[imacaverage]

p6 sound is ideal for monarchs: dense, with excellent control and chic mids

 

[theflyingtoad]

u12t is on the top, and even mkii cant beat it. For me, MKII still has some flaws such as bass impact, incoherency, and last but not least, fitting.

Your points on Monarch MKII reflect my experience with them and ultimately led to their sale.

 

[AnalogandDigital]

Your points on Monarch MKII reflect my experience with them and ultimately led to their sale.

Many have fitting issues it seems
Sound is personal ...

 

[theflyingtoad]

Indeed, surprisingly V16 fits like a CIEM and I can wear them much longer without any issues. And agreed, sound is personal and if y'all enjoy Monarch MKII, that's fantastic

Perhaps my unit had unit variation but once I picked up the incoherence in the mid/sub bass, I couldn't unhear it

 

[jamesofla80]

Coming from the Moondrop Variations and stepping into the MK2 I feel these are end game IEMs for me. Great resolution, imaging, coherence and synergy with my ifi gryphon.

Only issue is the fit which was the primary reason I left the variations. Currently using the small foam tips. Any suggestions on other tips for us small ear canal fellas?

 

[iFi audio]

and stepping into the MK2 I feel these are end game IEMs for me. Great resolution, imaging, coherence and synergy with my ifi gryphon.

We've heard quite a lot about these IEMs (...crinacle's work helped too ) and it's awesome to know that they work well with xDSD Gryphon. Thanks!

 

[theflyingtoad]

Coming from the Moondrop Variations and stepping into the MK2 I feel these are end game IEMs for me. Great resolution, imaging, coherence and synergy with my ifi gryphon.

Only issue is the fit which was the primary reason I left the variations. Currently using the small foam tips. Any suggestions on other tips for us small ear canal fellas?

Have you tried a shallower fit and/or a lighter cable? Can you share a little more detail on where you're having fit issues?

 

[bluecar]

New shinies in the mail today. Buying/delivery/packang all top notch. Plugged them into the Bartok and leaving them for 24hrs run before listening, but looking forward to it

 

[jamesofla80]

Have you tried a shallower fit and/or a lighter cable? Can you share a little more detail on where you're having fit issues?

I have small ear canals. The Moondrops made my ears ache no matter how small tips I went with. The Monarchs just barely comfy with the small foam tips, all other tips included cause ear ache within minutes. So trying to find another small ear tip.

Just ordered Azla Crystal and will see how they do

 

[RPKwan]

I was lucky enough to pick these up in a trade for a modded Kann Cube. Admittedly when I first tried the MkII I thought I was on the losing end, especially since the previous owner told me the reason he wanted to trade was that he felt the MKII was great but a bit boring.

So, I played around as we all do trying to pair the MKII with different gear to try and see if I could unlock its potential. To me, I always feel like if an IEM is TOTL it should be able to scale with better sources and cables (yes, I am a big believer).

I won't go into detail with all the combinations I've tried but can share some findings. Some tracks I used included FKA Twigs Pendulum, Richard Ashcroft Song for Lovers, Radiohead Present Tense and Phoebe Bridgers Motion Sickness Demo.

MKII + FiiO M17 + Norne Silvergarde 4-wire balanced cable:
-over-the-ear mode
-balanced, wide soundstage.
-airy, detailed, ethereal.
-bass has good impact but not as full as other pairings.
-guitar, violin and other string instruments standout.
-vocals abit forward and detailed

MKII + HM1000 quad + Norne Silvergarde 4-wire balanced:
-balanced, slightly warmer
-this is my favorite pairing because it's the most musical but not the most technical.
-R2R just fills in the gaps, the MKII sounds much more full and holographic.
-still has details but not the star of the show, it's more analog, great mid and subbass impact.
-vocals are intimate.

MKII + N8II + Norne Silvergarde 4-wire balanced:
-technically the best pairing.
-warmer with tube setting, more detailed with SS setting, P+, both class A and AB sound very good but I prefer Tube, P+ and High gain
-massive soundstage, holographic.
-detailed and musical, somewhere in between the HM1000 and M17.
-with this pairing I would say MKII really shows how it punches way above its weight, so much so I would question if you (I) needed to spend hundreds or thousands more for other TOTL IEMs.

Minor footnote: I have a few custom cables, one being and 8-wire that is a mix of 1950 and 1960 copper. It's normally my go-to cable for all my IEMs and it paired very well with the MkII. But after listening I felt that the Silvergarde would be better to bring out more impact and resolution. I was spot on and am so glad I played around. Now I'm hoping to get an 8-wire Silvergarde to see what else the MKII can do.

Conclusion: I've owned the Trailli, UM Fusang and other megabuck IEMs, with Fitear DC Ti and Titan in my rotation - the MKII fits and belongs in there with some of the best. With most players it sounds very balanced, maybe neutral and overall fine, but it scales incredibly well if you already have TOTL gear to bring out the best.

 

[weirdmarvelous]

Can anyone comment on their experience pairing these with a true wireless Bluetooth amp? Looking at the FiiO UTWS5 2 pin.

 

[RPKwan]

Indeed, surprisingly V16 fits like a CIEM and I can wear them much longer without any issues. And agreed, sound is personal and if y'all enjoy Monarch MKII, that's fantastic

Perhaps my unit had unit variation but once I picked up the incoherence in the mid/sub bass, I couldn't unhear it

You chose the V16 over the MKII? I'm interested to know your thoughts on how it's"better" since some reviews have the opinion that the MKII actually tops it.

 

[iDesign]

The fit issues with the Monarch Mk II are also due to the angle of the nozzle relative to the shell and the lack of a recess for the crus helix. The overall size of the monitor is a contributing factor for their poor fit but it’s hardly the only issue. My Monarch Mk II experience lasted a few hours before they were returned.

 

[AnalogandDigital]

The fit issues with the Monarch Mk II are also due to the angle of the nozzle relative to the shell and the lack of a recess for the crus helix. The overall size of the monitor is a contributing factor for their poor fit but it’s hardly the only issue. My Monarch Mk II experience lasted a few hours before they were returned.

All I see are fit issues ...

 

[theflyingtoad]

I have small ear canals. The Moondrops made my ears ache no matter how small tips I went with. The Monarchs just barely comfy with the small foam tips, all other tips included cause ear ache within minutes. So trying to find another small ear tip.

Just ordered Azla Crystal and will see how they do

Hmm, if you have small ear canals, one of the guys on their Discord has recommended the Azla Crystal TWS though I'd also recommend the BGVP W-01 which are wide bore and shallow fitting. I run the BGVP W-01s with V16 and I find it to be a nice pairing since the the deeper insertion makes the V16 feel like a CIEM.

You chose the V16 over the MKII? I'm interested to know your thoughts on how it's"better" since some reviews have the opinion that the MKII actually tops it.

Ha, let me add some more context to that...Long story short between V16 and MKII, V16 is more technical than Monarch MKII though the latter is more musical of the two. I ended up picking U12T and Dark Magician over the MKII since the MKII would be uncomfortable for extended sessions and the incoherence between the sub and mid bass was difficult to ignore once I heard it. The mids are incredible on MKII and so is the overall tonality. However, I enjoyed Dark Magician and U12T a bit more especially since I could wear them for longer sessions. V16 is a detail monster and is very source transparent in the sense that it is more sensitive to your source pairing and will reflect what feeds into it. Had the MKII not have the coherence and fit issues for me, I probably would have kept it