As usual, purchased with my own hobby budget. Truthear SHIO and HOLA.
I have meetings after meetings today, probably would report first impressions tonight.
Truthear may have heard me complaining about their ear tips and carrying pouch😳 Now the pouch got rid of “golden” parts and ear tips has wide open bore.
Below is what I think Truthear should have paired to their HEXA (Latex H570 wide bore x clear silicone) and what Truthear HOLA’s latest ear tips
Proper bore size Truthear have paired as the stock ear tip!!
Notice something? Truthear paid an extra cost to paint the metal filter of HOLA to black. Wow.
30 sec on HOLA with wide bore stock ML size tip: 🤯 👍 Not something I’d expect from $19 IEM.
Smooth and delicately tuned even right out of the box.
▶︎Cables is upgraded from older generations (HEXA/ZERO), ear tips, carrying pouches as well.
▶︎Pouch is obviously a fake leather, and probably will peel away for couple of months use.
Truthear SHIO and Luxury & Precision W2 they both use same CS43198x2
SHIO close shot (PCM high gain)
▶︎simple gain change (press vol +/- together) indicator LED will change color (yellow = high, red = low for PCM)
Sadly SHIO only comes with USB-C to USB-cable, no lightning to USB-C.
The stock USB-C to USB-C cable is fabric laminated and feels pretty sturdy.
Left 2 cables are W2’s stock cables for comparison
Sound of SHIO; highly resolving, great compatibility with iphone.
—HOLA first impression
▶︎a sub $20 segment advanced to thus far…very impressive.
▶︎More natural / flat upper-mid accent when compared to moondrop‘s VDSF, somewhat Monarch /AFUL P5 style flat approach rather than spotlighting peak approach like Moondrop’s Dusk, or generally what Crin loves to do for a emphasis on female vocals.
▶︎This rather flat upper mid also leads to intimat diffusions
▶︎Surely HOLA’s tuning is very “safe” and inoffensive, which Aria OG’s tuning had very similar first impression on me, however! HOLA‘s less dampened when compared to Aria OG, which brings to a hypothesis that maybe HOLA is a better replacement kit for Moondrop’s Aria…? I need to verify this in a week or so..
—SHIO vs W2
SHIO has very basic functionality, low gain high gain, that’s it. No LPF or timbre tuning. Not as versatile as fullsize DAP or higher functional DAC dongles, but the sound quality is very satisfying.
▶︎more U-tuned than W2, I see some coloration on SHIO‘s sub-bass and treble when compared to more neutral W2
▶︎Technicality of W2 and SHIO, when directly A-B tested, is surely a different class one, W2 has higher imaging / dynamic range illustration/ spatial positioning and finesse rendering than SHIO. Yes even if they use sale DAC chipsets, they sound different. But the difference in technicality of W2 and SHIO isn‘t too far, for line out from iphone probably 10-15% if it definitely needs to be quantified. That means the performance gap between W2 and SHIO is forgivable considering $69 vs $309 gap in the cost. But I must admit when directly listened after W2, SHIO‘s output has defined imaging, and rather boring and straightforward dynamic range expressions.
▶︎SHIO is not USB dongle flagship replacement, but I find it very cost efficient for the sole purpose in getting “better sound output“ from daily use devices.
—SHIO vs M11Pro’s line-out mode (AK4497EQx2 only).
▶︎AK4497EQ x 2‘s line out coming out of FiiO’s M11 Pro is very natural and transparent maybe lacks dynamism in bass range but fairly good subject to compare to USB dongles’ output as it bypasses the amp of the DAP.
When compared SHIO to AK4497EQx2 line out, SHIO has warm coloration around bass range, there is also lower treble gain level when compared to pure flat AK4497EQ. Probably that’s the SHIO’s amp’s taste, as it certainly has more energy than pure DAC to line-out output.
—Overall for SHIO
I feel SHIO could use a bit more power to run dynamic drivers, when directly A-B tested. It is a very good DAC dongle option, as far as cost to performance is considered.
Now SHIO intrigues small DAC alternatives such as Shanling M0 Pro🤔
the review of IEM shop manager is up, Eng CC available
—Overall for HOLA & SHIO combination
I’ve done all A-B test of SHIO with HOLA, and HOLA is capable enough to render the DAP-native sound signature which is very high-performing considering it’s technicality as a reference monitor. SHIO is not 90+/100 type top performer, but it does close to 80/100, a very satisfactory one, so does HOLA, when combined SHIO and HOLA, this pair costing a total of $69+$19 = $88 is bare minimum entry point that you need to pay to get close to 80/100 performance out of daily used devices and phones. What a nice era we are living in!
Truthear 3 sisters from Left to Right
HEXA | ZERO | HOLA
