If you get your hands on the Tipsy Tromso you might love them. The Tromso is currently 2nd place on my IEM Olymp and 1st place on my single DD ranking.
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Itās the 4.5k-6k area, most likely.
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Oooh I vaguely recall someone sharing this IEM or manufacturer a while ago. Tipsy. What a name. What are your impressions?
I mostly concur with Redcarmooseās review on head-fi.
my tl;dr Tromsoās attributes:
- musical in contrast to analytical
- addicting sound signature
- perfectly dosed, excellent bass
- non fatiguing
- light, comfortable fit
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I appreciate the rec but I wonāt be trying it any time soon. I remember there was a reason I discounted it before and this graph is reminding me of why:
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5k peak
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Graphing similar to the CRA (especially the elevated 5k) is not good for me. Iām one of the few who hates the CRA and canāt understand the praise it gets at all. Same issues as every KZ before it, painful to listen to IMO.
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RCM does not hear / prefer similar things to me. He seems to enjoy energy in spots that make an IEM sibilant to me (Legacy 4 as one example).
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Itās as bad as Whizzer isnāt it? Lol.
That 5k peak makes me wary too.
Normally when I see a graph like that I think cheap. I thought the CRA was good for $12, but at $25 I would have been unimpressed. A $90 IEM should graph smoother than a $12 IEM, and it actually looks worse.
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I am not sure about that but I can see why there are some would prefer the Chu over the Kato. As for me, itās hard to choose both are just good, but in terms of technicality hands down the Kato wins, though the Chuning of the Chu goes neck-in-neck with the Kato I have and love.
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Can I ask a very random question to everyone here? Why is there not more talk about the Monarch MKII around the inter webs? There are plenty of reviews I suppose but there are no threads dedicated to this set. I Know itās not price because there are other sets that are more expensive with more talk surrounding them. Is there a specific reasoning to this that Iām just not aware of?
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Everyone spent money on Teas, no Monarch. I ran the Cartel. Donāt you want a cookie?
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Stop following me, you monster! 
youāre most likely right honestly. I understand $1000 is a shit ton of money for most people, I had to pay for my monarchās in payments so I get it. I feel like hype just completely died so quickly for the Monarchās. People still mention and talk about the Timeless and Meles and the S12
Daily. I wonder why the monarchās just didnāt have the staying power.
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Only 1% of the stupid and reckless people who make awful financial decisions around audio forums could afford Mona2.
Besides price, you gotta add context. Market was stuffed to the ceiling with tribids when it came out. Everyone is now reaching for the next new thing, like planars were/are. Soon will be BC or something else.
Thereās also a vocal part of people around discords circlejerks who avoid TA due to past QC experiences.
Another thing, that you clearly ignoring and was the motive I never bought it: Iāve seen smaller on suspicious sites. Itās massive.
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I think there are two major obstacles.
Being $1k doesnāt help, most people who loved them thought they werenāt worth the cost difference from the MKI, which was already a $750 IEM. I also think that that EJ07 or EJ07m were great options for way less money, and were the direct competitor in the high quality tribrid space.
The size was enough reason for me to stay away. The MKII was bigger than the MKI, and that was considered a huge IEM. I can barely wedge a T3+ in my ears for half a day, so they just arenāt an option, even if I had the money to throw at it.
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I think you make some seriously valid points. Price and size were the immediate obvious ones that came to mind.
The fact that yes the market is quickly turning out cheaper option Tri-brids are an oversight on my behalf. Considering that there are tons of amazing options below even the $800 mark could definitely be the main contributor to the situation surrounding the Mon II.
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I luckily donāt have the issue with sizing as most people do, but still, the $250 price jump I feel is a bit excessive. I feel like it was TA capturing and seizing the moment with hype for sure. The Clairs, first Mons and the oracle were regarded as fantastic IEMs, maybe they thought putting that II at the end justified the $1000 and that maybe theyād gain the rep in the community? Iām unsure.
I genuinely donāt know if theyāre worth the kilobuck price tag. I havenāt had the opportunity to listen to any other Tribrids up to this point so unfortunately I have no reference. To me, I donāt regret paying the cash for em, and thatās good enough for me. One day though, Iād love to try a few other great tris around this time. Of course in 6 months time, the Mons will be considered obsolete with the way this hobby is moving.
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1 year later and people still take me seriously. Iāve mastered the technique.
Oh we are not on my thread so let me just
Give you cookies
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You have absolutely mastered said technique, good sir
Boy oh boy. How pretty 
those KLs are just straight up calling my name 
I need those in my life ā¦ one day ā¦ one day
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Did Variations somehow magically find a way back home to you and you find use of them? Or is it only sample set?
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Oh it was back when I had Tonyās. Still not. My thing
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Which gets me to a pair of follow ups
- What is the small one of the far left of that top photo?
- Are Tea MKII larger, or is that just the angle in that photo?