Monolith™ by Monoprice™

16″ THX® Certified Ultra 2000 Watt Powered Subwoofer

Massive Output. Low Distortion. THX® Certified.

The Monolith™ 16″ THX® Certified Ultra 2000‑Watt Powered Subwoofer sets the standard for bass output, low distortion, and reference level bass. A newly designed 16″ driver coupled with a DSP controlled, 2000‑watt RMS, 3800+‑watt peak power amplifier, brings a new dimension in low frequency, bass performance to any home theater system.

THX® Certified Ultra: THX® engineers completed hundreds of different scientific tests to ensure the highest audio performance possible. The tests ensure the speaker can reach the high volumes necessary to achieve THX Reference Level without creating audible distortion or artifacts. THX® Certified Ultra products are for large sized rooms, up to 3,000 cubic feet in size, with a 10‑12 foot viewing distance from the screen.

16″ Woofer: The Monolith™ 16″ driver was developed from the ground up, with a design focus on achieving output, accuracy, dynamics, and linearity, while minimizing distortion. Enclosed in a cabinet made from HDF material, massive internal bracing, and outfitted with three ports that can utilize foam plugs to run the subwoofer in a sealed mode, or tune it as you see fit.

2000‑Watt Amplifier: The 2000W RMS amplifier (3800+ Watts Peak) is built around a Texas Instruments® 48‑bit data path (with 28‑bit filter coefficients) and DSP engine. Each amplifier’s transfer function, power output limiting and thermal protection are monitored to the millisecond and are customized for each individual driver. The high efficiency Class D amplifier modules are based on a proven topology that has been continuously refined over the past 8 years. The amplifier has vast reserves of power for highly accurate, deep bass for your home theater or music system.

For almost 40 years, THX has set the standard for the audio and visual fidelity of entertainment experiences. THX® Certification is a globally recognized assurance of uncompromising quality, consistency and performance. We blend art, technology, and the dynamics of real world listening and viewing environments to ensure products deliver the artist’s true vision.

THX® Certification
Using industry standards and a proprietary testing methodology, THX® engineers evaluate and certify the audio and visual fidelity of consumer electronics to ensure they deliver the optimal entertainment experience. In cinemas, at home, and on‑the‑go, your entertainment comes alive with THX.

Certification Process

What We Test
THX engineers perform hundreds of audio and video performance and quality assurance tests before a product is confirmed to be THX® Certified.

AUDIO: We analyze everything from output levels, frequency response, signal‑to‑noise, distortion and bass management to recreate high impact cinema sound and best‑in‑class audio fidelity.

VIDEO: We test color accuracy, panel performance, and video processing, to confirm a display delivers accurate images and pristine video performance in every frame.

Why Certification Matters
The THX® Certified benchmark offers consumers the assurance of superior audio or visual performance from consumer electronics.

• THX offers the industry’s most rigorous testing process
• THX guarantees high performance and premium build quality

ANATOMY OF A SUBWOOFER

Every part of this driver has been developed from the ground up and customized to deliver high output, low distortion, and accurate bass. Our unique hybrid cone combines long fiber pulp and fiberglass, taking advantage of the pulp’s superior stiffness with the additional rigidity and lightweight properties of fiberglass, to deliver a driver of massive durability and excursion. The result is a cone that achieves optimal motion at all frequencies it is asked to produce and beyond.

1. Lower Suspension
FEA (Finite Element Analysis) modeling and Klippel laser based optimizations were used to design a cone that is capable of astounding >90mm peak‑to‑peak excursions. The lower and upper suspensions are designed together with the motor structure. The lower suspension is critical for maintaining very low levels of distortion at high excursions, which are required for high SPL at low frequencies.

2. Spider and Cone Venting
The spider is made from multiple layers of NOMEX® with integrated tinsel leads hand stitched in place for low mass, yet high strength and durability. The purpose of these vents are twofold ‑‑ first, they allow convective air flow to cool the voice coil, and second, they reduce asymmetrical compliance due to air compression under the cone/spider, which would appear as unwanted distortions.

3. Woofer Surround
FEA (Finite Element Analysis) modeling and Klippel laser based optimization were utilized to create this durable, high profile surround that’s made from a unique formulation of NBR (nitrile budadiene rubber). This formulation was developed after months of modeling and prototyping to ensure the highest levels of excursion, without sacrificing linearity or distortion.

4. Motor Structure
The motor is made of CNC milled low carbon steel in the modified undercut “T” pole assembly to focus the magnetic flux. Dual aluminum shorting rings are used to cancel eddy currents, further stabilizing the magnetic flux and significantly lowering distortion. The precision wound, high temperature, all aluminum bobbin (which has a lower thermal compression than copper) enable the voice coil to remain cool. The motor and suspension design is extremely critical for maintaining control of the driver’s displacement over a very wide range of input signals, allowing the subwoofer to reach maximum performance and output levels while keeping distortion to a minimum.

AUDIOHOLICS REVIEW

“Monoprice’s Monolith 16″ THX® Certified Ultra subwoofer is sure to make a big impact on the high‑performance subwoofer market. Those who are hearty enough to handle this beast are going to have an enviable sound system.”
James Larson | Audioholics