Outdated But Never Expired

It’s been a while since we covered products from Truthear and they have been quite consistent in producing products that match their goal of low price high sound performance. Recently we have been in touch with Susan from Red Ape headphones store and decided to make a review of the line up from Truthear and it has finally arrived. Though it’s a little late to the party but as the saying goes, better late than never. The review here is about their now debut legendary hybrid IEM, the Hexa and they are very well received globally for their amazing sound with a reasonable price. It’s even being dubbed the mini Moondrop Blessing 2 and will it be true? And will the Hexa still be relevant as we head to 2025? We shall find out here.

But first, a shout-out to the people from Red Ape for making this possible. Do check out their store for the full line up of Truthear as they are the official reseller here in Malaysia.

Functions & Specifications

Before we start the review, here are the specifications of the Truthear Hexa;

• Driver: 1DD+3BA
• Body: Aluminium faceplate With 3D Printed Resin Body By HeyGears
• Diaphragm of dynamic driver: PU + LCP
• Impedance: 20.5Ω土15% @1kHz
• Sensitivity: 120dB/Vrms @1kHz
• THD: THD≤1% @1kHz (94dB)
• Frequency response: 8-40kHz (IEC61094, Free Field)
• Effective frequency response: 20-20kHz (IEC 60318-4, -3dB)

The Truthear Hexa can be purchased directly from Red Ape Headphones Store and they are the official reseller of the full line up from Truthear in Malaysia

Packaging & Accessories

The packaging language here is small and simple as Truthear is aiming most towards a cost effective product. It is an anime theme packaging as the usual flare from theme and the waifu is named Shiroi. It is attractive but isn’t really my taste as I would prefer a more serious packaging. The unboxing is simple and really wouldn’t turn heads but for their asking price and the actual quality of the products itself, it is acceptable. Inside we are greeted with a waifu box that can be converted to a small poster with the supplied paper fold stand. Beyond the paper box, they include 6 pairs of eartips, 1 pair of foam, a soft pouch, 8a pair of 3.5mm 4 core cable, some paperworks and the IEM itself. Pretty basic, budget packaging with a waifu flair to them and a hard case for better protection is actually better than the rather small soft pouch.

Design

The design here is an edgy all black design with a cool, unique look and they are indeed solidly built with aluminium faceplate with a single black screw. It actually looks futuristic even in 2024 and they look premium to be honest. The inner shell is a matte DLP 3D printed matte resin and they are co-produced with HeyGears which is a professional 3D printing company that has a great record of producing accurate 3D printed resin products. It has decent finishing that looks rather expensive and they are comfortable even though having an edgy faceplate.

The word Hexa is a short word form for Hexagon which is a shape with 8 corners and it also represents a total of 8 drivers on both IEMs or 4 drivers per-side. It has 1 single 10mm polyurethane suspension material with a Liquid Crystal Polymer liquid crystal dome diaphragm with 3 custom balanced armatures for the midrange and high range. They possess a RC frequency divider crossover and they are professionally tuned to provide a cohesive presentation.

The nozzle is a slightly long nozzle with 3 bores with filters at the end that indicates a 3 way frequency division from the Hexa. It has just a single vent situated near the 2 pin inserts but no driver flex is present here implying a well ventilated design.

The Hexa has a slightly recessed type of 0.78mm connection that is similar to Moondrop products and even though they do fit those flush 2 pin cables they are shallowly inserted. The Hexa comes in a small PU leather pouch that is rather impractical for protection but it is still a good inclusion.

The cable provided is a basic black coloured copper cable and they have a thin 4 core cable with 3.5mm termination. Rather simple sounding cable but it is well built. An upgrade cable will improve the sound marginally but still an improvement. I do find a silver based cable does bring up the mids and smoothen out the higher range though

Gears Used for Comparisons

Fiio Q7

Questyle M15

Hiby FC6

FiiO BTR7

Intime Sho DD

Letshuoer S15

Letshuoer DZ4

TangZu Xuan NV

RHA MA750i

Hiby Lasya

Rose Technics Star City 5 Pro

Moondrop A8

Dunu EST112

Truthear Zero RED

Songs list

Tone and Presentation

The tone of the Truthear Hexa is a Harman-ish sound that has a well balanced neutral sound that doesn’t really over emphasise on any frequencies. It is a rather safe tuning but isn’t too boring as the dynamic bass response is actually pretty good and they possess a good overall technicalities with their great clarity and details. They do have a slightly warm sound with a thick mids and a well extended high range. Being a hybrid IEM, they do possess a wide dynamic range with a good energy in the lows and highs.

Soundstage

The Hexa soundstage here is actually average but matches their asking price with a decent width and height along with a slight air in the mix. This region isn’t their strength but they do have an adequate amount of soundstage that doesn’t sound boxy but they’re up against stiff competitions in this price range. Headroom here is also good enough depth that it doesn’t sound too closed in, instead having an immersive, intimate and accurate soundstage that works even for movies and gaming.

Separation and Timbre

Separation is decent with a wide separation and a good stereo sound that possesses minimal crosstalk issues. Coherency here is actually good for a hybrid setup and all the drivers seem to work in tandem harmoniously without any major issue or gaps though at times the bass tone does seem to be separated slightly by the balanced armature timbre, they aren’t a deal breaker in my book. Timbre here is good with a slightly sharp yet organic sound that has a natural sound but there are some instances of metallic timbre derived from the balanced armature but it is minimal. They do perform better on a balanced setup that increases their dynamic range and improves the timbre.

Drivability

Rated at 20.5 ohms at 120 dB sensitivity which means the Hexa are slightly sensitive to pick up noise and don’t really need power to be driven to their best with enough loudness even with a simple wire dongle. Source matching is actually quite flexible as they are a well balanced set and users can match their source up to their liking. Their scalability is rather big as they do perform quite well upon amplification and with a good source as well. The overall dynamics, clarity and a more natural timbre along with smoother high range is to be expected with a matching source that has a decent power tap. They are quite forgiving in nature and not picky in the type of files being played. The overall transparency here is average at best and they will not show minute flaws in tracks, therefore suitable for streaming or casual listening but not for monitoring.

The Bass (Low)

The bass here driven by a single dynamic is a neutral bass that is warm, organic and accurate with great amount of details and a good clean, clear sound. It does have a good, strong slam but isn’t overpowering and doesn’t suit bassheads that seek a bass heavy performance. Bass texture here is good with a clean imaging without haziness or cloudiness and they don’t bleed into the midrange which as they are tuned rather well for the price. The bass extension here is average as best as they do roll off rather early that gives the bass lack authority and with bass heavy tracks like EDM or even jazz, they do seem to be lacklustre by having a low energy decay. Sub-bass is good with a deep sound, clear rumble with an accurate amount but it is rather flat and personally I would prefer a stronger rumble for a more immersive experience.

The Mids

Midrange has a warm, neutral tone with a slight thickness that sounds a little forward that gives an intimate sound. They have a good balanced midrange that has a natural and organic sound with a good amount of macro details but an average micro detail. Clarity here is superb with a clean sound that has a minor coloration that gives a sweeter, more fun midrange. Resolution is also superb with a vivid sound that doesn’t have any smearing and it resolves even better with balanced gears. Transparency here is good with a natural sound that stays true to the recording but leaning towards the higher mids, they do tend to sound a little plasticky although in a small margin. Vocals here are great and they have a great tonal balance that works well with male or female vocals along with a good brilliance on the upper mids. Due to the slight forwardness in the midrange, I do find the mids here lacking spatially as they are more upfront sounding but they have good accuracy as the direction of sound is well placed.

The Highs

High range has mild boosted highs and they sounded neutral with an airy extension. Details and clarity here is great as typical of a balanced armature high range performance with nuances well presented in a clean manner. They possess an energetic sparkle that has great brilliance and some bite producing a lively overall sound but I do find they lack crispness in the reverb. High range timbre here actually does exhibit some metallic sheen that is usually derived from balanced armature drivers and some higher frequencies do sound a tad bit unnatural. Resolution here is great but transparency is a little mediocre due to the balanced armature timbre. Vocals sounded good with an intimate presentation that sounded sweet and lovely be it male or female vocals as they have a good amount of brilliance as well as a deep sound. Treble here is actually rather spot on with a lively intensity that sounds lively without being dull. With certain bright sources they do tend to have some peak around the 8 kHz region but they aren’t sibilant, hissy nor shouty.

Comparisons

VS Rose Technics Star City 5 Pro

The Star City 5 Pro is one of the latest releases from Rose Technics and now known as RoseSelsa. They are a superb V shaped IEM that houses 2 balanced armatures and a single dynamic driver with the same price range with the Hexa. The Star City 5 Pro has a way better unboxing experience with accessories fit for a king like a hard PU leather case, an audio dongle and a premium box. Both are well built but the resin part of Hexa does feel more well made.

High range

Highs on the Star City 5 Pro have a slightly bigger amount with more crispness for a livelier presence and they do have better energy. Both high ranges have great amounts of clarity and detail along with good resolving sound but transparency is on the Star City 5 Pro as they are more natural with minimal metallic sheen. Both have decent extension but the Star City 5 Pro does have slightly better air

Midrange

Hexa midrange does sound a little more forward than the slightly recessed midrange of the Star City 5 Pro. Details are on par with each other but the Hexa does sound clearer. Star City 5 Pro mids has a more spacious feel while Hexa is more intimate. Vocals on Hexa do sound livelier but Star City 5 Pro is more accurate.

Bass

Bass on Star City 5 Pro has a slightly bigger presence with a more meaty bass response that has better presence than the early rolled off bass of the Hexa. Sub-bass on both dives deep but the amount of rumble on the Star City 5 Pro is marginally bigger. Details and clarity on the Hexa bass is slightly better but the Star City 5 Pro bass does have better impact with a more extended frequency.

Soundstage The soundstage on the Hexa does sound bigger but both sound very airy.

VS Truthear Zero RED

The Zero RED from the same company is a collaboration IEM with Crinacle and they are supposedly a slight upgrade in terms of tuning from the stock Zero. They are priced almost the same with the Hexa and packaged similarly but with an inclusion of a 10 ohm 3.5mm adapter to slightly increase the bass. The Zero RED is equipped with 2 dynamic drivers and they do have a slightly larger shell than the Hexa.

High region

The highs of the Hexa does have a bigger amount by being more sparkly and sharper versus the balanced highs of the Zero RED. Details and clarity is similar but the Zero RED does possess a smoother, more natural highs. Both of these sets extend quite well with an airy presentation.

Midrange

Midrange on the Hexa has a thicker, warmer and more forward presentation while the Zero RED has a more neutral mids that sounds more spacious. Details and clarity does sound better on the Hexa but the Zero RED resolves better with a more natural transparency with no coloration. Vocals on Hexa are livelier while the Zero RED is more natural, organic and accurate.

Bass

The amount of bass on Zero RED has the upper hand in the extension and has a more evident mid bass lift versus the fast roll off bass of the Hexa. Sub-bass in both sets sound very similar but the Hexa does rumble deeper. On the impedance adapter, the RED does have a bigger presence but there is some bass bleed present although minor.

Soundstage

Soundstage height is similar but depth is better on the Zero RED with a similar big headroom size and both have a good air presence.

Synergy

Questyle M15

The Questyle M15 portable DAC/amplifier with Questyle’s direct current amplification is still my go-to dongle which has a neutral to bright sounding with a rather balanced signature that matches a wide range of gears. The M15 does possess a great extension on both ends displaying none of the usual Sabre chip hump and with a crystal clear sound. This pairing here actually smoothes out the highs while still keeping the amount and makes the Hexa technicalities much better.

Bass sounded clearer and tighter with slight details and clarity increase. The bass has better imaging capabilities that makes the overall bass sounds cleaner and more defined but they still roll off rather fast. Sub-bass depth and amount remained mostly the same but they do possess a cleaner and evident rumble.

Midrange possesses better clarity with a cleaner sound while retaining the intimacy. Vocals sound better on the upper mids and  sounded more natural with a better transparency. Space has also increased with some added air. Resolution also seems to be better as they sounded more vivid.

High range has a slight increase in their treble intensity with a crisper decay but they do still have a BA timbre. Details and clarity is better as they do add some brightness here making the high range livelier. Extension is better with added air and depth.

Soundstage has seen improved width and height with the same size headroom.

FiiO Q7

The Q7, a monster of a transportable DAC amplifier that debuts in 2023 and they are the flagship in the Q series in FiiO. They are equipped with the legendary Sabre ES9038pro dac chip amplified by dual THX 788+ boasting a 3000 mw power with the DC power supply. They have a bright to warm sound that has tons of power to drive any IEMs and most of the headphones around. The synergy here actually brings out the fullest potential of the most of the IEMs I have tested as it provides a much better stable driving power and with its well balanced sound, the Q7 matches gears rather easily.

Bass is tighter, faster with a cleaner sound that has a slightly mid bass lift than usual. They have a clearer sub-bass extension with a slightly deeper rumble. Details and clarity has a slight increase and they sound airier with an overall meatier bass response. The Q7 also provided a better air in their extension giving a slightly more fun bass.

Midrange has a slightly brighter tone with more transparency making the midrange sound more natural and they are slightly more spacious. They sounded cleaner and clearer with a more resolving sound. The midrange also does sound warmer and lusher than usual. There is some smoothness added in the brilliance in the higher range of the mids that give a slightly livelier vocals.

Highs has the same food sparkle and has a better extension along with some crispness albeit still isn’t as smooth. Details and clarity stayed the same but they do have better air. Treble here has some added intensity giving a slightly more energetic sound.

Soundstage height and width is better with a wider, airier sound overall.

Who Is It For?

The Hexa is still a recommended hybrid IEM even after 2 years of production as it possesses a good, technical hybrid sound that has a wide dynamic range, good cohesion and excellent clarity for their price. It is suitable for those critical listeners for their accuracy and well balanced sound. Being quite clinical in their sound, they may not suit those who want a bold signature as they may come off as a little polite or safe. The Hexa isn’t for bassheads nor treble heads but suited for those who want a purer, balanced sound that doesn’t really emphasise majorly on certain frequencies. It is also well suited for movies and gaming for their holographic soundstage and an acceptable immersive sound. The Hexa does perform pretty well for most genres for their smoothness but for EDM, I do find them lacking in the lower end energy.

Final words

Well, 2025 is upon the horizon and Truthear is still going strong with their products and the Hexa surely is still relevant in my honest opinion. It possesses great value in their build quality and their technical Harman tuned sound. Yes it is a rather safe sound tuning that lacks a ‘wow’ factor but there is no denying their amazing balanced sound that is accurate and natural. The packaging here surely can be improved with a hard case, a better braided cable and more premium look but for their asking price, there isn’t much to complain about. Competition is getting tougher and tougher but I do believe the tough gets going and Hexa is one of them that will stand the test of time. I really hope to see a sequel of this legend in the future and the up and coming product from Truthear indeed. Keep it up guys!

I would rate this product 4 over 5 stars