[h1a8]

I have tried a lot of tips. For me, Azla Sedna Short are the best to get a rich bass without sacrificing the tonality.

I would give the azla xelastec a try if you haven't already. These are the best tips i've used for me.

I also find azla xelastec to work great on Clairvoyance

Which link? 1st, 2nd, or 3rd link?
1st link

or

2nd link

or

3rd link

 

[IEMusic]

.

 

[wind016]

Thanks. I'll use EQ only.

Any suggestions for tips for the Clairvoyance? I'm looking for comfort first and then tips that give a deeper more rich bass (mostly sub-bass) without sacrificing much else.

Anyone can chime in. I accept all suggestions.

I tried all of them and found they pretty much all sound the same. The key is the fit. It seems some people need the sticky Xelastecs to get the best fit. I prefer the Earfitlights. The shorts bring the earbuds closer to my eardrums so it makes the earbuds stretch my ears less so it doesn't hurt as much. The regulars have a negligible improvement in soundstage and treble b/c the drivers are farther from my ear drums. Very small difference. Maybe placebo.

 

[h1a8]

The 1st link is the regular Earfits that are short.

So get those that are in the 1st link and not the others?

 

[IEMusic]

So get those that are in the 1st link and not the others?

I think your edited question changed, so my answer no longer fits. I thought you were asking WHICH were the regular Sedna shorts. Regarding which Sedna is best for either the Monarch or Clairvoyance, I’m not qualified comment on that.

 

[drummguy26]

The Monarch's bass is pretty... "2D". Dry. It has a ton of volume but texture isn't that good, I EQ'd it at 150 Hz with +3 dB and it felt better but I feel like I should have gone with the Clairvoyance since I listen to a lot of rock/jazz/metal. But honestly, that and the tight fit are my only complaints.

Honestly, I thought this at first as well. Not sure how much burn in time you've had with your Monarchs or which tips/cable you're using, but with my combo (Spiral Dot eartips, 2.5mm Silver cable and EQ), the bass is pretty satisfying. Sub bass is superb, but I agree that mid bass is somewhat lacking. Texture is there but it mainly lives in the sub bass region. Regardless its still solid.... but it can sound better. Regarding your EQ, I think you might have EQ'ed a bit too much at 150Hz. I think you're missing some punchiness and slam. Ive found that adding about 4~5dB at 40 and 65Hz does the trick. Ive been using this EQ for a while now and I love it:

I added about 1.2db at 150Hz with a pretty loose Q value to add some body and fullness to guitars and whatnot, but also mainly to match the FR of the Blessing2 in this region. Its quite nice. But honestly, I dont need the 1.2db bump here. Its mainly for when Im listening to rock music. I also added some shimmer up top for a bit more air. It makes a difference. Give it a shot. Lemme know what you think.

 

[slex]

After significant listening time, I have concluded that the Monarch is superior to the MEST OG. Would be interested in seeing if the MKII changes that.

Yes, Monarch is more musical to me then OG Mest even though it have the high resolution. Since the new MEST MK2 demo is new, I will let my dealer run in the demo unit first.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Honestly, I thought this at first as well. Not sure how much burn in time you've had with your Monarchs or which tips/cable you're using, but with my combo (Spiral Dot eartips, 2.5mm Silver cable and EQ), the bass is pretty satisfying. Sub bass is superb, but I agree that mid bass is somewhat lacking. Texture is there but it mainly lives in the sub bass region. Regardless its still solid.... but it can sound better. Regarding your EQ, I think you might have EQ'ed a bit too much at 150Hz. I think you're missing some punchiness and slam. Ive found that adding about 4~5dB at 40 and 65Hz does the trick. Ive been using this EQ for a while now and I love it:


I added about 1.2db at 150Hz with a pretty loose Q value to add some body and fullness to guitars and whatnot, but also mainly to match the FR of the Blessing2 in this region. Its quite nice. But honestly, I dont need the 1.2db bump here. Its mainly for when Im listening to rock music. I also added some shimmer up top for a bit more air. It makes a difference. Give it a shot. Lemme know what you think.

I prefer the Monarch tuning over the Clairvoyance. It has more transparency and clarity mostly due to the lack of elevated mid bass. But, I find that both tunings are great for various tracks. It's very easy to change the EQ profile.

 

[drspeter]

Two different sound signatures

Mk2 has an all rounder approach

Monarch has the clean mid and treble extension and sub bass rumble if present on track.
I enjoy monarch for its detail retrieval and separation in the music i listen to

Mk2 i could listen to anything and enjoy it even watching movies
Has an exciting tuning that some may find bright but not me.

Its best to demo them yourself if you can because we all hear different.

I read conflicting impressions here and there in terms of treble sparkle between Monarch's and Mest's high frequency. Which one do you find more airy and well open at the top?

 

[SteveK27]

Having owned the Monarch myself (returned it in hope of exchanging it for the clairvoyance), I found its sound profile quite dry for my taste.
I wouldn't consider it a "musical" tuning, but rather a clean reference tuning that stays true to how the track has been recorded.

My problem with the Monarch was how clinical it presented the music, while I was hoping for a more musical profile with more bass in the tuning. Monarch did have impressive sub-bass but lacked mid-bass for my taste. I generally listen to EDM and pop, and I assume everyone's mileage will vary based on the music they listen to.

 

[Dionietzscheus]

I'm using a pure Silver Litz OCC cable with my Monarchs and I can definitely hear larger soundstage, better separation, detail, crisper bass rumble and texture with these over the stock cable. Now, I can only imagine what the stormbreakers sound like with their lovely $1,300 price tag.... But I'm never gonna spend that much on a cable. Im just not.

But I'm more than satisfied with the combination I got going on here.

Which OCC cable are you using with Monarch?

 

[slex]

Having owned the Monarch myself (returned it in hope of exchanging it for the clairvoyance), I found its sound profile quite dry for my taste.
I wouldn't consider it a "musical" tuning, but rather a clean reference tuning that stays true to how the track has been recorded.

My problem with the Monarch was how clinical it presented the music, while I was hoping for a more musical profile with more bass in the tuning. Monarch did have impressive sub-bass but lacked mid-bass for my taste. I generally listen to EDM and pop, and I assume everyone's mileage will vary based on the music they listen to.

what source are you connected?

 

[FlowLikeWater]

Having owned the Monarch myself (returned it in hope of exchanging it for the clairvoyance), I found its sound profile quite dry for my taste.
I wouldn't consider it a "musical" tuning, but rather a clean reference tuning that stays true to how the track has been recorded.

My problem with the Monarch was how clinical it presented the music, while I was hoping for a more musical profile with more bass in the tuning. Monarch did have impressive sub-bass but lacked mid-bass for my taste. I generally listen to EDM and pop, and I assume everyone's mileage will vary based on the music they listen to.

interested in hearing your opinion on the Clair once it arrives, maybe comparison to Monarch?

The Clairvoyance is very intriguing to me b/c it looks like it is tuned nearly perfectly for my tastes. I’m interested in getting it as an IEM that needs no EQ adjustments. One question I have is does it still have a really deep sub bass rumble? Not like the Monarch it seems, but I’m just hoping that the bass isn’t a bit dry sounding. I love the subwoofer-like rumble.

One of the few IEMs I have right now that I apply no EQ to is the LZ A7. Can anyone compare the Clair to the LZ A7? What tuning combo of the LZ A7 most sounds similar to the Clair’s tuning?

Thanks.

i find the Clairvoyance bass decently subwoofer-like (great example songs are Dark Ages - TSFH, and Shake That - Eminem), though it always remains in line with the mids/highs, sometimes a little behind. I'm sure the Monarch's are better in this regard. I am hopelessly in love with mids though, so Clairvoyance was the one for me. YMMV as always

i must say, the main word that comes to mind with these iems is balance. The bass, mids, and highs blend to form a beautiful picture that frames each song in such a euphoric way independent of genre, for my personal tastes anyways.

to answer your question regarding tonality, I find these absolutely shine with metal, acoustic, vocals, and similar. for EDM, I could use a little more bass (example: Dance with the Dead - Into the Shadows), but it still sounds very good with the mids and overall clarity. with acoustics though it is very pleasant, like this random cello song I found making this post.

a fusion of Monarch bass/highs with Clair mids would be awesome

Edit: I should mention that I use RHA small dual density grey eartips, the stock spinfits made the sound a bit too splashy for me

 

[wind016]

Any comparisons between the Monarch and the new UM MEST Mk2 by chance?
Any speculation?

I have my initial impressions on the Mest sponsor thread now.

 

[drummguy26]

Which OCC cable are you using with Monarch?

I had someone custom make me a silver Litz OCC cable. It's type 2. I can give u his info if you're interested. He makes them for a good price.