Truthear HEXA 4 Driver Hybrid IEM

Welcome to the next part of this series of never-ending IEM articles. The exercise has worked so far. I have not had the irresistible urge to embark on the journey into the deep and dark depths of the classifieds, Linsoul, Hi-Fi Go, etc. etc.

The Plunder of the Soul which the audio hobby presents is an awe-inspiring thing, isn’t it?

Playlist + source breakdown with my disclaimer, as always.

Test tracks

• Give Life Back to Music - daft punk - Overall clarity
• Infinity Repeating - daft punk - Lower mids control
• Voyager - daft punk - Bass line clarity/busy track layering
• Cthulhu Sleeps - Sub bass texture
• Overnight - Parcels - mid bass punch
• Tieduprightnow - Parcels - bass line/sibilance test
• Everyroad -Parcels - Imaging/Sub bass @ 7 minute mark
• Daytime - Lunar Vacation - Staging/female vocals w/ heavy bass
• Days - No Vacation - Vibe test/treble energy
• Fruiting Body - Goon - Sub bass
• Wavy Maze - Goon - Mid bass
• Together - Maggie Rodgers - Female Vocals
• Slide Tackle - Japanese Breakfast - Sibilance test/consonants harshness
• Decode - Paramore - Vibe test/stage depth
• Vinta - Crumb - Stage depth/layering
• Kim’s Caravan - Courtney Barnett - Female Vocals/resolution test
• Small Poppies - Courtney Barnett - Distorted Guitar
• Lifelong Song - Men I Trust - Sub/mid-bass texture
• One and Only - Adele - Female Vocals/consonants harshness test
• Waves - Wild Painting - Overall Enjoyment and stage depth/width/Bass guitar speed
• Not the One - Highnoon - Female Vocals
• Cowboy Killer - Varsity - Layering
• Alone in My Principles - Varsity - Distorted female vocals
• Summer Madness - Kool & The Gang - Treble Harshness

Sources

• Apple Music Streaming Hi-Res Lossless when available
• Topping D10s + Topping L30
• Moondrop Dawn 4.4
• Dunu DTC 500
• FiiO BTR7 BT

Disclaimer

I am not a reviewer. Positively, 100%, confidently, I will never be one or possess the ability to be one. Don’t take anything I say as an objective stance, of course, this is all my opinion, y’all, this hobby should be fun! I’m just having a bit of a laugh with all of this. This is purely my opinion after all. I personally value timbre over everything. If a set has a strange tonality or timbre, it’s an immediate turn-off.

Anyway, enough of the bs, the next IEM on the table is going to be the Truthear Hexa.




The 1+3 hybrid from the brand Truthear. Truthear was looking to take 2023 by storm, that is, until Kiwi Ears and Simgot entered the picture…

The Hexa was a set of IEMs that I set my eyes on from the very beginning, all the way back in 2022 when they were first released, which in this hobby, might as well be forever. I thought the tuning seemed uniquely Harman but with a few twists.



Thank you to @MMag05 for measuring a good majority of my IEMs so I can see exactly what’s going on here. As the graph indicates, my pair has fairly good channel-matching noice.

I really enjoy the Hexa, they’re a mighty fine set to my ears and I’m happy I’ve had them as my EDC for the last week or so, it’s reminded me as to why I fell in love with them in the first place. The fit is just impeccable for my ears. I mean, truly, like a glove. Even though the nozzle is quite large, there’s no lip so there’s never any discomfort for me, for reference, I have slightly smaller ear canals according to a random urgent care nurse, and quite large outer ears. Fit is truly hit or miss for me - the EA500 is a set of IEMs that I wish so very badly were a different shape, because they sound incredible, but wearing them is so annoying, that I barely reach for them anymore. The Hexa on the other hand has a medium to large-ish shell, with a lovely industrial/modernist design of sharp corners on the faceplate, with a softer, smooth resin finish on the contact point with your ear. The nozzle is sufficiently long to achieve a nice deep insertion which means isolation is off the charts. Sorry for droning on about fit, but these are super nice to have in your ears for an extended period, at least for me.

In the sound department, I can honestly summarize the Hexa as being a warm neutral, surprise surprise, just like 99% of my collection LOL but but but, I must say, the Hexa does things a little bit differently and truthfully, outside of the Cinno which I just dove deep on, the Hexa checks off lots of boxes for my preferences except maybe one, but we’ll get to that.

The bass and lower mid-range have a very smooth slope, and this has its strengths and weaknesses of course. I find the overall bass impact, like rumble in the sub-bass region and kick drum slam to be quite softer, not much overall attack in this region, but it is smooth. There is plenty of warmth here that allows the Hexa to avoid becoming thin for most of my library, most of the songs that are in my library tend to be mastered with a warmer tilt anyway. I feel as though some classical could maybe come off as thin in some cases, and maybe some classic rock as well, especially songs recorded in the 60s and early 70s like from Zeppelin 1. There’s a sub-bass emphasis, yes, but with the lack of mid-bass, where these songs emphasized, John Bonham’s drum kit can sound distant and not as authoritative as I’d like.

Referencing my test tracks, the first few daft punk songs sound fantastic, clear, and crisp. Give Life Back to Music and Infinity Repeating have awesome grove-ability, with the ending of GLBTM having plenty of spatial cues with the crowd noises representing some space in the mix, adding to the enjoyment. Voyager, my favorite daft punk track, has probably graced my ears thousands of times by now and I know how this song is supposed to sound. It’s an interesting track because The Robots really flex their musical prowess here - the beginning of the song is fairly straight forward and the star of the show is that bassline. It needs to be heard clearly but also felt as well. The Hexa does a decent job. The bassline is heard very clearly, with enough texture, but it doesn’t have as much force as I’d like. Instead, my brain focuses heavily on the artificial snare hit and clap on the 2 beat. That 3k peak from the Hexa comes into play here, it can be too harsh at higher volume for me, so I have to keep it a mid to even low volume at times. As the song goes on, Thomas and Guy add more elements to the song, stopping the drum kit and the rest of the synths to introduce us to these new elements, forcing our brains to almost focus on them before adding the rest of the songs back in the mix all at once. It gets very busy towards the end of the song and some IEMs that have messy technicalities stumble here, all the instruments sound mushed together with little to no separation. The Hexa doesn’t fail here, in fact, I’d say it accomplishes separating and layering all these different components very well. There’s plenty of air to help it feel open, and even though that 3k peak can come across as harsh at times, it seems to add some weight to the synths. It’s all very clear, crisp, and just warm enough to be a good experience.

Cthulhu Sleeps by the Mau5 is next and this is the song I use to test EDM sub-bass. The bass line in this song is not just one blob of bass, it’s a pulsating line with plenty of texture behind all those nutso synths and distortion. The Hexa does an okay job here, I give it a C, maybe a C+. EDM is not this IEMs strong suit. This song is fatiguing within about 20 seconds and the sub-bass rumble is heard, but you gotta focus on it. 3k is just pushed up too much for this song to sound balanced, however, the mid-bass hits are quite nice. It does have a rounder body on the individual hits but it’s just enough to pass.

The Parcels are next on the playlist, and they really know how to master and produce their tracks. All of their songs are fantastic on the Hexas, very enjoyable, and very groovy. But again, when things get a touch busy in the track, the upper mids knocks on the proverbial door right in the middle of disco night and reminds you there’s something not quite right. It’s too boosted and there isn’t quite enough mid-bass to get the party passed the living room. You’re not spilling into the streets, waiting for the cops to arrive. The volume stays at a respectable, inner-city level.

Using the next few tracks, Daytime by Lunar Vacation, and Days by No Vacation, I can say that female vocals are very clear with proper timbre. There’s also plenty of texture as well, they aren’t the most forward and I believe that is due to the little divot between 2-3k. Masking is the name of the game here, ssss and tssss are emphasized so my brain starts to focus on them a bit more, not to mention the god damned snare hits… Layering and separation are very good and imaging is a strong suit of the Hexas. Starting at around 3:10 in the song Daytime, there’s this revolving synth that circles your head going counterclockwise. I can pretty easily track the sound with the Hexas, whereas other sets can sometimes sound 2 dimensional, only going from the left channel and immediately to the right channel.

Fruiting Body by Goon is one of my favorite songs from the past year, it’s an amazingly haunting song with airy female vocals, busy instrumentation, and a nasty ass sub-bass line that hits during the chorus. I have been obsessed with this song for months, along with the rest of their discography, and while the Hexas does an okay job with this song, the sub-bass just ain’t hitting the way I expect it to. Wavy Maze is the next song by them on the playlist and I expect a pretty hard-hitting kick drum on this one and again, while it’s there, it ain’t rocking my world as I’d expect. There’s also a hint of BA timbre present in the vocalist’s vocals. There’s something to the way it’s been produced for sure, but I can clearly hear a BA sheen when the note is stretched a little.




There isn’t much notable that’s any different going through the rest of my playlist here, so I think I’ll wrap this up here in an effort not to drone on here too much longer.

I can summarize the Hexa this way;

They are an extremely comfortable, well built and well-designed Hybrid IEM in the under $100 price-point for anyone who’d like something Harmen-ish tuned, but with a better body to the lower mids, no tuck in the mid-bass, and an emphasis on being accurate. They stumble a bit in some areas like the upper-mid refinement and a lack of mid-bass punch. The DD in this unit is of decent quality, but it isn’t anything special. The same goes for the BAs - I can tell Truthear put some thought into this tuning and I still enjoy them being in my collection, but I think the Cinno replaces these quite handily, with more natural upper-mids, a stronger mid-bass slam and less BA timbre, although, it’s present on both IEMs. I know this isn’t a totally fair comparison, with one being a whole year newer and $20 more expensive, but it’s helpful for me to finally conclude that the Hexa can be put on the chopping block. What I have now in the under $100 range makes them obsolete for me and I’d almost say, for a majority of the market.

It’s bittersweet, I love the Hexa, it has a soft spot for me because I acquired them somewhat early on in my friendship with one of my closest Audio buddies.

I can only appreciate looking back on the listening time but accept it’s time for them to go.



Thanks so much for reading again, have an incredible day, Gentleman.

Thaslaya's star rating system:
☆☆☆☆☆ - Best in class/buy it now
☆☆☆☆ - Highly recommended
☆☆☆ - Sound for thee, not for me
☆☆ - Can't see the appeal
☆ - Product is a failure

Disclaimer:
This product was purchased by me and all opinions are my own.

Gear used:
●LG v30+
●Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra
●Samsung dongle
●Hiby FC4

Source:
●Listening was done through Amazon Music HD or Ultra HD. Iems were burned in for 30 hours prior to review.

Introduction:
● Truthear is probably most widely know for their 2 iem collaborations with the YouTuber Crinacle: the Zero Blue and Zero Red. The Hexa has a hybrid 4 driver configuration consisting of 1 DD and 3 BAs. They released back in 2022 to mostly positive reviews. It was a set that was highly recommended from the community when I first started my foray into iems. Let's see how they hold up in today's scene with the constant release of new products being pushed out every week.


Build, fit, ergonomics:
● The Hexa sport a very sturdy build with a unique geometric shape and design (I love the inclusion of the screws on the faceplate). Just by looking at them I didn't think they would have a very pleasant fit but to my surprise they are very comfortable. The nozzle lacks a lip for the tips to sit on but I never had issues with tips coming off while using them. The stock cable doesn't due the Hexa justice. It is thin and looks and feels cheap. It's really deserving of a better quality cable in my opinion. I was impressed with the inclusion of 6 sets of silicon tips of 2 varying bore sizes and 1 pair of foam tips. It also comes with an interesting and mostly useless pouch that is neither big enough or very functional for my purposes.

Sound impressions:
● Overall tuning is mostly neutral with bass and treble rolling off at both ends. Soundstage has decent height but lacking some width. They are not the most resolving set and instrument separation could be better. The note weight is on the thinner side and some complex tracks can sound congested. There is also a hint of BA timbre at times.

●Lows - Although the sub bass has a but of rumble when called for, it doesn't extend very low. Mid bass is prominent but not overbearing. There is sometimes a slight bleed into the mids. The bass impact leaves much to be desired for me. Since this is a mostly neutral tuning, I didn't expect a ton of bass but the bass can come across lackluster.

●Mid - This is where the Hexa's tuning is best. Mids sound neither recessed nor forward but right in the middle where neutral should be. Vocals are clear, smooth, and sound correct with no shoutiness in sight. I prefer a slightly more mids forward tuning but I wasn't left wanting here.

●Highs - Neutral sounding treble but it rolls off too early. Because of this it sounds a bit light in the highs. I think more air would help push the tuning to the next level. At least there is no sibilance which is a big plus for me. I did sometimes pick up some mettalic timbre in certain tracks especially with cymbal crashes.

●Balanced - For added power I used the 4.4mm connection through the Hiby FC4. It seems to add a little bit more heft to the note weight. There's a bit more extension on each end although I would still like more bass. Running the Hexa from an amp makes them slightly better to my ears but the extra power doesn't go far enough to improve all my complaints.

Summary:
If you're dead set on a neutrally tuned iem that can play back your music accurately with a relaxed tonality, I think the Hexa is a good place to start. At $79.99 at the time of this review, they aren't super cheap but they won't break the bank either. For me the tuning lacks excitement and dynamism. The lack of bass and treble extension hinders the totality of the sound you can get. I think EQ can help to fix some of my issues but not the narrow soundstage or lack of clarity. Considering some recent releases, I'm not sure if Hexa has the staying power to withstand the test of time. I would take the Simgot EW200 at half the cost of the Hexa. If it's more detail you're after, the Simgot EA500LM is an even better value at similar cost to the Hexa.

I had a defective unit arrive first, with severe channel imbalance in the bass. After emailing Shenzhen Audio support, I had a replacement sent. I lost the replacement unit, and now have a 3rd Hexa, I bought.

The build of the earpieces feels sturdy in the hand, nozzles are large and the body is broad and slightly irritating over time. I have small deep ears. Hexa fits them well but not effortlessly.

Overall, the Hexa is a good IEM. It has sufficient resolving capability across the frequency range, is engaging, and is almost peerless in tuning.

The tuning for me, is relaxed with dipped mid treble, unemphasized midbass and a rise in sub bass. I would even go far as to call the Hexa L shaped. There is little fatigue, and the bass is engaging enough for me. Hexa teeters on the line between neutral and fun well.

The technicalities are average, or good. Bass impact is quite light, and more slappy than woofy or punchy. Mids and treble are also gentle, but treble has a plasticky smoothness to it.

Detail is no slouch, but not amazing. This can also be spun as the Hexa is not very distracting. The imaging is decent. Stage is a intimate.

The Hexa has much good, and very little to fault. My one preferential nitpick is I wish it had more impact, and maybe a hair more treble energy.

Edit: 28/06/2023. I changed the rating from 5 to 4 stars. The Hexa is good, but leans a bit boring, a bit smeared. For the price it's excellent; but as an experience its very, very good but not unique; it's hard to love but harder to dislike.

Background

• I’m super new to this hobby, previously/currently I own: KZ ZS10 Pro, Intime Sora Light 2019, Moondrop Quarks, Samsung Galaxy Buds 2, Tanchjim Zero.
• Have been using Hexa for a while. (more than 1 month)
• Listens to J-POP 99.99% of the time, but with a fair amount of different genres like rock, pop, classical, soundtracks, relaxed/slower-paced.
• Have demo-ed a fair selection of IEMs before purchasing the Hexa.
  • Personally I do not like IEMs that are too warm or too bright, but a small amount of warmth and brightness are very pleasing to my ears.
• This is purely my impression of the Truthear Hexa, please only take it with a grain of salt.

Source(s)

• Conexant CX Pro CX31993
  • Making treble sounds a little brighter and leaner, not really for me.
• Truthear Shio (current)
  • Adds some warmth and body to vocals, making them sound a little fuller.
  • Good addition if you think the Hexa sounds a little too lean and dull.

Ear tips

• SpinFit CP145
  • Adds some air and energy to the treble.
  • Opens up the soundstage slightly, making them a little wider.

• FiiO HS19 double flange (current)
  • Switched over to this very recently. (so only initial impressions)
  • Very comfortable and fits super well into my ear.
  • Sibilance and peakyness somewhat reduced, treble becomes a little smoother.

Packaging

• Comes with a decent amount of accessories
  • IEM.
  • Soft pouch.
  • Wide selection of ear tips.
    • 3 pairs of narrow bore silicone tips (S, M, L)
    • 3 pairs of wide bore silicon tips (S, M, L)
    • 1 pair of memory foam tips
  • Cable is alright, tangles a bit sometimes.
  • Manual & some documentations

Design & Build Quality

• Lightweight.
• Faceplate with a matte finishing.
• Simple and clean.
  • Black faceplate.
  • A little bit of transparency in the body. Overall, it looks pretty cool.

Fit

• Fit is amazing for me.
• Nozzle is a little on the wider side, may not be for everyone.

Tonality

• Neutral with some sub-bass boost.
• Some may say it is too boring, but personally I find it engaging enough without being too fatiguing.
• Slightly leaning towards analytical instead of musical.

Bass - 8/10

• Decent amount of sub bass, really satisfying rumble, almost perfect amount for me.
• Slightly lacking a tiny bit of mid bass slam, but not a huge deal for me.
• Speed is fairly fast.
• Quantity is “just enough”, not too much but bass presence is definitely there. However, do note that this is definitely not enough for bass heads.
• Well controlled and fairly well textured, good depth as well, no sign of bleeding into the midrange.
• Overall, very satisfying bass to me.

Midrange - 9/10

• Clean midrange with a hint of warmth.
• Both vocals and instruments sound lively and natural.
• Male vocals sound slightly more forward compared to female vocals, but overall both male and female vocals are not overly forward or recessed.
• Energy in vocals is just right, is not too overbearing or dry/hollow, hits the sweet spot for me.

Treble - 6/10

• Treble is on the bright and sparkly side.
• A little bit too much to me, slightly fatiguing.
• Details in trebles are very good.
• Can be peaky and sibilant occasionally, depending on tracks.

Technicalities

Detail Retrieval - 8/10

• Resolution is really good considering the price.

Soundstage - 6/10

• Soundstage is decent, not super wide or anything, but it is okay.

Imaging - 7/10

• Imaging and accuracy is spot on as position of instruments and vocals can be pinpointed fairly easily.
• Gaming
  • Apex Legends: Sound of footsteps and gunfire can be pinpointed in terms of direction, but have a little problem in pinpointing the exact location.
• Overall, the Hexa should be good enough but I would not get this specifically for gaming.

Separation - 8/10

• Separation between each instrument and layering is really good.
• Runs most of my super busy tracks without any issues, instruments can still be distinguished between another.

Conclusion

• I would call it a more musical mini Blessing 2 with smoother trebles, more bass, and a more affordable price tag.
  • However, Blessing 2 still has better details retrieval, lesser bass, and leaner midrange, so it really comes out to personal preference.
• Really worth it if you are into this kind of neutral-ish tuning with some sub-bass boost.
• Really well tuned with outstanding technicalities, especially considering the price.
• Try to demo before making a decision, don’t blind buy if:
  • You are a basshead.
  • You want a SUPER fun and engaging set.
  • You cannot handle treble peaks at all.

Thanks for reading!

Hi there, before I even begin this review, please do forgive my weird English and grammatical mistakes and my potato camera,
the Truthear Hexa is bought with my own money and this is purely my subjective opinion.


Unboxing & Build

Fitting
is pretty comfortable despite its hexagonal pointy shape, also the IEM is pretty light in weight

Sound

Sound is tested using Moondrop Line T Cable, Stock Small Bore Eartips, FiiO K7 and Truthear Shio
Source is mostly from Apple Music Lossless and my FLAC collection
Genre : J-POP, J-Rock, Anisong, Rap, Metal, EDM, Jazz

for the sound I will compare the Hexa to Moondrop Blessing 2 A LOT as the hype said the Hexa is the "Blessing 2 Killer".

Tonality in general is closer to DF-Neutral (NOT TRUE DF) like the Blessing 2 with extra sub-bass and reduced upper midrange and lower treble.

Bass is deep, rumbly and have decent punch to it, the bass is focused on the sub-bass region.
It has pretty good bass resolution, like "hi-fi bass".
If myself going to compare the Hexa to the Blessing 2, bass on the Hexa feels MORE lively and immersive.
Very deep and more rumbly and have more punch compared to the Blessing 2, this probably due to Hexa using LCP Dynamic Driver compared to older Paper Dome Dynamic Driver that Blessing 2 use.
The Bass on Blessing 2 is somewhat feels a bit lacking both in depth and punch compared to Hexa.

Bass on Hexa is pretty safe for all type of genre, speedy enough for double pedal music (Metal) and to my ears still have decent punch for Rap and EDM, though for individual who prefer more mid-bass punch might feel the Hexa is a bit lacking in that department because the mid-bass is not that boosted.

Mids is neutral, not too thin nor too thick / too weighty, not too forward either.
Vocal is free from shoutiness and no sibilance is found during use.
The effect from reducing the upper mids and lower treble is more relaxed and laidback presentation to the overall sound and more stage distance both on vocal and instruments.
I also don't have any complain for the Instruments, it has correct timbre and to be honest it sounds nice.

Previously on my Blessing 2 review, I said that Blessing 2 have somewhat 2.5D presentation to the midrange, the Hexa is safe from this problem, midrange feels cohesive and correct to my ears compared to the Blessing 2.

Treble is smooth, though the presentation is somewhat a bit masked by the sub-bass, it has decent extension, but the placement is behind the sub-bass.
The treble itself, I think Blessing 2 is better compared to the Hexa, Blessing 2 to my ears is having more detail and more sparkle and feels more lively, while the Hexa presentation is more relaxed and airy (well, personal preference I guess?)

Cohesiveness on Hexa is very good, 1DD + 3BA Hybrid but feels just like one driver, nothing sounds wrong and weird.
Transient response on Hexa is snappy and dynamic, while the decay is decently long for a hybrid model, not super short like your typical BA IEMs.

Technicality

Stage is not that wide, but it has decent stage wall image, you can feel the room while listening to Hexa, it has symmetrical shape both in width and depth. If I must compare this to the Blessing 2, the Blessing 2 has more wider stage than Hexa.

Imaging is also very good, on par with Blessing 2, the sound has decent image to it albeit not being the most holographic that I have ever heard.

Separation and Positioning is good, but again if compared to Blessing 2, the Blessing 2 have more edge both on separations and positioning of sound, the Blessing 2 feels more separated and because of that finding positions of instruments / vocals / sound in general is easier / feels more exact on the Blessing 2.
This probably due to Blessing 2 have less sub-bass compared to Hexa and the upper mids and lower treble not being reduced like Hexa.

Gaming on Hexa is very good, I can play Apex Legends and Valorant and have 0 complaints, while on Blessing 2 it somehow feels a bit weird, probably due to Blessing 2 not as cohesive as Hexa, the footsteps positioning on Blessing 2 is somewhat feels "cut-off" on some angle while Hexa is 360 degree safe (lol pardon my weird analogy)

Conclusion

My subjective conclusion for Hexa is super positive, just purchase this IEM and be happy, it's rather crazy that now $80 USD can get you sound like this.

For you guys that wanted to ask, "is the Hexa actually a Blessing 2 Killer?"
the answer is NO, on my opinion its on par with the Blessing 2, BUT both Hexa and Blessing 2 have its own strong point, like Hexa having more bass resolution and very good midrange sound, and more relaxed treble presentation.
While the Blessing 2 have more sparkle and details on its treble and more wider soundstage and better separation and positioning (at least for music usage not on gaming).

If you guys still wondering should you purchase the Hexa or pass,

the Hexa is recommended if

• You want rather Neutral with extra sub-bass presentation
• You want very good technicalities with lowest cost possible
• You need an Allrounder IEMs
• You already have Blessing 2 but want more cheaper IEMs for EDC item

the Hexa is NOT so recommended if

• You're a basshead
• You prefer more mid-bass punch rather than sub-bass rumble
• You want more treble, because Hexa's treble is more on the relaxed side
• You don't like or believe in Hype item, or not believe that Hexa indeed on par with Blessing 2, then feel free to save yourself $80 USD

just in case you're Indonesian or somehow understand Bahasa Indonesia, here is the review video in Bahasa Indonesia :



that's all from me for now, I will probably edit this later to correct some of the weird English.

thanks for reading this far and please do forgive my weird English and grammatical mistakes.


-littlenezt.

Truthear Hexa : Great Performer!


Summary:

Launched in Nov'22, Truthear Hexa is the latest IEM launch by Truthear and 1st hybrid IEM by the brand. The Hexa is much hyped and claimed to be the Mini Blessing 2 by some. Let's see if it lives up to the expectations.



Disclaimer: @shenzhenaudio had sent me review unit for my impressions & views. The opinions below are based on my experiences with the unit and my own.

Introduction:

Let's quickly dive into what the Truthear Hexa has to offer. In pursuit of better sound for the price, the HEXA is a hybrid featuring 1 LCP Dynamic Driver + 3 BAs. They promise great sound performance and we will dive into that shortly.

The TRUTHEAR HEXA is priced at $79.99




Design & Build:

The Tuthear HEXA comes with a Semi Transparent shell and a metal plate covering it. The shell is lightweight and comfortable. However, the fit may vary from person to person and for me it didn't fit well and felt uncomfortable during longer listening.




It is described as the following on the website:

HEXA is an in-ear headphone with one dynamic driver + three balanced armature drivers hybrid structure. The original intention of the design is to achieve the design goal via adopting a simple reasonable and efficient configuration and striving to bring users a mature hybrid earphone at acceptable price...





Specifications:


The TRUTHEAR HEXA comes at $79.99 price tag and specifications are as below:

https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/...hybird-earphones-with-0-78-2pin-cable-earbuds




The Box & Accessories:




The Accessories:

The TRUTHEAR HEXA package now includes…

• One pair of TRUTHEAR HEXA In-ear monitors.
• 2 PIN cable.
• 7 pairs of ear-tips.
• Storage case.

NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SOUND....

Items Used for this Review:

DAC/AMP & Dongles: @Questyle M15 Dongle DAC/AMP, Cayin C9 Portable Amplifier
Portable Players / Sources : Cayin N8ii, @Questyle QP2R, Lotoo Paw Gold Touch, A&K SP1000M
Streaming Source: QOBUZ



Ear Tips:



I've tried tip-rolling with a variety of tips such as: @Final Audio E series red & black ones, JVC Spiral dots, Spiral Dots+, @SpinFit Eartip CP500, CP155. Out of all of these I have found the CP500 to be the best fit for my ears in terms of overall fit, isolation & comfort.

Tracks Used:
The tracks I have used can be found from the below playlist that I have used and generally use for most reviews...





TRUTHEAR HEXA Sound Impressions in Short:

The BASS:

The HEXA comes with great bass performance for the price range which is mainly from it's Dynamic driver. The sub-bass has details and the mid-bass comes with enough rumble and slam. In tracks like: "Fools Paradise (LP Version) – Donna Lewis" and "Chocolate Chip Trip - Tool" you can feel the bass attack and also hear all the tiny nuances' of the sub-bass.



The MIDS:

The midrange comes with ample texture and clarity in the HEXA. There is good amount of muscle and texture and the instruments sound very lively and enjoyable. Vocals are very immersive and both male and female vocals come with ample amount of details and feel very real. Transients are not as good however... owing mainly due to the quicker decay of the BAs. In tracks like: "Anchor - Trace Bundy", "A dog named Freedom – Kinky Friedman" and "Ruby Tuesday – Franco Battiato" it’s really easy to get lost into the music as it comes with ample details, excellent vocals.

The TREBLE:

The treble feels quite engaging and on some occasions gets a bit peaky. The overall treble performance however was quite enjoyable and Cymbals sound very life-like and real in tracks like “Chocolate Chip Trip – Tool”.
Treble in tracks like: "Paradise Circus – Massive Attack", "Mambo for Roy – Roy Hargrove” and "Saints and Angels – Sharon Shannon" feel smooth & creamy with the right amount of air and texture and just feels very buttery smooth.



The SOUNDSTAGE:

The Staging capabilities of the HEXA is the quite good and above average for price range. It comes with the right amount of width, height, depth and is well defined and just as much as the track requires. Tracks like: “The Secret Drawer – Bela Fleck and the Flecktones” or “She Don’t know – Melody Gardot” or “Bohemian Rhapsody (live aid) – Queen” sound amazing & enjoyable.

Separation & Imaging:

Imaging is quite spot on and location of each instrument can be felt quite clearly on the HEXA. Tracks like: “Rotterdam (Or Anywhere) - The Beautiful South “or “Hello Again - Howard Carpendale & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” just shine through. However, the separation is something you feel could be better.




Conclusion:

The TRUTHEAR HEXA is is indeed a mini Blessing 2 with all it's good and bad... It's a truly commendable performer and easily recommendable to people who don't mind a bit hot treble peak on rare occasions.

TL;DR : if you prefer snappy anlaytical well separated sound with sharp imaging get hexa but if you prefer smoother, more organic and musical sound with punchier bass get olina that is often on sale for $84
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non audio related :
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-great fit that comes from it's low weight+small size (nozzle at bit larger than usual but ok for me)
-grown up minimalist black matt design aesthetics (no funky disco look or childish faceplate like dioko and pandamon )
-comfortable small and lighweight 3d printed plastic shell ( you can see the complex 3d sonic paths of the DD and the BA in the photo below )


-good sound isolation
-ok cable for the price (on par with olina cable but not as good as s12 cable)
-average selection eartips wide+narrow only in 3 sizes + 1 size foam (come on iem makers why can't we have at lease 5 sizes to get a better fit ?) but at least i got a good seal in both ears with these silicon tips ( usually not the case i have to use differents tips on my left and right ears)
-useless leather like pouch that only protects from dust


comparisons with olina (front vent moded) ($100) and s12 ($140):
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

-both hexa and olina have a bright signature as opposed to s12 bassier signature but olina has more punch and noteweight (especially if you mod olina or use the most recent olina SE version, you can not mod hexa to add bass because the is no front vent hole to boost DD bass )

-most natural sounding of the 3 ( the order is hexa>olina>s12)
human voice sounds truer to life on hexa

-worst bass of the 3 (the order is s12>olina>hexa)
bass is fast (the fastest of these 3 iems) but is low in excitement, olina has a nice separated bass that sounds far away and below giving it a sense of 3d and s12 has the most bass quanity of the 3 with a round envelopping bass that can be boosted 6-8db without bleeding in the mids and affecting tuning, hexa on the other hand gets boomy and changes the tuning in a wrong way if you boost it past 2db.

-most details in buisier tracks ( the order is hexa>s12>olina) not sure if it is hexa tuning or the hybrid setup that gives out so much details (especially when i apply a V shape EQ profile, it gets alive ,dynamic and exciting but of course this eq is fatiguing for long listening sessions)

-worst trebble extension of the 3 ( the order is s12>olina>hexa)
both olina and s12 have more spice in their trebble, on s12 cymbals are in another category

-hexa is more anlytical with sharp separation ( the order is hexa>s12>olina) as a consequence hexa is less musical and organic the s12 and olina

-best imaging of the 3 ( the order is hexa>olina>s12)
agnes obel red virgin soil song has a drum on the left that hits every 3 to 4 seconds, hexa that made me believe it was coming from my room the kind of imaging i only got from my grado open back and never get in s12 or olina

-best sound isolation of the 3 ( the order is hexa>olina>s12)
may come from the fact that it does not have a front vent for it's DD ? there is a vent hole near the plug that look like a back DD, taping it did not change the bass level
for my use case sound isolation is important because i use my iems 90% of time from my laptop that has annoying fan noise, this is also one of the reason i switchhed from full size open back can to iems a few years ago and never looked back
the other 3 reasons i left full size can are :
* iems have amazing subwoofer like bass
* iems don't require a powerfull amp to sound good (7hz 71 with 70mW is only $30 and is enough for any iem)
* iems have a much smaller footprint and are 100% protected in a small hard case, great if you travel a lot like me

-does not hum like my s12 when i plug my source in a plug that does not have a ground pin thanks to it's plastic shell isolating current from the shell to ear skin ( all metal shelled iem should have a non conducting layer over the part of the shell that touches the ear skin because in old europe, there are still many 2 pin ac plugs without ground pin)

- hexa has agressive upper mids tuning that gives a lot of texture and details but that is a bit too much for my taste (hexa was supposed to use good quality knowles dampers but i don't hear velvely upper mids they are on the harsh side). this harshness is my biggesst sound quality complain with hexa, this extra enegy in upper mids is more fatiguing than olina and s12, i have a "classical" eq preset that corrects that on hexa but i'd rather not use eq at all. (the order for fatigue free long music sessions is olina>s12>hexa)


source pairing :
-----------------
hexa required the most power out of these 3 iem the power requirement is hexa>s12>olina.

i tried apple dongle and es100 with a 2db bass boost, even without eq i get slightly more bass from my ess100 90mw bal output than from the apple dongle or the es100 SE output so i'd rec a source with at least 50mW/32 ohms for hexa

conclusion :
--------------

-good price performance ratio, it an easy recommendation at $80 because it is a sidegrade and not a downgrade (except maybe in smoothness) over the pricier olina and s12 ( if you have already olina or s12, hexa is still a good buy because it has a different tuning that let you rediscover your music library hearing new things you were not hearing with olina or s12, my general position is that as no iem is a perfect all rounder, it's better to invest in 2 or more iems with different tunings that add variety to your listening experience over a more expensive slightly better sounding iem ( for example i'd rather buy hexa+s12 for a total price of $210 over aful performer 5 at $220)
-if you can strech your budget to $100 i'd rec olina (or better olina SE) over hexa because it has more note weight, while being less aggressive so easier to listen after 4 or 5 hours and more trebble extension (but beware of the condensation problem that olina has, if you are in a hot climate pick the hexa instead)
-if you listen mostly to techno and action movies with earthshaking bass i'd rec s12(or better z12) over hexa and olina
-if you prefer a snapier (coming from faster BA ?) more anaytical sound with good separation pick hexa over olina or s12 that are more on the musical and organic sound side
-don't trust graphs because hexa/olina/s12 graph did not show that s12 has much more bass than hexa and olina nor that hexa has this extra aggresive energy in the upper mids, only trust you ear !

peace and music !

Overview:

Up for review today is the price/performance champ - the TRUTHEAR HEXA. I fondly refer to these as the Mini-Monarchs because they sound similar, but at less than 1/10th the price of the Thieaudio Monarch Mk2 (MMk2.) TRUTHEAR is a relatively new Chinese company, and this is currently their flagship IEM (I think they’ll release a new flagship this year.) They have already done a collaboration headphone with Crinacle called the ZERO and they just released a $18 pair as well called the HOLA. The HEXA is a hybrid IEM with 1DD+3BA Hybrid Drivers. The drivers are composite, and the impedance/sensitivity are: 20.5Ω±15% (@1kHz)/ 120dB/Vrms (@1kHz.) The packaging comes with a Moondrop-style waifu if that’s your thing, a decent 4-strand cable, and 7 ear tips: Ear-tips 3pairs (S, M, L) (Thick Diameter) / Ear-tips * 3pairs (S, M, L) (Thin Diameter) / Foam Ear-tips * 1pair (M.) The nice thing about these is there is almost guaranteed to be a tip that fits everyone. Oh, I almost forgot, they’re only $80 – yeah, halfway to the Monarch Mk2 for $80 - wow.

Build Quality/Comfort:

The build quality on the HEXA is excellent, but the looks are plain. They’re not trying to impress anyone with the looks or style – get the ZERO if you want a good-looking IEM from TRUTHEAR. That said, they appear to be very durable, don’t pick up fingerprints, don’t’ scratch easily, have a metal faceplate and plastic body, some great ear tips, and are very light and small. These should fit everyone’s ears pretty easily and comfortably.

The cable is a thin 4-pin and I think it’s one of the nicer stock cables I’ve used in a while (not quite as cool as the RAPTGO Hook X (Hook) cable, but that one was green and cost 3x as much.) The ear hooks work well, the 2-pin is nice and recessed in the shells and the cable hangs with almost no tangle or stiffness. The cable is also only slightly microphonic. If you want an upgrade though, the Kinera Leyding is a great modular cable option (though it costs almost as much as the HEXA.) Anyway, there are no real quality or comfort concerns with these headphones.



Sound/Comparisons:

Let’s be honest, this is why you’re reading this review – you’ve head the HEXA is the new IEM giantkiller. You heard right, they’re fantastic and I actually returned my Hook X and Symphonium Meteor (Meteor) after getting these. I am running these off of my Shanling M3 Ultra DAP (M3U) and my Burson Conductor 3X Performance (3XP.) The HEXA is relatively easy to drive (30/100 on the M3U, 68/100 3XP with low gian,) and certainly easier to drive than the MMk2. Below is the Freq graph from TRUTHEAR, and it looks like some really solid tuning. I have the red ear tips on my pair for testing.



I don’t like breaking down headphones by each frequency since every song has Bass, Mids, and highs. So, I will start with bass-heavy songs, and break down each song by how all the pieces are presented. You can find my Tidal test tracks playlist in my signature if you want to compare them to your headphones. The first bass-heavy song I am going to open with is Pendulum’s “Witchcraft.” The opening vocals and guitars come in clearly and with no issues, though the vocals and mids feel further away than the MMk2’s excellent mids – these are clearer and smoother than the bass-heavy Hooks. The bass comes in at 0:44 with good detail and impact, but not at the Hook or Meteor’s levels (it has a little more presence than the MMK2.) 1:06 really shows off the thump and sub-bass that the HEXA can put out, it’s a quick and detailed bass response with good quantity that doesn’t drown out the mids or highs (the MMk2 has better sub-bass detail and quantity.) The synths in the song are well presented and come in clean and clear as well – it beats the Hook, but not the Meteor or the MMk2.

Moving on to the next bass-heavy song, we have Skrillex’s “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.” The synths come in during the intro with great detail on the HEXA and you can hear the hi-hats in the background clearly – it’s a great mids and highs representation. When the drums and sub-synth come in at 0:13 and 0:40, there is a great amount of detailed bass and sub-bass with excellent reverberation you can really feel. It doesn’t, and never will have the bass response that the Hook and Meteor have in these song, but it has good, if a little distant, mids and highs as presented by the vocals and synths in the song. The MMk2 has closer/cleaner mids, less overall bass quantity with the drums, but a higher quality sub-bass reverberation – you can really feel it in your head when it kicks in.

For the mids, I’ve picked Imagine Dragon’s “Radioactive” and the drums at 0:27 hit HARD, but don’t drown out the vocals or the background guitar (which was the point of this test song.) The bass is cleaner with the drums on the MMk2 during the intro. The chorus at 0:55 has a lot of distortion and it can get a little muddy with the HEXA. It’s definitely not the best song for these headphones in the mids, but the high vocals come in clear and without and sibilance. The MMk2 excels in this song as it doesn’t get distorted/bloated/drowned out like the HEXA does. This is a great example of the difference between the two IEMs – the MMk2 has a cleaner, less bloated presentation, though it is missing just a tad bit of the HEXAs bass quantity.

The next mids test song is designed to test the vocals and guitars. The HEXA performs beautifully during the intro guitars of Weaving The Fate’s (What - haha) “The Fall.” The electric guitars are excellently represented, though the vocals still feel a bit recessed. Nonetheless, they come though clearly and strong and the guitars are almost perfect (they lack a little oomph at 2:36.) The drums don’t overwhelm the HEXA at all – this is the genre these were really made for. Yeah, the MMk2 excels even more here with the oomh the HEXA is missing on the guitars and more forward sounding vocals. The MMk2 is the best mids IEM I’ve ever heard, so that’s not surprising. Still, the HEXA performs admirably against the kilobuck giant – and tbh, the full-size XTC-O is still better in this section than both.

The first highs test song is Mr. Mister’s “Kyrie,” and the performance between the two headphones in the intro is almost identical. The vocals are clean and clean and don’t feel pushed back on the HEXA. The bass in the background does come in a little strong, but it’s not a problem as it doesn’t overwhelm the mids/highs. I absolutely love how these IEMs have no sibilance in the highs during a song that is mostly highs, even at 2:50. This is definitely the song these are made for – it’s awesome. The MMk2s have even better vocals and it feels like you’re standing next to the singer while the drums have an amazing stage presence – the MMk2 is in its element. Still the HEXA performs well with this song, but not MMk2 well.

The last song to test highs today is Panic! At The Disco’s “High Hopes” because I recently discovered that this has some of the most painful highs on the wrong system. The HEXA performs well, though there is some sharp sibilance throughout the song – the same sibilance I discovered while listening to the full-size Sony MDR-Z1R. The HEXA does better than the TOTL Sony with the highs, but it’s still a bit rough. The mids and lows in this song sound great though and the soundstage is excellent – vocals come in clean and clear in the middle registry with no issues there. The MMk2 flexes in the song – it somehow avoid the sibilant highs that a lot of headphones can fall prey to in this song. That’s just brilliant tuning – it's what makes these $1k and not $80, but to be clear, the $1500 MEST Mk2 and the $1800 Sony MDR-Z1R had the same issue as the HEXA.

Got it, the MMk2 is a better headphone as expected and it costs a lot more, but how does the HEXA compare to other headphones? I really liked the Meteor, other than the painfully strong bass, but the HEXA were comparable in the mids and high without the painful bass for less than 1/6th the price. The Hook also had painfull strong bass, decent mids, and sharp highs. I picked the HEXA over both of those due to the price and their weaknesses – I like bass, but if it hurts my ears, it’s going back.



Conclusion:

If you read anything above, you already know I love the price/performance of the HEXA. Is it fair to compare it to a $1k headphone that has topped a LOT of lists? Yeah, actually – it’s not as good as the Monarch, but I haven’t found anything cheaper than the MMk2 that competes with this yet – it’s better than the Moondrop Dusk 2 that it likely shares DNA with, and I haven’t heard the variation, one of the few things it might compete with. It beats a LOT of headphones more expensive than it – other reviewers agree with me. So, I’m pretty sure you have $80 laying around – or can just eat ramen for a few weeks (spicy beef ramen is the best) – to go get a pair of these off Amazon, mine arrived in 2 weeks. I don’t think you’ll regret it.

You can buy them from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3YdNL4w

Hi everyone Today I'm going to share my thoughts about the Truthear hexa for you and discuss somethings about the chifi industry and audiophile market as a whole.

First , Hexa.
Well it's a Truthear product. For those who don't know this company came out of no where and popped into existence with a collaboration product with Crinacle.
They just went into guy and asked him to how to develop a good product. Result was the Truthear Zero. A bassy-harman tuned IEM with a dedicated subwoofer. For some it's the endgame at first try.
I don't have that model so I can't comment about it's sound characteristics but its graph shows a very likable tuning.
Onto the Hexa. Well we still don't know if this is a collaboration or not but I don't think this matters anymore. Anyone who has a widely used measuring rig and clear understanding of frequency response graph could develop a good product. I believe it's more surprising to see manufacturers fail rather than success in this area.
In this perspective seeing Hexa with this tuning is not surprising for me. People at the Truthear obviously know what makes a good audio gear and have a clever gameplan in their head to win in this everstriving super fast market.
Hexa is competing in sub 100$ range but saying "competing " doesn't mean anything.
Most manufacturers have figured out how to use certain drivers and how to fine tune them in this price range. Dunu, Moondrop, 7hz, Tangzu, Tanchjim ALL offer great products with LCP diaphragms that tuned to have clean but thumpy bass, natural mids and generally good but a little uneven treble.
People at Truthear COULD have used a similar approach in this price range but this would put them directly against every product under 100$ segment.
What they have done is a brave step forward for not just for themselves but for the all industry.
They designed a product with a hybrid design by using the components in this price range and tuned them JUST Like a 3 to 400$ iem. Particularly Moondrop Blessing 2 or Softears Volume.
This might look trivial from a user perspective but when you look at from business perspective this is a genuinely clever move.
They are basically forcing the whole industry to bring the higher end level tuning and design philosophy into the budget range. Last product that did this was Moondrop Chu and we all can see the results now.

So how does Hexa feel like and sound?
These are made of completely solid pieces of resin. They have a metal faceplate and brushed inner texture that avoids fingerprints and stains.
Nozzle is kinda thick and has 2 sound tubes that connecting to the drivers. And in the tubes there are damping filters from Knowles. A green and an orange one.
Now I'm not ballsy enough to remove these and even if I was this would have been pointless because I don't have a measuring rig. So I don't know the sound of raw setup.
But the result sound is a smooth and open presentation. There is a laid back and linear bass rise but this doesn't feel as engaging as the other bassy neutral IEM's. This bass is there to found a baseline for an open, laid back staging. In this stage we got smooth and detailed mids and slightly hot but generally smooth treble.
Vocals are clear and open. Instruments are well defined and easily noticeable, every instrument, every note and beat is ready for you to pick up.
Imaging is definitely one of the advantages of Hexa over the others because it doesn't have that emphasis on the midbass. But for some of you guys this might feel a little sterile. If you happen to think that way, a slight nudge to 180-220 hz area should satisfy your bass requirements.
But surprisingly I find this to be more pleasing because this laidback tuning allows you to focus on the little details more than the whole presentation.
For this reason can see Truthear hexa being a great monitor for singers and artists. Open presentation is something that we don't easily see in this range.
And speaking of imaging Hexa is also a great option for gaming. Well every in ear monitor is but still Hexa has the advantage of a clear headstage. Windows spatial audio would give you a great experience with Hexa.
If there is any nit-picking I would do this would be the inoffensive tuning choices specific areas; Truthear hexa is ever so slightly shy at 2khz area. This might give you a slightly inoffensive, sterile vocal and instrument imaging in these areas. But this is not a nit-pick that I usually use on this price range, this is a level of detail perfectionism that I use for at least 200$ gear.
Al in all this is a very good if not great product.

A clear intention and arguibly a flawless execution. This is new. Over the years I've got used to hear and see marketing jargon from manufacturers and was pretty burnt out by it.
Truthear doesn't trying to sell you a product with bold claims. Their marketing material relies on description about their aim with the product. In the case with Zero this was offering a likable sound with dedicated subwoofer. In Hexa's case this is offering a 300+experience in sub100+ segment.
They know their userbase and design their products accordingly.
This kind of clear intention behind every product is something that is hard to see and satisfying to have.
Usually an audio gear manufacturer tries their luck with some vague ideas and approaches. I time they gather enough experience to perfect their offerings. But Truthear directly goes for the kill with clear understanding of industry, userbase and knowledge. Apparently they've studied their niche very carefully.

Would I recommend this product? Well of course but I don't have to. These guys already know how to convince both audiophile geeks and anime lover weebs.
The question is? What's their next move gonna be? Both in ear and maybe over ear?
Because IF they decide to compete with the established western manufacturers on their market. Oh my... we might be able to see the most dynamic market conditions in this hobby. With their tuning experience in their belts Truthear would have a huge advantage over their domestic and international competitors. Considering their attitude towards the little details they could knock their competitors out with similar but more polished products. And this is what brings you long term success.

Hmm? other tidbits that I've forgotten to mention; comfort is great but those who has smaller ear canals might want to check out a double or triple flange ear tip. Case is very soft and user-friendly but it's not a good choice if you plan to use them on outdoors; soft case isn't an action proof protection.
Driver timbre and dynamics are very tame and satisfying but these don't have the noticeable contrasty presentation that you might see in V shaped or Harman Tuned IEMs. Hexa Excels at showing the fine details on the sound than coloring it.
And speaking of coloring these show the source characteristics on the sound quality pretty easily. Using it with a bassy source would be a great pairing idea for those who want more contrasting presentation.
They don't require an amp but using one will improve the quality, more than the likes of single driver setups.

Well that's it. I know this is a weird style of review but I tend to look at from a wider perspective on my reviews. This usually allows for more information to be shared.
I'm curious about Truthear's next release. But in the meantime let's discuss about what we have here.
Share your opinions with me, I'd love to hear your opinion on this topic.
Oh btw I thank Cloris from Shenzenaudio for giving me a chance to try these. I think they are the global sales partner for Truthear. They tend to have them on stock right away every time.

The Truthear Hexa comes in a nicely decorated box with a decent number of accessories, inside one finds various size tips a cable and pouch. The build is made from a 3D printed and a metal faceplate. it is sturdy and light, the shape has some angles, but I found it comfortable and good looking. Needless to say, I like this one.

Equipment used to test, numerous but I’ll name a few things I mostly used the TempoTech V6 DAP. the Surfans F35 DAP and the Hidizs AP80 pro X DAP, the ifi Gryphon and UNO, the Dethonray SG1 and Xduoo Xp2 PRO, and my dongles, Questyle M15, ddhifi tc44c, Hidizs S3 pro, Beam3 pro and Fosi DS1. as well as some old-school stuff like CD player cassette player and desktop amps.

Technical Specifications
Configuration → 1DD (PU + LCP) + 3BA
Sensitivity → 120 dB/Vrms @1kHz
Impedance → 20.5Ω +/- 15% (@1kHz)
Frequency Response → 20 Hz – 20000 Hz
Cable → 1,2m silver plated copper cable with 0.78mm PINs, no microphone
Connector type → L-type gold plated 3,5mm jack connector
Packaging
Packaging is very good and it’s clear that Truthear really wants their unboxing experience to be pleasant.

Truthear Hexa
3 paris of wide bore tips, 3 pairs of narrow bore tips, 1 pair of foam tips
A pleather carry case
A standalone cardboard painting to use as a decoration
A user manual

Sound:

Bass: Present with a neutral character, the lower Sub-Bass has a good quality rumble but doesn’t reach bass-head nirvana.

The mid-bass has a speedy punch, but it is not as prominent as the sub-bass, still the Bass in general is speedy, well textured and detailed.

Mids: are super transparent they have a nice position and vocals both male and female sound natural with just the right amount of body to them. The layering and separation shine here and the Hexa does so with ease. I think that the Hexa definitely does Mids a little better than the Aira SE and the Lea in this regard.

Treble: Is well extended without harshness in most circumstances, it is open and airy, there is sparkle and while not as energetic as some it is well defined and enjoyable.

Soundstage: For the most part the Hexa reminded me of the Blessing2 but the soundstage is very different, it is not the widest but has an organic width and only slightly intimate field, but the depth is very impressive as well as the accuracy of the imaging.

Afterthoughts: The Truthear Hexa comes in and around the same price as the Aria OG and SE and a few others I like, nothing is without compromise, but I found the Hexa to be the most enjoyable in this price range with the caveat that its neutral / detailed tuning is for people looking as there are a ton of Bass rich fun sets in this price range as well.

I raved about the Truthear Zero when it launched and continues to be a fun sounding IEM I use when I go play music arcade games or just something to enjoy music with from time to time. The HEXA is their newest IEM coming in at $79.00 which means it competes with my favorite under $100 IEM, the standard Moondrop Aria. The HEXA is a hybrid design using a single dynamic driver and three balanced armatures.

Quick shoutout to @shenzhenaudio for sending the HEXA to review. While I always appreciate the chance to test and review products sent in from manufacturers or dealers, it never affects the rating of my reviews.

The HEXA can be picked up from Shenzhenaudio at their website below.
https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/truthear-hexa-1dd-3ba-hybird-earphones-with-0-78-2pin-cable-earbuds?variant=43456971931891

Onto the review of the Truthear HEXA! My personal preference is a hybrid/tribrid IEM where I get good hitting bass and have a detailed treble with decent mids. When it comes to an over ear headphone I prefer a spacious sound with a deep low end, the mids to be more forward and the highs to be a little bright with some sparkle. I listen to a lot of genres but I hover in the classic rock, blues and edm music with some rap here and there.

Gear Used​

IPhone 14 Pro Max with headphone adapter, Moondrop Aria, Shanling UA3 and SMSL SU-9 feeding the SP400 amp.

Looks and fit​

The HEXA has a more industrial design this time with a semi transparent shell with a dark matte finish. The faceplate is a dark black metal finish that looks good as well. The shape makes this look somewhat like the much loved Symphonium Helios but only the shape from the front looks similar. These are lightweight and I can get a pretty decent fit with the HEXA. I like the way these look and I think they will be more attractive to the masses.

Isolation and sound leakage​

As a hybrid IEM, it does passive isolation alright. About average against other vented IEM designs. The HEXA does leak some sound but it’s not super loud and at normal volumes in quiet areas, it might leak enough for others to hear. Something I think works well for commute use or on a plane.

Packaging and accessories​

The HEXA comes in an average sized box and it comes with the IEMs, 3.5mm cable, two sets of tips and a carrying case. The tips are a mix of small bore and large bore tips plus a set of foams. This is a nice array of tips since I find the bore size and bore length can change the tuning of IEMs. The box and insert sleeve both have one of the Truthear mascots printed on it. I don’t normally care for the box waifu art but I think it will stay with IEM boxes for as long as big companies like Moondrop continue to print mascots on their boxes. The carrying case is more of a soft pleather pouch that locks up in a different way. I actually quite like it for their Zero IEM since I can carry it in my pants pocket without it taking up much space. I wouldn’t call the case very protective though. I think the set of accessories included works well and I have no complaints given the price.

Sound(overall)​

These final impressions were done off the SMSL SU-9 connected to the SMSL SP400. These impressions are what the HEXA sounded like to my ears. This was also using the Spinfit CP100. I found the small bore stock tips provided the same sound to my ears but the long term seal held longer on the CP100. Things like ear tip selection and DAC/amp selection will produce different results and impressions vs what my ears hear on my specific gear.

The HEXA is tuned for a more mature and neutral sound. I like a little excitement in my IEM tunings so this was initially a real letdown on first listen. After a good chunk of time listening and A/B testing I think this is a very competitive set. The low end is neutral with a light bass boost. Bass hits with decent impact but doesn’t sound overly full. Sounds average with the ability to slam slightly harder when called for. Mids have decent instrument details but vocals sound very good with a more natural presentation. The Vocals however don’t have as much life to them and sound like they’re lacking a little something. Upper mids are boosted but they still lack sharpness and rarely get sibilant. There is a lack of sparkle and bite at the end of instrument tones in the treble. Sounds softer than I would like. That being said, I still hear good details coming in. Which makes me feel the HEXA is absolutely capable given its price. I do find the overall tuning does feel slightly thin though. While it probably sounds like I hate the tuning, I honestly don’t. This is simply not a set that caters to my personal preferences but I think it’s a good option in it’s price bracket.

Soundstage/Imaging​

Staging is narrow width wise but depth is really good. I believe this helps with vocals and while I prefer a wider stage, I do like the staging here. Imaging was fine though It sounded congested at times to my ears. This could very well be the CP100 tips I used for my final impressions. I did find the stock small bore tips matched closely to the CP100 so wider bore tips like the ones included might offer a wider stage.

Sensitivity/Drivability​

The HEXA is mostly driveable off most modern ~$100 dongles. I did notice the HEXA does like more power on the included 3.5mm cable and I found myself turning up the volume on some source gear and only slightly on other source gear. The HEXA isn’t sensitive so there was no floor noise when I tested it via a balanced cable.

Stock cable​

This cable is the exact same cable included with the Truthear Zero so I’ll just paste in the same thing from that review.

“The stock cable is a black glossy rubber braided cable that is on the simple/cheaper side. I think it works perfectly fine but it does get tangled when I pull it out of a portable case with the way I wrap my IEMs for storage. I personally prefer a thicker cable but I plan to leave the stock cable on the Zero and use it as is. I didn’t cable roll other than to check hiss via balanced.”

IEM comparisons​

Moondrop Aria​

The Aria is my go to for under $100 and these two IEMs both cost $79.00 so I find this a more interesting comparison. I’ll say this right off the bat! The HEXA pulls in slightly better details but I find the Aria has a much more enjoyable and exciting tuning without any type of EQ. I don’t EQ but I normally find most people are able to get really good EQ results from neutral tuned headphones. When it comes to bass performance, the Aria hits harder and it simply sounds more dynamic with more energy overall. The mids are very close to my ears on both but I find the Aria has better decay and speed to the instruments and vocals. Vocals are better detailed and natural on the HEXA but I find there is more energy and life to the vocals on the Aria. The upper mids and lower treble are brighter on the Aria but I personally don’t find the Aria too intense for the most part. The details in the treble go to the HEXA again but just like the mids, the Aria simply sounds more lively in the treble. The end of tones have a good amount of energy and bite which simply sound better to my ears. I initially thought the Aria had better details on first listen after the HEXA but only with intense A/B testing on the same CP100 tips, I found some extra details coming in on the HEXA. Finally comes the staging and imaging. The HEXA sounds closed in compared to the Aria and imaging is easier for me to pick up with the Aria as well. Both of these are extremely competitive to my ears and I find both of these IEMs very good. The Aria is still my number one pick however for my personal tastes.

I normally do a few IEMs for comparison but the next best thing is the Letshouer S12 and that isn’t the same style of tuning and comes in more than twice as expensive. I thought about running the Moondrop Stellaris against the HEXA but I find the Stellaris to be a bad example of a ~$100 IEM. The Aria Snow Edition does however sound very similar. Though I find the snow Aria does have a slightly hotter upper mids compared to the HEXA but I would call them similar enough. I would choose the HEXA over the Aria Snow Edition however.

Amping Combinations​

Shanling UA3​

The UA3 is a $110 dongle and I wanted something in the price range of the HEXA to pair with it. The UA3 provides more than enough power to get the most out of the HEXA IMO. The bass gets slightly warmer with a thicker sound. Mids and vocals sound warmer and almost on the hazy side. Treble is fairly laid back with less precision. I wasn’t a fan of this pairing and I would recommend a brighter sounding dongle for portable use. Something like the Moondrop MoonRiver 2 or for a more precise warm sound, maybe something like the Lotoo PAW S1/S2.

SMSL SU-9/SP400​

The HEXA does seem to like a little more power but I still find a full desktop setup to be overkill. All my sound impressions came from this setup but I’ll add a little extra to this section. I did try this with a few other desktop stacks I have on hand. I think the best sound does indeed come from desktop use vs portable gear but it’s not enough of a difference that I would recommend something better than a ~$100 dongle or even a cheap Schiit stack.

Overall thoughts​

So how do I feel about the HEXA? I think it’s competitive but it really doesn’t sound special at all to me. I can tell it performs above its price point but it just lacks a little magic and excitement I personally want from a sub $100 IEM. I can easily give this a recommendation for the neutral lovers though. Especially those who might want to see if EQ can bring this HEXA to their preferred tuning. I was hoping for something fun sounding like their initial Zero IEM but the HEXA indeed goes for that grown up sound that I think a lot of people will end up really liking. The HEXA ended up not being an IEM I like and I think I’ll still recommend the standard Aria over it for a more exciting listen. I’m very interested to see what Truthear brings out next and continue to be excited to see what this company can do as they get more money to develop more expensive IEMs. Thanks for reading!!

Truthear Hexa ($79)​

Intro​

Another day another Chi-fi release into a bloated market where the next great iem is awarded on a weekly basis. Most iems have15 minutes of glory and then they are vanquished to the nether-reaches of community thought & opinion within the Audioverse. I’m still enjoying sets from 3 years ago wondering why they get moved into Chi-fi purgatory when clearly, they still stack up. Anyways, that is another lengthy conversation for another day. Today we will take a long look at the newest hype-train from the brand “Truthear“, the Truthear Hexa.

Recent History​

Truthear made an unusually brilliant move to begin their journey into the iem world by collaborating with Crinacle on a $50 budget iem called the Truthear X-Crinacle Zero. Quite a bold move which ultimately paid off with a crazy amount of hype, praise, and fanfare.

Again, today I am reviewing Truthear’s second effort at the budget sector with the $79 four Driver Hybrid set called the “Hexa” and again, Truthear drops another huge release, again with great, loud and enthusiastic praise and sure enough… I purchased them so that I can review them. Mission accomplished Truthear, well done. Honestly though, it doesn’t take much for a dork like me to bite. We are all just big kids playing with our adult toys within a very fun and fulfilling hobby. I’m just a big kid and I saw a new toy and guess what, Truthear is very well aware of this fact.

King of the sub $100’s ???​

Can the Hexa topple the other hybrid giants below $100 and sit rightfully perched atop a mountain of iems at the price point? I’m sure many are wondering if the Hexa really is that outlier which so many have already proclaimed that it is. After all, we’ve done this song and dance before people, this is not a new concept within the audio community. In fact, this whole routine of anointing the next King of the sub $100’s is a monthly trend anymore.

There is that slight glimmer of hope however, that one day there will emerge a true outlier. One day we will see the chosen one, the price point breaking phenom (if you will). It will redefine standards, while sitting urgently on the lips of every audio nerd like myself to announce its splendor… Okay I went a bit dramatic on that one but, you get the idea. Friends…the Truthear Hexa…

Later Comparisons: TRN ST5, Truthear X-Crinacle Zero, Rose Technics QT-9 Mk2s

Gear Used​

–Shanling UA2
–IFi Go Blu
–Ibasso DX240 w/ Amp8 MK2
–Shanling M6 Ultra

Packaging​

When I recieved this set, I could not wait to receive this set in the mail. I had a fantastic feeling about them and so anticipation was high for this audio fan. I ripped open the Amazon box with my handy Kershaw blade which stays at the ready everyday all day in my right pocket. The first thing you will notice is the Waifu image on the sleeve of the box of a white haired and dainty young lady wearing what appears to be… bunny ears? Perfectly natural. She looks rather sad or at least depressed, or maybe it is just a longing expression. Who knows. If anything, it is a nicely rendered picture. I don’t really get the whole Waifu fascination, it isn’t the most important attribute of an earphone, but I won’t discriminate… I know many of you do.

Take off the sleeve and you see a black box with Hexa on front. Getting to the inside of the box takes some coaxing as the suction keeping it together presents a minor annoyance. After some shimmy and shake I was able to relieve some of the pressure and open the box.

What’s inside?​

Truthear puts together a decent package. I should mention that the package and accessories are also identical to what you receive for the $30 less expensive Truthear Zero. However, the accessories are not too skimpy even for the price of $80. The first thing you see when opening the box is a Waifu picture which turns into a stand and happens to be the same exact picture as on the sleeve. The earphones themselves are inlaid in foam cut-outs and right below those is the extremely soft black leather case. These cases are Interesting as they fold open and closed and are actually quite nice. Inside the case you’ll find the cable and under the case are the eartips.

Cable​

The included cable is the exact cable provided with the Truthear Zero. I swapped it out right away for a 4.4 Balanced, black Faael 6N OCC copper cable which looks bonkers nice with the Hexa attached. As far as the included cable is concerned, there isn’t anything wrong with it at all. It is a black SPC 2 pin cable and is a bit cheaper looking (but usable). I don’t think there is any great sonic difference in a cable swap other than the benefit of using a balanced cable. The included cable really isn’t horrible, but I do think Truthear could’ve included a slightly better cable for $80.

Carrying Case​

The case that Truthear provides is what feels to be actual soft leather and is really an attractive case. Now, I don’t know how well it will protect your precious earphones, but it is a very nice case, nonetheless. As you can see in the pictures, this case doesn’t open and close in any normal way but instead it more or less folds open. There are two brass buttons to close things up which make a nice contrast to the soft black leather. I like the feel of the case and will likely try to find some use for it, that probably won’t be to carry around any earphones but…Nice case.

Eartips​

Real quick, Truthear was generous in including three sets (S, M, L) of white, narrow bore, cone shaped tips of decent quality. They also added three sets (S, M, L) of white, wide bore tips which are also of decent quality and finally you will receive one pair of foam tips. As you can see in the picture below, I did some tip-rolling by switching to my got-to KBear 07 Large tips. I go through so many tips within my vast cavern of tips and seem to always wind up using the KBear 07’s. Like Peas and carrots. Honestly, I find that the firmness of the 07’s simply seals so very well for me and the fact that they have a semi-wide bore just gives such an expressive and open sound on almost everything I use them on.

One more thing, the eartips provided are also the exact eartips given with the Truthear Zero.

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Design/Build/Fitment​

Looks/Build​

It wasn’t until I took a moment to really look this set over that I realized that the Hexa is a bold and confident looking set of iems. I love the design language here, straight lines, rounded edges, alloy and semi-transparent resin built with an unusual style. All very sleek and modern as I twirl them in my fingers looking them over for rough edges, unclean seams etc. The Faceplate is all aluminum with a hexagonal layout, all black in color and is seamlessly stuck to the 3D printed Shell with one screw and likely glue at the seams. The company “Heygears” which manufactures shells for different well-known brands are responsible for the DLP 3D printing of the hard plastic body. In my opinion I think they did a lovely job giving the Shells a smokey black and transparent look.

Build continued…​

That hard plastic extends out to the Hexa’s nozzles. Looking at the nozzles you will see a pretty unorthodox nozzle tip then we are used to seeing under $250. Granted we have seen this before, but Truthear added BA Dampers to the nozzles and each with their own damping rate which is all tied to the overall tuning of the Hexa.

A quick note: I would really try to keep your ear funk from clogging the Dampers as it will throw off the sound pretty drastically. Another note: these nozzles are really wide and pretty deep so finding tips may be a hair more difficult. Anyways, the build isn’t cheap looking, but it isn’t ultra-premium either. The build is simply well done for the cost and is extremely stylish and well thought out. I do believe that this set will last as long as they are treated with care, as they do have a solid build all the way around.

Internals​

The Hexa is a four Driver Hybrid setup with one 10mm specialized dynamic driver with an LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) Diaphragm and the dual-cavity internal N52 magnetic circuit which employs a polyurethane suspension material. Also used is a “unique” weighted voice coil which is said to reduce its natural resonance frequency while moderately increasing impedance as well as a punchier bass response. Truthear went with a Composite Full-Frequency Balanced Armature Driver in a dual set-up which is completely responsible for the Midrange. The highs get that clear and refined sound through a custom Balanced Armature Driver which is promoted as being similar to the “WBFK” series.

Fitment​

The fit may be more of a mixed bag, maybe. I can say that for myself the Hexa fits wonderfully. The Hexa are so very light and truthfully feel featherweight and comfortable in the ear which creates a perfect long-term listening companion. I have had these in for hours without batting an eye. Of course, the same may not be true for you.

Isolation ​

The Hexa isolates very well in my opinion. This also has a lot to do with the seal that your eartips provide. The way the Hexa hugs my ears just sits so nicely and does an admirable job at slightly attenuating outside noises. Obviously, these won’t cancel any noise, but they do a better job than most.

Drivability ​

Driving the Hexa to a decent volume can be done with most sources. I don’t know how many of you reading this actually own a phone with a 3.5 jack, but I would assume you could drive the Hexa with one. The Hexa have a rated impedance of 20.5 ohms and a sensitivity of 120 db’s and so driving them shouldn’t be an issue. I clearly hear an obvious improvement when I attach the Hexa to the Shanling UA2 coming from a weak dongle like the Zooaux Dongle Dac. The sound using either single ended or balanced on the more powerful source adds a definite dynamic improvement. The IFi Go Blu is magic with this set as well when listening on 4.4 balanced. The Hexa like some good clean power.

More power​

Moving to the Ibasso Dx240 w/ Amp8 MK2 or my Shanling M6 Ultra presents an even better sense of auditory enjoyment. Both Daps have their own rendition of what the Hexa should sound like, and both provide a very open, detailed and expressive sound. I do like the Hexa paired with the smooth nature of the M6’s AK4493SEQ Dac chip. The ES9038 Pro chip within the DX240 is the more detailed Dap in my collection and the Hexa begins to resolve a bit better when paired with it. Both Daps bring out the best in the Hexa on medium gain using a balanced connection.

So, to sum up this portion of my review; the Hexa absolutely does scale nicely with more clean power and more gifted audio devices. I wouldn’t call the Hexa “hard to drive” but they are definitely requiring a bit more juice to bring out the best in them.

Quick Sound Impressions ​

I noticed an audible difference after burn-in of the Hexa. I believe I had them burning away for a total of around 80 hrs. There was certainly an improvement from when I first got this set. Obviously, you can simply listen-in as well, but this dynamic driver does well for the effort.

The Hexa has a slight hint of warmth away from a neutral sound but if one were to call them neutral, I wouldn’t argue. The Hexa presents an altogether pretty balanced sound yet with a slight sub-bass rise and what sounds like a boost in the upper-midrange as well as the mid-treble. I would almost go as far as to call the Hexa mid-centric, but it just misses that moniker. What I hear in the Hexa is a very organic sounding hybrid iem (which is saying something) which really comes across natural to the ear. Technically, the Hexa impresses with relative ease, having fast transients with a mostly non-offensive tuning and heightened detail and resolve. Bass isn’t very big, but it is pretty punchy and vocals sound accentuated and clear while the treble region is bright, lean, clean and airy.

Not my normal preference​

I should also preface the sound portion of my review by saying that the Hexa is not tuned to my normal preferences. I normally like a more dynamic and fun sound. The Hexa can come across a bit boring for some folks who want a more dynamically expressive sound. However, as for myself, I have come to thoroughly enjoy the sound here. I have grown to appreciate what the Hexa brings to the table. I think this is a testament to the great job that Truthear has done. A very clean sound, a balanced sound, with a black background and four drivers tuned in a very cohesive manner. This set is certainly a keeper for me and please trust me when I say that I wasn’t expecting to utter those words… at all.

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Bass​

Sub-bass​

The sub-bass dominates the bass region without dominating anything else. I hear a semi-deep and reasonably authoritative judder on a song like “Paradigm” by The Head and the Heart. The sub-bass sounds closer to accurate, more so than it is colored. Transient behavior is fast enough at attack, almost anxious to show off the tight and gritty leading edge. Decay/sustain is on the tighter side leaving room and space to give a separated and layered sub-bass rumble. The deepest of lows won’t be felt in your belly and they don’t have the most satisfying haptic vibration but… there is still something very nice about this region. I suppose it’s the clean sound with just enough guttural growl to entertain most genres.

Mid-bass​

The mid-bass is lean with a steady decline through to the mids while not coming even close to encroaching upon any other frequencies. There is still a good punchy sound, but bass heads will not be impressed. Note outlines are not super hard edged or even perfectly defined, but I still hear decent surface texture without any veil or muddiness. Again, there is a charm to the mid-bass despite the lack of presence. “Billy Jean” by Weezer begins out the gate with a booming kick drum but instead of booming the Hexa punches with a quicker thud. The Hexa sounds the slightest bit fuzzy but also rather tight leaving plenty room for the rest of the mix.

Furthermore…​

In general, the bass region comes across lean, but also deft and nimble with enough body to represent when needed. The joy of this bass region is that there is enough space created to make room for instrumentation and voices to sound defined and decently resolute for a hybrid under $80. I’m sure most bass heads have already stopped reading or already clued into the fact that rumble is not the Hexa’s superpower. In fact, even moderate Bass-Bois will likely wish for more. The tuning of the Hexa sacrifices those huge bass drops for clean and punchy bass hits. I enjoy the appropriately deep and clean Dynamic Driver type bass and I am perfectly happy with what the Hexa brings to my listening.

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Midrange ​

Male vocals​

Those mids are clean people. You’ll notice the most commonly used word in this review is clean. Not pristine but clean and clear. The low-mids sound leaner but with thick enough body to sound natural listening to deeper male vocals as well as tenor voices. The mid-bass does well to steer clear of this region leaving a more neutral sounding vocal that has good energy and appropriate weight. There is a grit to the sound here or a definitive harder edge to male vocals which adds a nice element to my listening.

Upper midrange​

The upper mids are more forward than the rest of the midrange but not so much that any glare is noticed. Females sound subtly shimmery and bodied while also sounding brisk and peppy with a certain vibrance to them. Depending on the track of course. You won’t hear a completely emotional or atmospheric female voice all the time, but you will hear a natural and textured replay. “In His Arms” by Miranda Lambert is very well executed. Her voice is crystal clear and in focus. The elements of this song are very well layered and separated with air to breath and the Hexa really nails Miranda’s sharper country twang. A pleasant energy goes right to the edge of a peak but caps out right before anything unnatural is heard. Very clean and a good change of pace from many iems in the price point.

The midrange is technically adept while remaining musical and melodic. Details emerge easily with a pin-point style image of the stage. The Hexa have a mature, nuanced and unblemished midrange with only very rare instances of anything unnatural like BA timbre.

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Treble​

In control​

The highs do very well to balance without ever losing control. To be honest I almost hear a smoother type of treble region that moves from upper-mid to low treble with ease. Nothing Grainy or metallic is really evident and trust me I’m listening for it. The treble region is extended out very well adding a good sense of air and openness.

Cymbals have decent enough body and a real clear-cut definition to them as they trail off. I listen for that splashy and sheened out cymbal strike on a few of my test tracks and I simply don’t hear anything off-putting.

It just works​

The upper harmonics are a bit lean, but they are also vibrant while never veering off into metallic edginess. Some may complain or not prefer that there is a rise in the lower-treble, but I think it is in good taste. However, it may be a bit much for some people without a more boosted low-end to counter it. For me this has not been a problem but on certain tracks I have heard just a little too much of an emphasis there. This may be a con to some and that is perfectly reasonable. All in all, the sound never is too peaky for my library and there is nothing splashy in this area to disrupt the cohesive mix in my opinion, it just works.

Details are very much illuminated and easy to discern. In fact, in terms of technicalities the Hexa does not disappoint at all. Perhaps one might want a bit more body in the treble, if I had to find a fault. I haven’t heard any hint of sibilance or any of the BA metallic timbre which so many chifi iems can have. Technically the Hexa is certainly one of the best iems in the under $100 crowd from my perspective and the treble is a big part in that.

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Soundstage / Separation / Imaging / Details ​

Soundstage​

I don’t hear anything too compressed with any genre or track I listen to using the Hexa. The soundstage is appropriate to my library. Obviously whatever recording I am listening to will partially dictate just how wide or tall or deep the Hexa can ultimately sound but all in all when I consider some of the competing iems in the price point, the Hexa is a hair better than average here. In general, I think that width is slightly above average, height is about average and there is some decent depth as well.

I don’t hear anything which would be considered 2D or a simple flat plain of sound. The soundstage does not appear to be the Hexa’s strongest attribute but in the same sentence it isn’t a detriment at all either. It’s appropriate to the music I am listening to and that is all I really need in the end.

Separation / Imaging​

Now we are beginning to move into the Hexa’s wheelhouse. Separation and imaging are certainly very well Perceived. I hear clean lines and partitioned off elements of a stage. The stereo imaging does well to create a delineation between instruments and voices. Layering is also great on this set. The psycho-acoustic imaging is really spot on in my opinion as the Hexa can compete against the best sub $100 sets in this regard. The Hexa are clean enough, with good resolution and speedy in transients and this makes for a technically very nice listening experience.

Details​

This will be short; I think you all have a pretty good idea of what I am going to report. The Hexa is tuned to illuminate the subtleties in a track. Even on complicated songs the Hexa do well to bring out even some faint details. I do think that they can almost even compete with some of the planar sets out there as well. Truthear did a fine job of tuning the Hexa in a very musical way that isn’t too dry, or clinical, and even musical to my ears yet they are also able to bring micro-details and macro-details to the surface.

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Comparisons​

TRN ST5 ($59-69)​

I picked up the ST5 fully ready to review them, but I simply have not had the time to. At least a comparison is better than nothing. I believe I purchased them on sale for around $55 on Amazon.

I decided to compare the ST5 against the Hexa because they are both hybrid sets, and both are relatively close in price, and both are relatively new to the scene. The ST5 is a 1DD and five BA set with a 10mm Beryllium coated Dynamic Driver driving the bass region. TRN used two BAs for the Mids and two BAs for the Highs.

Low-end ​

The differences in tuning are pretty vast between these two. The ST5 has a well boosted and colored bass region that comes across less in control, less clean but much more authoritative. With the Hexa you’ll hear a more layered and resolute and mature sounding low-end while the ST5 is much more focused on fun and tuned for the masses.

Midrange​

The lower midrange of the Hexa has more air to breathe with a much more technical and pristine approach. The ST5 has a thicker note weight, less defined but more forward male vocal. To me it sounds as though the spill over from the bass section on the ST5 kind of blurs the midrange and comes across much less clinical as on the Hexa. The Hexa’s detailed and edgier approach is a stark contrast from the soft note outlines of the ST5. Female vocals of the Hexa have a more layered, sweet, shimmery and more natural sound. Female vocals actually sound a hint more forward on the Hexa as well. The ST5 lacks some of the control that the Hexa displays. Not to take anything away from TRN’s hybrid as I do enjoy the ST5, but it is clear that the Hexa is simply out of its league.

Treble Region​

The treble region has very nice extension on both sets but the ST5 seems more exaggerated and artificially boosted to the Hexa’s natural extension and correct sounding emphasis. I think the upper harmonics just come across tamer and more detailed. The ST5 is simply boosted in this region to help draw out details etc. The Hexa does the same much more effortlessly and does so with a blacker background.

Technicalities ​

Technically both sets do well in their relative price points, but the Hexa do so in a much more controlled manner and really do punch above their price. Like I said before it sounds more effortless for the Hexa to layer the sounds, separate elements of a stage and create a better psycho-acoustic image.

Details are better illuminated on the Hexa as well, which is to be expected. The soundstage of the ST5 is a bit grander in size but at the same time the stereo image is hazier compared to the Hexa’s controlled imaging, placement of those images, pacing and clean lines. The ST5 does well enough but the Hexa jumps price segments with its performance in this area.

Playing a different game…​

After going through this comparison, I can see that this is a preference battle here. The ST5 has its faults but it also has some redeeming qualities. It is a fun set, boosted in all the fun areas and just like the tuning suggests… it’s fun. This really wasn’t a fair comparison and to put it bluntly… it just isn’t the Hexa, there’s no doubt about that. The Hexa is playing a different game and have really separated themselves from the Chi-fi hybrid sets that we are used to.

Truthear X-Crinacle Zero ($40-$50)​

This less expensive sibling to the Hexa was blasted into the Audioverse earlier in 2022 with huge acclaim and praise. Like I said earlier, the Zero was a collaborative effort with the very popular YouTube personality “Crinacle”. The Truthear X-Crinacle Zero is a beautifully designed dual DD sharing the same exact LCP Dynamic Driver that is used in the Hexa. The cool thing about the Zero is that one of the DD’s is used specifically as a sub-bass woofer. In fact, it was one of the main selling points, no doubt I was sold the second I heard about the driver implementation and who was collaborating with its tuning effort.

Low-end​

Beginning with the sub-bass. The Zero have a much more dense and deep vibration and simply they are more boosted in this area. The Hexa are more neutral in comparison with the faster and more agile approach leaning more towards a quality sound over quantity. I really enjoy both sets in this area but the Zero really do a nice job in this region.

Mid-bass​

The mid-bass is where things get interesting. For whatever reason Truthear decided to almost completely deny the Zero of any mid-bass slam. It’s partially a head scratcher, though this does serve certain genres very well. I do understand the decision, but it simply isn’t my preference. There is a very steep and decisive roll-off within this region which denies my listening ear of any good slam or warmth or any good rumble. So many instruments are helped by a good mid-bass presence and for the most part the Zero lacks in this area. The Hexa has a much more authoritative and precise punch even though I would never consider the Hexa as being authoritative down low. The Hexa is not exactly a bass banger in the “rumble n’ boom” category but in comparison it is a bit more elevated.

Midrange​

The low-mids on both sets are thin and clean with the Hexa showing a bit more warmth and body in male vocals. Both sets have good resolution here, but the Hexa sounds truer to life with better body and more natural note edges. Female vocals on the Zero are more forward as the upper midrange is emphasized a little bit more than the Hexa while also coming across less smooth and more prone to sibilance. The Hexa has more body listening to female vocals as well and have a more emotional and organic sound here. All throughout the Midrange the Hexa have much better control with a more clean and resolute delivery and details are easier to discern with the Hexa as well.

Treble Region ​

The Zero has more of a boost in the upper midrange through the mid-treble which can be fatiguing. The Hexa is smoother with a more natural downward slope in the treble region. The ongoing theme persists between these two, while the Zero does a decent job for a single DD to show well with technicalities, I’m afraid the Hexa is simply better in every regard. Both sets have an airy presentation but the Hexa sound more open with a more immersive sound.

No contest​

This really isn’t a contest between these two, nor should it be. I added the Zero simply for anyone who was wondering about how these two stack up against each other.

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Rose Technics QT-9 Mk2s ($259)​

Okay I had to go through my collection to find a suitable hybrid that actually is a challenger to the Hexa in all the areas that the Hexa Excels in. That set is the Rose Technics QT-9 Mk2s. You can read my review of the QT-9 Mk2s from earlier in the year.

The QT-9 Mk2s is a five Driver Hybrid. The lows are taken care of also with a 10mm LCP Diaphragm Dynamic Driver. The Mids are handled by two BA’s and the treble is also handled by two BA’s. The QT-9 Mk2s is a beast of an iem that performs very well at the $250 price point and is probably a bit under-appreciated in the community to a slight degree.

Low-end​

Starting at the bass region, the QT-9 Mk2s has a deeper and more authoritative sub-bass that offers a more robust and sonorous haptic energy to the leaner Hexa. Even through to the mid-bass the QT-9 Mk2s simply has a cleaner bass note with rounded edges and more slam and better texture. I’d say that this is the one area in which I would say the QT-9 Mk2s is a clear winner if a more fun sound suits you. The Hexa is no slouch though, yes, its bass is leaner and not as impactful, but the difference is not night and day.

Midrange​

The low-mids of the Hexa as well as the QT-9 Mk2s are very clean and very pronounced with good energy. Honestly, I don’t know which set I like better. The QT-9 Mk2s do have a weightier sound but it’s not by a huge margin. Possibly they also are a hair more vivid and forward. The Hexa however has a blacker background which increases resolution and cleanliness while also running toe to toe with the much more expensive set in overall dynamic energy for male voices. Females are the same exact story, the QT-9 Mk2s has a bit more weight and texture and a hair more forward. The Hexa has that clean presentation, which is more lean but also just as detailed, if not a hint better in this regard to the more expensive set.

Treble region​

The treble region sounds a hair more boosted on the Hexa but both sets present a controlled treble region that doesn’t kill your ears with glare. Both sets have a technically sound upper area of the frequency, and both can draw out micro-details with relative ease. In fact, both sets sound very similar past the upper midrange.

Soundstage on the QT-9 Mk2s is a hair wider with a bit more of a 3D presentation but I have to add that it is not by a country mile. In reality the way the Hexa performs against this bona-fide beast of a hybrid is very very telling of the value you get at the price it is at. Yes, the QT-9 Mk2s outperforms the Hexa to a small degree but… it’s a small degree. Also, this is my opinion, some may even prefer the Hexa over the QT-9 Mk2s.

Better value​

If I were to have to choose which set to buy between the two of these, I think it’s a no brainer. I’d choose the Hexa. It is a better value for the money in my humble opinion. Now, in totality I have to be honest, the QT-9 Mk2s is better all around, and of the two I do prefer this one due to a more robust low end of the mix and slightly more atmospheric, it isn’t by much though.

​

Conclusion ​

Is the Hexa worth $79?​

To conclude my review of the Truthear Hexa, I have turned into a big fan of this set. I went from “Hexa is pretty good” to “Best hybrid under $100…hands down”. The price that Truthear is asking is almost silly for what you actually receive, and I’m not speaking about accessories. The tuning effort here is fantastic for a set that really isn’t too far out of reach for almost anyone. Yes $79 can be a lot of money for many but I honestly think the Hexa jumps price points in overall auditory ability. They sound damn good! The Truthear Hexa is a great buy. Oh, make sure to burn them in, and… yes burn-in is real.

Brain burn​

I have had a great time with this set and I’m very happy to do some casual listening without swapping earphones in comparison mode like a crazy person. To be perfectly honest the Hexa doesn’t carry my preferred sound signature. I would add a few db’s to the mid-bass region with a nice slow drop-off into the lower midrange. That said, I have really come to love the Hexa for what they are. I didn’t want to judge this set solely on my preference, as with any review, and like many times before my brain adapted and I began to enjoy what I was hearing. Truly it is a great iem, especially at the price.

Thank You!​

I want to thank anyone who chose to read my thoughts about the Hexa but I also hope that you would not just stop with me. Please read other thoughts and views about the Hexa from other reviewers. We all have different likes and dislikes, gear, hearing etc. and I think it would be worth your while and extra cash to get a very good understanding from many different perspectives. Obviously, I say what I hear and nothing more and take a lot of care releasing that opinion and do hope that this review helps at least one person to make a purchasing decision. Thank you again for stopping by and I hope you all are well and good, take care.

Introduction​

Truthear seems to be pretty new brand in industry, but in fact I do not know if it really is “that” new.
I have no source to confirm this, but by looking at their packaging and IEMs’ design, it appears that Truthear is a sort of “outside-China” Moondrop branch.
Being it related to Moondrop or not, products are what really count, and in this case the Hexa will be on the discussion table.

Disclaimer: the Truthear Hexa were provided by Shenzenaudio for free in order to write an honest review. I do not represent them in any way and this is not promotional content.
At the time of the review, the Truthear Hexa were sold for $79,99 at Shenzenaudiostore.com.

Technical Specifications​

• Configuration → 1DD (PU + LCP) + 3BA
• Sensitivity → 120 dB/Vrms @1kHz
• Impedance → 20.5Ω +/- 15% (@1kHz)
• Frequency Response → 20 Hz – 20000 Hz
• Cable → 1,2m silver plated copper cable with 0.78mm PINs, no microphone
• Connector type → L-type gold plated 3,5mm jack connector

Packaging​

Packaging is very good and it’s clear that Truthear really wants their unboxing experience to be pleasant.

• Truthear Hexa
• 3 paris of wide bore tips, 3 pairs of narrow bore tips, 1 pair of foam tips
• A pleather carry case
• A standalone cardboard painting to use as a decoration
• A user manual

Design and Build Quality​

The Truthear Hexa are well built, made by resin and 3D printed with very high precision.
The shells are dark but not totally black, and there is a sort of transparency that lets you see something inside from the sides.
The look is pretty unique in their class, and the sharp edges contribute to the modern design of which the Hexa can be proud of.
There is a vent located near the female connector on the shell, and the nozzle, which is pretty large, has two separate sound bores. There isn't any nozzle lip.

Cable​

The cable is good but definitely not above average like everything else and there’s also a chin slider (which is a nice plus). It’s prone to tangling, though.

Comfort and Isolation​

Comfort is pretty good, but it’s safe to say that if you have very small ears the edgy shell shape could cause some discomfort. If you have normal-to-big ears, the no worries.
Isolation is just average instead, nothing to rave about.

Sound​

How do these sound?
This should be the main reason for reading this reviews.

TEST GEAR

• DAC: Topping E30
• AMP: Topping L30
• Mobile phones: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, POCO F4 5G
• Dongle: Apple Type-C dongle
• Portable DAPs: Benjie S8/AGPTEK M30B
• Other sources: Presonus AudioBox iONE

Do they need an amp?
The Truthear Hexa show noticeable improvements when amplified and fed through a good source. They can be used through a smartphone, but it’s better to use a dongle and give them some more juice in order to have a fuller low end and a better soundstage rendition.

Sound signature
The Truthear Hexa is a neutral-to-bright set.

Lows: the Truthear Hexa has good sub-bass extension, which can rumble when needed but not in an aggressive way. Midbass is not Hexa’s “forte” and in fact people who usually listen to a lot of EDM and hip-hop tracks and are used to strongly V-shaped should stay away from these (unless they are specifically searching for a neutral set).
In general, transients are fast, textures are good, and the overall bass response is definitely satisfying.

Mids: the midrange is neutral, instruments are forward in the scene and there are good layering and separation that make the Hexa very agile through busy tracks.
The upper midrange is emphasized with female vocals being energetic and intimate, whereas male vocals have the right depth and quantity.
The Hexa are, in general, very clean and transparent in the midrange, with no midbass bleed or similar issues.

Highs: treble is not for sensitive ears, but packs a good amount of details and a very good extension. It’s airy, very open, and definitely something that many will love.

Soundstage is well rounded but fairly intimate, and imaging is very good with precise pinpointing, even when tracks become pretty busy.

How included tips affect sound:
- Narrow bore tips: more forward bass, slightly less brightness overall
- Wide bore tips: less bass, more overall brightness
- Foam tips: just like narrow bore tips, but even more bass and even less brightness

Some comparisons (tips used for comparisons are the blue ones):
Truthear Hexa vs Moondrop Chu
The Hexa have better sub-bass extension than the Chu, and they also have a bit more bass punch, with better textures and speed.
The midrange is lean on both, but the layering and separation of the Hexa are much better. The upper midrange is more forward on the Chu, and it tends to be generally hotter than on the Hexa. Both male and female vocals sound better on the Hexa with more depth and intimacy.
Highs are more refined on the Hexa, more detailed and clean overall, even though the Chu does pretty well for the cost.
Soundstage is slightly bigger on the Hexa but not dramatically so, and what’s evidently better is the depth. Imaging is much better on the Hexa.
Build quality is an easy win for the Hexa, which also feature a detachable cable, whereas isolation is comparable. Comfort, instead, could be a bit better with the Chu considering their more-rounded shape.
Overall, the Hexa are more mature, more refined, much more technical and they are definitely worth the extra money.

QoA Gimlet vs Truthear Hexa
Sub-bass is more present and emphasized on the Gimlet but the extension is slightly better on the Hexa. Bass slam is more evident on the Gimlet, that also happen to be more fun and suited for bass heavy genres, but bass is cleaner on the Hexa even though they are less engaging in the lower end.
The midrange is more articulated on the Hexa, with better layering and separation, whereas the Gimlet take advantage of the elevated bass to give more warmth to male vocals. Female vocals, instead, are good on both, but the Hexa are more intimate and accurate in this regard.
Treble is more open and detailed on the Hexa.
Soundstage is slightly bigger on the Gimlet, imaging is better on the Hexa hands down.
Build quality is great in both cases and both have detachable cables, even though the Gimlet have a better stock cable.
The Gimlet also win in terms of isolation, but the Hexa are more comfortable overall thanks to their longer nozzles that make them easier to wear.
The overall technical winners are the Hexa, whereas the Gimlet provide a much more fun (yet less neutral) listening experience with a different timbral approach.

Final Thoughts​

The Hexa are very good, not only for their technicalities but also because of their good tuning.
Truthear is doing a good job on the market and all we can hope is that they’ll keep offering good products at reasonable prices.

Truthear Hexa Review​

INTRODUCTION AND DISCLAIMER:​

The Truthear Hexa is an in-ear monitor (IEM) utilizing one dynamic driver and three balanced armatures (BAs) per housing. The Hexa retails for $79.99 at ShenzhenAudio. ShenzhenAudio sent me a unit in exchange for my impressions.

SOURCES:​

I have used the Truthear Hexa with the following sources:

• Qudelix 5K
• Hidizs S9
• Xumee Dongle
• Apple Dongle

MUSIC:​

I tested these headphones with local FLAC and Spotify Premium. Visit my last.fm page to get an idea of what I listen to:

XenosBroodLord’s Library | Last.fm

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES:​

The Truthear Hexa comes in a small rectangular black box with a white slipcover. Shiroi, one of Truthear’s anime mascots, is pictured on the front of the slipcover. Technical specifications for the Hexa, including a frequency response graph, and Truthear’s corporate contact information are provided on the rear of the slipcover in English and Chinese.

The IEMs are held inside the box in a foam mounting sheet. A Truthear-branded plastic mounting tray holds the included eartips. The Hexa includes seven pairs of eartips. There is one pair of black foam eartips, three pairs of white round silicone eartips (S, M, L), and three pairs of white conical wide-bore eartips (S, M, L). The Hexa includes the same Truthear-branded black synthetic leather carry pouch as the Truthear Zero. A user manual and warranty card are also included.

BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN:​

The Truthear Hexa has black triangular aluminum alloy faceplates secured by a single screw. The black finish on one of these screws has already started to wear off on my unit. “Truthear” is printed in white along the bottom of the right faceplate. The housing bodies are 3D-printed from a translucent black acrylic material. The 2-pin connections are slightly recessed. “L” and “R” indicators are recessed into the housing in line with the 2-pin connections. The nozzles have two separate sound bores with green and yellow acoustic filter plugs. The nozzles do not have a raised lip.

The cable is the same as the one included with the Truthear Zero:

The cable uses black sheathed wires wrapped in a quad-braid below the Y-split and coiled into double-helix patterns above the Y-split. The cable has pre-formed heat-shrink earguides and a metal chin adjustment choker. The cable is very microphonic if the chin adjustment choker is not used. The L-shaped 3.5mm jack uses rubber hardware. There is strain relief above the 3.5mm jack but none at the Y-split.

Click to expand...

COMFORT, FIT, AND ISOLATION:​

The Truthear Hexa is intended to be worn cable-up. The earpieces have a moderate insertion depth. The Hexa is one of the most comfortable IEMs I have ever used. Secureness of fit is excellent, but isolation is below average. There is no driver flex.

MEASUREMENTS:​

My measurements of the Truthear Hexa can be found on my expanding squig.link database:

Truthear Hexa — Squiglink by Bedrock Reviews

SOUND:​

The Truthear Hexa has a neutral tuning with a moderate sub-bass boost.

The Hexa has excellent sub-bass extension. The bass has impressive physicality and impact without creating bloom or muddiness. The bass is also highly textured and resolving. However, the Hexa has slower-than-average bass articulation compared to other IEMs priced between $75 and $100.

The Hexa has an appropriate level of pinna gain centered at 3 kHz. Both male vocals and female vocals are accurately rendered in terms of body, grit, and presence. Midrange clarity is excellent, and vocal intelligibily is terrific. BA timbre is noticeably absent.

The Hexa has a smooth yet detailed treble response with very good upper treble extension with silicone eartips. There are good amounts of both sparkle and air. Overall resolution is terrific for the price point. The Hexa has excellent instrument separation and a larger-than-average soundstage.

AMPLIFICATION REQUIREMENTS AND SOURCE PAIRING:​

While it is possible to power the Truthear Hexa with the Apple dongle, doing so required the volume level on Android devices to be nearly maxed out. Depending on your typical listening volume, I would recommend using a different source without the Apple dongle’s limitations if you regularly use an Android device. I did not notice hiss with any of my devices.

CLOSING WORDS:​

The Truthear Hexa is my new default recommendation at the sub-$100 price point. It is a nearly perfect purchase at its price, with my sole complaint being the relatively slow bass articulation.

The Truthear Hexa can be purchased below:

Truthear HEXA 1DD+3BA Hybird Earphones with 0.78 2Pin Cable Earbuds (shenzhenaudio.com)

—About myself
===START OF INTRODUCTION ===
—Background
Audio equipment reviewer with over 20year+ of experience in headphones/earphones/IEM/DAP, initially motivated by:
Sennheiser | AKG | Westone | Sony | Bose | JVC | JBL


—Imprinted instruments timbre
Drums (TAMA & Zildjian cymbals) | Guitar (Gibson Les Paul & Marshall Amp) | Piano (Yamaha)

—Bio
After spending a decade with full-size headphones, and home audio speakers, I shifted my main listening environment to IEM. Of which, I have over 100 personal inventories —not loaner or review units—purchased with my hobby budget.

—On mobile
I enjoyed Lexus’s Mark Levinson system and moved to Mercedes AMG’s Burmester 4D System

—Affiliation
Under the penalty of perjury of the United States of America, 28 U.S.C. § 1746, I’m neither affiliated with any sellers/stores/makers nor given review samples or paid for this review.

I purchased HEXA from Shenzhen Audio at my own will with my own disposable income, for purely my personal entertainment purpose.

=====END OF INTRODUCTION=====

—About Truthear
My personal speculation about this brand, the truthear, is the Moondrop/Softears’s shell ODM, HeyGears, original house brand, like Costco’s Kirkland. So that they can save up for various fixed cost and marketing cost to produce $300-500USD competitive benchmarking IEMs of today’s market (blessing2, Dusk, and Variations) with a bare minimum contribution margin, of $80USD.

—Is TruthEar affiliated with SoftEars?
Beats me. But here is my finding.
Motto of Softears —Hear the Truth—
—The Truth Hear — | TrutHear
Interesting.

—About this HEXA
Long Story Short, Widely famous Moondrop’s Blessing 2: Dusk’s successor, with a similar clean note, nice sub-bass elevated rather L-shape with a hint of 3khz spot spotlighting. I would not be highly surprised if cr*nacle is behind the scene. It’s that close to Moondrop Dusk. To be more precise, skip to TL;DR.

This IEM is made a rather Japanese Zen spirit; a philosophy of subtraction compared to mainstream “fully added” IEMs (such as Bose, Skullcandy, V-Moda, Old KZ). Or in more native way, spirit of “wabi & sabi” —侘び寂び— : “a spirit centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection”.

The only notable addition is spotlighting the main instrument or vocal (especially female), and the bass drum’s sub-bass-focused kick. No sign of sibilance or in simple English, not too bright, not too cold, well balanced and neutrally presented expression, just like you would find from Blessing 2 series, especially Dusk and Variations.

If you are an upper-bass (male vocal) focused listener, XENNS Mangird Tea would serve the role. Else, HEXA shall work as your daily accompaniment.

—Is HEXA a wired earphone?
Yes, not wireless ones like your AirPods. If convenience is on your top priority over sound quality, you can make it Wireless and play with your iPhone/Android by following 2 methods:

1. FiiO BTR3 / BTR5 /BTR7 from $70-$150, my recommendation is BTR5, it can be used with most of the other IEMs.
2. FiiO UTW3 / UTW5 from $70-$160 (remember to choose 2pin connectors (don’t choose MMCX)). It can be also used for most other IEMs.

*You don’t need to consider Shure’s
Bluetooth earphone hook. A waste of $300 with old technology.

—Looking for a warm neutral IEM instead?
With all my 20year+ of passion &love for IEM, my full mark recommendation is Tangzu Wu Zetian. My review is here. If you have both HEXA and Wu Zetian, you have pretty much reached all you’ll need. “Musicality” Wu, and “Technicality” HEXA.

—Looking for Truthear ZERO or if you are current owner of ZERO and considering upgrade to HEXA?
Here if my walk-through of ZERO vs HEXA, ZERO vs Moondrop Kato / Aria.

—More details
The outer shell is the exactly same as Moondrops 2EST-2BA-1LCP DD IEM, named Variations ($560), which is highly regarded as one of Killbuck-class IEM challengers. A well-tuned IEM based on the latest trended Harman curve plus a little sub-bass elevation and smoother treble.

This HEXA is basically ODM’s price-cut Moondrop Variations. And I can be pretty sure 95% of purchasers would agree this is one of their best IEM purchase ever.

—HEXA and Variations A-B Test

Although HEXA’s tuning is more like Yume, a lower sub-bass shelf compared to Variations, they both sound very reminiscent. Not exactly the same, because there are differences in technicalities, and different classes one. But still, I can see B+ to A- level of good technicalities in HEXA when compared to Variations.

My guess for IEF’s rating for HEXA will be Tonality S (it’s Yume), Technicalities B+, and overall A- with ★★★.


Technicalities can’t be more than A- because that’s where he placed Softears RSV —left one next to Variations in the snapshot above— (Tone: S, Tech: A-) as A IEM. And to me, RSV’s technicalities are S tier, except the resolution part which I personally think it’s an independent factor outside of general geo-dynamic technicalities.


I tried to minimize other variables that may interfere with the A-B test, I first tested with both IEMs with their factory default cables (but with the same moondrop’s default ear tips, because ear tips alter the sound a lot)

Then I found their tuning is close enough so I plugged the left ear with Variations and the Right ear with HEXA with the same coax cable that came with Variations. (Pictures below). This is just for the coherency test, although IEM hooked on left and right is HEXA and Variations, I found it sings in unison, and resonate very well. This tells the tuning of those two pairs isn’t very far.



—Treble
Variations obviously have better resolution/layering and extend further than HEXA, Variations have the “finesse”
That HEXA is lacking. Variations EST surely is a thing that works.
HEXA’s tweeter meanwhile is not Bellsing obviously, from the way it sounds, I assume it’s customized version of low distortion Knowles equivalent unless Bellsing got new 30019s to the level of Knowles WBFK.

—Mid
Now it’s getting hard. To my ear, surely Variations got a better Softears-MID BA to have a perfect 3khz gain spotlight, but HEXA’s mid-range isn’t that indifferent. They both have exceptionally good imaging, but textures on Variations are a tad better —not miles far— when you directly compare both.

—Bass
They are both LCP DD, and I know how an LCP would sound. HEXA’s LCP DD surely overruns the ones with the Blessing 2 and Dusk’s traditional DD, HEXA’s is fast and nimble, tactile. You can easily tell the difference between nuance expressions, and pianissimo notes on Cello and Contrabass. To my impression, HEXA however is not using the exact same LCP driver that Variations use, I also feel there is a very, very small room that Variations’ LCP could breathe over the HEXA’s LCP. But the difference is now smaller than that I felt for mid-range. I think this level of technical difference could be tossed into the hands of tuning preferences.

Variations is more sub-bass elevated. HEXA’s more like See Audio Yume or Blessing 2 OG’s neutral-ish sub-bass “on-sight” slope. If you prefer neutral approch, HEXA, if you prefer more sub-bass rumbling impacts, Variations.

They both have excellent textures and low distortions, crisp bass imaging.

[Post 30 hours of burn-in bass impression for HEXA]
—HEXA’s LCP bass performance is almost par with fully burned-in Variation’s.

Per Moondrop’ guide on LCP(liquid Crystal Polymer) burn-in guidance, I also recommend burn-in HEXA for 100hours.


I’d totally forgot LCP driver needs at least 10 hours, and will get actual performance around 30hours, then fully executed after 100 hours of burn-in.
Here is my old comment from Moondrop Variations’s initial impression post.

“LCP drivers takes around 30hours to get first phase of burn-in, and gradually matures and getting speed toward 100 hours”

Here is a good and easy way to burn in: 12hours of pink-noise, use any of your tablets, iPad, etc, turn on repeat and leave it during nights. A week later it will be fully potent.
URL:

—You don’t believe in burn-in?
Try this track with HEXA right out of box then 30,60,100hours later.

If you leave a wine in glass even for half an hour, you probably will notice that it tastes different. Same to HEXA’s LCP bass, if you can taste the difference, you are about to start your career of “Sommelier of the Sound”

Note: this track isn’t a pleasant one to listen, it’s more of “speedtest.net” for your bandwidth speed test type, that contains very fast paced wide spectrum noises.


—Egh, the speedtest track is unbearable! Need something smoother to cruise out for HEXA’s speed test?
Try these three while reading the remainder of the wall-o-text.




—I have Blessing 2 or Dusk, should I even consider getting HEXA?
If you are more technically inclined into overall coherence across the spectrum, then you are probably feeling some uncomfortable areas in Blessing 2 or Dusk’s upper bass and lower-mid where DD passes to MID BA, for someone values analog sound to sound right, thenYes. I highly recommend HEXA for studio engineers and musicians over blessing 2, Dusk, Senn/
Shure/AKG/Westone’s IEMs from tonal consistency standpoint as well as neutrality.

Back to Blessing2s, HEXA has better cohesiveness. Or if you feel the bass of Blessing 2 / Dusk is simply a tad foggy and veiled, low in texture, then Yes.

Blessing 2 & Dusk users: Try these analog songs, if you see any inconsistency in lower range timbre, HEXA handles it better.

Pro tip for tasting the difference: Utilize Fletcher Munson effect; just like wine-tasting, sip a small amount of wine at the tasting, try to play sample tracks with 30% of your general playing volume.




—Need detailed cross-comparison?
vs Moondrop

vs Great benchmarking IEMs


vs High-End IEMs

*All IEMs on the chart above are my private collections, not review units or a loaner.

—Lowpass-filter match
Short delay Slow Roll Off filter or similar would bring natural expression and laid back tonality, Short Delay sharp roll off filter will bring natural & better imaging from this BA’s timbre reproductions

—For tech-lovers
HEXA’s config is following Softears RSV. RSV uses 2BA(subwoofer )+2BA(Mid)+1BA(tweeter), while HEXA replaced 2BA (subwoofer) with LCP dynamic driver which I assume is the same one you can find in Moondrop’s Variations($560), and kept Midrange and tweeter set up the same. This, is actually optimum setting for daily use IEM. The Dusk or Blessing 2 has 1 paper dome DD(subwoofer) + 2BA(mid) +2BA(knoweles TWFK), as a set up, the solid 4BA+1DD one, but the dynamic driver used for blessing2’s is rather old school and the bass transient response is slow, with rough textures.

Meanwhile HEXA and Variations maybe using the same LCP DD or the disruptively famous Moondrop’s single dynamic Aria. The LCP technologies matured, and now we are able to get LCP driver equipped IEM on much lower price range, such as Moondrop Chu, Tripowin Lea etc etc, so it’s not a surprise HEXA is LCP-backed.

—Frequency Response observations and analytics
HEXA’s FR chart


Yume Midnight and FiiO FHE


HEXA & Yume
▶︎Sub-Bass slope is very close, but HEXA’s sub bass punches very heavily unlike light touching Yume due to types of drivers used


HEXA & Moondrop Blessing 2
▶︎Mid-Bass slope is reminiscent to Blessing 2’s


HEXA & Softears RSV
▶︎Mid range and Upper-Mid range is reminiscent to TOTL tuned Softears RSV


HEXA & See Audio Bravery
▶︎HEXA and Bravery shares reminiscent Treble


—[Tech-lover+] Why Penta driver for RSV and Quasi-penta driver HEXA is great for technical aspect?
They handle the harmonic portion of the music/ complex and organic mixture of sound waves very well. Simple 1 tweeter composition for high-frequency range to reduce phase inconsistency over 10khz less evident, and make sound listening friendly.

Those harmonics handling will be much more noticeable for LCP driver when compared to the traditional driver found in blessing 2’s, especially for second and third harmonics:


You will hear fewer harmonics mismatch as a benefit of the LCP driver + simple and solid composition of 2BA for mid, and 1 BA for treble.

A highly cohesive phase matching, with harmonics handling capabilities taking into account, a well mastered acoustic music —such as newer releases from Pat Metheny—will sound very very realistic, as if you are at the live stage. And HEXA will actually render electrically mixed music better, such as EDM/PsyTrance, from my personal experience attending DJ Tiesto’s World Tour of 2020 at “Rebel” Toronto, HEXA’s capabilities to render that “Live EDM” experience is exceptionally high as well. From deep sub-bass rumbling the huge live stage to dopamine-generating high-pitch synthesizers melody.

As a drummer, I can validate HEXA will simulate drums, bass, and guitar tonality in a very realistic way; HEXA is even a capable tool for professional musicians, studio engineers, and instrument tuning professionals, you could rely on this IEM better than anything that you can purchase below $560.

—Scalability
Yes, HEXA is scalable depending on DAP. You may benefit more from a better DAP, but it doesn’t fail with iPad either. Having a High Scalability is good proof of an IEM that has very high standards and potential, as it will reveal the true potential of the playing source from its high potency.
If I pull this in simple English, HEXA on race tracks performs better with a “professional racing driver” in charge.

—Volume Scalability
Since HEXA is very neutrally designed, you may experience a difference sound signature depending on the playing sound volume. It’s called Fletcher Munson phenomenon.


—Fit
First and foremost, if you are new to IEM, you may hook your IEM the wrong way. Here is a graphical guide per e-earphone (all rights reserved) .


Roll cables around your ear


-Got it hooked right? Now back to fit.
The nozzle is rather large —blessing2, Variations size—small ear canal user may consider trying SpinFit W1 and if you feel HEXA is too vocal forward, SpinFit CP100 will tone it down. If you feel CP100 toned town vocal is slightly south of your taste CP100+, as your solution. If you like a tad more brightness and airiness Spiral Dots++, if you like rumbling sub-bass to knock your head to the Moon, Softears UC tips would serve your role. The rest of the listeners will find HEXA just like the blessing2 series, a quasi-custom private molded musician ear monitor like CIEM feeling.


—Ear Tips(Tires ) & Cables (Suspensions)

For HEXA if you want bass floors to be higher, XINHS 4 core graphene cable is what I used for similarly tuned See Audio Yume. It works great. If you want more airflow into HEXA without sacrificing bass transient “the thumps”, SpinFit W1 may work for you and will solve any fit issues you have.

If you want ultimate Sub-bass knock, Softears UC tips, or AZLA Xelastec Crystal Clear.

—TL;DR
My overall impression of HEXA is:

HEXA is a thoroughbred horse with refinement from the the best part of
❶See Audio Yume | Sub-Bass
❷Moondrop Blessing 2 | Mid-Bass
❸Softears RSV | Mid-Range and Upper-Mid
❹See Audio Bravery | Treble
in tuning,

❺situated in Variations’s cage
with a bit of cost saving in mind for its powertrains.

Or in the other words, carefully re-tuned Blessing 2 Dusk with a better LCP bass dynamic driver.

If I pull cars as an example.

Variations is Mercedes AMG C63(0-60mile: 3.8sec) and HEXA is Mercedes AMG C43 (0-60miles: 4.7sec) both cars are FAST and good for race circuits. Although C63 is “handcrafted by 1 maestro “ in Germany Affalterbach, AMG’s plant —V8 Biturbo—, while C43 uses V6 Biturbo engine which was —manufactured in Mercedes’s own factory, the same one used by non-AMG, regular Mercedes —, a bit more consumer-friendly high-performance engine.

But when we take a look at cost, $79 vs $560.
In the car world C43 costs around 80% of the C63. Which is $68k vs $85k.
Huge cost-to-performance gap we see here.

Hence,HEXA surely is one of

“a bolt from the blue”

A $68k USD high-performance vehicle sold at jaw-dropping $12kUSD vs 85k USD C63. Which never happened before in In-Ear Monitor industry.

You can see what car enthusiasts will do with that. Buy, customize, and race with Lamborghini


It’s exactly what’s happening in this IEM world. You can change the ear tips (tires), and cables (suspensions), or buy an upgraded DAP(supercharger) to buff this HEXA. It has a GREAT scalability to play around; the framework/platform is very legit, after-market customization will be very rewarding, if you are bored with the original tuning.

— My current favorite setup
◯ Cable | XINHS 4 core graphene cable

◯ EarTips | SpinFit W1 (M)
▶︎Boost imaging focus
▶︎ Improve sub-bass timbre
▶︎ Improve Image positioning
OR
◯ EarTips | Softears UC (M)
▶︎Boost image positioning
▶︎ Improve Sub-bass impact
▶︎ Improve Treble extension
OR
◯ EarTips | TRI Clarion (L)
▶︎Boost imaging focus
▶︎ Improve Sound Stage depth
▶︎ Improve Treble extension
▶︎Tone down Bass
OR
◯ EarTips | Latex M570 (M)
▶︎ Natural Sound Reference tuning
▶︎ Open up Diffusion Field
▶︎ Improve Treble extension
▶︎ Transform Bass to Holographic presentation



—Final impression (based on my HRTF)
Overall | A (85/100)
Tonality | A+
Resolution | A-
Overall Coherence | B+

1. Diffusion Field coherence B- [ Quality (A+) x Artificial Staging Size ( C ) ]
2. Image coordinate positioning coherence | A+
3. Image Focusing Coherence | B+
4. Sound wave momentum & Sound Image vectoring coherence | A-

My other A-rated IEMs:
Blessing 2 (84/100: A) | Blessing 2 Dusk (85/100: A) | Mangird Tea (84/100: A) | AKG N5005 (A) | See Audio Bravery (A)

My higher than A-rated:
Westone W80 (A+) | Tangzu Wu Zetian (A+) | 7Hz Timeless (A+) | DUNU SA6 (S-) | Moondrop Variations (S-) | Softears RSV (S-) | Thieaudio Monarch (S-) | UM MEST MKII (S) | qdc Anole VX (S+)

—Wow this review is so long!
You spent time without being paid anything?
Yes, it is purely a voluntary work.
Because I believe great sound should not fully bounded to how much money you can cash out. HEXA is a game changer in that context, and it’s worth a lengthy coverage.

—Carrying pouch
I’m not a huge fan of gold color, Truthear, this gold color doesn’t match with HEXA IMHO.


—Blessing 2 (left) and HEXA (right)

—HEXA and FiiO FHE close shot

—Wanna try far-east goodies with a good recording quality that matches with HEXA?




—Are you still here? This is the bottom.

6 sides to every story

A little bit about me, a little bit about the people who sent this to me.
I have still yet to make my first million from the reviewing malarky - in fact I have yet to make my first anything. I still go to work hoping that someone somewhere will recognise my astonishing brilliance in bringing life to this rather quirky hobby we all have, and, I dunno, whisk me off to some swanky hotel and start throwing money at me in ways that one would only normally see on a monopoly board. Sadly, it hasn't happened just yet. So we plod on. In all seriousness I don't want their money - and I don't know who they are anyway. In true Walter Mitty style, I have 2 me's. The real me is like this - if this is as good as it gets, I'm happy. I'm happy sharing this stuff with you - and I'm chuffed that some companies, such as ShenzhenAudio, who provided me with the Hexa in return for this, believe in the Takeanidea Brand.



About Hexa
The easy bit
Hexa is short for Hexagonal. The IEMs are 6 sided. So that makes sense. I am ashamed to say that, in my rush to open these and talk about them, it did not occur to me that this was why they were called Truthear Hexa. Oops! The 1st thing that will strike you about the Hexa is the sheer angularity of it all. The look is sharp, all straight edges and brushed metal. It is daringly different. I like that. This is a thumbs up from me. In a World where companies are afraid to polarise opinion with anything other than a bland, boring aesthetic, here we have a fresh approach. Long may it continue. A splash of colour here and there wouldn't have gone amiss, but, hey, I'm gonna go easy on Truthear for what they've done. The looks may polarise some, I sincerely hope not because that would be a shame. The fit may be an issue, but again, I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this aspect. I have tiny earlobes and I'm not experiencing any problems with wearing these for a few hours at a time. I'm confident in stating that you'll be extremely unlucky to feel much pressure from those sharp corners.



The engineers have given us a hybrid DD/BA configuation. They have kept the sound signature close to the Harman Response Curve. Given that a dynamic is tried and tested in it's ability to replicate the lower end, I'd use the magnet push/pull of a DD to drive the bass and the (arguably) sweeter, cleaner balanced armature drivers to add to our musical canvas. And that's what they've done. There are 3 BA's that make up the mid and high frequencies. I'll chuck up a few graphs that have been provided because I know that many of you can almost hear them if you can see the various squiggles.



For me it's a case of hearing is believing. I deliberately steer clear of any such influences. I write about what I hear, that is my forte´. If I spent too long on the Science bit I'd only end up getting confused. There's so much music that gets pushed in between my 2 ears that there remains precious little space for anything else. What else can I tell you about the Hexa? Is has some of the ingredients necessary to work well without amping. Obviously there are amps in everything, even a smartphone. We reviewers normally say that over 100 dB sensitivity and anything around 16 Ohms resistance should be fine to plug into a phone. The Hexa is
Impedance: 20.5Ω土15% @1kHz
Sensitivity: 120dB/Vrms @1kHz
So the impedance is a little high for an IEM. I found that they didn't perform as well as they could through a straight connection to the 3.5 on a phone. When I introduced them to a DAC dongle, in this case the KA1 from Jade Audio, and, better still, the UP4 22 from Shanling, (using the ultra high gain dual DAC boost mode), I got a real feel for the capabilities of these IEMs. I'd say if you are determined to rely on your standard smartphone's credentials and you want a new set of in ears, you'll be needing to look elsewhere.



Liquid crystal is a robust material by anyone's standards and has been used for the diaphragm of the N52 dynamic drivers, which in turn are housed in a dual cavity 3D design that Truthear tell me is normally reserved for custom in ears.
The fit of the Hexa has already been mentioned, but, of course, the fit into the earlobe is only half the battle. Will the Hexa remain securely there? Will the weight of the cable pull them away from the sweet spot? Are the tips any good? Is the cable soft and luxuriant? Is there memory wire and does it tuck everything right and properly behind the ears? Is there a cinch to hold everything into place? Well yes, I think it does all of these things pretty reasonably. The tips consist of small bore and wide bore nozzles with a thin, highly flexible silicon outer. They're not the last word in tips, but they're not bad either.



There is a little anime card with a stand included. This is a cultural thing I suspect because I was quite surprised to see it. As colourful as the anime figure was, I couldn't see myself displaying it in pride of place in my offices. I'll leave you with a picture

and you can see whether this is a deal maker for you. However if you're talking about useful things, then surely what could be more welcome than a smart little carry case for your new possessions? A tasteful leather pouch is included and I was impressed enough that I must mention this and send you a little pic. Ok, maybe it's not real leather, but I haven't seen 1 that looks like this before, and being easily pleased, I was only too glad to bring you good tidings; a la´ accessories that mean something.



Sound quality
Is it quality?
I am relieved to say that, yes, the Hexa delivers in the sound stakes. The bass is fast and does not intrude into the mids. The bass has some slight viscerality, but, compared to the Shlouer Tape, you would be saying that the Hexa comes behind when looking at slam. The Tape IEMs feel like they are slightly too bassy when compared side by side with the Truthears, the presentation of the Hexa being noticeably thinner but not slim enough to put one's nose out of joint. Like many things which are new and unknown it just takes a bit of getting used to. I come from a background of having the Susvara, the HD800, the Stax SR009S and having had a fair few hours with the Orpheus, the Shangri La Snr and the HE-1. None of these has a particularly huge bass sound. Too much slam can induce a headache after a while. What you need is something with a little more control. This is what the Hexa has. It's not going to push the other stuff I just mentioned, but sometimes lean beats muscle is all I'm saying. In the mids highs and soundstage, the Hexa delivers a believable presentation with the curtains open wide enough to allow a little intimacy and those micro details a little sparkle. Vocals and main instruments have space and are kept close to the eardrum. The acquisition before these were the 7hz x Crinacle Salnotes Dioko. Naturally I stuck thse in my ears as I was sampling the Hexa. The 7hz weren't as enjoyable a sound as the TruthEar. The 7hz have a cracking mid and high thing going for them and the sound is quite different than your usual IEM sound, but they sounded more distant and more hollow than the Hexa. This could be down to my being more used to the traditional sound of a decent IEM as opposed to the Planar, but I have to say it as I find it-the Hexa's were nicer.


Conclusion
Is it for you?
Even if it's not I hope I've kept you entertained. There are many many IEMs out there. Only you can decide what you are looking for and what you can afford. Based on the signature I have described, I can tell you that these are good value for money, shouldn't annoy you overly, and you get a swanky pouch to keep them in. They are an easier upgrade than Planars and that includes slightly more expensive models. They need amping-your DAC dongle should suffice for now. They suit all musical styles, perhaps they are most comfortable with acoustic and symphonic worls although I preferred the way in which they toned down some of the heavier music in my collection, thinning out some of the early Black Sabbath albums and making some ultra fast stuff a little easier to follow. The Hexa is an interesting combination of new looks with a traditional approach to hifi sound. I think it achieves both, admirably.