Closer Examination

Unlike the case and ear tips, ThieAudio does seem to have procured a new cable for the Monarch MKIII. There's isn't a lot of information about it but we know it is a modular cable thanks to the three connectors seen on the previous page. As such, it ships with just the connecting end on the source side with four pins and an alignment hole in the plastic beneath the metal hardware. This means the modular connectors employ a friction fit only as opposed to those which also have a locking mechanism, be it via a thread or a push-lock. The cable in general is quite nice and pliable with four tightly braided strands of 22 AWG silver-plated high purity OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) copper and silver-plated graphene conductor in a brown-colored sheath. The relatively thin cable is thus easy to shape and is non-microphonic too. All the metal hardware is in black, including the splitter and the functional cable cinch following which which we have two strands each headed to the other end where we have pre-formed ear hooks with the usual kind of see-through plastic sheathing which is thankfully not distracting. There is a blue/red paint mark on the side of the recessed-style 2-pin connector to help identify the left/right channels, respectively—I am not sure how well these will last the test of time though. The metal plugs on either end are gold-plated for oxidation resistance.


ThieAudio likes its resin shells on IEMs and the Monarch MKIII is no different. I mentioned before how there are six different shells to choose from, should you go with a custom design, including this mostly opaque "Black Bat" that is also the default for the Monarch MKIII and five translucent colorful options—violet, cobalt blue, green, tangerine, yellow. All of these appear cast rather than 3D printed and certainly come well polished out of the box either way. The face plate of your choice is then cut from a large sheet of the chosen pattern, shaped to size, glued to the shells, and may or may not have a resin pour on top depending on the option. The default one fits the black shells quite well but also the black shells work as a great background to let any face plate shine in its own right. Depending on what you go for, there is an upcharge of $100-150. Two of the face plates are only possible to have with the black shells, including the one I have here.


This particular face plate option is called "Disco" and may remind you of another more expensive set of IEMs from a different brand. Likewise, the other face plate with its +$50 surcharge also reminds me of yet another more expensive set. As such, it does feel like these cost significantly more to get from the supplier. I understand why—this is quite psychedelic to look at and I can't take my eyes off it in person, so you know these photos barely do it justice. There is a 3-dimensional effect and the colors feel like they are flowing despite being stationary. It's certainly not for everyone and that's the beauty of having so many face plates to choose from, but I do want to commend ThieAudio for offering this feature in the first place as the option to customize how IEMs look is usually what attracts a lot of people to CIEMs, not as much the custom fit itself. The ThieAudio logo is present on both sides at an angle and doesn't become a distraction, but it might depend on the face plate chosen. The opaque black shells don't provide a great look at the internals but we can see these are relatively thick IEMs with a bump at the top that will either fit in the ear comfortably or jut out of it and make for a less comfortable fit. Note the barely recessed cable connectors here which aren't a good fit with those on the cable itself. There's a filtered vent on the top side for the dynamic drivers with markings on the inner side for the product name, serial number, and L/R indicators. We get a steel nozzle that's fixed on to the resin shells and juts out at a slight angle. The nozzle is 6.2 mm at the very end where it gets wider and 5.4 mm elsewhere. This does mean it's not a great fit for those with smaller ear canals and the thicker shells can be an issue for those with smaller ears/concha in general. There is a metal filter on the end of the nozzle to help prevent contaminants from entering the acoustic chamber.


Fitting the stock ear tips is easy enough because the bores of these ear tips are sized for the thick nozzle, which may explain why ThieAudio didn't have a rich assortment of tips to throw in with the Monarch MKIII. Regardless, we see both types of ear tips—silicone and foam—in size M installed here and how the retaining notch on the nozzle helps keep them in place. You may want to try different ear tips to get the best-possible fit and perhaps affect the sound signature with the foam tips as opposed to silicone. Try out the various sizes provided as well and keep in mind that both ear canals won't necessarily have the best seal with the same size or set, either.


Regardless of which tips you pick, the next step is to re-connect the cable by carefully identifying the matching channels and orienting the ear hooks around your ear when connecting the IEMs. Doing so is simple, as you just push the 2-pin connectors in place and they remain there via a friction fit with the recessed connector also helping to an extent. The stock cable with its longer connector housing meant for IEMs with recessed housings isn't the best pairing and the brown may or may not work well with the shells/face plates you have chosen either. The good news is the standard connector type used here means you can easily replace the stock cable, if you so desire. For example, I borrowed a Nightjar Bifrost cable for some photos since I thought it matches the "Disco" face plate well enough. Either way, decide on the source connection you wish to use based on the amplifier of your choice. The stock cable being modular provides excellent compatibility with pretty much all portable DAC/amps in the market.