[h1a8]

Thanks for sharing.

I wouldn't say that he hates them, he just doesn't like them, and he explains quite well his motives.

I have the Clairvoyance and I really like them. I agree about the three main points that he states.

First, the upper mids, lower treble might be slightly higher than my preferences. It makes for an exciting and vivid sound, but it can be slightly too forward to me, making them too exciting instead of relaxed. But I consider it to be just a preference, not a tonal imperfection.

Second he says that the bass lacks texture. I also can agree with that. Compared with the Audeze LCD2C, the Campfire Cascade and the Fostex Ebony (all of them praised because of their bass) I could consider the Clairvoyance bass slightly untextured, that means, sometimes all the bass sounds more or less equal, I don't why is that, but I can agree. I would say that its bass is better for rock and live music than for electronic music.

Third he speaks about the treble sounding unnatural. And, again, I also could agree on that. At the beginning I just thought that the treble was too high for my taste and details were over emphasized. However, after a while I can also agree that these IEMS have that EST treble sound that some people criticize, that can sound somewhat artificial...

So, yeah, the Clairvoyance have some weak points, and I think that he does a good review by detecting and explaining them. However I don't think, at all, that this should be a deal-breaker. He is, in my opinion, exaggerating these issues and he is leaving aside all the virtues that these IEMS have. They sound amazing for their price (to be fair I don't have a lot of experience with IEMS, more with headphones). They are very well tuned, balanced, with an exciting approach. They have an amazing technical performance (instrument separation, imaging, soundstage) they sound very spacious, in particular if I compare them with my headphones. Everytime I listen music with them I got that "wow" reaction, music becomes very exciting and alive.

The biggest flaw in his review is him being negative without keeping in mind the price bracket. It's easy to compare these to $2000 or more iems and say a lot of negative things. But what iems in that price bracket does better to justify the negative comments and straight say you can't really recommend them? In other words, What iems $700 and below would he recommend over the Clair? What if someone has a budget of $700 and below. He's not giving much alternatives here. It seems he is comparing these to his favorite u12t without saying so. He even basically stated that the sa6 only did 1 thing better (treble).

 

[h1a8]

I tried, answer is nah...the EST air/transparency gets the trade off for boosted bass. For bass boost, upon many trials, I come to conclusion replacing original EST cable with Linsoul’s another high-end cable LSC08 shall justify sub-bass/ bass in both quality/quantity.

Thank you! But I'm a noob. What is EST lol? Are you saying that the high end cable increases the bass? Or adding the adapter with the high end cable will increase the bass without negative effects?

 

[AmericanSpirit]

Thank you! But I'm a noob. What is EST lol? Are you saying that the high end cable increases the bass? Or adding the adapter with the high end cable will increase the bass without negative effects?

Sonion EST(electrostatic) drivers, it’s not any particular high-emd cable increase bass, it’s just a combination. Forget about impedance adapter, just recable to LSC08 and it will increase the bass without negative effects.

 

[Gront]

I recommend you keep telling yourself to expect them in 8 weeks, then be happy when they show (hopefully) in 6 or 7 weeks.

I was hoping that it'd be a month plus a week or so... I wouldn't be at home in 6 or 7 weeks depending on how long work takes. Sad.

 

[musicday]

Can anyone compare the new EST12 with the Monarch?

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Thank you! But I'm a noob. What is EST lol? Are you saying that the high end cable increases the bass? Or adding the adapter with the high end cable will increase the bass without negative effects?

What he's saying is that an impedance adapter rotates the frequency response curve clockwise. Higher impedance, then more rotation. That means bass is elevated, mids are slightly elevated and treble is recessed. Not every IEM responds well to impedance adapters. The Monarchs work because it has a downsloping curve. The UM Mest, on the other hand, sounds terrible with it. I've seen some reviews where the Clairvoyance does not do well with impedance adapters. If you are getthing the Monarchs, you can try an impedance adapter because they are cheap at less than $10. But, if you really want to adjust the FR curve, use EQ. Equalizer APO with Peace interface is free and it's really good.

 

[Drokk]

Got my Monarchs in today from headphones.com after a little over a month!

After some nervous manhandling to get them out of the case and get them connected to the stock cable (seriously, it took some oomph) I'm going to have some real difficulty being productive today while I listen to my old favorites.

I can say even after just a few songs that the separation and bass response are as advertised, which is exactly why I bought them (Delicate Creature by Logi sounds snappy and clean in a new way to me). Going to go a bit deeper, I have very limited IEM experience but these are a hell of a step up from my previous ones. Very happy customer.

Couple of other favorites that impressed me:
Honey Thighs - Strongboi - The vocals really pop and the separation is very apparent, especially right at the beginning of the song when each individual part plays in.
With Any Luck - Stanley - Just a great song sounding even better than usual.
The Magician - Andy Shauf - The bass in the intro coming from the cello and the bass guitar just does it for me man.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I just picked up a Luxury and Precision W2 dac/amp this week. It's fantastic, especially when paired with the Monarchs. This has to be one of the best price/performance pairings in the industry. The LPW2 sounds better than my Hiby R6 2020. So, I pair them together. I use my DAP like a smartphone as the music player and the W@ is the DAC/Amp driving the Monarchs. It's very transparent and clean like the Lotoo PAW S1. It gives the Monarchs a big sound stage due to its clarity and the bass rumbles very nicely. At around $1000, nothing under $1000 comes close to this pairing for me. Or course, I haven't heard everything so I may change my mind if I hear something better.

 

[musicday]

The W2 makes my Blon BL-03 sound very very nice. Definitely the W2 is a very impressive audio device.

 

[darkportent]

Hello head-fiers,

Has anyone from the UK ordered the ThieAudio Monarch or Clairvoyance recently and if so did you need to pay import fees…?

Really interested in the Monarch but the long waiting time and likely import fee is likely to put anyone off…

Many thanks for your time in advance

 

[drummguy26]

Sonion EST(electrostatic) drivers, it’s not any particular high-emd cable increase bass, it’s just a combination. Forget about impedance adapter, just recable to LSC08 and it will increase the bass without negative effects.

I don’t necessary agree that adding the impedance adapter imposes negative effects. True that with the stock cable it will take away some of that airiness, but couple the 20ohm impedance adapter with a silver litz cable and magic happens if you’re a basshead while still retaining crisp highs and airiness. Lol

but yes I do think the impedance adapter doesn’t sound that great with a silver plated copper cable on the monarchs. You need the silver cable to bring out the highs.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

I don’t necessary agree that adding the impedance adapter imposes negative effects. True that with the stock cable it will take away some of that airiness, but couple the 20ohm impedance adapter with a silver litz cable and magic happens if you’re a basshead while still retaining crisp highs and airiness. Lol

but yes I do think the impedance adapter doesn’t sound that great with a silver plated copper cable on the monarchs. You need the silver cable to bring out the highs.

yea maybe with a pure-silver cable which I have for MMCX 3.5 SE for some old IEMs may work with impedance adapter.
For my virtue the fewer bypassing gadgets the better, so I'd just replace the cable and settle with it, also the impedance adapters will reduce hiss noise if the IEM is too sensitive. For my case, the original cable L-shape signature had some interference with the bass guitar, some deeper notes boosted and high notes somehow recessed.

 

[Verificateur]

Hi everyone! I have reached out to and received great advice from a couple of people in this thread. I am really grateful!

But I just wanted to collect a bit more information on which cable you would recommend using with the Thieaudio Monarch, of the following choices?

Main consideration is comfort (for behind ear when wearing glasses), and sound quality that would complement the Monarch and improve its weak sides.

Any personal experiences/impressions are appreciated:

Option 1
XINHS 4 Cores Graphene Alloy Silver Plated Wire MMCX 0.78mm 2 Pin Replacement Headphones Cable Audio Upgrade Cable
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqT68Bz

Option 2
XINHS 8-cores grapheneUpgrade Cable LITZ structure Single crystal copper plated silver + graphene earphone upgrade cable
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrvbXUj

Option 3
Linsoul LSC08 6N OCC Single Crystal Copper HiFi Earphone Cable 2pin MMCX
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mORpxnZ

Option 4
DUNU DUW-02/DUW02 High-purity Silver-plated OCC Copper Litz wire/original cable of DK2001
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqz5rqB

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Hi everyone! I have reached out to and received great advice from a couple of people in this thread. I am really grateful!

But I just wanted to collect a bit more information on which cable you would recommend using with the Thieaudio Monarch, of the following choices?

Main consideration is comfort (for behind ear when wearing glasses), and sound quality that would complement the Monarch and improve its weak sides.

Any personal experiences/impressions are appreciated:

Option 1
XINHS 4 Cores Graphene Alloy Silver Plated Wire MMCX 0.78mm 2 Pin Replacement Headphones Cable Audio Upgrade Cable
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqT68Bz

Option 2
XINHS 8-cores grapheneUpgrade Cable LITZ structure Single crystal copper plated silver + graphene earphone upgrade cable
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrvbXUj

Option 3
Linsoul LSC08 6N OCC Single Crystal Copper HiFi Earphone Cable 2pin MMCX
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mORpxnZ

Option 4
DUNU DUW-02/DUW02 High-purity Silver-plated OCC Copper Litz wire/original cable of DK2001
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mqz5rqB

I'd buy the Dunu cable if I had to pick one, but that's because I like the termination options. I have no idea if any of these cables upgrade the sound. I'd have to hear it first.

 

[Verificateur]

I'd buy the Dunu cable if I had to pick one, but that's because I like the termination options. I have no idea if any of these cables upgrade the sound. I'd have to hear it first.

Thanks!
My concern is that it has this type of 2 pin connectors (CIEM) with pretty long protrusions, as opposed to flatter 2 pin connectors. Not sure if the extra length would be a downside though.