THIEAUDIO Voyager 3
THIEAUDIO Voyager 3
Ground Control to Major Tom
As with its elder brother, the Voyager 14, the inspiration for a more affordable in ear monitor came from our aspirations to set new bars as to what professional earphones can achieve. By optimizing the number of drivers to three balanced armatures, we effectively lowered the cost of the monitor, but maintained the sonic integrity of the Voyager 14 by utilizing the same comprehensive cross-over and tuning strategy. The Voyager 3 was designed specifically with musicians in mind, aiming for brilliant technicalities as well as a musical tuning. From a neutral reference tuning, the midline was elevated ever so slightly to achieve a more present and engaging vocal and instrument presentation. We also extended the treble reach to enhance the timbre and air of string and percussion instruments. With its emphasis on clear vocal and instrument articulation, and audiophile-standard detail retrieval, we set the Voyager 3 to be the ideal in ear monitor for the stage and everyday enjoyment.
A Perfect Seal for the Perfect Performance
We began our journey understanding how crucial a perfect fit is for on-stage performance. To ensure a perfect seal, we elongated the reach of the stem and the base to comfortably match every ear. Analyzing many human ear moulds, we adopted the perfect contours of the housing body to nestle along the outer cavity of the ear. The shell cavity is composed of medical-grade acrylic resin to sustain both comfort and safety. Our design effectively produces up to 32dB of noise isolation and is perfect for both the stage and busy daily commutes.
Sound Components for a Better Sound
We selected two of the American-made Knowles CI-22955 balanced armature drivers to cover the bass and midline independently in a three-way crossover system that utilizes a low-pass and mid-pass filter. The CI-22955 is one of the biggest single driver balanced armatures that Knowles provides, and its wide frequency range is perfect for utilization in the low-mid range. Our low-pass filter focuses all of the 22955’s energy in producing deep, impactful, and punchy bass, while the second 22955 driver is free to drive the midline. By integrating two of the same driver models for the low and mids separately, we achieved an extremely coherent low-mid presentation that is also free of frequency overlap. The trebles are handled by the gold standard Knowles ED-29869 balanced armature driver, and tuned with our high-pass filter to deliver silky highs that highlight the shimmer of instruments, without any piercing or shill overtones.
Technical Excellence Meets User Preference
The three balanced armature drivers and their three-way crossover are matched with two separate sound bores at the stem to further enhance the distinct frequency separation of the system. The integration of a low and high tuning switch then allows the user to adjust the level of the bass and treble to fit their personal musical preference. This mechanism is the same as that found in the flagship Voyager 14 model, and allows up to four different tuning implementations to match every user. Now that’s what we call flexibility!
Ultra-pure Replaceable Cable
The final component of the Voyager 3 was finding a high-quality cable that is fit to deliver the perfect sonic properties of this unit. We decided on an ultra-pure eight-core silver-plated OCC copper cable that utilizes a 2-pin connection. The soft cable is comfortable for both long on-stage performances as well as listening sessions. The utilization of a 2-pin connector (which we believe is better in longevity compared to standard MMCX connectors) also means you can swap out the cable with any other cable of your liking, thus effectively elongating the life of the Voyager 3. Voyager 3, it’s your start to a new adventure!