[DrewVz]

Isn't the shell size for all of these new IEMs (Oracle,Clair, Monarch, Excal) the same?

 

[HiFiJayJay]

Isn't the shell size for all of these new IEMs (Oracle,Clair, Monarch, Excal) the same?

I was told the Oracle/Excal are smaller than the Clair/Monarch. Can someone verify this? I would very much like to know the same.

 

[MynnyD]

I was told the Oracle/Excal are smaller than the Clair/Monarch. Can someone verify this? I would very much like to know the same.

Yes, Oracle and Excalibur are indeed smaller. Still on the bigger side, but not dramatically.

 

[azertyproxy]

The Monarch is indeed a cracking IEM. So tempted to get it despite the humongous shell size.

Not gonna lie, the Monarch shell hurts me at first. But after 2 or 3 weeks of intense use, my ears finally got use to the Monarch shape

 

[SoundJedi]

My mint Monarch is for sale. Skip the waiting times and customs charges (UK).

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/thieaudio-monarch-mint.12016/

 

[SoundJedi]

I personally don't find Monarch size excessive but my ears are extremely forgiving. I can even fit my universal V14 with minimal discomfort.

Haven't tried Excalibur or Oracle but would expect then them to be smaller given the lower number of drivers.

Clairvoyance shell was about the same, maybe a touch smaller.

 

[DJ Core]

I couldn't help but notice this quote. Obviously this comment takes reference from crinacles ranking list cos really, who else has popularised a grading system for IEMs? It is a good list, but it's painful to see many people take it as gospel when the man himself has a caveat against this. One man's B+ might be another man's S. It is heavily dependent on preference, music tastes, fit and sometimes even sources. So use the list as a starting point to explore your requirements but bear in mind that audio is ultimately very subjective.

Actually, what I was trying to do is save the guy some money. The sound sig he had described matched my own preferences. My suggestion was to reach out for the best at that which is Monarch for just $200 more. This hobby can leave the average guy broke trying to get that perfect preferred sound sig. Personally, if I had heard the Monarch first, I'd not have bought the MEST which I just sold at a loss but I agree we all have our own preferences.

 

[HiFiJayJay]

Actually, what I was trying to do is save the guy some money. The sound sig he had described matched my own preferences. My suggestion was to reach out for the best at that which is Monarch for just $200 more. This hobby can leave the average guy broke trying to get that perfect preferred sound sig. Personally, if I had heard the Monarch first, I'd not have bought the MEST which I just sold at a loss but I agree we all have our own preferences.

Fair, thanks for not jumping at my comment and having a measured response. I was cherry picking the levers in your statement which are commonly abused outside of this context. For us, who can afford to save up the $200, yea sometimes we should save more in the longer run. Unfortunately I get bored too easily and end up flipping the $1k TOTL stuff anyway zzz and I hope you guys have more discipline than I do!

 

[SoundJedi]

I briefly owned Clairvoyance and own a Monarch. I wanted to try both signatures.

Clair bass to me was boomier and not as clean as Monarch. Monarch sub bass is unlike anything I've heard in an iem. Monarch is also more detailed without losing any musicality. It's a true TOTL iem.

Treble on Monarch will make many 3k headphones feel harsh in comparison. Psychoacoustics on Monarch are also top class, the best I've heard in an iem.

Where Clairvoyance takes an advantage is kick drums. That's the one instrument that IMO Clairvoyance renders better.

Some say vocals on Monarch are thin but that's really dependent on source. Monarch scales massively with source quality, and I can't emphasise that enough. In that regard it is like many other TOTL iems and HPs. Monarch is not trying to emphasise lower mids, it's transparent there and that's part of the tuning.

Never had any QC issues with my unit, but then I am very careful with my iems.

I will be getting the Monarch2 when it's out to try...because I am a sucker for ThieAudio iems.

If you want the absolute best iem, it's V14 with a healthy dose of EQ. Nothing matches it.

 

[HiFiJayJay]

Oh yea I wanted to ask if anyone has a comparo between Oracle and Clairvoyance. What's the difference in tuning like?

In an ideal world I would have owned both the Monarch and the Clairvoyance haha

 

[SoundJedi]

Unfortunately the only way to really compare at the moment is buy and sell. You take a loss but at least you know what you like for sure. Buying blind can lead to bitter disappointment, especially at those prices.

I am up for starting a "ThieAudio London Fan Club" as I own a few Thie iems.

I think ThieAudio has been a breath of fresh air into the iem world. They are going opposite the Uber-expensive iem trend and I want to encourage that. Hard to beat any of their tri-brids in terms of value for money.

 

[DrewVz]

Oh yea I wanted to ask if anyone has a comparo between Oracle and Clairvoyance. What's the difference in tuning like?

Same here. I love my Oracles, but it would be great to upgrade to something with the exact same tuning, but with increased resolution and staging. I haven't been able to find a firm stance on whether or not the Clair would serve that purpose.

 

[darkgod5]

Same here. I love my Oracles, but it would be great to upgrade to something with the exact same tuning, but with increased resolution and staging. I haven't been able to find a firm stance on whether or not the Clair would serve that purpose.

The consensus seems to be, barring any fit issues, it's worth the extra $200 to go for the Clairvoyance if you don't have either. But if you already have the Oracle and "love" it then I really don't see the point in rolling the dice on selling it and getting the Clairvoyance instead, honestly. You're already at the point of diminishing returns, especially depending on if your library of music is really technically demanding to begin with (e.g. orchestral, tech metal).

 

[drftr]

I wasn't exacle planning on reading all 207 pages but would be interested to learn if there's a page with links to Oracle reviews. I just checked the ThieAudio website and the Oracle isn't even mentioned anymore. Actually none of these 4 are and I'm curious why that is. I'm also more than a bit perplexed that there don't seem to be relevant written reviews about the Oracle on the major review websites but just on YouTube. I'm just starting to look into these but I'm puzzled already...

drftr

 

[SoundJedi]

I wasn't exacle planning on reading all 207 pages but would be interested to learn if there's a page with links to Oracle reviews. I just checked the ThieAudio website and the Oracle isn't even mentioned anymore. Actually none of these 4 are and I'm curious why that is. I'm also more than a bit perplexed that there don't seem to be relevant written reviews about the Oracle on the major review websites but just on YouTube. I'm just starting to look into these but I'm puzzled already...

drftr

https://www.linsoul.com/products/thieaudio-oracle?_pos=4&_sid=27660cab6&_ss=r

I see all of them. That the page for Oracle with 6 reviews.