[conceptcar3]

Hi guys
Coming back to the V16. Has anyone heard this iem.
I'm using the u12t and the EXT. But I'm interested in something else. The V16 could be an option. ...
Thanks

No one has any info, would love to hear your thoughts of U12t vs v16

 

[soundblast75]

Why you asking here?????

 

[darkgod5]

Thank YOU for the very helpful impressions! I'm glad I could introduce you to the song too, the entire album ("Mezzanine" by Massive Attack) is awesome too, maybe even a top 10 album for me. @sm0rf @azertyproxy Thanks a lot for these impressions of Monarch OG vs. VX and vs. Monarch MkII respectively as well!

So this sort of tracks with what I was expecting, which is that the VX (maybe by extension the V14 too? Though I've heard that one actually has a bit more subbass than the VX) can't really be a strict upgrade to the Monarch in terms of being an IEM bass cannon. Which to me is arguably the single thing that is the most special about the Monarch - there are a lot of highly-resolving, neutral-tuned, excellent IEMs, but not many that are all of that with a random slab of massive subbass attached. I like the way it was described in this thread a few pages back - they feel like a "statement" piece with a unique audio vision, rather than an arms race to the highest detail with the most natural tuning.

But like you mentioned in your edit, the U12t is also on the table as a subbass-focused upgrade and I've been looking into that a bit as well. And then of course there's the Monarch MkII with similar subbass but apparently dialed back a bit and in exchange, a bit more resolution and technical performance across the board (along with fixing the midbass wankery on the Monarch out of the box, which to be fair can already be EQ'd away).

If I can swing it, the solution might be not "upgrading" the Monarch at all, but rather keeping it as a side-piece specifically for genres that sound great with bass cannons, and then having another companion daily driver that has better technical performance.

So I think the game plan here is:

1. Compare the Monarch to the Monarch MkII and if the subbass performance is still in an acceptable range on the MkII, replace the OG with it;
2. Compare the Monarch/MkII to the U12t and keep whichever sounds better to my ears, notably in terms of subbass extension and quality;
3. Compare the Monarch MkII to the VX and only keep the VX if it has a better technical performance to an extent that I feel is commensurate to the price premium.

This involves four IEMs and three of them are kilobuck+ so this will be quite expensive, but I'll see what I can do and I'll treat it as a longer-term thing. It's not like I'm desperate anyway, I could very much drop it all and just keep listening to the Monarch everyday, because it is awesome. But then again, if I could honestly do that, I wouldn't be on Head-Fi LOL.

If you do get a U12t and post any impressions of U12t subbass compared to the Monarch, I will read them with great interest and appreciation!

Hey, so an update. I was able to compare the U12t's sub-bass on that song in comparison with the Monarch and Anole VX. And it certainly leans closer to the Anole than the Monarch. In fact, I was also able to compare against a neutral speaker (with subwoofer) setup and it most closely approximated between the U12t and Anole VX to my ears. Similarly with my headphones, actually. So I would say, if anything, it is the Monarch "coloring" the song with additional sub-bass. My rating of the sub-bass amount would go like this:

Monarch >>> U12t > Speakers > Headphones > Anole

So if you're looking for something with more sub-bass than the Monarch while still maintaining a good degree of other technicalities I'm not sure you'll find it, IMO! Certainly puts the Monarch in a unique spot especially if you're looking for its type of tuning!

 

[tgx78]

I don’t have the Monarch anymore but DT600 with 20-30ohm Impedance adapter might come close.

Crin’s measurement with 80ohm resistor vs Monarch

 

[drummguy26]

so my Monarch OG’s are under repair again for a 2nd time. Originally I was quite upset cos it puts them out for a few weeks and it was my main IEM I’ve been listening to, however I must say…. It gave me an opportunity to listen exclusively to my Excalibur’s and I am simply blown away by the quality of sound these things put out. Paired with the right cable, tips and DAC, the Excalibur is immaculate IMO. Punchy, detailed, great soundstage…. Only thing lacking is some rumble and coherency in the sub bass department. Might even go as far to say that I now prefer the Excalibur over the Monarch OG. But if it only had the sub bass rumble and texture of the OG……. That would be end game for me.

With all that said, I’m extremely curious to see some comparisons between the Excalibur and the Monarch MKII.

 

[hlee227]

so my Monarch OG’s are under repair again for a 2nd time. Originally I was quite upset cos it puts them out for a few weeks and it was my main IEM I’ve been listening to, however I must say…. It gave me an opportunity to listen exclusively to my Excalibur’s and I am simply blown away by the quality of sound these things put out. Paired with the right cable, tips and DAC, the Excalibur is immaculate IMO. Punchy, detailed, great soundstage…. Only thing lacking is some rumble and coherency in the sub bass department. Might even go as far to say that I now prefer the Excalibur over the Monarch OG. But if it only had the sub bass rumble and texture of the OG……. That would be end game for me.

With all that said, I’m extremely curious to see some comparisons between the Excalibur and the Monarch MKII.

I think Excalibur sub bass feeling might be similar to Monarch Mk2, Mk2 itself have soft touch on rumble much compared to OG. (From graph)

Comparing both graph, Excalibur def have much more meat in 100hz-200hz area for thicker experience thank MK2 can provide.

What Mk2 does best is to me, vocals forwardness with neutral-ish tuning that make it so musical to “my” ear.
The mid bass is def on the lean side, but enough to hear much lower frequency instruments, but when you turn on electrics, depending on a person they may want bit more oomph.
I think the tuning target looks like a slight warmer Viento, thinking pop and instrumental genre. (But not a bass head pop genre)

 

[drummguy26]

I think Excalibur sub bass feeling might be similar to Monarch Mk2, Mk2 itself have soft touch on rumble much compared to OG. (From graph)

Comparing both graph, Excalibur def have much more meat in 100hz-200hz area for thicker experience thank MK2 can provide.

What Mk2 does best is to me, vocals forwardness with neutral-ish tuning that make it so musical to “my” ear.
The mid bass is def on the lean side, but enough to hear much lower frequency instruments, but when you turn on electrics, depending on a person they may want bit more oomph.
I think the tuning target looks like a slight warmer Viento, thinking pop and instrumental genre. (But not a bass head pop genre)

Thanks for the comparison! It gives me a good idea of what to expect from the MKII.

Just curious, and I’m pretty sure someone else asked this already, but does the MKII EQ well?

 

[azertyproxy]

Thanks for the comparison! It gives me a good idea of what to expect from the MKII.

Just curious, and I’m pretty sure someone else asked this already, but does the MKII EQ well?

Yes it eq very well. I tried to eq it by ear so it sound close to Monarch OG.

 

[hlee227]

Thanks for the comparison! It gives me a good idea of what to expect from the MKII.

Just curious, and I’m pretty sure someone else asked this already, but does the MKII EQ well?

It can EQ but I personally prefer to use different impedance cable / adapter as it make the bass more thicker in texture from cross over.

Ordered the IFI adapter to check the different with slight higher output impedance (2.5 ohm), rather than 20-25 ohm adapter I have.

Will come back with the result when it comes ^__^

 

[SoundJedi]

Monarch MKII /64 Audio U12t comp:

Gear used: Hugo2 - > Xduoo TA20

The headline is: after one hour comparing MKII to U12t, I realised (again) that the MKII's sibling not the U12t.

It's the U6t.

That was my impression from a few days ago and was only confirmed further tonight.

Now on to specifics:

Tuning is clearly different. U12t has a clearer sub bass boost with more weight and authority in the lower frequencies. MKII is aiming for a more reference sound.

- Bass: MKII bass is leaner but it is still impactful. It is not a bass head iem. U12t in comparison has more bass quantity but sometimes displays "BA bass". MKII to me is not the best for EDM and doesn't quite reach the visceral sub bass impact of OG Monarch, even with a PEQ boost.

- Mids: both shine here. And I was shocked by how close MKII gets to the U12t in terms of timbre and clarity. Vocals are more forward and fuller on the U12t but MKII is no slouch! Creamy mid range with very good weight.

- Treble: quite different. The EST treble on the MKII is very smooth, well extended and with very good detail. Cymbals sound natural. There's never any harshness with the MKII. U12t can show some "edginess" depending on the track (Another One Bites The Dust for example). U12t is not trying to hide or smooth stuff over as much. MKII in comparison smoothes lots of edges out, which make it very easy to listen to. This is going to be very important for people who listen to metal and busy rock tracks. MKII will shine there.

- Stage/Details/Separation: U12t just has a bigger sound with more expansive stage. Background vocals and instruments are just clearer and their positioning is better defined. Live performances sound more immersive with the U12t.

So I will finish where I started, MKII is much closer, in fact very close, to the U6t. A wonderful musical iem with amazing tonal balance that you can have in your ears for hours with no fatigue.

Fit has improved for me with The Sedna Crystals, which I used on both iems.

 

[iFi audio]

Ordered the IFI adapter to check the different with slight higher output impedance (2.5 ohm), rather than 20-25 ohm adapter I have.

Great stuff, thanks! Our iEMatch actually has two settings; high (<2.5 Ohms) and ultra (<1 Ohm)

 

[whirlwind]

Anybody here know if the Hiby R3 will do the OG Monarch justice.
Also anybody have any opinions of OG Monarch vs EE Bravado Mk2

 

[Skullar]

Monarch MKII /64 Audio U12t comp:

Gear used: Hugo2 - > Xduoo TA20

The headline is: after one hour comparing MKII to U12t, I realised (again) that the MKII's sibling not the U12t.

It's the U6t.

That was my impression from a few days ago and was only confirmed further tonight.

Now on to specifics:

Tuning is clearly different. U12t has a clearer sub bass boost with more weight and authority in the lower frequencies. MKII is aiming for a more reference sound.

- Bass: MKII bass is leaner but it is still impactful. It is not a bass head iem. U12t in comparison has more bass quantity but sometimes displays "BA bass". MKII to me is not the best for EDM and doesn't quite reach the visceral sub bass impact of OG Monarch, even with a PEQ boost.

- Mids: both shine here. And I was shocked by how close MKII gets to the U12t in terms of timbre and clarity. Vocals are more forward and fuller on the U12t but MKII is no slouch! Creamy mid range with very good weight.

- Treble: quite different. The EST treble on the MKII is very smooth, well extended and with very good detail. Cymbals sound natural. There's never any harshness with the MKII. U12t can show some "edginess" depending on the track (Another One Bites The Dust for example). U12t is not trying to hide or smooth stuff over as much. MKII in comparison smoothes lots of edges out, which make it very easy to listen to. This is going to be very important for people who listen to metal and busy rock tracks. MKII will shine there.

- Stage/Details/Separation: U12t just has a bigger sound with more expansive stage. Background vocals and instruments are just clearer and their positioning is better defined. Live performances sound more immersive with the U12t.

So I will finish where I started, MKII is much closer, in fact very close, to the U6t. A wonderful musical iem with amazing tonal balance that you can have in your ears for hours with no fatigue.

Fit has improved for me with The Sedna Crystals, which I used on both iems.

You just fueled my itch to pull the trigger on U12T further lol

 

[SoundJedi]

You just fueled my itch to pull the trigger on U12T further lol

It's a great iem. But I think this is better hahaha.

It's the InEar PMX and I am shocked this is not more well known. The best stage I have heard in an iem for sure and a perfect tonal balance.

I'm still in honeymoon phase but there might be a U12t on sale very soon .

 

[SoundJedi]

Pretty big praise for the MKII coming from @crinacle himself. This would place the MKII in his top4