Softears Cerberus VS Thieaudio Valhalla

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Softears Cerberus hits that rare mix of mellow, relaxed listening with just enough fun to avoid boredom. The 1DD+4BA+2EST array keeps the bass mostly neutral with a tasteful sub-bass lift; it arrives when called, disappears when not, and shows off excellent texture with deep reach—easily one of the better dynamic drivers for low end in a tribrid. Mids stay true-to-tone and unforced; a touch of missing lower/mid-treble “focal” energy keeps vocals from getting shouty, trading bite for a soft, laid-back presence that matches the whole vibe.

The treble is the headline. It’s a dark, smooth take that still sprinkles in the right sparkle and extension from the ESTs—far better than the graph suggests—and it’s tailor-made for the treble-sensitive who still want real performance. Raw technicalities aren’t chasing summit-fi trophies (think competent hybrid/tribrid levels in the $500–$1,000 crowd), but the soundstage stretches impressively wide, among the widest heard on an IEM at home. That choice fits: a set tuned to relax shouldn’t turn analytical or clinical.

Recommended for listeners who want to chill, unwind, and enjoy a refined, non-fatiguing top end; not for those seeking maximum detail shove and fireworks—there are brighter, more forward options for that. As a high-end “kick back” piece, Cerberus stands out as a kilobuck set that invites getting lost in the music rather than dissecting it, and that’s exactly its charm.

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Thieaudio Valhalla lands as a 19-BA flagship around $2,000 that doubles down on build and ergonomics. The titanium shell is chunky but beautifully machined, skin-friendly, and the nozzle grips tips securely; faceplates are swappable for a premium if the stock look isn’t it. Accessories are basic—tips, foams, brush, the usual case—and the stock cable is comfy with a working chin slider, but the modular 3.5/4.4 plugs don’t lock and can pop off too easily. The slightly recessed 2-pin is fine, yet the ear-side barrel leaves a small gap that doesn’t sit flush; a simple aftermarket cable fixes the vibe. Taken as an object, this is world-class industrial design with a couple cable quirks.

On the ear, Valhalla hits a clean, incisive neutrality with just enough flavor. Sub-bass is surprisingly firm for BA, mid-bass stays tidy, and the mids are pristine—no glaze, no haze. There’s a tasteful dip through ~3–6 kHz that keeps the upper-mids from shouting, while a touch of 8 kHz sparkle adds air; treble extends smoothly without turning edgy. It’s a highly technical, high-resolution listen that can read “almost boring” if a colored signature is the goal—but for detail, separation, and coherence, it delivers. Unit variation appears minor (another sample showed a bit more 4–6 k energy), yet the core tuning stays intact.

Versus housemates: Origin swings bassier and “fun”; Valhalla feels cleaner, clearer, more resolute. Hype 2/4 don’t match the air and microdetail; Hype 10 gets closer up top but raises value questions. Oracle MK3 has more 4–5 k zing and lighter sub-bass; Fatfreq Grand Maestro hits similarly rich lows but brings fit hassles and module faff. Against the Elysian Annihilator, pick Annihilator for extra sub-bass and spectacle; pick Valhalla for comfort, longevity, and easy cable-swapping. Not perfect—the stock cable system is flimsy and the “air” isn’t the most crystalline—but this is a top-tier contender with a refined, broadly pleasing tuning and a shell that feels built to outlast the hype.

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Thieaudio Valhalla lands as an “endgame” all-rounder with standout resolution, micro-detail, and imaging. Layering and separation are locked in, with vocals that aren’t scooped—mids stay present and natural. Sub-bass hits rumblier than the U12t and the treble avoids that sudden, sharp peak, making the overall presentation smoother yet still airy. Versus the Cadenza 12, Valhalla is less treble-heavy, a touch bassier, and not as bright-leaning; the Cadenza 12 may edge it on micro-detail by only a few percentage points, so it’s a straight tuning preference: go Cadenza 12 for leaner/brighter sparkle, go Valhalla for the better-balanced bassy all-rounder.

On value, this isn’t twice the performance of a Monarch Mk II/Mk III—think ~10% better with clear diminishing returns. For the “chase the very best” crowd, it’s absolutely worth a listen; for most, Monarchs/LTD/Crimson are already more than enough for a so-called endgame. Final call: Top Tier for tuning and sound refinement—not a value pick, but a legit endgame-grade set.

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Thieaudio’s Valhalla is a $2,000, all–balanced armature flagship packing 19 balanced armatures in new-for-the-brand metal shells. The look leans understated—gunmetal/pewter with a hint of rosiness—and the build feels solid, though the stock cable is thick and the swappable plugs rely on friction with no positive lock, which can pull loose. Fit is still large, but notably better than recent Monarch generations: once seated it’s stable and secure enough for long sessions, even if it won’t disappear in-ear.

Tonally, Valhalla targets a clean neutral with a meaty, sub-bass–focused boost, slightly warmer through the mids and less peaky up top than Monarch Mk IV. Despite being all-BA, the bass feels more dynamic and satisfying than the Monarch’s, and the big story is technical performance: imaging, separation, stage definition, and overall resolution are genuinely standout—“flagship-grade” in a way many kilobuck sets aren’t. Downsides are the sheer size and that cumbersome cable, but as a listen it’s special and compelling. Verdict: four stars out of five, and an easy pick over Monarch Mk IV on sonics if the fit works.

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ThieAudio Valhalla comes in hot as a true flagship challenger: a titanium shell housing 19 drivers—14 “Sonion” and five “Knowles"—and a price planted in the ~$2K bracket. This tier isn’t like GPUs where benchmarks decide winners; earphones here are closer to watches—craft, taste, and execution. On that score, Valhalla feels legit: premium build, branded internals, and tuning aimed squarely at high-end competition that regularly asks two to three times more.

The low end lands with plenty of energy and control—808 drops for Ghetto Boys/Public Enemy/Wu-Tang/Kendrick/Tupac/Outkast hit clean, while four- and five-string bass guitar lines carry real texture and decay. Iconic kick work like “When the Levee Breaks” thumps with satisfying weight without smearing. Midrange is dialed: no bloated mid-bass warming up female vocals, no shouty upper mids pushing voices unnaturally forward—great for a vocal-centric library and classic cuts (think “Sultans of Swing”). Up top, harmonics extend with air and clarity without the zingy fatigue—decays aren’t chopped off, so cymbals and overtones feel complete rather than muted.

On ranking, this reads as a top-five contender with this library, easily competing with sets in the $4–6K lane on balance, quality, and tuning. The only real ding is the presentation box, which doesn’t scream “luxury” the way the sound and build do. Verdict: squarely between “would buy” and “going to hype it.” Given ThieAudio’s run of legit releases (Monarch line, Oracle MKIII, etc.), Valhalla fits the pattern—no weak link in the chain, just a serious flagship play at a price that undercuts many rivals.

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Thieaudio Valhalla lands as a lavish, 19-BA-per-side flagship tuned warm-natural with a palpable sub-bass emphasis, quick attack/decay, and standout separation and layering. Vocals read both natural and technical—male and female alike—without bass bleed, while the treble carries enough air to keep micro-detail clean. Comfort and build impress, making it an easy all-day daily driver and a legitimate endgame pick for music that also crosses over to gaming.

In shooters, Valhalla excels at depth perception, verticality, and parsing simultaneous cues. For Call of Duty it’s an outright S-tier: footsteps, fly-ins, and distant strikes are easy to place with zero guesswork. In Apex Legends it sits around A to A-—gunfire is beautifully controlled, but super-light slides/taps can be a touch subdued. In Valorant it’s highly competitive with top open-backs, while in CS2 the tuning keeps gunfire less shouty and footstep reads strong, making it a great IEM choice overall. Net result on the “wallhack certification” scale: A to A- across multiple titles—an expensive IEM that earns its keep if both music enjoyment and competitive clarity are on the checklist.