@Smue
I had a very bad experience with Thieaudio and Linsoul not too long ago, that is why I’m hesitant to buy from them again.
The only reason why I’m buying Monarch now is, there is no way I’m paying over 1k for IEMs, and Monarch seem to be up there with the top sets.
Besides anything over 500 usd it’s more about preferences and less about resolving ability IMO. There is no wow anymore just different strengths and weaknesses.
I’ll take anyones advice, specially from someone who heard these and lots of other iems. @Resolution gave me his input and I appreciate it. It just happens to align with what I’m after. After Monarch no more iems for me for a long time.
@progdvd That’s also the reason I decided to go for Monarch rather then play around with stuff like the SA6, S8F, EST112, 3DT. I think 3DT would be more of side-grade to FD5, maybe it’s more technical due to it’s multi-driver setup but I figured I’d try a different kind of tonality to see what’s up with that.
Been A/B testing them both so far and I probably can EQ the mid-bass a bit to match what I want, just really didn’t want to mess with EQ as I use many devices and not all DAC’s that are easily portable have EQ options in them. But will for sure look into that ~50 Ohm adapter.
The detail and imaging improvements are definitely noticeable on the Monarch, including the slightly “out of head” stage, it’s pretty nice. Just missing that mid-bass fullness. It is pretty fun to try new IEM’s though; going through different tracks and picking different thing out is pretty fascinating.
Expensive hobby though. Would love to one day audition some high end stuff. So, as much as I’d like to say this would be my end game I think the itch to play more will always be there when new stuff launches, for better or worse.
S8F is freaking awesome to me, no matter what anybody else says, I love this set… To date still best one I tried.
Monarch might win in technicalities, bass rumble, stage, but S8F surely wins in overal tonality, speed and fit in my case. FD5 is nice too, stock not so much but when EQ’d they are fantastic.
It depends on one’s bank account, for me, yes it’s very expensive hobby, but I’m at this stage where I realy don’t want to buy anything else unless I hit the lottery.
I sold the S8Z when I received the Lokahi. I sold the Lokahi when I heard the SA6. I prefer sets with a DD over all BA sets in general. Although the Lokahi sounded great for an all BA set, I preferred the overall package of the SA6. If I’m being completely honest, the Lokahi felt cheaply built, especially with whatever was going on inside the nozzle. I’d never seen anything like it. The DUW-03 cable was the biggest reason I kept the SA6 not to mention the SA6 is just beautiful and is a compliment to my collection I enjoy. The DUW-03 is the best cable I’ve come across.
I greatly prefer the ZEN to the FD5. The FD5 is bloated in the mids for my tastes. The Zen is one of my favorite IEMs because of its bass, coherency, stage and slam. It is beastly for heavy music. The FD5 doesn’t get much play with me at all. I’ve been contemplating selling it and giving it to a new home that would enjoy it, but don’t know if I want to deal with the bother. I feel about the same with all of my Fiio IEMs of which I own all the hybrids and dynamics.
My favorite IEMs are not V shaped. I’ve fallen in love with the tunings of the Mangird Tea and the Monarch most. I haven’t had much time with the Oracle yet and I do have the Excalibur ordered and coming soon. So, I will be able to evaluate all the Thieaudio hybrids at some point. I wasn’t going to even bother with the Excalibur, but I broke down and ordered it earlier this month.
As for IEMs like the Odin, which I owned and sold… I personally am a believer in if I am being asked to spend spend that much for an IEM, I expect to love it and for it to be better than what I already own or bring something new or different to the table. I preferred the Thieaudio offerings and spent a lot less $$$. It is a pretty IEM though.
Most of these earphones are all using the same drivers/driver technologies. Knowles and Sonnion. I think you’re right that consumers won’t be experiencing a giant leap forward when no manufacturers are innovating from the ground up. It doesn’t make much sense to me to spend gobs of cash on 1 item that’s using the same drivers or driver tech as something 5X less expensive and even sounds better, unless you really think a pretty faceplate design is worth thousands of $$$.
@Resolution
Monarch is just as described. It exactly how I thought it will sound.
I just had 1-2 hours with them out of the box and not bad at all. Even the mid-bass I don’t find it lacking
Hi @Resolution again, amongs these IEM, which one do you find the bsst with prog metal (mostly Dream Theater)? Is it Dunu Zen? I am planning to get Zen Pro if it has several good reviews
I don’t think you need Zen or Falcon for the Dream Theater. They are for very dynamic music. You need a good hybrid or tribrid, with a good sound scene and mids.
thank you. Hope it better than my SA6