[RIGATIO]

So first only a short report because I don't have time at the moment because I'm flying to Langkawi tomorrow morning.
The EXT are amazing!!! At least to my ears. They sound like something analog. Timbre, soundstage and that divine bass!!! Totally structured and you can hear the instruments totally clearly. Double bass, bass guitar or whatever. Just awesome. I'm totally screwed. I have to have it!!! And those voices!!! full of emotions The best I've heard so far. Also this detail resolution. Very nice but never annoying. Everything is just right. The bass is just right for me, not too much as it is very detailed. Fits in very well with the sound. So is dominant but it fits with the midrange and the very good Est implanted tweeters. So Mest MKII, Monarch MKII don't stand a chance against the VE EXT to my ears. Perfect combination with the M8. Absolute purchase recommendation!!! For all genres. Queen Live at Wembley was so awesome with the EXT. Or Dire Straits, Pink Floyd. Clapton unplugged. Just WOOW!!!

Hmm, Crinacle has ranked them on A- tuning and A- technicalities, waaay below the Monarchs 2 which are nr1 on his list. I believe you that they sound amazing but my experience with crinacles list is that i ranked everything I've heard almost exactly the same as he did.
I did an extended comparisons of Mests 1 and 2 vs the Monarchs Mk2 and the Monarchs did win again. He ranked the Mests on A+ and I would put them in this spot as well.
But that's just me

 

[German Expat in Vietnam]

Hmm, Crinacle has ranked them on A- tuning and A- technicalities, waaay below the Monarchs 2 which are nr1 on his list. I believe you that they sound amazing but my experience with crinacles list is that i ranked everything I've heard almost exactly the same as he did.
I did an extended comparisons of Mests 1 and 2 vs the Monarchs Mk2 and the Monarchs did win again. He ranked the Mests on A+ and I would put them in this spot as well.
But that's just me

It may be that Criancle rates the Monarch MK2 higher. But for my listening taste, the EXT are way ahead. The whole sound is much more lively, the bass is way better and the Est tweeters are damn well integrated. The sound is really awesome. So if you like a warm analog authentic sound and I think we all do. That's why we all have the M8 and don't give it away. The VE EXT a fantastic choice. And I don't pay much attention to all the applications. You never know how much the companies will pay the testers or give any bonus. All I can say is listen for yourself if you can. Anyway, I like the EXT better than anything I've heard. The Oriolus Szalayi wasn't bad, but the EXT is in a class of its own. And I like the sound of the EXT in all areas much better than the Monarch MKII. So much better than IT07 compared to Monarch MKII. But that's my opinion. Sorry EXT is world class for me with M8.

 

[German Expat in Vietnam]

@ Rigatio Try to hear the EXT as a demo. You will absolutely be amazed by the sound of the mood and the timbre. The EXT renders everything so beautifully. Try it

 

[RIGATIO]

@ Rigatio Try to hear the EXT as a demo. You will absolutely be amazed by the sound of the mood and the timbre. The EXT renders everything so beautifully. Try it

The Thieaudio Prestige seems to have quite similar graph. Would really like to listen to the EXT but i don't think I'm willing to spend 3k euros anytime soon hah.
Also I'm not sure if you have the Monarch on hand but comparing two iems A/B would give you more precise impressions. But glad that u found your perfect iems! You already have your perfect source

 

[German Expat in Vietnam]

The Thieaudio Prestige seems to have quite similar graph. Would really like to listen to the EXT but i don't think I'm willing to spend 3k euros anytime soon hah.
Also I'm not sure if you have the Monarch on hand but comparing two iems A/B would give you more precise impressions. But glad that u found your perfect iems! You already have your perfect source

I no longer have the Monarch MK2. With the DX320 it was ok as it softened the upper mids a bit. But with the M8 I found it too boring and sold it. To be honest, the Oriolus Szalayi was too smooth for me in all areas. The EXT is spot on. Very very good in the bass range, midrange totally great. Not too smooth but with corners and edges. Very good. And the intensity of the voices. And everything sounds so alive and structured. Incredible. For me perfect. And Rigatio we've known each other for a while. The start was with DX300. And you know I've tested many IEMs. We have the same taste in sound and I think you will love EXT as much as the M8. But yeah it's a lot of money.

 

[RIGATIO]

I no longer have the Monarch MK2. With the DX320 it was ok as it softened the upper mids a bit. But with the M8 I found it too boring and sold it. To be honest, the Oriolus Szalayi was too smooth for me in all areas. The EXT is spot on. Very very good in the bass range, midrange totally great. Not too smooth but with corners and edges. Very good. And the intensity of the voices. And everything sounds so alive and structured. Incredible. For me perfect. And Rigatio we've known each other for a while. The start was with DX300. And you know I've tested many IEMs. We have the same taste in sound and I think you will love EXT as much as the M8. But yeah it's a lot of money.

I've heard the Elysian Anniholator which is over 3.5k bucks and honestly i preferred the Monarchs to it. The Annihilator was really amazing but i felt the treble was pushed bit too much for my liking. Still i haven't found anything more natural and "human" sounding than the Monarchs 2. But like everything in this hobby, it's all subjective.

 

[German Expat in Vietnam]

Try to hear your M8 with EXT. The price is in Germany 2600 euro

 

[RIGATIO]

Try to hear your M8 with EXT. The price is in Germany 2600 euro

Ok ive had a short listen with my friends EXT (a great guy who also has the Odin).
Well i didnt like them as much as the Monarchs. They are great, the love can be expected here, completely understand you.
But.. the bass- just too much mid bass. Mids are good but the real problem for me starts with the treble area. Just too much, too unnaturaly boosted. They are smooth and beautiful but the stood out too much for me, making the sound unnatural overall.
I would say that the EXT is technically great but not great in tuning.
With the Monarchs i feel like im at home after a long journey
Just my 2 cents.

 

[German Expat in Vietnam]

Ok ive had a short listen with my friends EXT (a great guy who also has the Odin).
Well i didnt like them as much as the Monarchs. They are great, the love can be expected here, completely understand you.
But.. the bass- just too much mid bass. Mids are good but the real problem for me starts with the treble area. Just too much, too unnaturaly boosted. They are smooth and beautiful but the stood out too much for me, making the sound unnatural overall.
I would say that the EXT is technically great but not great in tuning.
With the Monarchs i feel like im at home after a long journey
Just my 2 cents.

Tastes are different too. As I said, the last time I heard the Monarch MKII was with the DX320 and that was more than half a year ago. I only had the IT 07 in comparison. Maybe that's why I was so overwhelmed by the EXT. I didn't find the highs annoying. Nor did they tend to hiss. Maybe I should listen to Monarch MK2 again with the M8.

 

[RIGATIO]

Tastes are different too. As I said, the last time I heard the Monarch MKII was with the DX320 and that was more than half a year ago. I only had the IT 07 in comparison. Maybe that's why I was so overwhelmed by the EXT. I didn't find the highs annoying. Nor did they tend to hiss. Maybe I should listen to Monarch MK2 again with the M8.

I will never say that the EXT is bad. Quite the opposite, they are really really good, thats why i wrote that your love for them is justified in my ears, no offence here
But in a A/B comparison they fall short vs the Monarchs 2. The IT07 was good (sold them already) and i get why you love the EXT when compared to the 07 (i remember IBasso well).
But the Monarchs are for me the best iems/headphones ive came across and ive heard many last year. I wouldnt repurchase them if they werent soo good. They ROCK! But you also need to love this kind of presentation- neutral, natural, very true to the recording. Everything else sounded off for me.

 

[RIGATIO]

Tastes are different too. As I said, the last time I heard the Monarch MKII was with the DX320 and that was more than half a year ago. I only had the IT 07 in comparison. Maybe that's why I was so overwhelmed by the EXT. I didn't find the highs annoying. Nor did they tend to hiss. Maybe I should listen to Monarch MK2 again with the M8.

And i also didnt find the EXT hights annoying or sharp. I wrote that they were beautiful but just too much, too unnatural. I dont hear so much trebles when listen to the music live. As i wrote, they are great technically but the tuning isnt the most natural due to the tonal balance imperfection.

 

[German Expat in Vietnam]

I will never say that the EXT is bad. Quite the opposite, they are really really good, thats why i wrote that your love for them is justified in my ears, no offence here
But in a A/B comparison they fall short vs the Monarchs 2. The IT07 was good (sold them already) and i get why you love the EXT when compared to the 07 (i remember IBasso well).
But the Monarchs are for me the best iems/headphones ive came across and ive heard many last year. I wouldnt repurchase them if they werent soo good. They ROCK! But you also need to love this kind of presentation- neutral, natural, very true to the recording. Everything else sounded off for me.

The Monarch as far as I remember with the DX320 were very good, neutral in all areas. But also a bit boring. The EXT has a higher fun factor for me. EXT goes in such a direction that you immediately start tapping your feet. At least I think so.

 

[RIGATIO]

The Monarch as far as I remember with the DX320 were very good, neutral in all areas. But also a bit boring. The EXT has a higher fun factor for me. EXT goes in such a direction that you immediately start tapping your feet. At least I think so.

I agree, i had similar first impression that lasted... 2 min Then there was no come back from the Monarchs for me.
There is also one thing to mention- while im not a cable believer, the cable swapping with the Monarch does make a difference. The stock is ok but since i have the ISN G4, the Monarchs became so alive, engaging and real, still keeping their tonal balance. The hights arent just precise, they bacame more textured and weighty, the bass gained more textures and depth, the mids became even more natural and the soundstage has a very black background, everything is soo vivid and alive. But still even less sharp peaks, more realistic timbre and overall presentation. The difference isnt huge but is audible and on this level, it can make big difference.
Also the tips- i dont use stock tips anymore, i use the silicone tips from Hook X and they sound way better. I also ordered Azla sedna earfit which i tried and they sounded even slighlty better. They will come in 2 weeks.

 

[RIGATIO]

And coming back to the M8. I visited my cousin, he has some very expensive stationary rig- expensive turn table, tube amplifier and an expensive speakers from Cabasse. His stack didnt sound exceptional until we connected the M8 as a source (line out). Gosh it did come alive to the degree that hes now in a search for a source with the same dacs. Everyone fell in love with the M8. What a great source! His turn table didnt sound as good.

 

[German Expat in Vietnam]

I agree, i had similar first impression that lasted... 2 min Then there was no come back from the Monarchs for me.
There is also one thing to mention- while im not a cable believer, the cable swapping with the Monarch does make a difference. The stock is ok but since i have the ISN G4, the Monarchs became so alive, engaging and real, still keeping their tonal balance. The hights arent just precise, they bacame more textured and weighty, the bass gained more textures and depth, the mids became even more natural and the soundstage has a very black background, everything is soo vivid and alive. But still even less sharp peaks, more realistic timbre and overall presentation. The difference isnt huge but is audible and on this level, it can make big difference.
Also the tips- i dont use stock tips anymore, i use the silicone tips from Hook X and they sound way better. I also ordered Azla sedna earfit which i tried and they sounded even slighlty better. They will come in 2 weeks.

The Monarch's original cable is terrible. I had them sharpened back then with the Satin Audio Athena and Azla Xelastec. But with the DX320. And as you know, after the first software update, I didn't find the iBasso's sound signature any good at all. In my opinion, iBasso ruined the sound with that. Even after the 3rd or even 4th update, the sound was never the same as it was with the original software. I will listen to the Monarch again with the M8.