Today was a great day. I got to spend the day with my good friend Mike Wat in Canada. He had a plethora of IEM’s, all of them $1000-$3,300! I’m not going to lie. I went there in fear that I was going to walk away unsatisfied with my current champion the Monarch MK2. I mean, I know it’s not the best ever made but it’s up there. I already accepted years ago that the 12T’s by 64 Audio was the better of the two but I never saw $1000 more sound ever. So when I got the chance to listen and do some A/B testing with some of the greatest IEMs, I really couldn’t past that up. I got a chance to listen to the Mk3 ‘s by Thieaudio, Valhalla by Theiaudio, ie900, and many others.
To my surprise, the opposite happened.
1. I gained so much respect for the brand Thieaudio. Of all the ones tested blindly, more of them were in the table and I blindly picked them the most.
2. But the biggest surprise, I gained even more appreciation for my Monarch MK2!
Sure it didn’t beat all the others on the table but all the ones on the table, still had the same core structure in place and Thieaudio especially had a in house sound formula that I witnessed in each of the IEM and they only added one area here or there that made them sound “a little” better or “a little” worst than another IEM. But all of them were great sounding nonetheless.
But at the end of day, the Monarch MK2 is still my personal choice. I love how it fits in my ear, how it looks, the cable thickness and color, and of course the sound especially with my Cayin n6III(unfortunately all test were done on the high-end Hiby…not my Cayin). The Valhalla, the best sounding overall, but by name is aginst my religion. The 64 audio solo didn’t have enough bass and impact, and allowed too much of the world around you to leak into the mix. The Monarch Mk3 were the only real threat and had everything going for it. And even with them being a little better than my Monarch mk2, I didn’t like the case, its cable, nor the fit over the Monarch Mk2. It only had a little more bass and little more treble, which can be EQ’d.
Yes, Monarch Mk2 is still my choice amongst others that even may be “a little” better. This has reconfirm something about myself. It has taught me the importance of connection. I’ve loved the looks of the Monarch more than the others, loved the Monarch name and meaning, loved its sound, and loved its fit, still the overall best in the Theiaudio line for me. Sound was just one of the reason and without the love of the other areas, nothing stands against it. The connection to your style is the absolute best thing you should aim for. This is my biggest take away; my Cayin N6III with the combo of my Monarch mk2 is exactly the sound signature that gives me a emotional connection, lushness, musicality coloring, and smoothness I want.
Tech-N-Things 