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Bowie MA10
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Monarch Mk II
Company ProductName Specs




What we think

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The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 10, 2024·

If you're on a tight budget and need earbuds that are sweatproof for exercise, the Baseus Bowie MA10 is a good choice, with a very good comfort level, built-in controls, and long battery life. However, the overall sound quality is just fair, and not ideal for music or calls. On the other hand, the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II, while pricier, delivers best-in-class sound quality for music and a very good soundstage. The downside is poor mic quality, lack of wireless connectivity, and they aren't suited for exercise or travel due to no noise cancelling and average portability. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Baseus Bowie MA10
  • Very good for exercise
  • Very good for air travel
Advantages of the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II
  • Best in class for music
  • Very good for TV and video
  • Good for podcasts and audiobooks

Key differences

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Music

5.8
Bowie MA10
Monarch Mk II
9.5
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is best in class for music, while the Baseus Bowie MA10 is poor.

Gaming

5.3
Bowie MA10
Monarch Mk II
6.7
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is only fair for gaming, while the Baseus Bowie MA10 is poor.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

5.7
Bowie MA10
Monarch Mk II
7.9
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Baseus Bowie MA10 is poor.

TV and Video

5.8
Bowie MA10
Monarch Mk II
8.8
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is very good for TV and video, while the Baseus Bowie MA10 is poor.

Noise Reduction

6.7
Bowie MA10
Monarch Mk II
6.0
The Baseus Bowie MA10 and Thieaudio Monarch Mk II are both only fair for noise reduction, though the Baseus Bowie MA10 is somewhat better.

Battery

8.0 Hours
Bowie MA10
Monarch Mk II
N/A
The Baseus Bowie MA10 has 8 hours of battery life. The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II does not have a battery.

Cost

$23
Bowie MA10
Monarch Mk II
$999
Product image
Product image

$0

$100

$200

$300

$400

The Baseus Bowie MA10 has a price of $23 and the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II costs $999.

Build Quality

8.5
Bowie MA10
Monarch Mk II
9.0
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II has excellent build quality, while the Baseus Bowie MA10 has very good build quality.
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Key similarities

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Phone Calls

5.3
Bowie MA10
Monarch Mk II
5.1
The Baseus Bowie MA10 and Thieaudio Monarch Mk II are both poor for phone calls.

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How the Baseus Bowie MA10 and the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Spec Comparison

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Baseus Bowie MA10Thieaudio Monarch Mk II
Baseus Bowie MA10Thieaudio Monarch Mk II

GENERAL

Price
$23
$999
Brand
BaseusThieaudio
Release Date
June 1, 2023October 1, 2020
Form Factor
EarbudsEarbuds
Connectivity
WirelessWired

SOUND

Music Score
5.9/109.5/10
Phone Calls Score
5.3/105.1/10
Gaming Score
5.4/106.8/10
TV and Video Score
5.9/108.9/10
Exercise Score
8.7/104.5/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
8 HoursN/A
Wireless charging
NoN/A
Charging time
3 HoursN/A
Bluetooth version
5.3N/A
Case Battery Life
132N/A

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesNo
Noise Reduction Score
6.8/106/10
Virtual Surround
NoN/A
Android App
YesN/A
iOS App
YesN/A
Mic Quality
8/10N/A

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
8.5/109/10
Comfort score
7/107.6/10
Size
LargeLarge
Weight (headset or single earbud)
10 Grams9 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedN/A

Shopping

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Baseus Bowie MA10

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Dig into reviews and images

Digital Trends

Simon Cohen | August 2023
"Even if the Bowie MA10 only had some of the features and performance they offer at double the price, they’d be a helluva good value. But given that they far exceed any other earbuds at this price, if you’re looking for an ultra-affordable set of wireless earbuds and you don’t mind their big charging case, you just can’t go wrong."

Thieaudio Monarch Mk II

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Audiophile On

Audiophile On | August 2021
"No other earphone I have listened to in the past 12 months has given me as much joy as the Thieaduio Monarch MKII. One of those IEMs will make you question where we can go from here. The sound is jaw-dropping, leaving you wanting more and more. It makes you want to run through your entire music library and reevaluate. It makes you not feel bad about paying full price for them, especially in a hobby where buyers' remorse is genuine. For me, it's top tier, rivaled by a few but not surpassed."

Get a great deal on the Baseus Bowie MA10 or the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II

About Thieaudio

Thieaudio is the in-house brand of Linsoul Audio, a Chinese earbud and headphone retailer specializing in what the community lovingly calls Chi-fi, that is high fidelity brands out of China. Thieaudio was established in 2019 as the creative engineering branch of Linsoul. As of today, they market three different lines of earbuds, Voyager, Legacy and the extremely well-received Monarch.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

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11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

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