[Johnfg465vd]

be careful, Xenns UP is not the evolution of Tea... they are VERY different, and both cannot be considered "resolving". actually both have a "relaxed" tuning, with the UP being a pure bass-head IEM, while Tea is much more linear in the bass and with much more forwarded mids. it is true that both have recessed treble (even if UP is using est)

if you like elevated sub-bass, suggest you have a look at TA Excalibur

Hmm, would you say excaliber is as shouty as Blessing 2? If you have heard Oracle and Excalibur, what's your preference and why?

I decided to go with the Teas because I can't find a definitive answer for my question i.e. Are the Oracle/Excalibur IEMs bright? So I wanted to play it safe and get the Tea which many consider a good alternate to Blessing 2 which sounded a bit bright and shouty to me.

I figured I'd skip the ThieAudio stuff get Tea or Tea 2 now, save up and jump to getting XENNS UP & MEST MKII or Monarch MKII.

 

[phaeton70]

Hmm, would you say excaliber is as shouty as Blessing 2? If you have heard Oracle and Excalibur, what's your preference and why?

I decided to go with the Teas because I can't find a definitive answer for my question i.e. Are the Oracle/Excalibur IEMs bright? So I wanted to play it safe and get the Tea which many consider a good alternate to Blessing 2 which sounded a bit bright and shouty to me.

I figured I'd skip the ThieAudio stuff get Tea or Tea 2 now, save up and jump to getting XENNS UP & MEST MKII or Monarch MKII.

if you mean "shouty" referred to upper-mids / lower-treble , then I can say that Oracle is definitely not shouty. unfortunately never listened to Excalibur.
Tea are very good for the price, also definitely not shouty at all.
If you can fund the MEST MKII, that could be your end-game, depending on the music you listen to.
But this is the Thieaudio thread, so we are OT. maybe you better ask in the Xenns thread or the MEST thread if you want more infos.

 

[NesoNewbie]

Hmm, would you say excaliber is as shouty as Blessing 2? If you have heard Oracle and Excalibur, what's your preference and why?

I decided to go with the Teas because I can't find a definitive answer for my question i.e. Are the Oracle/Excalibur IEMs bright? So I wanted to play it safe and get the Tea which many consider a good alternate to Blessing 2 which sounded a bit bright and shouty to me.

I figured I'd skip the ThieAudio stuff get Tea or Tea 2 now, save up and jump to getting XENNS UP & MEST MKII or Monarch MKII.

Sadly I've only heard the Oracle but I wouldn't describe it as shouty or bright. It is a very safe iem overall and it's hard to go wrong with it unless one has a more specific tuning preference in mind. Thing is though is that the Oracle's safe tuning might come across as "boring" for some.

 

[MynnyD]

Hmm, would you say excaliber is as shouty as Blessing 2? If you have heard Oracle and Excalibur, what's your preference and why?

I decided to go with the Teas because I can't find a definitive answer for my question i.e. Are the Oracle/Excalibur IEMs bright? So I wanted to play it safe and get the Tea which many consider a good alternate to Blessing 2 which sounded a bit bright and shouty to me.

I figured I'd skip the ThieAudio stuff get Tea or Tea 2 now, save up and jump to getting XENNS UP & MEST MKII or Monarch MKII.

I have the Oracle and would rate it 8/10, clearly a step up from 150-250$ earphones, but not mindblowing. The sound is mildly W shaped, sub bass is more prominent than midbass, mids are quite forward and treble extended and detailed, but never fatiguing. I agree that it is not a basshead set and can be considered as either very well tuned or boring. And very tip dependent, so far the Spinfit CP500 works the best for me soundwise (deeper fit and more bass than CP100 and CP145), but the bore is too wide for the stem, so you have to be careful when pulling them out of the ear.

 

[jlemaster1957]

Hmm, would you say excaliber is as shouty as Blessing 2? If you have heard Oracle and Excalibur, what's your preference and why?

I decided to go with the Teas because I can't find a definitive answer for my question i.e. Are the Oracle/Excalibur IEMs bright? So I wanted to play it safe and get the Tea which many consider a good alternate to Blessing 2 which sounded a bit bright and shouty to me.

I figured I'd skip the ThieAudio stuff get Tea or Tea 2 now, save up and jump to getting XENNS UP & MEST MKII or Monarch MKII.

Hi I’ve been thinking about your decision the last few days, but haven’t weighed in because I haven’t heard the Oracle and wasn’t sure about advising you to save your cash up and go for the Monarch Mk2 when you can afford it (or if it shows up on the Classifieds), but also not sure that Mk2 has the bass slam you are looking for anyway - Thieaudio backed off the bass intensity to increase focus on the mids on Mk2, which I and a number of reviewer think they did pretty well on. Then today I saw this by @Precogvision on the Fatfreq Maestro Mini that is in your price range and seems to token what you are looking for. I admit I haven’t heard it, but Precog is pretty picky (understatement) and so his positive review suggests that this is something special and just wanted to point you to it. It’s available Here.

 

[Johnfg465vd]

Hi I’ve been thinking about your decision the last few days, but haven’t weighed in because I haven’t heard the Oracle and wasn’t sure about advising you to save your cash up and go for the Monarch Mk2 when you can afford it (or if it shows up on the Classifieds), but also not sure that Mk2 has the bass slam you are looking for anyway - Thieaudio backed off the bass intensity to increase focus on the mids on Mk2, which I and a number of reviewer think they did pretty well on. Then today I saw this by @Precogvision on the Fatfreq Maestro Mini that is in your price range and seems to token what you are looking for. I admit I haven’t heard it, but Precog is pretty picky (understatement) and so his positive review suggests that this is something special and just wanted to point you to it. It’s available Here.

The Maestro Mini looks like a good replacement for my Honeydew but not exactly what I'm looking for right now (well resolving, elevated bass and smooth but detailed sound)

I think I'm gonna go with my previous plan and stop cluttering this thread. Thank you all who replied, your input has helped me understand what to expect from the ThieAudio IEMs and plan my next purchase.

 

[morndewey]

A&K Kann Max > Med gain > balanced > PW Loki > Oracle > silicone eartips (aperture slightly narrower than Oracle nozzle) = superlative immersive auditory bliss

 

[Terco]

Original Monarch will be discontinued soon!! I kinda want to grab an extra one since I'm not a fan of the Mk 2 and I really enjoy the tunning of the original Monarch.

 

[wolfstar76]

Original Monarch will be discontinued soon!! I kinda want to grab an extra one since I'm not a fan of the Mk 2 and I really enjoy the tunning of the original Monarch.

Me too, I love the Monarch OG. Recently I saw a WTB post here, since I mostly use Z1R and my Monarch OG does not get enough ear time, I am thinking about selling it. However, after revisited the Monarch, I really like it and decide to keep it even though I only listen it very infrequently. I have Mk2 cable with it though.

 

[lazner]

Me too, I love the Monarch OG. Recently I saw a WTB post here, since I mostly use Z1R and my Monarch OG does not get enough ear time, I am thinking about selling it. However, after revisited the Monarch, I really like it and decide to keep it even though I only listen it very infrequently. I have Mk2 cable with it though.

Me too, loving the original Monarch. I tried Monarch Mk2 and MEST OG and always came back happy I got the OG. Didn't feel the need to upgrade for more than a year now.

 

[morndewey]

Anyone care to compare contrast Monarch II and Oracle? Much obliged

 

[conceptcar3]

Anyone care to compare contrast Monarch II and Oracle? Much obliged

Monarch 2 vs Clair which is similar to oracle, Clair had more midbass, notably more. Bassier overall. But monarch 2 excessively more detailed especially on the mids. And the midbass is crystal clear just not as thick. Less clarity on clairvoyance. If oracle is like Clair, then oracle is thicker bass but way less detailed

 

[fanteskiller]

Clair had more midbass and this makes Clair more nature sounding.

 

[conceptcar3]

Clair had more midbass and this makes Clair more nature sounding.

Miss my Clair if anyone has one for sale or trade, pm me!

 

[SUBA]

Anyone care to compare contrast Monarch II and Oracle? Much obliged

I own both... The Monarch MKII definitely has more sub-bass and mid-bass compared to the Oracle, in fact the Monarch MKII actually has more mid-bass than my preference.
Some people have said the mid-bass on the MKII is a bit light but definitely not on the set I have.

I actually think because of the lower mid-bass on the Oracle that vocals are more forward, prominent and clear which I love. The vocals on the Monarch are great too but I think at times the higher mid-bass does overshadow them a bit with a thicker sound.

I definitely prefer the tuning of the Oracle much more but the Monarch MKII fits my ears better so I am thinking of selling my beloved Oracles...