[HiFiHawaii808]

Are there different MMCX connectors?

I bought a Dunu Hulk Pro MMCX cable to pair with my IE900. It won't connect to the IE900, but it does work with my Sony IER-M9. Can anyone provide some info?

Has anyone bought an upgrade cable or the Sennheiser IE900?

 

[tgx78]

Ok, if I could only point out one of the Monarch mkii’s virtues, the one I’d choose would be the earphones’ exquisitely balanced tonality. This is followed closely by how entire frequency range displays equally fast, highly transparent, and extremely resolving sound top to bottom yet somehow manages to sound effortless and natural at the same time (it never hits the listener with the sort of enforced sense of detail that ultimately proves fatiguing over time like Odin or RS10 does for example).

I listened to the first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ by Martin Helmchen and marvelled at the achingly beautiful purity of both the Piano and accompanying orchestra which conveyed a profound sense of reverence as this haunting piece of romantic classical music was performed. But what also added to the experience was hearing the deep and powerful, but also very well controlled and clean sound of the lower register of Piano. Here mkII’s new upgraded bass driver’s better transient behavior and higher resolution became apparent.

Tracks with potent low and mid-bass, such as the low percussion heard in the ‘Passing By’ by Zero 7 also showed how effective the mkII’s higher mid-bass crossover point can be at increasing bass impact as well as effectively reducing excess lower mids leanness that plagued the OG Monarch.

Are there caveats? Well, two would be the IEM’s size and price, both of which may prove daunting to would-be owners.

Also tuning wise, mkii doesn’t have the lower mid-range warmth and fullness (or coloration, depending on your point of view) of more down-sloping IEMs like Andromeda or VE’s offerings.

 

[jwilliamhurst]

Ok, if I could only point out one of the Monarch mkii’s virtues, the one I’d choose would be the earphones’ exquisitely balanced tonality. This is followed closely by how entire frequency range displays equally fast, highly transparent, and extremely resolving sound top to bottom yet somehow manages to sound effortless and natural at the same time (it never hits the listener with the sort of enforced sense of detail that ultimately proves fatiguing over time like Odin or RS10 does for example).

I listened to the first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ by Martin Helmchen and marvelled at the achingly beautiful purity of both the Piano and accompanying orchestra which conveyed a profound sense of reverence as this haunting piece of romantic classical music was performed. But what also added to the experience was hearing the deep and powerful, but also very well controlled and clean sound of the lower register of Piano. Here mkII’s new upgraded bass driver’s better transient behavior and higher resolution became apparent.

Tracks with potent low and mid-bass, such as the low percussion heard in the ‘Passing By’ by Zero 7 also showed how effective the mkII’s higher mid-bass crossover point can be at increasing bass impact as well as effectively reducing excess lower mids leanness that plagued the OG Monarch.

Are there caveats? Well, two would be the IEM’s size and price, both of which may prove daunting to would-be owners.

Also tuning wise, mkii doesn’t have the lower mid-range warmth and fullness (or coloration, depending on your point of view) of more down-sloping IEMs like Andromeda or VE’s offerings.

Wonderful impressions!!

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Ok, if I could only point out one of the Monarch mkii’s virtues, the one I’d choose would be the earphones’ exquisitely balanced tonality. This is followed closely by how entire frequency range displays equally fast, highly transparent, and extremely resolving sound top to bottom yet somehow manages to sound effortless and natural at the same time (it never hits the listener with the sort of enforced sense of detail that ultimately proves fatiguing over time like Odin or RS10 does for example).

I listened to the first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ by Martin Helmchen and marvelled at the achingly beautiful purity of both the Piano and accompanying orchestra which conveyed a profound sense of reverence as this haunting piece of romantic classical music was performed. But what also added to the experience was hearing the deep and powerful, but also very well controlled and clean sound of the lower register of Piano. Here mkII’s new upgraded bass driver’s better transient behavior and higher resolution became apparent.

Tracks with potent low and mid-bass, such as the low percussion heard in the ‘Passing By’ by Zero 7 also showed how effective the mkII’s higher mid-bass crossover point can be at increasing bass impact as well as effectively reducing excess lower mids leanness that plagued the OG Monarch.

Are there caveats? Well, two would be the IEM’s size and price, both of which may prove daunting to would-be owners.

Also tuning wise, mkii doesn’t have the lower mid-range warmth and fullness (or coloration, depending on your point of view) of more down-sloping IEMs like Andromeda or VE’s offerings.

The thing I did not mention in my early impressions is for a tribrid, the Monarch mkii is remarkably coherent and does not have thin treble like other tribrids. Coupled with its nice tuning, it does well with music genre requiring a balanced sound across the frequency range. This contributes to its strenghts as a monitor for classical music and Jazz.

 

[tgx78]

The thing I did not mention in my early impressions is for a tribrid, the Monarch mkii is remarkably coherent and does not have thin treble like other tribrids. Coupled with its nice tuning, it does well with music genre requiring a balanced sound across the frequency range. This contributes to its strenghts as a monitor for classical music and Jazz.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

The Monarch mkii pairs best with the RU6 in my sources. I normally prefer my DX300, but in this case, the treble of the RU6 has more synergy with the mkii and really makes it come alive and giving it lots of treble air and expands the sound stage. Imaging and instrument separation are excellent. I am going to get an RS6 because of the RU6. R2R dacs have great natural sound.

 

[tgx78]

I started out tonight by comparing the timbre of Traillii, U12T, FD7, Zen Pro, Monarch mkii and Timeless. But ended up listening to the Monarch mkii exclusively for last 4 hours periodically glancing at my calculator.

 

[gLer]

Please do not shoot me but I was thinking again.

Every IEM that is good just good, when a lot of people hear it they say best ever, so incredible, than time ticks on, and it is placed below the next one that they hear for the first time.

I think it has to do with getting bored, who knows the psychology at work here of the unobtainium myth and how close some of these sets are to that on first listen, and why it never seems to last.
With exception to Trailli and a handful of other sets.

Starts as a slow retraction, followed by defining the short comings, followed by complete dismissal to the past.

This! It's a never-ending cycle, but when you're caught inside and are always looking for the next 'dopamine hit', it's sometimes difficult to break out of it. This is why, in the cold light of day, there are just a handful of IEMs that have stood the test of time, that don't lose their shine after the dopamine fades, that even if you sell them and move on, you're always thinking about and often repurchase. For me, I went though that cycle with headphones, and have spent the better part of two years doing the same with IEMs. Thankfully (for me) the great IEMs I've discovered means I can be very selective in what piques my interest nowadays.

Hope probably has to do with it as well. You hope to find something truly amazing and really want to believe in it. Not only for yourself but also to somehow help the community with your impressions. So first you focus on albums that you think would sound glorious on it. It confirmed what you believed, and you report accordingly. Then you slowly start to run into albums that make you go hmm... And not to waste any time you report. It probably takes a full week to come to grips with what you have bought, all the ups and downs it took you through, and accept her as a partner. Or you reject, seek for divorce, and put her up at the classifieds.

drftr

One of the most astute summaries I've read on this topic. Spot on! As above, you know you're onto something very special when a week then a month goes by and you're still just as excited to pick up your IEMs for a listen as you were on day one.

The thing is things will always be changing, evolving and improving and so the only way to really stop is just draw a line in the sand, walk away from the forum & community and be happy with what you have in spite of the fact that there will come a time sooner than later when it won't be the best thing going anymore. I could have walked away a few times and been totally happy. It's the promise of the "next best thing" and excitement of the new (and probably dopamine addiction too) that keeps me coming back. I'm pretty sure I would not have been as active in this hobby the last couple years were it not for the pandemic and everything that's gone along with it.

I get this but I don't think you have to walk away from the community. I've been happily standing around this Watercooler with absolutely no interest in trying out any of the wonderful new IEMs you guys are enjoying, but thoroughly enjoying the experience along with you nonetheless. I've been around long enough now to recognise most of the traits in these new IEMs from those I've heard before, whether they be similar or just a variation on a theme. The passion shown on here is infectious, as are some of the music discoveries. When you get to a place where you can enjoy mingling and talking gear without ever wondering how it compares to the gear you own and love, that's a really good place to be.

Spoiler: What worked for me (a long-winded muse)

What worked for me (which won't work for everyone, and I've admittedly been very fortunate in my journey) is - having waded up the river from budget to midrange to high-end - getting to then experience the 'best of the best', the IEMs that everyone knows by name or reputation, and which represent the 'state of the art' for many experienced listeners. Fourte, Legend X, Traillii - in the sphere of the type of sound and music I enjoy, these were and remain among the trendsetters. They epitomise what's possible when you're only talking performance, irrespective of budget. This doesn't mean they're the best for everyone, far from it, but they're the 'bar' that others are measured against. There are others of course: Ely, Erlky, Odin, Z1R, Thummim, A18s...all sat on the pantheon of what many in the hobby 'aspire' to hear, if not own one day. Like I say, this is what worked for me, and I don't expect it to work for everyone, nor even interest some people. And I often find myself recommending people DON'T follow this path, because once you know what the 'best' sounds like, it potentially diminishes the enjoyment of what you have, especially if it's not financially realistic or even possible to obtain one of these flagships. So instead I advise people learn to better know themselves and what they enjoy, and then find those joys in what you have, not what you think you want.

Are there different MMCX connectors?

I bought a Dunu Hulk Pro MMCX cable to pair with my IE900. It won't connect to the IE900, but it does work with my Sony IER-M9. Can anyone provide some info?

Has anyone bought an upgrade cable or the Sennheiser IE900?

Yes. IE 900 has recessed MMCX connectors. It's part of the design. It's one of the reasons I ConXed my DJ Cardas cable, because ConX MMCX works perfectly with the IE 900. Brise also makes IE 900-compatible cables. To be honest though, I've gone back to the stock cable as it's the most comfortable and sounds perfect, despite some slight microphonics.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Yes. IE 900 has recessed MMCX connectors. It's part of the design. It's one of the reasons I ConXed my DJ Cardas cable, because ConX MMCX works perfectly with the IE 900. Brise also makes IE 900-compatible cables. To be honest though, I've gone back to the stock cable as it's the most comfortable and sounds perfect, despite some slight microphonics.

Thank you. I am going to ConX this Dunu cable. It's decent, not great. The lightning dongle is a bust. It doesn't sound good at all. Good idea, but it's still just an Apple dongle with a DAC in the connector. To be honest, the Monarch mkii cable is way better. If Linsoul sells this cable separately, I might pick another one up.

edited to note: Wow. Linsoul does sell it separately. It's only $89. This is the best sub $100 cable I've ever had.

 

[feverfive]

^^PlusSound also offers MMCX that will work for the IE 300/900; it is in their menu of options you can choose from. I bought a X6 Series cable from them a few months ago and the IE900-specific MMCX connectors fit perfectly.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I started out tonight by comparing the timbre of Traillii, U12T, FD7, Zen Pro, Monarch mkii and Timeless. But ended up listening to the Monarch mkii exclusively for last 4 hours periodically glancing at my calculator.

I thought I was going to be the only one who thought the Monarch mkii was any good. Glad to see others liking it, too. I've been listening to it a lot tonight. Listening to al sorts of Jazz and it really excels with this genre, especially big band Jazz. Playing my Maynard Ferguson playlist and the instrument separation is spectacular. I can hear every instrument. In Birdland, I heard the baritone sax playing in unison with the bass and I never heard that before. It's a great analytical monitor in addition to having great tuning, balance and coherence.

 

[gazzington]

You have the Terra player? What's it like?

The Tera player sounds fantastic but you have to use wav files and it only sounds good with certain iems and earbuds. Sounds fantastic with porta pros as thats what the designer set out to use them with!

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Just switched to Odin and Odin has much better timbre, bass response and resolution. Odin is still a better monitor than Monarch mkii. Monarch has better coherence and slightly better tuning.

The RU6 is a magical DAC/AMP. It fixes a lot of the issues I had with Odin's treble.

 

[davidmolliere]

While I am here, DHL rocks, Timeless is out for delivery today
Not that I am at loss for gear

I thought I was going to be the only one who thought the Monarch mkii was any good. Glad to see others liking it, too. I've been listening to it a lot tonight. Listening to al sorts of Jazz and it really excels with this genre, especially big band Jazz. Playing my Maynard Ferguson playlist and the instrument separation is spectacular. I can hear every instrument. In Birdland, I heard the baritone sax playing in unison with the bass and I never heard that before. It's a great analytical monitor in addition to having great tuning, balance and coherence.

Granted, there are some gems in the segment : I know I highly value Penon Volt, Tansio Mirai Spark and Penon Legend was the surprise of this end of year one of the very rare all BA IEM that has superb timbre... latest ultra high drivers are pretty suprising although you won't ever get as fast transients as EST.

Surprised ThieAudio didn't go 4EST as it's really one notch up from 2EST array in my experience.
But as usual, tuning is of the essence... wonder if they do custom like Penon and Tansio do...

 

[gLer]

I thought I was going to be the only one who thought the Monarch mkii was any good. Glad to see others liking it, too. I've been listening to it a lot tonight. Listening to al sorts of Jazz and it really excels with this genre, especially big band Jazz. Playing my Maynard Ferguson playlist and the instrument separation is spectacular. I can hear every instrument. In Birdland, I heard the baritone sax playing in unison with the bass and I never heard that before. It's a great analytical monitor in addition to having great tuning, balance and coherence.

How would you rate it on a scale with Odin, EVO, Z1R, IE 900 and Traillii?