Fit and Comfort

Seen above is the right channel of the ThieAudio V16 Divinity, or should I say ThieBlingio instead, installed into an artificial ear mold, and I am using the size M silicone ear tips included with the IEMs. This is my typical combination for personal use too, and illustrates the nature of the achievable fit with these IEMs. I do have average-sized ears, and the ear mold above represents my own experiences well enough as a proxy. The semi-custom design of the shells shaped for the ear concha with ergonomics in mind works well for most ear types, but several factors can affect a good seal, including the depth of the shells and protrusion toward the top. I would have liked a deeper fit, which is possible with some aftermarket tips, but this was a good fit for my ears otherwise. It's not the most comfortable set I have ever used by any means, but any sense of physical fatigue is solely due to how good the seal is for you rather than the ~7 g per side, which isn't much. Passive isolation is plenty fine as well, with the vent allowing for good pressure distribution between the ear canal and outside. Note the pre-formed ear hooks that add a further support point on top of the multiple points of contact for the IEM in the concha, and you can re-shape the memory wire-style ear hooks using a heat gun, or hairdryer.

Audio Performance

Audio Hardware

ThieAudio is being deliberate about how much information it shares about the internals of the V16 Divinity. All we know is that the V16 Divinity employs 16 balanced armature drivers from Sonion and Knowles, which means these are decent. This so-called flamboyant internal specification is divided to allow for a 5-way crossover, meaning the 20 Hz to 20 kHz frequency range is divided into five specific regions five driver groups cater to. Large woofer-style drivers from Sonion are used to cater specifically to the sub-bass, which is typically a shortcoming for all-BA sets; these concentrate on 200 Hz and below to make for a sub-woofer-like experience. The mids are separated into the lower and upper mids with custom driver combinations, which could well be a use of both types here. The lower treble is likely handled separately as well, which isn't pointed to as much on the product page, with but the use of Knowles tweeters mentioned for the higher frequencies. I probed further to find out more about not only the exact configuration, but the actual drivers used. Needless to say, my efforts were in vain, but it is the end result that matters the most.

Driving the hardware is extremely easy even compared to most IEMs, with a rated impedance of just 18 Ω at presumably 1 kHz and sensitivity of 112 dB/mW, again presumably at 1 kHz and measured at the drum reference point. In practice, a dedicated source isn't about power output with these, but rather low enough output impedance to account for the higher number of BA drivers, especially based on my experience with the 64 Audio U18t with its non-linear impedance curve. Any half-decent portable DAC/amp will suit your needs perfectly for when you find yourself without an available 3.5 mm audio jack on the go, and the provided balanced connectors are more for convenience than to make for a cleaner signal or more power, which is completely unnecessary. A better source compared to the line out from a laptop or PC—maybe even a DAP—is worth considering thus. If not using them on the go, the shorter cable included with IEMs might be a potential handicap when connecting to a PC as the audio source.

Frequency Measurement and Listening

I will mention that I have a general preference for a warm-neutral signature emphasizing a slightly elevated bass and smooth treble range with 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 IEMs can feed into enough for decent isolation. The audio coupler feeds into a USB soundcard (or FiiO K3), which in turn goes to a laptop that has ARTA and REW running and the earphones connected to the laptop through the soundcard (or FiiO K3). 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 and not just the audio coupler. The raw data is then exported from REW and plotted in OriginPro for easier comparison.


Based on my experience dealing with the 64 Audio U18t, another high-BA count IEM, I wanted to test the effect of my source's output impedance as it relates to the output from the ThieAudio V16 Divinity. We see a small difference in the low frequencies, but also in the upper mids for the ear gain region. I wasn't expecting as big a difference here as what we saw with the U18t with its lower impedance, non-linear impedance curve, but it is still substantial enough in the measurement. In person, I heard the pinna gain difference more than the bass change, although the latter also influences the lower mids, and male vocals, albeit indirectly. This is all the more reason not to cheap out on your source, especially when you get an expensive set of IEMs. The Qudelix-5K was a perfect match, so most such portable DAC/amps will suffice. All subsequent measurements are with the FiiO K3 to ensure no source coloring or effect.


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 V16 Divinity, or at least the useful part. 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 basically identical across the entire frequency range. In fact, they are identical even past the coupler resonance, where things are to be taken with a grain of salt, so this is absolutely incredible channel matching all around. As such, I perceived no channel imbalance even when actively looking for it. Given the hand-assembled nature of the V16 Divinity, it is no stretch to assume the drivers are hand-matched in this flagship set. Measurements taken after 50 hours of testing, including with 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 artificial pinna in place also matches the ideal scenario in the coupler near-perfectly, including with the typical resonance shift nowhere to be seen, which is an indicator of how good the seal was when installed in the pinna simulator, and this can perhaps be extrapolated to how good the seal in your own ears can be.


This is the average frequency response for both channels of the ThieAudio V16 Divinity plotted against my personal target taken from VSG.squig.link, which also gives you an idea of 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. With the V16 Divinity, I was immediately impressed with the tuning to where this is clearly ThieAudio flexing what it can do in terms of tonality with a complex set of 16 drivers and a 5-way crossover.

Take the bass response, for example. It's about an 8 dB rise in SPL from the lowest point in the mids, which is close enough to the rated 200 Hz not to be a concern. This is a very reasonable bass elevation considering the dynamics and slam from typical BA drivers will be less than from even a large single dynamic driver. The largest of the Sonion woofers concentrated into a sub-bass rise still makes for a powerful punch, so much so that this is the best bass quality I have had from an all-BA set to date. It is still very smooth and detailed, and doesn't feel as though it has been elevated 8 dB either, so the tuning here is purposeful and achieves what it set out to do. Bass guitars and kick drums in particular work out beautifully; I'd still go with a more bass-heavy set for EDM and house music, though.

The splitting of the mids into different driver configurations to cater to the lower and upper mids separately seems like a wise choice, but this is unfortunately where I thought the V16 faltered. In both channels, I noticed the transition from the bass to the lower mids, as well as the mids to the upper mids, which was recessed slightly to where there was an artificial rise at ~500 Hz. To me, this resulted in recessed male vocals and more forward-facing instruments, which works well for my specific tastes, but is unnecessarily done and seems to be a crossover artifact. Female vocals also come off slightly recessed, although that is quickly addressed by a near-perfect catering to a general HRTF response with the pinna gain compensation in place. There are still sets that I can see doing better for vocals, especially with the likes of R&B, jazz rap, and funk music with a combination of male vocals and string instruments, but the V16 comes through on its technical prowess with accurate imaging in a wide field, especially considering this is one of the widest soundstages for IEMs I have ever heard. In particular, I could clearly point out orchestral sources from a recording.

The transition from the upper mids to the treble is handled better. In fact, it is another tuning masterpiece in the books. Notice that small dip at ~5 kHz? This is where most people tend to be sensitive to shrill sounds, and this dip immediately preceding a small rise gives piano key fundamentals and string instrument harmonics breathing room. There are no ungainly sharp peaks or dips here, so I for once found a set that meets my specific target for this region wonderfully. I saw some reviews for the V16 Divinity mention lack of detail here, and I can see that in a couple of different ways. Often, an elevated treble response is associated with driver resolution, whether intentionally or otherwise, and there clearly isn't a lot of dynamic range and contrast here, so some notes may lose their nuances as they are masked by others. However, it would not be easy to simultaneously get this smooth and extended treble response with enough detail to cater to various different instrument classes. There is no pleasing everyone for the treble, but I think ThieAudio made the right choice, and the V16 Divinity is an excellent set for classical and orchestral music that caters to a variety of instruments as opposed to some specific categories that might be better handled by other sets.


The spectrogram for the ThieAudio V16 Divinity to an extend relates the decay and resolution with the tonality itself, but keep in mind that this is directly taken from REW and the Y-axis is milliseconds (ms), while the top-down view of the frequency response is decay. This is still a fast set that remains smooth, ultimately making for a fun general-purpose set that can be used for monitoring music as much as simple audiophile listening enjoyment. It certainly is a set that is tuned incredibly well in my books, but can be found somewhat wanting technically for those who want it all.

Comparisons

The ThieAudio V16 Divinity is among the most expensive sets of IEMs I have on hand. As such, the natural comparison would be with other flagship-class IEMs I have on me as well. I am taking the liberty of including another set that has not yet been reviewed: the Effect Audio Axiom which goes for $1500 and is made in Singapore. There is also the recently covered Lime Ears Pneuma costing ~$2000 and made in Poland, and 64 Audio U18t that costs $3000 and is made in the USA. Of the four, the Effect Audio Axiom is the biggest culprit by far. I can't recommend buying it for the asking price because of the poor tuning and fatiguing listening experience. It does have a neat feature that will be discussed in its eventual review, but it does not even come with a cable at that asking price. The Lime Ears Pneuma has a bass switch that changes the tonality in the lower frequencies similar to the V16 Divinity, but it doesn't come off as natural or fun to where some vocals can be nasal-sounding and has the worst treble range of the four here. It is also outperformed technically by the V16 Divinity, but that could be said of every other set here except for the U18t. The ThieAudio V16 Divinity is still tuned better than everything else here, including the U18t, and I will say that it has the best bass response of the four as well. The U18t is more detailed in the mids and treble though, and does come with more tops while also being easier to fit. The novel Apex modules there also help a lot, but I don't think it is worth twice the price of the V16 Divinity, especially with the modular cable included with the V16 Divinity.


The other natural set for comparison would be all the recently released tribrid IEMs from Asia, including ThieAudio's own Monarch going for $730, the XENNS UP for $700, and LETSHUOER EJ07M for $600. These three are more of a challenge to the V16 Divinity in the bass and mids even, especially the XENNS UP with very similar tuning and more dynamic bass. The Monarch also handles the mids better, but is a sub-bass rather than a mid-bass king. The EJ07M is more bassy and fun, but not as detailed in the bass or mids. The treble response is where I would still take the V16 Divinity over all three, although the EJ07M does once again come up in strong contention. This is a good example of what I meant above, where the V16 Divinity makes for an excellent all-rounder, though great with orchestral music; those preferring other specific music genres might do better for the money with more specialized sets.