ThieAudio Cypher–I Tried to Crack the Cypher… and Accidentally Vibed

Pros: 

Price and value

Build quality

Comfort

Aesthetics

Neutral tuning but rich, cohesive, exciting and balanced across the spectrum

Imaging is excellent

Staging is not huge in width but very spherical

Cons:

Will pick up any flaws in the recording

Would have personally preferred a modular cable

Nothing else at this price

Product links -

Linsoul:

https://www.linsoul.com/products/thieaudio-cypher?srsltid=AfmBOopwe39VOWs42WWAiZkNGw771LBhtTL8jFL_tx-DjK5G5ecp_9MQ

Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/linsoul/thieaudio-cypher-flagship-dynamic-driver-headphones

Preamble: 

The Thieaudio Cyphers have just been released through Kickstarter, starting at a super early-bird price of just $329 USD, then $349, and finally $379 on Kickstarter, with a RRP of $399 USD. They employ a ‘Newly Designed 20-core N45 50mm Dynamic Driver’ and have an impedance of 32 ohm and a sensitivity of 96 dB/mW.

ThieAudio stipulates these headphones have been “Designed for Professionals” with a “Reference Grade Tuning”.

I assume that means as close to neutral as possible.

I like to add on all my reviews –

I’m listening with my dual-mono aural side-pancakes, not yours.
I’m listening with my gear, not yours.
I’m listening with my love of audio, and not yours. YMMV…..

Now let’s get our aural hands dirty!

Gear:

For the review, I’ll be using my main rig - Gustard R30 Dac, a new Erzetich Bacillus II+ amp (review soon) with my Eversolo DMP-A6 as source (Tidal).

Unboxing and first impressions:

Well the box looks professional – good start. Open it book style and there is a brown leather man/woman/person-bag with THIAUDIO embossed into it. I’m not a man/woman/person-bag type of dude but hey, billions of others are. It’s super thin. Actually, looking at the box, it’s very thin also. Maybe this is just the bag for the cable….

Well, unzip it and a flat pair of headphones pop out with a slot that holds a black braided cable, terminated in 3.5mm, a 6.3mm adapter, tiny instruction booklet, clearly made for hamsters to read, or an ancient race of neo-humans that existed Millenia ago, standing 32cm high with HUGE eyes……….I’m sure of it.

There’s also 2 lolly packets this time – brands I’ve never heard of. “Body Sachet” and “Desiccant”. The first actually tastes like fermenting old underwear and the 2^nd one WASN’T finely shredded coconut……Thieaudio, PLEASE change your lolly brands!!

After emptying my stomach, multiple times, it’s back to the review.

The bag is actually very nice and it’s hard at the bottom to protect the cups.

I like the cable – it’s thick enough and braided in a black material. The only issue for me is that most of my amps are balanced as well as single ended, so through the balanced output, power is usually at least twice the amount it is out of single ended. I guess that doesn’t matter if you have a sufficiently powered amp but I would always prefer  a modular cable, which are more popular these days, particularly with iems.

The website says a 3m cable, mine is 2m.

But, it’s perfect for my tube amps. It’s a simple affair.

The headphones, in my opinion, look premium. They feel that way too.

They have a lovely balanced heft to them and the construction is all metal (aerospace alluminium) with a carbon fibre headband and a genuine leather suspension strap.

The headband is super comfy, as are the compete headphones.

The pads are velour which feel soft. I prefer a leather pad, I wonder what sonic differences pad swapping would achieve?

I love the pad-replacement system – it’s magnetic. Perfect!!!!!

I also adore the pattern on the grill. It does remind me of Meze somehow but that’s neither here or there. I think the bronze or the brown colour behind the meshed grill is an ocular indulgence. Ok. I exaggerate, but I do love the look!!!!

Remove the pads and the meshed grill continues on the inside, giving some dampening. The driver is angled to pinpoint sounds more accurately.

Playlist:

Mixing it up here folks – having fun with a selection of songs I’ve never had on a playlist (aside form Cike Cike), that I adore!!

When Your Love Is Gone – Jimmy Barnes

Your Love – Lari Basilo

Year Of The Horse – Richaadeb

The Last Saskatchewan Pirate - Alestorm

Black Diamond – Stratovarius

Toccata – Marcin

Catherine Howard – Rick Wakeman

Cike Cike – Bebe Rexh

The Important Stuff:

I have, like I always do, spent a good deal of time listening to the Cyphers for pure pleasure.

I’m a huge Youtube watcher of all things (literally – I’ll sit and watch a colony of ants build a replica Taj Mahal and wonder where the last 2.5 hrs went……).

I did have a quick look at 3 reviews of the Cipher on Youtube. Ok, I may have fallen asleep at some stage…….

I say this because 2 out of those 3 reviews referred to the treble as “smooth and well‑extended, but not boosted for sparkle or excitement” and “polite and studio‑leaning”, as well as “safe and conservative and “well‑behaved and inoffensive”.

You’ll see why I have referenced this later.

Ok, where do I start?

Oh right, Jimmy Barnes (Barnsey to every Aussie!).

This is a beautiful ballad. Cymbals snap, there are claps too, and the treble is clean, very resolving and  punchy. There are also snare hits out left and right and they are clear and very detailed all throughout the song. Staging is reasonably wide but it’s also all around me. Barnsey is in front of me, the guitar is behind me and the bass is sitting very nicely in the background. Bass goes very low but it’s not overdone.

A small drum solo at 3:30 and it hits hard, left and right. It’s rousing. Jimmy’s vocals are powerful but natural and rich, not recessed or any way too forward. It’s a very balanced listen.

An amazing Brazillian guitarist, Lari Basilio seems to have influences from Stevi Vai, Joe Satriani and the like. She is rock/metal/funk all at once. And DAMN she’s good!!!! I could listen to her all day.

Anyway, Alive and Living is a fast, crisp, electric guitar instrumental explosion. The drum snaps are actually very crisp on this song, bordering on being almost too crisp to me. I’m hearing every bloody detail though. The higher frequencies allow for an exceptionally detailed sound. The midrange is natural and full but not forward in any way. The bass guitar goes down low but it’s in the background.

I imagine this is just the mixing on this song, but the treble on the Cyphers is definitely NOT relaxed, smooth OR polite to my ears. Remembering of course, we all hear completely differently and use different gear to listen also.

Most of the world thinks the sun shines out of the Sennheiser HD6XX’s arse. I’ve owned them. Twice. I’m not a fan……

Onto another instrumental number – Year Of The Horse. This is a frenetic maelstrom of classically influenced metal guitar by Richaadeb, an American guitarist who plays fast, damn fast!

Drums are huge on this track and are firing like a machine gun. Richaadeb’s arpeggios are speedy, clean, melodic and almost impossible to keep up with. But, the Cyphers manage to. It’s an aural cacophony with guitars literally all around my head. Well placed, too. Staging is not huge but separation is very decent, allowing for a frenetic piece to be quite coherent. The drums are clean and crisp but definitely not jarring. It must have been the mixing on the previous track. Treble is definitely not relaxed though. In fact, I would say it’s just about spot on. Mids from guitars are very powerful and full, but aren’t forward or shouty. Bass is also deep here too but’s it’s at the back of the mix, and not overstated.

I LOVE Alestorm – Scottish Pirate Metallers………This is a sea-shanty almost. Christopher Bowes’ vocals are commanding and very robust. He has a rasp that’s subtle but adds a lot to his style. Again the bass is deep but in the background, and treble on this song is a tad more relaxed this time, as two of the three YouTube reviewers described in their reviews.

This is the first time, it’s been a tad smooth (see above Youtuber’s comments). Not in a bad way by any means, mind you.

I will reiterate. I’m listening on a quality R2R Dac, and an excellent headphone amplifier, putting out only 157mW from it’s single ended output. And it’s driving the Cyphers like a boss!!! I’m listening loud (no kiddies, don’t do it, you’ll end up looking like me……..) and I’m at10am on the volume pot. From 157mW………………What the HECK?????

A huge shout out to Erzetich and Gustard!!!! And of course Thieaudio. These things are sounding bloody good!! I guess the “Reference Grade Tuning” really does mean as neutral as possible.

And that’s what I’m hearing. Bass is not enhanced. Mids are perfectly smooth and in no way forward. And apart from one track (mixing), treble has been pretty much spot on and not crisp, harsh or too far extended, for me.

Stratovarious up next – Neo-Classical metallers from Helsinki, Finland. This is a very synth keyboard driven song but it wouldn’t be Strato without feverish bass and guitar. The keys are sharp, clean and detailed. Then the rest of the band kicks in – the bass guitar is deep but it’s also more present here. It’s a little more forward than it has been on other tracks and it sounds powerful. Timo’s vocals are huge. And high. The man can soar very high, vocally. The guitars and bass are separated well, and the keys are behind me. Cymbal crashes are both off to my left and right. Everything again, is solid and connected very well.

Ok, Marcin is next. A young (only bloody 25!!) Polish percussive fingerstyle guitarist. A VERY clever dude!!!

On his electric acoustic guitar, which I believe is an Ibanez, this man can shred. But his technical proficiencies are what separates him from the others.

Clearly classically trained (well it is Bach’s Toccata!), this piece is so clean and detailed. But as well, staging is out quite wide here, and all around my head. It’s in front and behind me. It’s quite surreal, like listening to surround speakers. Very immersive. And bass on the lower notes is not only deep, but clean, well separated and hard-hitting. This is just a joy to experience on the Cyphers – they capture the naturalness of the guitar but also the richness and power. At 1:27, Maracas or something swing by, right to left, but not only width, they fly behind me.

Marcin’s finger tapping on the wood of the guitar is so resolving and clean, but never harsh.

My favourite track so far on the Cyphers.

Rick Wakeman, of Yes fame, released so many banger solo albums – I’m a HUGE fan!! Catherine Howard (from The Six Wives Of Henry VIII album) is a piano-driven ballad and it begins with some guitars off the right, but down low and behind me. Imaging is excellent! Then the bass guitar comes in and it goes ocean-floor deep but it’s not in-you-face or overpowering. You just know it’s there, doing it’s job and smiling……. Staging and imaging really is respectable on this track, the best it has been, aside from Marcin. The guitar and piano are just natural and lifelike and sit perfectly in the mix. It’s exciting, funky (particularly at 2:15) and bass does start to come in hard and fast. The bass guitar is an integral part of the song now. Keys are all around me, as are the bass and electric guitar. This is another surround sound speaker experience.

I’m finishing with Bebe Rexha for the bass slam. And guess what – the bass rumbles on this song. The detail in the midrange and treble is clean, highly detailed and punchy. But the bass. Oh the bass. It goes down to my toes and it’s visceral. It’s the star of the show. It’s powerful and separated form everything else completely. It’s not bloomy or bloated. The rest of the song is simply exciting. It has a richness (the bass helps) and fullness but it’s clean and energetic too.

From my perspective, the Cyphers are quite neutral in their tuning and will bring out exactly what the song and mixing/recoding wants the listener to hear. I the song is crisp and crunchy, the Cyphers will show that with no mercy. If the track has a diminished bass line, then the Cyphers keep it in the background and show off the rest of the mix.

But if the song has more front than Trump’s toupee, then watch out, it’s gonna slam!

A quick comparison (or 2):

Ok, well, a $400 headphone. I don’t own Sennheisers (see above comment) and a few people have compared to the Hifiman XV (which I have in for review), so I won’t go there.

I will pull out my beloved Sivga SV023 300 ohm bad boys. They retail for $449 USD. This should be interesting.

The Sivgas have lovely wooden cups but I really am digging the Cypher’s grilles and build quality.

Comfort goes to both.

The SV023s come with a lovely 4.4mm braided cable.

The Cyphers come with a lovely 3.5mm braided cable. I would have preferred a modular cable with the Cyphers, but I certainly don’t need it as I mentioned, The Bacillus is driving both these headphones with power and authority, and from just 157 mW FGS (for Gary’s sake) on the Cyphers…….sheesh!!!!!!

On Cike Cike, the Sivgas have a hair more depth and quality to the bass. Mids are so natural and rich on both pairs, and on this song, the higher frequencies sound almost identical.

But , halfway through the song, there’s a really subtle cowbell being hit off to the right. On the SV023s, its down, below and quite far out right. On the Cyphers, it actually goes out further, but behind me more as well. It’s like someone is in the room with me, playing maracas behind me. Trippy.

On Toccata, they are both an excellent set of headphones – detail, imaging, bass weight and depth, but the Cyphers have a the slight edge over the Sivgas in their speed and attack. They have something special in their transients – a little faster and snappier. The Sivgas are a tad smoother overall. This may be a plus for some, but I prefer the extra sparkle that the Cyphers offer.

On Catherine Howard, both stage especially well with the Sivgas maybe going a tiny bit wider on this track. But it is a flatter staging. The Cyphers have a rounder, more spherical staging, and imaging within that staging is excellent. Instruments are literally all around my head. The surround speakers reference comes to mind again.

I love my SV023s, make no doubt about it.

But the headphone I would choose if I could only have one, would be the Cyphers, without a second’s hesitation.

Sivga, you fought gallantly but the new kids on the block won this battle.

Conclusion:

Well, I’m a bit gobsmacked if I’m being honest.

I’ll be called a shill but DAMN!!!!!

And yes, this is a paid review but I do not lie!! My opinions are all my own without influence.

Thieaudio is known for their iems but as a headphone maker, the other brands had seriously better watch out.

They are $399 USD retail. Cheaper on Kickstarter if you get in early (and you should!!).

The build quality is simply excellent. They look premium. They look sexy.

And the sound?? Baby, if this is reference tuning, then BRING IT ON. No frequency dominates but no frequency falls behind either. It’s a very cohesive sonic presentation. Rich, well-rounded and full.

And they present the song as it was recorded/mixed/produced. If it’s crisp and sibilant, the Cyphers show that. If there’s subtle bass, the Cyphers present that. If the bass is deep and impactful, then the Cyphers too, are visceral and deep.

My final conclusion – if you’re in the market for an extremely capable all round, reference tuned pair of dynamic headphones, the Thieaudio Cyphers are a damn good choice!!

Thanks Linsoul for the opportunity to review the Cyphers – I cannot wait to see where Thieaudio heads in 2026.

And thanks again  readers for sticking with me, it means a great deal!!!