Oriolus Monachaa - It's Good But Is It $2000 Good?

 3⭐️

+ Well balanced U-shaped tuning

+ Deep reaching sub-bass extension and rumble

+ Clear, smooth midrange

+ Well extended, crisp treble

+ Musical tuning but still with good technicalities 

- Would like a bit warmer tonality

- Treble can be a touch energetic for my tastes

- Driver flex

- Short nozzle and shallow insertion depth

- Stock cable is disappointing for the price

thaslaya's star rating system:

☆☆☆☆☆ - Fantastic!

☆☆☆☆ - Recommended

☆☆☆ - There are buyers but not for me

☆☆ - Can't see the appeal

☆ - Product is a failure

Disclaimer: 

This set was provided for a trial period through the Watercooler tour. I recieve no compensation and all thoughts and opinions are my own. A big thank you to the company for the provided unit and to Rockwell75 for coordinating the tours. 

Gear used: 

●LG v30+

●Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra

●Samsung dongle

●Hiby FC4

●Kiwi Ears Allegro 

●Letshuoer DT03 

●Dunu DTC480

●BLON V1

Source:

●Listening was done through Amazon Music HD or Ultra HD.

Introduction: 

Oriolus is a Japanese company that is well-known in the mid-fi and hi-fi IEM communities. Their Traillii model is commonly cited as one of the best IEMs on the market today, but it also comes with a hefty $6,000 price tag. The Monachaa is not nearly as expensive, but it's still sure to be over the budget of most audiophiles. This one boasts a driver configuration of four dynamic drivers per side and is currently available for $1,999. Let's break down the Monachaa and see what it's all about.

Build, fit, ergonomics:

I can't speak to the packaging and unboxing experience since this unit is part of a tour, and it did not come with all of the stock accessories. I only received the IEMs along with the stock cable and case. The shells are made of semi-transparent blue/purple resin with gold flakes inlaid into the faceplate and are also embellished with the brand's name, Oriolus. They feel solid and well-built but also lightweight and utilize a quite recessed 2-pin connection, which makes cable swapping a bit more difficult. When held up to the light, you can see the four dynamic drivers and their corresponding sound tubes inside the shells. The nozzle is definitely on the short side with a shallow insertion depth, and it caused some fit issues for me. I had to use the Coreir Brass tips to add a little more length to get a comfortable fit and seal. There is a vent located near the 2-pin connection that helps to ensure there's no pressure build-up. The stock 4W copper PWAudio cable is a bit disappointing for the price of this IEM. It's very lightweight, but the coating feels cheap to the touch, the weave is a bit loose, and it is a little unwieldy and tangles fairly easily. The case is a black VanNuys semi-hard-shelled square with the Oriolus brand on top. It does offer good protection and includes a shell divider to keep the IEMs from being damaged, but it is definitely too large to be pocketable, though it could be a good option for storing in a backpack or luggage.

Sound impressions:

I would characterize the tuning as a mild U-shape that is mostly balanced with good low-end extension and a bit of extra energy in the upper mids/treble. It's not the smoothest or most coherent-sounding set, perhaps due to the utilization of four different dynamic drivers. The note weight is good and I think it sits in a good spot between thin and thick. This is not a very easy-to-drive set and definitely needs a little extra juice to get to higher volumes. Packing four DDs into each shell, it's no wonder that some extra energy is needed to push them to their full potential. They work well off all of my DAC/amps, but I found the best pairing to be the Dunu DTC480. The detail retrieval is good but not sure it's standout or up to the bar that the price tag sets. It's definitely resolving and I can hear plenty of subtleties, but it doesn't blow away sets I've heard at a quarter of the price, so diminishing returns may be at play here. The soundstage has great width and depth. It extends outside the head and has a mostly orbital presentation, except for the vocals specifically that can sound a bit closed in and intimate. I'll attempt to explain that further when I talk about the midrange. The timbre is mostly natural and organic, but it can sound slightly off and artificial depending on the track and genre. The imaging is accurate, and though it's not lacking in dynamics per se, I feel a small push in this area would inject a bit more fun and life into the tuning. It could also benefit from a little more initial note attack and impact. The separation is mostly great, but the space between notes and the layering could be a bit better, as things can get somewhat congested or incongruent when all the instruments and vocals are playing at once. It also needs to be noted that I did experience some driver flex upon insertion, which is concerning at this price point.

●Lows - The Monachaa's bass is the most impressive part of its tuning for me. I wouldn't say it's a basshead IEM or skull-rattling, but it's definitely bass-boosted and could be a bit much for some. It's very capable, cohesive, and full without being overbearing or detracting from the other frequencies. It's a little more sub-bass focused and reaches low with great extension and rumble. I would like a little mid-bass boost to add some more warmth, though. The texture is good, but it also might be just a touch on the dry side. It's not bloomy or pillowy, but the impact and slam are a little on the softer side, and notes can sound just a bit blunted. The mid-bass is well separated from the midrange, and there's no bleed that I can hear. The speed is very quick, and double kick drums sound fantastic but could use just a little more impact to stand out further. The decay might also be a touch too fast, and it could benefit from a slightly longer-lasting reverberation to sound more natural. I really like the bass overall, and it has great quality, but if I had to nitpick, I'd ask for a touch more quantity overall, and some extra mid-bass presence, in particular, would give it some warmth that I'm missing. During my testing, some light EQ made quick work of those small issues, and the Monachaa does take well to EQ, but I generally don't like using it. I prefer to always use the stock tuning, but EQ is always an option for those keen on it.

●Mids - The midrange is a bit odd to me. The instruments are very smooth, pleasing, and generally sound great and are well mixed, with perhaps just the lower midrange being a bit underutilized for my preferences. The vocals are forward, clear, energetic, and well separated without being shouty. However, they might be too well separated, as they present a little more intimately and more "in my head" than the surrounding instrumentation. I can enjoy intimate vocals for the most part, but in this case, they sound somewhat disjointed from the overall tuning since everything besides the vocals melds together to create a nice holographic soundstage. It's almost as if the vocals feel like an afterthought. It's hard to explain, but it can sound like all the instruments are very cohesive and well mixed, then the vocals are just overlaid on top of the rest of the track, which is a bit distracting and betrays the overall cohesiveness of the entire presentation. It can actually work well for some singer-songwriter-style music where the vocals being intimate is a good thing, but on things like rock, rap, and pop, it can come across as a little weird. That's why I feel like the Monachaa really excel in instrumental, orchestral arrangements, and any nonvocal genres where the cohesiveness of those four dynamic drivers is on full display.

●Highs - The treble is crisp and precise without sibilance, although there's still a little too much energy at a certain frequency that can be annoying to my ears on some tracks. I imagine trebleheads would really like the quality here, although it might not be bright enough for some, and it could use a touch more air and extension. This is an interesting one. I don't get irritated by claps or snares, but cymbals, in particular, can sound splashy, and some "s" and "sh" sounds are harsh. Also, breathy vocalists (mostly female) can sound grating at times. So there must be a peak at a certain frequency that accentuates only those particular notes. It doesn’t bother me too much, but it’s also very track- and genre-dependent. With a lot of pop and rock, it comes out more frequently, but with classical, everything is very smooth, natural, and well-extended. "Shivers" by Ed Sheeran is not sibilant, but it can get a little hot and treble-heavy, which can be fatiguing.

The IvipQ 530 is one of my favorite cables and makes for a great match with the Monachaa. 

In conclusion:

The Monachaa is somewhat of a conundrum for me. I'm not sure all the drivers mesh cohesively, and to me it can sound a little discombobulated and disjointed, specifically with the vocals. I have to ask if packing four DDs into the smallish-sized shell is really necessary. Just because you can do something, it doesn't mean that you should (insert Jurassic Park Jeff Goldblum reference here). Don't get me wrong, there are some things to like or even love about the Monachaa. The sub-bass is very good, and its extension is a standout feature. The mixture of detail retrieval and musicality makes for a fine balance that will please most listeners, and the midrange has a distinctly smooth presentation for instruments. But there are also some glaring weaknesses to my ear that are hard to overlook, most notably in the vocals and the treble. I would also welcome a bit more mid-bass and a warmer tonality. Don't get me wrong, it's a generally fine IEM, but for the asking price, I want more. Now, where I think the Monachaa really shines is with instrumental music, so I can recommend it for those who listen almost exclusively to classical, orchestral arrangements, instrumental, and acoustic genres. If you've seen the Netflix show Bridgerton, you might notice that they often use instrumental covers of modern pop songs, which is neat, and I really enjoy it. This is the style of music that the Monachaa can do very well, so if that is one of your main genres of choice, then you'd be very happy with it. But outside of that, I can't really give it a general recommendation. Now, there is no direct graph to back this up, so take it with a grain of salt, but as far as my ear and aural memory can be trusted, I think that the Oriveti Lowmaster is a lot like the Monachaa. It might have a little less of a bass shelf, it may be a touch brighter, and it is for sure substantially cheaper (retails for $150), but they have similar characteristics and a similar tuning philosophy. For anyone interested in the Monachaa, it might be more feasible to get your hands on the Lowmaster to see if it's something you might like and could potentially upgrade to the Monachaa for a more refined tuning.