THIEAUDIO Monarch MKII

Everyone has their subjective points of view. I am no different. So what I say ...I say from my own experience. The Monarch MK2 is simply the greatest balance of Sound quality vs maximum Diminishing returns balance. It is about 30% better than the Oracle MK2( which was amazing) and it fits my ears, which is the key for many people. The Bass is lush, the mids are flat-out ruler perfect, the Timbre and vocals are the best I've ever heard on any sound instrument, and the Treble Est drivers work perfectly without any harshness or loss of details. Finally, I love the look of the cable down to the IEM Dragon's scale-like look, so much that I nicked named these "Kilgharrah". I especially love the fact that I can still drive these off an Apple dongle to my phone when I'm away from my desk. This whole unit just screams quality and superiority. It is the ENDGAME for IEM's for my life.

Heard/own a few ones… Tangzu , moondrop aria, blessing 2, and the monarch mk2 are, by far, the biggest step in quality improvement, when I was expecting the law of diminishing returns to kick in. Not on this one, beats all the others for a mile.

I’ve heard two complaints before I bought it: the size, and the cable:

Starting from the cable, people said it was too heavy and uncomfortable. I have the opposite experience, it’s super solid in a good way and doesn’t tangle like the others.

As for the size - for my (big) ears they just fit amazing and provide a seal and stability the others can’t compete with. They fit really well on the ear lobe, and unlike the others, where I had to put spinfits, the provided ones is where I got better results with.

It has a drawback though… I can’t hear my Senns 660S2, this is _way_ better!!!

THIEAUDIO Monarch MKII

The best IEM I've ever heard so far. Good rumble bass, exceptional detail retriever and good treble extension.

The sound of the MKII is fantastic, but the fit, even with larger ears is not good. In addition to the position of the connectord in the ear pieces themselves (why so far outside with such a big ear piece itself?), the plugs on the cable are too big (high). The cable slips over the ear very often, which is very annoying. I cut them off myself and now the fit is fine, but this can easily be fixed by offering either standard plugs or short plugs.

these are hands down the best sounding thing i have ever used

I love this IEM since the very first time I heard it. it's neutral with a potent sub-bass response that's perfect for a large part of my library. while I think the midrange is exemplary, the bass quality is below average for a kilo-buck set, yet, it sounds "natural" enough to my ears with great rumble than slam, and I can accept that. the treble is smooth and sparkly at the same time, there's no hint of brightness or harshness, and far from being sibilant. I think overall, it's tonally pleasant and "natural" enough for a tribrid set.

In the technical department, I find Monarch MKii is definitely a TOTL-type, a reference style that's very studio monitor-like. huge resolution with excellent micro detail retrieval. the sense of space is nice with good width and height, although a bit lacking in depth as its presentation is somewhat "intimate". so, it's like watching a 4K monitor up close. you can see everything and focus on any point you want. in terms of dynamic contrast, it's pretty good in macro dynamic but not as great as the Oracle in micro decibel shift. thus, it could appear "flat" to some. but remember, it's like watching a 4K monitor up close, so, it's a bit hard to see the whole picture.

I think the overall performance does justice to the asking price. good engineering!

the "other" story:
I received my first pair in April early this year, and while I like everything about the package (except the carrying case and the uneven/unmatched faceplate), somehow the dynamic driver in the right earpiece stopped working in August. I was glad because it's still under the warranty. so, I sent it back to the local shop I was dealing with. after about 2 months and a week later, I received a brand new pair of Monarch MKii as a replacement! I was so happy although the waiting is somewhat tiresome. great job to Linsoul & ThieAudio team!

3 weeks later, the right earpiece showed a sign of driver failure! there's a sort of minimal buzzing or distortion like a static noise from time to time. I'm not sure what causes it as I treat them like a baby all the time.

I own many different IEMs from many different brands and none of them have any kind of driver failure for years of usage. I think this kind of issue is unacceptable because, at this price, we as customers expect perfection.

I'm not writing this to lambast the company or as an act of fearmongering, but rather to share my experience and report it so that the company can improve in every department as a whole (strengthen the QC). not to mention the other issues I had with my other ThieAudio products like Legacy 3, Voyagers, & the Oracle. so, QC issues are frequent in my experience. I also understand that driver failure or most QC issues is normal and I also believe ThieAudio did their best, yet it's not enough. so, it's either the QC is bad or I'm just very unlucky, yes? nevertheless, this is going to be my last purchase of ThieAudio products. I love them but until then.

the title says it all; these IEMs are for proving to people that In-Ear-Monitors can be extremely worthy of musical applications, audiophile or otherwise.

there's very few things that could beat these and all of those cost exponentially more than what I'd be willing to pay or afford.

Purchased these shortly after they first came out and just getting a chance to post a review on here now after almost a year.

I have been in music and production for most of my life. I think I have a fairly good grasp on what "good sound" is. Going through many different speakers and studio monitors and headphones over the last decade, I can tell you these are truly special.

Audio of course has a subjective component. But as far as the objective parts of a balanced, natural sounding and coherent frequency response, these are the real deal. I believe many of those complaining are having ear fitment issues. They BARELY fit my ears so I understand their pain (literally). That being said, if you have normal to large ear canals, you'll be fine. Word of advice - push the monarchs straight in and then twist downward. If I don't do this, I don't get a good seal for the bass.

After going back and forth between the foam and silicone tips, I think the silicone is the best for overall comfort and sound but they both are nice.

I listen to many different types of music from heavy EDM to classical to rock to jazz to whatever honestly. I can honestly say these do all genres well, as a flat monitor should. Well flat besides a slightly boosted low end, which I prefer.

I could go into details about the bass, mid range and highs but that's already been discussed. These things are absolutely phenomenal from a tonal perspective. Solid wide soundstage etc. The main thing I'll stress is they're not for small ears. Also they take a little adjustment and fiddling to get them to fit properly so if the bass is lacking, trust me, it's the fit, not these most likely unless you're a really big basshead. I love bass and these are spot on.

Gorgeous shells and cable. What else is there more to say? Try a pair. If they fit you well, you won't sell them almost for sure. The 1 star and 2 star reviews seem like people that they didn't fit. Had to give these things some love. They've given me a lot of love too.

Enjoy and happy listening!

Not in London but in Edinburgh (review preview said London)

Will start with what most folks want to hear about, the sound. My point of reference/comparison is the KZ ZS10 Pros, which were replaced with Fiio FH3s, due to them breaking.

Compared to the Fiios the staging, imaging, instrument separation, vocals, treble and the bass, including sub bass rumble are all better. Only marginally better though. Not 7 times better, which is the price difference and I wouldn't say even twice as good either. I am talking very small percentages. The Monarch MkIIs do offer a great listening experience, very enjoyable and smooth with great clarity and detail, whilst also having satisfyingly meaty and weighty Bass (when present in the Music). Regarding Vocals, I noticed better clarity or presentation. I could hear lyrics better, easier. On some songs I actually noticed what some lyrics were, where I was more listening to just the melody before. For the Treble things like Cymbals sounded better with a slightly improved sustain or resolution. Treble and Vocals are the most noticeable improvements over the Fiios, again though only marginal.

Decided to upgrade to the Monarch MkII from my Fiio FH3. Not because I had any complaints with the Fiio but because I was curious as to what the scale of improvement would be, if any at all.
Just how good is an "Endgame" expensive IEM?
The law of diminishing returns is especially true as you spend more in Audio. Monarch MkIIs are very well regarded and are said to represent good value when compared to even more expensive IEMs that don't sound or perform better or even equally. However, there was a reoccurring issue that I came across when looking, the fit.

Unfortunately this was the case for me. The nozzle, when it has a tip on, is just too wide for my Ear canal. The shell shape/design/size also pushes up slightly against my tragus. Just the Shell, no tip on, fits great with zero discomfort. I used the small white silicone tips initially and felt the Monarch slightly more than my Fiios in my ear but thought nothing of it. After listening to Music for a time then taking the Monarchs out my ears felt violated/stretched. I wouldn't say there was pain but definitely discomfort and it felt unpleasant.

As I do like their sound I tried to find a workaround by using some shorter stem and smaller AZLA SednaEarfit Crystal tips (3 variation Small pack). The largest Small was a good fit, seal and did reduce the discomfort a lot but there was still some discomfort. Zero discomfort with all my previous IEMs. Unfortunately I had to sell them on.

Decent service and shipping time frame from Linsoul, I am in the UK. I would have preferred a longer refund/return period though. I had assumed that it would be possibly 14-28 days, which is the norm for many goods, but it was only 7 days. That is far too short, especially when factoring in International shipping, etc. By the time I ordered, tried out the alternative tips to improve fit the 7 day return window had passed. Rather than return the Monarchs to Linsoul I had to sell them on secondhand.