[Marvellous_DAP]

I have mostly DSD files loaded on my Calyx M and 40% are male vocals.

Have compared between Oriolus, SE846, Z5, etc. Don't find it anyway thin or recess, and in fact, I like it more than the other IEMs for vocals.

Any particular songs you tried to conclude your listening and which IEM are you comparing to deduct that?

You are using the WM1A to test? Probably will avoid it in this case. Found shops selling WM1A in Tokyo selling better price and was considering grabbing one.

I notice it on male vocals especially.

 

[alphanumerix1]

I have mostly DSD files loaded on my Calyx M and 40% are male vocals.

Have compared between Oriolus, SE846, Z5, etc. Don't find it anyway thin or recess, and in fact, I like it more than the other IEMs for vocals.

Any particular songs you tried to conclude your listening and which IEM are you comparing to deduct that?

You are using the WM1A to test? Probably will avoid it in this case.

As I mentioned in my initial impressions I said "slightly" if you find the vocals just right for you then that's great. Excuse me if I didn't use the correct terms.

I'm not the only person who mentioned it. E.g crin

• Main glaring issue with the CE-5 seem to be timbre. Vocals don't have enough weight and sounds rather sterile and lifeless at times.

And again in the below review.

• The Hyla’s midrange is bright and clear yet impressively neutral in tone. Both male and female vocals occupy a slightly distant stage position.

https://theheadphonelist.com/hyla-ce-5-review-rhythm-over-melody/2/

Its by no means bad but worth mentioning.

 

[Marvellous_DAP]

Yep, saw this "only" slightly negative post before I did a long test at the shop before paying. Was concerned about it before buying, until I try it in the shop. I didn't hear the same issue stated, and thus conscious if other users tend to read that post and take it as conclusive.

I don't think the vocal is just right for me though, as I had owned a few high end mid-focused IEM in the past and this is the best so far.

Good to hear difference experience though, as it is best for anyone keen to try out before buying. You may prefer a more "neutral" IEM.

As I mentioned in my initial impressions I said "slightly" if you find the vocals just right for you then that's great.

I'm not the only person who mentioned an issue with vocals.

• Main glaring issue with the CE-5 seem to be timbre. Vocals don't have enough weight and sounds rather sterile and lifeless at times.

Its by no means bad but worth mentioning.

 

[alphanumerix1]

Good to hear difference experience though, as it is best for anyone keen to try out before buying. You may prefer a more "neutral" IEM.

Exactly, my initial impressions were overwhelmingly positive besides one thing. That's what "I'M" hearing. It surely is a great iem reaching totl levels and at below 1k! it's hard not to recommend but its not perfect (timbre) its not exactly realistic in my opinion.

I will be purchasing a set myself if that says anything. A complement to my t8iemkll which has the "neutral" category covered.

As always audition if you can and decide for yourself.

Also i'd like to know your opinion how they sound with guitar and with string instruments. Would be interesting to hear your experience.

 

[ctaxxxx]

Extra - I was also loaned the pw audio no.5 copper cable which did help in the mids region.

Does the No.5 cable make the bass too strong? I have this as well (plus an Ares II+ coming), and was wondering if I should buy a cable that adds lower mids without boosting the bass, like the PW Audio Xerxes.

This is assuming if I find the mids thin of course, else I can just buy a thinner cable that's not too warm.

 

[alphanumerix1]

Does the No.5 cable make the bass too strong? I have this as well (plus an Ares II+ coming), and was wondering if I should buy a cable that adds lower mids without boosting the bass, like the PW Audio Xerxes.

This is assuming if I find the mids thin of course, else I can just buy a thinner cable that's not too warm.

I'd wait until you hear the ce-5 before investing in more cables.

I see you have some already coming so you can test and see what you prefer. But to answer your question no i don't find the bass too strong if anything i hear the bass become tighter and slightly faster over the stock cable it also helps with the timbre in the mids.
From what i hear the no.5 is a perfect match for the ce-5

And too clarify what i call "slightly" thin or lacking body you may not so as to any subjective internet opinion ymmv.

Edit: I'm a basshead.

Edit2: Im also using spiral dots tips.

 

[Marvellous_DAP]

Haha.... I am a basshead too on top of the preference for vocals. Thus, some of my IEMs (some sold) are: ASG2.5, SE846, XBA-Z5, JH Roxanne, JH Layla, JH Lola, Oriolus Mk2.

Probably that's why the current match meets my need: Calyx M has superb bass with Hyla CE-5 connected with PWaudio No. 5. Again, that's my preference as love the bass quality which is "just right" with the current set, which your experience might differs.

Just to complete the bass impact. Using the Acoustune AET08 which helps with better bass extension and control, a perfect match for Hyla.

 

[Marvellous_DAP]

Don't listen much to orchestra music or music with just instruments, but guitar sound played with vocals sound realistic for me.

Sound stage is really good and it helps with the clarity of the different instruments.

Also i'd like to know your opinion how they sound with guitar and with string instruments. Would be interesting to hear your experience.

 

[Marvellous_DAP]

It depends on your sound preference. Hyla's bass is not the muddy type and with PW No 5 it is one of the nicest bass quality from an IEM. You might want to try out silver cables to check the difference.

Does the No.5 cable make the bass too strong? I have this as well (plus an Ares II+ coming), and was wondering if I should buy a cable that adds lower mids without boosting the bass, like the PW Audio Xerxes.

This is assuming if I find the mids thin of course, else I can just buy a thinner cable that's not too warm.

 

[rq1111]

I had tried CE-5 with Ares II plus and I find it fatigue after a while. I feel stock cable is good match with CE-5.

I like the vocal from CE-5 which seems clear and hear the articulation very clear. I am not good in hearing string but it seems to me very accurate. So I am still trying to hear if the timber is accurate for CE-5 as some comments that CE-5 does not have accurate timber. So far, it seems timber is accurate for me. Maybe it is my brain burn-in.

I think those who find the vocal is thin, probably is due to mismatch of impedance.

When I initially test the CE-5 with my Opus#1 and 2, I do not like it. It seems like W-signature. But the shop owner ask to test with Onkyo dp-x1a, I was amazed by the matching and I just bought it.

I test it with fiio x7ii when I went back home, and still not satisfied. I search the internet and found the impedance of the CE-5 is only 8.9 Ohm. So I went to buy ifimatch adapter and use it with fiio x7ii. It sounds much better but I notice some distortion on the vocal.

Therefore, I am not satisfied with this. I search the internet and found the wm1a has output impedance of 0.92 Ohm. So I bought it. So far, using stock cable has the best matching on Single-ended on wm1a. I tried using Ares II plus on balance but find it fatigue after a while.

So far, this is my finding. I have spend quite a lot recently due to CE-5 mismatch issue as it affects the true potential of iem. Still waiting for my wm1a to burn-in and hope this is my ending of spending but I doubt so due to my curiosity.

 

[Marvellous_DAP]

I also suspect the impedance could be the issue with some users having timbre or recess mid experience. Probably a picky IEM with a correct source, but once you nail it, it is the best IEM that will keep you happy with long hours of listening without fatigue. I was on 7-hrs flight yesterday and the Hyla stays in my ears for the full flight.

Interestingly, when testing the demo unit of the Hyla in the store, I heard slight distortion on the left unit when trying out with one of the DAP (could not remember which one). When switched to my iPhone, the distortion is gone.

 

[productred]

Got myself a pair after extended testing. Wow...............just WOW. Have to let the money go. Just have to. Can't remember the last time a headgear did this to me.......

This is what a obviously tuned/sculpted (as in the opposite of reference) W-shape signature that is done perfectly right. Hefty impactful bass but clean and controlled with no mid-bass smearing, lots of air up high with no artificially harsh and tiring presence range, AND, most important of all, extremely lifelike and butter-smooth vocals with excellent body and weight. With all its truly wonderful attributes you can still immediately tell the tuning is vocal oriented. Overtook the throne from TG334 for the best vocal experience. Details is top-notch, but not forced into your face like my U18 sometimes do to me. Even the bass is vastly detailed - I have never enjoyed listening to bassists' lines like this before and you can hear the bass string being strung, rattles, vibrates and reverbs with air with the CE-5. That's pretty mind-blowing.

Now this is a coloured signature, with certain FR intentionally suppressed for this particular kind of signature - hence the W shape response. Is it for everyone? Well, yes and no. I think this signature addresses the need of almost all music genres, except prehaps classical where I'd prefer a more reference tuning to let everything shine. But besides those who are after such flat and reference tuning (I AM a reference tuning kind of guy but do look out for a couple of alternative favours for guilty pleasure) I think you would love this. THIS IS AN END GAME IEM FOR J-POP AND ANIME SONGS LOVER with its emphasis on vocals and the ability to resolve extremely complex instrumental passages with the vocal floating above everything. \

Also gotta mention, the fit is just like what a CIEM would do for you. After all these years of research and feedback every universal IEM should achieve this kind of comfort and fit I suppose, no?

CAVEAT: It's the same for all iems with piezo tweeter - low impedance and low sensitivity means you need a source with low-ish output impedance AND a tiny bit higher power than you'd normally expect from the minimal impedance rating. I tested and now listen to mine with my WM1A 4.4 balanced on high gain to have the best results. It actually sounds pretty good straight out of my iphone but the bass is elevated to a level a tad more than I'd like. The 3 different kind of drivers obviously react differently to change of output impedance and it's almost always better to keep the source output impedance as low as the circuitory allows.

 

[etnt]

I had tried CE-5 with Ares II plus and I find it fatigue after a while. I feel stock cable is good match with CE-5.

I like the vocal from CE-5 which seems clear and hear the articulation very clear. I am not good in hearing string but it seems to me very accurate. So I am still trying to hear if the timber is accurate for CE-5 as some comments that CE-5 does not have accurate timber. So far, it seems timber is accurate for me. Maybe it is my brain burn-in.

I think those who find the vocal is thin, probably is due to mismatch of impedance.

When I initially test the CE-5 with my Opus#1 and 2, I do not like it. It seems like W-signature. But the shop owner ask to test with Onkyo dp-x1a, I was amazed by the matching and I just bought it.

I test it with fiio x7ii when I went back home, and still not satisfied. I search the internet and found the impedance of the CE-5 is only 8.9 Ohm. So I went to buy ifimatch adapter and use it with fiio x7ii. It sounds much better but I notice some distortion on the vocal.

Therefore, I am not satisfied with this. I search the internet and found the wm1a has output impedance of 0.92 Ohm. So I bought it. So far, using stock cable has the best matching on Single-ended on wm1a. I tried using Ares II plus on balance but find it fatigue after a while.

So far, this is my finding. I have spend quite a lot recently due to CE-5 mismatch issue as it affects the true potential of iem. Still waiting for my wm1a to burn-in and hope this is my ending of spending but I doubt so due to my curiosity.

The easier way is to get the X1a, the synergy is just amazing.

OTOH, the nerva is less picky on players, but still sound better on the x1a than other players.

 

[productred]

I had tried CE-5 with Ares II plus and I find it fatigue after a while. I feel stock cable is good match with CE-5.

I like the vocal from CE-5 which seems clear and hear the articulation very clear. I am not good in hearing string but it seems to me very accurate. So I am still trying to hear if the timber is accurate for CE-5 as some comments that CE-5 does not have accurate timber. So far, it seems timber is accurate for me. Maybe it is my brain burn-in.

I think those who find the vocal is thin, probably is due to mismatch of impedance.

When I initially test the CE-5 with my Opus#1 and 2, I do not like it. It seems like W-signature. But the shop owner ask to test with Onkyo dp-x1a, I was amazed by the matching and I just bought it.

I test it with fiio x7ii when I went back home, and still not satisfied. I search the internet and found the impedance of the CE-5 is only 8.9 Ohm. So I went to buy ifimatch adapter and use it with fiio x7ii. It sounds much better but I notice some distortion on the vocal.

Therefore, I am not satisfied with this. I search the internet and found the wm1a has output impedance of 0.92 Ohm. So I bought it. So far, using stock cable has the best matching on Single-ended on wm1a. I tried using Ares II plus on balance but find it fatigue after a while.

So far, this is my finding. I have spend quite a lot recently due to CE-5 mismatch issue as it affects the true potential of iem. Still waiting for my wm1a to burn-in and hope this is my ending of spending but I doubt so due to my curiosity.

Trust me the CE-5 paired with WM1A balanced is truly amazing. With high gain it's mesmerizing. The perfect antithesis to my UERR/MH335DWSR combo.

 

[Marvellous_DAP]

It seems that the Hyla is not so picky with DAP after all.

I have amazing match with Calyx M, and it seems that it matches the Onkyo DP-1Xa and WM1A just as well.

Trust me the CE-5 paired with WM1A balanced is truly amazing. With high gain it's mesmerizing. The perfect antithesis to my UERR/MH335DWSR combo.