Introduction

ThieAudio is a brand I am getting quite familiar with, it having impressed with the Legacy 5 we first tested on our updated headphones measurement protocol and the excellent tribrid Monarch that remains my personally favorite set of IEMs to date. The ThieAudio Monarch costs $730, and I was wondering what to do next before ThieAudio answered that question for me by releasing its most budget-friendly set of IEMs, the all-new Legacy 2. Thanks again to ThieAudio, the house brand of Linsoul, for sending TechPowerUp a review sample!


I am once again using my own photo in the absence of suitable stock images in a workable aspect ratio, but it does the job of teasing what lies ahead. ThieAudio does a good job with the naming of its products, at least as far as the hybrid Legacy series goes. The number following the Legacy denotes the number of hardware audio drivers in each ear bud and thus, the Legacy 2 has two drivers inside. Being a hybrid set of IEMs, one is a dynamic driver to handle the bass and upper mids and the other a balanced armature driver catering to the rest of the rated frequency range. With tuning that has been extremely impressive for more complex earphones, how will the relatively simple Legacy 2 fare? Let's find out in our review that begins with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications

Packaging and Accessories

Packaging for the ThieAudio Legacy 2 is clearly based on the packaging we saw for the ThieAudio Monarch, which should slowly be taking over as the default ThieAudio design. We see a predominantly black box with a plastic seal, removing which confirms a matte cardboard packaging with just "ThieAudio" written in white on the front. The back is equally sparse with simply the company website and a note that this is made in China. It feels only right to mention that the ThieAudio website is woefully out of date, has non-working links, and does not even mention the Legacy 2, so I don't understand the point of getting people to go to that website in its current form. ThieAudio employs a two-piece packaging with this outer sleeve sliding off the inner box as seen above.


No, you are not experiencing déjà vu, the inner box is pretty identical in design to the outer sleeve with exactly the same front. It is on the back that we see the retail sticker confirming this contains the Legacy 2 IEMs inside, which I feel should have been on the outer sleeve instead. Regardless, there are two pieces to this inner box as well, with the upper lid lifting off to show the contents inside. This multi-layered approach works well in adding good protection during transit.


There is a thin cardboard box inside as well, because we are clearly playing a weird version of Russian dolls here. This one contains all the paperwork that comes with the Legacy 2, and we get a QC sticker, a guarantee note that is not filled out for this review sample, and a multi-language user manual that goes over the various steps involved in making the most of these IEMs, including the installing of ear tips and the cable and how to insert the ear buds properly. Underneath, and inside a thick foam sheet with an aptly sized cutout, comes the carry case itself. This one is a dark blue, still leatherette, which doesn't surprise in this price range, and has the ThieAudio logo embossed on top. The stitching is also in blue, and well done at that. It opens up to reveal the other accessories inside the case itself.


Two plastic zip-lock bags inside the carry/storage case contain a set of ear tips. ThieAudio chose to go with two types of silicone tips, both in three sizes (S/M/L) and with a black bore. The white-flanged tips are softer and offer more give than the black ones, so do try out the various options to get the best-possible fit.


The Legacy 2 IEMs come inside another foam sheet with cutouts not only for the ear buds, but also the attached cable going to each. The cable strands meet up at the bottom before going around to the back, where we see a larger, circular cutout with the rest of the cable neatly placed inside. Taking it all out is best done from the cable side going back to the ear buds since the channels and cutouts are quite slim. Once done, and to get a closer look at the cable and ear buds individually, get acquainted with the 2-pin connectors used with the Legacy 2, wherein you simply hold the ear bud firmly with one hand and pull straight back on the connector housing of the cable itself.