[Noobzilla]

Finally got back home from Japan and just had time to listen to my new used Mkii's with Chord Mojo and RME ADI-2 FS instead of the Qudelix 5K that I brought with me to Japan. I knew I wanted to try out some IEM's but I totally wasn't expecting to buy one. I battled the Mkii against my headphones too and I hate to admit that I slightly prefer this IEM overall because I can hear micro details better and I like the intimate sound. The bass is better on my headphones, but the Mkii is sufficient. I haven't tried wearing the IEM for more than an hour though so no verdict on comfort yet. Overall, I'd say that given my knowledge and experience now.. if I were to do a start-over I'd keep the Mojo + Mkii. Get both used for $1000 or less total and call it done.

 

[RIGATIO]

Finally got back home from Japan and just had time to listen to my new used Mkii's with Chord Mojo and RME ADI-2 FS instead of the Qudelix 5K that I brought with me to Japan. I knew I wanted to try out some IEM's but I totally wasn't expecting to buy one. I battled the Mkii against my headphones too and I hate to admit that I slightly prefer this IEM overall because I can hear micro details better and I like the intimate sound. The bass is better on my headphones, but the Mkii is sufficient. I haven't tried wearing the IEM for more than an hour though so no verdict on comfort yet. Overall, I'd say that given my knowledge and experience now.. if I were to do a start-over I'd keep the Mojo + Mkii. Get both used for $1000 or less total and call it done.

This is how you buy audio guys- a very smart move to go for a used market and a very smart choice of products.
I hope you are aware that your "budget" setup is practically an end game portable rig?
Ive heard the Mojo with the Mk2 and it was very good, not as good as my previous Shanling M8 which i compared the Mojo with but good enough. The Monarchs Mk2 did most of the amazing job. But u can buy a used M8 for 850 bucks now.

 

[JoshG1217]

Mynset is up for sale: https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/thieaudio-mkiii-for-sale.56010/

 

[Noobzilla]

This is how you buy audio guys- a very smart move to go for a used market and a very smart choice of products.
I hope you are aware that your "budget" setup is practically an end game portable rig?
Ive heard the Mojo with the Mk2 and it was very good, not as good as my previous Shanling M8 which i compared the Mojo with but good enough. The Monarchs Mk2 did most of the amazing job. But u can buy a used M8 for 850 bucks now.

Yup! Portable high end which is a huge bonus too.

 

[RIGATIO]

If you like Monarch Mk2 but you miss a bit of an excitement and musicality, i very highly recommend Softears Twilight. Its easly the best single DD on the market right now.
Its very similarly tuned to the MMk2 in 2-8k but has even smoother and slightly more even treble response (actually the smoothest trebles ive ever heard on an iem and maybe headphone ever).
The main difference is in midbass where the Twilight give an amazing punch, body and musicality.
The MMk2 is very slightly more detailed in higher mids but the Twilight is maybe just half step below which still makes it a very detailed iem.
The main qualities of the Twilight are a life like timbre, liquid, organic and smooth sound and very wide and spacious soundstage.
I have them for 4 days now and just cant take them out of my ears and cant wait to wake up next day to start to listen to them. This says a lot.
My u12t are in a box since then and when i pull them out to compare to the Twilight, they go back to the box after a few minutes lol.
I just love single DD naturalness and coherency.

 

[JoshG1217]

If you like Monarch Mk2 but you miss a bit of an excitement and musicality, i very highly recommend Softears Twilight. Its easly the best single DD on the market right now.
Its very similarly tuned to the MMk2 in 2-8k but has even smoother and slightly more even treble response (actually the smoothest trebles ive ever heard on an iem and maybe headphone ever).
The main difference is in midbass where the Twilight give an amazing punch, body and musicality.
The MMk2 is very slightly more detailed in higher mids but the Twilight is maybe just half step below which still makes it a very detailed iem.
The main qualities of the Twilight are a life like timbre, liquid, organic and smooth sound and very wide and spacious soundstage.
I have them for 4 days now and just cant take them out of my ears and cant wait to wake up next day to start to listen to them. This says a lot.
My u12t are in a box since then and when i pull them out to compare to the Twilight, they go back to the box after a few minutes lol.
I just love single DD naturalness and coherency.

Are you still liking the Beyer Xelento as well? I really like the monarch mkiii, but with already have the mkii and the prestige, it feels redundant for me. If I could only have 1 pair, that would be the one as it is more of an all arounder, but the prestige is my basshead set, and the mkii is my mid range set. If I am missing a set, it would be a treble head set with a bit more air, so letting the mkiii go. Or, I will keep it and sell the other 2. Haha

 

[RIGATIO]

Are you still liking the Beyer Xelento as well? I really like the monarch mkiii, but with already have the mkii and the prestige, it feels redundant for me. If I could only have 1 pair, that would be the one as it is more of an all arounder, but the prestige is my basshead set, and the mkii is my mid range set. If I am missing a set, it would be a treble head set with a bit more air, so letting the mkiii go. Or, I will keep it and sell the other 2. Haha

I sent them back because there was a small peak in 5k that started bothering me, mainly in right ear. They had a very thin spikes in the trebles that werent noticeable at the first listening hours but became bothersome after a while. Tips rolling didnt help unfortunately. The rest was very nice tho.
So my next choice was Softears Twilight because i really wanted a single DD iem because of the unmatched DD timbre. And im in awe for almost a week now. The Twilights are just amazing. The most realistic iems ive heard. They are bit like MMk2 but with even smoother trebles and very punchy midbass.
But i still have MMk2 and will never sell them.
Will be selling my u12t in a good price tho, they will show up on classifieds in 2 days.

 

[Noobzilla]

It's nice how a chord mojo + small cable fits so well with the mk2.

I just tried the mk2 for gaming and it can start hurting after a few hours.

 

[user404]

Is the u12t the natural alternative for the Monarch Mk2 that’s smaller (MMK2 is too big for me as well) and a bit more mid-bass (the MMk2 is a little anemic on that end)?

Thanks y’all!

 

[ramkvp]

Is the u12t the natural alternative for the Monarch Mk2 that’s smaller (MMK2 is too big for me as well) and a bit more mid-bass (the MMk2 is a little anemic on that end)?

Thanks y’all!

Recently tried the U12T and found the mids to be scooped. If you like MMK2, you might not like it. I didn't. That said, the sound stage is better.

Check out this review as well:

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/10xb6wj/comment/j7rbu3g/

 

[o0genesis0o]

Is the u12t the natural alternative for the Monarch Mk2 that’s smaller (MMK2 is too big for me as well) and a bit more mid-bass (the MMk2 is a little anemic on that end)?

Thanks y’all!

I don’t think they follow the same sound signature. Monarch is more upper mid focus with midbass dip to make the music as clean as possible, even if it might not sound natural with some recordings. It generally does a good job with vocals. It pushes the midrange forward more, so everything seems more upfront, which some might prefer.

U12t deliberately pulls the upper midrange back, and has more midbass, both choices seem to stem from 64 audio’s stage monitoring background. Their “audiophile twist” is in the upper treble “zing” and just careful channel matching in general. To my classical library, u12t is just more spacious and 3D and ultimately more enjoyable. A fellow gear head absolutely despise the U12t because the vocal is not up front and rich as his ThieAudio.

So ask yourself what kind of sound you like to hear.

Oh, and U12t is built for long term comfort with the apex vents. I find it to be one of the most comfortable IEMs. Monarch II is not bad, but it’s quite large.

 

[user404]

I don’t think they follow the same sound signature. Monarch is more upper mid focus with midbass dip to make the music as clean as possible, even if it might not sound natural with some recordings. It generally does a good job with vocals. It pushes the midrange forward more, so everything seems more upfront, which some might prefer.

U12t deliberately pulls the upper midrange back, and has more midbass, both choices seem to stem from 64 audio’s stage monitoring background. Their “audiophile twist” is in the upper treble “zing” and just careful channel matching in general. To my classical library, u12t is just more spacious and 3D and ultimately more enjoyable. A fellow gear head absolutely despise the U12t because the vocal is not up front and rich as his ThieAudio.

So ask yourself what kind of sound you like to hear.

Oh, and U12t is built for long term comfort with the apex vents. I find it to be one of the most comfortable IEMs. Monarch II is not bad, but it’s quite large.

I appreciate your response! Thanks

 

[RIGATIO]

Is the u12t the natural alternative for the Monarch Mk2 that’s smaller (MMK2 is too big for me as well) and a bit more mid-bass (the MMk2 is a little anemic on that end)?

Thanks y’all!

They sound nothing alike. The MMk2 are tuned more correctly in the midrange and the trebles.

Firstly i loved the u12t, this was the iem of my dreams after i heard them for the first time. After spending a couple months with them, i started hating them with passion. The upper trebles were harsh and i even took some brakes from them listening Hook X and couldnt believe that the Hook X sounded smoother on top.

Another problem ive had with them was scalling. On louder volumes the bass couldnt balance the top end which was getting harsher and harsher. The bass didnt scale much because of the BA limitations. Good DD drivers are able to go deeper and punchier with more power and volume.

The stage and layering are all great on the u12t tho and are a real treat. Each instrument and vocal seem to be in its own separated buble and this aspect is very impressive.

If you want a warmer MMk2, with way better bass response and similarly tuned midrange, take a look at Softears Twilight. They are more musical, engaging and definitely more spacious than the MMk2. They even have more expansive stage than the u12t due to the heavily vented system.

What also sets them apart is the treble area. These are probably the smoothest and most natural/realistic sounding iem/headphone ive heard to date. Even MMk2 seems slightly harsher due to the small 5k boost following the 4k dip.

 

[user404]

They sound nothing alike. The MMk2 are tuned more correctly in the midrange and the trebles.

Firstly i loved the u12t, this was the iem of my dreams after i heard them for the first time. After spending a couple months with them, i started hating them with passion. The upper trebles were harsh and i even took some brakes from them listening Hook X and couldnt believe that the Hook X sounded smoother on top.

Another problem ive had with them was scalling. On louder volumes the bass couldnt balance the top end which was getting harsher and harsher. The bass didnt scale much because of the BA limitations. Good DD drivers are able to go deeper and punchier with more power and volume.

The stage and layering are all great on the u12t tho and are a real treat. Each instrument and vocal seem to be in its own separated buble and this aspect is very impressive.

If you want a warmer MMk2, with way better bass response and similarly tuned midrange, take a look at Softears Twilight. They are more musical, engaging and definitely more spacious than the MMk2. They even have more expansive stage than the u12t due to the heavily vented system.

What also sets them apart is the treble area. These are probably the smoothest and most natural/realistic sounding iem/headphone ive heard to date. Even MMk2 seems slightly harsher due to the small 5k boost following the 4k dip.

Thank you for the update! I’ve read your responses so I was definitely curious what your newer IEM experience would be. How is the fit of the Twilight? That’s another con, imo, about the MMK2.

 

[RIGATIO]

Thank you for the update! I’ve read your responses so I was definitely curious what your newer IEM experience would be. How is the fit of the Twilight? That’s another con, imo, about the MMK2.

Fot me the fit is excellent. Also a long hours of listening sessions are very comfortable due to their breathing construction and very smooth and natural sound.