THIEAUDIO HYPE 2: Exclusive Tonally Balanced Sounding One

Hype is now used nowadays for advertising and marketing tactics. It is a form of excessive and unrestrained promotion or publicity of a certain product or an idea to the point that leads to an exaggeration of its usual function or capabilities. 

But we have a different HYPE here as I will explain it properly, the term "HYPE" was actually formed as it was taken from the first two letters of two words, "Hybrid" and "Performance". This is actually my first  product review from THIEAUDIO but I've tested their older entry-level product, The LEGACY 3, so I'm quite excited about this one to share my assessment here.

THIEAUDIO like some audio companies on how it was established,It started from the initiative of a few DIYers who wanted to make a product that has a well-thought-out tuning with superb technical performance and more affordable and reasonable price that can be reached by budget-conscious audio enthusiasts. With a full support from LINSOUL Audio with some provided resources for the development and became a base of creative platforms for audio enthusiasts and audio professionals alike. As they journeyed across the portable audio realm, their products like the Voyager, Legacy series, Divinity V16, Oracle and Monarch series 1 and 2 somehow change the landscape of midrange up to the TOTL segment as these products will truly rival and can stand toe to toe with other more established audio brands in the market.

What I have here is a THIEAUDIO HYPE 2, it is in a class that was situated between entry-level to midrange segment that some people will like to classify it as "flagship killers'' in which I'm quite uneasy and rather avoid to use that term. THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 is a hybrid driver IEM like its elder sisters, the Monarchs, Oracle and Excalibur but the Electret/"EST" drivers were omitted on this one to make it more affordable and budget-friendly. Before I explain more comprehensive its driver configuration, THIEAUDIO implemented their proprietary "IMPACT SQUARED" technology; this technology will give a deeper, more rumble and texture on its bass response due to an isobaric set-up of two dynamic drivers with composite diaphragms. Isobaric configuration is usually found on loud speakers so this one is quite interesting. As I mentioned its dual dynamic drivers inside, it was supported by two Sonion balanced armature drivers which are the latest generation, the P2356HF/4 and E25ST001/D, the first one was implemented to handle the midrange to treble region to have a crisper, better resolution and clarity on this one with some tweaks of its output compared to previous generation of Sonion 23 series while the E25ST001/D is for an added harmonics on its brilliance treble for more sparkling tone.

These drivers were encapsulated in a medical-grade imported resin shell chassis in a regular size UIEM-style form factor. It has irregular swirl patterns of colour combinations consisting of blue, grey and rose gold colour in a black faceplate panel to give that premium look on its aesthetics similar to some TOTL ones. There's a vent hole at the bottom part of its cavity base to release some excess air pressure produced by its dual dynamic driver to alleviate listening fatigue that might be detrimental to our hearing conditions. THIEAUDIO did implement a 2-pin connector on this set as its detachable mechanism for ease of cable replacement.

THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 is paired with a high quality stock cable. The said stock cable is a substantially textured 4-core 5N Silver-plated Litz copper wiring that was twisted and it has a gold plated 3.5mm SE termination plug. The cable is quite supple and has a resistance of entanglement.

The fitting and comfort of HYPE 2 is quite impressive on how it rests well into my lugholes. This is probably one of the best fitting IEMs out there and it has good passive isolation as it's able to block some outside noises from surroundings that we are situated at.

As for product packing, the packaging box of HYPE 2 is rather huge but the contents inside is rather spartan but at least it got some basics.

Here are the following inclusions inside of THIEAUDIO HYPE 2.

■ Pair of THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 IEMs

■ Stock Cable

■ A large zippered IEM case

■ Three (3) pairs of white-coloured balanced ear tips in different standard sizes

■ Three (3) pairs of black-coloured memory foam ear tips in different standard sizes

■ Cleaning cloth

On amplification rating, with 25 ohms of resistance rating and a sensitivity mark of 108dB, HYPE 2 is absolutely power efficient and easy to drive. With just a sufficient amount of volume level in a medium amplitude scale around 60% in a usual low gain mode, it already sounds very dynamic and it encompasses a full-range frequency spectrum.

The tonality of HYPE 2 falls into a mild-U shaped sound signature that is quite balanced across its frequency range. It has prominent low frequency, a linear midrange and a tad elevation on the upper mids and presence part of its high frequency. In other interpretations of its tonal aspect, some might perceive it as a bass-boost neutral sound profile.

LOW/BASS:

My initial impression of THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 that it has a well-balanced bass response. It has a tactual, punchy and deep, fairly dark tone. And this type of bass response certainly will not win over the ears of staunchly uber bass-heads as they might find it less authoritative and boomy but rather it will be more pleasing on a majority of midcentrics and neutral heads alike (I'm placing myself in this type of listeners category).

It has a haptic sub-bass presence as I discernibly felt those reverberations and rumble from the lowest pitch of certain instruments like synthesisers, low tone bass guitars and drum machines from the usual test tracks that I listened to like synth-pop and electronic rock genres. The mid-bass is somehow sufficiently textured as it gives an ample note weight on some bass-focus instruments and male vocals. Bass kick drums seem to have a sustaining and a thudding sound as it was able to cope with fast double bass kicks from extreme metal. Bass guitars have rasping and resonant sound from every strum on its strings either it is tapping, fretless or slapping. Bass-baritone vocals have a fairly texture and volume to have that guttural, woolly and sufficiently dark timbre.

Tracks Tested:

Sub-bass

● The Prodigy - Breathe

● New Order - True Faith

● Kraftwerk - Das Model

Mid-bass

● John Bonham/Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks (Bass kick drum)

● Fredrik Widigs/Marduk - The Blond Beast (Bass kick drum)

● Patricia Morrison/Sisters of Mercy - Lucretia My Reflection (Bass guitar)

● John Deacon/Queen - Another One Bites The Dust

● Peter Steele/Type O Negative - Black No.1

● Andrew Eldritch/Sisters of Mercy - Lucretia My Reflection

MIDRANGE

The midrange response of THIEAUDIO HYPE 2  quite commendable as it was presented in a neutral, adequately textured with enough warmth and somehow an immaculate sound to give a delineated and spacious sense particularly on some female vocals, percussions and woodwinds though not that energetic as I will explain it later.

On male vocals, due to adequate warmth and volume, it gives decent texture on baritones, tenors and countertenors. In general, Baritones have a usual smooth and velvety sound on this set, operatic type  baritones such as Kavalier and Verdi have a steely and authority on their respective tessituras. Tenors fare well on this one as these new improved Sonion BAs were able to sustain a degree of versatility and dexterity of this type of vocal to have a brassy, dazzling and ringing sound with power and heft on it. Meanwhile, countertenors have a smooth, agile and tender sound which in my opinion shares similar characteristics with mezzo-sopranos vocals. When it comes to female vocals, contraltos have that smokey and rich sound from them as it gives me that feeling of serenity of their vocal qualities. As I mentioned a while ago that mezzo-sopranos have similar characteristics with countertenors, they also have these velvety and coppery characteristics from them. Soprano vocals sound balanced with good texture on it as they sound have the silky and silvery which gives more realistic timbre on  dramatic, soubrette and spinto soprano. Some lyric and coloratura types of soprano might be a tad inadequate in projecting energetic and bright tone from their vocals but nonetheless, I still give an excellent mark on the vocal capabilities of this set.

In all the instruments' sound quality, THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 depicts them in an organic and almost tonally accurate register, range and timbre which have a remarkable tonal balance and nearly life-like. On strings, guitars, either acoustic and electric ones have a balance sound from them but there are some instances  that they sound a bit dry a due to more focus on fundamentals rather overtones which have a subtle peaks which I also noticed on all string ensemble of a Spanish-type Rondalla (Mexican and Filipino variants were included) like from octavinas, lauds and bandurrias. Violins have a full, calm and lustrous sound rather than a more vibrant and lively sound that I really want. Woodwinds like concert flutes, piccolos, clarinets and saxophones, I hear a poetic and rich sound on flutes, a more graceful yet clear sound of piccolos, a velvety and sonorous sounds of clarinets and sufficiently mild and warm sound of saxophones. On brasses, trumpets have substantial, round and mild vividness sound from them, trombones have solid and full sound and horns warm and full sound particularly on middle register. On percussive, snares have sharp and precise sound, Both tom and field drums have a warm, sustaining and resonant sound from them, kettle drums also have a resonant sound but it has a deeper tone. Pianos seem to have a balanced tone on how it sounded in all registers.

Tracks Tested:

Baritones

● Dmitri Hvorostovsky (Kavalier baritone) - Ombra Mai Fu

● Robert Merrill (Verdi) - Largo al factotum

● Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face

Tenors

● Luciano Pavarotti (Lyric-Spinto) - La Donna  E Mobile

● Placido Domingo (Lyric) - Nessun dorma

● Freddie Mercury/Queen  - Killer Queen

Countertenors

● Andreas Scholl/Handel - Ombra Mai Fu

● Philippe Jaroussky/Vivaldi - Tecum Principium

● King Diamond/Mercyful Fate - A Dangerous Meeting

Contraltos

● Kathleen Ferrier/Bach - Angus Dei

● Tracy Chapman - Fast Cars

● Annie Lennox - No More I Love Yous

Mezzo-sopranos

●Cecilia Bartoli/Handel - Ombra Mai Fu

●Sharon Den Adel/Within Temptation - The Cross

● Dolores O'Riordan/The Cranberries - You and Me

Sopranos

● Diana Damrau/Mozart (Coloratura) - Der Zauberflöte: Der Hölle Rache

● Tarja Turunen/Nightwish (Dramatic) - Sleeping Sun

● Allison Krauss - A Living Prayer

Instruments

● Eagles (Live, Hell Freezes Over) - Hotel California (Guitars)

● Felix Ayo/Vivaldi - Summer III. Presto: Tempo impetuoso d'Estate (Violins)

● Jethro Tull - Living In The Past (Flute)

● George Michael - Careless Whisper (Saxophone)

● Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Wagner - Die Walküre (Trumpets)

● The Specials - A Message To You Rudy (Trombone)

● The Ventures - Hawaii Five O (Drums)

● Yiruma - River Flows In You (Piano)

HIGHS/TREBLE:

This is what makes the treble quality of THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 sound more balanced, smooth and neutral. There is a mild accentuated bump on the upper mids and presence part just to give a more definition on both rhythmic and percussive attacks and yet retains a more balanced vocal quality. It also has a good crisp, clarity and adequately detailed sound without compromises, so harshness and sibilants are practically non-existent on this one.

Cymbals sound lustrous and full while hi-hats have that shortened buzzing sound. Glockenspiels have a lustrous and bell-like sound as it has a quite consistent timbre across its range. Celestas have a velvety, sweet and mellow sound in which my ideal timbre of this particular type of instrument should sound at least silvery or brimming with glistening sound.

On the brilliance part, I always anticipated that a smooth and balanced tuned treble usually has some trade-off on quantity of harmonics but not in this case as it has a sufficient sparkle and a fairly moderately treble air extension.

Tracks Tested:

● Celtic Frost - Visual Aggression (Cymbals)

● Ottoman Mehter - Ceddin Deden (Cymbals)

● Cologne New Philharmonic Orchestra/Tchaikovsky - Dance Of The Sugar Plum (Celesta)

● Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France/Saint-Saëns - Danse Macabre, Op. 40 (Glockenspiel)

SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:

To think that technical capabilities are one of THIEAUDIO HYPE 2's strongest aspects and here are the following grounds.

It has a wide and tall proportion of its sound field as it gives me a roomy head stage with my aural sphere. It has a quite wide lateral span, a pretty tall on its height and a good and immersive depth on both front and back.

It has a holographic spatial stereo imaging where I can able to locate the exact location of instruments and singers, a clear and well-defined separation and a proper arrangement of tonal layers of instruments and vocals in a sonic canvas which is more conducive for multi-instrumental complex tracks.

The hybrid driver configuration of THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 has an fairly cohesive performance as each drivers able to deliver its specific functions but I notice that it's isobaric dual driver set-up doesn't have the fastest transient response that I've heard but at atleast it doesn't sound sluggish at all.

This set also has good resolution capabilities as it has solid and ample texture on its macro-dynamics as it has good notation attacks while it has a fairly sharp on its micro-detail definition as it was able to extract a good amount of details and nuances from an audio track.

PEER COMPARISONS:

YANYIN CANON II

● Like HYPE 2, CANON II is also a hybrid driver IEM and its shell chassis also made of high quality medical grade resin but the differences were it has a single 10mm paper-cone diaphragm and two more balanced armature drivers and also has tuning switches. And also, the resin shell chassis of this one is quite chunky and a tad larger compared to HYPE 2.

● Due to its tuning switches, CANON II offers three or four types of sound profiles depending on the settings but all of them leaning towards a u-shaped sound signature. Its tonality is between being a balanced-warmish to "warmish-neutral" sound. It has a more solid and punch bass response, a more recess yet textured midrange to have a more warmer tone on instruments and most of the vocal types especially male ones, and similar on treble response but it has a modest amount of air and sparkle.

●As for technicalities, they are quite similar with the exception that when it comes to sound/speaker stage size, CANON II's width span is just above average as it has a rather limited expanse unlike HYPE 2.

AFUL PERFORMER 8

● Both are quite similar as Performer 8 is also a hybrid driver configuration and has a resin shell chassis too, although Performer 8 has more balanced armature drivers and it has its proprietary patented technologies like "RCL Network Frequency Division Technology" in which AFUL claims that it will provide better separation and cleaner sound quality across its frequency range and dampening system for lesser ear fatigue. And Performer 8 has more choices of ear tips to choose from.

● As for its tonal aspect, Performer 8 has also a mild U-shaped sound signature but it is leaning towards a balanced-neutral tuning. It has a more balanced but less punchy and impacting bass response compared to HYPE 2 but it has crisper, detailed and energetic midrange which is makes its more better on female vocals and strings instruments thought some sopranos vocals might sound a tad shrilly, and it has tad brighter treble response compared to HYPE 2.

● On technical capabilities, they are almost almost similar but again, compared to HYPE 2, its sound/speaker stage is more on the intimate side which makes Performer 8 has a less roomy perception which makes it a bit average one in my opinion.

Here are the summaries about THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 and what makes it more special. First was its pricing which was situated between entry-level to midrange category in which Thieaudio seldomly ventured on this price range, second one was its dual dynamic driver in an isobaric set-up and last but not the least was the implementation of new generation of Sonion balanced armature drivers on it.

As I end my assessment on THIEAUDIO HYPE 2, this set will definitely deliver a kind of sound quality which is well-balanced and quite articulate sound with its pricing. And also it will be more versatile to all types of music genres and will give more a pleasant and enjoyable sound quality even to treble sensitives folk out there. But the big question was will this set become one of the reference standards in entry-level and even midrange level sets? For me, its plausible.

THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 is now available at LINSOUL, you check the unaffiliated link down below.

★★THIEAUDIO HYPE 2 - LINSOUL★★

SPECIFICATION:

MODEL: THIEAUDIO HYPE 2

IMPEDANCE: 25Ω

SENSITIVITY: 108dB

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 40KHz

CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M

PIN TYPE:  2-PIN CONNECTOR (0.78MM)

PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm

DRIVER UNIT(S): (2) DYNAMIC DRIVER + (2) BALANCED ARMATURE DRIVERS

PROS:

△ High quality resin shell chassis

△ The contours of its UIEM-style shell chassis gives the best fitting and comfort to wear.

△ High quality stock cable.

△ Unusually large IEM case for storage.

△ A well-balanced sound for music genre versatility.

△ Good amplification rating.

△ Punchy, incisive and clean bass response.

△ Adequately texture, lush and enough warmth on its midrange presentation for more natural timbre on vocals and instruments.

△ Almost life-like and tonally correct on its sound characteristics of most vocals and instruments.

△ Balanced and smooth treble response

△ Sibilances and harshness are practically non-existent on this one.

△ Very competent on its overall technical performances

CONS:

▽ Less energetic sound on some female vocals particularly on sopranos as it feels pretty limited on projecting its range.

▽ Less bright and lingering sound on string instruments.

▽ Wishing for a bit more of treble air.

Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)

Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *

Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**

Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **

Mountain - Mississippi Queen *

Queen - Killer Queen **

Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*

Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'

Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'

Pearl Jam - Daughter **

Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *

Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*

Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *

New Order - Blue Monday *

The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *

The Madness- Buggy Trousers *

Metallica - Motorbreath **

Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *

Destiny's Child - Say My Name *

Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *

Mozart - Lacrimosa *

New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*

Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *

Exciter - Violence and Force *

Diana Krall - Stop This World **

Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*

The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**

Suzanne Vega – Luka **

Lauren Christy – Steep *

Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *

Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*

Type O Negative - Black No.1 *

Felix Ayo - Vivaldi: Presto **

Three Tenors - Nessum Dorma *

Mercyful Fate - Witches' Dance *

P.S.

I am not affiliated to THIEAUDIO nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.

Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to KAREENA TANG of LINSOUL for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.