Shifting to fifth gear in playing these two brothers from another mother against each other, not that there's a real competition here...2 very different takes on tuning 4xDD iems, and 2 very different price points.
TLDR: they could be amongst the most complementary sets because of their different tunings where the similarities in timbre are there. The Monachaa is tuned more top down, with more air and better, more prominent treble while still packing a low punch. The Quattro is tuned...well it's harder to describe what this tuning is, but it's certainly more bass prominent, especially in the mids. These tuning differences manifest in Monachaa having decidedly higher resolution with extended stretch into treble. Not that Quattro lacks treble, but that is not its focus, it's a more seamless listen that will rarely tickle the underside of your eye sockets with treble.
Ultimately, Monachaa seems to be an excellent, TOTL level offering at a pretty attractive price. I won't say Quattro is in that same TOTL category, but it provides just as engaging a listen as Monachaa, and I'm talking hours on end. At $400, Quattro is one of the bigger no brainers in my collection. At $2000, I'd still love to own Monachaa as it presents "that" tuning that usually costs even more, but I'll stick with my Quattro for the moment, though with several more days of listening ahead, I feel there's a distinct chance I might need 2 4xDD in my collection.
The issue isn't that my head is wide (it's actually looooong instead) but that my damaged scalp can't be touched as the skin is basically 0.1 mm thick after several 2nd degree burns. If I rub it or dry it with a towel it's open. This is a pic of 3 years ago and it probably makes clear why I don't want anything to touch that area, even though it looks much better now. But it's bathing in special scar cream 24/7 and I wouldn't want that on my headphones either.
I wanted a really nice IEM around the 1K-1.5K range tops. Something that leaned more organic and fun overall, but with relatively good technicalities across all frequencies, with the foundation being a strong well-controlled bass. The Bonneville are really good for this. Nothing else at that price point that I've heard or is out there really has me second guessing myself. But then the Dunu Glacier - those are the single damn pair making me wonder if they'd be slightly better for what I want. I really enjoyed some of the earlier Dunu when I started moving up the chain in the IEM world years back. The Dunu 2001 was like an early IEM certified a kind of high res in Japan. I absolutely loved the 3001. I remember there was one poster here who at the time was posting about listening to a number of TOTL IEM and much higher priced IEM's. He'd list his favorites out of them all, and a few times always gave an honorary mention to the Dunu 3001, saying they had a sound sig that just resonated with him still, long after he'd moved on from them. Anyway, I have fond memories of Dunu, so the Glacier is gnawing at me lol
Sucks that nobody carries them, I cant go audition them at Musicteck or Audio46 or Bloom. Canjam NYC here I come.
I wanted a really nice IEM around the 1K-1.5K range tops. Something that leaned more organic and fun overall, but with relatively good technicalities across all frequencies, with the foundation being a strong well-controlled bass. The Bonneville are really good for this. Nothing else at that price point that I've heard or is out there really has me second guessing myself. But then the Dunu Glacier - those are the single damn pair making me wonder if they'd be slightly better for what I want. I really enjoyed some of the earlier Dunu when I started moving up the chain in the IEM world years back. The Dunu 2001 was like an early IEM certified a kind of high res in Japan. I absolutely loved the 3001. I remember there was one poster here who at the time was posting about listening to a number of TOTL IEM and much higher priced IEM's. He'd list his favorites out of them all, and a few times always gave an honorary mention to the Dunu 3001, saying they had a sound sig that just resonated with him still, long after he'd moved on from them. Anyway, I have fond memories of Dunu, so the Glacier is gnawing at me lol
Sucks that nobody carries them, I cant go audition them at Musicteck or Audio46 or Bloom. Canjam NYC here I come.
On the upside, being in Philly or NYC gives you relatively easy access to demo pretty much everything else on the high end, so it could be worse. It'd be cool if there was also a cafe to hang out and try/buy gear, but I just don't know how profitable or popular it'd be. They all feel like a losing proposition these days.
On the upside, being in Philly or NYC gives you relatively easy access to demo pretty much everything else on the high end, so it could be worse. It'd be cool if there was also a cafe to hang out and try/buy gear, but I just don't know how profitable or popular it'd be. They all feel like a losing proposition these days.
This is so true and I count my blessings. I am going to my first Canjam in NYC in a few weeks. It will take me 25 minutes to get there taking mass transit. Just another little day trip, and I will be stopping at the Dunu stand with my Bonneville in tow to A/B the Glacier, and my Volur for some other comparisons at other booths.
This is so true and I count my blessings. I am going to my first Canjam in NYC in a few weeks. It will take me 25 minutes to get there taking mass transit. Just another little day trip, and I will be stopping at the Dunu stand with my Bonneville in tow to A/B the Glacier, and my Volur for some other comparisons at other booths.
Definitely. I have started a small list of some brands/IEM models I want to try. The only headphone I want to try are the Caldera, otherwise I don't want to waste my time on open ear headphones in a loud convention. Everything else will be IEM related. I'm just leaving all my credit cards at home lol I will have to sit and plan the next purchase more carefully this time.
This is so true and I count my blessings. I am going to my first Canjam in NYC in a few weeks. It will take me 25 minutes to get there taking mass transit. Just another little day trip, and I will be stopping at the Dunu stand with my Bonneville in tow to A/B the Glacier, and my Volur for some other comparisons at other booths.
Assuming there is a Kinera presence there, definitely try Verdandi as it fits both your budget and description of what you’re looking for… more musical than technical however.
Continuing my journey with the Rhapsodio Supreme V3. I gotta say I'm loving this IEM. Clarity and resolution are off the charts good. My gold plated silver adds a bit of warmth and clarity. Bass is full bodied and satisfying. There was a slight crispness and brightness to the timbre originally but that has diminished almost entirely...perhaps it will go completely as the burn in process completes. Closest comparison I make is still the Supermoon as this IEM has definite planar vibes in its tech, timbre and massive staging...though this is signifcantly better than any planar IEM I've heard. Single driver coherence and goodness is a massive boon for folks who appreciate that. Only drawback for me so far is that it does like power...but the RS8 is more than up to the challenge. Looking forward to completing burn-in and getting these out on tour.
Surprised how good this thing sounds.
I would definitely marketed N7 more aggressively as a co-flagship probably.
Despite having less power in AB compared to N8ii it has the following pros outside of DSD and tubes talks:
- much wider stage, even wider than SP3K and other flagships
- black background without hissing, not SP3K levels of black but still impressive, while N8ii could hiss noticeably in max power modes
- it drives low-impedance full-size headphones like HE1000se much better than N8ii. To be fair, not DX320 MAX levels if we talk about sub-bass rumble and mid-bass slam, but I even sometimes prefer N7 presentation to it
Surprised how good this thing sounds.
I would definitely marketed N7 more aggressively as a co-flagship probably.
Despite having less power in AB compared to N8ii it has the following pros outside of DSD and tubes talks:
- much wider stage, even wider than SP3K and other flagships
- black background without hissing, not SP3K levels of black but still impressive, while N8ii could hiss noticeably in max power modes
- it drives low-impedance full-size headphones like HE1000se much better than N8ii. To be fair, not DX320 MAX levels if we talk about sub-bass rumble and mid-bass slam, but I even sometimes prefer N7 presentation to it
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