>>I am brazilian and I speak portuguese, so forgive my english, I’ll use translator tools to help.<<
INTRO:
TRUTHEAR is a relatively new company in the world of audio, it’s a chinese brand and has only two earphones released so far: Truthear Zero (collab with Crinacle YouTuber), and the new Truthear Hexa. Unfortunately I didn’t have the opportunity to review the Zero, but I will happily review the Hexa. Spoiler: The company is about to launch a new product in the budget range.
The Truthear Hexa was sent by SHENZHENAUDIO, one of the main distributors of Truthear products, as well as several other brands and audio products. So, I’m going to put the product links and those who are interested in know about Truthear Hexa, just check the links below (they are not affiliates).
Price: $79.99 USD
Colors: Black
Cabe: No Mic
SHENZHENAUDIO STORE:
https://shenzhenaudio.aliexpress.com/store/601461
https://aliexpress.com/item/1005004929936956.html
SPECIFICATIONS:
Hybrid config.
(1) 10mm Dynamic Driver (DD) (PU + LCP)
(3) Balanced Armature (BA)
Frequency range: 8Hz – 40kHz
Effective Frequency: 20Hz – 20kHz
Sensitivity: 120dB/Vrms @1kHz
Impedance: 20.5Ω土15% @1kHz
THD: ≤ 1% @1kHz (94dB)
Termination Plug: 3.5mm (in L design)
Cable size: 120cm
Cable material: Four strands silver-plated
Connectors: 2Pin 0.78mm (detachable)
Shell: 3D Resin
PHYSICAL ASPECTS:
Eartips. 3 types came with the product: 2 in silicone and 1 in foam. I separate the two types in silicone like this: the white ones with a “normal” hole (more closed), and the white ones with a more open hole (almost wide bore). Both types came in size S/M/L. The foamtips only came 1 pair in unique size.
-The evaluation was made with the “normal” (more closed) in size M.
The kit was very nice, the quality of the eartips is also very good. There’s no big differences among these eartips, for me the silicone is very soft, and the thickness of the tube is also thin, which helps me a lot in terms of comfort. As I did the reveiw with an eartip that came in the package, I don’t see the need to purchase another eartips for the Hexa, but we have an implication in the “fitting” paragraph.
Cable. It’s a simple and modest cable, and certainly in this price range it’s not the best cable I’ve ever tested, for example: the Tin T3+ cable, or even the Celest Gumiho cable is better (imo). Anyway, I believe that the quality was concentrated more on the earphones (shell and drivers) itself. Still, the cable has good quality, it’s lightweight, doesn’t tangle as easily, doesn’t have microphonics, and it’s a sturdy cable. The not so positive points are only the simple aesthetics and the “memory” on its extension (it has some slight wavy marks along its length). It comes with a chin slider, and the piece really works very well.
Earhooks. I liked the earhooks, they are thin and light, coated with a thermoplastic material. The curvature I thought was right – for my ears. To make it better, they could be completely smooth, that is, without wavy marks, but in this case the wavy are small and didn’t interfere in the comfort.
Connectors.The connectors are 2-pin 0.78mm style. The base of the connectors has a small recess, so not any cable will go well with the Hexa (in case of cable replacement). This style of connector is widely used by Moondrop, I confess that I don’t like their aesthetics very much, but being a 2-pin type is already a great achievement (it’s the best type for me). They have the L & R indication (left and right) to guide in the moment of installation, and the shells also come with the indication by letters.
Fit. The fit was good but not 100% stable in my ears. So, it doesn’t move when I put it in my ears, but if I touch it with my finger, then it wobbles. The shells also became more pronounced in my ears, and here the eartips had an active parcel in this matter, cause the sum of the eartips plus the nozzle turned the IEM more protruding. If I put a smaller eartip in the IEM would certainly fit better in my shells. The Hexa has a smoother/straighter faceplate, so the protruding wasn’t something so big, although before testing the product I thought it would be a very discreet earphone. The final evaluation of the fitting was positive, I know that I can improve changing the eartips. Maybe it’s a good IEM for those with small ears, although you also need to change the eartips for the IEM be more inserted in your ears. The insertion into my ear canal is average, and the isolation is medium/Ok.
Comfort. The comfort is excellent, I didn’t have any pressure points, the IEM doesn’t even touch the bottom of my shells, it’s very well finished, it doesn’t have any weird or poorly polished surfaces. The construction is top notch, the resin used is of good quality, the IEM has very good ergonomics. It is indeed a good earphone for those who do long sessions (I usually always take breaks between 2-3 hours of music). The Hexa is a very light earphone, either the shells alone or with the cable together. I didn’t feel discomfort at any time during the time I was reviewing the product.
One point that I didn’t find cool in the Hexa’s build is that the faceplate is held by a Philips screw, and it was already noticeable on my unit that the screw is in a state of oxidation. I passed a cloth over the screw and it reduced the situation a little bit, but there’s still the presence of rust on it. Ideally, the company should have used stainless components.
The product comes with a very interesting pouch-style case, when opened it turns into a cube. It is made of very soft synthetic leather. I liked the case, although I still find the rigid or semi-rigid Case style better to store the earphone (I think it is more resistant to the weather).
SOUND ASPECTS:
The sound of Truthear Hexa I consider as Warm-Neutral. The earphone have a very good balance between mids and highs, and also have a slight boost in the bass region, which makes them – for me – sound more warmish. I liked the Hexa, it has a great tonality and is also great in technicalities, for the price range it becomes even more attractive. I’ll warn you right away that Hexa didn’t sound energetic or super fun (to me), but manages to play a lot of things with great ease, so for me is exactly in that middle between having more life/energy and being smooth/relaxing, that’s where Hexa is.
Hexa bass in quantitative terms. I would say the measure here is they are moderate to high. That’s because for me the IEM always manages to deliver a good presence of bass but at the same time not exaggerated bass. The bass have more presence in the sub-bass region than in the mid-bass region. It does have mid-bass, but they are a little lower in the presentation, which makes the sub-bass gain more notoriety. I didn’t feel any roll-off in the bass, for me the extension was good. If you’re looking for bass intensity, I’d say the Hexa might not be the best choice for you, however, to my ears the bass from these IEMs didn’t sound boring in any genre I tested, especially with genres that I think need an extra doses of bass.
In qualitative terms, the bass from the Hexa is versatile, it has mass, it has weight, it has texture, it has that “meat” in the sub-bass, and I also think that they have their dose of authority (although they are not basses that impress a lot dynamics and intensity). The impact is good but the bass is not strong, in some situations you may feel the lack of an extra kick, but in other situations you will simply find that the measure is correct. The definition is good, but it’s not something glorious, I’d say it’s a middle between being a clean bass and a looser bass. I think the bass from the Hexa goes more towards the bass of the Aria than a T3+ (although I don’t have either one else to compare, it’s just a vague memory).
It’s not boomy bass, it’s not muddy, it’s not muffled… at times it can sound a little “massive”, for example, a more accentuated bass in a Reggae music, then yes it can sound more full-bodied, but I still think that he manages to maintain a good level of control, he doesn’t bleed into the mids. This is even an interesting detail of the technicality of the Hexa, you can hear these bass and you can see that they are “there”, while the mids are “over here” (like a separation). The sound of a guitar playing acoustically is not so impressive, because usually the emphasis on the mid-bass is what gives the instrument a fuller sound, but as this type of sound does not have much activity in the sub-bass, it turns out that the sound is interesting also. Electric instruments sounds manage to synergize better (in my opinion).
The mids. First, I would like to say that the technicalities helped this region to achieve good clarity, resolution and transparency. The IEM manages to create a kind of “isolation” (cut) of the voices and instruments that move more here in this middle region. The Pinna Gain doesn’t have too much boost, so the sounds never sound aggressive, they’re always on the “correct” measure. I also don’t think there’s too much recess here, Ok there’s a touch of softness to the sound but it’s not too dark or veiled. >> (What has been said here on mids goes through how I set up my source to play the IEM, so ideally you also read the “amplification” section) <<
The voices. The Hexa has a warmer side that for me benefited the male/low voices more than the female/high voices. This doesn’t mean that female voices aren’t good, it means that there are other earphones that give more projection and prominence to this type of voice, such as the BGVP Melody. So if you have a music library with a lot of female vocals, I think Hexa won’t extract the greatest potential from that type of voice. On the other hand, the male voices are very nice, a certain “warmth” and sweetness is noticeable with the lower voices. In fact, there are other earphones that manage to extract more texture from this type of voice, for example the Letshuoer D13 (in my opinion).
The highs in quantitative terms. The quantity was well made and I think it is at a moderate level. The amount is very good, I didn’t feel any hearing fatigue, and I didn’t notice any peak in the sound either. Possibly the best part of the Hexa, although it is difficult to make that statement because it will depend a little on the recordings, if you listen to very different musical genres, each time the IEM will present a region that stands out the most. I didn’t feel any roll-off in the highs, the extension is good. I would say that it is an earphone that would not be a problem for people who are treble sensitive. On a scale of 0 to 10 where 5 would be very comfortable highs, I would give the Hexa highs a 6 score (the amount).
In qualitative terms, the highs of the Hexa are balanced, defined, linear, versatile, “neutral” (subjective). The detailing I thought was very good, but it doesn’t reach the level of micro detailing (in my opinion). The sparkle is very coherent, showing no coloration or crystallization of the sound. Transients are good and the airy is also good. They aren’t shrill highs, they aren’t sharp highs, they aren’t harsh highs, and they don’t have sibilance. Honestly, I didn’t notice anything to criticize in that highs region. Carrillon plays very correct and without excessive brightness, Hi-hats have presence and detail without sounding harsh, Ride cymbals don’t trespass from the presentation and are linear.
Soundstage. The soundstage I think it is very good. The Audiosense AQ4 is an IEM with a very generous soundstage and it has the same driver configuration as the Hexa (1DD+3BA), so the AQ4 has more amplitude in the sound, it’s a fact, but the Hexa has also been following the same way – albeit with its small differences. The Hexa manages to bring a good amplitude to the sound, of course it isn’t the ultimate on stage, but it has very good depth, height, and width. I felt here exactly a little of what I felt when I listened to the AQ4, the voices had a feeling of being floating in the presentation.
Imaging. The imaging I think it is great. Stereo imaging is pretty good, as the earphone’s ability to separate where each instrument is playing. The resolution is very good and I never felt the IEM sound congested. This aspect here is one of the strong points of the Hexa (in my opinion). I’ve always think that hybrid earhones are better for instrumental separation (also remembering that this aspect can vary according to recordings and other processes during music production).
Driver flex. The Hexa is a hybrid IEM with 1 DD in its composition, and when it is like this, it’s necessary to check if there is a driver flex sound. So I can say that the Hexa showed no signs of driver flex noise.
Amplification. I did the review using the DAC/AMP dongle Questyle M15 connected to my notebook. The output used was the 3.5mm SE and the device with the selector in “Low” mode, that is, without gain. I think Hexa doesn’t need extraordinary amplification to show a satisfactory result, but it can play a little differently if you put it in a source that has more power. I did a test by putting the dongle in High Gain mode and I felt that the mids gained more life and forwardness. Now, this – for me – wasn’t necessarily a positive thing, because in some songs this extra gain also provided agressive and unnatural sound. So, for me, the ideal sound was to put it in Low Gain mode and give the sound a little more volume. Maybe for a very weak source the IEM may not play so well, so in these cases it’s good to think about some dedicated equipment. I did the whole review with a level between 40 and 45 out of 100 on the Windows10 volume scale.
Music is subjective, so below is the list of some musical genres that I personally think that was better with this IEM. Remember that were only few genres and few artists tested. If I describe that one genre was better and the other don’t, it doesn’t mean that you can’t listen to your favorite music genre with this IEM and love it. So, here goes:
Better:
EDM
Hip Hop
POP
Rock
Blues
Classical
Metal
Bossa Nova*
Samba*
MPB*
*Brazilian musical genres.
Not so much:
Reggae
Jazz
PLAYLIST LINK:
Graphs by Super*Review:
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