THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 REVIEW

>>I am brazilian and I speak portuguese, so forgive my english, I’ll use translation tools to help<<

INTRO:

Are you ready for the Hype?? Calm down guys, HYPE is an abbreviation for Hybrid Performance. 😉

THIEAUDIO HYPE 2, an IEM that has become a success in the audiophile community worldwide. And it’s no wonder, to have an IEM with the characteristics of HYPE 2, it was necessary to spend much more than the value charged here. The HYPE 2 is part of a line with three models: HYPE 2, HYPE 4, and HYPE 10.

The THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 was sent by LINSOUL, one of the main distributors of THIEAUDIO products, as well as several other brands and audio products. More information on the links below.

PS: For those who don’t know, LINSOUL is the same DD-Audio Store on AliExpress.

Price: $299 USD
Colors: Purple (Zicao), Blue (Indigo)

LINSOUL LINKS:

https://amzn.to/3wtDZmI

https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Dm0s0D5

https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DeY0pvh

SPECIFICATIONS:

Hybrid: 2 DDs + 2 BAs per side

• (2) 10mm Dynamic Drivers (DD)
• (1) Sonion E25 Balanced Armatures (BA)
• (1) Sonion 2300 Balanced Armatures (BA)

– Frequency range: 20Hz – 40kHz
– Sensitivity: 108dB SPL/mW
– Impedance: 25Ω
– Termination Plug: 3.5mm (straight design)
– Connectors: 2pin 0.78mm
– Cable size: 1.2m (detachable)
– Cable: OFC copper silver plated
– Shell: 3D Resin
– Earphone weight: 5g (one side)(without eartips)
– Cable weight: 26.1g
– Total weight (packaging, iems, etc): 401.2g
– Packaging size: 24.5cm [H] x 11cm [W] x 5.3cm [D]

UNBOXING:

PHYSICAL ASPECTS:

Construction: The HYPE 2 is very well built, with a high-quality 3D resin. It has a metal nozzle, according to the specifications on the Linsoul website, the nozzle has a diameter of 6.2mm, and an internal diameter of 5.0mm. The dark part of the resin picks up quite a bit of fingerprint marks, but it’s not as chaotic as on mirrored IEMs. The IEMs has a very traditional design, semi-custom style, I even think it can be used for professional use. The HYPE 2 has a technology called IMPACT2, which brings a subwoofer system to improve the bass of the earphone.

Eartips: Two types of eartips came: Foamtips and silicone, both in sizes S/M/L. Perhaps this is the weakest point of the product… costing $299 USD, the unboxing experience was simple. The box is quite large, so you expect it to be full of accessories, including several pairs of eartips… but no, the kit was quite humble. Foam eartip has kind of lost its relevance in this hobby, but that’s okay, someone can benefit. Now, when we go to the silicone eartips, there’s nothing special, they are very simple, those generic ones that come with entry-level IEMs. I even found them a bit hard, so I didn’t use them in the review. It was expected that more quantity and quality would come (due to the price of the product). So, it’s quite possible that you still need to acquire eartips from third-party companies. I used the same eartips that I use on the Kiwi Ears Quintet currently, which are some stock eartips from the Tin HiFi P1.

Cable: The cable is great! Aesthetically it’s also very beautiful. I thought it would be a thicker cable, but when in my hands, I saw that it was normal, standard. I consider it to be a light and thin cable. There’s not much to add, I think it was well compatible with the IEM’s project. It doesn’t present microphonics, it’s easy to roll up to store, the earhooks are good and the chin slider works. One point to be observed is that companies like to make a more luxurious presentation and put the cable rolled up in the box, this ends up “addicting” the cable and leaving some waves… nothing abnormal, but it’s a detail to be reported. I also found that it tangles frequently, at least with me, I had some embarrassments.

Fit and comfort. Positive point for the HYPE 2, the IEM fits very well. Of course, this is always a very subjective part, so for my ears, I found that the IEM had a very anatomical fit. It has a very discreet size, there are no protruding parts (depends on your ear too). Excellent stability, the IEM doesn’t move at all. The comfort is also excellent, good IEM to spend hours listening to music. I didn’t feel a sensation of intra-auricular pressure. The isolation is very good. I found the insertion to be average.

Here I open an observation… As much as the HYPE 2 is a very light and comfortable IEM the Kiwi Ears Quintet manages to be even lighter and more comfortable (in my opinion). The Quintet weighs only 4.7g (one side) and the cable 21.1g, against the HYPE 2 weighing 5g and the cable 26.1g. Little difference, but it has. The Quintet also has a thinner shell, and the HYPE 2 is a bit more curved.

Accessories: Here in the accessories we have a semi-rigid case of great quality, the internal space is great. For many, the size may be too much, but for me, I found it great. You can even put a dongle inside the case without needing the IEM to be squeezed. The product also comes with a microfiber towel for cleaning.

SOUND ASPECTS:

The sound of the THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 I understood as a Mild V-Shape, it’s an IEM that I consider with a very balanced tuning, it’s possible to hear all frequencies very correctly. When an earphone has this type of sound, it ends up entering the list of all-rounder earphones, that is, earphones of the type that you can listen to many musical genres, and play all in a coherent way.

In my view, the HYPE 2 is an earphone that leans towards the side of fun, energetic earphones, although nothing sounds out of place, everything is perfectly well executed, that is, it becomes an earphone with a more natural, musical proposal, you can spend hours listening without feeling discomfort.

Bass:

Quantitative: The level of the HYPE 2 bass for me is between moderate and in some situations, from moderate to high. It is an amount of bass that pleases me a lot, I particularly like IEMs with bass and here with the HYPE 2 I didn’t think it was lacking or that it was too much, the measure is very well adjusted. I think even the bassheads will enjoy the HYPE 2, now, this is not a dark earphone, so if the basshead is looking for something more “bass in the foreground” then the HYPE 2 may not be the best indication. The IEM has a good balance between the sub-bass and the mid-bass, both regions have a lot of presence and I think there’s no overlap from one to the other. I didn’t feel roll-off, the extension is great.

Qualitative: The bass of the HYPE 2 is strong, dynamic, has vigor, texture, physicality, brings warmth to the presentation. Very good definition. They are technical bass without losing the characteristic of dynamic drivers. The impact is quite audible, it brings a sensation of middle ground between a sound that expands and a dry beat. That’s why it comes with a sense of coherence with the real, as if you were listening to the bass drum of a drum in front of you. The bass of the HYPE 2 isn’t boomy, not bloated, not muffled, and doesn’t invade the mids. They are very versatile bass, they can combine with many musical genres, I can listen from EDM to classical music. Here in the HYPE 2, I think the bass goes in the opposite direction to the bass of the Letshuoer S15, because in the latter, we have bass that is more “clean”, fast, and “cold”, while those of the HYPE 2 bring more “warmth”, emotion, and fun.

Mids:

Quantitative and qualitative: I would say that the mids of the HYPE 2 are mids that lean towards to the “forward” side, but not necessarily the IEM enters the Hall of earphones with “forwardness” mids, it is a measure that stops before reaching a hard/aggressive pinna gain. So we have very well balanced mids, where the presentation is in a linear zone between neither being recessed/warm nor being frontal/cold. It’s even a bit complicated to explain when it’s like this, because there are IEMs that are also this type but are not the same, for example, the Kiwi Ears Quintet, if compared, the HYPE 2 is a bit more forward.

They are mids of a lot of resolution, detail, transparency and clarity. The level of quality here is excellent. Everything that passes here in the mid region has a great performance, a lot of definition. Guitars have a lot of clarity and energy. Wind instruments like transverse flutes or sax, trumpets, present themselves with a lot of detail and bring the sensation of being palpable.

Voices: Excellent IEM for both types of voices, whether they are of lower timbres or higher timbres. Great balance for voices like Adele, or voices like Ed Motta. The HYPE 2 manages to extract a lot of performance in texture and warmth for male voices, as well as it manages to bring a lot of clarity and detail for female voices.

Treble:

Quantitative: The treble of the HYPE 2 in my understanding are at the moderate level, and in some situations they can be considered from moderate to high. But let it be clear that for me they never go beyond the point, they maintain the linearity in the sound. This is not a dark IEM, it’s a balanced IEM, so you will have presence here in the treble, nothing in excess, but imagining if you are a person very sensitive to high treble. I still think that the HYPE 2 has more prominence in the treble than the Quintet, the difference is very subtle, but it exists. I didn’t feel roll-off in the treble of the HYPE 2, the extension is great. Without a doubt, one of the most all-rounder IEMs I’ve ever heard, because even Jazz that I like to listen to with a bright/analytical touch, I was able to enjoy and listen to the genre with the sound of the HYPE 2.

Qualitative: They are well balanced treble, controlled, versatile, without coloring, without peaks, great definition, great detail, great airy. There’s not much to criticize here, they are treble with excellent resolution. The treble of the HYPE 2 aren’t strident, not harsh, not fatigue, nor piercing. I didn’t feel the presence of sibilance. The sparkle is very coherent to the real, but it has a slight touch towards the crystalline side, something very subtle. Guitar solos have a lot of airiness and energy. Chime stands out for its sparkle. Fingerpicking on steel string guitar is very detailed.

Soundstage: The sensation of soundstage I found excellent. I would highlight that the strong here are height and width, already in depth the IEM is good/ok. Because it has these mids with a lot of resolution and clarity, it gives the sensation that the sound is closer. Certainly the HYPE 2 is not the most spatial IEM I’ve ever heard, I would say that the Quintet, for example, has a sensation of more depth in the sound. A small recess in the region of the mids/upper-mids can already create a sensation of more spaciousness in the presentation, because the sound stops being so frontal.

Imaging: The instrumental separation of the HYPE 2 I found to be excellent. The stereo image is very good. The IEM has a lot of resolution, the instruments are all very easy to identify, you can feel the position of each instrument playing within the presentation without sounding congested. Always good to point out that the earphone won’t do miracles if the recording doesn’t have good quality, this influences a lot in the question of instrumental separation.

Driver flex test: I didn’t notice driver flex noise when inserting the IEMs in my ears.

Amplification: I used the DAP FiiO M11S to do this evaluation. The output used was the 3.5mm and the DAP in High Gain mode. The Volume was at 80% of the 120% available by the M11S. I can affirm that the HYPE 2 is an easy to play IEM, it doesn’t require extraordinary amplification. I also quickly tested with the FiiO KA11 dongle and it played easily. It will play even on smatphones and notebooks. As always, I indicate that at least the person has a good quality dongle to play the IEMs. Currently, I make the recommendation of the FiiO KA11 as a good cost/benefit dongle.

COMPARATIVE:

In my opinion, the HYPE 2 is very similar to the Kiwi Ears Quintet. Of course, they aren’t the same, there are differences, but these differences are quite subtle (in my opinion). I did a side-by-side comparison with the two IEMs and came to the conclusion that whichever one you choose, you will be very well served. With my eyes closed, whichever one I picked would be great.

About the differences, which in my opinion are quite discreet, the HYPE 2 has a bit more mid-bass, and in the mids and treble, I feel that the HYPE 2 has a bit more emphasis, which increases the clarity of these two regions, but it’s something very discreet, that’s why I don’t consider it an upgrade. In terms of soundstage, the Quintet shows to be a bit more spatial, and in imaginf, both are excellent.

Technically speaking, the HYPE 2 presents a higher level of detail, but it’s not that the Quintet is “inferior”, it’s not that, the Quintet is also excellent, the thing is as if the HYPE 2 were 0.5dB more in the mids and treble, and then you end up having a greater perception of the sound and the instruments. Now, musically speaking, the Quintet has a sweeter and even more natural sound than the HYPE 2, and of course, I’m speaking for my taste, for my ears.

In physical aspects, the Quintet is lighter (IEMs and cable). And in the fit, the Quintet has a more “slim/thin” shell.

PROS AND CONS:

GRAPHS BY SUPER* REVIEWS:

Thank you so much for being here!

Follow us on Instagram to get all the news!

We also have a group on Telegram, let’s talk.

• Instagram
• Telegram
• Youtube
• Spotify