Fit and Comfort

Seen above is the right channel of the ThieAudio Origin placed into an artificial ear mold with the included size M silicone ear tip installed. I have average-sized ears, and the ear mold above represents my own experiences well enough as a proxy. Size M silicone tips are my go-to for testing, since foam tips are not included by some brands, and I found these tips to work fine enough even if they were slightly stiffer than I personally prefer. I eventually ended up going with more malleable tips such as the Softears UC. As mentioned before, the ThieAudio Origin is a larger-than-average sized set that will jut out of the ears for pretty much everyone. There is also a decent chance those with smaller ears and/or ear canals won't find the larger shells and nozzle comfortable. The consolation is it's not that unwieldy if you can fit the nozzle at least, and I personally was fine with the size even thought I was always aware of it in my ears. The size is not a surprise for me given the driver configuration inside and how ThieAudio says it had to design the shells specifically to accommodate the bone conduction driver inside. I will stress the importance of getting a deep and secure fit though, especially for that bone conduction driver to work as its optimum. The ergonomically shaped shells help here, as does the nozzle insertion depth and angle itself. The shells being made of resin also means there isn't any physical fatigue from weight either. The end result for me was a set with multiple points of contact in the concha as well as the cable providing further support on the back, although over time I was again starting to notice the cable being on the heavier side too. I will say that, despite these challenges, I found the ThieAudio Origin with my preferred ear tips to fit securely and comfortably enough to listen to for 1-2 hour sessions at a time—not bad, but far from the best.

Audio Performance

Audio Hardware

The ThieAudio Origin is the brand's first quadbrid set, meaning it uses four different driver types. The lows are handled by a 10 mm dynamic driver using a bio-cellulose diaphragm, with the bass shelf starting at 250 Hz such that it's primarily working in the sub-bass while still preventing the mid-bass from sounding lean. Two Sonion 2600-series full-range balanced armature drivers are dedicated to the mids before giving way to a Knowles TWFK-series dual balanced armature tweeter reconfigured to work for the low-mid treble. Two Sonion electrostatic tweeters (ESTs) come in for the upper treble, and this already would be a highly competent driver setup before we get to the unique selling point here in the form of the bone conduction driver. The Origin uses ThieAudio's in-house (custom-made for ThieAudio, most likely) 11 mm BCD, as opposed to using a Sonion BCD which we are seeing in some more expensive sets. This can be used in a variety of ways, with ThieAudio choosing to augment the mids and treble for added tactility to the notes. The marketing for the Origin suggests a bassy set that still aims to deliver clean/neutral mids and non-fatiguing yet extending treble. The end result is a set of IEMs that is slightly more current-demanding than voltage based on my testing, with a rated impedance of 9 Ω and a sensitivity of 102 dB/mW. It's still fine with a decent portable DAC/amp though, but does scale with more powerful sources still in the transportable realm.

Frequency Measurement and Listening

I will mention that I have a general preference for a warm-neutral signature with a slightly elevated bass, smooth treble range, detailed mids, and good tonal separation. I also generally prefer instrumental music over vocals, with favored genres including jazz and classical music.


Our reproducible testing methodology begins with a calibrated IEC711 audio coupler/artificial ear that IEMs can feed into enough for decent isolation. The audio coupler feeds into a USB sound card, which in turn goes to a laptop that has ARTA and REW running and the earphones connected to the laptop through a capable and transparent DAC/amp—I used the Questyle M15 here. I begin with an impulse measurement to test for signal fidelity, calibrate the sound card and channel output, account for floor noise, and finally test the frequency response of each channel separately. Octave smoothing is at the 1/12th setting, which nets a good balance of detail and noise not being identified as useful data. Also, the default tuning was used for testing, and no app-based settings were chosen unless specifically mentioned. Each sample of interest is tested thrice with separate mounts to account for any fit issues, and an average is taken of the three individual measurements for statistical accuracy. For IEMs, I am also using the appropriate ear mold fitted to the audio coupler for a separate test to compare how the IEMs fare when installed in a pinna geometry instead of just the audio coupler. The raw data is then exported from REW and plotted in OriginPro for easier comparison.


The IEC711 is such that you can't really compare these results with most other test setups, especially those using a head and torso simulator (HATS). The raw dB numbers are also quite contingent on the set volume, gain levels, and sensitivity of the system. What is more useful information is how the left and right channels work across the rated frequency response in the ThieAudio Origin. The left channel was separately tested from the right one, and colored differently for contrast. I did my best to ensure an identical fit for both inside the IEC711 orifice, so note how the two channels are practically identical across the entire useful 20 Hz to 20 kHz range! Keep in mind that resonance peak matching at 8 kHz—or at least attempting to do so, as in this case—can introduce some measurement artifacts, but even then the two channels were so close. ThieAudio mentions each Origin set is hand assembled, hand finished, and then hand paired after QC testing, effectively giving you a more bespoke IEM experience on par with more boutique brands. This is also a randomly picked retail unit a couple of months into the product's launch, as opposed to something cherry-picked for review, so I am quite hopeful that paying customers will find similar satisfaction. Measurements taken after 50 hours of testing, which included these playing a mix of various songs as well as white or pink noise and sine sweeps, showed no difference. There was no perceived burn-in effect thus, and none was measurable, either. The response with the anthropomorphic pinna in place shows the lower treble being slightly more emphasized compared to the ideal scenario in the coupler. This is partially a result of insertion depth, and yet the emphasized lower treble is still something I perceived in my ears regardless. So do keep this pinna measurement in mind too, as your experience is likely to fall somewhere between this and the ideal coupler measurement itself, especially as the bone conduction driver is going to have an effect in the human ears which is not perceived by the metal coupler shell or the silicone rubber pinna used here.



Here is the average frequency response for both channels of the ThieAudio Origin plotted against my personal target taken from VSG.squig.link with the insertion depth set to aim for a resonance around 8 kHz in addition to a second one with a deeper fit that shows a more toned down and smoother treble. It's not likely many will be able to get the Origin in that deep, yet I wanted to showcase this also because you might see some frequency response measurements that have a smooth transition at 250 Hz, as opposed to the slightly jagged one in the blue lines above. This is a measurement artifact too as a result of where the bone conduction driver starts its job. The actual transition is indeed smooth to the ears even with a shallower insertion, for anyone wondering. My target is primarily there to help visualize my personal preferences to better correlate any possible biases. The tuning of a set of headphones or earphones does not have to match my target as long as it is tuned with some direction, makes sense, and is executed well. After all, no one set will appeal to everyone, and having different options is what makes this hobby so interesting and hard to quantify. This is in addition to a second graph using a newer target that's based on a more scientific methodology involving a -10 dB tilt (-1 dB/octave) applied to the diffuse field target for the newer, more reliable B&K 5128 but then compensated for my exact 711 coupler instead. Do scroll down to the targets in my database linked above and see the new 5128 section to the left where you can click on the yellow question mark for a brief primer. The bottom line is this target is closer to what many people are likely to prefer out of IEMs and headphones alike. I have chosen to plot this graph with the frequency response normalized/compensated to the target to make it easier to see how the ThieAudio Origin is tuned—deliberately colored with plenty of bass and some air.

While ThieAudio has made a name for itself with IEMs offering a balanced tonality and going for a neutral w/bass boost formula, the Origin differs in being a love letter to bassheads first. You get 10–12 dB of bass boost starting from 250 Hz and going down, making for ample bass with a decided subwoofer-like execution. If anything, there was too much bass for my preference, yet my partner—a basshead if there ever was one—couldn't stop smiling when listening to this set. I do appreciate this sounding more textured than even the dual DD setup ThieAudio used in previous sets though, so that's already an improvement from a technical perspective. The set also handles more challenging dynamic ranges in the bass and treble quite well, in addition to allowing trailing ends of tones their dues too. Synth notes in particular are standouts here, whereas snares and bass guitars are plenty impactful—again leaning too much for my tastes. I will complement ThieAudio for managing to do this while still retaining clean and more neutral mids coming up thereafter, and bass timbre is also a non-issue despite the generous amount of bass provided.

What the graph doesn't tell you is how that bone conduction driver plays a role here. It's not the kind to make the shells vibrate against your pinna, instead feeding into the nozzle based on this video as well as the description in the product page. The goal is to add an extra sense of tactility to the mids and treble, and it works to an extent. Brass instruments and male vocals in particular sound quite lush here, and the soundstage is also very wide to the point where some notes may well feel as if they are playing outside your head, including completely behind it at times. This can lead to coherence issues though, since I know that's not how some songs are supposed to sound. Imaging is also hit as a result, unless you perceive the music being played in front. You can't do much about this spatial awareness issue with positioning of the shells in your ears, as with some other BCD sets, so ultimately I suspect this will be more down to how you individually perceive the sound. The upper mids and ear gain follow the new meta tuning to a big extent, although this results in some female vocals feeling subdued to me and also causing the overall tonality to feel less balanced. If anything, given that excessive bass earlier, I'd have rather wanted the 1-2 kHz region more filled out, and doing so with EQ made the Origin sound better to my ears. Doing so also now allowed some weight to instruments too, even more than what the BCD is trying doing here.

The treble is probably my favorite part here, and here too there are some caveats. Vocals out of the box are going to sound neutral/natural to some and slightly subdued to others like me, but there should not be any shout or sibilance. The lower treble comes off more pronounced, as mentioned before but, unless you are sensitive to the 6-7 kHz region which I am not sure is a strong point for many, it's not as bad as the graph might make it appear. If you listen primarily to metal music and have lower treble sensitivity, then the ThieAudio Origin might cause some headaches though, so this is something to be aware of. Otherwise, I thought the rest of the treble was very well executed, not fatiguing to me, and extended enough without going overboard in the upper frequencies as so many EST tweeter sets have done. There's plenty of air for an ethereal sound, and you have enough detail retrieval going on to help with complex orchestral recordings too. In fact, if you are okay with the soundstage feeling artificially wide and spaced out, this can even be a unique experience offering a taste of that concert hall experience with IEMs that are otherwise notorious for cramped staging.


ThieAudio alone has a lot of IEMs in a similar price range as the Origin, with the Oracle MKIII and Monarch MKII/III being tribrid sets on either side of the Origin's cost. I am not convinced my Oracle MKIII review sample is necessarily representative of that product as a whole, especially based on two other sets I tried that sound similar to each other and to the CanJam London demo unit, but different from mine. For what it's worth, I see the ThieAudio Origin as a better Oracle MKIII in the treble, having similar mids but with more texture and weight, and then way more bass. With the Monarch duo, the Origin does best them in bass impact and texture in my opinion, and of course there's again a lot more bass to where the Origin is the set to go for if you want more bass and/or better bass quality too. The same could be said about the Hype 10, a hybrid set with the same dual DD setup as the Monarch MKIII and ten BA drivers thereafter. My stance on the bass remains the same here, even if I vastly prefer the bass shelf on the Hype 10 in both shape and quantity. The Hype 10 also feels more coherent in my ears with a realistic soundstage and more precise imaging than with the Origin, yet has poor timbre for most instruments and misses on some sparkle in the treble too. While there are other sets in this price range too, such as the Custom Art Hybrid 3 Pro, I will actually bring up the Fatfrequency Scarlet Mini instead given that's the only "mega bass" set I have here, making even the ThieAudio Origin sound tame and downright neutral by comparison. This is a brand known for its bassy IEMs, with the Scarlet Mini easily being the bassiest set I've tried that hedges a fine line between V/L-shaped tuning. The Scarlet Mini can put a smile on your face too, but more because it's just a silly set that I pull out for 15-20 min of fun rather than any critical listening—I can't handle more than that. I do respect what Fatfreq has managed to do with the treble here though, making the Scarlet Mini more than just a 1-trick pony, yet the ThieAudio Origin is by far the better set to go for bassheads who listen to other music too, and this is even before we get to the poor customer service and order fulfillment that Fatfreq has demonstrated this year with multiple product launches.