Thieaudio Monarch Mk2 VS Hidition Viento

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Thieaudio Monarch Mk2 stays a top-tier pick by balancing excellent tonality with solid, price-appropriate technicalities. The tuning sits close to the current meta, with a slight dip in the lower mids and a noticeable 6 kHz emphasis that adds sparkle and energy. It’s the “spice” to the Mega5-EST’s plain water—still coherent and controlled, but with extra fizz that makes music feel lively. While resolution doesn’t chase the extremes of Elysian Annihilator or Softears RS10, within the $999 bracket the performance remains compelling, making it an easy recommendation among kilobuck IEMs.

Build and accessories are straightforward: a full-resin shell with metal nozzle, a cloth-sheathed cable featuring interchangeable 3.5 / 2.5 / 4.4 terminations, and a proper case with silicone and foam tips. The fiery orange faceplate is the sole colorway. The catch is fit—the shell is large, and for smaller ears that can be a deal-breaker; no sound quality matters if it won’t seal comfortably. For those wanting a near-perfect meta hit with less treble spice, Hisenior Mega5-EST is noted as the safer tonal bullseye.

Choose Monarch Mk2 if a slightly V-leaning, meta-aligned tuning with engaging upper-presence appeals, and if the ear geometry can handle the chunky shell. Skip it if chasing max detail retrieval above all else, craving a more pronounced V-shape (consider Monarch Mk3 instead), or if fit is uncertain. The overall verdict: impeccable tuning paired with good—if not summit—technical chops keeps Monarch Mk2 at the top of the ranking conversation without needing boutique pricing.

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Hidition is framed as an OG IEM house (founded 2003), and the Viento is praised as the rare decade-old set that still sits in the top tier. Released in the height of the driver wars, it rejected driver-count inflation for a 4-driver, 4-way crossover architecture—each BA handling its own band: sub-bass, lower mids, upper mids, treble. The result is “efficiency” engineering that prioritizes clean division of labor over headcount, following the neutral lineage of the NT6 while modernizing with a subtle sub-bass lift.

The Viento’s two-switch system is highlighted as unusually precise: one switch for sub-bass, one for lower mids, yielding four distinct tunings—A (neutral), B (sub-bass boost), C (lower-mid warmth), and D (both). It’s noted that the custom shell outperforms the universal demo (which can sound a bit bright/shouty due to fit depth), making this one of the few customs actively recommended. In 2023 it sits at S- on the ranking list: versatile across configs, close to an IEF-neutral target, and—relative to today’s market—“cheap” at about $1,000 from Zeppelin & Co. Overall, the Viento is portrayed as lightning in a bottle: enduring tuning, elegant engineering, and real-world usability that keeps it in regular rotation years after release.

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Hidition Viento B aims for a reference-lean balance: a leveled sub-bass shelf to around 200 Hz, a lean lower midrange, and very emphasized upper-mids with a notable mid-treble lift. On paper it graphs cleanly, but in practice the contrast thins out note weight and exposes a ringy decay on upper harmonics, pushing cymbals and sibilants forward more than natural.

Technicalities are mixed. Microdynamic contrast is the standout, with low-level inflections popping more readily than peers, yet imaging and stage size hover around average for the price. BA timbre remains audible, and the elongated nozzle that mimics a CIEM fit can be uncomfortable unless a deep insertion is possible; the CIEM version is said to mitigate several of these concerns.