[SoundJedi]

Quick A/B notes comparing Monarch to the IER-Z1R:

Build and fit: Monarch is more comfortable, the Z1R has a bit of an awkward fit and needs deep insertion, which can be painful. Sedna Crystal tips work great on both. I don't really care that much about iem looks but both iems are on the prettier side.

- Bass: Monarch takes the sub bass and it's not that close. Sub bass on Monarch is more visceral and has more of a subwoofer effect. Z1R has more mid bass and texture. Bass is also faster on the Z1R. Kick drums sound more impactful on the Z1R. The Z1R DD is a beast and it can occasionally be overpowering, but it's generally spot on. Mid bass is where Monarch lacks a little bit. This can be remedied with a 20ohm impedance adapter, but that has a cost. More on that shortly.

- Mids: both iems have flat to recessed lower mids. Vocals are not emphasised on either. Male vocals sounded more natural with the Z1R, Monarch can display a bit of a BA timbre but is still a very good performer. Both iems scale here with better sources. Monarch mids get "meatier" with the impedance adapter and vocals improve.

- Treble: Z1R might have a bit more treble energy but it can get a bit hot on some tracks. Monarch in comparison has smoother treble. There's a "liquid" quality to some instruments that's quite unique and that I haven't heard in any other iem. Extension is great on both.

- Resolution: probably a wash, Monarch might have slightly better resolution but it's not that big of a difference.

- Stage/Separation/Layering: Stage is good on both. Stage is more "3D" with Monarch. Listening to "Small Hours" by John Martyn, the stage seems huge with Monarch. Z1R stage is wide but is not as high or deep to my ears. It's still very good, Monarch is just exceptional with that song. This also changes when using the impedance adapter, except this time the stage gets a bit smaller when using it. This makes sense given lower mids are a bit more emphasised with the adapter. 3D effect is overall better on Monarch.

In a world where most iems try not to suck too much, these two iems aim for excellence. They do things a bit differently and are both very technical. The only two iems so far I never felt the need to EQ.

The impedance adapter is highly recommended with Monarch if vocals and kick drums are very important to you.

 

[drftr]

Quick A/B notes comparing Monarch to the IER-Z1R:

Build and fit: Monarch is more comfortable, the Z1R has a bit of an awkward fit and needs deep insertion, which can be painful. Sedna Crystal tips work great on both. I don't really care that much about iem looks but both iems are on the prettier side.

- Bass: Monarch takes the sub bass and it's not that close. Sub bass on Monarch is more visceral and has more of a subwoofer effect. Z1R has more mid bass and texture. Bass is also faster on the Z1R. Kick drums sound more impactful on the Z1R. The Z1R DD is a beast and it can occasionally be overpowering, but it's generally spot on. Mid bass is where Monarch lacks a little bit. This can be remedied with a 20ohm impedance adapter, but that has a cost. More on that shortly.

- Mids: both iems have flat to recessed lower mids. Vocals are not emphasised on either. Make vocals sounded more natural with the Z1R, Monarch can display a bit of a BA timbre but is still a very good performer. Both iems perform better here with better sources. Monarch mids get "meatier" with the impedance adapter and vocals improve.

- Treble: Z1R might have a bit more treble energy but it can get a bit hot on some tracks. Monarch in comparison has smoother treble. There's a "liquid" quality to some instruments that's quite unique and that I haven't heard in any other iem. Extension is great on both.

- Resolution: probably a wash, Monarch might have slightly better resolution but it's not that big of a difference.

- Stage/Separation/Layering: Stage is good on both. Stage is more "3D" with Monarch. Listening to "Small Hours" by John Martyn, the stage seems huge with Monarch. Z1R stage is wide but is not as high or deep to my ears. It's still very good, Monarch is just exceptional with that song. This also changes when using the impedance adapter, except this time the stage gets a bit smaller when using it. This makes sense given lower mids are a bit more emphasised with the adapter. 3D effect is overall better on Monarch.

In a world where most iems try not to suck too much, these two iems aim for excellence. They do things a bit differently and are both very technical. The only two iems so far I never felt the need to EQ.

The impedance adapter is highly recommended with Monarch if vocals and kick drums are very important to you.

Great write-up. Quite some praise for the Monarch given the price difference as well.

drftr

 

[DrewVz]

In a world where most iems try not to suck too much, these two iems aim for excellence. They do things a bit differently and are both very technical. The only two iems so far I never felt the need to EQ.

Thanks for the comparison. Someday I hope to try the Monarch. I enjoy listening to the "raw" sound of headphones and IEMs without EQ. For me, my current favorites include the Oracle, MEST, and Anole VX, and I do not feel the need to add any EQ to these IEMs. I'd be shocked if the Monarch could compete with the soundstage of the VX though. It's just incredible. My only nitpick is that I would like a bit more height in the stage, but considering the flatness of the upper frequencies, it makes sense. Everything's a tradeoff.

 

[SoundJedi]

Thanks for the comparison. Someday I hope to try the Monarch. I enjoy listening to the "raw" sound of headphones and IEMs without EQ. For me, my current favorites include the Oracle, MEST, and Anole VX, and I do not feel the need to add any EQ to these IEMs. I'd be shocked if the Monarch could compete with the soundstage of the VX though. It's just incredible. My only nitpick is that I would like a bit more height in the stage, but considering the flatness of the upper frequencies, it makes sense. Everything's a tradeoff.

Ankle VX and ThieAudio V14 (with EQ) have the biggest stages I have heard in iems. Both wonderful iems. I got V14 and Anole to sound pretty much identical with EQ but V14 had punchier bass and more energy overall so I kept it. Monarch doesn't have as big of a stage and I don't know if ESTs alone can do that.

 

[SoundJedi]

Great write-up. Quite some praise for the Monarch given the price difference as well.

drftr

Agreed, Z1R is more than double the price.

Z1R shines with its natural timbre and that unbelievable DD impact but neither of these iems has any objective flaw that kills the experience. They do things differently and they both do things better than the other (to my ears).

I wish Sony sold their in-house BAs to other iem manufacturers...

 

[darkgod5]

Great write-up. Quite some praise for the Monarch given the price difference as well.

drftr

Like I said before, the Monarch is the only "high-end" IEM I consider to be well worth its retail price since it keeps up with IEMs $1,000 and well over such as the aforementioned Z1R, the Mest, the Odin, etc... Only IEMs it doesn't keep up with are the U12t and Anole VX, IMO.

 

[SoundJedi]

Like I said before, the Monarch is the only "high-end" IEM I consider to be well worth its retail price since it keeps up with IEMs $1,000 and well over such as the aforementioned Z1R, the Mest, the Odin, etc... Only IEMs it doesn't keep up with are the U12t and Anole VX, IMO.

I'll probably be comparing Z1R to V14 at some point. V14 is the closest thing I have heard to Anole VX as stated above. I'm sure I have compared V14 and Monarch somewhere. Monarch sub bass and smooth treble are again tough to beat for my ears. Mids and stage is where things get trickier.

V14 has been my overall favourite iem for almost a year and Monarch was a close second. Wonder how the Z1R changes that...

U12t is the one iem I really want to audition next. The only place I know that has it is quite noisy though, but might be wroth a shot...

Don't want to digress too much though, this is the tribrids thread after all hehehe.

 

[darkgod5]

I'll probably be comparing Z1R to V14 at some point. V14 is the closest thing I have heard to Anole VX as stated above. I'm sure I have compared V14 and Monarch somewhere. Monarch sub bass and smooth treble are again tough to beat for my ears. Mids and stage is where things get trickier.

V14 has been my overall favourite iem for almost a year and Monarch was a close second. Wonder how the Z1R changes that...

U12t is the one iem I really want to audition next. The only place I know that has it is quite noisy though, but might be wroth a shot...

Don't want to digress too much though, this is the tribrids thread after all hehehe.

Oh, don't get me wrong, Monarch is competitive in the sub-bass and treble with any IEM, for sure. Though, bass and mids are quite rough and with an especially BA-sounding timber. And, when taking into consideration dynamics, timber (and so coherence), resolution, imaging I just don't think it's in the same league as the VX or the U12t which I also think are in a league above the Z1R. IMO, they are in their own league as far as what I've heard... You might consider the U12t boring if you're just listening to it on its own. It's an IEM you really need to A/B to hear what it brings to the table vs what you currently own, haha.

 

[SoundJedi]

Oh, don't get me wrong, Monarch is competitive in the sub-bass and treble with any IEM, for sure. Though, bass and mids are quite rough and with an especially BA-sounding timber. And, when taking into consideration dynamics, timber (and so coherence), resolution, imaging I just don't think it's in the same league as the VX or the U12t which I also think are in a league above the Z1R. IMO, they are in their own league as far as what I've heard... You might consider the U12t boring if you're just listening to it on its own. It's an IEM you really need to A/B to hear what it brings to the table vs what you currently own, haha.

How would you compare U12t to Anole VX?

 

[darkgod5]

How would you compare U12t to Anole VX?

Too different. U12t has slower more natural decay, especially if you come from speakers or dynamic (non-Focal) headphones. VX has super-fast, almost-unnatural attack and decay like a planar headphone. U12t is more bass-focused where as the VX is more treble-focused.

That is to say neither does the opposite bad just that they are the best on opposite ends of the spectrum, for instance, the U12t has sub-bass rumble akin to the Monarch but with more texture where as the VX is a bit shy in both areas. The VX has very dynamic treble, especially easy to tell if you listen to cymbals, as well as sparkle where as the U12t and Monarch also have sparkle but both feel shy of really giving treble the impact it needs for those certain instruments-like cymbals-though the U12t is much less shy than the Monarch. But this is really nitpicking... percentage-wise, I'd rank it as...
Sub-bass: 100% U12t, 95% Monarch, 90% VX
Treble: 100% VX, 95% U12t, 90% Monarch

Again, the real difference is the attack and decay which makes the VX feel "quick" and the U12t feel "slow" and that's just going to come down to user-preference. I come from Focal and Hifiman headphones as daily drivers so the VX feels more natural to me but if you come from Sennheiser headphones or speakers, especially in a non-soundproof environment, the U12t is undoubtedly going to feel more natural to you.

 

[fast edi]

Monarch MK II confirmed by BGGAR on their community feed From YouTube. I don't know how to share the link, so here's a screenshot

 

[SoundJedi]

Monarch MK II confirmed by BGGAR on their community feed From YouTube. I don't know how to share the link, so here's a screenshot

There's an announcement from linsoul too.

https://www.linsoul.com/blogs/annou...agship-iem-the-return-of-our-king-coming-soon

They changed a few things around, seems like they reduced sub bass, increased mid bass, ncreased treble and made mids thicker.

All sounds good in theory but wonder how that affects the sound signature. The OG was already close to perfection so hope it's not too much a departure from it.

 

[dsrk]

There's an announcement from linsoul too.

https://www.linsoul.com/blogs/announcements

They changed a few things around, seems like they reduced sub bass, increased mid bass, ncreased treble and made mids thicker.

All sounds good in their but wonder how that affects the sound signature. The OG was already close to perfection so hope it's not too much a departure from it.

Most of the people had issues with the bigger shells, hope these are not as big.

 

[fast edi]

There's an announcement from linsoul too.

https://www.linsoul.com/blogs/announcements

They changed a few things around, seems like they reduced sub bass, increased mid bass, ncreased treble and made mids thicker.

All sounds good in their but wonder how that affects the sound signature. The OG was already close to perfection so hope it's not too much a departure from it.

They are clearly adressing the main criticisms that the Monarch have received, but I am afraid that they will kill what makes them special. I wouldn't have reduced sub bass...

I have the Clairvoyance, I love them, but over time I have realized that they are great for rock, jazz, classical, acoustic, and I like those genres, but my most loved music is electronic, from more ambient and chill, to hard techno and dancefloor.

I enjoy more that music with the Campfire Cascades, which are heavily critizised for their bassy tuning but I can spend hours with them and I simply enjoy the music. After one hour with the Clairs with electronic music I got tired. Maybe there's too much detail, or the tuning, too much ear gain, upper mids...

I was even thinking about getting the Monarch, just to try them, because everyone seems to praise them for electronic music, but I think that I have already too many headphones and iems...

 

[SoundJedi]

They are clearly adressing the main criticisms that the Monarch have received, but I am afraid that they will kill what makes them special. I wouldn't have reduced sub bass...

I have the Clairvoyance, I love them, but over time I have realized that they are great for rock, jazz, classical, acoustic, and I like those genres, but my most loved music is electronic, from more ambient and chill, to hard techno and dancefloor.

I enjoy more that music with the Campfire Cascades, which are heavily critizised for their bassy tuning but I can spend hours with them and I simply enjoy the music. After one hour with the Clairs with electronic music I got tired. Maybe there's too much detail, or the tuning, too much ear gain, upper mids...

I was even thinking about getting the Monarch, just to try them, because everyone seems to praise them for electronic music, but I think that I have already too many headphones and iems...

Yes I agree with you the modifications can end up taking away some of what made Monarch so special in the first place.

The sense of detail, separation and air offered by Monarch depends on the mid bass not being bloated. I don't think it's bloated on the graph but there's always a chance.

Monarch is unbelievable with EDM. It's probably one of its strongest areas IMO because you get the sub bass and amazing clarity/detail without it ever being harsh or fatiguing.