My experience with Thieaudio has been with IEMs, and I’ve enjoyed everything that I’ve tried. The HYPE and Monarch series are two of my favourites, so I was very excited when I was given the opportunity to listen to Cypher! While not their first entry in headphones, it’s the first one that I’ve heard.
I’ve been a lover of Sennheiser, like many that are into headphones, since I started in the hobby. I mention this as I had seen some comments comparing Cypher to the HD600 series, the HD650 in particular. The HD650 was one of the first full-size headphones that I bought, and remains one that I don’t go a month without listening to, so expectations were pretty high! Before I get onto the sound lets talk about what you get when you buy Cypher.
The Cypher arrives with a presentation that feels appropriate for its price point. The packaging provides a premium unboxing experience without going overboard, and includes everything needed to get listening straight away.
Included accessories are:
- Thieaudio Cypher headphones
- Detachable cable with 3.5mm termination and a 6.3mm adapter
- Carrying case
The carrying case is essentially the same as the B&O H100 case, which I love, and also I love this one by default. The cable is fabric and I had no concerns with the sound which it produced through my time listening to the Cypher, although it is on the shorter side for a full-size headphone at 1.5m. I would have liked a 3m cable to be included, I have many other cables handy so it wasn’t a concern for me however I will call it out as if this is your first fullsize headphone, and want to hook it up to a desktop amp etc., you may need a longer cable.
The build quality on these is top notch. The cups are made from aluminium, with a beautiful design on the face. The headband is carbon fiber with a comfort band included. The earpads are velour and very soft, they attach with a magnet and are extremely simple to pop off and on which will make replacing them in the future a non event.
I had some very long listening sessions with the Cypher and found it to be very comfortable, the cups sit against your ears (touching) which may bother some however I have no concerns for me.
I listened to the Cypher on many different devices. Key ones were:
- Apple Dongle
- AK SP4000
- Cayin HA-2A
- Sony TA-ZH1ES
- Sony WM1ZM2
- LP P6 Pro 10ae Silver
- MacBook Air M5
- Cayin C9ii (portable amp) fed from the SP4000
And it worked magnificently across all of them. It certainly scales up with more power and the impressions here are based off a decent amplifier being in your chain, but it’s enjoyable from anything. The bulk of the time was spent listening on the Sony TA-ZH1ES when I was at my desk, and the LP P6 Pro 10ae Silver when I was listening to them away from my desk as I loved how it sounded from these two.
For music I listened to anything and everything. Onto the sound!
Sound Impressions
Bass
The low end on the Cypher is controlled with decent weight. It sounds extremely neutral to my ears and that neutral sound extends down into the sub-bass. Basshead this is not, but it has a bass which is present throughout whatever you throw at it. Comparing it to my HD650’s which have a bass rolloff, it’s a clear differentiator for the better when comparing these.
I enjoyed listening to tracks which have a decent bass line on the Cypher, something like Billie Eilish’s bad guy is simply a joy to listen to here. Pink Floyd’s Money also stood out, it’s probably my least favorite track from DSOTM (due to its overplayed nature) but I genuinely loved how it was presented on the Cypher. It can provide slam and punch when a track calls for it, but if the track doesn’t call for it the Cypher doesn’t artificially add anything. When the bass is there it has great texture to it, and can keep up with faster sections if a track demands that.
The bass also stays put and doesn’t bleed into the mids thankfully. All in all, impressive with no real criticisms.
tl;dr – Great neutral bass with slam and punch when it’s called for.
Mids
What a magnificent midrange. I should give it 5/5 and move on but you probably want more than that.
I’ll start with vocals. I love my vocal tracks and often find that a headphone excels at male or female ones, the Cypher excels at both. Male vocals sound correct and natural, with the right amount of weight depending on the vocalist that you’re listening to. Female vocals fare similarly with one difference, when paired up with my P6 Pro female vocals became magical. I spent far too long working my way through any female vocalist tracks that came to mind.
Instruments are incredibly lifelike and natural, but you also get a decent amount of detail presented to you. Listening to Sigur Rós Untitled 8, a track that I’ve played to death, I was taken aback by the mix of musicality and detail that was coming through on the track, and the final build up of the track left me with goosebumps. This track has quite a lot happening, and on poorer gear it can get a bit messy, but the Cypher handled it magnificently.
It’s not that often I get a new headphone which really impresses me but the Cypher certainly did. If anyone asks for a reason why, I’ll point them towards Sigur Rós Untitled 8, tell them to listen to that, and come back to me.
tl;dr – Fantastic vocals and instruments, the highlight.
Treble
Treble tuning is always an interesting section, and one of the hardest areas to get right. Some headphones try to impress immediately and then become fatiguing, some play it too safe and can remove excitement from a track. The Cypher doesn’t go for an extreme, it plays somewhere in the middle. I found it to be quite crisp and detailed, with the right amount of air. Similar to the other parts of the sound, the Cypher strikes a neutral balance.
There isn’t an ounce of sibilance to be found, expanding on that thought there isn’t anything annoying in the treble region that would make you want to take these off your head. Running through my treble test tracks, while it didn’t blow me away on any of them, it also didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed some of these tracks a lot, with Daft Punk Contact a particular highlight. Cypher handled the treble well, but it was the overall cohesiveness of the track which really made it stand out.
tl;dr – Crisp, airy, and sibilance-free, prioritising cohesiveness over any single “wow” moment.
Technical Performance
The Cypher has an interesting soundstage. If I think of the HD650, and its well known three blob stage, the Cypher expands that out to a full stage, but it doesn’t extend out much further than the cups. Where it does extend out further is in its depth. I think that the angled drivers help here.
Tracks are presented well within that stage, everything has its place with layering and imaging pretty much pinpoint. It straddles the line between detailed and musical extremely well. You could just as easily use the Cypher to dissect a track as you could to sit and enjoy one.
tl;dr – A stage that’s deeper than it is wide, with pinpoint imaging. Great for dissecting or enjoying a track.
Subjective Thoughts
The Cypher grabbed my attention quickly, from the moment I heard it I could hear its influences, and how it improved upon them. The build quality on these is insane for the price point, it’s what you would expect from a kilobuck set. Thieaudio really hit it out of the park with these for me, as a long time lover and recommender of the HD650 this is the first pair where I think I might actually recommend them over the Sennheisers.
For me, the Cypher improves on the potential downsides of the HD650 without really compromising anything else. It would sit somewhere between the HD650 and the Focal Clear MG for me (I’d take it over the Clear OG – but I was never a big fan).
Overall
An amazing headphone at an amazing price. The Cypher should be on your list if you’re looking for a neutral headphone that you can sit down and listen to music with, knowing that whatever you throw its way will likely sound great. Well done Thieaudio!
Scorecard at $399:
| Category | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bass | 4.5/5 | Neutral, textured and controlled with satisfying slam when called for. |
| Mids | 5.0/5 | Exceptional vocals and lifelike instruments; the standout feature. |
| Treble | 4.5/5 | Crisp, airy and fatigue-free while remaining cohesive. |
| Technicalities | 4.5/5 | Excellent imaging, layering and depth with a musical presentation. |
| Build/Design | 5.0/5 | Premium materials, thoughtful design and outstanding comfort. |
| Value | 5.0/5 | Competes well above its asking price and challenges established favourites. |
| Overall | 5.0/5 | A superb all-round headphone that genuinely earns its place among the best at the price. |
Aussie Audiophile 
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