I've been tempted by the Oracle for so long, but the concerns about shell size have held me back. I had to regretfully part with the UM 3DT because the shells were just too big for my medium-small ears. Anyone owned both who could chime in and help a brother out?
I can’t speak to Oracle but can to 3DT. I had the same struggle till using AzlaSedna Xelastics (large). They dont go inside the ear canal but sit outside and due to stickiness they get a good seal and stay in place. Bass remains impactful. Over time the stickiness fades, but by then they will have molded to the shape of the external ear orifice and both stay in place and maintain the seal easily. Not SO great to exercise with, but I have other cheaper IEMs for that (iPhone earbuds using EarBuddyz Ear Hooks).
I can’t speak to Oracle but can to 3DT. I had the same struggle till using AzlaSedna Xelastics (large). They dont go inside the ear canal but sit outside and due to stickiness they get a good seal and stay in place. Bass remains impactful. Over time the stickiness fades, but by then they will have molded to the shape of the external ear orifice and both stay in place and maintain the seal easily. Not SO great to exercise with, but I have other cheaper IEMs for that (iPhone earbuds using EarBuddyz Ear Hooks).
I can tell you it's bigger than the Serial but more comfortable for me. Had the Serial with me for about a month and a half before giving it to a friend
I've been tempted by the Oracle for so long, but the concerns about shell size have held me back. I had to regretfully part with the UM 3DT because the shells were just too big for my medium-small ears. Anyone owned both who could chime in and help a brother out?
Recently have been feeling something is missing with the Monarch Mk 2. I’ve been using Azla Xelastics tips and the seal has been ok, but bass impact has been pretty tepid. I read a lot of posts about the OG and thought ‘what am I missing?’ and ‘did I make a mistake’?
Today I tried them with the Comply isolation plus TX-500 foams, and the bass impact was VERY much improved- but not only that, it seemed like a veil was lifted across the whole FR. I’ve been thinking about selling them but now am having second thoughts. Just goes to show how important tips and seal are with IEMS. (This was all with the stock cable off a Hiby R8 playing mostly EDM but also some classical).
While on this point- had always struggled with discomfort using foams till I discovered ear lubricant - this really has helped me get them into place and comfortable and to wear them longer.
Never knew of such a thing till now but worth checking out I suppose. I find with some eartips after using them for some time I feel a slight irritation which goes away if I wiggle the IEM's about a bit.
Recently have been feeling something is missing with the Monarch Mk 2. I’ve been using Azla Xelastics tips and the seal has been ok, but bass impact has been pretty tepid. I read a lot of posts about the OG and thought ‘what am I missing?’ and ‘did I make a mistake’?
Today I tried them with the Comply isolation plus TX-500 foams, and the bass impact was VERY much improved- but not only that, it seemed like a veil was lifted across the whole FR. I’ve been thinking about selling them but now am having second thoughts. Just goes to show how important tips and seal are with IEMS. (This was all with the stock cable off a Hiby R8 playing mostly EDM but also some classical).
While on this point- had always struggled with discomfort using foams till I discovered ear lubricant - this really has helped me get them into place and comfortable and to wear them longer.
I had the same issue with Xelastics and Crystals. I had good seals but they still just killed the bass. Final Audio Type E Clear/Red brought back the bass but veiled the treble too much. Finally landed on Radius Deep Mounts and it's been so good - best treble clarity and bass slam and rumble out of all of the tips I've tried.
Never knew of such a thing till now but worth checking out I suppose. I find with some eartips after using them for some time I feel a slight irritation which goes away if I wiggle the IEM's about a bit.
Me too. I found before using this that I had a lot more discomfort, largely (it turned out) this was due to the friction of inserting the tips without lubrication.
What are people's experience with getting a good fit with the Monarch MKII?
The combination of their large shell size, the angled and thick nozzles, and the vent being on the side of the shell rather than its original position (although I don't know how much of a difference this makes); do you have any tricks you use to ensure a good fit?
Or are you the kind that just pops them in without any effort, and they sound good right away?
I had the same issue with Xelastics and Crystals. I had good seals but they still just killed the bass. Final Audio Type E Clear/Red brought back the bass but veiled the treble too much. Finally landed on Radius Deep Mounts and it's been so good - best treble clarity and bass slam and rumble out of all of the tips I've tried.
Looks like the Radius deep mount comes with multiple sizes which is good as it’s often difficult to figure out the correct size. In the US it seems they are only available on eBay at various prices between $20-30 USD (let the buyer beware) and ship from Japan. Is there a US audio shop that retails them?
yup. I can see that many people missed out on the Oracle. it's one of the most natural-sounding IEMs I've heard regardless of the price tag (coming from neutral tuning). and yeah I've heard many TOTLs and I just can't accept BA timbre (treble) which most of them are equipped with. Oracle's female vocal reproduction is magical though I know it's kinda boosted with pseudo air. it's not perfect but that's what makes it "perfect". one just needs to play with ear tips combination to get the best reproduction.
Monarch MKii is perhaps the right upgrade to Oracle/Clair. even for Blessing2/Dusk. though the size is larger, it takes some time to get comfortable with the shape. in my case, it's about 2-3 days. other than that, Monarch MKii just needs a good pairing (source) to control the bass, specifically, to not get a bit too bassy or "wobbly". the stock tips and cable are pretty great IMO. I believe it's Acoustune AET07? the stock package is just perfectly natural sounding. normally I will listen to everything stock with any set for a week or two before figuring out what's lacking, but it seems Monarch MKii is just perfect.
Totally agree. It would have helped if there was a physical guide analogous to the mini-XLR, to help line up the terminals. The DUNU Hulk Pro cable has a similar adapter but has a small dot painted on the adapter on both sides to help it line up. With my own Mk2, because of these issues, I’ve decided to leave the 4.4 mm adapter in place. Now I have a Cayin RU-6, I can listen on my iPhone in bed using the 4.4 mm connection.
As I’m contemplating cable rolling (I’ve ordered an Eletech Socrates, production of which is held up due to the Shanghai lockdown) I’m getting 2.5 mm termination and 2.5mm->4.4 mm adapters. With a good adapter (I have Cayin and effect audio ones so far) I’m not noticing any SQ deterioration. I know Thieaudio (and DUNU for that matter) created these multi-adapter cables so we would not need such after-market adapters, but I agree the Thieaudio one is too hard to switch, and leads to the sort of panic-moments you described (I’ve had several such moments as well).
It's actually not that complicated. slightly rotate the adapter and it'll sit into the ports at which point you just gently push it in. Haven't had any issues using MKII cable with OG Monarch + iBasso DX240 pairing (Stock Amp with 3.5 or 2.5mm + AMP 8 MKII which has 3.5 & 4.4) . I find MKII Cable much better than OG stock cable via clarity, separation and better bass
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