Empire Ears - Discussion & Impressions (Formerly EarWerkz)
Feb 5, 2024 at 9:09 AM Post #40,066 of 41,335
https://eliseaudio.com/products/thieaudio-monarch-mkiii

That‘s the most bass heavy IEM I own, in comparison to Odyssey, SE846 and a few others. It does it without even muddling the other frequencies. I use it as a daily driver when commuting, like you said a fun IEM for out & about and not for critical listening.

In the end, a good seal and tips matter a lot too so make sure you get that right. Mk3 being much smaller in comparison to modern multi driver IEMs fits snugly and flush against my ears (not that big btw).

I also noticed you said VE EXT. I assume this is not for the bass, but more as a complimentary set. Just be aware that it has a weird fit where it goes all the way in your ears and for a lot of people it starts hurting after a while. Many have sold their EXT because of that. I still have mine even though I don’t use it that often.
Thanks for the help & rec really appreciate it👍
I have looked at Monarch MK3 but are just out of my price range!
I think I've settled on the Bravado MK2 but really appreciate your time & help thank you👍
 
Feb 5, 2024 at 12:01 PM Post #40,067 of 41,335
It seems my Ravens will finally land on Wednesday :)
 
Feb 5, 2024 at 10:32 PM Post #40,068 of 41,335
e earphone has the ravens for demo here in tokyo
 

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Feb 5, 2024 at 10:54 PM Post #40,069 of 41,335
Just got my Raven launch edition and what I can say is wow! Absolutely phenomenal sound!

I am still in the honeymoon phase of course but to me the tuning is fantastic. Very energetic and enjoyable. Bass slams hard but the mids and treble are just as fantastic.

To me it's kinda like my Utopia OG mids and highs with my LCD 3 lows. In other words, my dream tuning.

It's absolutely amazing to me the sound coming out of these. Better than most headphones I have heard.
 
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Feb 6, 2024 at 9:40 AM Post #40,070 of 41,335
Just got my Raven launch edition and what I can say is wow! Absolutely phenomenal sound!

I am still in the honeymoon phase of course but to me the tuning is fantastic. Very energetic and enjoyable. Bass slams hard but the mids and treble are just as fantastic.

To me it's kinda like my Utopia OG mids and highs with my LCD 3 lows. In other words, my dream tuning.

It's absolutely amazing to me the sound coming out of these. Better than most headphones I have heard.
Congrats !

May I ask you to mention something that almost everyone here seems to not mention? The source used - DAP, DAC, AMP etc. This would help better to understand why your Raven sounds the way it does and also help with choosing the right pairing.
 
Feb 6, 2024 at 10:58 AM Post #40,071 of 41,335
Congrats !

May I ask you to mention something that almost everyone here seems to not mention? The source used - DAP, DAC, AMP etc. This would help better to understand why your Raven sounds the way it does and also help with choosing the right pairing.
I am using a Sony WM1AM2 or my Mac into an RME ADI-2 DAC FS. Sounds great with both.
 
Feb 6, 2024 at 8:42 PM Post #40,072 of 41,335
My standard Ravens landed today.

First thing really like the matte finish. Looks a lot better than the intial pictures (bye micro scratches).They're also fairly fingerprint resistant. The mirror finish LE also had a weird thing of condensation forming when my fingers where near it. No issue at all.

Sockets slightly tighter that my LE.

Oh how I missed the BCD!
 
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Feb 7, 2024 at 3:32 AM Post #40,073 of 41,335
My standard Ravens landed today.

First thing really like the matte finish. Looks a lot better than the intial pictures (bye micro scratches).They're also fairly fingerprint resistant. The mirror finish LE also had a weird thing of condensation forming when my fingers where near it. No issue at all.

Sockets slightly tighter that my LE.

Oh how I missed the BCD!
Interesting about the tighter sockets! I know there shouldn’t be, but do you notice any differences in sound? … we need some more photos of the Matte black version (wink wink :wink:
 
Feb 7, 2024 at 1:33 PM Post #40,074 of 41,335
Interesting about the tighter sockets! I know there shouldn’t be, but do you notice any differences in sound? … we need some more photos of the Matte black version (wink wink :wink:
I need to put up some more head banging stuff to confirm, but I not not noticing anything different so far.

Will probably put up pics when my knee is better. Sprained my knee during a road rage incident over the weekend and I've been most lying on a sofa last few days
 
Feb 7, 2024 at 2:37 PM Post #40,075 of 41,335
Interesting about the tighter sockets! I know there shouldn’t be, but do you notice any differences in sound? … we need some more photos of the Matte black version (wink wink :wink:
i had gloss black in V1which was replaced with this matte version. Difference is minor in appearance
 

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Feb 7, 2024 at 7:26 PM Post #40,077 of 41,335
Feb 8, 2024 at 12:34 AM Post #40,079 of 41,335
Feb 8, 2024 at 7:36 PM Post #40,080 of 41,335
My 2 cents worth: LX reigns in terms of bass shelf (quantity) and I hear more apparent differences with various cable pairings. Perhaps a second hand LX can be obtained within your budget but I’m just guessing, I’ve not checked classifieds.
+1 for the Legend X.

I haven’t checked them out in any detail but on the recent classifieds there were a couple of sets going for around the $800 price range. Assuming they were in decent condition I’d call that a good deal.
 

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