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What about audio quality? There's not much point having a Superman of an MP3 player if it sounds like a kid's toy! The Monolith II's audio heart is a 24bit Wolfson sigma delta DAC; one of the most sophisticated audio processors available in a portable MP3 player today, driving an impressive 13mW of sound output per channel with a clarity of sound previously unheard of. You've also got a slew of core features that you'd expect in an MP3 player of this class including multi-codec support (MP3 and WMA files), an FM tuner, FM recorder, Direct MP3 Encoding, sophisticated bookmarking, digital voice recording and a lot more.
You've probably come to expect such features in a normal mid range MP3 player, so what's the big deal with the Monolith II? This player goes one step further with each of these features; let me give you some examples: the screen on the Monolith II is not just black and white, it's a two colour, 16 shades of grey, super bright, smooth scrolling, OLED display to maximise readability (before you consider a full colour screen – check out an OLED display screen, much easier to interpret and it looks cool!). Each Monolith II can be uniquely customised by downloading your own pictures / animations to use as the start up sequence or logo. Most players also have an FM recording function, the Monolith II doesn't just offer a simple FM recorder; it offers intelligent FM timed recording (specify a time and date and it'll start recording the radio) along with full bookmarking support within recordings. Haven't got access to a PC but your friend is playing a track that you just have to get? Connect a cable to the Monolith II's Line In socket and record directly into MP3 format. Sure, most MP3 players these days can do this, but the Monolith II features adjustable sampling rates, 39 choices of recording bitrates and the choice of recording into stereo or mono.
As well as direct encoding and FM recording, the Monolith II is also the perfect MP3 player for a student or business person looking for a digital dictation machine. With a built in Sound Activity Detector (SAD) and a super sensitive internal microphone, the Monolith II can automatically turn on and off its recording systems depending on the level of sound present in the room. Again, you have access to 39 different bitrates to record files into. Don't forget, if you find that you need an even more sensitive microphone to the one built into the Monolith II, you have the ability to attach an external self powered and self amplified microphone to the Monolith II's Line In socket (optional accessory, not supplied).
Want to wake up next to a beautiful woman in the morning? OK, the Monolith II can't quite manage this – we're working on it; however, you can be woken up with the pulsating beat of your favourite music track. The Monolith II is not just an MP3 player, it's also a digital alarm clock; allowing you specify a music wake up time and even an auto sleep time. Want to learn a new language? The Monolith II excels in this area, if you still can't justify buying the Monolith II as the best flash based MP3 player currently on the market – remember it's also an educational learning aid that can help you and people all around the world expand their knowledge and communicate with different cultures on our planet. I'm possibly overstating the educational abilities of the Monolith II slightly, but the player does offer 13 levels of playback speed control, quick repeat functions and cue-review features making the player ideal for language learning or playing back audio books.
You can see by the length of this review the sheer volume of features that the manufacturer has crammed into the tiny case of the Monolith II and we're barely half way through! The player is in fact tiny (it looks quite big on the photos), it's actually about the height of a cigarette lighter and not a lot wider. Don't forget the sophisticated bookmarking support allowing mid track bookmark support and infinitive resume options (the Monolith II can start playing from the exact position in the music track when it was switched off).
Want to transport files from home to your work, from university to your flat, from your house to a friend's house – you get the point, with full Removable Disk Drive support (no need for drivers), the Monolith II is also a USB hard drive; no fuss, just plug the player into your PC and transfer files, there is no copyright protection and no restrictions unlike many other players.
To summarise, the Monolith II is an MP3 player, an FM tuner, an FM recorder, a digital dictation machine, an MP3 recorder, an educational language learning tool, a digital alarm clock, a clock, a sleep timer and in our opinion, a work of art. Don't be put off by the massive range of features if you are an MP3 player beginner or just want an MP3 player to play music – the Monolith II's icon driven menu systems and simple intuitive controls make the player accessible to all. |
