I just received my unit yesterday and have had a few hours to enjoy it and get a few first impressions. It is second hand, a few months old, and so the stock tubes (two for the DAC and two for the preamp section) have had some time to burn in. I do plan on experimenting with other tubes at a later date, but first I want to enjoy what I have here now and allow the tubes to burn in a bit more.
I have gotten into the habit of doing a lot of critical listening lately comparing different front ends and preamp sections, and to be honest, I don't enjoy doing that sort of thing most of the time. Critical listening takes away a lot of the enjoyment I normally get from just listening to the music. So, with this new front end I hope to get back to what I enjoy the most.
I had use of a new Benchmark DAC1 for a few days and did appreciate what it did in my system. I was using my older Musical Fidelity X-Ray as the transport. I especially noticed the tight focus and detail it brought to the presentation. I was also using it as a replacement for my older Audio Research preamp. At the same time I had use of Placette Audio's passive volume control. In using it with my Jolida minus the DAC1, I noticed a similar tightening and focus within the soundstage. Also, it was as if several veils were lifted out of the way between me and the performance. This told me that there was something wrong with my AR preamp and that regardless of which front end I would eventually go with, this preamp of mine is a weak link in my system chain. So, when searching for something new, I was hoping to find a nice all-in-one component that would cure what was holding my system back. I actually liked the Benchmark, but I need at least one line-in to add a phono section to, and the Benchmark does not have that capability.
Enter the Monarchy. On the surface it appeared to have exactly what I had been looking for. It is a unique component being a SS DAC, tube DAC and preamp (with one set of line level input jacks) all in one package. The SS and tube DAC are completely separate from each other. One other unique thing is that both DACs have their own line level outputs for use with another preamp if one wishes. There is a button to select either the tube DAC, or the line level input. The SS DAC is not selectable. In order to access it you connect its line level outputs to the preamps line in. Then you can switch between them and compare. A bit odd, but certainly an interesting arrangement and very versatile.
So far I like the preamp section. It is much better than my current Audio Research. I experience about the same amounts of haze being lifted away as I did with the Placette Audio passive volume control. Which one is better? I really don't know. I will be able to do an actual in house comparison a bit later on. But, as it is now, I am happy with what it is doing. My AR preamp has a nice phono section to it. So I connected one set of tape output jacks to the line in on the Monarchy, and was not disappointed. I also connected the solid state DAC outputs of the Monarchy to a spare line in on the Audio Research. That allows me to select that through the ARs passive selectors to be routed to the Monarchy line input. That is not the ideal way to do this, but as I found out, it seems to work just fine.
I found the solid state DAC on the Monarchy to be the closest to the Benchmark in sound. It seems very precise and accurate in a solid state sort of way. I am sure that will improve even more with a more direct connection being used, or with the use of coupling transformers as is recommended by Monarchy. The tube DAC through the built in preamp is where I have spent most of my time listening. The sound is more forward than with the Benchmark. Everything appears a bit larger, wider and closer to the listener. This works well in my system and I don't have any issues with that. Where the Monarchy seems to excel passed the Benchmark though is with the midrange. It is very liquid and musical.
From reading through some of the previous reviews most feel that the stock tubes do hold this unit back and there is more potential to be had. To be honest, I could live with things as they are now, as is often the case until there is a side by side comparison with something else
. But, in the future I do plan on experimenting more with both different tubes and with the solid state part of the Monarchy. It is nice having a choice between the two, along with all the rest of the built in versatility.
