[BS5711]

The sonic differences with cable rolling are truly SO minuscule. I have been a non-believer until recently, my new Sza cable definitely adds a bit more oomph to the bass decay… it’s nice but if I wasn’t SUPER looking for it I would have never noticed.

Aesthetics and comfort all the way for cables.

And of course the problem is when you are looking for it you will find it.

 

[drftr]

Yup, IMO the biggest common misconception about cables isn’t that you are pairing a cable to make the IEM sound better… you are finding a cable that accurately portrays how the IEM sounds. Sometimes it comes with the perfect partner cable, but most times it doesn’t.

I think there's different approaches that are all valid. Like, I selected my cable to cover up things I would love to see improved in my IEMs. Creating warmer mids and a more polite lower treble for instance. The result though was too much bass for my liking, and that I tried to control with choosing a DAP that had a very tight low end; hoping that if the cable didn't receive much bass that was also better controlled in the first place it couldn't be amplified by the cable either. Worked like a charm. But I could easily see such an experiement go awry with a different setup.

drftr

 

[MatW]

Even if it was an ergonomics I would be happy. Just trying to get an idea of the Monachaa iem itself. Not necessarily the cable. I find cable is usually more for ergonomics and aesthetics than anything else. Only in very rare instances have I found a cable to do much where I notice a supposed perceived change. It might be placebo. However, as always YMMV.

Some very early impressions from my side. See @Scubadevils first impressions here.

Quintessential DD sound. Very nice, textured bass, exquisite timbre across the FR. I wonder what changes I should expect with burn in but it sounds very good already. Super extended, from sub bass to upper treble. Quite prominent upper mid range, but not too much for me. Bringing out (female) vocals very nicely. Technicalities are on point too it seems, with a decent but not exaggerated sound stage. In terms of timbre they remind me of the Perpetua somewhat, minus the treble peak and with better technical performance. But I would have to compare them directly to confirm.

Upon more listening I started to notice the sub bass as quite present. It sounds great with a lot of music but I am curious if I will find it too prominent with more listening. It is on the edge for me I think. Which adds to their uniqueness in my collection also probably. It has to do something special to have added value.

One thing is for sure, the Maestro SE would have way too much sub bass for my taste, if this graph is accurate …

I am letting both Monachaa and Szalayi burn in overnight. More listening tomorrow.

 

[drftr]

Most of the time I am happy if the iem that I purchased comes with a good cable. Synnergy is up for debate. Half the time I am happy with just a good quality cable when purchasing an iem. What is up with like 2k iems coming with questionable cables?

There's $5k IEMs that come with stock cables you wouldn't want to walk your dog with. Don't get us started on J****!

drftr

 

[drftr]

Upon more listening I started to notice the sub bass as quite present.

More than Volür? I pretty much got away with bass quantity on Rn6 and Volür; most likely because of my shallow-ish fit I'd think?

drftr

 

[theintention]

And of course the problem is when you are looking for it you will find it.

YUP I have gone back and forth so many times on different cables/sets just to determine “I am imagining things.”

What fully convinced me was swapping the default Szalayi cable to my newly purchased Dark Phoenix. With the pack in cable, the bass had a slight grainy texture that was very unpleasant but with another cable, it was gone.

I was always looking for earth shattering changes but, it’s just.. really really small things.

Of course, I will continue to browse future cables with an open mind, but this is just my experiences so far over the last year and a half in the hobby.

Tips matter 1000000x more for sound changes.

 

[MatW]

More than Volür? I pretty much got away with bass quantity on Rn6 and Volür; most likely because of my shallow-ish fit I'd think?

drftr

Volur mid and sub bass are more evenly balanced. With Monachaa the bass is definitely tilted towards the sub bass, to my ears.

Edit: the graph appears to confirm that:

 

[drftr]

Tips matter 1000000x more for sound changes.

I guess I'm the only one here who would fail a blind ear tip test on some of the favourites - so be it. For me my top 5 is so extremely close together that I wouldn't be able to tell them apart from differences in sound alone.

drftr

 

[aaf evo]

I guess I'm the only one here who would fail a blind ear tip test on some of the favourites - so be it. For me my top 5 is so extremely close together that I wouldn't be able to tell them apart from differences in sound alone.

drftr

I'm with you here. Unless I am going from something like SpinFit CP155 which for my ears are deep fit and narrow bore versus Eletech Baroque which are wider bore and more shallow fit, I really cannot tell the difference between most tips. Comfort still takes priority for me when using tips.

 

[theintention]

I guess I'm the only one here who would fail a blind ear tip test on some of the favourites - so be it. For me my top 5 is so extremely close together that I wouldn't be able to tell them apart from differences in sound alone.

drftr

tips just matter more because of the ear canal fit and it being SO reliant on getting a seal. Same story imo, you find the one with synergy for the IEM, and the pack in tips don’t cut it 99% of the time.

 

[theintention]

Eletech Baroque

More like Eletech BarGOAT tbh

 

[BS5711]

I guess I'm the only one here who would fail a blind ear tip test on some of the favourites - so be it. For me my top 5 is so extremely close together that I wouldn't be able to tell them apart from differences in sound alone.

drftr

Agreed, if they seal properly and are comfortable so you forget the IEM is there you are good, mostly.

In my experience there are outliers that for some reason just sound awful but generally seal, fit and comfort are the big issues and of course they are intrinsically linked.

Outliers for me have been foam tips robbing bass on some sets, tips that are very short and don't insert deep sounding off for example but there are reasons for the change, given generally like for like tips the differences that many talk about I think are imagined.

If they don't seal they will never sound right, if they seal well but are uncomfortable you will be aware of them and think about them which will diminish your enjoyment and therefore , due to psychoacoustics, make them sound worse even if technically there is no change.

 

[drftr]

which will diminish your enjoyment and therefore , due to psychoacoustics, make them sound worse even if technically there is no change

Good point. But / and I will happily spend a thousand bucks on something that objectively sounds worse but subjectively sounds better

drftr

 

[BS5711]

YUP I have gone back and forth so many times on different cables/sets just to determine “I am imagining things.”

What fully convinced me was swapping the default Szalayi cable to my newly purchased Dark Phoenix. With the pack in cable, the bass had a slight grainy texture that was very unpleasant but with another cable, it was gone.

I was always looking for earth shattering changes but, it’s just.. really really small things.

Of course, I will continue to browse future cables with an open mind, but this is just my experiences so far over the last year and a half in the hobby.

Tips matter 1000000x more for sound changes.

I still remain unconvinced by the technicalities but I certainly understand your scenario, been there done that

In my mind if someone is looking for really small changes the mental aspects and volume matching are far to big to be able to reliably assess those really small changes, but I am in the wrong thread for that conversation

 

[gLer]

I'm in the tips 'can make a huge difference' camp, but some IEMs are more susceptible to tip differences than others. Wide vs narrow bore is very telling, as is stem firmness and insert depth. All things considered tips generally make a bigger difference than cables, but higher end cables can and do contribute to better technical performance.