literally kilobuck but i wouldn't really call them an upgrade from the mk2 they more of less feel same ish, they do kinda fix the problem with the mk2 where it can be uncomfortable tho
i don't own the monarch mk3 but i have tried them before.
this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2023
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I got mine a while back.
They are truly monitors, very judgy IEMs in my opinion, crappy records will sound like crap.
Good ones will sound amazing though, extremely natural, no harshness, no zinginess, no hiss, it's obvious the drivers are high quality.
I have a large-ish IEM collection and Monarch mk3 are up there with the best of them.
Now, personal and totally subjective, they have a lot of bass. It's fantastic bass mind you, but for me it's a smidge too much, with certain genres like EDM and electronic. Easy to fix though.
I also had to tip roll. The included tips are ok but not great and while here, the whole package is pretty underwhelming.
I had to bust out my tip box and I'm currently using some IKKO tips I found to fit and sound great. I also liked the Tri Clarion tips too, wide bore to tone down the bass, good sound.
Anyway, they're great and worth the money IMO. If you have any questions, let me know.
thank you for the details. how comfort is it compare to other sets in your collection ?
They're not huge but bigger than most of my other sets.
They're comfortable though and while they do stick out more than other sets I can lay down on a soft pillow without discomfort. Or a firmer pillow not so much.
I have what I would consider regular size ears, I normally wear an M or L size tip, but sometimes I can go down to an S for logger nozzles with deeper insertion.
I'm currently wearing an M size with my mk3. If I switch to Tri Clarion I can wear an S since they do go in deeper.
By the way, for optimal sound reproduction with IEMs, you want an insertion as deep as possible. This is why Etymotic has that style of insertion, to take out the acoustic impedance of the ear canal as much as they can.
With the Monarchs, if I use a larger tip and shallower insertion the treble gets dull. This is very obvious if I gently push on the IEMs, the treble comes alive right away, hence my choice of going to a smaller tip size.
thank you again for the detail comment, I would do research on the tips you mentioned.
I've also ordered a pair of MKiii's and I'm glad to hear they play nicely with the Tri Clarions. I'm a huge fan of those tips these days.
Do you have the Elysian annihilator ? And if so how does it compare to the mk3 ?
No, I do not have it. I listened to it for 15 minutes or so once but I do not remember enough to have an opinion.