Hello all,
So I’ve decided to try writing down the differences I hear on the Thieaudio Legacy 9 IEMS (1DD / 8BA) between the M11Pro Stainless Steel and my Headphone listening setup, consisting of:
Solidcore LPS -7n OCC 16V/4A Power Connector->
Auralic Aries Femto -Oehlbach XXL Micro USB->
Chord Hugo 2 -Van Den Hul The First Ultimate MkII Carbon Strand RCA->
Auralic Taurus MkII.
The soundtrack used for this test is Maroon 5’s “The Sun” from the “Songs About Jane” album, streamed from Tidal in the Lightning DS app when using the Auralic streamer, and streamed from Tidal via USB Audio Player Pro when using the M11Pro. I love the album by the way! The differences noted below are in no particular order. Whatever I noticed first, I typed down first.
Note that the MSRP of the M11Pro SS is 800USD, and the MSRP of the Chord/Auralic Setup with the LPS, the Power- and Interconnect cables is over 7000 USD. I decided to use my most trusted pair of IEMS instead of full-size headphones to conduct this test, so the the Taurus MkII doesn’t have a huge advantage in power against the M11Pro. I uploaded a picture where you can see where the Taurus MkII’s volume pot is at.
I really wanted to listen out for myself, what the concrete differences are between a well-respected DAP and a High End Headphone Listening Setup. So here they are:
Hi-Hat Strikes: M11Pro > Chord/Auralic
-The sparkle and crispiness of the HiHats being hit (especially in the Intro and in the Bridge)
Soundstage width: M11Pro > Chord/Auralic
- The Chord/Auralic Setup sounds more closed in than the M11Pro, however: the soundstage Depth on the Chord/Auralic Setup makes the smaller soundstage of the Chord/Auralic Setup much more explorable.
Soundstage Depth: Chord/Auralic > M11Pro
- Occasional keyboard accommodation moving around in all dimensions, the bass guitar note being embedded deeper into the background) Layering, 3D-Localization Capabilities:
Bass Definition: Chord/Auralic > M11Pro
- The prominent bass guitar, in texture and volume discrepancies in the individual bass notes
Pure Detail: (Recording Artifacts, quietest details, vocal separation and texture when Adam Levine’s voice comes from not only in the middle): Chord/Auralic > M11Pro the reverb from the snare drums stand out more in the M11Pro more, but I can feel the impact of the drumsticks hitting the snare surface more on the Chord/Auralic Setup
Vocal Separation: Chord/Auralic > M11Pro
- Adam Levine’s voice is more distinctly elevated from the bass guitar notes behind it on the Chord/Auralic Setup.
Vocal Clarity: Chord/Auralic > M11Pro
- Because Adam Levine’s voice is more elevated from the bass guitar line in the background, his voice becomes more prominent in the mix, without getting in the way of other instruments playing at the same time. A superior detail retrieval on the Chord/Auralic setup overall
Both Setups do imaging differently:
- the wider Stage on the M11Pro lays out the different instruments better, however the stage on the M11Pro stays the same, no matter how much concentration you direct onto the one spot. The narrower, but deeper stage on the Chord/Auralic Setup makes the instruments sound like they’re being played simultaneously in the same room, whereas the wider stage on the M11Pro makes the listening experience sound more like a recording, where the different instruments are equalized and mixed before they get to your ears. “Soundstage Coherence” is the word here. With the M11Pro, you get more of a Sennheiser HD800 imaging than with the Chord/Auralic Setup.
In all these different categories, I must say there were many instances when I was really concentrating on those specific qualities in the music, that I wasn’t listening to the music anymore, only for those specific elements of the music. So no matter what you do, I would advise not to forget about the music 
All in all, I feel that the M11Pro’s sound reproduction leans towards the analytical and neutral side of sound signatures. It’s like what a sound engineer’s headphone amp would output. In contrast to that, the sound from the Chord/Auralic Setup brings in more liveliness to the music. Details that want to be heard jump out at you more and it is more emotionally capturing. Even though I the Chord/Auralic setup more than the M11Pro, I’m not sure it justifies the sheer cost of it. Then again, If I only had the M11Pro SS to listen to the Legacy 9’s on, I’d be listening to them much less, because they’re not as vibrant as when they’re played through the Chord/Auralic gear.
As an owner of a M11Pro SS myself, I do not mean for this article to be a diss against the DAP. It in itself is a wonderfully engineered and produced pieces of pure musical enjoyment, but compared to a much higher end setup, this is what you get when listening on a pair of (IMO) exception IEMS. If I only had the M11Pro SS and the L9, I’d be as happy as I am now.