The Thieaudio Monarch MKIV is 10Ω at 100.0 dB (no reference unit printed); the Thieaudio Origin is 9Ω at 102.0 dB (no reference unit printed). This page covers what they ask of an amplifier, not how they sound.
The Monarch MKIV needs 2.0 dB more than the Origin to reach the same loudness — 1.0 mW against 0.63 mW.
| Specification | Monarch MKIV | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Impedance | 10 Ω | 9 Ω |
| Sensitivity | 100.0 dB | 102.0 dB |
| Sensitivity (voltage) | 120.0 dB/V | 122.5 dB/V |
| Power for 100 dB | 1.0 mW | 0.63 mW |
| Voltage for 100 dB | 0.10 V | 75 mV |
| Current for 100 dB | 10.0 mA | 8.4 mA |
| Highest source impedance that leaves them alone (one-eighth rule) | 1.25 Ω | 1.12 Ω |
| Sources that reach 100 dB out of 280 | 280 | 280 |
One caution before reading the rows. Thieaudio Monarch MKIV and Thieaudio Origin printed a decibel figure with no reference unit, so this page reads it as per milliwatt. If it is really per volt, each of them needs far more than the table says. Why the two readings differ by so much.
Every source in the database that drives one of them drives the other. On power, the choice between these two changes nothing about what amplifier you need.
3 sources are low enough in output impedance for the Monarch MKIV under the one-eighth rule but not for the Origin (FiiO K11, FiiO BTR7, FiiO Q7).
2 sources stay below the audible-hiss threshold with the Monarch MKIV but cross it with the Origin (FiiO BTR11, Rupert Neve RNHP).
280 of the 280 sources here reach 100 dB on both.
The Monarch MKIV is more demanding than 32% of the 567 non-electrostatic models in this database; the Origin than 24%.
| dB SPL | Monarch MKIV power | Monarch MKIV voltage | Origin power | Origin voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 0.01 mW | 10 mV | 6.3 µW | 8 mV |
| 85 | 0.03 mW | 18 mV | 0.02 mW | 13 mV |
| 90 | 0.10 mW | 32 mV | 0.06 mW | 24 mV |
| 95 | 0.32 mW | 56 mV | 0.20 mW | 42 mV |
| 100 | 1.0 mW | 0.10 V | 0.63 mW | 75 mV |
| 105 | 3.2 mW | 0.18 V | 2.0 mW | 0.13 V |
| Source | Price | Headroom, Monarch MKIV | Headroom, Origin | Output impedance | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JadeAudio JA11 | $20 | 9.7 dB | 11.3 dB | 0.5 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO KA11 | $29 | 21.9 dB | 23.4 dB | 0.7 Ω | 1.7 µV |
| FiiO BTR13 | $59 | 18.8 dB | 20.3 dB | 0.6 Ω | 1.0 µV |
Of the 280 sources here, 280 reach 100 dB on both. 60 of them also publish an output impedance low enough for both under the one-eighth rule and a noise figure that stays below the audible-hiss threshold with both.
The cheapest of the 60 is the JadeAudio JA11, at $20. It leaves 9.7 dB of headroom on the Monarch MKIV and 11.3 dB on the Origin, its output impedance is 0.5 Ω against a one-eighth limit of 1.25 Ω and 1.12 Ω, and its noise figure puts the hiss floor 15 dB and 13 dB below the 20 dB SPL this site treats as the point where a quiet room stops hiding it.
| Model | As printed | Tolerance | Standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monarch MKIV | 10Hz – 44kHz | not printed | not printed |
| Origin | 20Hz – 44kHz | not printed | not printed |
Thieaudio prints 10Hz – 44kHz for the Monarch MKIV and 20Hz – 44kHz for the Origin.
Neither range has a tolerance printed beside it, so a wider range on one sheet is not deeper bass or more treble.
Not a measurement; maker by maker.
Both have a page of their own. In full: Thieaudio Monarch MKIV and Thieaudio Origin. Each figure on this page is labelled on those pages with where it came from, including the ones Thieaudio never published — what that maker publishes, counted.