We debuted frequency response measurement with the ThieAudio Legacy 5, which has been updated and upgraded multiple times since. The Legacy 5, part of the ThieAudio Legacy series, was a great introduction to the brand and its very deliberate, individually tested tuning. Then came the tribrid Monarchs that are still my favorite-sounding set to date, having been tuned to where it might as well be for me. I do prefer a more neutral mids and highs response, so news of the all-new Legacy 2 were quite intriguing. It not only promised to be a new entry point to the ThieAudio Legacy series by being the first sub-$100 set of IEMs, but the new beryllium dynamic driver also looked quite promising. Claims of the Legacy 2 capable of being actual monitors was also very appealing, so I absolutely agreed to a review sample.

It might be a case of marketing working overtime, however, since those claims lead to high expectations and even higher scrutiny. To its credit, ThieAudio put the factory frequency response curve up on the Linsoul product page, although hidden under several product photos in a single column. My own measurements were spot on, so in terms of achieving what was promised purely in this regard, the Legacy 2 gets top marks. There is indeed good sub-bass impact, detailed and accurate mids, and a smooth transition from the dynamic driver to the balanced armature for the treble range. The two chosen drivers are also interesting in their own right, with the BA a known factor that still works well even if not the latest and greatest and then a brand-new (for ThieAudio) beryllium dynamic driver I personally think can do more in a different hardware configuration.

It is the parts in between that are the weakness here, with the beryllium dynamic driver potentially being stretched too far in trying to get this tuning profile. Perhaps it was also a case of the tuning done based on ThieAudio recognizing this configuration was the best they could do, and perhaps a second BA would have helped a lot here. That would then be a new Legacy 3, however. So perhaps it was also the naming scheme and budget that played a role here. I suspect the average IEM customer will find this slightly lacking in warmth and energy, and EQ doesn't help too much in that regard given the neutral tuning in place. But for those who know this to be the tuning for them, the price point makes the Legacy 2 punch far beyond its weight—literally and figuratively.