[mc whak]

This is going to be a quicky review of the Monarchy DIP mk.1.

I've owned it for about two months now. If you have an external DAC...BUY THIS!!! You can usually find them for ~$80 on audiogon.

I also bought the Monarchy 18b DAC w/ piggy-backed R2R DACs. While this product did improve the sound, it was only a slight difference (at least to me). As soon as I hooked up the DIP and popped in Radiohead's "Amnesiac"...I almost pissed myself. The clarity was astounding. It also increased the soundstage ALOT. I then put in Nirvana's "Nevermind". Nirvana has never sounded so good. Then just to check out the natural instrument side of things, I popped in some Stravinski. Wow!!! It makes me wish I really listened to classical more.

One quick note here: This was using the crappy RCA cables that come with most cheap electronics equipment. I've since upgraded to a DH Labs Silver Sonic D-75 coax cable (transport to DIP) and a Bettercables AES/EBU cable (DIP to DAC). The upgrade in cables made a slight difference (for the better), but not nearly as much as the addition of the DIP.

I'm not an audiophile by any means, so I can't describe it much better than that.

BTW - so you know, I use a Pioneer DV-333 as my transport.

 

[Wayne1]

I too, own a Monarchy DIP MK II. I believe it is a very worthwhile addition to anyone's digital front end. You might want to try changing out AC power cord. I have found that the DIP is the most sensitive piece of gear I have to power cords. When I evaluate power cables, it is usually on the DIP.
If you are at all into tweaking, the DIP is a good candidate. I have replaced the IEC with a silver-plated Switchcraft, changed the internal AC wiring to teflon coated 12 awg. Upgraded the power supply caps, changed the bridge diodes to Harris FRED and changed the digital in and outs to Canare BNC's. All of the changes have resulted in a good unit becoming even better.