ThieAudio Prestige Review

ThieAudio Prestige – Sound Quality

 

ThieAudio’s Prestige has been used with a number of DAC/AMPs, dongles, and DAPs. Topping’s E70V & L70 DAC & AMP stack setup is my daily driver nowadays, so the Prestige has been used mostly with that. The Chord Mojo 2 and the Topping G5 are my preferred sources when I am on the go.

The Prestige sounds open, clear, and spacious from the moment you plug it in. It has a fairly balanced sound signature, with slightly more pronounced sub-bass and upper-mids. ThieAudio is one of the forerunners in the tribrid race, and they’re becoming increasingly adept at mixing and matching different types of drivers. The nine-driver Prestige has a coherent signature and is technologically sophisticated. It is clear that ThieAudio’s engineering team has done an excellent job of unifying these differently-flavored drivers into one using high-quality, hand-picked crossover components. Let us take a closer look.

Bass

The Prestige has a massive sub-bass, and can’t be labeled as natural or reference. The weight and strength of the subs are pronounced, contributing to the dynamism of the Prestige. The rest of the bass is good in both quantity and quality, mid-bass being slightly recessed, compared to the subbass. While this adjustment may be a bit much for users accustomed to the reference sound, casual listeners and bass-loving audiophiles will enjoy it. In addition, as someone accustomed to the reference sound, I was impressed that the bass did not bleed into the mids and remained strong and fast on most tracks without losing its integrity. In addition, I do not recommend the use of overly warm and bassy sources to prevent the mid-bass from saturating the mids. The Prestige has an LCP dynamic driver inside and it is surprisingly fast especially considering the amount it can deliver.

PRaT-wise, of course, it is not as fast as some of the Dual BA, and Triple BA monitors, but this is expected, you can’t get a similar sub-bass performance, a solid vibration that can be felt from a BA. The DDs are getting better and better, with each passing year. Overall, I am quite content with the bass tuning of the Prestige. It is powerful, vibrant, and energetic. It is delightfully addictive.

Mid

The transition between the bass to midrange is seamless, it does not feel disjointed at all. The team did a great job with the crossover as everything connects to each other in perfect symphony, without any anomaly. The midrange feels airy and spacious with its clean and flat timbre. Mids are natural and engaging to listen to, and the extension and clarity are up on the level with flagship monitors. The clear and resolving presentation of the midrange highlights the vocals, especially female vocals, adding a touch of excitement without pushing them too far to the forefront. The vocals are presented with a natural and organic tone, while instruments are rendered with excellent detail and separation.

The elevated upper midrange is out of this world as four different drivers are working together seamlessly to reproduce an immensely clean upper mids and lower treble. The resolution here is just above anything I’ve heard sub-$1500. The hi-hats and crashes bounce off and disperse nicely on the wide and spacious stage. The attack and decay are fast, accurate, and precise. We owe this successful upper-mid reproduction to one of the most successful implementations of BA & ESTs. Many kudos to the creative team behind it.

Treble

Just like the upper midrange, the treble performance on the Prestige is one of its standout features. The treble response of the Prestige is extended and airy, without any discernible roll-off. The electrostatic drivers lend a delightful sparkle and energetic feel to the highs, resulting in precise and lively treble without any harshness or aggression. This makes for a more precise and engaging treble response that complements the rest of the frequencies on the spectrum. While those who prefer a softer, warmer treble may not find the EST drivers to their liking, they provide excellent detail retrieval and bring out subtle nuances in the music.

I’m an avid fan of this relatively new technology and I am excited to see its development further. Overall, the Prestige’s treble performance is expansive, clean, and articulate, creating an engaging experience for the listener.

Technical Capability

The Prestige sounds big and spacious while maintaining a high level of technical accuracy, there aren’t many IEMs offer fun and technicality in the same package. Despite using a DD, the Prestige exhibits impressive speed and transient response, making it well-suited for complex and fast-paced music. It handles congestion well. Its imaging and soundstage performance is also notable, creating a wide and deep soundstage with precise and accurate placement of instruments and vocals. Overall, the Prestige is a highly capable IEM that delivers both musical enjoyment and technical accuracy.

Comparisons

vs. Vision Ears VE7 (€1650)

Vision Ears’ VE7 has been one of my favorite monitors of all time. It is an immensely clean, reference-sounding tool that I mainly use to evaluate and review source devices. Compared to the Prestige, it sounds flatter, more neutral and technically superior with better detail retrieval. It feels more accurate and natural. The Prestige’s presentation is much more fun and engaging to listen to, thanks to its elevated bass and added sparkle of the ESTs. While the VE7’s PRaT is slightly faster but it lacks the engaging and dynamic presentation of the Prestige. The Prestige’s added contrast makes every genre a toe-tapping adventure, especially EDM and alike.

The VE7 portrays natural instruments more accurately and naturally but lacks the bass rumble that gives electronic genres their soul. Overall, both are quite good, yet different, in signature. The VE7 could be the endgame IEM for those who prioritize accuracy and detail retrieval. Ultimately, the choice between the two will come down to personal preference and listening priorities.

vs. Westone Audio Mach 80 (€1.599)

The Westone Mach 80 has a flatter and more neutral sound signature compared to the ThieAudio Prestige. The Mach 80’s bass is massively more recessed, with less emphasis on the low-end frequencies, resulting in a thinner overall body. In a direct comparison, the Mach 80 feels more intimate and focused on the center image, despite having a similar soundstage width. The added bonus of ESTs sparkle and air makes a big difference here, as the Prestige feels much airier across the stage with ample air between instruments and vocals. That being said, the Mach 80’s flat signature and excellent tonal balance are more suitable for professionals who prefer a flatter and more accuracy-oriented sound signature. 

Last Words

Overall, the ThieAudio Prestige is a highly impressive IEM that offers a fairly balanced and engaging sound signature. The combination of dynamic and armature drivers, along with the electrostatic super tweeters, creates a cohesive and energetic sound that is both fun and technically impressive. The Prestige is an IEM that will appeal to audiophiles and music lovers alike and is definitely worth considering for anyone in the market for an engaging listening experience. 

To the recommended list it goes!

Pros:

  • Engaging and fun sound signature along with a solid technical capability.
  • Excellent bass response with an LCP dynamic driver providing a subsonic rumble and a powerful low-end.
  • Spacious presentation and expansive soundstage with great width, depth, and height.
  • EST super tweeters provide a delicate sparkle and sense of air to the highs, creating an expansive treble reproduction.
  • Great build and design along with a comfortable shape that is suitable for long listening sessions.

Cons:

  • The Prestige’s sound signature may not be suitable for those who prefer a strictly neutral, flat, or reference-like sound.
  • The cable is a bit stiff with its different braiding.

 

Page 1: ThieAudio, The Prestige, Packaging & Accessories ,Design, Build & Fit

Page 2: Sound, Low, Mid, High, Technical Capability, Comparisons, Last Words

4.5/5 - (260 votes)
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Long time Tech Enthusiast, an ambitious petrol-head, Yagiz likes his gadgets and always finds new ways into the tinkerer's world. He tries to improve anything and everything he gets his hands onto. Loves an occasional shine on the rocks.

1 Comment

  • Reply May 9, 2023

    Erwin

    Do you have a comparison of the Prestige to the Moondrop Variations? The description of the signature sound similar, is it worth to upgrade the Variations with the Prestige?
    Best regards, Erwin

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