Monarch MKIV

the iem that fulfills all your need above doesn't exist 😂 I'd recommend two sets: mangird top pro / tea pro se monarch mk3/4 top pro is not as versatile as monarchs but it's more comfortable. monarchs are good at EDM but not great. long term comfort is also an issue because it's shell is bulky. go for monarchs if you're willing to eq because for me, it's treble extension is amazing.

Since you’re not picky abt the signature good pick near the price of the u6t would be the monarch mk4 more bit more neutral and less warm you have the option of a bass switch if you want it to be warmer/ bassier. A cheaper option would be a mega5est or a xenns top pro and under those would be the astrals me personally I like monarch the best and astrals then mega5est the top pro. Only thing to note is that the monarch shells are big asf so I’d demo if you can.

I thought I could honestly stop at volume s as it had pretty much everything I'd want out of an IEM, minus more sub bass, and if I had never heard Monarch MK4, then I would have been none the wiser as to what kilobuck+ iems offer. But any more than a grand is big diminishing R, and at that point, you’re paying for a special sauce more than anything.

For me it’s a mix of the feel of the build quality along with generally higher resolution and better separation of instruments as you go up in price (to a point). Other than that tuning is largely the difference and you could easily prefer a $300 IEM with your tuning style to a $1000 one with a different signature. I just got the s12 ultra used for $120 and compared it to my $1000 monarch mk4 and honestly it’s tough to justify keeping the monarch. The resolution and separation on the s12 are pretty impressive, the bass hits more to my liking as well… then I compared to my old apple ear buds and there is a clear difference in resolution even though to me the apple buds still sound pretty dang good. Other ppl will have better explanations I’m sure and it’s debatable what resolution means to people in this hobby. Either way In today’s market, $50-300 can get you some incredible sounding IEMs

The bar is dropping lower and lower so it’s hard to say, the new $120 (on sale) 7hz crinicle diablo is getting more ear time than my monarch mk4 ($950). It’s wild what you can get now for under $200

I do love planar with bass boost :-) , the metal shell helps make diablo feel more premium too as well as sounding great….monarchs are stellar too though just definitely past the the spending point to sound ratio for me OP is asking about

I’ve had it with the Meze alba, s12 pro 2024, kiwi ears astral and now monarch mk4! Great feeling

For me the point of diminishing returns is the Thieaudio Monarch Mk IV. Of all the IEMs and Headphones I own it is the only ones I use without EQ. I have a pair of DCA E3s that I "can" use without EQ, when necessary, and not find deficient, but I prefer a light EQ curve with a bass boost, that really opens them up. And it is downhill from there. And I have several pair of what many consider "end game". Including HD 800S, HEKU, HEKS, HE6SE, LCD-X, Focal Elex, and others. I pretty much would not use them without EQ. I also have several pair of IEMs, including the Moondrop Variations, Blessing 2 Dusks (I have also owned the original B2) among others. But I am extremely happy with the Mk IV, since I acquired them. Incredible detail, balanced sound and great bass without EQ. They do require tip rolling and some effort getting just right. And I understand they will not fit everyone's ears (sucks to be them), and I assume that the critics have not taken the time to configure properly or they don't fit their ears. I can do an improper setup with them and achieve the sound they "claim" about them. But just a touch more work, and voila: magic. And once setup you only have to put them on and play music. My endgame until such time as the Subtonic Storm becomes available to me...

It looks like a fair option with a lot of output for the money and size. However, the FiiO KA13 has pretty much the same specs for $25 cheaper (along with FiiO build quality and reliability), and the KA15 looks to be a price to performance champ at only $10 more. The reviews (that I have seen thus far) would indicate some issues with the Crinear. But more research should be done before any purchase. Yes, all of the above would power most over ears adequately, with only power hungry options crying for more (think HE6SE or HD 800S). Maybe not excelling like a monster desktop amp, but certainly enjoyable. I have used less powerful DAC/Amps and had satisfactory performance, with even a DCA Noire (a bit power hungry). I have the FiiO QX13, which is a great portable option with a desktop mode of almost 1 watt (900 mw). It is a bit larger than other portable "dongles", and a touch expensive ($220 or $240 depending on finish. but comes with its own case and is small enough to use traveling). Other options either have less power (though smaller) or are bulky and expensive (containing a batter to maintain, as well). Over 600 mw with a desktop mode of 900 mw is enough to power all but the most power hungry headphones well enough to enjoy them. So it can act as both a portable and desktop option. I also have the KA5 & KA3. I do use a (somewhat) pro setup for my desktop (my hobbies include music production, etc.). with an RME ADI2-Pro, Topping A90D and MiniDSP Flex balanced with Neumann studio monitors and sub. Way overkill for your needs, I'd imagine.

If you mean the QX13, it is about twice the size of a KA3, with the case. It weighs more, but I have never felt like it tugged the phone. It comes with a short, braided USB C cable and I have NO fear of damaging the phone, cable or IEMs. If I did, I would have sent it back and found another option. For your purposes, I think the smaller and lighter (and less than half the price) KA15 would probably be the best compromise between performance, build and power. Lots of features for the price. And I would consider the KA13 from the little bit of time I did researching to be the budget king with more than half a watt for only $65. I paid twice as much for my KA5 with half the power just a couple of years ago. (I did get lucky and get a 2 for 1 deal from an Amazon mistake, they even told me to keep the second one).

can't judge about others. got the monarch mkiv only as 2025 release and enjoying them quite a bit. my only comparison is the dunus sa6mk2.

Never tried the mk3 but own the 4 and agree with most of your impressions. Particularly that they are much more unforgiving on poor recordings than my Dunus SA6MK2. I can’t listen to some Bob Marley tracks unless they are remastered with them, even though all my files are flac. Also agree that the bass is a tad heavy, and so is the high trebles to my ears. Am going to spend some time eqing them to my taste over the weekend

Purchased the Monarch mk4 last week, looking for a warm upgrade from my Dunu SA6mk2 for easy and musical listening with a bass boost compared to the Dunus. After burning them in for a few hours and paired to my iBasso Dx180 I feel like it's a miss. Pros: - the extra bass rumble is there, particularly in the sub bass department - very revealing - large soundstage - goes higher in the trebles - Nice for bass heavy music like afrobeat or hip hop Cons (to my needs and taste): - the soundstage is larger but more forward. so not a laid back listening - the voice timbres can get fatiguing. overall i prefer the male voices on the Dunus. - i find them overall less musical (and more revealing) in their presentation than the Dunus - they are more unforgiving on old tracks with poor recording in example some Bob Marley tracks sound horrible with it - they tend to get fatiguing soundwise to my sensitive ears So yes it has its qualities and I can see a crowd for it. But it's quite a big miss for me, i get an energetic, in your face, revealing iem while i was looking for something musical, laid back, but with extra sub-bass vs the Dunus. I'll give them another try when my new dap (onix xm5) arrives but have little hopes, will probably end up flipping them (in Europe if someone interested). Based on this experience, what would you recommend i go for to reach my aim: laid back, warm and musical listening with just enough extra details to make it worth vs bluetooth earbuds, and good enough bass rumble - not necessarily basshead as I listen to lots of jazz also-? Price not the top consideration, anything from 200 to 1500 usd is fine. Just looking for the one and only second iem that will complement my Dunus and rest my game.

yes these will probably end up in my rotation sometime as I'm reading such good about them. my concern for now is that they don't seem to have the added sub-bass I'm looking for vs the sa6. for the story was hesitant between the Volume S and the SA6 when i made my first iem purchase. went with the Dunus.

Great dap - I have the same - but for iems don't use the balanced port. Use the 3.5 with low gain output and it'll take any iems. Use mine with thieaudio monarch mkiv

Probably one of the Thieaudio Monarchs. Either the MK2 or the MK4 while in standard mode.

Worth is subjective to you and how much you make and where you are willing to spend, I started with ZS10s went to Aretes, quickly jumped up to hype 4s from there and loved every jump, I just now recently got my endgame pair being monarch mk4s and to me they were worth it, but for others I would likely recommend that $400 range being a good stopping point because of diminishing returns, yes my MM4s sound incredible but $750 more incredible than hype 4s? Probably not for most. I want the most I can get out of this hobby/experience and I also love being able to share that with others as most people will never experience true hifi