Another great review of the Legacy 4.
I had L4 ciem for 3 days and returned it because they didn’t tuned it right. I’m guessing they tuned my ciem like uiem and the sound was completely off…
I’m much more impressed with FD5, even though it doesn’t hits my ideal target curve.
I’m still interested more in Clairvoyance over Monarch because I believe it’s much closer to what I’m after.
@Resolution
Are you willing to answer a question about the FD5 - Clair?
Sure. I haven’t listened to the Clair since I got the Monarch. I came to the conclusion last night the Monarch IS the best IEM I own.
But happy to try to answer anything you have to ask that I might be able to shed light on.
BTW… Of all the Legacy IEMs, the L5 fits me perfectly which I love. Oh, one more thing, after listening to the Mangird Tea and the L5, which are very similar tunings, I only listen to the Mangird Tea anymore. I prefer it to the L5.
So in my personal opinion, it would be a consideration between the Monarch and the Tea.
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Ok, for me now it’s only Clair or Monarch because I think I got cheaper iem figured out and it’s not what I’m after anymore. I cannot swing over 1k no way, but 700 usd for either of the twins should be feasible in a few months and that should be my endgame.
My current rotation is S8F, FD5, and cheap Tripowin TC-01 but I like it very much.
The thing is I have certain sound signature that appeals to me and by graph alone Monarch deviates too much from that curve.
Let me describe in short what I think of FD5.
Bass is practically perfect, while high mids and treble need some adjustments. The best sound out of FD5 I got with bass tips and EQ 2k+2db / 4k+3db in Neutron player. Basically I need just a bit more energy in high mids to sound how I like it. Treble occasionally can sound on the edge of too much but only in brightly recorded music.
take a look at this graph. I’m afraid that difference in 4-5k region will be too much.
Can you comment on how Clair sounds compared to FD5 in high mids region. I think Monarch is very different across the range.
Also, S8F is my favourite for metal and that set has also very pronounced high mids area. And the cheap TC-01, I think it has vvery nice tuning, let’s say very similar to FD5 but with more sub bass and high mids.
All 3 of these iems i like for different reasons. They are very similar with slight differences.
Like I said Monarch is very different on paper and I’m not sure I would like it.
What FD5 does is great I would just like little bit more energy in high mids.
What do you think, do I make sense here?
Uh i just took this comparison. Maybe they are not so different apart from mid bass.
I don’t know what to think anymore. It would be great if I could buy both of the twins and later sell the looser but I can’t unfortunately
Andrew’s Resolve graph
Here Monarch looks better to me.
I also understand that Monarch is probably technically better as well.
Btw. I apologize for spamming the L4 thread
This last graph does not look the way these IEMs sound. Crins graph is proper.
Both the Clair and the Monarch have dual EST drivers that BA drivers simply can’t touch. They both have extremely clear treble which might sound sibilant on BA sets but is never sibilant on either set. It’s a very impressive feat coming from IEMs with BA treble that sound more harsh in the upper frequencies.
Between the Monarch and Clair, the differences are more apparent than I thought they would be. The clair has more present treble and is notably less detailed. That added energy in the bass and low mids makes the Clair sound more muddy than the Monarch. This difference may also have something to do with the additional BA driver the Monarch has. Either way, The Monarch sounds more detailed and less bloated than the Clair.
Neither have the bass speed of the beryllium DD in the FD5.
These are my personal opinions - The Monarch’s treble is literally perfect. The less bloated and more neutral mids really allow for wonderful clarity from the mids into the treble. When I said the Monarch’s bass is not as fast and not quite of the same quality of the FD5, that is true, BUT the Monarch is a freaking sub bass beast! Listening to bass heavy tracks, the Monarch bass kicks ass. I have said at times… OMG that’s almost too much bass! Yet I love it. It may not be as fast as the DF5, but it tuned louder and has more impact because of its tuning.
I’ve read that all the dynamic and BA drivers in the Monarch all work together to create the Monarch’s bass, and the dual electrostatics produce the midrange and treble. If this is accurate, the Monarch plays this bass middle ground of having the best of both worlds of BA and DD drivers. It has dynamic impact of a DD and the detail of a BA. A lot of them at that!
The soundstage and imaging on the Monarch is among the best of all the IEMs I own.
Hope this is helpful.
Antdroid’s review is the one you should pay attention to…
This graph is representative of the bass and mids for me… Think of the mid bass difference as the difference between muddiness or clarity in that region. Blue being more neutral, clean and detailed. Red being muddier, warmer and less detailed.
If you don’t care about detail/resolution, listen to poorly recorded music, older music, or enjoy more treble quantity, the Clair would be the better choice.
First of all thank you for your time and detailed answer.
I have to admit you are making good point. I also re-read the Antdroids rewiew.
Since my music is more mid than sub bass focused I leaned towards Clair. But as I mentioned all 3 iems I currently use the most have similar mid bass presence so probably Monarch would be better choice because it will be something different. The quantity alone i can enjoy iems with totally different bass response. For example like this graph shows
I’m enjoying both of these and of course I’ll take TC-01 for bass heavy genres. Therefore I believe Monarch bass will be just fine after your words.
I get what you (and others) are saying about the ESTs and treble. I don’t like dark sounding iem, I’ll take as much treble energy as possible without sounding harsh. I like my treble elevated and I want al the details I can get, after all I’m into technical prog metal. Again Monarch wins here after what you just said.
My biggest concern is in the high mids area because it will make or break an iem for me. I know ESTs are responsible for this region and it will probably be fine. But like I said FD5 falls short in delivering clarity, detail to that region.
You have FD5, can you do me a solid, can you directly compare 2-4k region on FD5 and Monarch? I’m using Neutron player EQ to elevate 2k by 2db, and 4k by 3db, afterwards it sounds much better to me. I just cannot listen FD5 with stock tuning.
I’m probably stressing too much over it, but I just want next iem I purchase to be as close to my preferences as possible. Because in reality I’m happy with what S8F, FD5 and TC-01 give me. I want that next level iem to be the best among these I own. And also my financial situation is not the best, that’s why I would realy like to stop spending money on iems. After this purchase I’m definitely stepping back from the hobby, I mean from purchasing new gear, because it never ends and I can’t keep up nor I am interested to.
Again I appreciate your input, thank you.
So am I. None of the Thieaudio IEMs are ideal for that. Their DD is not great, it’s average/nothing special. Fiio FH3 and FD5 are the kings of that genre because of their speed. Beryllium speed is unmatched.
I also listen to tons of other music where the Monarch is literally the king. lol
Same, usualy for metal i use S8F and FD5 which are destroying everything I heard in terms of speed and technicalities.
But also I enjoy other genres such as rock, AOR, blues, 80’s pop, Instrumental, ambiental, classical, OST, synthwave, EDM…
When it comes to clarity, the Monarch just sounds right. Thieaudio did an amazing job tuning this IEM. I feel the key to this tuning and clarity is the Monarch’s flatline mids. There is no bass bleed. They elevated the sub bass perfectly. Again, it is not neutral, it is fun and probably too much, but somehow they put that much bass and sub bass into an IEM and kept its presentation perfectly clear and detailed. For the Monarch’s mid and treble, remember they are being produced by ESTs so you can’t look at a graph you would usually be basing it off BAs to determine what might be too much or not enough or sibilant. the ESTs sound different than BAs and in my opinion, extremely good.
The FD5 in comparison does not have the same elevation to its bass. It sounds more neutral. The FD5’s strengths are its single DD timbre, beryllium speed, detail and overall cohesive sound. The tuning on the FD5 is a bit wonky. It’s not perfect, but for a single DD it’s impressive. The stage and imaging are not nearly as impressive as on the monarch. The Monarch has the best stage of any IEM I own. The FH7 and FH3 have the best imaging of my personal IEMs.
Don’t expect any Thieaudio IEM to be able to compete with those IEMs in regard to speed. Possibly the Voyager 14 but I have not heard it.
This is where the expert tuning of the Thieaudio IEMs will shine. The monarch and Clairvoance both being the best choices.
Between the Monarch and Clair, the Monarch will be the better choice for EDM, classical, 80’s pop, anything electronic and the Clair will possibly be better with classic rock, blues, poorly recorded music, old music.
If you are used to the clarity of the S8F, the Clair won’t sound as detailed. The S8F is a detail monster. It just lacks dynamic slam.
Make sense?
Sure I like older music a lot, much better than new one. And I have lot of poorely recorded material, but I’m not overly sensitive to combination of detailed iem and bad recordings.
I’m aware that ESTs probably sound different / better, but I had to seek confirmation. I prefer bright sounding iems, with lots of detail and clarity.
Actually DD slam and other single DD properties was the only thing I was missing from S8F, that’s why I went for FD5. They are literally trading blows. For me S8F has wonderful and smooth and detailed tuning, bass slam is also very good for all BA set but it’s not FD5 satisfactory.
I understand there is no perfect iem, and given what I have, and thanks to your generous input I think I should go for Monarch.
Cheers brother you helped me a lot with my decision.
Now I have to wait for L4 refund. And when I sell some of my unused gear I can proceed with hopefully last iem order for a while.
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Just listening back and forth now… Monarch vs FD5… The Monarch top end is much clearer and enjoyable than the FD5. It cuts through perfectly and has presence and air the FD5 just does not have. The FD5 midrange is more congested than the Monarch.
Personally, the Monarch is the closest I’ve heard to ideal tuning, so I use it as my bassline standard. It also has the technicalities to pull it all off with the one caveat that I wish they could improve the speed and texture with a better dynamic.
Here’s how the FD5 stacks up against the Monarch’s stellar tuning. Mind you, the FD5 can get away with things other IEMs can’t because of the beryllium DD.
Notice how the Monarch follows the “ideal” curve very closely except for the sub bass elevation? This is considered “neutral with bass boost”. The Monarch does this tuning extremely well and it’s what is ideal for me. I would not buy an IEM without that sub bass/bass boost after hearing the Monarch, and right where the monarch drops its bass into those almost perfectly flat mids is perfection.
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This is exactly what I was hoping to hear 
The only thing by looking at this graph is, that mid bass difference is huge. But I will believe you when you say that it sounds OK. After all one cannot listen to prog metal and have bad taste. 
Soundstage on FD5 is enormous with very wide whirlwind tips, best I heard in an iem. If Monarch have bigger stage that is impressive.
About the Monarch DD speed, well we can’t have everything. From your words I’m sure it’s very satisfying with non metal genres.
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Just relaying what I hear personally with my library, comparing all the IEMs I own and know well and trying to be completely transparent and honest to help someone with their purchasing decision. Or better yet, hopefully help someone make a mistake buying something they won’t enjoy.
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Hi seen some friendly faces who got custom L4s from Thieaudio. Wanna know how they are holding up - L3 forums had drivers coming off and recessed 2 pin cracking.
And any chance if anyone tried submitting a 3D mould to Linsoul? I wanna test Murphy’s Law to the limits and not pay the $80 shipping 
That graph is wrong.
mid bass on Monarch are OBVIOUSLY not same as Clair.
Which you like is up to you but that graph is…strange…
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Yes you can send STL file to them its what I did, but I wasn’t happy with finished product. There was nothing wrong with the build, just tuning was completely off, nothing like described in reviews unfortunately. I’ve sent my L4 back to them and waiting for reply.
Yes it seems that graph is one off. Even Andrew in his review mentioned that his particular Monarch graphs differently from others.
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Ah so your fit is fine with just the STL file, thats good to know. I’ll just wait for them to sort the QC issues then. Thanks 