Truthear Hexa Review
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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.
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)