THIEAUDIO Monarch Mk II - Uber well-tuned tribrid IEM

[brandall10]

Just a head's up about this recently released earphone, which appears to almost split the difference between IEF Neutral (w/ bass boost) and Harman IE - below 2k IEF neutral, above more Harman'esque. For any who follow/care about crinacle's rankings, he awarded this an S+ in tuning.

I recently picked up a pair and they sound very similar to my Harman IE PEQ'ed KSE 1200... but of course w/ no EQ. I'd say these are likely an IEM complement to the DCA Stealths in a way.

Bonus is it takes just about nothing to drive them - the iPhone adaptor or laptop out on my MBP sounds about the same as more powerful DAC/amps. So they are a self-contained, very high performing rig. Aside from the cable being almost unreasonably thick (can be replaced), this hits a personal minimalist performance nirvana in a way I've been hoping to get in an IEM for years now.

 

[holicst]

I agree 100%. I use an E1DA 9038S with it and I feel it is perfect.

 

[AudioJester]

I agree 100%. I use an E1DA 9038S with it and I feel it is perfect.

Have been doing the same with the original Monarch. It also responds really well to any EQ.

 

[brandall10]

I honestly can't tell any difference sound wise between my MBP headphone out and a Hidiz S8, so I won't be bothering.

 

[Firefly00]

Just a head's up about this recently released earphone, which appears to almost split the difference between IEF Neutral (w/ bass boost) and Harman IE - below 2k IEF neutral, above more Harman'esque. For any who follow/care about crinacle's rankings, he awarded this an S+ in tuning.

I recently picked up a pair and they sound very similar to my Harman IE PEQ'ed KSE 1200... but of course w/ no EQ. I'd say these are likely an IEM complement to the DCA Stealths in a way.

Bonus is it takes just about nothing to drive them - the iPhone adaptor or laptop out on my MBP sounds about the same as more powerful DAC/amps. So they are a self-contained, very high performing rig. Aside from the cable being almost unreasonably thick (can be replaced), this hits a personal minimalist performance nirvana in a way I've been hoping to get in an IEM for years now.

Kilobuck though :/

 

[nyxnyxnyx]

Kilobuck though :/

kse is also kilobuck so it's fair imo.

 

[brandall10]

Kilobuck though :/

Sure, but it's a fair bit cheaper than the competition in the upper echelons, which at Head-fi is somehow normalized at $3k+ (there's literally a 300 page thread on a $6k IEM which isn't even reviewed that well). Its closest real competition appears to be the $2k 64 Audio u12t. The KSE is also $2k but it of course is a different beast entirely and really needs EQ - the MkII is there tuning wise, but not hitting quite those heights in technicalities. $1k for something that is nipping at best in the world is cheap and good value.

We lament here how very few headphones actually measure well. This seems to be taken a bit more seriously, or perhaps is an easier engineering exercise in the IEM world - and you have all sorts of other benefits on top... portability, isolation, lack of need for powerful equipment to drive, etc. So in a way I'm happy to pay more for a world class IEM than a flawed but good headphone.

 

[Firefly00]

kse is also kilobuck so it's fair imo.

Guess I’m a cheapskate, because I don’t really want to spend more than 1k on anything lol

 

[tifune]

Just a head's up about this recently released earphone, which appears to almost split the difference between IEF Neutral (w/ bass boost) and Harman IE - below 2k IEF neutral, above more Harman'esque. For any who follow/care about crinacle's rankings, he awarded this an S+ in tuning.

I recently picked up a pair and they sound very similar to my Harman IE PEQ'ed KSE 1200... but of course w/ no EQ. I'd say these are likely an IEM complement to the DCA Stealths in a way.

Bonus is it takes just about nothing to drive them - the iPhone adaptor or laptop out on my MBP sounds about the same as more powerful DAC/amps. So they are a self-contained, very high performing rig. Aside from the cable being almost unreasonably thick (can be replaced), this hits a personal minimalist performance nirvana in a way I've been hoping to get in an IEM for years now.

This might be literally the best news I've read all week, thanks for this feedback. Typically I'm dismissive of any reviewer regardless of online reputation but with every IEM I try, my take ends up being in line with crinacle (including those I tried without even knowing where they fall on his chart) so I definitely took notice when these moved into his top slot.

Also, speaking as a bass addict good luck finding a portable power source for the Stealth that can last more than 90 minutes, not to mention the apprehension of bringing $4k cans out of the house. I brought them to the office once, only once, and I couldn't even bring myself to leave them alone on my desk while I used the bathroom.

How do you find the fit? A lot of people complain about the IER-Z1R and Blessing2 being too large, awkward, etc. but I'm the opposite. I don't use the KSE's because I can't get a good seal with that bulbous Shure shape whereas Z1R and Blessing2 fit like a glove. I also wanted to try the A8000 to see if there's anything to the hype around beryllium IEM drivers but have hesitated because photos look like I'd run into same issue as Shure.

as an aside, anyone know wher to find ASR-style measurements for IEMs? RFAA has a good amount, but that's the only place i've found so far. Everything else is FR at most

 

[nyxnyxnyx]

Guess I’m a cheapskate, because I don’t really want to spend more than 1k on anything lol

in my case I have low income so can't really afford anything "hi-end" or "totl" but imo in the landscape of audio if there's something you truly enjoy and it's like $1000 or so then it's still pretty mild to what one could have paid or wasted thanks to his curiosity and impulses

 

[Jimbob54]

Sure, but it's a fair bit cheaper than the competition in the upper echelons, which at Head-fi is somehow normalized at $3k+ (there's literally a 300 page thread on a $6k IEM which isn't even reviewed that well). Its closest real competition appears to be the $2k 64 Audio u12t. The KSE is also $2k but it of course is a different beast entirely and really needs EQ - the MkII is there tuning wise, but not hitting quite those heights in technicalities. $1k for something that is nipping at best in the world is cheap and good value.

We lament here how very few headphones actually measure well. This seems to be taken a bit more seriously, or perhaps is an easier engineering exercise in the IEM world - and you have all sorts of other benefits on top... portability, isolation, lack of need for powerful equipment to drive, etc. So in a way I'm happy to pay more for a world class IEM than a flawed but good headphone.

Just so we are clear, could you define what metrics we should use to judge these against the competition.

 

[tifune]

Just so we are clear, could you define what metrics we should use to judge these against the competition.

I always assume price is in the #1 slot; are you thinking otherwise?

 

[Jimbob54]

I always assume price is in the #1 slot; are you thinking otherwise?

I would have thought price was least important. I'd say:
fit (entirely user dependant of course but some seemingly are designed to fit no one)
FR
Distortion
Build
Price

If the other 4 are crap, not much point worrying about the price.

 

[brandall10]

I would have thought price was least important. I'd say:
fit (entirely user dependant of course but some seemingly are designed to fit no one)
FR
Distortion
Build
Price

If the other 4 are crap, not much point worrying about the price.

I'm primarily giving my impressions regarding the FR as this is known, and technicalities per my ear (no other provided measurements in the wild AFAIK) vs. the KSE1200 which seem to be unanimously at the top of what an IEM can do. They're maybe 85% of the KSEs in this regard... seem to lack that truly scalpel like resolution and coherency - in particular I can still tell there's a DD providing the bass.

Build is fine, what you'd expect at this price point. Not a fan of 2 pin connectors nor the cable bulk but they seem to be well built and secure.

As far as fit, it's going to be problematic for a lot of folks. These are large IEMs and fit similar to IER-Z1R, so that is definitely a consideration. My bad for not mentioning that. I'm already noting this being a bit of an issue for myself after wearing these for 4 hours straight yesterday, I had some irritation in my concha. I'm fairly lucky in that my ears are pretty adaptable to almost any IEM.

 

[brandall10]

How do you find the fit? A lot of people complain about the IER-Z1R and Blessing2 being too large, awkward, etc. but I'm the opposite. I don't use the KSE's because I can't get a good seal with that bulbous Shure shape whereas Z1R and Blessing2 fit like a glove

Interestingly enough, the KSE1200s are an excellent fit for me. I use Spinfit 240Ms and get a super tight concha lock and near ety-like iso, like they're customs. As mentioned above I find these fit similar to the Z1R which are both pushing the size limit for my ears.

 

[nyxnyxnyx]

I wish they can build an exact KSE but well with no amplifier needed and it's driveable with normal daps/dongle.
I love kse too but just can't handle the bulk that comes with it

 

[holicst]

I wish they can build an exact KSE but well with no amplifier needed and it's driveable with normal daps/dongle.
I love kse too but just can't handle the bulk that comes with it

Naturally TWS

 

[tifune]

Naturally TWS

I immediately googled this assuming it was a brand/model. But, now I get it

Off topic but Axel Grell's new TWS are probably going to be my first go at it. If anyone can do it...

 

[staticV3]

I immediately googled this assuming it was a brand/model. But, now I get it

Off topic but Axel Grell's new TWS are probably going to be my first go at it. If anyone can do it...

Their tuning looks awful.

 

[tifune]

Their tuning looks awful.
View attachment 172432

Oh my... What's happening at ~5kHz? If this were an active speaker, I'd think a limiter kicked in.