Thieaudio Hype 2 vs 4 vs 10 Showdown! Are they worth the Hype?

Thieaudio is one of the most popular brands in the IEM space. Their newest line-up of Hype IEMs share Thieaudio's Impact^2 bass dynamic drivers and differ in the number of balanced armatures: 2, 4, and 10. Fc-Construct takes a look to see if these IEMs are worth the hype.
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00:00 - Intro
00:55 - Accessories, Build, and Fit
01:58 - Graph Reading
03:59 - Bass
04:18 - Mids
05:48 - Treble
07:22 - Presentation
08:33 - MoonDrop Blessing 3 Comparison
09:44 - Hisenior Mega5EST Comparison
11:43 - Thieaudio Monarch MkII and MkIII Comparison
13:52 - Conclusion
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[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

A couple of corrections (thanks to you lovely commenters): 1. The Hype 4 is 4 BA 2 DD. I forgot to change it in the text overlay; 2. The Hype 10 is actually $900. I will wear the cone of shame for the next week to atone for this mistake. - Fc-Construct

[@marksr12]

Great review! This type of review with several IEMs and comparisons is very helpful. Well done, Thanks!

[@mikef5659]

Excellent review. Your comparisons were explained in detail and without fluff. Love how you very bluntly recommended or not recommend each one and why.

[@shinythings7]

Thanks for doing the nozzle measurements. Hope you all will do them more for iems as they are reviewed.

[@mucklechumps]

Thanks for a very thoughtful review!

[@Genkaku]

Definitely one of the best IEM reviews Ive heard. Well done sir!

[@taidee]

I've definitely enjoyed this review, I think it was the best way to present this series of IEMs, thank you.

[@isanasser]

One of the best iem review I’ve heard. So much useful subjective opinion.

[@arthurmonay3156]

Holy shit ! What a review. I'm blown away !

[@anatol1204]

Ziigaat Cinocotres Vs Hype 4 would be interesting.Very nice review by the highway..

[@KmtS9]

Thanks for doing this! Would actually love to watch a review from you of the Nova vs Chopin vs EA1000 vs Ziigaat Doscinco/Cincotres vs planars (S15, S12, MP145, etc).

[@Fc-Construct]

Unfortunately, I don't have all of those IEMs so I won't be able to do a comparison. I can only review what gets sent over by those companies and not everything comes my way.

[@ForeverBlackCat]

Really like the comparison

[@MarsJimmy]

For all the hype 4 owners, get the dunu s&s tips. They bring them in a league of their own. I’ve tiprolled pretty much everything else out there like the spinfits W1, cp100, 145 etc. xelastec whatevers, and they all sound samesies. But with the dunu s&s it seems like all the frequencies somehow line up perfectly in their correct amount and depth. I’m not joking when I say they transform the hype 4

[@warmth_97]

Good to know!

[@Daniel-lq5qq]

Hype 2 with spinfit w1 too🎉🎉🎉

[@warmth_97]

@@Daniel-lq5qq Gahh, can't get any spinfits in the UK without paying way too much :(

[@Daniel-lq5qq]

@@warmth_97 you get them cheap from China now for 8 Dollar instead 14 i have the dunu s and s Yesterday will Test them at evening for Hype 2 perhaps its even better

[@vsynccx4263]

taking your word on this, just bought some purely from this comment 😂

[@wiesolos]

Thanks for the video, besides the hype series what's your take on dunu mirai and glaciers?

[@TheHEADPHONEShow]

I'm potentially reviewing the DUNU Glacier in the future but likely won't be able to talk about the Mirai as there's a bit of an inherent conflict of interest - Fc-Construct

[@moots27]

Loved the video! Also curious how hype 4 stacks up against dusk 2.

[@Lead_Foot]

I tried them both and thought they were quite similar but the hype 4 had more mid bass.

[@resottolamontagna904]

Dusk 3 are coming... 2DD + 2BA + 2Planars

[@celstark]

Error on Type 4 overlay around 0:40 - shows 2BA not 4

[@Fc-Construct]

Yup! I knew I must have missed something while putting all of this together.

[@misterfinerthings]

@@Fc-Construct And the Hype 10 is $900. Just FYI for this review and your written one :-)

[@Fc-Construct]

@@misterfinerthings Wow you are absolutely right. I can't believe I missed this one. I had quadruple checked the Hype 10's pre-order page so many times and still made the error. Thanks man.

[@ANOLE_VX]

How is the isobaric design implemented ? Push - Pull similar to Blessing 3 or literally just Push - Push?

[@bruno_mart]

It would be super helpful if you could do a “live” demo of what you mean by using specific clips of specific music. So for instance when you say there’s hollowness to the bass, perhaps say “such as in this song, time marker x:xx, where it sounds muffled compared to something else like IEM x”

[@bourjuva]

hello what u recommend for gaming? ie900 or hype10 game and music overall mostly gaming hard

[@mylifeisbroken34]

I have been using Truthear Zero (blue) for a week, but it seems like there is something missing. My goal is to play games and listen to music. The voice of the player behind me sounds confused as if it were in front of me, or I can't detect it :) This is my first time using an iEM headset. Before this, I was using the Sennheiser HD700 and I could locate rival players as if I were placing them with my hand. I live in Turkey and the conditions here are a bit challenging, I don't think I can constantly try different brands and models :/ Can you recommend me a nice model? I just want to put on my headphones and enjoy myself, I'm so confused, please help. My budget is $400.Is Simgot ea1000 the right choice or should I buy ea2000? I don't want to incur unnecessary expenses.Would you recommend me to pre-order and purchase the Audio Hype 4 model? I will have to wait 2 months.

[@TechieFelixLP]

Chooo Chooo Hype Train! Truly one of the best

[@Bjm21703]

Nned assistance. Can you guys recommend a replacement for Sony XBA-Z5? Please.

[@GoufinAround_]

Can you guys do a video on the hype 2 or 4 vs the ziigaat cincotres? The cincotres is literally identical to the hype 4 minus one BA

[@juanblanco7898]

How is it identical to Hype 4. It absolutely isn't.

[@GoufinAround_]

@@juanblanco7898 Its an identical driver setup minus one BA. Read please before asking a question.

[@n00kie]

Monarch Mk3 owner here. I'd purchase Hype 4 as a "good value" IEM when my big boi needs a lil' rest.

[@Ducbloke]

I had a different experience to the Mega5EST vs Hype 4. The Mega5EST has the addition of 2 EST's are this adds more sparkle. The bass is better and smoother in my opinion. I also think the white whale cable and hard case are better accessories. My view, it's worth the $150 extra. I can listen to the Mega5EST for long periods with zero fatigue as well. I have listened to the Hype 4 and it's good for $400, but the Mega5EST is another level up IMO.

[@Angel-AbC9]

Question which would you prefer if must take one only , sennheiser 600 iem or the hype 4 ? Can anyone please let me know.

[@chefsteve8381]

Is the audio in hype x2 speed ?

[@Weareonenation303]

I'd personally buy the Hype 4 if I was interested in owning one of the Hype IEMs.

[@user-ty3hp7wq6z]

I'm kinda surprised you don't compare to Moondrop variations.

[@mehmetgurdal]

Ok I'm really tempted by the old champ from the Thieaudio. Can anyone who has a monarch mk2 and letshuoer s12 give me a quick comparison? I'm very familiar with the frequency response btw. How good does the monarch mk2 sound compared with the more affordable options?

[@blorg8206]

Monarch Mk2 is a lot more neutral and more natural sounding. Much more natural timbre. S12 is great but much more zingy and more mid-bass as well. S12 sounds very good and very detailed but not really natural. Monarch Mk2 is certainly better, but S12 is much better value, it's severe diminishing returns from that.

[@mehmetgurdal]

@@blorg8206 I'm currently using the s12 pro with the monarch mk 2 autoeq profile. I know it's not the same but I really like the final result. Can you comment about this? Did you ever checked the s12 with an autoeq profile? Not just for monarch mk2 but any iem you have experience one on one?

[@shaunbrady15]

I like the blessing 3 a lot, but it does not have punchy and dynamic bass 🤔

[@mohamadanas6203]

Love my blessing 3

[@ephemerisone74]

yeah, i think im just gonna go the blessing 3's.

[@resottolamontagna904]

@@ephemerisone74 wait, the Dusk version is coming!

[@jk25653]

@@resottolamontagna904 Crin says Blessing 3 is tuned "in between" blessing 2 and dusk. It shouldn't matter too much.

[@ephemerisone74]

@@resottolamontagna904 yeahhh idk if I can wait that long. Unless it's released within the next 3 months. I can just EQ myself to bass and treble even still, it's not that bad. I'm just excited to finally replace my Red's. Anything is an upgrade at this point in the game.

[@Alepap.]

6:23 Sounds like U12t

[@jeremysumpter8939]

I bought my Legacy 5's by Theiaudio 2 years ago and still have not found anything in the 2-400$ price range thats worth upgrading to. The Hype4 sounds close but like he sound, a bit thinner. I think theiaudio peaked with the legacy line , until you get up to the monark mk2 or 3 which I cant justify 1k dollars for IEMs

[@vianhoho19]

Gonna drop a comment before we begin 🤣

[@hartyewh1]

Hype 2 sounds a mess. Interestingly with S12 tips the three biggest problem areas in the FR are pretty much fixed😅 The casing with some seed shells or something embedded looks really cool though. My measurements looked worse than yours with a +3dB @ 300-1kHz, -4dB @ 2kHz and +3-4dB @ 3,5k-5kHz compared to Harman 2019 and EQ on those areas clearly balanced them out. Still sounded a bit weird.

[@blorg8206]

+3dB @300-1kHz is an odd thing to say given the norm is to normalise IEM and target in that region. So it can't really be +3dB in that region, because that's where you align it. What it is is flat or slightly sloping down in that region, rather than sloping up like Harman, but that's virtually all IEMs other than the Variations. Most people don't like the Harman bass tuck and very few IEMs follow it. It's actually pretty bang on Harman in the bass up to 500Hz if you normalize at 500Hz. It is a bit back at 2kHz. I think this was a tuning decision that maybe emphasises the bass and sense of stage but I could understand someone wanting more there, I would. +3-4dB @ 3,5k-5kHz is weird though as well, mine (and every other measurement I have seen) is under Harman in that region. It only gets above in the treble above 8kHz (which is no harm, Harman rolls off too aggressively). Part of this does depend on how you normalize them, and the fact that Harman has a mid-bass "tuck" and then an upslope from 300Hz up to 1kHz. So depends where you normalize in that range, but this is sort of a quirk of Harman in-ear rather than the IEM; almost nothing follows it.

[@hartyewh1]

@@blorg8206 True, I view my own measurements as averaged SPL instead of 1kHz aligned since I find with anything that has dips or peaks around there can look very misleading, but if course that's not the norm. Still for me the bass aligns well, but between 200Hz and 5,5kHz there are three wide areas (crossing the target at 1.5k, 3k and 6k)that notably separate from Harman, but positioning the graph in any other way would make half of the deviations look far worse one way or the other. To match at 1kHz would mean a massive hole from 1.5k to 3kHz and make the bass seem lacking for the average preference when I don't think it really is.

[@alphapapa4446]

This is all great info, but Thieaudio’s perma-presale for the Hype 4 is kinda ridiculous

[@HobbyTalk]

Lol holy hypeopotamus

[@Omar_ZX]

Good iems but horrible names A wrong amount of ba's at 0:42

[@aceofspades6667]

Not hyped for any of these now..

[@rubenthekid]

That joke has been made a thousand times already

[@sjqideez6626]

Thank you for this, just some constructive feedback: Try & talk a bit slower please

[@Fc-Construct]

Thanks, that is good feedback.

[@sjqideez6626]

@@Fc-Construct you have good knowledge & experience and I want people to comprehend that more clearly, you got this man 💪

[@h1a8]

I hear absolutely no hollowness in the hype 4 bass. That's proof that hearing is subjective. 99% of all people can't distinguish fine nuances you audiophile reviewers be explaining. The most important thing is tonal balance and soundstage. I feel these reviews are only for audiophiles and not for 99% of the general public. Here's a tip. If you pair the kiwi ears Quintet with a galaxy phone or fiio utws5 then increase the 63Hz by 3dB and decrease the 8kHz down 3dB (optional increase the 16kHz by 3dB) and you will have a sound that matches the hype 4 in sound quality. A simple eq tweak. The blessing 3 is a little boring to me, especially with the feeling of not enough bass to fully satisfy. To each it's own

[@Fc-Construct]

Well, you are on an audio-focused channel. Discussing fine nuances is the reason this hobby exists. For 99% of the general public, they'll be well served by most of the $50-ish IEMs coming out nowadays such as the Truthear ZERO: RED.

[@h1a8]

@@Fc-Construct $50 iems sound bad to me but you are probably right. $400 is the sweet spot as I can't tell the difference between the best $200-$400 iems from the best iems in the world (I've heard many iems up to $2000 iems). But trust me. Most people do not understand what you guys are talking about. We can't hear what you are hearing nor understand what you mean. Those type of reviews should be reserved for $1000+ iems imo. As those who can tell the difference are probably the ones that can understand what you mean. Here are some questions I try to find out 1. is the bass balanced? A. mid bass vs sub bass quantity B. bass level (in dB) vs highest level of the presence region (in dB) 2. Is it clear and detailed without being harsh or shouty 3. does it sound open or closed in 4. Can you distinguish the instruments from each other and their placements in space . 5. Is it comfortable Now when I get more years of experience then I will graduate to that level of hearing. But let's not forget the most important thing. We are here for the music. If we can listen to iems that sound better than what we want then that's all that matters.

[@justanotheraltaccount5644]

Ziigaat cincotres are a cheaper hype4 and if u have a little more budget just get the yanyin canon 2

[@mucklechumps]

The Cincotres is incredible. Different from the Hype 4 but just as good to my ears (I own them both).

[@justanotheraltaccount5644]

@@mucklechumps Do u have the canon 2?

[@mucklechumps]

@@justanotheraltaccount5644 No, but I hear it's really good.

[@Rat0713]

​@@mucklechumps how you would describe the difference between them?