ThieAudio Monarch MKIII Review | Flagship Sound Without a Flagship Price
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
- The Monarch MK3 has big shoes to fill. Can it improve upon to the "S Tier" Monarch MK2?
0:00 Intro
0:43 Build and Design
3:09 Sound
8:07 Comparison: ThieAudio Monarch MK2, 64 Audio U4s
12:02 Final Thoughts
Check out ThieAudio Monarch MK3 at bloomaudio.com:
bloomaudio.com/products/thiea...
bloomaudio.com/blogs/articles...
Like and subscribe, and follow us on social media for the latest news and reviews!
/ bloomaudiostore
/ bloomaudiostore
#hifiaudio #audiophile #headfi - Наука та технологія
Great review, thanks
Steve you tha man!
do you know how it conpares to the qdc gemini, specifically in res and detail
How does it compare to the CA Andromeda Emerald, which I do love so much?
Is it gonna be big upgrade from the solaris OG? Thinking about getting one but the wait time is like 5 weeks...
my favorit IEM's here are also different, the Vision ears VE 7 being really well tuned and highly resolving. And on the others hand i find myself reaching for the Oriolus Szalayi witch is a lot of fun and is good with resolution but its not the versatile allrounder.
We need a comparison to the Xenns Top and Variations, perhaps the kings of the mid-luxury priced IEMs. The Monarch 3 appears better overall, but is it worth twice the price? What are the differences?
I have Xenns Top, and have heard MK3 quite a bit. Xenns top , Trebble is not detailed and bass texture is not on par. Variations will not vow you on a side by side listen. MK3 will vow you. For context I own ie600, ie900 and xenns top.
It is worth twice the price for me.
I'm saving up for the Monarch MK3. Near basshead levels of bass + great mids + great treble + great technicalities for $1,000. Sign me up. Wish they didn't charge $150 more for the 2 special faceplates.
which faceplates u talking about i see its 100 more
@@princekittipon6510 Butterfly and Disco faceplates are 150.
@@princekittipon6510Butterfly is 150 more
@@princekittipon6510 A4 (butterfly) and A5 (disco) are $150 upcharge
The butterfly and the disco are the 2 that are $150 more. And I think those are the 2 best faceplates as well.@@princekittipon6510
Ross Geller would love your t-short.
what do you think if you compare it to UM Mest II?
Thanks
whats your take on the treble? on the mk3
Hey thanks for the review! How does this compare to full size headphones like the Arya Organic for example?
I own this can and listen to music and like it with my PS5.
Is there a reason the get this kind of IEM or other one for exemplar from campfire audio?
IEMs have a couple advantages over full-sized headphones, but it largely comes down to preference. Typically IEMs provide a heightened sense of separation compared to over-ear headphones, and typically you get a more immediate, tighter punch to the bass - without the bass overpowering the midrange. Monarch MK3 would really just be a completely different experience than Arya, but it would be a great place to start if you want something that provides the same level of sound quality as Arya for the IEM experience.
Volür? Since they have same drive amount. Any compare
I've haven't demoed heard the ThieAudio Monarch MK2 or MK3, but own and enjoy both the 64 Audio A12t (custom) and Unique Melodyy MEST MKII (custom) Both of which I really enjoy. For those who have heard these models, how would you compare the tonal balance, soundstage and imaging?
I have the Mest MK2 and I absolutely love it, but I am in the market for a side pair, so would also be interestd. I did see one review comparing the Monarch MK3 and Mest on here somewhere. But more data the better.
@@BishieBishie The really special thing about the MEST is that it plays every genre very well, and makes music very fun to listen to. I’d pick it over the 64 audio A12t. Another issue with the A12 is that it doesn’t sound as good as the non custom u12t. 8-10k frequency take a huge dip, an unfortunate thing with some manufacturers is that they don’t tune their customs differently from the universal model. This is the issue with the a12. It lacks the high frequency (8-10khz) making them sound really dark. I’d describe it has someone placing a shirt over the tweeter of a speaker. This results in a lot of high end information lost, making the A12t’s not very enjoyable for music listening. I do find them fantastic for live performances though used as an actual in ear monitor.
My next IEM will most likely be the Monarch MKIII.
Great review, I’m wondering how does the monarch mk.3 compare to older iems such as EE legend X, CA Solaris 2018, Noble Khan and Hyla TE5B?
Of those ones, I think it's somewhere in between the OG Campfire Solaris and EE Legend X. It's doesn't have quite the bass level of the Legend X - and probably lacks some of its resolution - but it's a little more "fun" than the Solaris. Compared with the Khan, it has more bass and doesn't have the same sort of extreme clarity, but does have some amount of the same treble sparkle. I'm not familiar enough with the Hyla TE5B to make a comparison there.
@@BloomAudio thanks a lot for the reply! I thought the old dogs are irrelevant these days but apparently not! I have a monarch mk.3 ordered and thought it was gonna wipe the floor with my old ones on both tuning and technical fronts, with your answer I have a better expectation of what it will be. Thanks again!
How this one doing compare to raven?
nice review, got me interested.
im mostly listening to "the weekend" and similar genres, i like intimacy sound as my diana v2, and bass is welcomed.
will u recommend the mk3 for my use case or there is another iem u'd recommend instead?
thanks a lot!
forgot to mention - desktop pairing is a wa7 3rd gen, portable is questyle m15.
Yes - for artists like the Weeknd, Post Malone, or modern pop in general. Monarch MKIII is excellent. The balance of bass presence and vocals is near perfect for most modern rock/alt/pop/r&b. Questyle M15 is a good pairing as well for portable.
@@BloomAudio
thank you so much for that beautiful answer, you just made my day better ❤
@@BloomAudio
hey steve :)
just saw ur empy 2 review and remembered that i didnt update here on mk3.
so i got it and its insanely good, in short, vocals are amazing and bass is sweet!!
i did get the questyle m15 and it sucks for diana v2, and even for the mk3 its nothing good, the cheap apple dongle 3.5 to lightning i got sounds better imo, the m15 messes with the bass somehow.
i am now convinced i need some higher end portable dac&. i may start lookin at the wa8 portable one, have u tried it by any chance?
@@heeku_ Hey - sorry that the M15 didn't meet your expectations. The WA8 is a really solid portable. I feel like their aren't many portable DACs that really beat higher end DAPs for like A&K, iBasso, Cayin, etc. W8 might be one of the few that can really give you the same sort of experience as a $2k+ range DAP. The Chord Hugo2 is another one, but that's a little more analytical than the WA8.
@@BloomAudio
hey steve, thanks for the reply
i gave another shot to the m15, its meh for the v2, and nice for mk3, nothing jaw dropping about it.
so would u recommend givin a shot to an a&k dap?
i have not checked the dac built in the wa8 but ik its quite old now so im not sure if it holds up against newer products.
any specific sub 2k models that u'd recommend?
ill def get one based on ur recommendation :)
thanks again ❤
How does the Monarch Mk3 compare to the flagships of Empire Ears and Noble Audio? Reason being it's 3 times cheaper but how much of a difference in technicalities?
Definitely not as technical or resolving as the top tier EE or Noble stuff (Odin, Viking Ragnar, Ronin). The tuning is somewhat similar to a less technical EE/AK Odyssey, but Monarch MK3 doesn't have the same sort of vivid imaging Odyssey has.
Thoughts on the cable? Is this stock cable sufficient or is an upgrade cable needed?
About sound, no need. But they are still thick.
The detachable cable is kinda of loose for my unit. It came loose in my pocket couple of times. I. The end I changed the cable not becos of the sound but the reliability
It’s a beautiful piece, but the sound quality like compare to RAVEN?
Monarch MKIII is great, but doesn't really compete with Raven in terms of detail and resolution. The tuning is warmer than Raven too, with more midbass and less treble. If you're looking for a good balance of detail, imaging, and fun - and don't have a Raven level budget, Monarch MK3 is a great choice for getting some similar characteristics and a somewhat similar tuning concept for less than 1/3rd of the price.
Hi, what do you think compire to UM Mest III
Sorry - I haven't had the chance to demo the Mest III yet, so I can't offer any thoughts on that. I'll try to find one at CanJam SoCal and put my thoughts on that in our wrapup video.
So it seems these are mostly a different flavor of the MKII, rather than an objective upgrade? Is that accurate?
If you were trying to do an objective scorecard on different aspects the two, I'd say MK3 is maybe 10% better overall, but the improvements are small enough and the tuning different enough that you're probably better off with the one that you prefer the tuning of (mostly between the midbass, vocal emphasis, upper treble) rather than just picking the MK3 because it's an upgrade.
@@BloomAudio I'll be honest, main reason I ask is I got the MKII back in March and I was feeling some slight buyer's remorse seeing that this already dropped. Still not sure what to make of it all.
Hi, just wondering how this would compare to a Noble Jade? I’m enjoying the Jade but I’m definitely missing some detail and separation vs other sets I have owned. I purchased the Jade as I was looking for a departure from the current “sterile” tunings as of late. How would these two sets compare in terms of musicality? Thanks!
This and Jade are in the same general category, but I think Jade is a little more relaxed overall, while Monarch MKIII both hits a little harder in the bass and has a little more sparkle up top. Monarch MKIII probably also offers a bit more separation in the image too.
Hey, two questions, is btr5 good enough to drive mk3? And are you describing the sound quality using stock tips?
Yes. Obviously. I own neither the Mk3 or the BTR5, but just thinking about it logically, yes, obviously. People in this hobby are often prone to overthinking stuff. Just think about things logically.
Let me explain:
I have the Beyerdymanic DT700 Pro X, which have an impedance of 34 or 35 Ohm. My mobile phone (Sony Xperia 1 IV) is enough to drive those.
So obviously, any DAC/amp thing, that is designed to drive headphones with much higher impedance is able to drive a little IEM with an impedance of 20 Ohm like that Monarch Mk3.
@@ThorsShadow you're right logically but I've returned few headphones that are 32ohm range which have senstivity under 100db and BTR5 struggled to handle them, it can drive anything over 100db, mk3 has 99db which isn't alot for an IEM in general that has 10 drivers in each side so that's why I'm wondering, also any audiophile grade headphones/some IEMs sound way better on a powerful amp than on a smartphone I've personally experienced this. Sometimes thinking just logically isn't enough in this hobby when we get to practical listening experience will be different than what's presented on paper or a graph.
I’m just worried about the fit. MK2 I have to let go after 2 weeks due to the fit issue.
The fit seems to be really subjective. MK3 is bigger, but the ergonomics are different. We passed it around the office with MK2, and no one noticed that MK3 was bigger while they were using it. It wasn't until we did a direct size comparison later that we realized how big the size difference was.
Fit seems to be much better as mk3 is deeper & less wider so will fit much better in smaller ears than mk2.
@@datdudeinred that’s great. I will get it some days.
Hey how are the vocals on the mk3 vs the mk2 ?
Hey there! They're a bit more relaxed and recessed this time around with the MK3, but still present good clarity and separation from the mix. Here in the office, we're quite torn over which presentation we like better :-)
the sound problem is the ringing and the mids
$500,000usd budget
Im looking for the best most expensive tws
If you come please provide me with that information so that i can purchase that would be greatly appreciated
just buy best available lul, you can setup everything with the money
even he1 is like 50k
the headphone worth alot more than that, at least double
as for the 'them', yeah ive heard rumors regarding money around that much, iirc the woman finally said yes at 2 millions, not sure yes to what not my matters
Just bought it blind buy but in all honesty it sounds worst than my other iems (radon 6, zetian wu heyday, etc). The bass lacks tonality, u can get abit of weight but u forgo the tone. The mids are okay, just okay. The treble retrieve many ssss tsu sound. I tried to justify but its not worth the thousand dollars in my opinion.
Bro Heydays better than this ?
@@ElNINETEENTH no.
@@ElNINETEENTH i recommend kiwi ears quintet
First. ;)
@3:52 then buy a fatfreq scarlet mini. Lol
If the bass is bloated like the MK1 I’m not interested. I love the MK2 and it’s my daily driver so I’ll need to demo these before I pull any triggers.
I demoed the Mk 2s and currently own the 3s, the bass is thicker but for sure not bloated. It's still fast, excellent resolve and impactful without muddying a single thing. But if you already have the 2s the difference isn't gonna be that big.
@@ShyvorixI juust lost my left iem from my MK1 today I accidentally sucking it up with a public vacuum at a carwash like an idiot 🤦🏻♂️. I'm now considering buying the Mk 3 or Prestige. How would you say the Mk1 compares yo the Mk3 🤔?
It’s bloated if you go for stuff like the A&K SR35 so I’d say go for an iBasso DAP if you’re gonna get the MK3. Otherwise if you already own a warmer source you might want to get the MK2. I find the MK2 exceptionally balanced and well tuned with no bloat whatsoever
Can live without bone crushing bass Cant live without clarity, resolution, and good extended treble, Hence andromeda 2020 one of my all time favs
But I can’t live with the bass can’t live without the clarity can’t live without the extended treble that is why I pick the U12T over the andromeda 2020
@@TheBlessedListenerWhat about MEST MKII?
@@TheBlessedListener haven't heard the u12t maybe one day but I cant see it as worth the price since I'm completely satisfied by andromeda
andro is so overrated. It's just not good at all even compared to 400-600 stuff nowadays, if you think that is "clarity" and "resolving" ...etc you are in for a huge surprise with actual top tier iems.
@@geladeWhat about IER-M9? Is it better than andros?