PEQ is pretty much lossless and infinite in scale and with the addition of Q adjustments you can make direct narrow or wide band gains and cuts to the specified FR.
GEQ by it’s nature as a hands on visual EQ will always degrade or alter fidelity and FR, as it does not have a Q adjustment and so has determined boost/cut FR bands that overlap.
Ideal:
If you are using PEQ as DSP before any DAC then the SQ loss is determined solely by the DAC /AMP & driver limitations.
ADC to DSP:
Eg using a MiniDSP in the traditional sense go DAC to MiniDSP. So you are essentially doing a DAC then ADC then another DAC. You are here additionally limited by the second ADC/DAC conversion which will cause some form of SQ degradation. MiniDSP (standard/HD not Flex or SHD) as well as AV pre/pro DAC chips leave a lot to be desired and have unbalanced outputs in the main unless your in Trinnov/Strom territory where pricing is ridiculous.
Analogue:
Most analogue EQ is GEQ - stuff from DBX & Behringer are what you see most commonly and these rack mount units can be picked up super cheap around €100 or less. With GEQ there is a very noticeable SQ drop as well as unintended FR changes - I couldn’t recommend it but it looks cool in the rack mounts and is the thing that everyone who comes in your room will immediately fiddle with
Analogue PEQ is pretty much studio only (exception being DJ isolators) and is overly expensive starting at €1k to €5k with common players like the Manley, Neve, SSL, Heritage, Elysia. Drawmer & Warm audio offer slightly less expensive options but still overpriced, less SQ fidelity (a good rule of thumb is a min. 20db SINAD drop from a modern D/S DAC) and not as versatile as digital.
Absolutely NO doubt about it, Thie has an amazing marketing team behind their company. I can’t lie - they’re overall aesthetic and way of going about the IEM market is just my jam. I’m usually not a person who buys into one particular brand, but I am a person who becomes a loyal when I see a quality product. Especially when it seems that a company really can’t miss.
As far as I know, they haven’t released a poorly made or tuned IEM in their short run. Even the ‘Legacy’ line (even though I haven’t tried one as of yet) seems to be decent sets - not market breaking or anything but, decent for their respective price brackets. The entirety of the Tribrid and mid-fi line with the Oracles, original Monarch, Excaliburs, etc. all seem to not only have their space within the hobby, but when they were first released, seem to have been some peoples favorites.
I can’t lie. I do really like the brand
With that being said - I was really hoping that the Prestige turned out to be a direct upgrade from the Monarch’s. Although they don’t seem to be that, there’s hope in that maybe the Prestige might just be what I’m looking for to compliment the Monarch’s. So we shall see!
I have to be honest - I don’t want to see the kids go to college! I think one day it’ll come - I hope I can hold onto my IEMs for my son at the very least. It’s a long ways a way, but my father handed down his huge stereo to me when I was of age along with a ton of CDs and even though it was beyond outdated, It meant more than just that - which is what I’d like to do with my little guy.
Call me mushy - I know I am
If I do end up either buying or trying the Prestige at some point, I will absolutely deliver that 20 page article just for you, man I appreciate you! Also sorry to leave you hanging yesterday, it was a busy day for me at home but I hope your New Years was amazing!
I just realized that in the chaos that was yesterday, I totally left you hanging with this reply - forgive me, J
2023 seems to be shaping up to be a ridiculous year for you, filled with fun, success and of course, stress. But a good stress. I’m happy for you, man! Maybe I’ll stumble on your band if you guys are visiting Boston?!
No but seriously - good luck, man. You guys are going to kill it, I know that for a fact!
Cool thank you for your detailed explanation it just enforces my totally happy not using EQ lol
Oh sorry one more thing where would something like a Schiit Loki Max fit in ie what type of EQ is it I’m guessing GEQ? or is it PEQ? and why so expensive
I’m not sure if you guys have experienced something similar to me so I’m just going to put this out there and maybe, who knows - may help someone who’s looking for a wireless in ear Rec.
If you guys don’t care about the back story, just skip this huge word vomit!
Summary
I remember 3 or so years ago, I was looking to (again) get back in the hobby so for whatever reason, I had a small run with wireless sets. I landed on the Soundpeats Truengine SE after reading a ton of reviews. I was so happy with them - they sounded prettt good to me for $40. Amazon Prime 2 day shipping was a big plus.
Fast forward to around April 2021? And my wife actually needed a set of IEMs and she preferred wireless. Perfect - I let her demo my Truengines and she liked them to my surprise. She hates in ears for the most part, she says they’re uncomfortable and she’s absolutely not willing to get used to them. A big thing for her as well tends to be ear hooks - she hates the way they feel. So I went ahead and tried to buy another pair off Amazon but they weren’t available…. Bummer. However / they had an updated version, the Truengine SE 3. Dual dynamic driver with a proper crossover? Sign me up. Let’s do it.
Got them in and I loved them for a while. Really, truly my EDC. I used them for a long time. But I didn’t really have a basis on the sound, that’s an important piece. I think I used to rock a pair of MEE Audio M6 and MEE Audio MX3s for a while. I have absolutely no idea why I landed on these back in those days but I did. I was totally Ignorant to most reviewers on YouTube and absolutely had no idea of HFGF. Those MEE audio IEMs are pretty atrocious btw. The M6 would probably be a decent stage monitor but outside of that - I’ll pass.
Anyways - long story short. Just yesterday I dug up the Soundpeats SE 3 from my IEM case, dusted them off, charged em up and dude … these sound actually pretty damn decent for the $50 I paid for them. I haven’t put them in my ears in over a year (since I picked up the Timeless and started my latest journey in the hobby) and I was shocked at how good they sound, now that I have a point of reference with so many wired sets.
I mentioned that they have dual DD with a cross over so I was listening to them last night before seeing a graph and I was trying to train my ears to visualize a graph and to my surprise I was pretty freaking close
The graph reminds me of the Truthear Zero and the Khan with that mid bass tuck. Of course these have all the short comings of a Bluetooth set - compressed dynamics, narrow stage (to my ears) and the fact that you have to remember to charge the battery. But the mid bass is punchy vocals have a very pleasant and natural Timbre and the overall layering isn’t terrible. The treble is very subdued, with things like cymbals strikes and guitars, the bite and attack is not very present. It lacks in that area. However and this is a big however - for a walk around throw-in-your-pocket-and-forget-about-them type set - I’m glad I decided to dust them off.
TL;DR - The Soundpeats Truengine SE 3 is a surprisingly good $50 pair of wireless IEMs when it comes to just sound quality alone with a very respectable fr!
Like I finally got the time to mention to you today - the amount that you use your account to thank, appreciate, encourage, and affirm other users is not usual. You are an incredibly outward-focused dude, and who knows how much your kind and positive salt sprinkled throughout has seasoned the whole forum
Thanks also for the impressions you share and the advice you freely give, I know I find your descriptions and comparisons very easy to follow.
So cool to hear how long you’ve been in the hobby, there are some comparisons you’ll be able to make with classics that will be very helpful, even to new buyers who are wondering if a high rec high cost set from 3 years ago available cheap used can gun it out with a budget pick from today, or people still enjoying their SE215s who are wondering what to try next.
You’re a huge part of the community you’re enjoying, thanks for all the heart you bring into it.
In my opinion the Loki Mini & Lokius are more tone control (but yes it is a form of GEQ) - especially when you consider that the band are not evenly spaced and focused on set frequencies defined by Shiit house sound.
Whether there is a place for that in sound reproduction vs creation is a whole different conversation… it’s a New Year not looking to piss anyone off just yet
Some are going to enjoy the feel and look of this piece. Problem is the other options are digital or rack mount so they really have hit a niche for a certain subset of music listeners (I have vinyl enthusiast friends who are big on this) - which I always applaud on a business level and in keeping some “dying” tech still available. With the Max they are just pushing this to audiophile ends - ie let’s include a remote. But overall the aim and function of the piece is the same. It is constrained by its limited bands and means of operation… If you know what your getting, have a “theoretical” application for it, and still want to spend that money then… to each their own…
Valuewise - I would look at some Behringer or Thomann brand (name escapes me) offerings - especially used you are likely to pick up a rack mount mastering EQ that vastly outperforms this for around €400.
ASR do a really good visual breakdown of the Lokius and show it’s affects through the FR banding and how that affects the DIstortion and DR when the EQ is bypasses, engaged and when it is pushed.
Girlfriend has ridiculously small ears and I was looking for a TWS that would mirror flatheads in my earbud deep dive. Luckily this style also fit her so two birds with one stone - GF gets gifts and audio obsession gets sated in the same purchase.
Been through:
TrueAir 2+
Air 3
Air 3 Deluxe HS (has LDAC and can be picked up for €40)
Your words mean the most, you are an example to me on these forums and I appreciate all that you do for us. I can’t say how humbled I am to know that some of you guys enjoy what I write, I hope that I can add some value here, and help guide maybe somebody that’s new. While I am not the most experienced, I think it’s important to pass along what I have been able to gather.
Thank you, again. Your words mean a lot, seriously.
That’s interesting, I’m checking out the video now - Must have missed this in my sub feed. Damn YouTube and the stupid algorithm … I’ll be looking forward to your article comparing TWS sets, brother!
No worries brotha. Hope you had a great new years! Thieaudio always made banger IEMs since the Legacy 3 days - it also helps that their plating looks so gorgeous especially the Tri-brids You should hand down your Monarchs to the little man - imagine getting a MMK2 as your first IEM! That would ruin anyone’s standards moving on
From my experience, sadly there’s no “direct” upgrade after the $1K mark unless you spend a stupid amount (STORM) Just sidegrades to get us to fork over more cash lol. I’m still dreaming of a day where an IEM with the RSV tuning+DM staging but better tech shows up That’s when I’ll be leaving this rabbit hole!
It’s interesting that you mentioned this because I was actually thinking about posting something today saying that the Prestige is just that. IMO, if someone picks their favorite version of the Monarch Mk1 and Mk2 and then adds the Prestige you have a pair of IEMs that can handle any genre you throw at them at an elite level. You’d be hard pressed to find a better, and more versatile, way to spend that $2300, IMO.
It’s easy to rec maybe the U12t for $2k, but that IEM from what I’ve read is pretty polarizing. Some say it’s the second coming, and others say it’s just plain boring.
Monarch MKII + Prestige for $2300 like you said OR, how about this, wait for the 2nd hand market to befriend you and pick up both for around $2k and you have a 2 IEM solution that satisfies most needs.
I’m going to have to start him off a little smaller with the Timeless and give him a taste of what’s possible, you know what I mean? I absolutely am looking forward to his ears growing large enough to house the Monarchs, he’s about 12 years out if my math is correct
I can agree with you there - from looking at the write ups from other reviewers who have had the ability to hear more expensive sets, it’s seems like the Monarchs at $1000 really do satisfy on the technicalities front, or they get within spitting distance. So spending an extra $2k, $3k even, doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but I digress.
I am absolutely going to CanJam in Feb. so I’m looking forward to testing some truly absurdly priced IEMs for the first time. I’ll make sure to report back here IMMEDIATELY after.
I think one day it’ll come - I hope I can hold onto my IEMs for my son at the very least. It’s a long ways a way, but my father handed down his huge stereo to me when I was of age along with a ton of CDs and even though it was beyond outdated, It meant more than just that - which is what I’d like to do with my little guy.
I appreciate you! Also sorry to leave you hanging yesterday, it was a busy day for me at home but I hope your New Years was amazing!
You should hand down your Monarchs to the little man - imagine getting a MMK2 as your first IEM! That would ruin anyone’s standards moving on 
Just sidegrades to get us to fork over more cash lol. I’m still dreaming of a day where an IEM with the RSV tuning+DM staging but better tech shows up 
.
