Thieaudio has been one of the brands to watch in the earphone space for several years. It has delivered some of the best IEMs we’ve covered here at MMORPG, and I’ve personally been keen to see what each new release brings to the table. The brand isn’t shy about innovating, and that’s absolutely clear with its latest release, the Thieaudio Origin.
This new release boasts one of its most interesting driver configurations to date. There are eight drivers in each side, including a dynamic driver for the bass, four balanced armatures, two electrostatic drivers, and a bone conduction driver. Tribrids are so last year. Welcome to the age of the quadbrid.
Specifications
- Current Price: $849 (Linsoul)
- Driver information: 1DD+2EST+4BA+1BC
- Driver details: 1DD+2xSonion EST+2xKnowles TWFk-30017+2xSonion 2600+1xBC
- Frequency response: 20Hz – 44kHz
- Sensitivity: 102dB (±1dB) @ 1kHz
- Impedance: 9Ω @ 1kHz
- Included Plug: 3.5mm and 4.4mm
- Inside the Box
- 1 x THIEAUDIO Origin
- User Manual
Thieaudio Origin - First Impressions and Key Features
Let's get this out of the way first, the Thieaudio Origin isn't a cheap IEM. It retails for $850 which puts it firmly in audiophile territory, but with that in mind it actually falls into the mid-range of this type of product, a pair of earphones that has existing audio enthusiasts in mind. But for that cost of entry, you're getting something clearly high quality in every way in that trades blows with IEMs that cost significantly more.
In the sub $1000 category, there are very few options that effectively compete with it. Not only does it carry the slightly lofty pedigree the brand has earned from its prior releases (not unlike Nike or Adidas in the sneaker world), but its combination of drivers sets it apart. Most often around this price, sometimes more and sometimes less, we see a mix of dynamic, balanced armature, and electrostatic drivers (ESTs). discovered the lows, mids, and highs respectively. With the Thieaudio Origin, however, the mids and lower treble are enhanced by the bone conduction driver.
Never heard of the bone conduction (BC) driver before, don't worry. Unlike a typical driver, a BC works by conducting vibrations through the bones in your skull. This type of driver is common at the moment in open ear running earphones because it technically does not require being inserted into the ear. The case of the Origin, its implementation isn't about allowing you to hear your environment. Instead, it offers the benefit of a deeper and more tactile and textured-based response.
Within this category, and indeed lower down in the price points as well, Thieaudio is known for delivering well-balanced acoustics in its IEMs. That is definitely the case here as well with its combination of drivers presenting music, games, and other entertainment with a richness and detail that’s typical of very premium IEMs. Having heard a number of the company’s offerings at this point, I can say with confidence that the addition of the BC driver definitely lends the Origin a unique resonance in Thieaudio's catalog.
In typical Thieaudio fashion, the Origin has a striking appearance. The faceplates are painted with a scene that is reminiscent of outer space or a night sky during the aurora borealis. They're hand-painted, so no two will be exactly alike. In a rather unique twist, you can see one of the drivers on the back of the IEM through its smoked out shell and it looks like nothing more than a full moon. Intentional or happy coincidence? It looks neat either way.
The shells are made of high-quality resin that is smooth and formed in a UIEM form. UIEMs, or Universal In-ear Monitors, are contoured to match the shape of a typical human ear and are usually designed based around a deep library of 3D models. There is a good chance you'll be able to find a comfortable fit, however, unlike custom IEMs, or CIEMs, they do not extend quite as deeply into the ear canal and still require silicone or foam ear tips for proper seal.
With eight drivers per side the Origin is definitely a large IEM. Despite that, I actually found them to be quite comfortable once I found the proper size ear tips. The IEMs come with a selection of both silicone and memory foam tips to help you find the proper match for each ear. Don't be like me and wait most of your life to realize that you can require different sizes for each ear.
This is also the perfect time for me to share one of the cooler findings I've come across in the audio world. That would be the AZLA Sednafit Xelastec II eartips. They’re… expensive. $19 a pair as of this writing… but wait! These eartips aren’t like anything else on the market. They’re made of a thermoplastic that molds itself to your ear as it heats up with your body. They’re easily the best fitting, most isolating ear tips I’ve ever used that aren’t made of memory foam. I remove them and shift them onto new IEMs to stretch that investment. They’re also noticeably more durable than traditional silicone ear tips, which already last forever. They’re simply fantastic and I couldn’t recommend them more highly.
Back to the Origin. In addition to the selection of tips, it also comes with a nice, hardshell carrying case that’s large enough for the IEMs, the cable, and some accessories. Thieaudio ships the Origin with its EliteNoir cable. Like many cables that come with nice IEMs, this one isn't wound and a braid. Instead its two core strands bound together in a smoky blue rubberized coating. It's made of premium materials that the company promises helps to guarantee optimal sound quality. I'm not sold on that for any cable really, but it's definitely true that the EliteNoir has a luxurious look and feel. It includes modular ends to match different sources (3.5mm and 4.4mm), balanced and single-ended, and it has nicely anodized metal hardware for each end and the Y-split.
Thieaudio Origin - Listening Impressions
Graph Credit: Super* Review via Squig.Link
The Thieaudio Origin boasts a very rich, bass-forward sound signature that's very versatile for different genres of music and also works very well for gaming. The mid-range is lush with a bit of warmth but the company has been careful to make sure it's not overly colored. There is also lots of detail in the upper registers though there isn't as much air or sparkle as you'll find on something like the Monarch MK III or the Prestige LTD. It more closely compares to the Oracle MK III in that way, but thanks to the bone conduction driver, there is a significant difference in the low-end in particular. Overall, it was a very enjoyable listen for everything from rock, to metal, to chillstep, to acoustic Americana, and, of course, gaming.
Bass: As I’ve said throughout this review, the Origin’s low-end is one of its most standout features. The sub-bass is deep and textured. It reaches low and offers an elastic resonance that adds liveliness. The mid-bass is thick, adding a sense of realism to drums and bass guitars. Compared to the Oracle MKIII, the Origin’s bass is fuller and, while both are fast and tight, the added texture and tactility of the Origin goes a long way to justify its higher position in the company’s catalog.
Mids: The midrange of the Thieaudio Origin is lush with a slight huskiness to female vocals in particular but is definitely a bit recessed compared to the bass. Despite that slight coloration on the vocals, they don’t sound any less captivating. The Origin has wonderful detail retrieval, and singers have a lifelike presentation that’s very enjoyable.
Instrumental detail is also great, with lots of microdetails in guitars and strings. The bone conduction driver definitely adds a unique character in this range. It’s not game-changing (a driver shouldn’t change the whole character of what you’re listening to) but there’s nuance to how instruments come through, and I appreciated the detail and sense of space this range provided.
Treble: The treble is particularly well-tuned, in my opinion. ESTs add that little extra something to the higher registers. It’s air, and space, and those little fundamental qualities that make the listening experience sound truer to life. The treble region isn’t overly accentuated. There’s enough to provide a detailed, atmospheric listening experience, but instruments like hi-hats and cymbals don’t pop out in the same way that the might on a set like the Monarch or Prestige LTD. I didn’t find the Origin lacking, however. It leans its balance to the left (lower-end) of the frequency response graph, and that’s just fine by me. They’re an easy listen across lots of different types of music and content but still give you everything you need to hear to feel like you’re enjoying the full, audiophile-grade experience.
Technical Performance, Soundstage, and Imaging: The technical performance of the Origin is excellent. The soundstage is deep – more deep than wide, in fact – but creates a bubble of sound around you that’s easy to get lost in. The separation between the layers of sound is spacious enough that you’ll have no trouble picking out each element coming together to make your favored soundscape. Imaging is also great and only gets more so if you turn on spatial audio for games. Even without, however, this is a great example of well-done stereo imaging. You’ll be able to identify where each sound source is coming from without difficulty.
Gaming: The gaming performance on this set is very good. The soundstage is genuinely impressive for a pair of IEMs. The acoustic engineering here allows game audio to sound much wider than earphones are typically able and the separation between different sound sources makes it easy to identify what’s happening and where it’s occurring in your environment. Footsteps pop out enough to discern positionality, but I found that this varied by the game and mix selected. With that in mind, it’s the difference between cues being at the very top of the mix versus near the top of the mix, so there’s no disadvantage here. They’re not the absolute best IEMs I’ve heard for gaming but their performance matches their price, so if you’re wanting to use them for gaming too, you’ll find that they’re very well suited to that.
Overall Impressions and Final Thoughts
Without question, the Thieaudio Origin is well into Golden Ears territory and will be out of reach of many listeners. If your budget can stretch enough to pick it up, however, it offers an exceptionally enjoyable listening experience that stands apart from most of the competition in this range and can deliver for just about anything you’d care to listen to. Thieaudio is a master at its craft and the Origin is another example of why it has achieved so much recognition in a relatively short amount of time on the market.
The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes.
