Last updated on July 23rd, 2023 at 06:20 pm
Thieaudio, a prominent Chinese audio manufacturer, has garnered a well-deserved reputation for producing a plethora of high-end audio gears, with notable products like the Voyager and Monarch leading their lineup. Seeking to capture the mid-tier market, Thieaudio introduced the Legacy 3, a hybrid earphone boasting a combination of 1 Dynamic Driver and 2 custom-made Balanced Armatures, all crafted in-house by Thieaudio’s skilled team.
During my testing of the Legacy 3, Thieaudio further surprised the market with the launch of another mid-tier offering called the Legacy 2, making it an exciting and competitive landscape. In this review, we’ll explore whether Thieaudio’s excellence extends into the mid-tier category as seamlessly as it does in their top-tier products. Let’s dive into the performance of the Legacy 3 and see if it lives up to the brand’s reputation in this segment too!
Table of Contents
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.
| Switch Position (x,x) | Switch 2 Up (x,1) | Switch 2 Down (x,0) |
| Switch 1 Up (1,x) | Detailed (1,1) | Bass (1,0) |
| Switch 1 Down (0,x) | Vocals (0,1) | Default (0,0) |
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:
- Bad Guy – Billie Eilish
- Shed My Skin – Within Temptation & Annisokay
- 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:
- Cool Struttin – Tsuyoshi Yamamoto
- The Blowers Daughter – Damien Rice
- 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:
- Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
- 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.
PROS AND CONS:
Pros:
- Warm and Relaxed Sound Signature
- Design and Packaging
- Mid bass Boost
Cons:
- Off tonality and BA Timbre
- Too relaxed and rolled off Treble
- Lack of Detail Retrieval in Mid section
- Not the Value For Money Product
This Review is Written By KATHIRAVAN.C
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I’m Kathiravan from Tamilnadu. A budding audiophile here with high love towards music and audio equipment. My first experience of enjoying the hifi audio came when I started to use budget chi-fi gears and now it came all along the way of reviewing the gears with high end stuffs. I love reviewing audio products.
This content is collaboratively crafted and vetted by Shubham, a Mechanical Engineering specialist. His passion for unraveling the intricacies of machinery and consumer electronics mirrors his avid interest in gaming. With his wealth of expertise, Shubham adeptly navigates readers through the complexities of audio, home appliances, and everyday products, guaranteeing a smooth and enjoyable shopping journey. For every product you read about on this site we do rigorous research and testing behind the scenes to bring you the best value for money options. For any query directly reach out to me at my personal Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shubhamgarg8024/
