IEM discussion thread (Part 1)

Eyyyyyyy I mean it, man! Truly. I appreciate you!

I actually meant to write down my goals for 2023.
For me, my main goal is exploring desktop setups in the form of DAC/Amp combos coupled with Over ear headphones. I am completely in the dark on both of these fronts and I’d love to finally dive in head first. Outside of a few sets I’m curious about, my IEM space is well filled and I don’t think I should buy anything more outside of pure curiosity.

Come Tax return season, I’m hoping to budget my self for a solid static setup I can enjoy whilst at my desk for sure. How about yourself?

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I know you mean it. That’s why its so cool/nice! You’re one of those people who I can tell is just a genuine guy from the start without even meeting you.

I am gonna be touring for most of 2023 aside from a couple short breaks so I probably won’t make too many purchases. That said, with what I added this year I feel like I have a very solid lineup and I want to spend some serious time with my collection and figure out where everything fits and determine what areas, if any, I need and/or want to improve upon. Thankfull with all the travel time involved, I will have plenty of time to do just that.

The second half of this year has been a crazy period of buying and assembling a great lineup in anticipation of 2023 being spent almost entirely on the road and I think I have been VERY successful in accomplishing that. So I think 2023 will mostly be about enjoying with maybe a couple moves aimed at refining my rotation and that’s it. Now we’ll see if it actually works out that way lol! :joy:

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Here here!

My audio journey started at the beginning of this year when my work offered me $200 for new headphones. After a year I ended up spending almost 5x that but it’s been worth it because I got to interact with everyone here and become part of a community I greatly admire! I appreciate everyone who has helped me on my journey and I am honored that I could have helped even just one person!

I wish everyone a happy new year!

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Waiting more impressions doing A/B with Monarch MKII. Thanks.
Also I hope JAnonymous5150 is getting them in few days.

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Mine are actually waiting for me at my house. I wasn’t expecting them until Monday or Tuesday, but I guess I got lucky. I won’t be home for a couple hours and I have to get things ready for a New Years get together we’re having at my pad, but I’ll try to get a quick listen in if I can. :sunglasses:

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Here’s a comparison between three tracks for the Thieaudio MKII vs the Prestige:

Ed Sheeran - Perfect Symphony

At the start of the song, the bass guitar is a LOT more forward in the mix with the Prestige vs the MKII, a bit boomier I might add. Both sets are resolving about equally and accomplish that in different ways. The MKII is more recessed in the bass presence, and combined with its more intimate presentation, make the midrange sound a lot clearer/crisper. The Prestige’s bass is elevated, which would’ve masked the treble if it wasn’t for the great extension and presence, so they tend to counteract each other. If you lessen the seal for the Prestige, it adversely effects this, hence, the metallic overtones I was hearing in my previous observation with shallower tips.

The strings have more perceived detail in the Prestige over the MKII, but the opposite is true for the Hi-hats. Everything is more in-your-face on the MKII vs the Prestige which is slightly pulled away from the listener with more cohesion between elements.

Madeon - All My Friends

Vocals are again center stage on the MKII, but the Prestige SLAMS, with the bass line being much more audible in the mix. The Prestige is more intense for this song.

I don’t have much else to say here, since the same observations from earlier hold true here. A lot more CLARITY (not resolution) on the MKII when it comes to elements that live in the mids and lower-treble, but you don’t get the slightly more cohesive/spaced presentation of the Prestige with the present bass and extended treble.

Julian Lage - I’ll be Seeing You (Live)

The bass is a lot more tactile, and present on the Prestige, but the small movements like shirts brushing against the instruments, and general movement are clearer on the MKII —not to say that they aren’t audible on the Prestige, but they’re recessed. Cymbals sound noticeably clearer on the MKII, but the presentation is like being in a small bubble center of the performers, so the Prestige sounds more right here. Percussion is more elevated on the Prestige, very resounding and tactile (almost a bit too intense volume-matched.)


My main takeaways are that both have pros and cons, and it really boils down to music you listen to. If you listen to genres that token more bass presence and sound better with that commercial, v-shaped sound signature (not to say that this IEM is that kind of v-shape), the Prestige is probably the better pick. If you really want to dissect the mids and want a lot of clarity, sacrificing some presentation/imaging accuracy, the MKII is the better pick.

**

A fun experiment I do is to take “8D Audio” tracks (which is just stereo panning) and use that to compare relative soundstage width (and consequently treble performance.) The MKII extends to the edge of my outer-ear with less clarity while the Prestige goes out an inch with more vocal clarity.

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Awesome breakdown! You did this just to get me all worked up for when I get home, didn’t you? :joy: Thanks for sharing this. Your impressions here make me think the Prestige are likely going to come out more or less as I have been imagining them, which would be a very good thing. I’m looking for a v-shaped tuning with some refinement something akin to a more polished Excalibur and it sounds like the Prestige presents along those lines. :metal::sunglasses:

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This is exactly what you’re looking for then. I’d also say, akin to my experience, to tip roll this set. I was getting (or at least I thought I was) decent seal with the stock tips, but my experience improved with thicker-tubed silicone tips that went further in the ear canal. With any tip you still get the large bass, but the control is better with a good seal. The bass then properly masks the treble enough to get rid of upper-treble sibilance, etc. etc. like intended.

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Thank you for the awesome comparison man. So Prestige is more atmospheric, and the MMK2 is more intimate. How does the separation compare? Seems like the MK2 is my preference, but unfortunately the fit… is the fit better on the prestige?

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Cool! After comparing the graphs on HBB’s squig I was thinking that the Prestige looked like it could be what I’m looking for so it’s good to see some of your comments and impressions kinda confirming that for me. Thanks again!

As for the tips, I have too many to count in all shapes and and sizes with multiple double flange options at the ready for when I get to try the Prestige. I haven’t had trouble finding the right tips for a given IEM for quite a while lol! :joy:

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The fit is better on the Prestige, it’s lost a decent bit of weight compared to the MKII. Doesn’t jut out of the bottom as much as the MKII. The Prestige also tapers a lot more to the nozzle (nozzles are the exact same diameter), where the MKII is generally a bit chonky.

Clarity in picking up different instruments is better on the MKII, but imaging and instrument placement is improved on the Prestige.

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How do you feel about the upgrade from Timeless to Monarch? Was it a significant improvement?

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Cheers my friend! My current Long Island Iced Tea is raised high to you. You have been an integral part of my journey. I look forward every morning to seeing your contributions to the forum. While I may be a more silent speaker here you my friend are not and that is a tremendous compliment. For your contributions are humble, insightful and wholesome. And while it may not be that of a reviewer they hold a tremendous amount of weight to my IEM journey and my personal thoughts and approach to life. You’re a true scholar and gentleman. Best regards to you in 2023! May your personal life and IEM journey be merry.

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Have not received my C3 yet so I gave the Cadenza more play time and started playing with cables and tips.

Wide bore 100% for me the AZLA longer stem tips mine are ML grey ones.

Also found this $15 cable fantastic,not only incredible soft and flexible but ear hooks were done nicely for good comfort and it’s the perfect mix of SPC (Silver Plated) to add mix metal into the mix instead a just a pure OFCC (Oxygen Free Copper Cable), a slightly better tickle of sparkle with adding much.

I am not a cable Shiller but I find by putting in a little effort, that I can fine tune the best out of each IEM’s I Own by swapping cables and tips to figuring out the best combination to maximize thier potential regardless of it is just a cheap $15 IEM.

I compared this Cable to a $100 Hakugei Healer cable and on the Cadenza I could here a difference and preferred the cheaper cable.

Here’s the link for the cable if your interested.

Have a great and safe New year’s.
J.

C$ 21.21 83%OFF | NiceHCK JIALAI JLY2 HiFi Earphone IEM Upgrade Cable PP Yarn Silver Plated OCC 3.5/2.5/4.4mm MMCX/QDC/0.78mm 2Pin For NRA DQ6
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mOjsm26

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Anyone buying from AliExpress check out this app checks the credentials and ratings of the seller. Seems to work. Love the quick synapses

It’s called AliHelper easy to use in conjunction with the AliExpress app on your mobile devices.

Step 1 : Surf find your iteam
Step 2 : At the top hit the share button
Step 3 : Share to AliHelpwr App
DONE : Report shows up.


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Good stuff! I’ll give it a shot for sure! Also, I bought two of the black OCC version of this cable and two of the blue SPC versions you linked to because they’re just so damn nice. The store I purchased from had a $15 off every $30 purchase when I bought so I got all four cables for about $30 plus tax. When I have some more time I’ll check to see which stoee it was and if they still have that coupon/deal.

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Okay, so my fiance got basically everything set up for our party without me and people started showing up about half an hour ago, but I ducked out to have a quick listen to the Prestige (this audio thing is like an addiction lol :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:). I obviously have a ton more listening and tip rolling to do, but I was actually VERY impressed with my first listen. These definitely have the potential to be exactly what I had hoped and imagined which is SO SICK! They sounded great on Muse’s Absolution album which happened to be at the top of my queue. I’m so stoked to get these dialed in and see how they really do.

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Ahhh shucks, man - ya killin me! It’d be cool to have a podcast with some of you guys, talking audio, shooting the shit generally, sipping some beer or whiskey - it’d be dope I feel like - just a bunch of homies hanging out.

Your 2023 seems incredibly busy and it looks like you actually planned ahead in 2022 which is something I can envy as I usually leave things for last minute, completely on purpose - I like that spontaneity aspect of life (even though it doesn’t always work out :sweat_smile:).

I’m absolutely looking forward to what 2023 has in store for us because 2022 was so jam packed with so many amazing advances in the audio world and I think 2023 will be the year where the under $100 bracket is going to get so cut through and a lot of brands will want a piece of that action. I can see a lot of brands trying to dominate the entire spectrum from budget, to mid-fi and I’m for it.

Also, wanted to shout out @comfylife for his comparisons on the MMKII v. Prestige - I had my doubts and my reservations but after reading your words, I think they’re literally exactly what I’m looking for. Hopefully I’ll be able to join that club in a few months time :crossed_fingers:

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Hmmm. Interesting question, honestly.

TL;DR - It is an upgrade when you focus in and understand what’s better, but it isn’t a mind blowing experience.

I would say, initially the things that stand out when you first go from the Timeless to the Monarch’s comes in the form of the pure resolving power of both sets. I found my self disappointed at first, I have to be honest. The Timeless is truly an amazing set for that engaging listen - it’s in your face, it’s bassy, the resolution is genuinely off the charts and when you’re coming from pretty much any budget set, it will blow your mind. To me, that’s what usually stands out first - the clarity of the track - and the Monarch’s are maybe a 5%-10% upgrade in that regard. It’s really not much. In fact, if you’re like me, with a similar HRTF, you’ll probably find that the Timeless sounds more resolving on some tracks and I believe this comes down to the more aggressive treble tuning on the Timeless. The Monarch’s are more laid back in the treble, and I mean, really laid back - to me at least. It’s a very smooth presentation and when you don’t have the proper fit or seal, it could almost come off a bit veiled. However - finding the right tip, the right cable as well helps tremendously and when you actually do some critical listening, you quickly find out that the Mid range performance of be Monarch’s is really where you’re justifying that price tag. It’s textured, absolutely stunningly life like (I mean really, it sounds like the vocalist is in the room with you, reverb, texture, all of that, it’s an amazing but almost off putting effect in the best way possible) and it’s the set I pick up when I really want to enjoy a vocal performance. The Timeless to me also has a more softer, blunted bass response which is kind of nice with some EDM tracks, it’s more lush in a way - the Monarch’s are more dry in the mid bass and I find that this is better for most of my library. It’s a matter of preference really.

The monarch’s don’t have the most textured or tactile bass which is probably my biggest gripe. They also don’t have the widest stage if you can believe it. It’s very well separated and layered, but vocals are right in front of you - there’s very little depth to the sound which again, is a matter of personal preference. I don’t dislike it but I do hope one day I get to try an IEM with a wide stage (Andromeda maybe?).

I will say, the one thing I noticed with the Monarch’s that I’ve never experienced before is stage height - there are sounds that populate above me and none of my other sets do this for me personally. It’s a seriously cool phenomenon that I thoroughly enjoy.

In conclusion, would I spend the $1000 again? Hmmm yes I would but I don’t think I’ll ever get that excitement back, unfortunately. It’s just a product of the hobby. Once you cross that threshold, it’s difficult to find something special again.

That’s it, sorry for going on for too long - thanks for reading :pray:

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You’re far too kind, my friend - thank you so much! Even though you may be more of a silent speaker as you put it, every time you post I know it’s going to be a thought out, meaningful write up. I try not to miss too many!

You, along with all the others I’ve come to know on here absolutely have been a pivotal plot point that is my audio journey, so thank you.

I hope you enjoyed that Long Island Iced Tea and I hope your new years was a special one! :handshake:

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