Truthear HEXA IEM Review
Truthear HEXA IEM Review
Introduction:
Truthear is a relative new Chinese brand that offers Portable Audio Equipments such like In-Ear Monitors & USB DAC/Amplifiers (SHIO) in the budget segment that are known with their high price to performance ratio. The ZERO was the first product of the company that came with a Dual Dynamic Driver tuned in collaboration with Crinacle followed by their flagship IEM the HEXA that I will now review for you.
The HEXA is an In-Ear Monitor with a Hybrid Driver configuration, which is a combination of 3x Balanced Armature Drivers + 1x Composite liquid crystal dome diaphragm Dynamic Driver that are located inside a fancy looking DLP-3D printed shell with a 2-Pin connector interface on the top.
Disclaimer:
I would like to thank Truthear and Shenzhen Audio for providing me HEXA for review purposes. I am not affiliated with Truthear or Shenzhen Audio beyond this review and these words reflect my true and unaltered opinions about the product.
Price & Availability:
The Truthear HEXA has a very competitive price of 79.99 US$, which makes it to a product with a good value for your money with respect to its build quality, driver configuration and sound performance. More information’s can be found under the link below;
Package & Accessories:
The Truthear HEXA has a fancy looking rectangular box wrapped with a cardboard that sports some brandings and the SHIROI anime character on the top.
Inside the box are the following contents/accessories;
- 1 x pair of Truthear HEXA In-Ear Monitors
- 1 x Detachable Cable with 2-Pin Connectors
- 3 x pairs of Silicone Ear Tips with small opening
- 3 x pairs of Silicone Ear Tips with wide opening
- 1 x pair of Foam Ear Tip
- 1 x Storage Case
- 1 x Print Materials
The Truthear HEXA came with a soft protein leather case in black color that looks quite fancy.
There is a plastic layer with 6 pairs of silicone ear tips (3x with Wide & 3x with Small opening) and 1 pair of foam ear tip.
The HEXA is equipped with a detachable cable that features 0.78mm diameter 2-Pin connectors with plastic heat shrink ear guides.
The cable has a braided design made from Silver Plated Copper wire material, which has a relative soft plastic insulation in black color. The detachable cable is pretty lightweight and shows only a very low amount of microphonic effects.
The cable is equipped with a metal Y-splitter and chin slider that has a black finish. The Y-splitter has the Truthear branding on the top.
The cable comes with a 3.5mm headphone plug that is protected with an L-shaped plastic housing with a strain relief for extra durability.
Design & Build Quality:
The Truthear HEXA is a pretty small and esthetic looking In-Ear Monitor that has an eye-catching hexagonal faceplate design. The monitors are made from medical grade skin friendly resin material that has been processed with the latest 3D DLP Printing Technology from HeyGears.
The CNC processed aluminum alloy faceplates do have anodized surface in black color and do feature a fixing screw that gives them a nice industrial design.
The main difference between the right and the left faceplate is that the right one has the Truthear branding near the bottom, which is a sort of left and right indicator.
On the top of the monitors are the 0.78mm diameter 2-Pin female connectors that do offer a pretty tight and secure connection.
Near the 2-Pin female connector is a pressure vent that is dedicated for the 10mm diameter Composite Liquid Crystal Dome Diaphragm Dynamic Driver.
The rear body features the slightly angled sound nozzle that has damping filters on the top.
The surface has a nice finish in form of a frosted glass effect along with a black tint.
The inner surface features a slightly angled sound nozzle and L/R indicators.
The build quality of the monitors is very good especially for a product with such a reasonable price.
Fit, Comfort & Isolation:
The Truthear HEXA is extremely lightweight and comfortable In-Ear Monitor thanks to the use of 3D printed Resin material and its pretty small shape, which makes it ideal for longer listening periods. The passive noise isolation of the HEXA is pretty sufficient for the use in relative noise environments such like a metro, bus or train.
Technical Specifications:
- Driver Configuration : 3x Custom BA Drivers + 1x 10mm Diameter Dynamic Driver
- Frequency Response : 8Hz ~ 40 kHz (effective frequency response: 20-20kHz)
- Sensitivity : 120dB/Vrms @1kHz
- Impedance : 20.5Ω土15% @1kHz
- Connector Type : 0.78mm Diameter 2-Pin Connector
- Plug : 3.5mm Single Ended (TRS)
- Cable Length : about 120cm
Pairing & Drivability:
The Truthear HEXA comes with a fairly low impedance of 20.5Ω and a sensitivity of 120dB, which makes it to a quite easy to driver In-Ear Monitor, compatible for relative weak sources like Smartphone’s, Tablet’s and MP3 players.
Equipment’s used for this review:
- IEM’s : Truthear HEXA, ThieAudio Legacy 2
- Sources : FiiO M11 Plus ESS, iBasso DC03 Pro
Albums & tracks used for this review:
- Adele – My Little Love (Spotify)
- Randy Crawford – On Day I Will Fly Away (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Hayley Westenra – Odyssey Album (Dezzer HiFi)
- Dionne Warwick – Walk On By (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Sarah McLachlan – Angel (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
- Sertap Erener – Aşk (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Edith Piaf – Non Je Ne Regrette Rien (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Diana Krall – So Wonderful (DSF)
- Aretha Franklin – I Say A Little Payer (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- Sonya Yoncheva – (Giuseppe Verdi) II Trovatore, ActI (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- George Michael – Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
- David Bowie – Heroes (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
- Elton John – Rocket Man ((Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- Barry White – Just The Way You Are (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
- Isaac Hayes – Walk On By (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Sting – Englishman in New York – (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
- Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- B.B. King – Riding With The King (Tidal Hi-Fi)
- Dave Gahan – Kingdom (Tidal Hi-Fi)
- U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Bro Safari, UFO! – Drama (Deezer HiFi)
- Armin Van Buuren – Vini Vici (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Daft Punk – Doin’ it Right (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- Jo Blankenburg – Meraki (Spotify)
- Lorde – Royals (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
- Massive Attack – Angel (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
- Toutant – Rebirth (Deezer HiFi)
- Gogo Penguin – Raven (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
- Gogo Penguin – Murmuration (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
- Portishead – It Could Be Sweet (Spotify)
- Max Richter – On the Nature of Daylight (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- Charly Antolini – Duwadjuwandadu (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
- Ferit Odman – Look, Stop & Listen (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
- Chopin – Nocturn No. 20 In C-Sharp Minor (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Fazıl Say – Nazım Oratoryosu (Live) (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Season” (Deezer HiFi)
- Otto Liebert & Luna Negra – The River (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
- Lunatic Soul – The Passage (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Deftones – My Own Summer (Shove it) (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Metallica – Sad but True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- Metallica – Master of Puppets (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
- Opeth – Windowpane (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Tidal Hi-Fi)
- Rush’s – Leave That Thing Alone (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
- Slayer – Angel of Death (Spotify)
- Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Spotify)
- Yosi Horikawa – Bubbles (Spotify)
The Sound:
The Truthear HEXA offers a very easy to enjoy sound profile and performs pretty well in terms of overall technical performance for its price. It has slightly warmer than neutral tonality and shows a pretty good instrument and vocal timbre.
This review is written after a burn-in period of 50 Hours. I have used the stock OCC cable and the black silicone ear tips which are included to the package.
Bass:
The Truthear HEXA offers that offers a solid bass performance with a decent sense of depth, body and impact that is produced with the 10mm diameter Dynamic Driver.
It is pretty capable in this area when it comes to the speed, authority and layering, especially with respect to its price tag. The 10mm diameter Dynamic Driver offers a decent level of subbass rumble, control and extension when called upon, while the depth and intensity is not overwhelming even if you listen to bass heavy genres like EDM or Electronic music. Subbass notes in songs like Armin Van Buuren’s “Vini Vici“, Lorde’s “Royals“ or Massive Atack’s “Angle” are reproduced in a quite controlled and entertaining manner.
The midbass region of the Truthear shows a slightly more linear and natural emphasis compared to the subbass area, which seems to be a tuning choice increase sense of clarity of headroom of this region. However, the midbass tuning is in general pretty suitable and successful with a wide variety music genre. The general midbass presentation is fairly tight, impactful and shows an efficient grade of attack and decay, when I do listen to complex bass passages such like Gogo Penguin “Murmuration” or to Charly Antolini “Duwadjuwandadu”.
Midrange:
The Truthear HEXA has a pretty smooth and mildly warm tonality, while the level of transparency and airiness is on a pretty good level. The smoothness of the midrange avoids negative conditions such as sibilance or harshness when I you do listen to both vocals and to instruments, even at higher volume levels.
The lower midrange of the HEXA is shown with an adequate level of body and depth, while the clarity and resolution fulfills my expectation from an IEM at this price level when I do listen to male voices such like Dave Gahan, Sting and David Bowie.
The upper midrange of the Truthear HEXA has an above average presence with focal point around the 3 kHz region. Female vocals for example, such like Aretha Franklin, Adel and Edith Piaf do sound pretty lively, musical and a tad more saturated than in natural, while the controlled roll-off towards the lower treble region avoids any sibilance and over-sharpness.
When it comes to the instruments presentation of the HEXA, I can say that they are reproduced in a pretty smooth yet fairly detailed manner. Pianos for example are nicely bright and accented, while acoustic guitars do have a good amount of body and natural sense of warmth. Violins and side flutes on the other had are reproduced in a fairly detailed and lively manner, while the extension is on a moderate level.
Treble:
The Truthear HEXA has a pretty smooth yet relative detailed treble presentation that shows a sufficient level of separation and extension for an In-Ear Monitor at this price range. The transitions from the upper midrange towards the lower treble region are smooth and controlled. The smooth and controlled tuning of the HEXA makes it to an ideal In-Ear Monitor that is ideal for longer listening periods.
The lower treble region has an audible roll-off, which makes it less pronounced and detailed compared to the upper midrange area. The sense of clarity and definition is on a sufficient level when I do listen to female voices or to instruments such like violins, pianos and guitars. Instruments like toms and kick drums have a moderate grade of presence and attack.
The upper treble region of the Truthear HEXA is more highlighted and detailed compared to the lower treble register and shows an audible peak around the 8 kHz region that adds the overall presentation a good sense of airiness and sparkle while listen to instruments such like percussions or to soprano voices.
Soundstage & Imaging:
The Truthear HEXA has a pretty airy and natural soundstage atmosphere, while the sense of depth and wideness is on an average level. The technical performance of the HEXA when it comes to the separation and placement of instruments and vocals meets my expectation from an In-Ear Monitor at this price range.
Comparison:
Truthear HEXA (79.99 US$) versus Thieaudio Legacy 2 (89.10 US$):
The Thieuadio Legacy 2 has also a mildly warm tonality and smooth overall presentation, while it is missing the sense of transparency and airiness that the Truthear HEXA offers.
Both In-Ear Monitors do have a pretty close tuning when it comes to the subbass and midbass area. However, the main difference is that the HEXA offers a slightly better level of subbass decay and a better grade of midbass authority and resolution.
The midrange of the Thieaudio Legacy 2 shows a tad warmer tonality, while the Truthear HEXA sounds more transparent and airy in this area. The Legacy 2 offers a bit more body and depth when I do listen to male voices and to instruments like violas and acoustic guitars, while it is missing the clarity and resolution that the HEXA has. The HEXA has a slightly more natural and detailed upper midrange tuning that was audible while listen to female voices or to instruments such like a violin and piano.
The lower treble region of the Thieaudio Legacy 2 shows slightly more presence, which gives it an advantage when it comes to the clarity and resolution produced in this area. Both IEM’s do have a peak in the upper treble region around the 7-8 kHz region. The Truthear HEXA offers tad more airiness and sparkle, and has the edge when it comes to the extension of this area that was audible while listening to percussions.
Both IEM’s are relative close in terms of soundstage performance. The Truthear HEXA has just the slightly edge when it comes to the separation of instruments and vocals.
Conclusion:
The Truthear HEXA is a great sounding Universal IEM with its quite musical sound profile and its overall technical performance that you can listen for hours without to get tired. I really like the entertaining bass response, transparent and lively midrange presentation and smooth and controlled treble tuning of the HEXA. All in all, this is an In-Ear Monitor that offers an excellent value for your money, when it comes to the sound, design and overall build quality.
Pros & Cons:
- + Smooth & Musical Overall Sound Profile (Ideal for longer listening periods)
- + Entertaining Bass Response with decent Speed & Authority
- + Transparent & Lively Midrange Character
- + Smooth & Controlled Treble Response
- + Very Ergonomic Monitor Shape
- + Design & Build Quality of the Monitors
- – Lower Treble Roll-Off
- – Soundstage atmosphere is a bit closed in
- – Cable looks a bit cheap compared to the gorgeous look of the monitors
Thank you for the Read!
