Symphonium Helios VS Thieaudio Monarch MK3

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

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Symphonium Helios and Thieaudio Monarch MK3 use 4BA and 2DD+6BA+2EST driver setups respectively. Symphonium Helios costs $1,100 while Thieaudio Monarch MK3 costs $1,000. Symphonium Helios is $100 more expensive. Thieaudio Monarch MK3 holds a slight 0.3-point edge in reviewer scores (7.9 vs 8.1). Thieaudio Monarch MK3 carries a user score of 6.8. Thieaudio Monarch MK3 has better bass with a 0.5-point edge, Symphonium Helios has better treble with a 0.9-point edge, Symphonium Helios has slightly better details with a 0.4-point edge and Symphonium Helios has slightly better imaging with a 0.4-point edge.

Insights

Metric Symphonium Helios Thieaudio Monarch MK3
Bass 7 7.5
Mids 7.9 7.7
Treble 8.6 7.8
Details 8.1 7.8
Soundstage 8 8
Imaging 7.8 7.4
Dynamics 7.5 7.3
Tonality 7.8 7.8
Technicalities 7.8 7.8

Symphonium Helios Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Smirk Audio Nymz Precogvision Crin
Shuwa-T Z-Reviews

Average Reviewer Score:

7.9

Strongly Favorable


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


Symphonium Helios 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 User Review Score

Average User Scores

Average User Score:

Based on 1 user reviews

6.8

Cautiously Favorable

Symphonium Helios Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

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

Gaming Score

6.8

Gaming Grade

B+

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

Symphonium Helios 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 S-
Superb treble: effortless extension with crystal clarity. Perfect balance of sparkle and smoothness with exceptional detail.
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+
Exceptional resolution that uncovers the deepest layers. Retrieves even the most minute details while maintaining natural timbre.
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 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

Symphonium Helios Reviews

Shuwa-T 8.1 Reviewer Score
A+ Tuning
A+ Tech
Clean-sounding monitor with great bass decay Occasional splashy cymbals due to the treble extension

Shuwa-T original ranking

Shuwa-T Website

- Shuwa-T
Bass: A Mids: A+ Treble: S- Soundstage: A+ Details: S- Imaging: A+
Z-Reviews 8 * score normalized
Smirk Audio 7.9 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A+ Tech
Exceptional treble with solid bass. Great techs. Some may find the midrange a bit clinical. Fit will be a dealbreaker to some. Cons: Poor fit.

Smirk Audio original ranking

Smirk Audio Head-Fi Profile

- Smirk Audio
Bass: A Mids: A Treble: S- Dynamics: A+ Details: A+ Imaging: A+
Nymz 7.9 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A+ Tech
Top tier clarity and great technicalities, other than a hint of BA timbre plasticness to it. Mid-bass recession is the con in the tuning, turning it into a dry IEM. Top performer nonetheless.

Nymz original ranking

Nymz Website

- Nymz
Bass: B Mids: A+ Treble: S Details: A+ Imaging: A+
Precogvision 7.7 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A- Tech
Great technicalities. Lacking that last leg of refinement in terms of coherency.

Precogvision original ranking

Precogvision Youtube Channel
- Precogvision
Bass: A- Mids: A+ Treble: A+ Dynamics: A- Details: A+ Imaging: A-
Crin 7.5 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A Tech
check links for more info:

Crin original ranking

Crin Youtube Channel
- Crin

Thieaudio Monarch MK3 Reviews

Z-Reviews 10 * score normalized
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Price: $999

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

Jaytiss original ranking

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

- Shuwa-T
Bass: S- Mids: A+ Treble: A+ Soundstage: A+ Details: A+ Imaging: S-
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
- Gizaudio Axel
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

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

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
- Tim Tuned
Bass: A+ Mids: A+ Treble: A+
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
- Precogvision
Bass: B Mids: A+ Treble: A+ Dynamics: B Details: A+ Imaging: A-
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

- Nymz
Bass: A- Mids: A- Treble: A+ Details: A- Imaging: B
Fresh Reviews 7* * The score of this reviewer influences only the Gaming Score
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Price: $999

Buy Thieaudio Monarch MK3 on Aliexpress

Symphonium Helios User Reviews

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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.

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