Golden Ears: Exploring Thieaudio's Prestige IEMs – Is It Worth The Price?

While I enjoy this a fair bit for music-- it's about balance, and the forward bass evens things out to my ears-- for gaming, this isn't such a treat and can cause early fatigue.

• Thieaudio Prestige-Fit and Convenience.
• Thieaudio Prestige-First Impressions and Key Features.
• Final Words.
• Requirements
• Thieaudio Prestige-Listening Impressions.

The Eminence is one of its top-tier Items. It follows a third design, which suggests it utilizes three separate types of chauffeurs in each earpiece. A dynamic motorist deals with the bass, while 4 well-balanced armatures deal with the middle-highs and mid, and another 4 electrostatic motorists handle the high and ultra-high frequencies. That indicates that each earpiece has 9 different chauffeurs creating its sonic mix. Wearing both, eighteen tiny speakers cover you their acoustic bliss.

For gaming, the bass is exquisite. Its impactful and huge, which makes cinematic moments and bursts of intense action all the more enjoyable. The control inherent in the bass likewise implies it doesn't muddy anything else going on in the mix, so even as a tank rolls overtop of you, you'll still be able to hear each layer of sound creating the world around you.

The product described in this post was provided by the producer for evaluation purposes.

The earphones also feature a fabric, zippered, semi-hardback travel case and an area of silicone and memory foam ear tips. The accessory package is a bit light for an IEM of its caliber, however there's enough here to enable you to find an appropriate fit (as long as you don't have little ears) and to keep the earphones safe in transit.

Technical Performance, Sound stage, and Imaging: The Status is every bit the technical entertainer you would hope for at this price point. Detail retrieval is outstanding. Layering of instruments and audio elements in video games is likewise perfect, best on par with its cost point (considering that it's the most costly IEM Ive ever evaluated, I can't say if it punches above or not). The space within audio sources in both games and music produces a high resolution listening experience that allows you to hear and view more, even in really busy sections of tracks and games. That's essential for gaming in specific, however likewise implies that you'll be making the most out of your listening no matter what you're engaging with at the time.

At $1299, the Prestige is asking a lot. It sounds excellent, if you like its intense treble region, and has outstanding technical efficiency, so you can really dig in and, to use an over-ripe cliché, hear your music and video games like never ever in the past..

While total neutrality is best for performances, I don't think the sound was too colored for this circumstance. Rather, they rapidly ended up being one of my favorite live phase Items.

To put it simply, the Prestige provides a number of the exact same advantages of other TOTAL Items for gaming however stumbles upon simply a bit harder to really wear and use for the exact same length of time. EQ can be a strong repair for the brightness and foam pointers can deal with fit, so there's an option here, but you'll need to put in a bit more work to actually maximize these for video games.

With that in mind, I did like the details inherent in this region. You can still get all the little subtleties you would anticipate from a TOTAL set. Micro-details, like fingers on fretboards, tinkles of breaking glass in games, the texture of brushes versus drumsticks on cymbals, all come through pristine. Because of that, the mid-range is also fine for video gaming. I choose a bit more existence for things like opponent footsteps however I didn't feel impeded in any way which is the most important consideration.

Mid's: The AIDS on the Eminence are well done but aren't the star of the show. Vocals sound natural however aren't as forward as they are on a set like the King Mk.II.

Even then, the Eminence is costly, being available in at a complete $300 more than Thieaudios prior flagship, the Emperor Mk.II. Part of the factor for that increase is that the Status trades 2 of the Monarchs well-balanced armatures for 2 more electrostatic chauffeurs. It also integrates this variety with a five-way frequency crossover, a gadget that controls what frequency varieties are sent to each chauffeur, making sure that each one can focus on the range it excels at.

With 9 motorists to suit each side, the earpieces on the Status are on the bigger side. That likewise uses to the nozzles, which are rather broad. This means that fit might be a problem if you have smaller ears. I consider myself mainly average when it concerns ear size however still discovered that they produced a tight fit, even with the tiniest silicone ear tip. This wasn't the case using the foam ideas, so I would recommend utilizing the foams if you utilize medium or little ear tips. This does imply that you'll require to change these with time, however if you're purchasing $1300 earphones, spending $40 for a couple of years worth of pointers probably isn't a huge deal.

What Thieaudio has actually accomplished here is outstanding. I wouldn't call it a clear winner over the Emperor Mk. II, but I would state that It's something more special in this area, and that, integrated with its great tuning in the bass and well-done mid, make the Thieaudio Eminence an engaging choice if you long for a little extra sparkle in your listening experience.

• Existing Cost: $1299 (Lin soul).
• Type: In-Ear Monitors.
• Drivers: 4EST + 4BA + 1DD.
• Impedance: 11 Ω.
• Sensitivity: 95dB @ 1kHz.
• Frequency Reaction: 20Hz-40kHz.
• Cable Material: 22AWG 6 N OCC Silver-Plated and Graphene Silver-Plated Cable Television.
• Cable television Length: 1.2 Meter.
• Cable Television Plug Type: 2.5 mm, 3.5 mm, 4.4 mm.

Electrostatics, or EST's, are fairly desired in the audiophile world. EST earphones, for example, have actually been around for years however still cost countless dollars and require unique devices to run. Items have this technology executed at a much smaller sized scale and do not require specialize amplifiers to utilize, but do require a level of expertise and craftsmanship to execute well. As a guideline, tribes are expensive.

That's essential context, specifically for a Golden Ears column. In-ear stage displays can be exorbitantly costly. The Status fit right into this setting and the adaptability to utilize them as such, and have them carry out so well, really helped put the cost in context for me.

Thieaudio Prestige-Fit and Convenience.

The Thieaudio Eminence is the latest flagship pair of Items from Thieaudio. Introducing in 2019, the company has actually produced some of the best sounding, the highest worth Items throughout its different rate brackets.

Bass: The bass on this set is very well d1. The dynamic chauffeur is very excellent, so the attack of bass notes is fast and cuts off equally so. The crossover system and overall tuning of the low-end also suggests that even though there's a good balance in between rumbling thick and sub-bass mid-bass for bass guitars and kick drums, it doesn't bleed into the mid and include artificial warmth.

Thieaudio Prestige-First Impressions and Key Features.

The Prestige is a fascinating set. On paper, it follows a U-or V-shaped tuning but if you pay special attention to the right side, you'll notice spikes throughout the treble. The actual tonality of the set is U-shaped with an included shimmer of brightness and layer of air to the listening experience. In practice, this indicates things like hi-hats and cymbals really come forward in the mix. I really like this as it makes music noise vibrant however it certainly reshuffles the head stage a bit. If you picture yourself standing in the room with a band, the Prestige locations you 3 steps closer to the drummer than the singer, offering those hits additional snap and shine in the mix.

Video gaming: The Thieaudio Eminence is a variety when it pertains to video gaming. On the one hand, its technical performance makes it a strong contender. There's good positionality and sound stage, so for both multiplayer and single-player games, awareness and immersion are both highlighted. At the same time, the bright tuning can make things like gunshots sound particularly sharp. Considering that these earphones are on the tighter side for fit, I also found that I needed to take more regular breaks.

The Prestige's high expense pertains to the specific type of motorists it's utilizing and how they're executed to produce its sonic experience. While there are lots of business content to load a lots or more well-balanced armatures into its shells and charge less than $100, Thieaudios flagship is combining three separate types of motorists and making them operate in tandem. That's not a cheap thing to do, especially when including 4 different store electrostatic chauffeurs into each earpiece.

The Prestige also adopts a brand-new tuning compared to the Monarch Mk.II. It has a bass shelf at 250Hz for reliable and low-reaching low-end that's not frustrating. More visible though is the brighter treble. In the chart above, you can see that from about 6kHz on, the Eminence is louder and much better extended through the treble, causing a brighter, more gleaming noise.

The air and energy ends up being a concern in 2 locations. First, when you're listening too loud or, 2nd, when vibrant variety returns to bite you. I find this to be especially bothersome in the Battleground series, as the whip-crack of sniper rifles has a fatiguing crack that separates from the remainder of the mix. For that video game in particular, I rolled back my volume. Normally speaking, though, this isn't an issue in a lot of video games. Rather, the added air and energy that helped to boost my impression of the sound stage.

It's the kind of sound stage that you just do not get on economical Items, which is why many listeners declare that Items aren't capable of producing a large sound stage. That's simply not true and the Status proves it.

As I point out in my lead-in to this section, treble details actually come front and. The upper-frequency harmonics come forward, which makes music sound more energetic to my ears. Hi-hats in particular pop out more than any other set I own, consisting of many of whatever Thieaudio has actually released in the last couple of years, sans the Excalibur and V16.

The Items likewise look the part of a true flagship IEM. The shells are crafted from medical grade resin in DIEM (universal IEM) form, which utilizes a database of ear models to assist ensure an appropriate fit.

Or so is the hope, but a terrific sounding IEM justifies its cost in more than simply motorist count.

Invite back to Golden Ears, our semiregular column checking out the whole of high-end audio. Today, were taking a look at the current top of the line set from our good friends at Lin soul with the Thieaudio Eminence. Feature a third style consisting of a vibrant driver, four well-balanced armatures, and four electrostatic drivers per side, does this earphone have what it requires to topple apex Items like the Thieaudio Monarch Mk. II for sound quality in music and games?

What I've found composing this review column is that after $500 or two, quite of the listening experience boils down to subjective taste. There are unbiased distinctions, obviously, however the Status operates in a classification where listeners are comprehending at a specific sound. Which suggests even for consumers thinking about such a costly audio purchase, It's going to boil down to whether you like its V-shaped tuning and brilliant highs. Personally, I truly, really do.

Final Words.

Also inside the box, you'll get an exceptional modular cable. It's soft but thick, crafted from 6 N oxygen-free copper and plated in graphene and silver. It uses modular ends, allowing you to quickly swap from a standard 3.5 mm single-ended cable to 2.5 mm or 4.4 mm well-balanced terminations. The cable is totally exchangeable thanks to its standard 2-pin connection but there's little requirement to do so. It's wonderful.

This isn't a concern with music too much but can be a concern when gaming. Two hours with no break did make my ears aching.

Requirements

The Thieaudio Prestige is the latest flagship set of Items from Thieaudio. The Eminence is one of its top-tier Items. Part of the factor for that boost is that the Eminence trades two of the Monarchs well-balanced armatures for two more electrostatic chauffeurs. With nine chauffeurs to fit into each side, the earpieces on the Eminence are on the larger side. Gaming: The Thieaudio Prestige is a blended bag when it comes to video gaming.

Thieaudio Prestige-Listening Impressions.