If you’ve never thought twice about the components that go into your headphones or earbuds, finding out that many IEMs have more than one “speaker” inside is probably a pretty big surprise. The further discovery that it’s not just two or three tiny speakers, but maybe 12 or 18 might just totally blow your mind. Thieaudio Valhalla aims to not just blow minds with its insanely high driver count, but also to deliver flagship level sonic performance with all those drivers. Do Valhalla’s 19 drivers add up to something truly extraordinary?
Build and Design
While Thieaudio doesn’t always impress with its unboxing experience the contents are some of the best Thieaudio has produced. The package includes the IEMs, cable, case, and eartips. The included cable, dubbed EliteNoir uses 5N and 7N silver with PVC insulation. It’s terminated in 4.4mm, lacks the modular tip of most of Thieaudio’s other high-end IEMs, and has a thicker, stiffer feel.
The IEMs themselves are constructed from titanium, which is a big step up in the look and feel from the resin body on most of Thieaudio’s offerings, but it does add some extra weight. The faceplate is more of the typical resin look, with a design that evokes the Rainbow Bridge of Norse Mythology. With 19 drivers, and a titanium shell, the fit might be a concern for some listeners. Valhalla has strong ergonomics in the design, but the size may present a challenge to if you have small ears.
Internally the 19 balanced armature drivers are divided with a 4-way crossover using 4x Sonion 38D1XJ for the bass, 10x Sonion E50DT for the mids, 4x Knowles RDE-33729 for the highs, and 1 Knowles WBFK-30095 for the “ultra-highs.” But what’s the end result sonically of all those drivers?
Sound
The sound signature is very well balanced, offering a clean, highly cohesive presentation. Expect a transparent and spacious delivery that’s also engaging and musical. Considering that it’s an all balanced-armature IEM, the exceedingly natural timbre is very impressive as well.
You can add Valhalla to the list of BA-only IEMs that deliver the sort of round, natural bass that you’d think could only come from dynamic drivers. The bass is more focused in the subbass, but there’s still good midbass impact and just a touch of warmth in the low end.
The midrange is perhaps Valhalla’s biggest strength, with incredible detail, layering, and separation. There’s a good thickness and weight to instruments and the vocals are well-balanced with an excellent character to both male and female vocals.
The treble is nicely extended offering good air and it does a good job of capturing the finer details in vocals, strings, and wind instruments. I found the treble to be well balanced in providing a clean resolving sound without any kind of harsh or sharp elements in the presentation.
Valhalla has a massive three-dimensional soundstage that has a strong sense of both width and depth, but is a little wider than it is deep. The imaging presentation is a nice balance between separation and a more blended cohesion. The end result is a very coherent and lifelike imaging presentation.
Listening to the Dune 2 soundtrack, Valhalla provides incredible separation, layering, texture with the instruments. With wind instruments, you get a clear sense of the breath and an in-the-room, almost physical feeling. Elements that shift or move, are smoothly captured and presented clearing with a tactile sense of space. The dynamics are almost too good, with incredible range and power through the lowest lows and biggest crescendos.
For something totally different on “Bargain” by the Who, the opening acoustic guitar is crisp with a natural ringing, and while this song doesn’t give you the dynamic range of a Hans Zimmer film score, the power in the guitar and bass entry has an impact and "wow" factor to it. The texture and detail in the bass is particularly impressive in the way it has both physicality and detail. Similarly the drums have strong energy with a touch of physicality from each hit of the toms and a bigger boom for the bass drum. The stereo soundfield expertly reproduces the width of a stage and the depth around the instruments.
On Aphex Twin’s “Xtal,” Valhalla’s presentation is hypnotizing, from the tight sizzle of the hi-hats, to the ethereal voices floating around your head. The bass has intense rumble and impact, but maintains the texture and detail alongside the physical characteristics. The song builds, adding new layer after layer, and as each new element is added to the mix, it perfectly fills in a new space, and the whole sound remains cleanly separated.
Comparison: Ice Lab Spectrumica, Campfire Audio Clara
At $2000 you have a lot of options, and the sort of results you get with different technology and designs is surprising, as demonstrated by the comparison between the 19 driver all-BA Valhalla, the 8 driver quadbrid Ice Lab Spectrumica, and the 4 driver hybrid Campfire Audio Clara (the version I compared was the Limited Titanium Edition).
In terms of the package, Clara and Spectrumica are definitely a step up from Valhalla, with Spectrumica’s package probably having the biggest immediate “wow” factor, while Clara has so many little things – multiple case options, protective sleeves, an extra cable etc. – that it just keeps on giving. The build and craftsmanship on the individual IEMs is more evenly split though.
In terms of the sound signatures, each presents a generally similar sound, with a few big standout differences. Clara is the most warm and natural sounding, and its dynamic driver gives you a little more “oomph” in the bass than Valhalla. Spectrumica is the most spacious and three-dimensional, exceeding Valhalla’s already impressive soundstage, and presenting a cleaner separation between elements.
Overall, I found Clara to be the best for rock, pop, hip hop, and similar genres, while Spectrumica excelled with classical, symphonic, and soundtracks – and also some electronic music which bears similar characteristics – while Valhalla was the best balanced, being better for classic rock than Spectrumica, but then stronger with classical than Clara.
The Bottom Line
While Thieaudio won’t be winning any awards for incredible packaging or the best included accessories, what really matters is the sound, and Valhalla absolutely delivers with an impressive combination of detail, performance, and musicality that provides an experience that holds up against the current field of flagship IEM competition.
