Closer Examination

Not much is known about the cable that comes with the ThieAudio Legacy 2, and it is also different from the one that came with the more expensive Legacy 5, as well as the much more expensive Monarch. Based on the pricing of the set, I presume standard thick gauge copper wiring without any silver plating and the use of polyurethane for insulation. But ThieAudio surprised me when I was informed that the core is indeed silver-plated and the insulator PVC (polyvinylchloride). It does the job plenty fine thus, with a measured end-to-end electrical resistance of just 1.65 Ω to where this won't be a bottleneck unless you really believe in the psychoacoustics of cables affecting the sound signature. The cable begins with a 3.5 mm TRS connector that is gold-plated for oxidation resistance and comes inside a plastic cover for protection. Braiding and sleeving are both relatively thick and durable, and we see a four-strand cable of two strands per channel. ThieAudio is written on the metal housing of the TRS connector, and we see more metal supports throughout, including at the splitter alongside a side cable cinch. A hook-and-loop strap helps with cable management when not used. We then have see-through plastic sheathing towards the other end helping with the memory wire design that terminates in two 0.78 mm 2-pin connectors. The housings have a colored base (transparent for left, red for right) to denote which channel the plugs go to.


It is at this point that you finally get a look at the Legacy 2 ear buds by themselves, and the very first thing you will notice is how light they are. This is an acrylic and resin composition with the only metal in the internal hardware driving them. Even the nozzle is an extension of the resin itself. The design is clearly an extension of the Gaia face plate design from the Legacy 3 since we have a quite thin translucent blue acrylic shell and an opaque resin face-plate design. There are no custom design options to choose from at this point—what you see is what you get.


The resin is the same medical-grade quality as for the Legacy 5, and the color and size make this very light at under 6 g each. There is also a deliberate shape to the molded shell for it to better fit the human ear. The face plate adopts a sparkly design reminiscent of glitter spread over water, almost as if you are on an alien beach with sand that looks like this. It is simultaneously understated and eye-grabbing, especially if the light catches it just right. I also appreciate that the branding is only on one ear bud and placed to the side, which is a far better implementation than having it displayed in the middle as with the ThieAudio Monarch. It's a shame then that the translucent resin shell is mostly hidden out of view when in ear because I found myself staring at the drivers inside more than the face plate.

It's not common to have a see-through shell, mostly because it either displays a lot of empty space owing to a single, smaller driver or gets too busy if you have a lot of drivers and internal wires with possibly ugly solder connections. The ThieAudio Legacy 2 is about perfect for this since its two drivers fill out the space nicely inside the acoustic chamber. You get a closer look at the company's new proprietary 10 mm beryllium dynamic driver in addition to the Knowles balanced armature, and the internal wiring is sleeved and braided. The 2-pin connector is soldered well too, and inset with the place of the shell. There are vents on each bud, and "Legacy 2" is written on the underside. The nozzle extends from the resin and uses two larger bore openings that are unfiltered, which necessitates periodic cleaning.


Fitting the ear tips is extremely simple as the nozzle is not very wide and shaped to naturally hold the ear tip bore in place. Even folding back the flanges on the ear tips isn't necessary, and I only did so to show how it looks properly installed. Be sure to try the different tips ThieAudio includes since it is a completely personal preference dependent on ear size and shape, as well as the ear canal angle relative to the concha. Depending on which of the tips you go with, the next step is to re-connect the cable by carefully pushing the 2-pin connectors back in place. The TRS (or TRRS) connector then goes to your source. I know there are many who prefer to use IEMs throughout, but I like to use over-ear headphones when sitting down and IEMs/TWS earbuds on the go. As such, in the absence of other options at this time, I chose to use them primarily with my trusty FiiO E17.


Aside from Ikko, ThieAudio is the only other company to date with multiple IEMs covered here, so I did a similar visual comparison to the Legacy 5, their closest-tired product I have on hand. We saw separately before how the legacy 5 is dwarfed by the Monarch, and the Legacy 2 is certainly smaller than the Legacy 5, but much closer in size and shape this time round.