ThieAudio Cypher Dynamic Headphones Review – Warmth To Eleven
ThieAudio Cypher is a $399 USD pair of over-the-ear dynamic headphones with a large 50mm dynamic driver at the heart, and a flagship promised performance. Today we will review the Cypher and will also compare it with other headphones, including HIFIMAN Audivina LE (399 USD), Fosi Audio i5 (549 USD) and Kiwi Ears Atheia (349 USD).
Introduction
Thieaudio is a popular brand of headphones and especially IEMs, mainly sold and fulfilled by Linsoul, a top player in the audio industry. Linsoul is one of the best shops to explore for your Audiophile and Chifi needs, having headphones, IEMs as well as DAC AMPs and DAPs in their product catalogue. Linsoul has extremely fast shipping to europe, top warranty and exceptional prices, with many sales and special coupons as well as special events happening throughout the year.
As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, and using the purchase links in my reviews helps me maintain this website and Youtube Channel. Audiophile-Heaven has no Ads and our Youtube Channel has no midroll ads, and our work is supported by Affiliate Links and Donations. Huge thanks to Linsoul and ThieAudio for providing the sample for this review, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4ttzrVj
Linsoul Official – https://www.linsoul.com/products/thieaudio-cypher
Kickstarter – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/linsoul/thieaudio-cypher-flagship-dynamic-driver-headphones
Build Quality – Design
At their core, ThieAudio Cypher is an over-the-ear open-back dynamic driver headphones. With a 50mm dynamic driver, ThieAudio built the Cypher around a 20-Core N45 magnetic array and a semi-crystalline polymer-rubber diaphragm.
For a reliable build, thieAudio uses premium materials, aerospace-grade aluminium earcups, stainless steel and carbon fiber headband, along with genuine lambskin lining and vintage inspired grilles for a special aesthetic appeal.
For extra increased comfort, thieAudio equips the Cypher with memory foam velour ear pads, which are magnetic and user replaceable, 3.5mm cables with a 6.3 adapter, and an option 4.4mm upgrade balanced cable that you can purchase with the Cypher.
Technically, Cypher has a 32 OHM impedance, and a somewhat low SPL of 96 dB. They have common 3.5mm connectors on the headphone side, so you can easily use a ddHIFI BC150B upgrade cable with them. Original cable is 1.5 meters long, and Cypher is 411 grams lightweight.
Subjective Usage
Wearing the Thieaudio Cypher is a combination of comfort and warmth, as the velour covered earpads can keep the warmth on my head quite a bit and warm me up, and as it is winter, this is a welcome thing for me at the moment. The entire headphone is really solid, has less creaking and feels better made than the vast majority of headphones.
Maximum size is more than enough for my head, and they can get very small also, being a pair of headphones that actually do adjust to multiple head sizes comfortably. The combination of a medium tightness, large earpads, soft earpads and soft headband means that you never really feel their weight and they are plenty comfy.
Something that I rarely see in headphones these days is that the earpads are easily replaceable, and the cables are also easily replaceable, but Cypher does not come with multiple pads or cables in the package, which I feel is a bit of a missed opportunity. The drivers inside the earcups are angled, and the headphones themselves have a bit of passive noise isolation, around 5 to 10 dB, which means that they also leak slightly less than the most open headphones out there.
Sound Quality
Pairings – Reading the technical data, I expected the Cipher to be somewhat hard to drive, so I have been testing them with a multi selection of sources including FiiO K17, XL, Argon Audio SA-2 Amplifier Driven by FiiO Warmer R2R, Acer Nitro 18 AI Laptop (with 3.5mm adapters), Hiby Digital M500, and Luxsin X9.
While they are not as hard to drive as Grell OAE2, Cypher needs a bit of juice to really sing and will be best driven out of a powerful DAC AMP or DAP. They are easily a portable pair of headphones, and the build quality also aids to this.
Overall Signature – You can expect a bassy, ballsy, basshead tuning from the Cypher, with an edge of treble to compensate for the big bass, a deep and powerful sound, excellent resolution and a natural voicing, all characteristics that make them stand out in the price range. Although they are all about the bass, the tuning works well for a wide range of music including EDM, Pop, Rap, Rock and even classical for certain composers.
Bass – At their deepest, ThieAudio Cypher climbs down to about 20 Hz, but true power and punch starts at about 30 Hz, where they really have a strong punch, big body and sound basshead, having an uplift of about 10 dB over the midrange. This works epic for pop, edm and rap, creating a thick, delightful bassline in all songs. The more you push the volume, the more the bass increases, so at higher volumes, the bass can actually reach a higher ratio to the midrange, up to around 12 dB.
Midrange – Voicing is smooth, warm, and has both male and female bias, but the best sound is for rap with male lead voices. Female voices are slightly thickened as there’s a slight recess in the upper midrange, so you can expect all voices to sound a bit thicker, lower and lusher than what would be an absolute default.
Treble – To keep the sound interesting, detailed and crisp, Cyper has a bit of extra upper treble emphasis with extension reaching audibly around 14 kHz, but recovering late from the upper midrange dip, so a lot of the treble energy happens between 9 kHz to 14 kHz, and it is in line with the lower midrange, a bit less present than the bass, so still leading to a mostly groovy, laid-back tuning for the Cypher.
Dynamics And Textures – Dynamic range is natural, too slightly compressed as Cypher brings details forward and compresses the dynamic range in a style that really works well for pop and edm, rap and modern music. Texture is natural, towards slightly expressive, it has a natural expression, with more texture, more detail in the bass and lower midrange, and quite a bit less detail in the upper midrange, unless the song really asks for it. There’s a bit of extra texture and detail in the treble though, so the sound is quite interesting and could be considered a V-Shaped or U-Shaped sound, albeit a mild U or V.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – ThieAudio Cypher is not instinctively hard to drive, but they can eat a ton of power, needing a LOT to get loud but achieving control and a pleasing tone rather easily. It is an interesting mix of forcing the loudness saturation gradient to saturate their volume slower than it saturates the power needs, so you rarely run into loss of control, and the sound is almost always controlled, clean and fun, even though they are hard to make go loud.
Soundstage – You will have a more intimate lateral stage with the cypher, although they manage to create depth pretty well, so instruments and effects sound big and bloomy, but a bit more intimate laterally, creating the kind of sound that is great for a smoother, more laid-back tone, or something aggro but with a lot of bass.
Comparisons
ThieAudio Cypher vs HIFIMAN Audivina LE (399 USD vs 399 USD) – Audivina LE is a nice pair of headphones from HIFIMAN, but they are closed back, so they offer a bit of extra isolation, leak less. Both are somewhat hard to drive, but Audivina LE is easier to drive than Cypher. When both are driven properly, Audivina LE is more V-Shaped or U-Shaped with more focus on the sub-bass, more focus on the treble, and a more feminine voicing that emphasizes female voices, while Cypher is thicker, bassier, has more mid bass, more body and emphasizes male voices better. Audivina LE is more analytical and reveals more details while Cypher is smoother, fuller, more musical and creates a groovy, fun sound better.
ThieAudio Cypher vs Fosi Audio i5 (399 USD vs 549 USD) – Fosi i5 is a really nice pair of headphones, quite a bit pricier than the Cypher, but also comfortable. Both headphones feel big enough for my head, small enough for smaller heads, both are somewhat hard to drive and both have a comfortable fit with a similar build quality. Sonically, they are also similar, with the main difference being that i5 has a significantly bassier sound with more sub-bass extension, more depth and less treble sparkle. This makes the Cypher sound more detailed, more crisp and cleaner in general with a better resolution and more punchy overall sound with more contrast. I5 will be better if you want pure raw, unfiltered and unadulterated bass.
ThieAudio Cypher vs Kiwi Ears Atheia (399 USD vs 349 USD) – Atheia has a wooden build, and is closed back, but it needs a bit less power than Cypher to achieve the same loudness. This being said, the cable quality of the cypher is better, cypher is more comfortable and feels like the whole headphone is more solid. Sonically, Cypher sounds more natural, more even and has a stronger bass punch, while Atheia is almost like a trying to sound neutral kind of tone, but with quite a bit of coloration in the midrange. Overall, Atheia is great if you don’t want a lot of bass and if you want to experience a kinky sound that is very detailed, while Cypher is ideal if you want to enjoy a more traditional natural, bassy, thick and lush tuning.
Value and Conclusion
With a tag of 399 USD and a kickstarter campaign behind, ThieAudio Cypher is a great headphone to go for if you’re looking for a basshead headphone with a musical and relaxed sound, and a groovy bass. It is not quite as extreme as FiiO FT13 in how U shaped it is, it has a more natural sound than Kiwi Ears Atheia and generally fits really well with modern music, so a great purchase if you mainly enjoy pop and rap.
ThieAudio realy invested a lot in the frame, earpads and comfort parts of the Cypher, giving them a bassy, groovy and weighty sound that works well with a lot of modern music, so if those sound like things you’re interested in, you should give ThieAudio Cypher a go, as it is the only headphone around the price point you will find with this sonic style.
PROs
- Deep and powerful bass
- Comfortable and really well made
- Can get big enough for any head
- Can get small enough for any head
- Relaxed but detailed sound with strong texture revealing ability
- Easy to replace earpads and cables
- Top price performance ratio
Cons
- Somewhat hard to drive
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4ttzrVj
Linsoul Official – https://www.linsoul.com/products/thieaudio-cypher
Kickstarter – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/linsoul/thieaudio-cypher-flagship-dynamic-driver-headphones
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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