ThieAudio - Monarch MKIII

Scammy companies making dozens of models to confuse people so they buy lots?  What else goes on. The simplest solution is 7HZ Zero 2. Then call it a day. Don't get scammed I am saying this from experience, I got up to monarch mk3

I mean if you go by strictly measurements, Airpods Pro 2 (on rtings) and Monarchs "best of the absolute best it doesnt get better then this" 1000$ monarch mk3 (on rtings) are neck and neck, if not the Airpods Pro 2 measuring more accurately. I have zero reason to believe more expensive iems are better, and my ears dont really convince me either

It's about the balance between drivers and tuning. Combine them properly, and you achieve greatness. Such as my Thieaudio Monarch MK3's, they are exceptional. 2dd, 6ba, and 2 est of pure bliss 😊

A year ago, I switched from the Truthear x Crinacle Zero: Red to the Thieaudio Monarch MKIII and the difference was mindblowing, even though the Zero Red was really good for its price.

That's how different ears can be - for me it's the other way around, I really like the MMk3, but I didn't like both of the tuning options of the MMk4 as much.

I went from the EM6L > Kiwi Ears Quintet > Orchestra Lite > Tea Pro > Monarch MK3. I head a difference with every step up. I prefer the Quintet over the Tea Pro because the Tea Pro treble is darker and smoother and sounds less detailed imo. The Monarch MK3 is just absolutely amazing imo. I hear details in songs I've never heard before. The detail in every aspect is just amazing, and they're fun to listen to. They also do some black magic with soundstage and imaging. The MK3 sounds bigger than some openback headphones I've owned.

Disclaimer: I'm not a reviewer. I'm just an audio engineer and a guy that loves music. These are my impressions. If I left anything out, please feel free to ask. I've had several days to compare both of these IEMs. Originally, I'd bought just the MkIII, but after several days with it I contacted a rep at Bloom Audio and asked him for some advice. I asked if there were something he could recommend with less mid bass and a more open sound. Without hesitation, he recommended I try the Monarch MkIV. I asked about the Prestige LTD and Dunu Glacier, but he insisted again that I try the MkIV for what I'm after. I listened to various genres over the last several days, mainly metal, rock, classic rock, and EDM. I'm using an Astell & Kern HC4 plugged into the USB C port of my iPhone 16 Pro Max. I tested both cables on both IEMs, and used both the 3.5mm and 4.4mm tips. Cable and accessories- Cables: Both sets come with a nice modular cable. The MkIII comes with 2.5mm balanced, 3.5mm unbalanced, and 4.4mm balanced tips. The MkIV comes with only the 3.5mm unbalanced, and the 4.4mm balanced. The MkIV's cable seems a bit higher end, but is a little too bulky and heavy for me compared to the MkIII. I prefer the MkIII's cable here simply for the comfort. Tips: The MkIII comes with a set of standard silicone tips and a set of foam tips. The MkIV comes with a standard bore silicone, narrow bore silicone, and foam tips. I've tried swapping in Azla SednaEarFit ASMR, TRI Clarion, and Spinfit W1 tips. To my surprise I liked the stock silicones the best, and the standard bore silicone over the narrow on the MkIV. The stock silicone tips on the MkIV do seem to be of higher quality than the stock ones on the MkIII. Case: The MkIII wins hands down here with its semi hard zip up case. The felt covered cardboard puck of the MkIV is simply trash. My package was brand new in the plastic and the sides of the puck were already starting to collapse when I took it out of the box. I've already ordered a replacement case on Amazon. Sound Impressions- Bass: This is one of the main noticeable differences between the two IEMs. While the MkIV has less upper mid bass energy than the MkIII (a welcome change), both IEMs are what I would consider bass heavy in their sound. If I could reduce it just a little more on the MkIV I would prefer it. The bass on both sets is big and punchy, if a little undefined at times, and not as snappy as I'd like, but overall of nice quality. Worth noting that the bass quality is better at moderate volumes than the lower volumes I tend to listen to. I think if anything, these IEMs tend to highlight flaws in mixes and masters. Tracks with a well defined and sculpted low end tend to shine here, while sloppy and bloated low ended tracks are exaggerated. The main thing that turned me off from the MkIII is its mid bass that does quite often tend to dominate the sound of whatever I'm listening to. The MkIV is much more controlled here, though you do have the "rumble" switch that will give you a 3dB lift in the mid and sub bass area, giving you a somewhat more controlled emulation of the MkIII's bass if that's what you're after. It can definitely make the right track bigger and more engaging for certain genres. Mid Range: This is the Monarch's wheelhouse. There's a saying in the pro audio world that "the magic is in the midrange", and I strongly agree. Without great detail in this frequency range, you're really missing out on a lot of crucial information about the song. Both sets have a natural and detailed mid range here, with nothing to objectively complain about. The MkIII is elevated, as you can see in the FR graph, at around the 4-6khz area. And while this does give the MkIII slightly more detail with vocals, drum attack, and guitars, it can also be the source of fatigue. And in my case, irritating my tinnitus. Because of this, I found I tended to listen to the MkIII at a much quieter level than I'd like after about 15 minutes, while on the MkIV I can listen to moderate levels for much longer without fatigue or amplifying my tinnitus. Upper Treble and Air: I was a little surprised at how much more open the MkIV's sounded compared to the MkIII when looking at the FR graph (last pic in my post). The slight lift at 10k and the big spike around 15k seems to contribute a lot to the general sense of space and air in the MkIV. The MkIII sounds a little rolled off in the upper treble, the MkIV sounds open, airy, and gives you a better sense of space. These are just different flavors, and I can see some preferring the warmer top end of the MkIII. It's reminiscent of listening to a recording on older analog tape to me. The upper frequencies are slightly subdued, but all of the information is still there. The MkIII shines on recordings like David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. It sounds accurate to the recording and to the era. The MkIV makes the same album sound like it was remastered for more air, cleaner bass, and more separation. This is where a case could be made for owning both sets of IEMs. Comfort and Fit: This is another area that surprised me. I find the MkIV to fit perfectly in my ear, and for long periods of time. I was expecting a heavier and clunkier feeling IEM because of its slightly larger size and the fact that it's made from aluminum. They must have fine tuned some of the contours because I don't have to twist or push the MkIV to sit in my ear like I do with the MkIII. It also feels lighter, even though I saw a review where they actually weighed both sets and the MkIV is the slightly heavier of the two. The large nozzle of the MkIII also started to hurt my left ear canal after about an hour, whereas I haven't had that issue with the MkIV yet. In the included pics I show the fit of the MkIV, which sits very comfortably in the ear, but does protrude just a little more than the MkIII. Summary: I guess it's obvious by now that I prefer the Mk IV for my own tastes, and will be sending the MkIII back to Bloom tomorrow. I didn't see many comparisons out there when I was originally searching for a replacement for the MkIII, so I'm hoping this review can help some people that are also considering these two great IEMs. Thanks for reading.

Amongst the thieaudio iems I’ve tried  Valhalla > prestige Ltd > v16 divinity > monarch mk3 > monarch mk2 

I would say, Yap warning Transducer TYPE BA/DD/EST/PZT/BCD Driver count Driver Impedance Driver Tuning/Resistor Choice Acoustic Tunneling Cabinet Size EG Size of IEM Venting Nozzle Length Isolation factor THD Driver Matierals Wire size 2 pin cable matieral and guage Target Audience A lot of these factors are what make high end speakers sound different from more budget speakers. Psychoacoustic bias is also the biggest issue and factor one should always keep in mind as when I had orignally bought my Mmk3 I thought they had a average and boring sound since I had not properlly tip rolled to get good isolation and also had racked up 400 hours of total listening time on my beloved variations. Once I had a mental reset, Proper tip roll and seal for comfort. WOW 1,000 price tag did not give me any buyers remorse unlike the day of delivery. I finally understood the Tonality claims and how fun they were for being a Neutral Set(Certified Treble Violation) compared to harman. I also want to give a bit of subjective bias in that a good set of transducers should have a bare minimum cost like how most EST tribrids rarely dip below 400$ msrp but also some all BA sets are upwards of 3000$, Cadenza U12/U18 and they have big engineering teams behind them probably inflatring that number to cover costs, but price should never equal a certain level of measureable gain or enjoyment at the ear, EG the 64 audio volur, MD Dark Saber and CCA Hydro all feature a similiar driver count but all sound different or much "better" even though they vary from 90$-679$-1999$, there tuning target and demographics were ultimately weighed upon all these listed factors and whom the iem was intended for. While the prices may vary the actually sound enjoyment will also be much more subjective considering the target response and In-EAR fit and anotamy. to list some reasons that may influence wether there is some form of reason to believe a iem at higher prices may sound "better" but you should give some factor in that at a certain point there is no value in weighing wether the rhapsodio supreme legend will be % better than the MIM Dark magician considering they are Single Dynamic units, with big price diferences. While I do think most people will lose themselves faster to music and stop chasing the dragon if they do get the chance to purchase a TOTL product after countinus use of budget Products, there will always be better reason to allocate time and money to other things outside of this very subjective terrible hobby. its honestly blind high stakes gambling sometimes lol.

Mest MK2 ests are hardly noticeable, there’s something about legacy iems with first gens of est that they’re not even on par with BAs . (If not mistaken current gen is 3 or 4) I would say my experience with: prestige LTD( amazing, there’s so much air and anything from mid to upper range is just magic) Monarch mk3 was not as good as Prestige Volare (I have, is good, very nice punchy bass too, but remember it’s like 649$ in retail) Worth mentioning: Fiio FX17! 8 ESTs and price is 1499$ (it’s a lot, yeah) but all the reviews and comments are extremely good.

Bruh I've tried foam tips myself on various IEMs. The second I use them no matter how strong or weak the seal is my bass just completely dies off and all I get is peaky treble. Unless my ears just hate foam or something else is wrong. I've tried them on the Arias, the Dusk, the Monarch Mk 3s, and the Oracle Mk 2s.

Mega5ests, monarch mk3/mk2, oracle mk3, u12t used. Really depends on what you want in a sound profile