Truthear Hexa Review
🔥 Balanced sound signature at an entry level price point, tight and effective bass, cohesive sound from multiple drivers, great tonality, clear mid and vocals, decent accessories
🧐 Treble could be a bit diminished, bass isn’t for absolute bassheads but at some point it would just be bloat
Rating: 8/10
Introduction
The Truthear Hexas have come on to the market and absolutely shaken things up. Coming in at about £70-80 RRP, it sports a 4 driver configuration featuring 1 dynamic driver and 3 balanced armatures. This is usually seen at the higher price points and is quite the head turner for the entry level IEM market. If you’re wondering ‘where did this company Truthear come from?’ like me, head on over to their website where you can find out…..absolutely nothing. None of the links for their ‘About us’ section seem to work, suspiciously enough. Oh well, perhaps the less we know the better. The only thing really highlighted on the website is how they either work with or are a part of a 3D printing company which contributed to the unique look of these earphones. At the end of the day, it’s all about the sound, and some of the looks if you plan on ever leaving your house.
Accompanied by plenty of praise all over the audiophile industry from Crinacle and Headphonesty, do these earphones live up to the hype for this untrained consumer?
Unboxing
Let’s start with the unboxing experience. From the start, you are greeted by a lovely drawn character and your worries (or at least mine) about the company origins start to fade away… jokes aside, it’s a pretty nice box and comes with ample accessories including: two sets of regular ear tips (one wide and one thin bore) and one pair of foam tips. The included cable is fair but nothing special, and also comes in a fake leather carrying case with plush insides. Overall this is a generous package for what can be considered entry level IEMs. This review was mainly conducted with the wide bore ear tips.
Overall Listening Experience
Let me start with the more subjective parts of the review and bring up arguably the best feature of these earphones, especially at this price point: the tonality and musicality of each element in a song. These earphones are just an absolute treat for enjoying your favourite music. As the cymbals ring, or the piano keys get struck, and the vocals flow into the track, they are recreated resplendently. While not the most vocal-forward piece, this might not be seen as a weakness. Music is presented in an almost even manner, allowing the individual elements to be recognisable and shine in their own right. Nothing seems over-emphasized in the Hexas, and the brand Truthear might be a close approximation to their representation of music.
Bass
This could potentially be seen as the ‘weakest’ point for these earphones. I put that in quotes because what they lack in sheer quantity they make up for in speed and precision. The bass on the Hexa is like a featherweight boxer, lean but very well-toned. It delivers each blow in quick succession and pulls back in time for the next hit to deliver some effective beats. Even in a bass-heavy track, these earphones deliver great quality, perhaps leaving the listener wanting a little bit more.
Mids
On the slightly recessed side where vocals are concerned. You won’t get the intimate treatment you get with the Moondrop Chu but string instruments certainly get their chance in the limelight with the Hexa. Vocals are pretty clear despite taking a slight step back.
Treble
The high notes are well represented, serving to ring true in all the songs I tested. Cymbals crash with a great sparkle and fade nicely. A highlight for me was the high-hats which sound really crisp and clear compared with a lot of earphones reviewed so far.
Soundstage and Imaging
The Hexas have decent soundstage, especially for their price. There is ample room for each instrument to play around with and discerning their every stroke is done pretty well.
Final Thoughts
I find these earphones to be really worth their price tag, perhaps even up to 2x more worth it than their RRP. They present a really interesting set of strengths that I don’t think I’ve heard so far in the budget earphone scene. While keeping the bass tight and reigning in the vocals, these earphones manage to boast an absolutely wonderful listening experience through their above-average soundstage and imaging and most importantly, quality of instruments.
Comparisons and Head 2 Heads
I have been liking A/B testing with earphones recently. That’s when I start a song on one pair, and switch to another pair either during the song or fully playing out the song on each earphone. Here are some thoughts from other earphones I’ve reviewed
- Moondrop Chu: the Hexa absolutely blow the Chu out of the park in most aspects. The only thing I’d prefer in the Chu are the presentation for vocalists as well as the bass quantity, and even then it’s close. However, they also cost about 5 times more than the Chu. I view them as a very worthy upgrade to the Chu, if you have the budget to spare
- QKZ x HBB: While the QKZ do have an upper-hand for the bass, upon using the Hexa I’m not sure anyone would ever switch back (unless you’re a major basshead). Songs sound so much more alive through the Hexa thanks to their better tonality and any tracks taking advantage of their stereo channels will also be enjoyed much more with the Hexa via their superior soundstage. At only about twice the cost of the QKZ, I’d prefer the Truthear Hexa