preamp to another device by an RCA out. One example configuration could be a MIDI keyboard connected to this headphone amp for private listening, then passed along to a regular amp without heaphone jack to play on speakers. There is only the one input.
Jan 18, 2023
2,701 Posts
Joined Dec 2019
Jan 18, 2023
User18383921
Jan 18, 2023
2,701 Posts
Quote from robteee :
Can you also educate me how this would be configured?
It looks like you plug the headphone into the front, but would you run a headphone jack-to-RCA L+R splitter or something to plug into the back? Or how would you plug a PC into the back of this? And why are there two sets of input?
If you're going from your computer, you would need a DAC to go in front of this.

Might as well get a refurb SoundBlasterG6 (DAC/Amp combo)for $89 if you're starting out.

https://us.creative.com/p/refurbi...-stock#buy

or buy this and buy a less than or around $100 DAC to go with this. The Atom DAC or Schitt Modi are very popular.
Last edited by RunningOnEmpty January 18, 2023 at 10:17 AM.
1
Pro
Jan 18, 2023
1,954 Posts
Joined Sep 2016
Jan 18, 2023
vid1900
Pro
Jan 18, 2023
1,954 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank vid1900

Quote from robteee :
Can you also educate me how this would be configured?
It looks like you plug the headphone into the front, but would you run a headphone jack-to-RCA L+R splitter or something to plug into the back? Or how would you plug a PC into the back of this? And why are there two sets of input?
Yes, you could get a 3.5mm plug to RCA adapter cable, plug the 3.5mm into your computer "line out" (this is usually green color on a desktop) and then the RCA end to the cable to the RCAs marked "I" on the amp.

The RCAs marked "I" are the input, the ones marked "P" are pass-through

2
Jan 18, 2023
684 Posts
Joined Nov 2006
Jan 18, 2023
d3a1z
Jan 18, 2023
684 Posts

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank d3a1z

Quote from jinjuice :
How does this compare to Schiit Magni and JDS Labs ATOM? or any other amps around $100?
I have owned all 3 at some point. The Atom and Magni are a little cleaner to me. This has a little warmness to the sound. I liked all 3 amps, but ended up keeping my Schiit stuff. They were all a bit redundant to each other. The best combo IMO is the Modi Multibit with the Magni 3. I know that DACs with any type of distortion get trashed, but for me that DAC is still something special. Of course, I am a bit subjective and not 100% on the measurements only train.

For a shorter answer, pick the ecosystem you want because they are all close. I like Schiit because there is an EQ you can add also, and made in USA.
Last edited by d3a1z January 18, 2023 at 10:58 AM.
3
2
Jan 18, 2023
958 Posts
Joined Apr 2014
Jan 18, 2023
CaptainCheap0
Jan 18, 2023
958 Posts
Quote from d3a1z :
I have owned all 3 at some point. The Atom and Magni are a little cleaner to me. This has a little warmness to the sound. I liked all 3 amps, but ended up keeping my Schiit stuff. They were all a bit redundant to each other. The best combo IMO is the Modi Multibit with the Magni 3. I know that DACs with any type of distortion get trashed, but for me that DAC is still something special. Of course, I am a bit subjective and not 100% on the measurements only train.

For a shorter answer, pick the ecosystem you want because they are all close. I like Schiit because there is an EQ you can add also, and made in USA.
Assembled. Not (made)
2

Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.

Jan 18, 2023
684 Posts
Joined Nov 2006
Jan 18, 2023
d3a1z
Jan 18, 2023
684 Posts
Quote from CaptainCheap0 :
Assembled. Not (made)
Oh you got me... I don't know why I bother responding to things when I get insightful comments like that. A lot of parts are from here if they can get them, and at least it is Americans assembling. Better than nothing if the price is close.
Last edited by d3a1z January 18, 2023 at 01:22 PM.
2

Leave a Comment

Unregistered (You)

Popular Deals

View All

Trending Deals

View All