Empire Ears ESR Mk2 VS ThieAudio Prestige LTD

IEM Comparison: Expert & Community Scores Side-by-Side

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Empire Ears ESR Mk2 and ThieAudio Prestige LTD use 3BA+2EST and 1DD+4BA+4EST driver setups respectively. Empire Ears ESR Mk2 costs $1,100 while ThieAudio Prestige LTD costs $1,300. ThieAudio Prestige LTD is $200 more expensive. ThieAudio Prestige LTD holds a decisive 1.3-point edge in reviewer scores (7 vs 8.3).

Insights

Metric Empire Ears ESR Mk2 ThieAudio Prestige LTD
Bass 7 7.5
Mids 7 7.8
Treble 7 7.8
Details 7 7.3
Soundstage 7 8
Imaging 7 7.5
Dynamics 7 6.3
Tonality 7.5 7.8
Technicalities 7 7.8

Empire Ears ESR Mk2 Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Crin

Average Reviewer Score:

7

Generally Favorable

Show all Empire Ears ESR Mk2 reviews

ThieAudio Prestige LTD Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Shuwa-T Smirk Audio Nymz
Bad Guy Good Audio Jaytiss
Jays Audio
Z-Reviews

Average Reviewer Score:

8.3

Very Positive

Show all ThieAudio Prestige LTD reviews

Empire Ears ESR Mk2 Details

Driver Configuration: 3BA+2EST

Tuning Type: Warm neutral

Brand: Empire Ears Top Empire Ears IEMs

Price (Msrp): $1,100

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ThieAudio Prestige LTD Details

Driver Configuration: 1DD+4BA+4EST

Tuning Type: n/a

Brand: ThieAudio Top ThieAudio IEMs

Price (Msrp): $1,300

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Empire Ears ESR Mk2 User Review Score

Average User Scores

Average User Score: n/a

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ThieAudio Prestige LTD User Review Score

Average User Scores

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Empire Ears ESR Mk2 Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

  • The gaming score is prioritizing technical capabilities of the IEM (Separation, Layering, Soundstage) and good value.

Gaming Score

6.2

Gaming Grade

B

ThieAudio Prestige LTD Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

  • The gaming score is prioritizing technical capabilities of the IEM (Separation, Layering, Soundstage) and good value.

Gaming Score

6.8

Gaming Grade

B+

Empire Ears ESR Mk2 Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

A
  • Well-executed tonal character. No major flaws with good technical control. Smooth presentation works with multiple genres.

Average Technical Grade

A-
  • Competent technical presentation. Handles separation and detail well in most tracks, with modest soundstage and acceptable imaging capabilities.
Gaming B
Decent spatial awareness for fundamental positioning. Creates satisfying atmosphere in story-driven games while handling basic directional cues. Bad value-to-cost for gaming purpose - not recommended

ThieAudio Prestige LTD Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

A
  • Well-executed tonal character. No major flaws with good technical control. Smooth presentation works with multiple genres.

Average Technical Grade

A
  • Good technical performance. Clear separation and decent detail retrieval across various tracks. Soundstage shows reasonable width and depth.
Bass A
Strong, well-defined bass with good texture. Delivers satisfying punch and rumble without overwhelming other frequencies.
Mids A
Excellent midrange with natural timbre and great detail retrieval. Vocals are forward and emotive with lifelike instrument reproduction.
Treble A
Excellent treble: airy, extended and well-controlled. Great micro-detail retrieval without sibilance or harshness.
Dynamics B
Good dynamic expression with solid impact. Handles volume contrasts well while maintaining good transient snap.
Soundstage A+
Exceptional soundstage with holographic imaging. Creates a truly three-dimensional space where instruments float naturally around you.
Details A-
Excellent detail retrieval: highly resolving without being clinical. Effortlessly reveals micro-details and textural subtleties.
Imaging A
Excellent imaging: precise and stable placement. Instruments occupy specific points in space with tangible positions.
Gaming B+
Respectable environmental presentation favors atmosphere over precision. Detects obvious directional cues while conveying game world ambiance. Bad value-to-cost for gaming purpose - not recommended

Empire Ears ESR Mk2 Reviews

Reviewed by: Crin

Crin 7 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A- Tech
Possibly the most pleasant-sounding of the Empire Ears lineup with decent detailing to boot.

Crin original ranking

Crin Youtube Channel

ThieAudio Prestige LTD Reviews

Reviewed by: Z-Reviews

Z-Reviews 10 * score normalized
check links for more info:

Z-Reviews original ranking

Z-Reviews Youtube Channel
YouTube video thumbnail

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Price: $1,299

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Reviewed by: Jays Audio

Jays Audio 9 Reviewer Score
S Tuning
S Tech
Clean and natural signature with treble emphasis. LOTS of details with airy treble without going overboard (better treble extension vs MK2/MK3). Bass is not as impactful versus MK3 but has better separation. Overall a technical monster, but can be a bit dry due to less mid-bass. Vocals are further vs MK3 and MK2 (not as forward), giving it that open sense of space. MK2 still the best for vocals, but LTD is an endgame all-rounder.

Jays Audio original ranking

Jays Audio Youtube Channel
YouTube video thumbnail

Reviewed by: Bad Guy Good Audio

Bad Guy Good Audio 8.1 Reviewer Score
A+ Tuning
A- Tech
check links for more info:

Bad Guy Good Audio original ranking

Bad Guy Good Audio Youtube Channel
Bass: A- Mids: A+ Treble: A+
YouTube video thumbnail

Reviewed by: Jaytiss

Jaytiss 8 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
A+ Tech
The unit I reviewed had wonky bass, expect this to change if I review a unit with proper bass.

Jaytiss original ranking

Jaytiss Youtube Channel
Mids: A+ Treble: A+ Dynamics: C+ Soundstage: A+

Reviewed by: Shuwa-T

Shuwa-T 7.9 Reviewer Score
A+ Tuning
A Tech
A much better implementation than the Prestige OG

Shuwa-T original ranking

Shuwa-T Website

Bass: S- Mids: A+ Treble: A Soundstage: A+ Details: A Imaging: A+

Reviewed by: Smirk Audio

Smirk Audio 7.6 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A Tech
check links for more info:

Smirk Audio original ranking

Smirk Audio Head-Fi Profile

Bass: A Mids: A+ Treble: A Dynamics: A Details: A Imaging: A

Reviewed by: Nymz

Nymz 7.3 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
A- Tech
The best Thieaudio I've heard to date. Very close tonality to the Mk3, but with better technical performance, especially in the dynamics and stage departments.

Nymz original ranking

Nymz Website

Bass: A- Mids: A- Treble: A+ Details: A- Imaging: A-

Empire Ears ESR Mk2 User Reviews

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ThieAudio Prestige LTD User Reviews

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