Fantastic as always Resolve. They are gorgeous looking IEM's. I've not long bought a Blessing2 so going to wait a while and see if I can get a deal on one of these further down the line.
Thanks for this review. Personally prefer the Clairvoyance as I like th Treble extension as well. How would you compare the Clairvoyance to the B2 dusk?
New green-red colorblind subscriber here. Thanks for your articulate and knowledgeable reviews. Any chance you could use different colors on your frequency response graphs?
monarch is 1/3 u12t with say extra 190 bucks, and 64Audio cables are garbage compare to even $30 cans. thanks for the great reviews & neighbors said the noble sultan is something, i wanna see how from your perspective.
Yup. This Monarch has more upper bass too. I'll be sending them to Precog shortly so he can measure on the 0045 equivalent rig, that way we'll know if this is just down to rig differences or unit variation.
Hello, I´m deciding between these two and I would like to ask, if you can equalize the lower mids of monarch to sound exactly like clairvoyance and give it a warmer collor without any noticeable artifacts? I have a 32 bands EQ and I´m used to spending hours and hours on tweaking my headphones to perfection for my taste. So I know that I will equalize these two as well. I like the bigger subbass, but I do need lower mids and warmer sound signature for my genres, and since monarch has 1 more BA, it should be capable of reproducing lower mids exceptionaly well even with EQ. Am I right? @The HEADPHONES Show
Great review. Literally just bought the sa6, always been intrigued with the u12t. I listen to mostly edm and a little of everything else apart from jazz and classical. Would the monarch be the better buy? Just sold my 2020 andromedas some change left over.
What I am thinking you as a drummer would be put off by the monarcha subbass enphasis, since some kickdrums should slam a lot and some drums would be nearly neutral. Is that the case? I used to have the jh audio laylas they had the exact same problem. Uneven rythms due to subbass without midbass. Drove me nuts.
Does anyone actually know where the Monarch’s extra BA was added? They’re both 4-way designs, no extra crossovers were added. The BA’s on my Clairvoyance are 2 dual for midrange and 1 (quite a bit larger) single for midbass. Based purely on the fact that adding a 5th to the mids would be quite a bit more difficult than midbass (3 individual drivers sharing a sound tube v 2) I would personally assume the 6th be would most likely be for midbass [(except for the tuning, +3dB for midbass would be,… counterproductive) Edit: based upon graphs/reviews that show Monach’s bass shelf being relegated to sub bass]. Can anyone clear this up? The dual midranges on the Clair are around the middle of the shell so easy to find, the single is just about in the spout pointing towards nozzle. I’m just curious because where the extra BA would be added would determine whether the Monarch’s technical bonus is due to tuning or the BA (but I’m not sure having 5 BA’s playing, say, 200hz-8khz or so would actually make a difference over 4, except for acoustic output/ohms depending on how they’re wired).
What would be better for music with Piano, Cello, Violin and other string instruments? Would the Clairvoyance be better since it has a bit more Bass and Mid presence between 400hz and 1k ?I like those to be much more rich and full rather than Neutral
I preferred the Clair over the monarch. Both fantastic though! Could I get a link for the impedance adapters? I’m having trouble finding those. Thanks for another awesome review!
hum... I am colorblind, i can't see the difference between those two squiggly lines :/ Could you pick opposing colors or maybe different line types next time ?
@@coolcolt2611 i kind of guessed it by what he said about them. It is very kind of you to help, thanks :) And the worst, is that i am deuter colorblind and green and red are exactly where i have trouble ^^ I don't even know if he can do line type in his program, but i am always saddened at how many programs or games that don't have a colorblind mode.
You don't hear harmonic distortion though. Only if it's really bad. In my experience "BA timbre" comes from sharp peaks existing in an otherwise smooth region.
Well, you can get BA timbre even with a smooth FR though. I'd bet on it being 3rd harmonic distortion related, not to the audible threshold in individual situations necessarily (although potentially), but as it contributes to the overall experience.
Did you have to use red and green for the comparison graphs... I can see the red and green around highlighted words fine but the two lines.. they may as well both be black.. geez colourblindness sucks..
Can you please review the L4? Love your content and need your advise on whether or not I should get them. Ps if anyone reading this already has a pair, lemme know how you like them! Thanks 🙏🏻
Got the monarch and saving for the Clair. Monarch is great for EDM, electronic music, and classical. Unreal subbass. Amps include Asus STX, Darkvoice, R3 Pro Sabre, Shanling Q1, and Shanling M6 pro.
If you want those to become more universal try swapping the cable. Received my Monarchs today and even though they are obviously not even well burnt-in yet swapping the default spc ThieAudio cable to the higher quality copper one with good isolation (CM Cable Dark in my case) not only did extend the slam of sub-bas frequencies but also made the entire sound fuller. Such solution requires decent power however, on my M11 dap swapping the cable boosted the entire bass spectrum and lower mids but also caused higher frequencies to become kinda muffled. However after switching to high gain they regained most of the energy and crisp. [I'm using AZLA Xelastec tips, personally hate the Spinfits.] I absolutelly love it with my current desktop setup (Topping D70+SMSL SP200) - bass gets a little eased (but still slams like thunder) and the rest of the sound get more air and clarity (compared to FiiO M11). Overall, easily prefering those to both my FH5 and FH7 (even tho the beryllium coated DD on FH7 plays some fantastic bass).
Did you ever end up getting the Clairvoyance? If so, how do you like them vs the Monarch? Which do you prefer or perhaps think is the better IEM overall? I still can’t decide which I want to get. So many different opinions where people land on either one.
Thank you very much for the quick response! But if you were to choose between those two? Which one is more suitable? Or maybe they are not that great for Metal...?
Hey guys, I want to get myself the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 for my Competitive FPS Gaming and wanted a recommendation from you guys on how to complete my setup. I also want to get a microphone, for things like discord but also streaming. What would you think will work best? ( I don‘t know which amp etc. to get as well) Thank you so much
I don't what it is , but I think I gotta stay away from this perfect tonal balance everbody talks about, lol. I got the Clairvoyance and I think the Vocals are a bit shouty (more like high pitched) and enough to put me off. And I get a good seal and I have tried many tips. It's boring too (for classic rock and blues) and I can't gel with it.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Yes. I have considered that, BA is worrying for me though. Maybe something with a similar graph and DD bass. Thanks for your awesome videos.
you can't take the popular opinion even among reliable reviewers at face value. Everyone has different preferences--I'm personally not the biggest fan of the Harman target--find the tuning that works for you!
@@GlitzPixie Vocals are essential in tonality, as far as I'm concerned. So if this HT means vocals sounding off and unnatural you can't call it perfect or ideal tuning. Unless of course ears anatomy plays a big part here and I'm hearing very differently to them.
I bought the Clairvoyance when they came out and got to the same conclusion ... a bit shouty in the upper mids (to my ears), which ends up being fatiguing. My favorite IEMs are the 64audio U12t and CFA Andromeda 2020, but I plan on getting the Dunu SA6 / Zen in the near future. You should check those out !
i'm wondering why you like that 1k to 6k +10db bump.. in my view its reducing volume scaling base on the earing curve.. even that bass on monark is a little too much for volume scaling can you try DSP EQ maybe 3-5db down between 1.5k to 6k and a little less bass on monark and raising the volume a little to compensate... if bass too much i would eq it down a little too.. you could also try to bump up 2-3-5db from 150hz to 1.5khz ... really wonder why one would want that 10db hole between 150-200hz and 1-1.5khz normally based on ear curve.. with volume you should push down the 4khz to 8khz gradually as the volume ramp up.. always depends on how much DB you listen to... and this also i would like to know what is your prefered global volume in DB on your preferred tuning so we can have a better understand why you like this tuning.. it seem to be a tuning for low volume listening but even then you would miss some of 150hz to 1.5khz at low volume
In my view a certain amount of ear gain is required. How much is ideal will likely depend on the person and the recordings they typically listen to. I generally listen below 84dB. Anything above that is too loud for me.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow still doesnt explain why you are far off the harman curve at 84db harman curve at 84db clearly dip in the range where the ear is most sensitive between 3-4k and 8-9k and come back up at 10khz or so note its approximative could be 5 to 8k or 2k to 7k depending on the shelf type etc.. but clearly its those IEM FR are not following the ear curve ... maybe the curve is not totally right or maybe its the 84db volume.. I find this very interesting.. i understand the bass boost but clearly big peak directly at the ear sensitive range will hide details in all others area at 84db.. at 84db it mean 200hz to 1khz is 74db and same with over 10khz 10db is a lot could it be not neutral DAC or and amplifier choice that skew the perceived FR.. what is your best amp and dac with these? so many dac, amps, headphones are glary in many ways. Often one will try to fix glaryness by adding parts in the chains that fix that glare. Hence afterwards a bump in the glare frequencies might seem to bring back the life loss by other components. Could skew the result when comparing stuff.. maybe FPGA R2R like hydravox or tt2 would be needed since other types add noise, distortion(r2r) or bad transient (delta sigma) or maybe a top r2r like holo may amplifier also skew the transient even more maybe its too much 2nd order distortion that make one need that bump in the FR .. or that create it in the headphones itself. a bump of 2-4-6nd order distortion is totally not the same as a bump of 3-5-7rd order distortion even if the resulting FR is the same.. I personnaly dont want any added distortion whatever the order.. there is already these distortion added in the mix by the producer.. many questions!! :p
@@lextr3110 Sorry maybe I misunderstood your comment. Which Harman target are you referencing? The 2019 IEM target is very close to the Monarch. If you mean for over-ears then yeah it's different. Also, for SPL calibration it depends where you normalize it. This is higher than I'd listen, but it's not a fixed value like dB would be. Mainly I just had to crank it a bit to ensure readable distortion measurements. But this is also definitely louder than I'd normally listen. In short, the FR stays the same but the THD doesn't. Also, it's not elevated 2nd order harmonics but 3rd. They're still below the audible threshold at appropriate volumes, but this is the most common correlation I can find with 'BA timbre'. Does that help?
@@TheHEADPHONEShow oh then maybe it's the wrong harman curve.. kinda weird that any harman curve would push the region where the ear is more sensitive, the harman curve was created to counter this..
@@TheHEADPHONEShow and yes you are always very informative, high quality video/recording and love your reviews.. not a fan of balance armature tonality.. what is your take on EQs audeze lcd i4 and i3.. isnt those your reference? compare to odin? im not a fan of complex crossovers and not sure how can they make them good in a small IEM.. in an IEM an audeze i4 type seem to be a better type or i think i would prefer 2 big unresonant fullrange dynamic drivers that rolloff naturally without crossover + estats super tweeter (if this is possible to find well implemented) not sure yet about what is the best curve tho..
My worry with these would be the longevity of the electret drivers, since it's my understanding that they lose their charge over time, which could cause a loss of treble. Does anyone know how long they're rated to last for?
Don't really know the technical details, but my guess would be it has something to do with the driver size available (tiny vs. medium vs. large) relative to the volume of space the drivers have to fill with sound (in-ear vs. on-ear vs. entire room). Headphones probably hit that sweet spot of medium driver size with a still relatively small amount of space that has to be filled with sound, such that they only need 1 driver. For example, it's probably much harder to reproduce +10kHz from +5' away (as with speakers) than it is from a couple centimetres off your ear (with headphones). Or in the other direction, it's probably hard to produce +10kHz on such a small single dynamic driver as used in an IEM, without assistance from BA/electrostatic drivers.
So since we can using eq on our phones, I feel we can ignore the eq curve of the headset. Based on this information, what headphone can produce the clearest and highest quality sound, and most versatile such that it will sound like THe best version of the eq graph that you assign to the headphone?
Thats the most stupid thinq i have ever saw. With the eq u cannot change 20000 frequencies so yes tuning still matters, it will influence resolution, detail retrieval soundstage...etc.
Not even close. SE846 doesn't have the treble extension or the bass slam of these. Technical performance is also far better on both of these. The comfort though is vastly better on se846
The DAC is the "digital-to-analog converter," in other words, the processor. Power refers to the headphone amp. (Think, what's deep inside the phone/laptop vs. what's pumping right out from the headphone jack.) At $700+ for these headphone/earphones, these are way past the point of calling for an upgraded DAC and also a better headphone amp - better electronics are essential. Now of course, sometimes you want something that ALSO plays well out of your phone/laptop for convenience. Yes, these should play plenty loud and clear from anything you have available. But make sure you also have a higher-quality deck that lets these quality IEMs do their thing. You don't expect a Ferrari to perform at its level without a Ferrari engine and transmission... You don't build a fancy roof for your house without framing up the rest of the building. The DAC/amp is the engine, the support structure. Consider factoring in anywhere from 1/5th to 2x the earphone purchase price also to buy electronics. (Ie, total value for a system built to include these earphones, should range from just under $1,000 to just over $2,000. Yes that is quite a range, which is where you get to choose what makes you comfortable!) Of course, you can buy the headphones now, use your phone/laptop jack for awhile, and then buy an external DAC/amp later when you have a little extra money again.
They're both good but I'd just get the monarch mk2 now if you can swing it. Otherwise moondrop variations is another decent option, although I prefer the clairvoyance tuning.
Well I hope my pair sounds the same as everyone else's and there won't be any resin filling the 2pin connector. If it's a 20-50 dollar IEMs then maybe I understand. But at 500+ there are certain expectations. Very high expectations.
I can't be alone in thinking that both the build and packaging/accessories (case, cable) are pretty gross. Campfire and Empire Ears are just so far ahead in this respect. It's too bad that they can't remotely compete in value.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow IER z1r or U12t? I heard some people have issues with the fit but on a recent reddit poll most people would get the IER z1r over the u12t..
I loved your review of the Dunu SA6. Just purchased a pair and can't wait to hear them. Keep up the great work!
"you know the Unique Melody MEST is one of the best out there. oh god now I've done it"
GOLD
Dude finally, you´re the best. The review I was waiting for.
Never noticed the humour of your reviews until now, loved it! Great review Andrew, wish you a great 2021
The comparative that i was waiting for... thanks!
Fantastic as always Resolve. They are gorgeous looking IEM's. I've not long bought a Blessing2 so going to wait a while and see if I can get a deal on one of these further down the line.
Goddammit, an iem reviewer who doesn't hype everything up. Keep it coming.
Thanks for this review. Personally prefer the Clairvoyance as I like th Treble extension as well. How would you compare the Clairvoyance to the B2 dusk?
New green-red colorblind subscriber here. Thanks for your articulate and knowledgeable reviews.
Any chance you could use different colors on your frequency response graphs?
Sure
monarch is 1/3 u12t with say extra 190 bucks, and 64Audio cables are garbage compare to even $30 cans. thanks for the great reviews & neighbors said the noble sultan is something, i wanna see how from your perspective.
It's really weird how the FR comparison compares to crins comparison. The Clairvoyance has way more midbas in crins measurments.
Yup. This Monarch has more upper bass too. I'll be sending them to Precog shortly so he can measure on the 0045 equivalent rig, that way we'll know if this is just down to rig differences or unit variation.
Great, thanks!
@@ResolveReviews where will you/precog update the FR check?
Great video, thanks for the review and for listing your recommendations, that's awesome!
Great comparison! Thank you!
Have you ever listened to the z1r? I’m very curious what’s your take on it
Curious about that as well
I love the Green/Red line comparison as someone with a deficincy in that area im like *HumaHum*
Are the ier-z1r a big upgrade from these two?
its weird cause on Crinacle's graph Clair has a more bass emphasis than the Monarch
BGGARs also shows more mid bass bump in the Clair. Watch his comparison, if you haven't.
The release of these two iem's was a sly message from Thieaudio that it's totally fine to own multiple sets of $700 headphones... 🤷♂️🤦♂️ 👍🤖👍
Monarch's bass till 200hz + clairvoyance's mids & highs response + MEST Soundstage & imaging = PERFECTION
Sony z1r beats all
@@annee_lin With more than double of the price. LOL
Love your humour haha. Thanks for the insightful review
Hi, idsd signature or mojo ? i use ThieAudio Monarch and i like warm sound with more bass than the average
Hello Andrew, If you had ~1400$ to spend, would you choose UM Mest or get both DUNU SA6 and Thieaudio Clairvoyance for 2 different sound presentation?
If I had 1400 I'd save and get a u12t on sale. Or get the Clair and an over ear headphone
Or 63 blons?
Hello, I´m deciding between these two and I would like to ask, if you can equalize the lower mids of monarch to sound exactly like clairvoyance and give it a warmer collor without any noticeable artifacts? I have a 32 bands EQ and I´m used to spending hours and hours on tweaking my headphones to perfection for my taste. So I know that I will equalize these two as well. I like the bigger subbass, but I do need lower mids and warmer sound signature for my genres, and since monarch has 1 more BA, it should be capable of reproducing lower mids exceptionaly well even with EQ. Am I right? @The HEADPHONES Show
Great review. Literally just bought the sa6, always been intrigued with the u12t. I listen to mostly edm and a little of everything else apart from jazz and classical. Would the monarch be the better buy? Just sold my 2020 andromedas some change left over.
what do you recommend for classical music, film scores, lo-fo, trance, and classic rock? I'm close to purchasing the blessing 2 dusk
What I am thinking you as a drummer would be put off by the monarcha subbass enphasis, since some kickdrums should slam a lot and some drums would be nearly neutral. Is that the case? I used to have the jh audio laylas they had the exact same problem. Uneven rythms due to subbass without midbass. Drove me nuts.
What about the CIEM variants? Should one demo the Universal version first? Would it affect the FR?
Does anyone actually know where the Monarch’s extra BA was added? They’re both 4-way designs, no extra crossovers were added. The BA’s on my Clairvoyance are 2 dual for midrange and 1 (quite a bit larger) single for midbass. Based purely on the fact that adding a 5th to the mids would be quite a bit more difficult than midbass (3 individual drivers sharing a sound tube v 2) I would personally assume the 6th be would most likely be for midbass [(except for the tuning, +3dB for midbass would be,… counterproductive) Edit: based upon graphs/reviews that show Monach’s bass shelf being relegated to sub bass]. Can anyone clear this up? The dual midranges on the Clair are around the middle of the shell so easy to find, the single is just about in the spout pointing towards nozzle. I’m just curious because where the extra BA would be added would determine whether the Monarch’s technical bonus is due to tuning or the BA (but I’m not sure having 5 BA’s playing, say, 200hz-8khz or so would actually make a difference over 4, except for acoustic output/ohms depending on how they’re wired).
Could you compare these to the Andromedas if you have the time? If not, the question would be, which one would you pick from the 3?
How is the tuning of the Clairvoyance and Monarch compared to the Sony IER-M9 if you happen to have had the chance to try those!
What would be better for music with Piano, Cello, Violin and other string instruments? Would the Clairvoyance be better since it has a bit more Bass and Mid presence between 400hz and 1k ?I like those to be much more rich and full rather than Neutral
Is that a T70 on the far right in the background? What are your thoughts?
how do you compare the Monarch to Campfire Dorado 2020? I like bass heavy but without drowning midrange for electronic music.
I preferred the Clair over the monarch. Both fantastic though! Could I get a link for the impedance adapters? I’m having trouble finding those. Thanks for another awesome review!
You tried them both? Looking for something different than my ER4XR
hum... I am colorblind, i can't see the difference between those two squiggly lines :/
Could you pick opposing colors or maybe different line types next time ?
This may help: on both ends of the graph the monarch is the top line, and from 300-1.2k monarch is on the bottom, and from 4k to 6k it is on top.
@@coolcolt2611 i kind of guessed it by what he said about them. It is very kind of you to help, thanks :)
And the worst, is that i am deuter colorblind and green and red are exactly where i have trouble ^^
I don't even know if he can do line type in his program, but i am always saddened at how many programs or games that don't have a colorblind mode.
Great review. Thank you.
How do either Monarch or Clairvoyance compare against the Voyager 14?
You don't hear harmonic distortion though. Only if it's really bad. In my experience "BA timbre" comes from sharp peaks existing in an otherwise smooth region.
Well, you can get BA timbre even with a smooth FR though. I'd bet on it being 3rd harmonic distortion related, not to the audible threshold in individual situations necessarily (although potentially), but as it contributes to the overall experience.
Did you have to use red and green for the comparison graphs... I can see the red and green around highlighted words fine but the two lines.. they may as well both be black.. geez colourblindness sucks..
Hi ! which iem would you advise me with astell and kern sr25?
Can you please review the L4? Love your content and need your advise on whether or not I should get them. Ps if anyone reading this already has a pair, lemme know how you like them! Thanks 🙏🏻
which dekoni tips are used for these? I am not sure what to look for!
1:40 Did not expect that xD
Whole review is pretty sassy xd
3:04
@@Tim_593 I'm a sassy boi ;)
Got the monarch and saving for the Clair. Monarch is great for EDM, electronic music, and classical. Unreal subbass. Amps include Asus STX, Darkvoice, R3 Pro Sabre, Shanling Q1, and Shanling M6 pro.
They’re pretty similar.
Do they really need/benefit from those amps?
@@thetreasonseason Yes I can only get very deep sub bass extension from the Asus STX and shanling M6 Pro
If you want those to become more universal try swapping the cable. Received my Monarchs today and even though they are obviously not even well burnt-in yet swapping the default spc ThieAudio cable to the higher quality copper one with good isolation (CM Cable Dark in my case) not only did extend the slam of sub-bas frequencies but also made the entire sound fuller. Such solution requires decent power however, on my M11 dap swapping the cable boosted the entire bass spectrum and lower mids but also caused higher frequencies to become kinda muffled. However after switching to high gain they regained most of the energy and crisp. [I'm using AZLA Xelastec tips, personally hate the Spinfits.]
I absolutelly love it with my current desktop setup (Topping D70+SMSL SP200) - bass gets a little eased (but still slams like thunder) and the rest of the sound get more air and clarity (compared to FiiO M11). Overall, easily prefering those to both my FH5 and FH7 (even tho the beryllium coated DD on FH7 plays some fantastic bass).
Did you ever end up getting the Clairvoyance? If so, how do you like them vs the Monarch? Which do you prefer or perhaps think is the better IEM overall? I still can’t decide which I want to get. So many different opinions where people land on either one.
Which one is more suitable for Metal music? Thank you in advance!
Honestly, SA6
Thank you very much for the quick response! But if you were to choose between those two? Which one is more suitable? Or maybe they are not that great for Metal...?
@@vladmirtsinovoy7820 I am also keen on knowing the answer!
Hey guys,
I want to get myself the Beyerdynamic DT 1770 for my Competitive FPS Gaming and wanted a recommendation from you guys on how to complete my setup. I also want to get a microphone, for things like discord but also streaming. What would you think will work best?
( I don‘t know which amp etc. to get as well)
Thank you so much
Or do you think I should get other headphones like the DT 770 for better price/performance
I don’t know how people get away with the BA timbre, they don’t sound real.
You’ve done a side to side comparison with something you’ve recorded?
Would you take EE hero instead of the monarch if they were both 700 USD?
No I'd take the Monarch. Hero is pretty crazy V-shaped.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow enough for me :D TY
Love the review!
I don't what it is , but I think I gotta stay away from this perfect tonal balance everbody talks about, lol. I got the Clairvoyance and I think the Vocals are a bit shouty (more like high pitched) and enough to put me off. And I get a good seal and I have tried many tips. It's boring too (for classic rock and blues) and I can't gel with it.
You may prefer the SA6. It's the more relaxed tuning for that region.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Yes. I have considered that, BA is worrying for me though. Maybe something with a similar graph and DD bass. Thanks for your awesome videos.
you can't take the popular opinion even among reliable reviewers at face value. Everyone has different preferences--I'm personally not the biggest fan of the Harman target--find the tuning that works for you!
@@GlitzPixie Vocals are essential in tonality, as far as I'm concerned. So if this HT means vocals sounding off and unnatural you can't call it perfect or ideal tuning. Unless of course ears anatomy plays a big part here and I'm hearing very differently to them.
I bought the Clairvoyance when they came out and got to the same conclusion ... a bit shouty in the upper mids (to my ears), which ends up being fatiguing. My favorite IEMs are the 64audio U12t and CFA Andromeda 2020, but I plan on getting the Dunu SA6 / Zen in the near future. You should check those out !
i'm wondering why you like that 1k to 6k +10db bump.. in my view its reducing volume scaling base on the earing curve.. even that bass on monark is a little too much for volume scaling
can you try DSP EQ maybe 3-5db down between 1.5k to 6k and a little less bass on monark and raising the volume a little to compensate...
if bass too much i would eq it down a little too..
you could also try to bump up 2-3-5db from 150hz to 1.5khz ...
really wonder why one would want that 10db hole between 150-200hz and 1-1.5khz
normally based on ear curve.. with volume you should push down the 4khz to 8khz gradually as the volume ramp up..
always depends on how much DB you listen to... and this also i would like to know what is your prefered global volume in DB on your preferred tuning so we can have a better understand why you like this tuning.. it seem to be a tuning for low volume listening but even then you would miss some of 150hz to 1.5khz at low volume
In my view a certain amount of ear gain is required. How much is ideal will likely depend on the person and the recordings they typically listen to. I generally listen below 84dB. Anything above that is too loud for me.
@@TheHEADPHONEShow still doesnt explain why you are far off the harman curve at 84db
harman curve at 84db clearly dip in the range where the ear is most sensitive between 3-4k and 8-9k and come back up at 10khz or so
note its approximative could be 5 to 8k or 2k to 7k depending on the shelf type etc.. but clearly its those IEM FR are not following the ear curve ... maybe the curve is not totally right or maybe its the 84db volume..
I find this very interesting.. i understand the bass boost but clearly big peak directly at the ear sensitive range will hide details in all others area at 84db..
at 84db it mean 200hz to 1khz is 74db and same with over 10khz
10db is a lot
could it be not neutral DAC or and amplifier choice that skew the perceived FR.. what is your best amp and dac with these?
so many dac, amps, headphones are glary in many ways. Often one will try to fix glaryness by adding parts in the chains that fix that glare. Hence afterwards a bump in the glare frequencies might seem to bring back the life loss by other components. Could skew the result when comparing stuff..
maybe FPGA R2R like hydravox or tt2 would be needed since other types add noise, distortion(r2r) or bad transient (delta sigma)
or maybe a top r2r like holo may
amplifier also skew the transient even more
maybe its too much 2nd order distortion that make one need that bump in the FR .. or that create it in the headphones itself. a bump of 2-4-6nd order distortion is totally not the same as a bump of 3-5-7rd order distortion even if the resulting FR is the same..
I personnaly dont want any added distortion whatever the order.. there is already these distortion added in the mix by the producer..
many questions!! :p
@@lextr3110 Sorry maybe I misunderstood your comment. Which Harman target are you referencing? The 2019 IEM target is very close to the Monarch. If you mean for over-ears then yeah it's different. Also, for SPL calibration it depends where you normalize it. This is higher than I'd listen, but it's not a fixed value like dB would be. Mainly I just had to crank it a bit to ensure readable distortion measurements. But this is also definitely louder than I'd normally listen. In short, the FR stays the same but the THD doesn't. Also, it's not elevated 2nd order harmonics but 3rd. They're still below the audible threshold at appropriate volumes, but this is the most common correlation I can find with 'BA timbre'. Does that help?
@@TheHEADPHONEShow oh then maybe it's the wrong harman curve.. kinda weird that any harman curve would push the region where the ear is more sensitive, the harman curve was created to counter this..
@@TheHEADPHONEShow and yes you are always very informative, high quality video/recording and love your reviews..
not a fan of balance armature tonality.. what is your take on EQs audeze lcd i4 and i3.. isnt those your reference? compare to odin?
im not a fan of complex crossovers and not sure how can they make them good in a small IEM.. in an IEM an audeze i4 type seem to be a better type or i think i would prefer 2 big unresonant fullrange dynamic drivers that rolloff naturally without crossover + estats super tweeter (if this is possible to find well implemented)
not sure yet about what is the best curve tho..
My worry with these would be the longevity of the electret drivers, since it's my understanding that they lose their charge over time, which could cause a loss of treble. Does anyone know how long they're rated to last for?
after have not been following the earphone market for years, I wondered that old earphones like JH13pro or UE11pro compares to all of those
They would get crushed by modern totl good priced offerings. (MEST ej09 Clair monarch voyager 14 blessing 2 etc)
Please let us know on Zen?
YES! I'm so torn between the Zen and these!
These are a bit more refined in the tuning for upper mid and treble. Zen is probably my favorite DD so far though.
So the hype is real. Not the THX + Panda kind of hype I suppose :p
@@TheHEADPHONEShow Soooo... any chance you would tell us which one you would take if you were given one for free? Thank you for all of your help!
@@dougdabbs8155 Probably Clairvoyance.
Is there a reason why IEMs and speakers use different drivers for certain frequencies and headphones do not?
Don't really know the technical details, but my guess would be it has something to do with the driver size available (tiny vs. medium vs. large) relative to the volume of space the drivers have to fill with sound (in-ear vs. on-ear vs. entire room). Headphones probably hit that sweet spot of medium driver size with a still relatively small amount of space that has to be filled with sound, such that they only need 1 driver.
For example, it's probably much harder to reproduce +10kHz from +5' away (as with speakers) than it is from a couple centimetres off your ear (with headphones). Or in the other direction, it's probably hard to produce +10kHz on such a small single dynamic driver as used in an IEM, without assistance from BA/electrostatic drivers.
So since we can using eq on our phones, I feel we can ignore the eq curve of the headset. Based on this information, what headphone can produce the clearest and highest quality sound, and most versatile such that it will sound like THe best version of the eq graph that you assign to the headphone?
Thats the most stupid thinq i have ever saw. With the eq u cannot change 20000 frequencies so yes tuning still matters, it will influence resolution, detail retrieval soundstage...etc.
@@matusjurcik6974 you actually can change over 20,000 frequencies if you want to, it would just take a very long time 😁 so you are incorrect.
@@matusjurcik6974 the question remains- what iem produces the best sound, irrespective of eq as eq is fully adjustable within the sound source
How do either compare against the Voyager 14?
I like the Clair a little better than the voyager 14. Monarch would be right behind voyager 14. All 3 are fantastic!
Hoy do you compare this ones VS shure SE846 ??
Not even close. SE846 doesn't have the treble extension or the bass slam of these. Technical performance is also far better on both of these. The comfort though is vastly better on se846
Do they require extra power with a DAC or can they be powered by any phone/laptop
The DAC is the "digital-to-analog converter," in other words, the processor. Power refers to the headphone amp. (Think, what's deep inside the phone/laptop vs. what's pumping right out from the headphone jack.) At $700+ for these headphone/earphones, these are way past the point of calling for an upgraded DAC and also a better headphone amp - better electronics are essential. Now of course, sometimes you want something that ALSO plays well out of your phone/laptop for convenience. Yes, these should play plenty loud and clear from anything you have available. But make sure you also have a higher-quality deck that lets these quality IEMs do their thing. You don't expect a Ferrari to perform at its level without a Ferrari engine and transmission... You don't build a fancy roof for your house without framing up the rest of the building. The DAC/amp is the engine, the support structure. Consider factoring in anywhere from 1/5th to 2x the earphone purchase price also to buy electronics. (Ie, total value for a system built to include these earphones, should range from just under $1,000 to just over $2,000. Yes that is quite a range, which is where you get to choose what makes you comfortable!) Of course, you can buy the headphones now, use your phone/laptop jack for awhile, and then buy an external DAC/amp later when you have a little extra money again.
@@justadad2304 bro he asked a simple question you know what he meant. You don’t need to ELI5 to the guy.
Maybe he meant DAC like DAC/AMP Combo that is common nowadays as opposed to standalones. anyways, yep..im curious too.
Excelente revisión, saludos de Perú estimado
Is that an Aston origin or spirit that your using ?
Origin
Which one has the better mids?
They're both good but I'd just get the monarch mk2 now if you can swing it. Otherwise moondrop variations is another decent option, although I prefer the clairvoyance tuning.
Literally got an email from linsoul about this promo 20 min ago
Your preference Clairvoyance or MEST?
Size does matter? I knew it!!! My wife’s a liar.
Obligatory first :)
Love your channel and content man!
Monarch vs blessing 2 dusk
hearing this from my thieaudio clairvoyance.
I thought the clair is bassier
Monarch is mostly sub bass. Clair bass extends further. Look at crinacle graphs.
there is possible unit variation? ouch
Very minor looks like.
Welcome to the hobby 😂
Well I hope my pair sounds the same as everyone else's and there won't be any resin filling the 2pin connector. If it's a 20-50 dollar IEMs then maybe I understand. But at 500+ there are certain expectations.
Very high expectations.
Love how you make them look wireless in the thumbnail
MEST BEST
I can't be alone in thinking that both the build and packaging/accessories (case, cable) are pretty gross. Campfire and Empire Ears are just so far ahead in this respect. It's too bad that they can't remotely compete in value.
'if you can afford 700 dollars you can afford 730 dollars'
NO I CANT!
I CANT AFFORD BOTH :)
This or 64 audio
U12t
@@TheHEADPHONEShow IER z1r or U12t? I heard some people have issues with the fit but on a recent reddit poll most people would get the IER z1r over the u12t..
Ah, yes, another failed musician… wanna start a band? 🤣
Sir I need an advise. do you think is a good idea to get Clairvoyance if you have Campfire Solaris and Monarch?