Hiby Lasya

Introduction:
Hiby has been a long term player in the sources field, and recently has entered into the IEM market as well. In general, Hiby’s DAPs are held in high regard, and having listened to RS6, I hold the same opinion too.

Hiby started their foray into the IEM segment with Crystal 6, a 6 BA iem. Now, I was not much fond of BA bass (still am not), hence I never really paid them much attention. However, this year, a few months back, Hiby announced the Lasya. Now, that immediately caught my attention. Why? Because Lasya is a word of Indian Origin, and being an Indian myself, I was instantly interested! I reached out to Hiby, to understand why they decided on this particular name, and whether the essence of the Sanskrit word Lasya was taken into consideration.

Hiby replied this:
The term Lāsya in the context of Hindu mythology describes the dance performed by Goddess Parvati as it expresses happiness and is filled with grace and beauty. The Lasya was designed with recreating the emotions and soulfulness of a female performer in mind, and the faceplates are as colourful and beautiful as the dancing goddess. So we felt that the name Lasya goes well with our product image and our slogan for this new product is "born to sing". That's why it is named "Lasya".

Well, suffice to say I was quite pleasantly surprised by the thought they had put behind it and of course quite glad at this cultural appreciation. I asked Hiby whether I may have a chance of reviewing them, and they obliged and sent me a review sample. So here are my impressions below.



Specifications:

• Type: Single dynamic driver In-Ear Monitors
• Weight: 4.3 g
• Size: 10mm Carbon nanotubes Dynamic driver
• Frequency Response: 20Hz-40KHz
• Sensitivity: 108 ± 1dB/mW
• L&R Channel Balance Tolerance: ≤ 2dB
• Max Input Power: 50 mW
• Impedance: 32 Ω ± 5%
• THD: ≤ 2%
• Cable Material: OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) copper:4*30*0.05mm
• Cable Length: 120cm
• Terminations: 3.5mm gold-plated, 4.4mm gold-plated

Disclaimer:
I received this item from Hiby for free in exchange for my honest opinion on this. I have recorded my impressions below while trying to remain bias-free as much as possible.

Packaging and Accessories:
When I received the box, I was surprised at how refreshing it looked from the outside. The near-perfect cubic shape, the flowing silver letters, and the subtle design in the background - had a very bright Autumn vibe to my eyes.

Under the cuboid top cover lies the first layer housing the earpieces lie. Beneath that is the layer where the 3 types of silicone eartips are housed - Crisp, bass, and Balanced, along with a pair of Memory Foam eartips. I used the Crisp eartips for a while but eventually settled with the BGVP W01 eartips which made it sound its best.



Pick up that layer, and underneath is the Big case. Yes, it is Big, and Round with a bulge and padding on the inside for extra protection - exceeding my expectations. Well, the volume was needed to house not one but TWO Cables.



Yes, Lasya is perhaps the first iem that I came across at this price range (under $200) that comes with two cables - one 4.4 mm balanced and another 3.5 mm single end. A pleasant surprise, to say the least. However, and I do not know why, Hiby has decided to go with Pentaconn Ear connectors instead of the more conventional mmcx or 2pin. Acoustune is the company that introduced these connectors first in their product line, I think. But I do believe that going with this connector might have prompted Hiby to include the balanced cable, as a lot of us are preferring to use balanced over single end, and Pentaconn Ear balanced cables are not exactly easy to come by. Props to Hiby for that.



Build and Fit:
Lasya is completely made of a semi-transparent acrylic shell which I believe is also filled with Acrylic. The shell, albeit light, feels quite sturdy. The Hiby has employed a unique design of air pathway, as shown below:



In Hiby’s words: The convective intake and exhaust acoustic chamber design is fully integrated with the housing, effectively eliminating pressure differential and driver flex. It achieves the beautiful wear design of CIEM styles while obtaining the same acoustic utility as traditional utilitarian driver housings. Eliminating pressure differential and driver flex makes for freedom from channel imbalance upon tight fit and a clear sound and a soundfield that extends out of the head.

Basically, it seems that the front vent is ported towards the back of the housing. Something unique, no doubt, but not exactly groundbreaking. How accurate the claim of 'soundfield that extends out of the head' is, we will see later. However, I can confirm that the semi-custom shape of the shell is in fact extremely comfortable and fits like a glove inside the ear. Also, there is absolutely zero driver flex. The green shell looks appropriately luscious for the name with the beautiful faceplate and the gold lettering.

I have tried to capture the ports in my photos. Here are some close-up looks:





The OCC cables are quite slim, but not thin, and quite supple - which is a plus for me. The SS parts feel sturdy. Overall, they do feel like quality products.

Source:
Qudelix 5K balanced out via bluetooth
Luxury&Precision W2 balanced out
Shanling UA3 balanced out
Shanling M7 balanced out mid gain

Sound:
Before speaking about the sound, I must speak about the store produced frequency response graph, or rather, how inaccurate that is. Take a look below:


It is quite obvious from the above that there is a very strong bass emphasis of almost 10 dB over 800 Hz that continues almost horizontally from 20 Hz to 250 Hz. This most definitely signifies a full blown bass. And yet, when I received it and put it in my ears, I was pleasantly surprised with a much much more controlled bass, which I was totally not expecting!

Then, techpowerup published their review of Hiby Lasya, along with a measured graph. Take a look at the below link:
https://vsg.squig.link/?share=VSG_Target,HiBy_Lasya

In quite the stark contrast to the store produced graph, it shows a very gentle rise from 500 Hz of about 7 dB at most till 20 Hz. Now, this explains the actual bass response that I was hearing perfectly, and I was content.



With this out of the way, let us plunge into a more thorough discussion on how it sounds:

The tuning of Lasya felt so matured from the very first listening, that I was totally captivated. It felt smooth, and yet not muted. The transparency was quite decent, quite clean midrange. A gentle boost in the bass, and a boost in the mid treble region to add a bit of sparkle, do the magic. The overall sound is quite comfortable for extended listening, and yet you’ll never feel that the sound lacks life. Due to the gentle boost in bass and treble region, coupled with a balanced mid range (not too far back, not too forward either), the overall presentation becomes really engaging. The tonality is a bit on the warmer side, which adds to the listening comfort. It is quite clear that Hiby has gone in the opposite direction of trying to push out as much detail as possible. What Hiby has evidently tried to achieve is creating a sound that is comfortable to listen to, has enough air to not feel congested, and is dynamic enough to make it engaging. Of course, compromises are made here and there, but the whole feels greater than the sum.



Not even once the low end feels overwhelming, and yet it never feels missing either. The gentle boost makes the bass stay at such a level where it makes its presence known and felt distinctly, but never fights to grab your attention. One might think that to attain such balance the bass had to compromise a full bodied presence. Well, in that case they’ll be in for a surprise! The mid bass slams, albeit gentle, never felt half-hearted or lacking body. They have quite a full bodied reproduction. The notes have a very nice weight that adds a touch of physicality without emphasising them. The double pedal kickdrum slams in Metallica - The Four Horseman, the timbale and drums in Deep Purple - Chasing Shadows, the attacking drum beats in Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California sound appropriately impactful, weighty, and present, without eating at the stage. However, it’s not just the midbass that is masterfully tuned, subbass gets the same treatment also. If splitting hairs, subbass might seem to have a tiny bit of more emphasis than the midbass. The bass guitar rumbles in Deep Purple - Chasing Shadows, the individual plucks of bass guitar strings in Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah sound wonderfully deep and well-bodied, and very slightly more present over the drums. Textures are not bad, in spite of having a bit of smoothness - which gives the impression of masking some details, but frankly, in my whole listening session I never once felt it was lacking anything.
The checking of low end always ends with Bear McCreary-Battlestar Galactica Season 2 OST: Prelude To War. The thunderous bass drums here sound a bit controlled, although they definitely do not sound hollow. Sufficient weight was present throughout the track. While they do not slam and rumble in their full glory, they certainly do not sound lacking body or weak. On the other hand, the double bass set up a very nice groundwork that grows from being in the background to commanding a frontal presence along with the drum, and all throughout this transition they sound consistently deep and full bodied without becoming overwhelming.



The single defining trait of the midrange is how incredibly organic it sounds, while still boasting a decent amount of transparency. The notes have a beautiful combination of the right amount of body, crispness, and slight smoothening of edges; together they provide the midrange a beautiful lushness that I simply could not get enough of. Instruments like stick hits, snare drums, sound crisp enough to stand out, but the smooth edges blunts the attacks a bit - which was not a deal breaker for me. The same applies for guitars, although, in this case, the acoustic guitars attain a more natural timbre. The note weight sounds quite balanced, neither too lean nor too thick, and the attack sounds appropriate. Estas Tonne and Antoine Dufour - I love these two acoustic guitarists, and both of them sound absolutely magical on their respective tracks - Strings Of A Bard and Development. The guitar notes sound really crunchy and alive. Coming to electric guitar, Joe Satriani sounds mesmerising in Always With Me, Always With You, however, a bit more energy here would have been more appreciated. The rhythm guitars in Evanescence - Imaginary sound quite crunchy, textured, and maintain a distinct presence in the mix. The snare drum rolls in Bear McCreary-Battlestar Galactica Season 2 OST: Prelude To War sound a bit dull and not as textured as crispier and livelier sets, but not totally washed out and blunt either - have enough crispness to still sound satisfactory.
Male vocals are given a somewhat neutral treatment here, but that does not imply they sound dry. There is a distinct warmth here, with the notes having satisfactory weight and body to sound natural, but not thick enough to sound juicy and heavily coloured. They do still sound organic enough that I never once had to grimace in dissatisfaction. Lasya reproduces the textures in the vocal quite well, but smoothens the rough edges to minimise discomfort - and that is truly a masterful tuning, again. The deep baritone parts of Leonard Cohen in Hallelujah sound appropriately deep and full bodied, while Marko Saaresto’s ‘bass-baritone’ voice has the right emotional touch in The Ballad of Jeremiah Peacekeeper without sounding grating or harsh. In both of these cases, the sibilant sounds (s, z, sh, zh) are smoothened out not to cause even the slightest discomfort while still reproducing them clearly. When it comes to rasp and rough or gritty vocals, like Eluveitie - Inis Mona and Metallica - Enter Sandman, Lasya portrays them in such a manner where the rough edges do not get overly emphasised, and yet the overall gritty texture is reproduced well along with a fullness that helps the vocals attain an appropriate presence and avoid thinness.
Now, let us talk about the female vocals, which, as claimed by Hiby, Lasya is tuned for. And Lasya delivers here. The way the female vocals get portrayed here is this - the energy of the female vocal is preserved in ample quantity, slight hint of warmth is added to enhance the emotive factor, and in line with their main tuning philosophy the sibilant notes are smoothened a bit for listening comfort. What it culminates into is a beautiful and sweet sounding female vocal that never goes out of bound despite how sibilant it gets, and yet never fails to deliver the underlying energy. Celine Dion’s soaring voice in The Power of Love, Christina Aguilera’s powerful voice in Hurt, Yao Si Ting’s silky voice in Scarborough Fair, Cherryl Wheeler’s jolly voice in I Know This Town, Amy Lee’s versatile voice in Going Under, My Immortal, Hello, Sara Bareilles’s slightly raspy voice in Love Song - Lasya brings out the most of them every time without sounding strident. And this is what I believe is one of the greatest feats of Lasya and how it justifies Hiby’s claim regarding its tuning. Other iems in a similar price range that I have listened to, none of them have ever managed to play all of the above vocals equally beautifully. Some of the vocals would sound ethereal, and then some would sound too sharp and peaky. Lasya is an enigma here where it made all of them sound great without giving any special treatment.



Treble section of Lasya sounds a bit controlled, but thankfully not muted and super rolled off. I’d say they are more on the comfortable side without severely compromising the energy. In fact, there is quite a noticeable amount of energy at the lower trebe region, while the upper treble region is a bit pulled back. Although not as bright and sparkling as other bright sounding iems like Penon Vortex or Azla Horizon, the treble of Lasya still stands out quite well to make its presence known without getting in your face. Somehow, Hiby managed to tune the treble such that the energy is quite sufficient to make it engaging, and yet had the rough edges smoothened to preserve the listening comfort. The notes have a slight warm tonality while having just enough body. Point to note - despite the smoothed edges, the treble notes still sound crispy. I’d like to say, while this kind of treble is certainly not for trebleheads, they are still of just the right quantity and quality to make the whole tuning achieve the balance it was aiming for.
In Katja Maria Werker - Contact Myself the background treble notes are nicely reproduced and have a distinct crispness. Not very bright, yet not subdued. Same goes for Metallica - Enter Sandman, the forerunning hi-hat roll sounds pronounced yet never peaky. Cymbal crashes are quite easily discernible in the mix as well, although not as bright and sparkling as other sets I mentioned.



Talking about the Technicalities, I would say the Lasya is fairly technical. Not too much due to the slightly smoother notes, not too smooth to sound mushy. Again, there is a nice sense of balance. Crisp notes with smoothed edges isn’t something I come across regularly, and hence, when I have, I have tried to make sure to point that out.
Although, that’s not the first attribute that comes to my mind when talking about technicalities.
Rather, what first comes to mind is the outstandingly open presentation it creates. While the stage width and depth are quite above average, the excellent height it has elevates the whole presentation to quite a grand level. The imaging is one of the best I have heard in this price range, and the air between the notes is plenty. Separation is quite nice again. Everything together, it certainly makes an attempt to get close to a 3-dimensional stage, and achieves about 80% of it, in my humble opinion. This wide open presentation is certainly one of the best aspects of Lasya, as I surely wasn’t expecting this given that its tuning was on the smoother side. And here, the statement, 'soundfield that extends out of the head' gets justified.

Conclusion:
Hiby Lasya is an enigma. It is smooth iem done right. Those who know me know that I love my treble as I love my bass, powerful/energetic, tight/sparkling, and with a nice controlled decay. Lasya by no means has sparkling treble, and yet I simply cannot think the treble is anything less than satisfactory. I think this has more to do with the sum of the individual attributes that it has. The low end is not the most full-bodied, nor does it slam exceptionally hard; it is tight though. The treble is not highly extended, although has an above average amount of energy at the lower treble and sounds crisp. The midrange is surely magical, such is the open and airy presentation. And when all of them come together, the listener, I in this case, can’t help just float in the music while having absolutely zero concerns towards finer details. Lasya was truly “born to sing”, emotionally and soulfully. I find no fault in Hiby’s logic behind the naming. Lasya focuses on musicality and brings out the happiness in the music rather than focusing on extreme technicalities. I mentioned ‘extreme’ because Lasya is indeed fairly technical. Hiby has pulled off a wondrous tuning and I will surely be looking out for the further single DD offerings from them. For the time being, Lasya is my go-to iem whenever I need to take a change from sheer technical sound or when I just need to relax.