I asked a few people, including fellow TechPowerUp editors, the first word that came to mind when they saw a photo of the ThieAudio Monarch I sent them, and responses ranged from "Shiny" and "Pretty" to "Garish" and "Chi-fi," with the latter not intended to be favorable. I suspect had they known these cost $729, more words along the lines of "Expensive" and "Crazy" would have been thrown out. Even knowing these are tribrid IEMs, in that three different driver types are employed (dynamic, balanced armature, and electrostatic tweeter), the only way to really know how good these are would be to either study the frequency response curve or listen to them yourself.

Aesthetics are clearly a mixed bag—some people loved it and others thought it was too flashy and felt more like jewelry, in which case I suppose the $729 price tag is not that far fetched, is it? However, no precious metals are used; the IEM shells are made out of medical-grade resin and then abalone shell is used for the face plate, including cut-up pieces that make up the "stones". The housing that is acoustically determined and shaped for the sound signature ThieAudio wanted with its first tribrid IEMs, which is also the flagship. This is paired with what it calls the EST cable, a $69 cable that talks the talk and walks it just as well. This is not a case of form over function, especially with the use of a sealed hard case that is far more industrial than the usual leather/leatherette carry case that arguably looks better. Likewise, there is no smorgasbord of accessories with a total of four sets to choose from, including the excellent-to-me size M SpinFit CP100.

This philosophy of a good balance between form and function with uncompromising audio quality works well here. ThieAudio released the Monarch alongside the Clairvoyance, a slightly cut-down set of IEMs with a driver less at $30 less. Based on this alone, you would assume there is a lot of overlap, but it is in the tuning that both hold separate places with the Clairvoyance seemingly tuned closer to the Harman curve with a more elevated bass. I haven't experienced the Clairvoyance, so I am gauging how good those would be for my audio preferences based on the frequency response graph. They might well be better for the bass and relatively warmer tonality. That having been said, the Monarch convinced me about the need to have a reference tuning with unmatched clarity not only in the regions I favor, but also those well beyond it on either side.

I got emotional with these in a way I barely get with products, and that turning point hit me within an hour of listening to these. Forget the consistency and tuning, cashing out $729 for a technically competent set of earphones is an extremely hard ask. I keep asking myself whether I would fork out the money myself if I had not listened to these and only saw the frequency curve. Would the recommendations galore from other customers in the year since launch have been enough to sway me? So far, many other good IEMs have been tested, and while none had come remotely close to the $729 asking price, I had also never before been swayed to say that this could be the one for me, either. I can only hope others who have the budget for the Monarch are interested enough in getting the chance to listen to it for a good few days, maybe in the form of a product review tour some companies tend to do. It has convinced me that I would get it for myself should something happen to this pair, which is why I am giving it our top award.