I’m thinking about selling my monarch mk2 and the hype 2’s. I don’t really use them much as I only use a cheap set for gaming and mostly use wireless for causal music listening. The mk2 have really good verticality, better than must iem’s I’ve heard.
First of all congratulations for the channel, and now we get to the requests, I mainly listen to symphonic and jazz music, at the moment I use the Meyer Audio SLIIVO as IEM, and the Meyer Audio CKLVX, with the RU6 and M15 dongles, wanting to improve I was asking between the Oracle Original and the Oracle MK III, which one should you prefer and between the Monarch MK II and the Monarch MK III?
I am a big jazz fan myself, My picks would be the OG Oracle it's perfect thebwaybit is more mid bass would be nice but don't thonk the MK3 improved on that. MM3 over 2 in a heartbeat was just way more engaging
Largely agree with the sentiment shared here. imo Monarch MK3 is quite the improvement over MK2 for those who like warmer mids rather than tucked mid bass.
Try hooking them up to the Geshelli amp I'm curious if they sound different to you. The reason I say this is when I use my Aroma A100 TB modified with four Sparkos SS 2590 op amps the Mid Bass tuck is no longer there. I believe the Geshelli uses the same. The original knock on them was that they were unforgiving to poorly recorded music and only sounded good on modern mastered tracks. Mid bass was used on music mastered for vynal because sub bass would knock the needle out of the groove. So older music sounded thin with the mid bass tuck on the Monarch's. This all changed for me with the use of dynamic power from the NP Audio modified Aroma A100TB. Give it a try on the Geshelli and let me know as Im curious if its the OP amps or the insane capacitor capacity of the Aroma. It has as much capacitor capacity as it has in battery capacity. They are S tier with dynamic power on older recordings and loose the mid bass tuck.
Thanks. Great review again. Very interested in your take on the Oracle MKIII (with their 'reinvented' 'Isobaric' bass driver setup) and a new one on the way (with 1 BC?), the Audio Origin. Looking for that EST special souce, but never at the cost of great deep and fast, tectured bass, or anything else for that matter. ;-)
When I first got my monarch mkii, I hated it. The mid bass scoop makes makes vocals (I'm a vocal head) sound thin. Male vocals take the biggest hit. I can see they are going for a "clean" type of tuning and some vocal heads will love with this though. The technicalities are pretty decent too. It's just not my favorite tuning.
Great review as always, but you could also have mentioned the Thieaudio Prestige and Prestige Ltd with especially the latter having received positive appraisal in the market as a more refined Monarch with TOTL technicalities.
Absolutely love the Prestige LTD. With some eq. It's endgame. It doesn't need any eq at all. But just a lil bit, it is truly an iem to be kept for years and years
Try to listen to Kate Bush on the Monarch 2 and then on other way more expensive iems. There isnt even a competition. The Monarch 2 give goosebumps when the others are just OK.
I must disagree here. The MMk2 still outclasses most iems worth 2-3k bucks on todays market, especially when it comes to the mids and most iems from under 1k bracket dont come even close (it even kicks the ass of the Twilight, Variations, all these Xenns iterations- easily). Ive never heard mids better than on the MMk2 and ive had/heard many way more expensive iems than this one (u12t, Odin, u4s, Mest 1, Mest 2, Mest 3, Sony z1r, Crimson, Senn ie900). I would go even farther and say that the only full sized headphone that has slightly better mids was Hifiman Susvara. Monarch 2 are in a class of its own when it comes to the mids. For me its the golden standard like the Senns hd600, close to perfection. I also disagree that the Monarch Mk3 are an upgrade- to my ears they arent and they dont have the same magical coherency in the mids as the Mk2. The bass on the Mk3 is better tho. I agree on the bass overall- nothing special, but this is the only thing i would improve and leave everything else untouched.
This is still a set i want to own at some point
Me too. But the price hurts my rear end
Mk2 used to be my favorite, but prestige ltd is their best iem so far!!
Gotta hear that one , but kinda excited for the Origin
I’m thinking about selling my monarch mk2 and the hype 2’s. I don’t really use them much as I only use a cheap set for gaming and mostly use wireless for causal music listening. The mk2 have really good verticality, better than must iem’s I’ve heard.
First of all congratulations for the channel, and now we get to the requests, I mainly listen to symphonic and jazz music, at the moment I use the Meyer Audio SLIIVO as IEM, and the Meyer Audio CKLVX, with the RU6 and M15 dongles, wanting to improve I was asking between the Oracle Original and the Oracle MK III, which one should you prefer and between the Monarch MK II and the Monarch MK III?
I am a big jazz fan myself, My picks would be the OG Oracle it's perfect thebwaybit is more mid bass would be nice but don't thonk the MK3 improved on that.
MM3 over 2 in a heartbeat was just way more engaging
Largely agree with the sentiment shared here. imo Monarch MK3 is quite the improvement over MK2 for those who like warmer mids rather than tucked mid bass.
It was definitely a huge improvement over the MK2 for me.
One more question, compared to the iems I use Myers Audio cklvi and Myers Audio sliivo, how much bigger is the shell of the monarch mk ii?
I would say or sounds about the same the MM2 is not a massively bassy IEM
Try hooking them up to the Geshelli amp I'm curious if they sound different to you. The reason I say this is when I use my Aroma A100 TB modified with four Sparkos SS 2590 op amps the Mid Bass tuck is no longer there. I believe the Geshelli uses the same. The original knock on them was that they were unforgiving to poorly recorded music and only sounded good on modern mastered tracks. Mid bass was used on music mastered for vynal because sub bass would knock the needle out of the groove. So older music sounded thin with the mid bass tuck on the Monarch's. This all changed for me with the use of dynamic power from the NP Audio modified Aroma A100TB. Give it a try on the Geshelli and let me know as Im curious if its the OP amps or the insane capacitor capacity of the Aroma. It has as much capacitor capacity as it has in battery capacity. They are S tier with dynamic power on older recordings and loose the mid bass tuck.
I believe you, my time was limited on this borrowed set , they may have really grown on me.
The og one was my favorite. The mk2, not so much. For IEMs at a high price range, I am waiting for the Aful Cantor's release.
Nice I am getting that one soon.
@@tonedeafmonk Awesome. Please review this, you're one of the few reviewers I trust 😁
Thanks. Great review again. Very interested in your take on the Oracle MKIII (with their 'reinvented' 'Isobaric' bass driver setup) and a new one on the way (with 1 BC?), the Audio Origin.
Looking for that EST special souce, but never at the cost of great deep and fast, tectured bass, or anything else for that matter. ;-)
When I first got my monarch mkii, I hated it. The mid bass scoop makes makes vocals (I'm a vocal head) sound thin. Male vocals take the biggest hit.
I can see they are going for a "clean" type of tuning and some vocal heads will love with this though. The technicalities are pretty decent too. It's just not my favorite tuning.
Same and I listen to more sets our preferences definitely get honed.
Great review as always, but you could also have mentioned the Thieaudio Prestige and Prestige Ltd with especially the latter having received positive appraisal in the market as a more refined Monarch with TOTL technicalities.
Have not heard either of the other two.
Absolutely love the Prestige LTD. With some eq. It's endgame. It doesn't need any eq at all. But just a lil bit, it is truly an iem to be kept for years and years
@S.G54321 Its on my radar for sure!
Try to listen to Kate Bush on the Monarch 2 and then on other way more expensive iems. There isnt even a competition. The Monarch 2 give goosebumps when the others are just OK.
Problem I have is I have other IEMS that do vocals so much better so I am jaded. Not the the MM2 is not good it is.
I must disagree here. The MMk2 still outclasses most iems worth 2-3k bucks on todays market, especially when it comes to the mids and most iems from under 1k bracket dont come even close (it even kicks the ass of the Twilight, Variations, all these Xenns iterations- easily).
Ive never heard mids better than on the MMk2 and ive had/heard many way more expensive iems than this one (u12t, Odin, u4s, Mest 1, Mest 2, Mest 3, Sony z1r, Crimson, Senn ie900). I would go even farther and say that the only full sized headphone that has slightly better mids was Hifiman Susvara. Monarch 2 are in a class of its own when it comes to the mids. For me its the golden standard like the Senns hd600, close to perfection.
I also disagree that the Monarch Mk3 are an upgrade- to my ears they arent and they dont have the same magical coherency in the mids as the Mk2. The bass on the Mk3 is better tho.
I agree on the bass overall- nothing special, but this is the only thing i would improve and leave everything else untouched.
Um OK 👍
Agreed, I don't see how the MK3 is an upgrade!
$1000.00 IEM 🤣😂
cheaper than heroin addiction. 😆😁
Much cheaper or so I have been told!
Try a cigar habit, makes heroin and IEM's look like childs play.