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Elite 4
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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 11, 2024·

If budget is a deciding factor, the Jabra Elite 4 offers value with wireless convenience, good noise isolation, and features suitable for exercise with its sweat and dust resistance, all at a midrange price. However, if top-tier sound quality for music is a priority and you don't mind a wired connection, investing in the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II could be worthwhile, although they are more expensive. Thieaudio earbuds also offer better build quality but lack the active noise cancellation, wireless capabilities, and the optimized experience for calls that the Jabra provides. Choose Jabra Elite 4 for affordability and feature-rich wireless convenience or Thieaudio Monarch Mk II for high-end sound quality with a premium build, accepting the higher cost and wired limitations. 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 Jabra Elite 4
  • Very good for phone calls
  • Good for exercise
  • Very good for air travel
  • Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II
  • Best in class for music
  • Very good for TV and video

Key differences

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Music

6.6
Elite 4
Monarch Mk II
9.5
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is best in class for music, while the Jabra Elite 4 is only fair.

Gaming

5.4
Elite 4
Monarch Mk II
6.7
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is only fair for gaming, while the Jabra Elite 4 is poor.

Phone Calls

8.8
Elite 4
Monarch Mk II
5.1
The Jabra Elite 4 is very good for phone calls, while the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is poor.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

8.6
Elite 4
Monarch Mk II
7.9
The Jabra Elite 4 is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is good.

TV and Video

6.0
Elite 4
Monarch Mk II
8.8
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is very good for TV and video, while the Jabra Elite 4 is only fair.

Noise Reduction

7.0
Elite 4
Monarch Mk II
6.0
The Jabra Elite 4 is good for noise reduction, while the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is only fair.

Battery

5.5 Hours
Elite 4
Monarch Mk II
N/A
The Jabra Elite 4 has 5.5 hours of battery life. The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II does not have a battery.

Cost

$100
Elite 4
Monarch Mk II
$999
Product image
Product image

$50

$100

$150

$200

$250

$300

$350

$400

The Jabra Elite 4 has a price of $100 and the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II costs $999.
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Key similarities

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Build Quality

9.0
Elite 4
Monarch Mk II
9.0
The Jabra Elite 4 and Thieaudio Monarch Mk II both have excellent build quality.

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How the Jabra Elite 4 and the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Spec Comparison

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Jabra Elite 4Thieaudio Monarch Mk II
Jabra Elite 4Thieaudio Monarch Mk II

GENERAL

Price
$100
$999
Brand
JabraThieaudio
Release Date
April 1, 2023October 1, 2020
Form Factor
EarbudsEarbuds
Connectivity
WirelessWired

SOUND

Music Score
6.6/109.5/10
Phone Calls Score
8.8/105.1/10
Gaming Score
5.4/106.8/10
TV and Video Score
6/108.9/10
Exercise Score
7.7/104.5/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
5.5 HoursN/A
Wireless charging
NoN/A
Charging time
3.5 HoursN/A
Bluetooth version
5.2N/A
Case Battery Life
21N/A

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesNo
Noise Reduction Score
7/106/10
Virtual Surround
NoN/A
Android App
YesN/A
iOS App
YesN/A
Mic Quality
8.5/10N/A

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
9/109/10
Comfort score
7/107.6/10
Size
MediumLarge
Weight (headset or single earbud)
4.6 Grams9 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedN/A

Shopping

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Jabra Elite 4

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Dig into reviews and images

SoundGuys

Jasper Lastoria | September 2023
"The Jabra Elite 4 is a good midrange option with solid isolation and aptX codec for Android. It sounds consumer friendly from the box and the app has some EQ to adjust to taste. Some included luxuries include multipoint, sidetone, and Spotify Tap"

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 Jabra Elite 4 or the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II

About Jabra

Jabra is a subsidiary of GN Store Nord, a 150-year-old Danish company that specializes in the manufacturing of hearing aids, headsets and earphones. Jabra has a focus on fit and comfort and quality control over everything else. According to Peter Karstromer, Jabras CEO, they “design and engineer technology that frees people to work, live and communicate how and where they want to, equipping them with the tools to live their life to a new rhythm”.

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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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.

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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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