[hevelaoak]

Hey, @Precogvision can you please share any feedback on how Monarch Mk2 compares to the Clairvoyance (and perhaps Oracle Mk1) in terms of mids/vocals and technicalities?

I know many love the MMk2 and looking purely at how the graphs of the these compare it seems that the Clairvoyance (and perhaps Oracle Mk1) should be no worse.

Any feedback by Precog or links to his impressions and thoughts highly appreciated, thanks!

I'm not Precog but I really love Clairvoyance's tuning, perhaps more than MMKii. and I love Oracle's tuning more than both Clair & MMKii.

Oracle's midrange is lovely with just the right amount of note weight & it's quite snappy. female vocals are realistic to my ears. lower midrange is a little warm-ish which makes the overall midrange presentation luscious, though, the upper midrange can be a tad thin. the treble can be wispy and it might show a somewhat "granular" quality at a high loudness level, so, it's very ear tips dependent. ear tips with the same length & same bore width as Spinfit CP145 are recommended. I find Spinfit W1 gives the best "tactility" to the sound perhaps because of the material. oh, Oracle also has the best sense of micro-dynamic shift among them, for example, on vibratos & horn attacks.

resolution-wise, I think we all know the order. to me, MKii is like 1 time bigger in resolution than Clairvoyance & about 3 to 4 times better than Oracle.

 

[Precogvision]

Hey everyone! Here's one of the first videos from the trip. This is a visit of E-Earphones in Akihabara, Tokyo. Definitely the biggest earphone store I've visited yet and they have so much to hear there.

@Precogvision will you be reviewing the Crimson from SA? I've read some big claims. Really looking forward to this one and hoping to compare to the U12t.

So I heard this, and it's actually quite source dependent and benefits from more juice which is something I don't usually buy into. Off of the Cayin R6IIPro and a Kobo stack I heard it off of, it sounded damn good. Easily toe-to-toe with the U12t, probably better. It has a similar flavor of tuning (U-shaped) with superior bass and dynamics. Listening to the Crimson off of the Apple dongle, though, I'd probably prefer the U12t. The Crimson has some upper-treble peaks that sound noticeably smoother with more juice even if the FR technically doesn't change.

Hey, @Precogvision can you please share any feedback on how Monarch Mk2 compares to the Clairvoyance (and perhaps Oracle Mk1) in terms of mids/vocals and technicalities?

I know many love the MMk2 and looking purely at how the graphs of the these compare it seems that the Clairvoyance (and perhaps Oracle Mk1) should be no worse.

Any feedback by Precog or links to his impressions and thoughts highly appreciated, thanks!

Been too long since I've really heard them, but I don't think I have much of a preference between them. Midrange is better on the Clairvoyance if you want a smoother, thicker sound and technicalities on the Monarch MKII are better overall because it sounds thinner. Pick your poison haha

@Precogvision Do you still keep your XBA-N3 and what do you think of it these days?

Yes, I still have it. I really enjoy the tuning of it, although it's pretty intimate sounding. I'd listen to my unit more if the form factor was better (one side of mine is also a little finicky around the connector).

 

[Gromu]

Yes, I still have it. I really enjoy the tuning of it, although it's pretty intimate sounding. I'd listen to my unit more if the form factor was better (one side of mine is also a little finicky around the connector).

I use mine almost exclusively in bed because the sub-optimal form factor means that if I fall asleep, the IEM is more likely to fall out of my ear than be pushed into my ear and injure my ears. But yeah, the form factor is pretty lousy for any non-stationary use.

 

[MagicMitch]

@Precogvision off the top of your head what’s the most comfortable set that you’ve used? Does it get much better than the IE600 or should I stop looking?

 

[MudEnjoyer]

The N3 is probably the most eye opening earphone I have heard to date. Listening to it back in the day instantly changed my perception of tonality and made me regret pretty much all my past purchases including more expensive ones.

 

[kaavik47]

Hey everyone! Here's one of the first videos from the trip. This is a visit of E-Earphones in Akihabara, Tokyo. Definitely the biggest earphone store I've visited yet and they have so much to hear there.





So I heard this, and it's actually quite source dependent and benefits from more juice which is something I don't usually buy into. Off of the Cayin R6IIPro and a Kobo stack I heard it off of, it sounded damn good. Easily toe-to-toe with the U12t, probably better. It has a similar flavor of tuning (U-shaped) with superior bass and dynamics. Listening to the Crimson off of the Apple dongle, though, I'd probably prefer the U12t. The Crimson has some upper-treble peaks that sound noticeably smoother with more juice even if the FR technically doesn't change.



Been too long since I've really heard them, but I don't think I have much of a preference between them. Midrange is better on the Clairvoyance if you want a smoother, thicker sound and technicalities on the Monarch MKII are better overall because it sounds thinner. Pick your poison haha



Yes, I still have it. I really enjoy the tuning of it, although it's pretty intimate sounding. I'd listen to my unit more if the form factor was better (one side of mine is also a little finicky around the connector).

Enjoyed the video and the inside view of E-Earphones immensely. Too bad you weren't blown away by anything new that you heard (or perhaps you are saving them for another video?)...

 

[JLP415]

So I heard this, and it's actually quite source dependent and benefits from more juice which is something I don't usually buy into. Off of the Cayin R6IIPro and a Kobo stack I heard it off of, it sounded damn good. Easily toe-to-toe with the U12t, probably better. It has a similar flavor of tuning (U-shaped) with superior bass and dynamics. Listening to the Crimson off of the Apple dongle, though, I'd probably prefer the U12t. The Crimson has some upper-treble peaks that sound noticeably smoother with more juice even if the FR technically doesn't change.

Are Crimson's vocals as neutral/laid back as the U12T or slightly forward? Not many graphs of the two yet sadly lol.

 

[Smirk 24]

Are Crimson's vocals as neutral/laid back as the U12T or slightly forward? Not many graphs of the two yet sadly lol.

Crimson’s vocals are slightly more forward than U12t’s and a touch warmer.

I have graphs of both up on my squig: smirk.squig.link

 

[Rolu]

@Precogvision off the top of your head what’s the most comfortable set that you’ve used? Does it get much better than the IE600 or should I stop looking?

Pp8 and Pmx

 

[MagicMitch]

I just recently picked up a pair of PhilPhones, largely because of this thread. Anybody else try out a pair of these? The bass is out of this world for open-back. I can’t imagine it getting much better than this.

 

[Yanec]

I just recently picked up a pair of PhilPhones, largely because of this thread. Anybody else try out a pair of these? The bass is out of this world for open-back. I can’t imagine it getting much better than this.

Congrats! I am think of getting a pair myself. Really interested to read your impressions

1. How are the mids sounding? Are they feeling recessed or partially recessed?

2. Is the tuning similar to an iem like the Monarch Mk3 where you have both outstanding bass and also great mids?

3. How is the resolution on these?

4. Will a good dongle be enough to drive these?

Thanks!

 

[MagicMitch]

Congrats! I am think of getting a pair myself. Really interested to read your impressions

1. How are the mids sounding? Are they feeling recessed or partially recessed?

2. Is the tuning similar to an iem like the Monarch Mk3 where you have both outstanding bass and also great mids?

3. How is the resolution on these?

4. Will a good dongle be enough to drive these?

Thanks!

I like the mids. They don't sound recessed to me, but I'm also not the best at nitpicking details. I just listen to music lol. But there's nothing glaringly wrong with it that would make me regret my purchase, and that's all I really worried about.

The bass is amazing and it doesn't affect the mids like I thought it would. But then again audio innovation has evolved so rapidly that it's hard to find even budget sets that sound bad these days.

Honestly I've mainly been listening to electronic and hip hop since I got these, and great resolution isn't exactly a priority there. Although I did just notice the shaker for the first time in the left channel on Hotel California while I was replying to this, so there's that.

I'm waiting for my Hart Audio cable to arrive before I can try them with any dongles or mobile solutions, but I had some Schiit Fulla I forgot to sell when I got rid of all my headphones, and I only need it at about 10% with max volume on Windows and iTunes before I hit my comfortable listening levels. I know for a fact I won't have any issues using it with a 2.5mm termination on my Qudelix 5K, but that's a bit more expensive than a typical dongle.

 

[BokTroy]

I just recently picked up a pair of PhilPhones, largely because of this thread. Anybody else try out a pair of these? The bass is out of this world for open-back. I can’t imagine it getting much better than this.

I got to try @Zerousen personal pair at CanJam SoCal last year. Ya, absolutely insane bass. The only transducer that I'vs tried that I think comes close I think comes close is the IER-Z1R, imo.

 

[MagicMitch]

I got to try @Zerousen personal pair at CanJam SoCal last year. Ya, absolutely insane bass. The only transducer that I'vs tried that I think comes close I think comes close is the IER-Z1R, imo.

I think the FatFreq stuff is as good now with better mids than the Sony. But god damn the Maestro SE was the most uncomfortable earphones I’ve used in a hot minute. No vent so ear pressure sucked after only 15-20 minutes for me and the shape itself just hurt my ear.

 

[BokTroy]

I think the FatFreq stuff is as good now with better mids than the Sony. But god damn the Maestro SE was the most uncomfortable earphones I’ve used in a hot minute. No vent so ear pressure sucked after only 15-20 minutes for me and the shape itself just hurt my ear.

I thought about mentioning the FatFreq stuff but it's a different kind of good if that makes sense. But ya, the SE is my least favorite of the Maestro lineup but I really do like them all. Aside from the fit, the SE also didn't have the upper treble that Minis and Grand Maestro have.