ThieAudio Legacy 9 VS Hisenior Mega5-EST

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

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ThieAudio Legacy 9 and Hisenior Mega5-EST use 1DD+8BA and 1DD+2BA+2EST driver setups respectively. ThieAudio Legacy 9 costs $550 while Hisenior Mega5-EST costs $549. ThieAudio Legacy 9 is $1 more expensive. Hisenior Mega5-EST holds a decisive 2.6-point edge in reviewer scores (5.3 vs 7.9). Hisenior Mega5-EST has significantly better bass with a 1.9-point edge, Hisenior Mega5-EST has significantly better mids with a 2.6-point edge, Hisenior Mega5-EST has significantly better treble with a 2-point edge, Hisenior Mega5-EST has significantly better dynamics with a 1.8-point edge, Hisenior Mega5-EST has significantly better details with a 2.4-point edge and Hisenior Mega5-EST has significantly better imaging with a 3.6-point edge.

Insights

Metric ThieAudio Legacy 9 Hisenior Mega5-EST
Bass 6 7.9
Mids 5 7.6
Treble 6 8
Details 5 7.4
Soundstage 5.3 8.2
Imaging 4 7.6
Dynamics 5 6.8
Tonality 5.6 7.9
Technicalities 5.4 7.6

ThieAudio Legacy 9 Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Crin Precogvision

Average Reviewer Score:

5.3

Mixed to Negative


Hisenior Mega5-EST Aggregated Review Score

Average Reviewer Scores

Fresh Reviews
Precogvision
Shuwa-T Jays Audio Smirk Audio
Jaytiss Tim Tuned Audionotions Gizaudio Axel Super* Review IEMRanking AI
Z-Reviews

Average Reviewer Score:

7.9

Strongly Favorable


ThieAudio Legacy 9 User Review Score

Average User Scores

Average User Score: n/a

Based on 0 user reviews

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Hisenior Mega5-EST User Review Score

Average User Scores

Average User Score: n/a

Based on 0 user reviews

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ThieAudio Legacy 9 Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

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

Gaming Score

4.9

Gaming Grade

C

Hisenior Mega5-EST Gaming Score

Gaming Score & Grade

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

Gaming Score

7.2

Gaming Grade

A-

ThieAudio Legacy 9 Scorings

Average Technical & Tuning Grades

Average Tunign Grade

B-
  • Generally enjoyable tonal character with some noticeable unevenness. Maintains listenability while showing room for refinement in frequency balance.

Average Technical Grade

C+
  • Satisfactory technical performance. Handles basic detail retrieval adequately in most tracks. Maintains reasonable cohesion in simpler arrangements.
Bass B
Good bass foundation with decent impact. Maintains acceptable control while providing satisfying thump in most tracks.
Mids C+
Decent midrange performance - balanced but unremarkable. Adequate clarity for most genres without notable flaws.
Treble B
Good treble response - clear and detailed without fatigue. Well-extended with proper air and sparkle.
Dynamics C+
Decent dynamic performance. Good macro-contrast but micro-dynamics could be more nuanced. Satisfactory impact.
Details C+
Decent detail retrieval. Handles most textures adequately though micro-details and ambient cues could be more pronounced.
Imaging C-
Average imaging - reasonable localization but lacks specificity. Instruments have general positions but lack pinpoint accuracy.
Gaming C
Minimal environmental definition provides only general audio cues. Suitable for games where positioning isn't critical. Bad value-to-cost for gaming purpose - not recommended

Hisenior Mega5-EST 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+
Superb treble: effortless extension with crystal clarity. Perfect balance of sparkle and smoothness with exceptional detail.
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 A-
Good fundamental spatial awareness for most gaming scenarios. Handles basic positioning well but may lack nuance in complex situations. Bad value-to-cost for gaming purpose - not recommended

ThieAudio Legacy 9 Reviews

Crin 5.5 Reviewer Score
B- Tuning
B Tech
Bass a little too slow and sluggish with minor quirks in the midrange-treble transition.

Crin original ranking

Crin Youtube Channel
- Crin
Precogvision 5.1 Reviewer Score
B- Tuning
C Tech
Solid bass and sparkly, well-extended treble. Could use more work in the detail and imaging department.

Precogvision original ranking

Precogvision Youtube Channel
- Precogvision
Bass: B Mids: C+ Treble: B Dynamics: C+ Details: C+ Imaging: C-

Hisenior Mega5-EST Reviews

Z-Reviews 9 * score normalized
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Price: $549

Buy Hisenior Mega5-EST on HiFiGO
Jaytiss 8.6 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A+ Tech
If you get the good tuning, this is way higher.

Jaytiss original ranking

Jaytiss Youtube Channel
- Jaytiss
Mids: A+ Treble: A+ Dynamics: B Soundstage: S-
Tim Tuned 8.5 Reviewer Score
S- Tuning
A+ Tech
Exceptionally tuned across the board Could use more "wow" and details

Tim Tuned original ranking

Tim Tuned Youtube Channel
- Tim Tuned
Bass: S Mids: S Treble: S
Audionotions 8 Reviewer Score
Incredibly well tuned IEM that sounds very natural across all frequencies. Nothing inoffensive with good technical chops. Stage is not vast - but it is natural and has depth. Bass is full but it is very much on the pillowy side. Mids are natural sounding and clear. Vocals are lush. Instruments sound as they should - timbre is very, very natural - this dethrones Supernova as timbre king IMO. Imaging is pretty decent with decent separation. Decently detailed sounding. Incredibly pleasant to listen to and never fatiguing. Very smooth sound overall. Held back by markedly blunted transients and lack of dynamics that can sometimes make things sound softer than I like as far as attack/incisiveness goes. A great all-rounder. Previously Owned

Audionotions original ranking

Website (Audionotions)

- Audionotions
Gizaudio Axel 8 Reviewer Score
A+ Tuning
A- Tech
A "plain water" type sound signature with a bass boost. Great tuning, neutral with bass boost, smooth, safe, and balanced. Could use more detail, incisiveness, and excitement.

Gizaudio Axel original ranking

Gizaudio Axel Youtube Channel
- Gizaudio Axel
Super* Review 8* * score normalized
Fantastic tuning.. it really does not get better. Technical performance could be better.

Super* Review original ranking

Super* Review Youtube Channel
- Super* Review
Shuwa-T 7.9 Reviewer Score
A Tuning
A+ Tech
Bass layering, treble detail are excellent; midrange leans neutral and focuses on clarity over musicality It is not for people who seek addictive midrange or musical presentation

Shuwa-T original ranking

Shuwa-T Website

- Shuwa-T
Bass: A+ Mids: A- Treble: S- Soundstage: A+ Details: A+ Imaging: A+
Jays Audio 7.5 Reviewer Score
S- Tuning
A+ Tech
New unit is better tuned/balanced, smooth, good all-rounder, and sounds like adjusted diffusefield.

Jays Audio original ranking

Jays Audio Youtube Channel
- Jays Audio
Smirk Audio 7 Reviewer Score
A- Tuning
B+ Tech
Well-tuned and great techs at this price point. Lacks dynamics and the mids are a little lean. Otherwise a great all-rounder.

Smirk Audio original ranking

Smirk Audio Head-Fi Profile

- Smirk Audio
Bass: A- Mids: A Treble: A Dynamics: B+ Details: A- Imaging: A-
Precogvision 6.5 Reviewer Score
B+ Tuning
A- Tech
Very bouncy bass but midrange sounds sucked out and has some oddity. Original sounds more coherent even if less exciting/detailed.

Precogvision original ranking

Precogvision Youtube Channel
- Precogvision
Bass: A- Mids: B Treble: A- Dynamics: A- Details: A- Imaging: A-
Fresh Reviews 5.5* * The score of this reviewer influences only the Gaming Score

IEMRanking AI

2025-09-02
IEMRanking AI 8.2 Reviewer Score
S- Tuning
A Tech

The Hisenior Mega5-EST is a tribrid with a 5-driver array—1DD+2BA+2EST—using a four-way network and triple bores; published specs list ~25 Ω impedance and ~105 dB sensitivity, making it easy to drive from portable sources. Street pricing for the current universal “7th Anniversary” version sits around $549 USD. Source: driver/config & specs (Hisenior) and pricing (HiFiGo) .

Tonally it leans neutral with a sub-bass lift, with a relatively relaxed upper-mid/low-treble region that favors smoothness over bite; ESTs add air without excessive sharpness. Measurements and listening notes describe a calm take versus Harman with noticeable sub-bass emphasis, plus an 11–12 kHz sparkle that keeps things from sounding too soft. References: tuning commentary and FR behavior (Headphones.com) , “calm vs Harman” with sub-bass note (Boizoff) , and FR graph (Squiglink) .

Technicalities are solid but not class-leading for the price: staging and imaging are tidy, separation is clean, while micro-detail and incisiveness are more “easy-listening” than analytical. Reviewers highlight good layering and coherency yet note that resolution “edge definition” and excitement could be higher at this tier. Sources: technical impressions (Headphones.com) and general performance notes (Headfonia) .

Buy Hisenior Mega5-EST on HiFiGO (affiliate)

- IEMRanking AI
Bass: S- Mids: A Treble: A+ Dynamics: A Soundstage: A+ Details: A Imaging: A+
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Price: $599

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ThieAudio Legacy 9 User Reviews

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