Soundstage, detail, timbre and instrument separation are the ones I consider a technicality.
(although bass speed, tightness and texture is also close to that, but I count them as the quality of the bass, instead of the quantity.)
Iâll just drop these here for anyone wondering what happened to the Legacy 3 and Chi fi in generalâŠ
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I am not very experinced with CIEM, but the one pair I got from 64 Audio does NOT need eartips.
But the L3 does?
The L3 comes in both universal and custom form. The CIEM of course doesnât need ear tips.
You can customize the design of a universal IEM version of the L3 though.
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Does that apply to all ciems? I never knew that lol.
Well, it gets confusing because people have been referring to their customized L3s (customized designs) as âcustomâ L3 IEMs. I reserve the term CIEM to custom molded IEM shells. I can see how this is confusing. 
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I cancelled my order for the Legacy 3, there are just too many reports of different sound profiles and bad QC. I am not buying something that could be great or meh, depending on what batch it comes from.
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A warning for those with the QDC connector versions, with the included cable Iâve been hearing of cases causing stress fractures over time. Checking my clockwork version with a magnifying glass I can see both connectors are now riddled with cracks. This is only after a couple of months of use.
I would recommend switching the cable to 2 pin to relieve the stress on the connectors.
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Just checked mine. Mine are starting to show cracks. Very disappointing. Also, disappointing is that Iâm also experiencing driver flex in the right channel, it doesnât affect the sound but still.
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Iâm confused. Wouldnât using a traditional 2 pin cable extend the connection further from the shell, and thus increase torque and stress on the socket?
Yep, my L3 qdc sockets have fractures in them also. Wow, itâs getting impossible for me to recommend them now,
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The QDC uses the plastic as structural support which is stress fracturing at the moment. Yes 2 pin has more leverage but atleast itâs metal only supported which doesnât stress fracture in the same way.
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I know some companies have this design as an option as well (64 Audio and Noble off the top of my head).
The thing is the Thie Audio just toss the parts so randomly that looks like a cheap toy. My friend took a pic of his unit and itâs⊠well⊠something else:
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UGH! It doesnât even match the photo I posted above. I donât know about you guys but I really hate this clock design on any IEM. There are so many other beautiful designs out there they could have gone with.
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At least you can customise it with a large selection of colours / designs on their site.
All of the clockwork patterns are unique in that every IEM has whatever cogs the individual manufacturing them picked up at the time.
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The clockwork design is a commonly available custom design, available from a lot of manufacturers. It usually costs quite a bit more. Quality of implementation differs greatly though, including between different L3 units.
