Short answer: the ThieAudio Origin. Both are rated 3.3/5 for sound quality (#922 and #967 of 1369 in-ear headphones), and the ThieAudio Origin costs $849 against $2,831 for the qdc Emperor, with sound quality a draw, the lower price decides it.
Why pick the qdc Emperor: A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap. The catch: About 3 dB less bass than the Harman target below 150 Hz, which can sound thin on pop, hip hop and electronic music.
What the ThieAudio Origin does well: Bass sits close to target and holds down to 20 Hz, so low end sounds full without bloat. The catch: Presence sits about 5.1 dB low with a 5.9 dB dip near 3.9 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Buy the ThieAudio Origin. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $1,982 less than the qdc Emperor.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Headphones rankings.
A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap.
Elise Audio $2,831.00 eBay
Bass sits close to target and holds down to 20 Hz, so low end sounds full without bloat.
Linsoul $849 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 17, 2026 at 6:04 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
Specifications Side By Side
| qdc Emperor | ThieAudio Origin | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2,831.00 | $849 |
| Ranked | #967 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones | #922 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 65 (median of 3 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 65 (median of 19 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.92 dB standard deviation | 2.33 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | +0.10 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -1.12 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-4.4 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+2.4 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Driver Type | Tribrid | Hybrid |
| Drivers | 15 drivers (1 dynamic driver + 10 balanced armatures + 4 electrostatic drivers) | 1 x dynamic + 4 x balanced armature + 2 x electrostatic + 1 x bone conduction |
| Impedance | 15 ohms | 9 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 106 dB SPL/mW | - |
| Frequency Response | 5Hz - 70kHz | 20Hz - 44kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the qdc Emperor from dchpgall, eliseaudio and sl0the; the ThieAudio Origin from aden, audioamigo, bloomaudio, csi-zone, dl, ducbloke, eliseaudio, jaytiss, joycesreview, lown-fi, lumerion, obodio, sl0the, soundignity, superreview, theaudiostore, timmyv, treblewellxtended and vsg, all via squig.link.
Related Headphone Comparisons
More worthwhile head-to-heads for ThieAudio Origin: