[mrdeadfolx]

I'm not usually one to brag and post glamour shots of gear I buy, but as posters above have noticed, there are almost no pictures of Monarch mk3 with non-stock shells and faceplates, so here's my combination of Violet Vanity (shell) and Deep Dungeons (faceplate).

New Hakugei (Dark Night God) cable. This cable is quite heavy, but very supple. I was not happy with the stiffness of the stock cable and can happily say that this cable corrected that for me.

I just ordered a set of MKIIIs yesterday in black with "Deep Dungeons" faceplates, and I'm salivating at the pics of both of yours! @Bojinx, could I bother you to show a few more pics of your set? I believe you have the exact configuration I chose

 

[quaddac]

Hi folks,

I just wanted to share my experience/set-up with Monarch MK III after 3 weeks of intense use.

It's not a review, only some personal thoughts.

First of all these IEM's fit my regular shaped ears perfectly combined with the AZLA SednaEarfit Xelastec eartips (size MS), the isolation is impecccable. These are the very first IEM's I can wear for a couple of hours without causing any fatique or pain.
I have an extensive musical taste with the exception of opera and metal and the MK III covers all genres exceptionally well. These might be the best all-rounder in its price range.
The MK3 has extensive though not exaggerated treble, precize neutral mids and very controlled yet deep (sub) bass. To my ears the soundstage is close to perfection.

I listen to the Monarch MK3 with the HiBy RS8 DAP which is soundwise a fantastic combination and it gets even better paired with the Cayin C9 AMP.

To conclude: I think I've found my endgame (portable) music solution.

Low, mid or high gain? I noticed that at high gain the sound is most balanced and even at loud volume nothing is sharp or piercing.

 

[MarkParity]

Am I the only person who call the MMK3 bass kinda "wet"? Don't get me wrong I enjoy MMK3 overall but on some bassy and fast tracks it lacks the controlled, dry tactility by other counterparts.

I gave it a listen, currently listening to track two as well from the album, sounds great to me. This is not a genre I listen to a lot but I'll listen to anything, once

I'm driving my MKIII from an IBasso DC Elite, what is your source?

Not too sure what you mean by wet but I'd imagine if the volume was pushed a bit the bass driver in the MKIII may get a bit distorted/over driven as there is plenty of Bass in these tracks. Only relevant if you have the DC Elite but for reference I'm on volume wheel "click" three.

 

[SkippyBE]

Low, mid or high gain? I noticed that at high gain the sound is most balanced and even at loud volume nothing is sharp or piercing.

Mid gain. I have to admit I haven't tried on high gain yet cause I thought it would be overkill for these IEM's.
Anyway, I'm willing to give it a try and give you my thoughts...

 

[quaddac]

I gave it a listen, currently listening to track two as well from the album, sounds great to me. This is not a genre I listen to a lot but I'll listen to anything, once

I'm driving my MKIII from an IBasso DC Elite, what is your source?

Not too sure what you mean by wet but I'd imagine if the volume was pushed a bit the bass driver in the MKIII may get a bit distorted/over driven as there is plenty of Bass in these tracks. Only relevant if you have the DC Elite but for reference I'm on volume wheel "click" three.

I really appreciate dc elite. I am almost certain that a slightly warmer source than the DC Elite (which is slightly U-shaped), with a slightly emphasized center, will release the mk3's potential in this area. Vocals (especially female) and brass instruments will shine, and the whole will be more balanced, fuller (less sharp) and will gain a pleasant analog timbre. However, at this point I do not yet know what this mysterious source is

 

[n00kie]

I'm driving my MKIII from an IBasso DC Elite, what is your source?

Not too sure what you mean by wet but I'd imagine if the volume was pushed a bit the bass driver in the MKIII may get a bit distorted/over driven as there is plenty of Bass in these tracks. Only relevant if you have the DC Elite but for reference I'm on volume wheel "click" three.

What a coincidence I have the iBasso DC Elite here, too for loan but honestly I'm not impressed but that gear... using EverSolo DAC Z8 anyway I'm not into device sound apart from tube amps which actually do have own sounding...

By "wet" I mean the bass is kinda boomy. It's just a hit 'n' miss thing. For slower genres like r'n'b it suits pretty well on faster stuff like modern Metal less. The combination of the strong bass response plus the push-pull isobaric DD implementation needs some improvement for a more versatile bass experience imho.

 

[MarkParity]

What a coincidence I have the iBasso DC Elite here, too for loan but honestly I'm not impressed but that gear... using EverSolo DAC Z8 anyway I'm not into device sound apart from tube amps which actually do have own sounding...

By "wet" I mean the bass is kinda boomy. It's just a hit 'n' miss thing. For slower genres like r'n'b it suits pretty well on faster stuff like modern Metal less. The combination of the strong bass response plus the push-pull isobaric DD implementation needs some improvement for a more versatile bass experience imho.

Boomy bass is sort of the point with tracks like that, honestly I'd suggest turning the volume down a bit it sounds perfect to me at my listening levels 65-75dB, if you are pushing the volume much above that then a bass heavy track with an IEM like the MMKIII will start to sound a bit over driven in the bass region.

If you are listening at higher volume levels then perhaps a bit of EQ will fix it but I can't help you with that as I don't do EQ.

 

[quaddac]

I am in this place now and I will definitely stay here longer:

 

[attafwrd]

 

[TibiR]

I really appreciate dc elite. I am almost certain that a slightly warmer source than the DC Elite (which is slightly U-shaped), with a slightly emphasized center, will release the mk3's potential in this area. Vocals (especially female) and brass instruments will shine, and the whole will be more balanced, fuller (less sharp) and will gain a pleasant analog timbre. However, at this point I do not yet know what this mysterious source is

I recenly got the iBasso Dx260 and assuming that stuff from the same brand tends to stick to the same sound signature....I would say it's comparable to DC elite.
When comparing this to my friend's Hiby R6 (2nd gen) ....Hiby sounds warmer and "more musical".
Maybe you can try a Hiby player if you have the chance.

 

[MarkParity]

You guys must have awesome ears, to hear a difference, I can't find any measurements for the DC Elite but I expect it to be flat +/- 0.2dB.

I found a frequency response graph for the R6 (not 2nd Gen), as expected, without EQ its basically flat from 0Hz to 20kHz.

Perhaps I'm a flat-source'r.

 

[MidnightSun]

You guys must have awesome ears, to hear a difference, I can't find any measurements for the DC Elite but I expect it to be flat +/- 0.2dB.

I found a frequency response graph for the R6 (not 2nd Gen), as expected, without EQ its basically flat from 0Hz to 20kHz.

Perhaps I'm a flat-source'r.

I don't have a horse in this game specifically, but I wanted to interject here that I'm left dumbfounded after seeing flat measurements for the Xduoo Link2 Bal, yet hearing a noticeable, pleasantly warm sound. I don't know much about sources, so I don't understand it.

 

[quaddac]

I recenly got the iBasso Dx260 and assuming that stuff from the same brand tends to stick to the same sound signature....I would say it's comparable to DC elite.
When comparing this to my friend's Hiby R6 (2nd gen) ....Hiby sounds warmer and "more musical".
Maybe you can try a Hiby player if you have the chance.

This is not quite the right assumption, although it is quite logical. However, according to Ibasso engineers, the elite is a direct reference to the 320 max. 260 and elite are completely different topology.

 

[User9876]

I don't have a horse in this game specifically, but I wanted to interject here that I'm left dumbfounded after seeing flat measurements for the Xduoo Link2 Bal, yet hearing a noticeable, pleasantly warm sound. I don't know much about sources, so I don't understand it.

Its all down to distortion. Many people like the warmer distorted sound that valves (tubes) bring. Your Xduoo Link2 Bal dongle must be adding some kind of distortion, or some distortion is being added somewhere in the chain to make it sound warmer. So yes it is possible for one source to sound warmer than another, I was wrong.

Personally I'd prefer an undistorted sound rather than a source that is adding some kind of audible distortion, clearly its complex subject but in any case I'll go away now.

 

[Knale]

Maybe this is just me, but I've been thinking about it recently.

I use my MKIIIs less than one might think relative to other IEMs in my collection because I'm worried about spoiling everything else I own by comparing it with "perfection."

I still use and listen to my Monarchs a bunch, but certainly less than one might expect. Sometimes it feels like taking the Ferrari grocery shopping or something... Does anyone else have a similar thoughts when it comes to their high-end gear?