Oriolus Monachaa

thaslaya

Headphoneus Supremus
They're Good, But Are They $2,000 Good?
Pros: + Well balanced U-shaped tuning
+ Deep reaching sub-bass extension and rumble
+ Clear, smooth midrange
+ Well extended, crisp treble
+ Musical tuning but still with good technicalities
Cons: - Would like a bit warmer tonality
- Treble can be a touch energetic for my tastes
- Driver flex
- Short nozzle and shallow insertion depth
- Stock cable is disappointing for the price
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thaslaya's star rating system:
☆☆☆☆☆ - Fantastic!
☆☆☆☆ - Recommended
☆☆☆ - There are buyers but not for me
☆☆ - Can't see the appeal
☆ - Product is a failure

Disclaimer:
This set was provided for a trial period through the Watercooler tour. I recieve no compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own. A big thank you to the company for the provided unit and to Rockwell75 for coordinating the tours.

Gear used:
●LG v30+
●Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra
●Samsung dongle
●Hiby FC4
●Kiwi Ears Allegro
●Letshuoer DT03
●Dunu DTC480
●BLON V1

Source:
●Listening was done through Amazon Music HD or Ultra HD.
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Introduction:
Oriolus is a Japanese company that is well-known in the mid-fi and hi-fi IEM communities. Their Traillii model is commonly cited as one of the best IEMs on the market today, but it also comes with a hefty $6,000 price tag. The Monachaa is not nearly as expensive, but it's still sure to be over the budget of most audiophiles. This one boasts a driver configuration of four dynamic drivers per side and is currently available for $1,999. Let's break down the Monachaa and see what it's all about.
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Build, fit, ergonomics:
I can't speak to the packaging and unboxing experience since this unit is part of a tour, and it did not come with all of the stock accessories. I only received the IEMs along with the stock cable and case. The shells are made of semi-transparent blue/purple resin with gold flakes inlaid into the faceplate and are also embellished with the brand's name, Oriolus. They feel solid and well-built but also lightweight and utilize a quite recessed 2-pin connection, which makes cable swapping a bit more difficult. When held up to the light, you can see the four dynamic drivers and their corresponding sound tubes inside the shells. The nozzle is definitely on the short side with a shallow insertion depth, and it caused some fit issues for me. I had to use the Coreir Brass tips to add a little more length to get a comfortable fit and seal. There is a vent located near the 2-pin connection that helps to ensure there's no pressure build-up. The stock 4W copper PWAudio cable is a bit disappointing for the price of this IEM. It's very lightweight, but the coating feels cheap to the touch, the weave is a bit loose, and it is a little unwieldy and tangles fairly easily. The case is a black VanNuys semi-hard-shelled square with the Oriolus brand on top. It does offer good protection and includes a shell divider to keep the IEMs from being damaged, but it is definitely too large to be pocketable, though it could be a good option for storing in a backpack or luggage.
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Sound impressions:
I would characterize the tuning as a mild U-shape that is mostly balanced with good low-end extension and a bit of extra energy in the upper mids/treble. It's not the smoothest or most coherent-sounding set, perhaps due to the utilization of four different dynamic drivers. The note weight is good and I think it sits in a good spot between thin and thick. This is not a very easy-to-drive set and definitely needs a little extra juice to get to higher volumes. Packing four DDs into each shell, it's no wonder that some extra energy is needed to push them to their full potential. They work well off all of my DAC/amps, but I found the best pairing to be the Dunu DTC480. The detail retrieval is good but not sure it's standout or up to the bar that the price tag sets. It's definitely resolving and I can hear plenty of subtleties, but it doesn't blow away sets I've heard at a quarter of the price, so diminishing returns may be at play here. The soundstage has great width and depth. It extends outside the head and has a mostly orbital presentation, except for the vocals specifically that can sound a bit closed in and intimate. I'll attempt to explain that further when I talk about the midrange. The timbre is mostly natural and organic, but it can sound slightly off and artificial depending on the track and genre. The imaging is accurate, and though it's not lacking in dynamics per se, I feel a small push in this area would inject a bit more fun and life into the tuning. It could also benefit from a little more initial note attack and impact. The separation is mostly great, but the space between notes and the layering could be a bit better, as things can get somewhat congested or incongruent when all the instruments and vocals are playing at once. It also needs to be noted that I did experience some driver flex upon insertion, which is concerning at this price point.
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●Lows - The Monachaa's bass is the most impressive part of its tuning for me. I wouldn't say it's a basshead IEM or skull-rattling, but it's definitely bass-boosted and could be a bit much for some. It's very capable, cohesive, and full without being overbearing or detracting from the other frequencies. It's a little more sub-bass focused and reaches low with great extension and rumble. I would like a little mid-bass boost to add some more warmth, though. The texture is good, but it also might be just a touch on the dry side. It's not bloomy or pillowy, but the impact and slam are a little on the softer side, and notes can sound just a bit blunted. The mid-bass is well separated from the midrange, and there's no bleed that I can hear. The speed is very quick, and double kick drums sound fantastic but could use just a little more impact to stand out further. The decay might also be a touch too fast, and it could benefit from a slightly longer-lasting reverberation to sound more natural. I really like the bass overall, and it has great quality, but if I had to nitpick, I'd ask for a touch more quantity overall, and some extra mid-bass presence, in particular, would give it some warmth that I'm missing. During my testing, some light EQ made quick work of those small issues, and the Monachaa does take well to EQ, but I generally don't like using it. I prefer to always use the stock tuning, but EQ is always an option for those keen on it.

●Mids - The midrange is a bit odd to me. The instruments are very smooth, pleasing, and generally sound great and are well mixed, with perhaps just the lower midrange being a bit underutilized for my preferences. The vocals are forward, clear, energetic, and well separated without being shouty. However, they might be too well separated, as they present a little more intimately and more "in my head" than the surrounding instrumentation. I can enjoy intimate vocals for the most part, but in this case, they sound somewhat disjointed from the overall tuning since everything besides the vocals melds together to create a nice holographic soundstage. It's almost as if the vocals feel like an afterthought. It's hard to explain, but it can sound like all the instruments are very cohesive and well mixed, then the vocals are just overlaid on top of the rest of the track, which is a bit distracting and betrays the overall cohesiveness of the entire presentation. It can actually work well for some singer-songwriter-style music where the vocals being intimate is a good thing, but on things like rock, rap, and pop, it can come across as a little weird. That's why I feel like the Monachaa really excel in instrumental, orchestral arrangements, and any nonvocal genres where the cohesiveness of those four dynamic drivers is on full display.

●Highs - The treble is crisp and precise without sibilance, although there's still a little too much energy at a certain frequency that can be annoying to my ears on some tracks. I imagine trebleheads would really like the quality here, although it might not be bright enough for some, and it could use a touch more air and extension. This is an interesting one. I don't get irritated by claps or snares, but cymbals, in particular, can sound splashy, and some "s" and "sh" sounds are harsh. Also, breathy vocalists (mostly female) can sound grating at times. So there must be a peak at a certain frequency that accentuates only those particular notes. It doesn’t bother me too much, but it’s also very track- and genre-dependent. With a lot of pop and rock, it comes out more frequently, but with classical, everything is very smooth, natural, and well-extended. "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran is not sibilant, but it can get a little hot and treble-heavy, which can be fatiguing.
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In conclusion:
The Monachaa is somewhat of a conundrum for me. I'm not sure all the drivers mesh cohesively, and to me it can sound a little discombobulated and disjointed, specifically with the vocals. I have to ask if packing four DDs into the smallish-sized shell is really necessary. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean that you should (insert Jurassic Park Jeff Goldblum reference here). Don't get me wrong, there are some things to like or even love about the Monachaa. The sub-bass is very good, and its extension is a standout feature. The mixture of detail retrieval and musicality makes for a fine balance that will please most listeners, and the midrange has a distinctly smooth presentation for instruments. But there are also some glaring weaknesses to my ear that are hard to overlook, most notably in the vocals and the treble. I would also welcome a bit more mid-bass and a warmer tonality. Don't get me wrong, it's a generally fine IEM, but for the asking price, I want more. Now, where I think the Monachaa really shines is with instrumental music, so I can recommend it for those who listen almost exclusively to classical, orchestral arrangements, instrumental, and acoustic genres. If you've seen the Netflix show Bridgerton, you might notice that they often use instrumental covers of modern pop songs, which is neat, and I really enjoy it. This is the style of music that the Monachaa can do very well, so if that is one of your main genres of choice, then you'd be very happy with it. But outside of that, I can't really give it a general recommendation. Now, there is no direct graph to back this up, so take it with a grain of salt, but as far as my ear and aural memory can be trusted, I think that the Oriveti Lowmaster is a lot like the Monachaa. It might have a little less of a bass shelf, it may be a touch brighter, and it is for sure substantially cheaper (retails for $150), but they have similar characteristics and a similar tuning philosophy. For anyone interested in the Monachaa, it might be more feasible to get your hands on the Lowmaster to see if it's something you might like and could potentially upgrade to the Monachaa for a more refined tuning.
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vikinguy

500+ Head-Fier
Just short of end game.
Pros: VERY pleasing overall tonality. Wonderfully satisfying and well textured bass. Treble well extended but not bothersome. Absolutely gorgeous aesthetic.
Cons: Long burn in period. Short nozzle. More on that later.
This one was dangerously close to the end for me. (lol yeah right) Oriolus Monachaa has serious game. It’s got the pedigree. It’s got the looks. It’s got the tuning. I purchased this stunning IEM at Musicteck from the always fantastic Andrew and shout to his Leo for being an invaluable source for real talk about how stuff sounds.


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You get the rad Oriolus packaging with the Van Nuys case. Very simple. Very cool. Build quality is excellent. The shell reminds me of Szalayi, sort of stubby. Monachaa is very comfortable. I tend to do my burning in with them in my ears and never felt any discomfort at all. In fact, in some ways they were a little too invisible in my ears. The cable is solid. No microphonics and it seemed not to do anything wrong. I generally like PWA’s offerings although I never wade into his $1000+ offerings. Put it this way…it’s a very very nice stock cable.

The first thing I noticed was that the overall tonality was right up my alley. Nice and smooth with a side of warmth without losing detail. The subbass dug fairly deep and the mid bass had satisfying slam and texture. Timbre is very pleasing. Absolutely nothing to complain about in the mids. Male and Female vocals come across as realistic and well balanced within the mix. ZERO upper mids spike which i loathe more than hangnails or lipstick on a hotel glass. Treble is right in my wheelhouse. Gorgeous, controlled and non-sibilant.


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Monachaa handled everything I threw at it with aplomb, From the wandering guitar solos from Trey Anastasio to the tight punchiness of Soul Coughing. Everything was very very good/great. But i felt like I was missing something. It’s one of the sets you fiddle with a lot. Trying to squeeze out a bit more punch or micro detail….I found that pushing it into my ear canal more and more resulted in astonishing sound quality. That nozzle is just about 3mm too short for my anatomy. And it’s a damn shame. Monachaa could have been the one. It’s already terrific without the extra 3mm.

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I preferred it to Noble Spartacus which is also a very good IEM. But it lacks the sophistication of Monachaa. There’s an extra layer of refinement that Oriolus always brings to the table. The other 4DD set, the Penon Quattro doesn’t swim in these waters. Not even close. Not exactly a fair fight, but I’d he remiss if I didn't mention the other FOUR DD set. Crazy stuff.

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When I first read about the Monachha I thought…like many….that it would be a big bass bird. It’s certainly not that. It’s an elegantly tuned near masterpiece for me….just 3 more millimeters…and yes…I tried every tip known to man. It just wasn’t in the cards.


I hope you normal eared gents continue to enjoy this purple bird. Bravo Oriolus…as usual.

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emdeevee
emdeevee
I solved that nozzle issue with Coreir brass tips which extend the nozzle just a bit. They also add some pizzaz to the sound, a nice bonus.
vikinguy
vikinguy
I need to order those. I just hate waiting forever. 😁
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Drock6
Drock6
The Corier Brass eartips work great with Szalayi too. 😎

Zhon

100+ Head-Fier
The IEM that Blew Me Away
Pros: - Overall technicalities
- Very coherent sound
Cons: - Burn-in required
- Stock cable is merely OK
- U-shaped stock tuning (could be a pro for some)
My Monachaa Experience
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Intro & Setup

I last used IEMs a year ago with the Yanyin Moonlights, which I thought were pretty good for $649, but I quickly lost interest in them once I assembled a proper desktop setup. The Oriolous Monachaa has redefined the sound quality limits of what I thought was possible for portable audio. A quick note: the subjective impressions in this review are what my ears hear from my setup; your experience may differ.

Setup:
- Astell & Kern SE300: [NOS, Normal Gain, Class AB]
- Stock cable
- Stock silicone tips (used before burn-in ended)
- TRI Clarion tips (using currently)

Sound Impressions

Burn-in:
The Monachaa needs a lot of burn-in, around 150 hours is when I stopped noticing changes. Before burn-in, the bass was boomy, the treble was harsh, the midrange was lifeless, and it sounded terrible and unbalanced. I gave them a listen around the 80-hour mark and found that the bass had settled down considerably, the midrange was more defined and less muffled, and the treble was much more palatable. Things were fully settled around the 150-hour, which is when I started experimenting with tips, immediately settling with the TRI Clarions.

Sound with stock tips:
The overall signature was U-shaped. The bass went very low when the songs demanded it, but was surprisingly neutral when a heavy sub-bass presence wasn't required. There was a lot of sub-bass rumble on many techno/EDM tracks, however the mid-bass was a bit smooth for me and lacked any meaningful punch. With that said, the entire bass frequency range was incredibly detailed and textured, helped by the R2R of the SE300. The midrange response was interesting to get used to. Upper mids are forward, resulting in excellent articulation and well-rendered upper harmonics. I especially liked the sense of air around female vocals, like an angelic light shining upon the singer on stage. However, combined with the recessed lower mids, neither male nor female vocals had adequate warmth or body, which made them sound sterile and without emotion. The treble was also forward with a bright tonality, slightly below my sibilance tolerance. While detailed, it sounded thin and sometimes grainy, especially noticeable for cymbal strikes of different intensities or different hi-hats. I did not like the stock tonality, though the technicalities were great. This is where tips come in.

Sound with TRI Clarion tips:
If you have ever heard the sound coming from DACs with well-implemented TI PCM1704K multibit chips, the tonality produced by the Monachaa with the TRI Clarions was very similar. The overall tonality is the slightest of V-shapes, fun, engaging, yet balanced. The bass response became much more balanced with less sub-bass and more mid-bass. Songs without sub-bass now have an engaging, yet never overwhelming bass response. The bass response trades a bit of rumble for a bit more punch. The mids response is also lifted and vocals and instruments have much more body and a bit of added warmth to make them more engaging, with corrected timbre. There are no more compressed and dull-sounding mids. The upper mids brilliance is still there, except now with more body. The treble is toned down a notch, keeping most, if not all of the extension and becoming much more nuanced. There is less of a sheen, which allows everything treble-related to shine naturally instead of illuminating the sound with artificial lighting. The treble reminds me of what the Tung-Sol 6CG7 tubes (known for their heavenly mid and treble tonality) produce in my desktop setup. The overall sound becomes more natural with excellent technicalities, which separates the mid-range (where one is sacrificed for the other) from the high-end. These tips ($8) brought out so much performance that the Monachaa's with the SE300 is truly desktop-class performance on the go.

Edit - Stock cable vs Vortex Lavinia ($759):
I was not a cable believer until I swapped the stock cable for the Lavinia. The improvement was immediately obvious. The background became much darker than the stock cable, allowing the staging to expand and become more holographic, with much greater depth. Sonics from the stock cable felt compressed when I switched back and forth. The sub-bass texture improved immensely and the midrange became more natural, removing that last barrier between amazing and extraordinary. The treble response improved, with more air, sparkles, and a slightly toned-down presence region. This results in a smoother, airier treble versus the more in-your-face treble of the stock cable. I had no idea that the already incredible sound of the Monachaa could be improved so much with a simple cable swap. Signature goes from very slight V to neutral with sub-bass boost.

Edit 2 - DHC Mini Chimera ($2499) vs Vortex Lavinia ($759)
The Lavinia opened a can of worms, so now we have one of the best IEM cables on the market, the DHC Mini Chimera. I didn't think there was much more to be improved beyond the Lavinia, and I couldn't be more wrong. The Mini Chimera expands the already large stage from the Lavinia by ~50% in all 3 dimensions. There is much more space between instruments. The resolution increased again - there is even more texture to instruments (esp. piano) than the Lavinia. Micro-details are easily heard vs. only present on the Lavinia. Tonality differences: Mini Chimera is more neutral in the bass and treble regions. Less >10kHz and <60 Hz emphasis. Mids are smoother and more vivid than crisp and airy on the Lavinia. I found the timbre of instruments to be more natural on the DHC, even though the Lavinia already has good timbre.

Staging, Layering, and Separation:
Staging with this tip & DAP pairing is excellent. The SE300 throws a natural and coherent stage. It's wide, but not unnecessarily wide. Depth and height are well-rendered without being immediately obvious. The layering, imaging, and separation of instruments are all very coherent. The Monachaa isn't a technicalities monster, but what it does do well is how coherent it renders all music within the soundstage. You don't feel anything is missing and you don't feel the desire for more. The music sounds just right, with space around each instrument or where each instrument is defined on the stage. These IEMs allow you to fully focus on one instrument at a time (incredible with atmospheric music!), or the music itself. That is something I thought possible only with high-end desktop setups. The performance is jaw-dropping.

Pairing:
The Monachaa should be paired with a neutral to warmer source unless you like bright treble. The treble was already near my sibilance threshold on the SE300. I have heard great feedback on the Hiby R8II. Tips-wise, the stock tips will preserve the original U-shaped tuning, so try rolling tips (or cables) to find the right tonality for you. Once you do, the overall technicalities of the Monachaa will not disappoint.

Conclusion

The Oriolous Monachaa is a must-buy for those looking for high-end DD IEMs. Amazing technicalities, with sound quality (once you are done tip/cable rolling) capable of competing with high-end headphones in a portable format.
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MakeItWain
MakeItWain
Heyyy, nice review @Zhon !

Planning on hitting up more IEM tables this year vs last year's for CanJam. You thinking the same?
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Zhon
Zhon
Yep, gonna try out cables too.
MakeItWain
MakeItWain
Awesome. Congrats on being featured on the front page!

wolfstar76

Headphoneus Supremus
Singing Bird with 4 DD
Pros: Exemplary balanced tunning, Amazing midrange, Right amount of bass, Non-fatiguing singing treble, TOTL overall technical performance.
Cons: Some bass-head may want more bass quantity
First, I need to thank @Rockwell75 for his effort to organize this tour among so many others so that I can have this opportunity to demonstrate this beautiful IEM.

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I have Oriolus Isabellae, which is one dynamic driver IEM, so I am not a stranger to the house sound of Oriolus, who made the legendary “bird”, Oriolus Traillii, one of the hallmark TOTL IEMs for a long time. Therefore, I am very interested in Monachaa, which is a 4 DD IEM and has the reputation of improved Isabellae.

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Oriolus Monachaa won’t immediately wow you once you put it on, but it will quickly take your attention and will gradually grow on you as you spent more time listening with it.

Most of my listening is from Sony NW-WM1AM2, and from Cayin RU6 from my laptop. Here is my sound impression:

Bass:

Monachaa reach very deep in sub-bass and has exactly the enough quantity of bass to satisfy most people with probably the exception of some extreme bass-head listeners. When the bass is called for, it is very impressive to deliver in both quantity and quality.

Midrange:

I called Monachaa a singing bird because it indeed has some of the most impressive midrange performances, sweet and energetic. Relatively speaking, the midrange of the Monachaa is slightly tilting towards the top, which brings more resolution and energy to the vocal and instrumental.

Treble:

Personally, I am not a big fan of treble and I prefer a warm and even dark sound signature. To me, Monachaa has a treble that is wonderful played with non-fatiguing but very high-quality treble. However, I personally would like to tune down the treble just slightly, of course, that is a very personal preference.

Technical Performance:

Monachaa has the TOTL technique in term of sound stage (though you won’t be wowed by its sound stage), imaging, and resolution. It handles all music genres with ease. The timbre of Monachaa is also top notch, and I always love DD timbre so that is also my bias.

Let me use some soundtracks to illustrate my points as follows:



Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera · A.R. Rahman · A.R. Rahman · Javed Akhtar



You can hear the very deep reach sub-bass from the very beginning, fantastic Mids with both male vocal and male choir.

FKJ & Masego – Tadow



Very simple music, but very engaging with high contrasting dynamic performance.



Big Boi - Kill Jill ft. Killer Mike, Jeezy



Classic track to test bass performance. Monachaa hits really hard, performs stellar both in sub-bass and mid-bass. Many IEMs I have tested failed in the mid-bass part in this track, but not this one. Female vocal and male vocal in this track demonstrated the power of Monachaa and the Oriolus house tuning is simply amazing: great bass but equally fantastic Mids (not recess as in many V shaped tuning, and not too forward), treble is just enough to give you details and enough energy on the top without fatiguing or sibilant.

Cory Wong & Dirty Loops // TURBO



It’s an exciting and busy track. Monachaa gives you the full potential of this track with all the details, contrast, dynamics, make you feel like you are in the live performance.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - S.O.B. (Official)



One of my favorite tracks. Male vocal and male choir with simple music. Monachaa just gives you a more vivid and musical enjoyment without too much coloration. The sheer emotion Monachaa can deliver in this track is simply wonderful, Good job!

Yello - The Race (Live In Berlin / 2016)



Soundstage and imaging are amazing in this live performance track, grand with depth. You will soon have Goosebump listening to this track with Monachaa.

Dirty Loops - Rock You



Funky music with some interesting language used. You can listen to this music forever without feeling bored.



To find out if how Monachaa work with electronic music, check this out. Usually, electronic music will reach much far in both ends than traditional music, you will feel the sub-bass indeed will reach very low.

Tips rolling

Wide bore of the stem makes Monachaa a bit challenging to fit earphone tips, you must struggle with it at first.

Pentaconn COREIR Brass Silicone brought me some magic before, but not this time, too much loss of bass due to the brass portion protruding too much and failing to make a good seal.

AZLA SednaEarfit Xelastic is also not a good fit, too bright.

AZLA SednaEarfit MAX standard is pretty good, but sometimes MAX tips stay in my ears when I took Monachaa out of my ears.

Tri Clarion is extremely good (so far, my favorite pairing).

Cables rolling:

I only tried the Effect Audio Code 24, but it is such a match made in heaven! You should absolutely try this combo. The stock cable is pretty good, but when I switch to Code 24, man, the good becomes better and the great becomes amazing, let alone the perfect color matching between this two. Oriolus should seriously reconsider its stock cable choice and make Code 24 an upgrade choice.

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Comparison:

Compared to Oriolus Isabellae, Monachaa is an upgrade in almost every single aspect. If you like Isabellae, please seriously consider this upgrade.

Compared to Z1R, Monachaa’s treble is more exciting (could be too hot for someone). Monachaa’s Mids is more forward and much better than Z1R. Compared to Monachaa, Z1R is warmer and darker (though by no mean Z1R is in absolute sense). For the same track, I found Monachaa gives you more energy and higher contrast, mostly due to the treble performance. Monachaa has significantly less bass in quantity than Z1R, both in sub and mid bass.

Compared to Quattro (also a 4 DD IEM), Quattro is even warmer or darker than Z1R, so the difference between these two 4 DD IEMs are simply not competing with each other.
fejnomit
fejnomit
I too love the Clarion tips with my Monachaa. The best of the best! Great review. Thanks!
malira
malira
Expensive, but a good performing iem

emdeevee

Watercooler Travel Team
I Put My Money Where My Mouth Is!
Pros: Incredibly deep and powerful bass; Detailed and airy mids and treble; Amazing holographic soundstage; Coherence is perfect; Excellent timbre and note weight; Oriolus tuning in a 4 DD
Cons: Requires a lot of power; Needs an extended burn-in of 200 hours; Expensive
TLDR: I’m going to start this review by admitting my bias upfront; after I demoed the new Oriolus Monachaa for a couple of weeks, I decided to and did purchase them, so let’s get that out of the way…yes, I love them!

I was lucky to get a chance to demo the new Oriolus bird, the Monachaa, a 4xDD, thanks to the WaterCooler tour, thanks @Rockwell75 for arranging this! I was pretty excited to get a try at this, even though I hadn’t been blown away by it at CanJam Socal 2023 where I think it was launched (I wonder if that set had been fully burned in-this set needs it). I’ll skip over its unboxing which is covered by others and unremarkable, but does come with a nice small VanNuys case that could hold a couple of iems along with a Van Nuys iem protector.
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Monachaa is beautifully crafted with recessed 2-pin connectors and on the medium-large size for iems, but it is very light and I found fit to be excellent for hours on end. The shell is a beautiful deep blue/purple color with gold fleck accents on the faceplate. The nozzles are short and stubby, and tip selection is crucial here. Due to the short nozzles, I decided to try the Coreir brass tips which not only fit well with shorter nozzles, but also give the playback a little extra sonic finish depending on the iem. I also found that this iem would push my limits of upper-end energy, with prominent, sparkly, detailed treble, but the heavy sub bass with milder, but beautiful punchy mid-bass, to still offer extremely airy vocals and treble. I hear a neutral to warm U shape with vocals forward. All without any lean or thin quality to the notes, but fans of heavy mid-bass may not feel there’s enough. I also liked the Render Foams, Divinus Velvets, Eletech Baroques and Penon Liqueur tips, all of which further emphasized bass and smoothed treble.
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Of particular note and excitement is the shear scope of the staging – Monachaa’s stage is spherical, wide, tall and holographic, often feeling as though it fully surrounds your head. This is one of the best soundstages from an iem that I’ve heard – exceeded only barely by its brother-from-another-mother, the 3xDD CFA Trifecta, though that’s such a different thing it’s hardly comparable. However, in order to really hear this excellence, Monachaa requires a pretty powerful source (dongle users beware).

The included stock PWA/Oriolus-branded cable was actually great and doesn’t require a change, but since I had a PWA First Times on hand (which was immediately a large sonic upgrade from the stock), I decided to switch that out for most of my listening (until something went wrong with that cable and back to PWA it went for repair). In the meantime, I also found excellent synergy with a drjuggles/Khanyayo copper/graphene cable, while also liking the EA Code 23 and 24 (Code 24c would probably look awesome on Monachaa); all are great at bringing out Monachaa’s incredible deep bass while also smoothing some of the high treble. Tips and cables can do a lot for Monachaa, so it’s best to try what you’ve got to dial in the right sound for you.

Ultimately, my favorite pairing was with the PWA FT, a great cable for Monachaa. It gives Monachaa a nicely balanced U shape with excellent technical quality, elevated sub-bass, clear mildly recessed mids, and extended, sparkly treble with lots of detail, though that detail is across the FR, it’s not limited to the highs; even bass guitar plucks are sharp and identifiable. While not a total resolution monster, it’s not lacking for details, it’s just more musical than analytical; a tuning that is very addictive where positioning of instruments is excellent across the magnificent soundstage. What a great way to get into the Oriolus club! This set really is awesome with pretty much everything in my library (primarily rock across the ages and genres) and particularly nice with vocals, but truly a real all-arounder rather than specialist. I do not usually gravitate to tunings that have such intense treble energy, but this one hits me square between the ears.
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The coherence is also stunning as if it were a massive, single DD, not four(!) – it’s really remarkable! What this does is present beautiful timbre, great transient speed with amazing mids and, of course, an incredibly effective, solid DD bass foundation. Maybe not surprisingly, Oriolus knows how to tune DDs to great effect! This tuning I think would be very wide appeal, with just about nothing to complain about unless you’re a big mid-bass lover. This is certainly not basshead, but its bass is no slouch with incredible quality and just the right quantity, and maybe is the star of the show having amazing quality, speed, tightness and timbre, second only to the open and hypnotic mids and upper mids.

Monachaa played beautifully through the warm and powerful Shanling M9 plus and my L&P P6Pro, though the P6Pro needed to be in high gain with volume levels going very high. I recently added an iBasso PB5 Osprey amp to the chain with P6Pro, and this combination is my favorite. But make no mistake, you need to feed Monachaa a lot of power for it to really shine. Through something like my desktop Hifiman EF400, the power and r2r playback are perfect for Monachaa.
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The comparison that has really intrigued me is with the Penon Quattro, the other 4xDD on the market that is 1/5th the price at under $400. Well, they are completely different, Quattro being a mid-bass monster where Monachaa is clearly not. Other big differences to my ears: Quattro bass slightly veils the FR leading to a perception of less air especially in darker passages of music, Monachaa bass has better quality if less quantity; Quattro is more bass-focused generally with a darker tuning though it has excellent treble IMHO. Monachaa has a more accessible tuning with excellently crafted bass, leading to a more balanced, all-arounder set. I love both and do happily own both – they are very different but each provides a huge amount of pleasure with my library. Each are addictive (if you like them, obviously) and easy listens for many hours. Quattro is bit more of a pounder and Monachaa a bit more of a thumper. Quattro sounds more like an Xe6 where Monachaa is more like an Rn6. All of this DD goodness is such a gift to us audionuts, we are lucky to have such options from $400 to $2000 (come on!).
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Oriolus tuning is legendary – I did try Trailli at CanJam Socal, for all of 2 minutes, but knew immediately why it has touched so many hearts. I was blown away by Trailli in the 2 minutes I listened to it. I cannot now exactly remember that sound, but I wish I could, because I do love the Monachaa tuning as well. Instruments sound so authentic, vocals are strong but not overpowering an otherwise very wide, deep and tall soundstage with holographic effect with good recordings. Listening to dense rock like Pearl Jam reveals what those 2 or 3 different guitars are doing with the bass and drums, all positionally cued exactly where they should be – and I’ve been to enough Pearl Jam shows to know, trust me!

So, in my opinion, this IEM wins based on its spectacular tuning, I guess something which for Oriolus is not that surprising. But here, they’ve done it with 4 DDs, no BAs, ESTs, etc., just DDs. Most single DD lovers know that a DD can do just about everything well, and bass spectacularly. Oriolus did a great job putting these 4 different DD drivers to work – nothing gets sacrificed on the low, mid or high end of the FR with this design. Okay, it’s Oriolus we’re talking about here, so expecting a good tuning from them is, well, expected. And they deliver one here for sure. I think this might possibly be my favorite sub $3000 iem at the moment.
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iscorpio71
iscorpio71
Great review 👏 They're physically similar to the Quattro's, which are amazing! But I just don't see paying 2K for them.
benjifx19
benjifx19
I bought these and they are beyond amazing!
SecretAgent
SecretAgent
Very cool

blankdisc

500+ Head-Fier
Quad-DD Madness
Pros: Scales well with better sources and may even sound better than more expensive headphones; Natural DD timbre; Expansive soundstage; Deep and natural DD bass.
Cons: source and eartips dependent tuning; 100+ hrs burn-in.
Intro

Oriolus needs no introduction, the “culprit” of IEMs price spike. Despite the insane price of Traillii, Oriolus as a brand also has a lot of “affordable” or “value” offerings that worth check out. I recently tried their Isabellae and Szalayi, I also own a pair of Oriolus MK2 years ago. Monachaa should fit in the line with Szalayi and may be a replacement of Percivali according to the driver configuration.
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Technology

Monachaa utilized four dynamic drivers including 1 10mm Carnon Nano diaphragm driver, 1 10mm inert material diaphragm driver, 1 5mm titanium driver, 1 square diaphragm driver. It has an impedance of 24ohm and sensitivity of 111db SPL/1mW. The frequency response range is from 20Hz all the way to 28kHz.

Fits and Comfort

I was quite surprised by the size of Monachaa and how it is possible for Oriolus to fit in four different dynamic drivers in such a small chamber. The nozzle is on the shorter side, it helps relief a lot of pressures from my ears. They fit in securely and effortlessly in my ears and do not touch my auricles at all. There are minor driver flexes, it is annoying but acceptable. It is something I’ve been used to, many thanks to EE and UM.
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Sound Impressions

Summary


Before I put Monachaa in my ears, my biggest concern was the multi dynamic drivers’ harmonic distortion. It is almost unavoidable and ineliminable for this type of configuration. Usually, a multi-DD IEMs would have the distorted upper-mid and treble results an unnecessarily bright lousy sound or a boomy, fake bass. Freakingly, Klipsch S4 had both ends distorted back in the day, which was my first multi-DD IEMs and hindered me to try another one for so many years.

Luckily Monachaa didn’t have that many distortions, the treble only gives me a touch sense of compress when paired with a less powerful source. The laidback R2R DACs would also help with reducing the brightness at treble. Across different DAPs I have on hand, P6Pro is yet again my favorite pairing with Monachaa. Thus, P6Pro will be my default testing DAP for this review, I will have a DAP rolling section in the later part of this review.

Monachaa is also very sensitive to cables, or I should say the stock cable really restricted the potential of Monachaa. Don’t get me wrong, the stock cable is not nearly as bad as Aroma Jewel’s “so called” cable. The synergy between the stock cable and Monachaa is probably my least favorite among my cable rolling experience. I will share a few of my findings in the cable rolling section, and I hope you can find the right cable for Monachaa. A good cable can really help this beauty shine.

Soundstage and Image

Monachaa shows a very wide and tall picture in front of my face. It could be the hugest soundstage I have ever heard, at least in recent months. The soundstage is also the most noticeable improvement over Szalayi. It is insanely wide with a lot of roomy space between instruments and sections. The vertical layering is excellent as well, for strings, especially cymbals, you can “see” them placed near the top of the stage. For most recordings, the front to back soundstage of Monachaa is adequate my enjoyment. For some live recordings, I hope Monachaa can have a little extra space front to back that makes the music livelier and more realistic.

Bass

The bass of Monachaa reaches very deep and have a lot of sub-bass rumble. With P6Pro, the bass decay becomes natural and impactful. For lower output AK players, the bass does not expend very much, giving a more controlled bass hit. In the mid-bass Monachaa focuses more on details and definition rather than punchy hits. I thought the quad-DD would give Monachaa a more playful bass performance, however, after a few weeks audition, it is surprisingly neutral and well controlled. The detailed and controlled mid-bass keeps Monachaa in a neutral tone and emphasizes the excellent technical performance and resolving sound.

Mid

Monachaa is one of the few IEMs that has a neutral, clean, uplifting, semi-bright mid to upper-mid frequency that doesn’t fatiguing. The highly resolving and neutral mid-bass/lower-mid transit smoothly to the core mid-range. The mid-range is pronounced, forward and revealing. The sibilance control is excellent for an uplifting sound mid-range. With the stock cable there is a slight metallic tune at around 2kHz, with upgraded cable like FTS and OTL, those metallic notes can be effectively tuned down.

Treble

The treble of Monachaa is very well extended, crisp and intriguing. The ultra-high is reasonably elevated to create more sense of air. Combined the wide soundstage and the well extended treble together deliver a wide open, vivid and fresh sound. The extra air helps cymbals sound livelier and more “wet”. For audiophiles who prefer a darker treble, switching to foam tips can be very helpful.

Tip Selection

Comply Foam
: Comply tips can help warmer the sound of Monachaa. It increases the thickness of lower-mid and increases a little bit of the sub-bass. The treble was tuned down a bit and the sibilance is even more controlled. Generally speaking, Comply foam tips offer a more balanced sound vs silicone tips are offering a more engaging sound.

Symbio W Hybrid: Compared to the comply tips, Symbio W Hybrid offers a more open sound. The sibilance is more pronounced and the upper-mid has more metallic tune. The mid-bass hits harder and tighter, the bass frequency in general has better definition and more articulate.

Pentaconn COREIR Brass Silicone: These tips have some magic to the soundstage in both width and depth, the soundstage is noticeably wider and deeper than both foam-based tips. At the same time the mid-range is more forward, the mid-bass also hits harder. I highly recommend these tips if you are not very sensitive to the relatively bright treble.
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Cable Rolling

The stock cable is not bad, but mediocre to the best. I have tested 4 different cables from different price ranges: from under $500 up to $3000+.

Liquid Links Evua II: Evua II is my favorite cable under $500, and it is also tied with Cleo II Octa as my favorite pure silver cable. Evua II and Cleo Octa share some similarities as high-quality silver cables. They are silver cables that have bass. They both reveal tons of details that I haven’t heard before without making treble sounds fatiguing. Evua II gives more impact to Monachaa’s sub-bass and add bones to the mid-bass. The bass of Monachaa is now have a stronger figure and more physicality. At upper-end Evua II gives more pop-up sparkles, the stock cable is more laid-back in comparison.

Vortex Lavinia: Lavinia is also a high value cable; it pushes the sub-bass even deeper. The soundstage becomes more holographic compared to the stock cable. The front to back dimension is almost 1.5x larger than the stock cable. The upper-mid to lower-treble stays about the same as the stock cable with just a little extra lower treble presence with Lavinia. However, at 10k+ frequency, Vortex fills in more air and details.

UMxPWAudio Deep of Universe (Mentor Stock Cable): DOU is a very “mid-centric” thick sounding cable. I thought it could be a decent pairing with Monachaa based on the sound signature of Monachaa. The result is mostly positive but not as good as I expected. The edginess in the upper-mid and treble was completely smoothed out. The upper region sounds very natural and laid-back. However, the soundstage seems to have become narrower. The bass and lower-mid has a thicker body with DOU, but the texture and details are sacrificed a little bit.

PWAudio FirstTimes Shielding: I almost shouted the F word out of my mouth when I heard this combo. I know it is kind of stupid to pair a cable that costs almost two pairs of Monachaa, but they sound so good together. FTS seems to have a superpower that can smooth all the edginess in the upper-mid and treble, then thicken the bottom end effectively. This combo maintains the wild soundstage of Monachaa while building up a thicker image throughout the entire frequency. That is all I need for Monachaa and that’s all FTS is good at.

DAP Pairing

L&P P6Pro
: P6Pro is the least powerful DAP I have tested. I think it is the threshold for what Monachaa might need. The P6Pro offers a very organic sound, with a lot of sub-bass rumble and smooth top-end frequencies. The soundstage is super wide and tall, but the depth is average.

N30LE: N30LE offers a little extra soundstage depth and width. The bass hit even deeper than P6Pro. The sound is more dynamic and authoritative than the P6Pro. At the top end, N30LE traded the smoothness with extra air and sparkles.

Lotoo Mjolnir: Mjolnir has the best layering across all three DAPs I have tested. The image and separation are extremely accurate. The overall sound goes to a more analytical side vs the analog sounds from N30LE and P6Pro.

Comparison

Monachaa vs Szalayi


Monahcaa and Szalayi have similar tonal balance when use Comply tips on Monachaa. The biggest difference is at soundstage, resolution and treble texture. Monachaa is a clear upgrade in those regards. It offers more way larger soundstage in all three dimensions. The resolution is also a step up over Szalayi. Treble texture on Monachaa is more realistic while on Szalayi is softer.

Monachaa vs Canpur 54E

This is a hard debate between which one would be my favorite IEMs for $2000 price range. Both of them have great sub-bass for the price. 54E has more quantity, though it is a BA bass. Monachaa has more natural bass decay and timbre. The mid-bass is stronger on 54E, the Monachaa has a more modest but physical mid-bass. The upper frequency is smoother and creamier on 54E, Monachaa is crispier and has more air. The 54E has a more balanced tonal balance, however, the soundstage and imaging cannot catch up with Monachaa.

Conclusion

Monachaa is not a bass monster as I expected for a quad-DD configuration. It is a very neutral, highly resolving and detailed flagship level IEMs. The soundstage is second to none, and I was truly amazed by how large the soundstage is. It reminds me of the Sennheiser HD800 to some extent. As a multi-DD IEMs it does not have the annoying distortion as some others. With proper source and cable pairing, Monachaa is truly a high-end IEMs with natural DD timbre and insane technical performance.
vikinguy
vikinguy
Great stuff!
theintention
theintention
Great review, ty. Can’t wait to demo at CJ this year, I love my Sza and this sounds like a nice upgrade.
benjifx19
benjifx19
Great review going to try them on Friday, its between these and the Noble Spartacus
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