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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Sound
- Design
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
MOONDROP x Crinacle DUSK vs THIEAUDIO Monarch MKIII
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
MOONDROP x Crinacle DUSK
THIEAUDIO Monarch MKIII
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated May 20, 2025 06:14 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v2.0
Updated May 16, 2025 05:51 PM
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Amazon.com
TypeIn-Ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountSlightly Emphasized (2 dB)
WirelessNo
TransducerHybrid
Treble AmountSlightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)
MicYes
Sound SignatureWarm
TypeIn-Ear
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountEmphasized (3 dB)
WirelessNo
TransducerHybrid
Treble AmountBalanced (-1 dB)
MicNo
Sound SignatureWarm
Variants
- x Crinacle DUSK (Black)
- Monarch MKIII (Black)
Our Verdict
MOONDROP x Crinacle DUSK
THIEAUDIO Monarch MKIII
The MOONDROP x Crinacle DUSK and the THIEAUDIO Monarch MKIII are premium IEMs targeted at users looking for the very best sound reproduction. Both pairs have fairly similar sound profiles, offering plenty of thump and rumble in the low end, though the THIEAUDIO offer a more present low-treble range, which can help make vocals sound a little clearer in dense mixes. But both pairs present instruments and vocals accurately. But the THIEAUDIO are significantly more expensive than the MOONDROP and lack the MOONDROP's DSP cable, which allows you to apply EQ presets to your audio.
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Black
x Crinacle DUSK
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Monarch MKIII
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Finding storeMain Differences forSports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
6.8
6.4
Stability
8.0
7.5
Comfort
7.5
7.0
Portability
9.1
8.3
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
800 Hz
350 Hz
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
Emphasized (3 dB)
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-3 dB)
Balanced (-1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
7.3
9.1
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
1.04 dB
0.38 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.3
8.6
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.5 dB
3.5 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
3.51 dB
4.16 dB
Mid Bass
1.26 dB
3.57 dB
High Bass
0.14 dB
1.52 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
9.1
9.2
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.3 dB
1.23 dB
Low Mid
-1.17 dB
-0.14 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.5 dB
-0.52 dB
High Mid
1.41 dB
1.87 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
8.2
9.1
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.13 dB
2.41 dB
Low Treble
-2.05 dB
-0.2 dB
Mid Treble
-3.87 dB
-3.03 dB
High Treble
-4.15 dB
-6.66 dB
Peaks/Dips
8.5
8.5
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
0.89 dB
0.7 dB
Dips
1.21 dB
1.91 dB
Stereo Mismatch
7.1
9.3
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.6 dB
0.1 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.5 dB
0.6 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.0°
0.6°
Group Delay
7.7
8.0
Weighted Group Delay
0.9 ms
0.8 ms
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
0.0
0.0
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Harmonic Distortion
7.0
8.0
Harmonics Levels
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.42%
0.25%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
1.13%
0.47%
Electrical Aspects
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
118.4 dB SPL
119.7 dB SPL
Bluetooth Max SPL
N/A
N/A
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No
No App
Test Settings
Firmware
9.7.13.1
No Firmware
Power
Passive
Passive
Connection
Wired
Wired
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
DUSK-Default
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Foam (small)
Microphone
In-line
No Microphone
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
In-Ear
In-Ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
No
No
Transducer
Hybrid
Hybrid
Comfort
7.5
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.07 lbs
0.1 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0 lbs
Controls
6.4
0.0
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
No Controls
Ease Of Use
Good
No Controls
Feedback
Mediocre
No Controls
Call/Music Control
Yes
No
Volume Control
Yes
No
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
No
No
Talk-Through
No
No
Additional Controls
No
No
Portability
9.1
8.3
Portability Picture
L
0.9" (2.4 cm)
1.9" (4.8 cm)
W
3.9" (9.8 cm)
3.7" (9.3 cm)
H
1.0" (2.5 cm)
1.2" (3.0 cm)
Volume
3.59 in³ (58.80 cm³)
8.17 in³ (133.92 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
3.0" (7.7 cm)
4.3" (10.9 cm)
W
4.3" (10.9 cm)
5.4" (13.8 cm)
H
1.8" (4.5 cm)
1.6" (4.0 cm)
Volume
23.05 in³ (377.69 cm³)
36.72 in³ (601.68 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
8.0
7.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
6.8
8.1
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Overall Attenuation
-17.33 dB
-21.12 dB
Bass
-2.62 dB
-4.86 dB
Mid
-20.54 dB
-23.92 dB
Treble
-31.65 dB
-37.77 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
6.1
7.3
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-14.85 dB
-16.97 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-13.82 dB
-17.47 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-16.85 dB
-20.02 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
N/A
N/A
Leakage
9.4
9.5
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
24.58 dB
24.33 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
No
In-Line
Yes
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
No
Recording Quality
6.6
0.0
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
N/A
LFE
348.96 Hz
N/A
FR Std. Dev.
4.59 dB
N/A
HFE
12,716.62 Hz
N/A
Weighted THD
2.965
N/A
Gain
-8.12 dB
N/A
Noise Handling
6.0
0.0
SpNR
0.55 dB
N/A
Noise Gate
No
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.0
N/A
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
N/A
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
6.0
N/A
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
N/A
Active Features
Battery
0.0
0.0
Battery Type
No Battery
No Battery
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
N/A
Additional Charges
N/A
N/A
Total Battery Life
N/A
N/A
Charge Time
N/A
N/A
Power-Saving Feature
No
No
Audio While Charging
No
No
Passive Playback
Passive Headphone
Passive Headphone
Charging Port
None
None
App Support
5.5
0.0
App Picture
App Name
Moondrop Link
No App
iOS
No
No
Android
Yes
No
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Parametric + Presets
No
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
No
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
9.7
9.9
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
USB-C
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
3.94 ft (1.20 m)
3.94 ft (1.20 m)
Connector
1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS
Latency - Analog
0.1 ms
0.2 ms
Latency - USB
10.7 ms
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Connection
Analog
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
0.0
0.0
Bluetooth Version
No Bluetooth
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
No
N/A
Quick Pair (Android)
No
N/A
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
N/A
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - SBC
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency Codec
N/A
N/A
AAC Support
No
N/A
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Wired USB
Audio + Microphone
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
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x Crinacle DUSK
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Monarch MKIII
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x Crinacle DUSK
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Monarch MKIII
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x Crinacle DUSK
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Monarch MKIII
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Monarch MKIII
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MOONDROP x Crinacle DUSK
THIEAUDIO Monarch MKIII
Comments
MOONDROP x Crinacle DUSK vs THIEAUDIO Monarch MKIII: Main Discussion
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