[theflyingtoad]

Sure will do.
I hope that sub-bass is still there as it's one of the highlights of the OG.

Unfortunately, you’ll need to EQ that on to get the sub bass slam

 

[soundblast75]

Autumn iems

 

[nastypoker]

If you want that bass slam, my OG's are for sale in the classifieds....

 

[steven2907]

OGs? solaris??

 

[nastypoker]

OGs? solaris??

Monarchs.

Someone has just made an offer I have accepted though. Will see if they pay!

 

[sm0rf]

OMG, is the MK2 version really a new level or will you get (almost) the same with these cheaper IEM ?

Tribrid King vs. 5 BA battle, who will win ?

 

[theflyingtoad]

They are completely different IEMs in terms of sound and and performance. They’re both quite balanced and while the RSV has incredible timbre and bass that isn’t too far off from a DD. The RSV has more of a neutral ish studio sound with a little of sparkle while the Monarch MKII has more of a visceral-live performance feel with a bigger stage and more detail. I think it just depends on what you’re looking for and they are both incredible IEMs

 

[tjlindle]

Anybody have experience with both the Monarch and the Anole VX?

I adore the Monarch and was thinking of upgrading to the MkII until I read about the size - Monarch barely fits my ears so I don't know if the MkII will work out.

But I still have lingering upgradeitis so I'm just wondering if anyone went Monarch -> Anole VX and what they thought, particularly re: the subbass on the VX.

I'll keep reading impressions for MkII though. Honestly I'll probably end up getting both the MkII and the VX and comparing all three. It's possible I'll even just end up keeping the OG Monarch due to potential fit issues and less subbass on the MkIIs, and if I feel like the VX isn't worth the price premium relative to the Monarch.

 

[hlee227]

Anybody have experience with both the Monarch and the Anole VX?

I adore the Monarch and was thinking of upgrading to the MkII until I read about the size - Monarch barely fits my ears so I don't know if the MkII will work out.

But I still have lingering upgradeitis so I'm just wondering if anyone went Monarch -> Anole VX and what they thought, particularly re: the subbass on the VX.

I'll keep reading impressions for MkII though. Honestly I'll probably end up getting both the MkII and the VX and comparing all three. It's possible I'll even just end up keeping the OG Monarch due to potential fit issues and less subbass on the MkIIs, and if I feel like the VX isn't worth the price premium relative to the Monarch.

I would love to see the three in comparison Please ^__^

 

[darkgod5]

Anybody have experience with both the Monarch and the Anole VX?

I adore the Monarch and was thinking of upgrading to the MkII until I read about the size - Monarch barely fits my ears so I don't know if the MkII will work out.

But I still have lingering upgradeitis so I'm just wondering if anyone went Monarch -> Anole VX and what they thought, particularly re: the subbass on the VX.

I'll keep reading impressions for MkII though. Honestly I'll probably end up getting both the MkII and the VX and comparing all three. It's possible I'll even just end up keeping the OG Monarch due to potential fit issues and less subbass on the MkIIs, and if I feel like the VX isn't worth the price premium relative to the Monarch.

I went Monarch (original) -> Anole VX

The biggest differences for me are resolution (detail retrieval and texture) and coherence (all levels of frequency have the same timber) greatly favor the VX. Otherwise, I EQ the Monarch's mid-bass so things like kick-drums don't sound so anemic. And the Monarch takes that EQ very well, FWIW!

In terms of sub-bass, for the VX, there is a switch which greatly bumps up the bass and to my ears the bloat isn't too bad though it is fatiguing:
https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,Anole_VX_Bass,Monarch_S2

Unfortunately I don't really have any songs in my library with a sub-bass focus. Do you have some recommendations for which I can write a comparison?

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

They are completely different IEMs in terms of sound and and performance. They’re both quite balanced and while the RSV has incredible timbre and bass that isn’t too far off from a DD. The RSV has more of a neutral ish studio sound with a little of sparkle while the Monarch MKII has more of a visceral-live performance feel with a bigger stage and more detail. I think it just depends on what you’re looking for and they are both incredible IEMs

That's what the Monarch OG is missing. Visceral live performance feel. This is sounding better and better to me.

 

[tjlindle]

I went Monarch (original) -> Anole VX

The biggest differences for me are resolution (detail retrieval and texture) and coherence (all levels of frequency have the same timber) greatly favor the VX. Otherwise, I EQ the Monarch's mid-bass so things like kick-drums don't sound so anemic. And the Monarch takes that EQ very well, FWIW!

In terms of sub-bass, for the VX, there is a switch which greatly bumps up the bass and to my ears the bloat isn't too bad though it is fatiguing:
https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,Anole_VX_Bass,Monarch_S2

Unfortunately I don't really have any songs in my library with a sub-bass focus. Do you have some recommendations for which I can write a comparison?

Thanks for the response - also I agree 100% regarding EQ on the Monarch, I have a similar EQ bump in mid-bass and it REALLY helps especially with rock. It was my only major issue with the Monarch and was a borderline dealbreaker so I was very happy it could be EQ'd away for the most part, and very easily at that.

I am already quite happy with resolution on the Monarch, in fact I would say in detail retrieval it actually compares favorably to the electrostat headphones I've had that were in its same price bracket. But the big thing would be coherence - that is certainly an area that could improve moving to the VX.

My biggest concern really is losing that subbass though. God I love it so much. Here is my go-to test track for subbass since in general I love this song and the subbass is such an important part of the mix here:



I couldn't believe my ears the first time I played this on the Monarch after doing my initial EQ setup. "Holy cow THAT sound is coming out of these little IEMs?!"

@hlee227 If I pick them all up to compare I'll definitely post impressions in this thread!

 

[darkgod5]

Thanks for the response - also I agree 100% regarding EQ on the Monarch, I have a similar EQ bump in mid-bass and it REALLY helps especially with rock. It was my only major issue with the Monarch and was a borderline dealbreaker so I was very happy it could be EQ'd away for the most part, and very easily at that.

I am already quite happy with resolution on the Monarch, in fact I would say in detail retrieval it actually compares favorably to the electrostat headphones I've had that were in its same price bracket. But the big thing would be coherence - that is certainly an area that could improve moving to the VX.

My biggest concern really is losing that subbass though. God I love it so much. Here is my go-to test track for subbass since in general I love this song and the subbass is such an important part of the mix here:



I couldn't believe my ears the first time I played this on the Monarch after doing my initial EQ setup. "Holy cow THAT sound is coming out of these little IEMs?!"

@hlee227 If I pick them all up to compare I'll definitely post impressions in this thread!

Ok, yeah, I'm not going to sugar coat it. You will not get the same rumble out of that song with the Anole VX. At comfortable listening volumes the Anole gets maybe 80% of the way there WITH the bass boost switch flipped on. But after cranking the volume up with the Monarch it feels as if you have your head against the floor near a subwoofer and then the Anole gets MAYBE 70% of the rumble power (again, with the bass boost). Without the bass boost switch on there is no comparison.

So now I definitely see why the Monarch is king of sub-bass. Neat song! Thanks for introducing it to me! Would also be super cool for someone to use that song to compare the original vs the MKII.

Edit: on a side note, have you looked into the U12t? It's supposed to have the best sub-bass for an all-BA set. I may have one coming in soon and so would be cool to use this song to compare against.

 

[sm0rf]

Monarch OG vs Anole VX

The Anole comes with a bigger soundstage/resolution and perhaps is little more easy-listening compared to the some more energetic Monarch .

The biggest difference between both for me - the Monarch is creating a 'cloud of sound' feeling while listening with him almost every time. The Anole can do the same and then it's far beyond but I barely reach that.

 

[feverfive]

The Senn IE 900 has been my bae since end of June. It, in fact, has saved my hobby fund a ton of cash as I have loved it so much, I just haven't been able to convince myself the $2.5K+ IEMs are worth the price of admission. That said, I have just recently started nosing around again.

Even though the last thing I want is anything even approaching a "collection" I have been thinking maybe a complementary set would be nice. I love how IE 900 is tuned (I have a slight upper mids sensitivity/dislike?....but not treble, go figure), with it's upper mids dip and extended treble. Something like the Monarch MKII with it's totally different approach from 1 Khz+ just might be the ticket for me, and at a price that won't give me buyer's remorse.