ThieAudio Legacy 3

Thieaudio is a widely known Chinese audio manufacturer producing a lot of high end audio gears and their known products are the Voyager and Monarch. In order to capture the mid tier market they decided to launch the legacy 3 which is a hybrid earphone consisting of 1 Dynamic Driver and 2 Balanced armatures which are custom made in the house of Thieaudio. While i was testing this pair Thieaudio also launched another mid tier pair named Legacy 2 and yeah i’m late to this party! In this review lets see whether they nailed it in the Mid tier category too as they did it in the Top tier.

SPECIFICATIONS:​

Crossover: 3-way crossover

Driver Type: Hybrid – 2BA + proprietary 10mm Nano-Membrane dynamic diaphragm driver

Noise Cancellation: 26dB

Sensitivity: 108 dB at 1 kHz

Impedance: 8.6-9.5 Ohm at 1 kHz

IEM Connector: Recessed 0.78 mm 2-Pin

Cable Plug: 3.5 mm Unbalanced

Cable Length: 1.2 m

Cable Material: Custom 7N 8-core OCC copper cable

CONTENTS:​

Brown faux-leather case

3 pairs of black silicone ear tips (S, M, L)

SIM card ejector tool (the same as packaged with a cell phone)

Black 2-pin cable

Legacy 3 IEMs

DESIGN AND FIT:​

The design of the earpieces are done very nice. The clockwork design is very nice and gives that premium and retro look. The blue colour works well with the golden coloured clockwork design. The connectors are however QDC types which are kind of proprietary and finding a good aftermarket cable is very difficult. The resin shell is completely lightweight and very small in size. They fit very well in the ears and provides fatigue free listening. The shell is completely transparent and shows the internals outside. I’m a big fan of transparent designs and this extra added transparent blue added an additional benefit of non fading since the white transparent gets faded very easily.

The shape is semi custom shell shaped hence the fit is excellent. The nozzle length is of good length but it doesn’t have any lip hence the tips seating sometimes will tend to be loose if you use any aftermarket eartips. On the side of both the earpieces there are the2 hardware EQ switches which are used to change the sound signature but frankly i can’t tell the difference after changing them.

The cable is very nice and has a good supple texture and feel. The outer layer of the iwre seems slightly sticky but overall it looks nice. It’s a custom 7n 8-Core 0CC Copper cable and might benefit from SPC cable but I haven’t tried that.

The case is very good to touch. Even though they are made of faux leather they are made really well with magnetic locking. The case is very slim in profile and very easy to carry. The case is very compact and the storage space is tailored made for legacy 3 and fits snugly.

The legacy 3 also comes in different variants of designs like Mystique, Chinese White and Blue AW11. The clockwork is the base variant and cheaper variant available in the market. You can get a custom designed faceplate too which is a very interesting move by the brand to attract the customers. With additional money you can get your own custom shaped shell by sending them the in-ear impression to get the best fit out of the legacy 3.

SOUND:​

The sound signature of the Legacy 3 leans towards warm and dark sounding with relaxed treble. The sound signature will be quite pleasing to everyone due to its relaxing sound signature but it’s really not my cup of tea. In this review let me tell you why it’s definitely not worth the hype and of course this is very subjective and you should try it, assess yourself and take this review with a grain of salt.

SOURCE: The legacy 3 is quite easy to drive and gets insanely loud even with medium volume in the iPhone.

iPhone – Zorloo Ztella MQA Dac

Even though the legacy 3 has tuning switches I didn’t find any noticeable difference in those switches. Whatever I did the sound was the same to me but overall I found the sound to be nice when all the switches are turned down hence this review is fully based on this mode.

LOW END:

The low end of the legacy 3 is nicely elevated to my taste. The mid bass is nice and thick with good quantity. The bass texture is nice and the overall resolution is nice too. The separation in the low end is quite good.

The sub bass is however not as impactful as i have heard from other high end earphones especially IKKO Oh10, but very good for the price. The sub bass rumble can be felt but it’s definitely not very strong for my taste. They have nice and subtle rumbles which are tight and controlled. The bass texture and the control is really impressive in this earphone.

The mid bass elevation is very sweet and nice giving body and warmth to the overall sound. The mid bass punch is tighter and gives nice satisfaction to all the low end lovers.

Overall the bass is great with nice texture, separation, resolution and mid bass thump. The sub bass is however could have been extended a little bit more to satisfy the bass heads but still the rumble is quite evident. The speed of the bass is nice and the decay is faster too hence that clarity and the control in the low end is impressive and thus doesn’t bleed into the mids.

Tracks Used:

1. Bad Guy – Billie Eilish
2. Shed My Skin – Within Temptation & Annisokay
3. Na Mask Aram – Treble Puns

MIDS:

The vocals really stand out in this earphone. Both the male and the female vocals have nice texture and body. They sound fuller due to that nice mid bass boost but the tone is very warmer and not natural. The instruments however are pushed back a bit and the small nuances are very difficult to hear. The guitar strikes quite naturally but is very realistic. The BA does the job here by making it more PLASTIC!

The tonality is off and it’s not natural and realistic to me. The timbre is not natural and has the BA timbre tendency. The conherency between the DD and the BA is quite not good here. The drum hits are thumpy but artificial to hear.

The mids have a nice engaging factor and nice vocal presentation too but the off tonality and timbre picks away my mood to listen to this earphone! And that warm toned vocals are not my pick

Tracks Used:

1. Cool Struttin – Tsuyoshi Yamamoto
2. The Blowers Daughter – Damien Rice
3. Whistle – Florida

TREBLE:

If you are here expecting this earphone to have a nice sparkly treble, great extension and shimmer on the top end, sorry you are disappointed!. The treble is really average and at this price this is not acceptable. The air is completely lacking and the separation is average. The sparkle is lacking in the top end and the roll off can be felt evidently.

The cymbal crashes are however natural and realistic. They sound nice but still the sense of air and space is very restricted and feels very intimate. The treble lacks energy and shimmer. This just made the earphone free of sibilance and harshness and that’s quite a positive point. This is a nice pair of casual and relaxing listening sessions.

Tracks Used:

1. Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
2. Hymn For The Weekend – ColdPlay

In the track YOU BELONG WITH ME by Taylor Swift this earphone purely disappointed me. The electric guitar in the background just sounded very blunt and lackluster.

TECHNICALITIES:​

Soundstage: The soundstage is very intimate. I’m a soundstage seeker! This sounds very closed and intimate for my liking. The depth is very small and lacks sense of air which just makes the height also less. The width is however good. It’s disappointing to see that a pricey earphone lacks a soundstage!

Imaging: The imaging is AVERAGE and sometimes appears hazy in busy tracks. The instruments can be easily pinpointed. The sweep of the instruments is not the best but still very good for the price.

That plasticky timbre and the warm timbre definitely made my listening not enjoyable. The separation is average and the detail retrieval is very mediocre. Especially due to that dull treble and the sparkless high end they sound very much non engaging.

VERDICT:

The Legacy 3 from Thieaudio is an earphone which was launched way before and a lot of hype has been created by youtubers. This hype made me purchase this year and filled with all those hypes before giving it a listen. But in the end it disappointed me. Maybe it might be a pick for you but as per my preference this is definitely not my pick

The mid bass is elevated and punchy but the sub bass roll off is evident for me. The mid section have off tonality and have the BA timbre which is not good for this price. The treble is weird in this! No airiness, separation, extension or the sparkle. They just sound non engaging and dull. The soundstage is very intimate and imaging is hazy in busy tracks

Overall this is definitely not my pick for this price. This can be a pleasing choice for people who like warm and dark sound but the hype created for this earphone is non justifiable based on my experience with this earphone.

Review thieaudio legacy 3

Hello friends, today I bring the review of thieaudio legacy 3. Does the hype created about him confirm itself?
Well, legacy 3 uses the same dynamic driver as legacy 9, who said it was "very good" (that's not what I saw)
And there are two balanced armatures, looking side by side with my hisenior T4 one of the L3's proprietary armatures seems to "imitate" the Knowles ed29689 (but far below it) that should treat the mids and another armature marked "thieaudio" for treble.

Build quality

It's a well-built earphone, it looks like a 3d print and it's a very thin Shell, which makes it light, but it also seems prone to cracking depending on the drop.
The faceplate fitting is well done too, it has no burrs.

Tuning switches.

They don’t make much difference in the sound, in my measurements with Dayton audio imm6 except the FR didn’t change anything in the graph.
But listening to the bass configuration (key 1 up and 2 down) really gives an extra amount but makes it more silly.

Comfort and isolation

It is a very light IEM, lighter than the Idun kinera for example.
Isolation is average, but Idun's is better.
It is also more "noticeable" in use.
The L3 doesn't even seem to be there.

Stage and image

Here we have a serious problem, the stage of this IEM is disappointing for the price.
The stage brings a claustrophobic feeling, the instruments seem to be fighting each other for space.
And the worst part is laterally, it is very small. There is no perceived gap between the instruments
If you like a more coherent stage, you will be disappointed with this in ear.
The images are confusing to say the least.

Bass

The bass does not bleed in the middle, and there is also no decrease in the cross between the dynamic driver for balanced armor.
The bass does not have a good amount (as mentioned by some), and worst of all, it does not have a good timbre, it does not have a satisfactory subgrave and yet it can be slow.
Hearing and feeling the drum pedal works on this phone, as well as the bass line.
It sounds silly and inaccurate.
Legacy 3 has much less quantity and quality of bass (even on the subwoofer) than my hisenior T4 for example, which has a Knowles ci22955 balanced armor for the bass.

Mids

It has at least a strange presentation, especially for the price.
Mids have a good quantity, but the quality leaves something to be desired, not that it is bad, but it does not have the precision and definition that is expected from 120usd IEM, they are like an analog TV signal with some drizzles, it is not "accurate" like the Idun kinera which costs the same.
It has a good clarity, appears too much and is a sound that tires me, due to the lack of resolution.
The middle ones are the part that most appears in this phone, they are right in the face, which some may end up liking.

Treble

The highs are ok.
Has an extension problem above 7.8k
Lacks air in the treble, sounds muffled and has no shine
If you like detailed treble you won't find it.
He has the same problem with mids resolution, for the price he could have at least two Knowles armor from cheaper series.
The only earphone that did not wear Knowles armor for mids and highs that had a good timbre that I heard was the **** h5.

Comparison

Kinera Idun 130usd X Legacy 3 120usd

Bass

Idun ends up having less quantity, but much more presence than the L3
Not to mention the speed and accuracy control that are much better at Idun.
On the L3 it sounds silly and details in that part go easily unnoticed.
In subgrave the two are close.

Mids

The lower mids have more quantity in the L3 male voices sound fuller.
But due to the lack of precision in the L3 midfielders, Idun sounds much superior and consistent.
Separation of Instruments has no comparison, idun wins.
It is not lost even in the most tumultuous tracks unlike the L3.

Treble

Another part that does not give the L3 the Idun trebles are very well represented.
It has an enviable extension and shine.
Unlike the L3 that dies at once above 8k
Outside the air that is just right in Idun and sounds open and detailed.
Unlike the L3

Stage and image

Another part without much comparison, Idun's stage has excellent width and space between the instruments (combined with a good separation), the depth being less apparent.
In L3 it is claustrophobic, it is difficult to see the distance between the elements of the band.
It sounds inconsistent.
Idun's images are excellent, while L3's are at least confusing.

Conclusion

For $ 120 I would never recommend this earphone.
Regardless of him playing directly on the cell phone or playing the shanling m0, or ess 9280c pro Dac/Amp, there is no noticeable gain in the quality he can deliver, unlike Idun for example.
His head-fi review from user pregocvision says something very close to my impressions.
Legacy 3 has several unforgivable weaknesses at this price
The guideray gr-t20 has much better timbre and much better hit, costing 40 dollars less.

Introduction

This a dual review for the Thieaudio Voyager and Legacy 3. The Voyager 3 costs $160 and is a 3 BA IEM while the Legacy 3 is a 2 BA 1 DD hybrid that costs $120. Disclaimer: I received both the Voyager and Legacy 3 from Linsoul in exchange for this honest review. I have not been or will be compensated in any other way.

For those unfamiliar with the Thieaudio brand, they're a ChiFi IEM brand with a number of products at common price segments, with the Voyager and Legacy 3 being their entry-level products. More recently, they've made waves with the release of the Thieaudio Monarch and Clairvoyance, two ~$700 IEMs that genuinely challenge some of the very best on the market. What's interesting about Thieaudio is that they're actually the in-house brand for Linsoul; you likely won't find them on some of the other common ChiFi stores like those on Aliexpress (e.g. NiceHCK) or Penon Audio. Notably, the Voyager and Legacy 3 are some of the only IEMs in the <$200 range that feature dip switches for tuning.

What's in the Box?
The Voyager and Legacy 3 ship in a minimalist green box featuring its logo. You pull a green loop to slide out the inner box that presents IEM shells and a faux-leather carrying case. Inside the carrying case you'll find the 2-pin QDC style, over-ear IEM cable, a standard set of S, M, and L tips, and a SIM card ejector tool you can use to adjust the switches on the IEM shell. Between the two, I like the Legacy 3's shell design more. The gold clockwork faceplate is striking against the translucent light blue shell. It also has more customization options for the faceplate and you can even get it in custom form for not too much more depending on the customization, making it quite an attractive CIEM option for <$200.

The fit on both the Voyager and Legacy 3 are quite similar, with the typical ergonomic shape that's becoming increasingly common with resin shells. The Voyager 3 however is slightly bulkier than the Legacy 3. Both isolate fairly well. I find that the Legacy 3 does have some driver flex with its DD, marking a slight inconvenience when walking around at times. The cables these IEMs ship with are great. The Voyager 3 in particular ships with the Tripowin C8 cable and one of the best stock cables to come with an IEM that I've encountered. There's next to no cable noise, no cable memory, and is soft and pliable. The Legacy 3's cable isn't up to the same level but still beats out the vast majority of stock cables and is a bit rubbery. Needless to say, there's little need to cable swap unless they die for some reason.




Sound
As mentioned before, both the Thieaudio Voyager 3 and Legacy 3 each feature two dip switches for a total of four possible tunings. For the Legacy 3, the switches have essentially no effect and I won't make a distinction between them for this review. For the Voyager 3, the switches have a noticeable difference. I'll post measurements at the end of each review. For reference, I refer to the four tuning options as 00, 10, 01, and 11 where 0 refers to the switch in the up position and 1 in the down position. The settings are read left to right i.e. ON then KE. This picture provides an example of the 10 position.



Don't ask me what ON or KE stand for. I'll chalk it up to some odd lost-in-translation problem from the manufacturers.


Legacy 3:



Bass: The bass of the Legacy 3 extends down to 20 Hz with the slightest of roll-offs. It has a nice sense of impact and responsiveness that makes up for its relative lack of texture and nuance. As far as budget IEMs go, this is one of the better bass responses I've heard. It provides the much needed low end presence that makes music engaging while maintaining a balance that doesn't emphasize either subbass or midbass.

Mids: The transition into the low mids is tastefully done. A lot of budget IEMs can struggle here but the Legacy 3 handles it with no issue. There isn't much bass bleed or muddiness from the DD and nor a jarring DD/BA transition at the crossover. The Legacy 3 has just a hint of warmth in the lower mids. The upper mids has plenty presence with a forwardness that brings out clarity in vocals and electric guitars. Combined with the slight warmth in the lower mids, the Legacy 3's mids response nicely handles the tone of a majority of instruments. From the quiet strumming guitar coupled with a vocalist's whispered words to the screaming overdriven notes of lead electric guitar, the Legacy 3 is well suited to modern pop/rock genres.

Treble: Where the Legacy 3 stumbles is its relative lack of treble. Right at the transition between the upper mids and lower treble, there is a sharp drop-off in volume. This is not to say the Legacy 3 cannot produce treble at all. It can and the Legacy 3 is certainly not a dark IEM. It is simply de-emphasized. The sharp, crisp sound of the hats or delicate shimmer of the the cymbals have less presence, leading to a duller tone. For those sensitive to treble, the Legacy 3 would be a good choice as it is far from fatiguing with no sibilance issues. I liken it's lack of treble to that of the Etymotic ER4 line. It's there but its far from the focus. I find that the overall tonality of the Legacy 3 isn't negatively affected by this, with the exception of instruments that specifically rely heavily on the upper harmonics.

Technical Ability: On a technical level, the Legacy 3 is a solid performer for it's price bracket of about $120 but won't be taking home any medals. Imaging is a bit better than your standard budget IEM though its soundstage is mediocre with a flat 2D, in-your-head type of sound that's in line with 90% of other IEMs out there. Resolution and separation are competitive with some of the better products in this price range but are decidedly a step down from the best performers (i.e. Etymotic ER2, Tin Audio T4, Moondrop Starfeld).

Conclusion: As a whole, I quite like the Thieaudio Legacy 3. While it lacks the treble response that I generally look for in my IEMs, the mids balance and bopping bass response kept me listening to it for longer than I'd normally do for a review. While I don't think it provides the greatest value from a price/performance standpoint, it is a solid contender to the $100 or so IEM range. Where I see the Legacy 3 be undisputed is as a CIEM. The number of CIEMs you can buy <$200 can be counted on one hand and the Legacy 3 has a firm foundation in both tuning and technical performance.

Measurements:
My set has very slight imbalance but this is not noticeable at all.



You can see in this graph that regardless of what setting you're on, there's effectively no difference.


*Disclaimer: The Legacy 3 has a unit variation issue. Antdroid has previously documented it here. My unit has the old (orange) tuning. Based on the measurements, I would probably enjoy the newer tuning even more. That said, I still find the old tuning enjoyable as demonstrated in my review.

Voyager 3:



Technical Ability: The technical performance of the Voyager 3 is quite similar to that of the Legacy 3. Both imaging and soundstage are about on par for most IEMs - a flat 2D, in-your-head sound. Resolution and separation are very middling and a step back from the Legacy 3. Dynamics are blunted. For $160, I'm fairly disappointed. The technical performance of the Voyager 3 is on the level of some of the better $50-80 IEMs. BA timbre is not bad but is absolutely noticeable in the bass when comparing to the Legacy 3.

Tuning 00: This is my second favorite tuning. The bass is bloated but there is serviceable upper mids clarity to balance things out. There's a peak around the lower-mid treble that manifests as splashy cymbals and brings out the crack of the snare. Some may find this fatiguing. As with the other tunings, upper treble is lacking and there is no sense of air or sparkle.



Tuning 10: This is my favorite tuning. The bass is dipped just a tad while adding a bit more upper mids and treble. It's essentially a cleaner version of tuning 00. Although the bass is still slightly bloated, it's not an issue. My only complaint with this (which also applies to tuning 00) is that the splashy treble sometimes sometimes jumps out at you and the lack of treble extension makes the tone a little wonky. The Legacy 3's tuning is better IMO. There's just a much better balance between the mids and the bass in the Legacy 3 despite it's lack of treble. The Voyager 3's 10 tuning passes the bar for decent and that's about it.



Tuning 01 and 11: Like 00 and 10, these tunings are quite similar. For the most part, I dislike both. Compared to the 00 and 10 tunings, these sound bloated and muddy with a severe lack of presence in the mids due to a very small pinna gain. The 01 tuning is worse by a little bit. These tunings essentially dampen the uppers and treble. Because the low-mid treble hump is tamed, there is a further lack of clarity and the treble now just sounds cheap. Interestingly enough, the 11 tuning graphs fairly closely to the pre-2020 CFA Andromeda. While I also did not like the Andromeda's tuning when I had a chance to demo it, it was a lot better than this. I think the significantly improved technical performance and upper treble extension of the Andromeda play a big part in that. All that being said, I can see how some people like this sort of laid back, warm tuning. When I compare it directly to the Legacy 3 which has a much better balance, the 01 and 11 tunings are hard to enjoy. But after a good 30 minutes or so my ears started to adjust and I began to enjoy the music through this tuning. For some tracks, the lack of pinna butchers the vocals. But depending on the mix, other tracks aren't really affected at all. Of course, YMMV depending on what you listen to.




Conclusion: It's hard for me to recommend the Voyager 3 beyond the novelty aspect of playing with tuning switches. Its technical ability is middling at best. The best tuning setting is relatively decent. For $160, the Voyager 3 really shouldn't exist. To be fair to Thieaudio, the Voyager 3 was their very first foray into IEMs and the <$200 market is phenomenally competitive. The one case where I can see the Voyager 3 be worth it is if you're curious about tuning switches as I can't readily think of any other <$200 IEM out there with switches that meaningfully contribute to the overall sound. Though there are a number of other IEMs out there with tuning filters.

Measurements:
You can see the channel matching is quite good on the Voyager 3.


Here are the four tuning options. You can clearly see that if the second switch is in the "up" position, it has a lot more upper mids and treble presence.


Should You Buy It and Which One?
As evident in my review, I would consider the Legacy 3 to be worth it while the Voyager 3 can be safely ignored. The Legacy 3 beats out the Voyager 3 in almost all respects unless you specifically want that Andromeda-like laid-back, warm tuning with minimal vocal forwardness from the Voyager 3. At $120, the Legacy 3 is a good value and I feel comfortable recommending it, especially if you want a CIEM. And while there may be better value propositions on the market, those may not fit your needs. As always, make sure you think about what exactly you want out of your IEMs and do more research into what fits your needs. If the Etymotic ER2, the Tin T4, or Moondrop Starfield have some sort of deal breaker for you, the Legacy 3 is worth a look.