Clairvoyancevs.IER-Z1R
Sound & Specs Comparison
Information
Both IEMs are widely regarded in the audiophile community. See how they differ in terms of sub-bass response, upper mids, clarity, and overall tonality. Spider charts and rating breakdowns included.
Objective Comparison
Facts, details, stuff.
| General Info | Clairvoyance | IER-Z1R |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Thieaudio | Sony |
| Country | China | – |
| IEM Description | The ThieAudio Clairvoyance is a tribrid IEM. It delivers a masterfully tuned, coherent sound with lush mids, airy treble, and articulate bass. Renowned for its holographic staging and tonal balance, the Clairvoyance offers a refined, engaging, and highly resolving listening experience. It's widely regarded as a benchmark in the sub-$1000 category, blending technical prowess with musicality. | Despite their small size, the Sony IER-Z1R earphones feature a sophisticated 3-way design with two dynamic drivers and a highly precise balanced armature. The sound quality is not just high-resolution—it's ultra-high-resolution, reaching an impressive frequency response of up to 100 kHz. Housed in a precisely crafted, virtually resonance-free aluminum shell, the design ensures that all three drivers remain in perfect phase alignment. The cables are fully balanced and made from high-purity OFC copper with silver plating for maximum detail retrieval. |
| Price Level | 500 – 1.000 | 2.000 + |
| Housing & Driver | ||
|---|---|---|
| Driver Config | Tribrid | Hybrid |
| Driver Types | – | Dynamic Driver + Balanced Armature |
| Shell Material | CNC-machined (unspecified, likely resin/titanium) | – |
| Cable | 4-core Litz 5N OCC silver‑plated cable | – |
| Technical | ||
|---|---|---|
| Freq Range | Extended treble up to ~80 kHz | 3-100.000 Hz |
| Impedance (Ω) | 32 | – |
| Sensitivity (dB) | 110 | 103 |
| Crossover | 4-way passive with 4 acoustic bores | – |
| Platform Info | ||
|---|---|---|
| Comments | 0 | 0 |
| Visit Count | 174 | 93 |
| External Reviews | 1 | 1 |
Meta Ratings
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Sound Characteristics
IER-Z1R delivers m deeper and more extended sub-bass, reaching lower frequencies with greater authority than Clairvoyance (9 vs 7). It offers m stronger and more impactful bass response, adding weight and presence where Clairvoyance feels less assertive (9 vs 7.5). Listeners may find the low-end impact on It a more engaging during high-dynamic passages (9 vs 8.5). Male vocals and lower instruments sound a richer and better defined on It, unlike Clairvoyance which can seem hollow (8.5 vs 7.5). It provides a more refined lower treble, resolving fine detail and air with greater finesse than Clairvoyance (9 vs 8.5). It captures ambient cues and reverbs a more precisely through its upper treble, enhancing spatial perception over Clairvoyance (9.5 vs 9). It paints a a broader sonic landscape, offering better instrument positioning across the stage (10 vs 8). It retrieves micro-details m more effectively, revealing nuances that are less apparent in Clairvoyance (9.5 vs 8). Track elements feel e more isolated and clean on It, offering clearer focus than Clairvoyance (9.5 vs 8.5). It avoids frequency masking n more successfully, preserving clarity across the spectrum better than Clairvoyance (9 vs 8). The note presentation is b fuller and more tactile on It, giving instruments a stronger physical presence than Clairvoyance (9 vs 8.5). It delivers dynamic shifts with s greater impact, making Clairvoyance sound comparatively tame (9 vs 8.5). Listeners may experience a fewer sharp edges in 'S' and 'T' sounds with It, whereas Clairvoyance can get fatiguing (9.5 vs 7). It presents instrument timbre with a more natural coloration, giving a realistic tone that Clairvoyance lacks (9.5 vs 8). Tonality on It is a more coherent and refined, yielding a more pleasing overall signature than Clairvoyance (9 vs 8). It portrays textures in vocals and strings with s more realism, enhancing emotional depth over Clairvoyance (9 vs 8.5).
| Clairvoyance | IER-Z1R | |
|---|---|---|
| Sub Bass | 7.0 | 9.0 |
| Bass | 7.5 | 9.0 |
| Bass Feel | 8.5 | 9.0 |
| Lower Mids | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| Upper Mids | 8.5 | 8.5 |
| Lower Treble | 8.5 | 9.0 |
| Upper Treble | 9.0 | 9.5 |
| Sound Stage Width | 8.0 | 10.0 |
| Detail | 8.0 | 9.5 |
| Layering | 8.5 | 9.5 |
| Masking | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| Note Weight | 8.5 | 9.0 |
| Slam | 8.5 | 9.0 |
| Sibilance | 7.0 | 9.5 |
| Timbre Color | 8.0 | 9.5 |
| Tonality | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| Texture | 8.5 | 9.0 |
Tonal Signature
// Nothing to compare yet.