Thieaudio Monarch MK3 VS Campfire Audio Alien Brain

IEM Comparison: Expert & Community Scores Side-by-Side

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Thieaudio Monarch MK3 and Campfire Audio Alien Brain use 2DD+6BA+2EST and 1DD+4BA driver setups respectively. Thieaudio Monarch MK3 costs $1,000 while Campfire Audio Alien Brain costs $1,000. Both score 8.1 from reviewers. Thieaudio Monarch MK3 carries a user score of 6.8. Campfire Audio Alien Brain has better bass with a 0.5-point edge, Campfire Audio Alien Brain has better dynamics with a 0.7-point edge, Thieaudio Monarch MK3 has better details with a 0.8-point edge and Thieaudio Monarch MK3 has slightly better imaging with a 0.4-point edge.

Insights

Metric Thieaudio Monarch MK3 Campfire Audio Alien Brain
Bass 7.5 8
Mids 7.7 7.5
Treble 7.8 7.8
Details 7.8 7
Soundstage 8 8
Imaging 7.4 7
Dynamics 7.3 8
Tonality 7.8 7.8
Technicalities 7.8 7.7

Thieaudio Monarch MK3 Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Smirk Audio Tim Tuned Precogvision Nymz Fresh Reviews
Jays Audio Jaytiss Shuwa-T Gizaudio Axel
Z-Reviews

Average Reviewer Score:

8.1

Very Positive

Show all Thieaudio Monarch MK3 reviews

Campfire Audio Alien Brain Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Smirk Audio
Jaytiss

Average Reviewer Score:

8.2

Very Positive

Show all Campfire Audio Alien Brain reviews

Thieaudio Monarch MK3 Details

Driver Configuration: 2DD+6BA+2EST

Tuning Type: U-Shaped

Brand: ThieAudio Top ThieAudio IEMs

Price (Msrp): $1,000

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$999
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Campfire Audio Alien Brain Details

Driver Configuration: 1DD+4BA

Tuning Type: bass-boosted neutral

Brand: Campfire Top Campfire IEMs

Price (Msrp): $1,000

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$1,018
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Thieaudio Monarch MK3 User Review Score

Average User Scores

Average User Score:

Based on 1 user reviews

6.8

Cautiously Favorable

Campfire Audio Alien Brain User Review Score

Average User Scores

Average User Score: n/a

Based on 0 user reviews

No user reviews yet. Be the first one who writes a review!

Thieaudio Monarch MK3 Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

  • The gaming score is prioritizing technical capabilities of the IEM (Separation, Layering, Soundstage) and good value.

Gaming Score

7.5

Gaming Grade

A

Campfire Audio Alien Brain Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

  • The gaming score is prioritizing technical capabilities of the IEM (Separation, Layering, Soundstage) and good value.

Gaming Score

6.7

Gaming Grade

B+

Thieaudio Monarch MK3 Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

A
  • Well-executed tonal character. No major flaws with good technical control. Smooth presentation works with multiple genres.

Average Technical Grade

A
  • Good technical performance. Clear separation and decent detail retrieval across various tracks. Soundstage shows reasonable width and depth.
Bass A
Strong, well-defined bass with good texture. Delivers satisfying punch and rumble without overwhelming other frequencies.
Mids A
Excellent midrange with natural timbre and great detail retrieval. Vocals are forward and emotive with lifelike instrument reproduction.
Treble A
Excellent treble: airy, extended and well-controlled. Great micro-detail retrieval without sibilance or harshness.
Dynamics A-
Excellent dynamics with great contrast and speed. Transients are crisp and micro-details are clearly articulated.
Soundstage A+
Exceptional soundstage with holographic imaging. Creates a truly three-dimensional space where instruments float naturally around you.
Details A
Excellent detail retrieval: highly resolving without being clinical. Effortlessly reveals micro-details and textural subtleties.
Imaging A-
Excellent imaging: precise and stable placement. Instruments occupy specific points in space with tangible positions.
Gaming A
Clear spatial presentation handles directional cues effectively. Distinguishes key gameplay sounds while maintaining decent immersion. Bad value-to-cost for gaming purpose - not recommended

Campfire Audio Alien Brain Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

A
  • Well-executed tonal character. No major flaws with good technical control. Smooth presentation works with multiple genres.

Average Technical Grade

A
  • Good technical performance. Clear separation and decent detail retrieval across various tracks. Soundstage shows reasonable width and depth.
Bass A+
Excellent bass response - powerful yet controlled. Deep extension with authoritative slam while maintaining clarity.
Mids A
Excellent midrange with natural timbre and great detail retrieval. Vocals are forward and emotive with lifelike instrument reproduction.
Treble A
Excellent treble: airy, extended and well-controlled. Great micro-detail retrieval without sibilance or harshness.
Dynamics A+
Superb dynamic range - powerful yet nuanced. Exceptional transient response with lifelike impact and subtle volume gradations.
Soundstage A+
Exceptional soundstage with holographic imaging. Creates a truly three-dimensional space where instruments float naturally around you.
Details A-
Excellent detail retrieval: highly resolving without being clinical. Effortlessly reveals micro-details and textural subtleties.
Imaging A-
Excellent imaging: precise and stable placement. Instruments occupy specific points in space with tangible positions.
Gaming B+
Respectable environmental presentation favors atmosphere over precision. Detects obvious directional cues while conveying game world ambiance. Bad value-to-cost for gaming purpose - not recommended

Thieaudio Monarch MK3 Reviews

Reviewed by: Z-Reviews

Z-Reviews 10 * score normalized
check links for more info:

Z-Reviews original ranking

Z-Reviews Youtube Channel
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Reviewed by: Jays Audio

Jays Audio 8.5 Reviewer Score
S Tuning
S- Tech
Better low-end texture and overall more engaging than MK2, but lacks the mid-range/vocal magic, so depending on your preference either is great. Still TOTL tech like MK2. Great all-rounder.

Jays Audio original ranking

Jays Audio Youtube Channel
YouTube video thumbnail

Reviewed by: Jaytiss

Jaytiss 8.5 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A- Tech
Fatiging at times for me, too fun at times.

Jaytiss original ranking

Jaytiss Youtube Channel
Mids: A- Treble: A- Dynamics: A+ Soundstage: A+

Reviewed by: Shuwa-T

Shuwa-T 8.2 Reviewer Score
A+ Tuning
A+ Tech
Better bass response compared to the mk2 Trades off the lush midrange in place of a cleaner sounding, almost boring midrange

Shuwa-T original ranking

Shuwa-T Website

Bass: S- Mids: A+ Treble: A+ Soundstage: A+ Details: A+ Imaging: S-

Reviewed by: Gizaudio Axel

Gizaudio Axel 8 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A+ Tech
I prefer the Monarch MK II for its tonality, vocals, and timbre, but I get why some prefer the MK III. More bass, treble, and detail than the Monarch MK II. The vocal magic of the Monarch MK II is gone.

Gizaudio Axel original ranking

Gizaudio Axel Youtube Channel

Reviewed by: Smirk Audio

Smirk Audio 7.9 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A+ Tech
Elevated, well-textured mid-bass. Pleasant mids. Elevated upper-treble may be pesky to some.

Smirk Audio original ranking

Smirk Audio Head-Fi Profile

Bass: A+ Mids: A+ Treble: A Dynamics: A+ Details: A+ Imaging: A+

Reviewed by: Tim Tuned

2025-08-14
Tim Tuned 7.5 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
S Tech
MK2 but more fun and more V-shape Not as natural in timbre

Tim Tuned original ranking

Tim Tuned Youtube Channel
Bass: A+ Mids: A+ Treble: A+

Reviewed by: Precogvision

Precogvision 7.3 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
A- Tech
Still perplexingly poor bass performance, but improves upon the Monarch MKII's treble extension noticeably.

Precogvision original ranking

Precogvision Youtube Channel
Bass: B Mids: A+ Treble: A+ Dynamics: B Details: A+ Imaging: A-

Reviewed by: Nymz

Nymz 7.1 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
B+ Tech
An improvement in the bass and treble department over the Mk2, but without the same special sauce in the mid-range and with some imaging problems still.

Nymz original ranking

Nymz Website

Bass: A- Mids: A- Treble: A+ Details: A- Imaging: B

Reviewed by: Fresh Reviews

Fresh Reviews 7* * The score of this reviewer influences only the Gaming Score
Borders A for some titles

Fresh Reviews original ranking

Fresh Reviews Youtube Channel
YouTube video thumbnail

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Campfire Audio Alien Brain Reviews

Reviewed by: Jaytiss

Jaytiss 8.8 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A+ Tech
Nothing exceptional, but so basic and nice it's hard to not love.

Jaytiss original ranking

Jaytiss Youtube Channel
Mids: A- Treble: A+ Dynamics: A+ Soundstage: A+
YouTube video thumbnail

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Reviewed by: Smirk Audio

Smirk Audio 7.5 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A- Tech
check links for more info:

Smirk Audio original ranking

Smirk Audio Head-Fi Profile

Bass: A+ Mids: A+ Treble: A Dynamics: A+ Details: A- Imaging: A-

Thieaudio Monarch MK3 User Reviews

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Makavelian
6.8

If this is what 'fun' sounds like, I ain't about it.

Pros
Detail retrieval
Cons
Recessed mids and odd timbre.

Campfire Audio Alien Brain User Reviews

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0.0

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