ThieAudio - Hype 4

Most of my IEMs are warmer, so not too many mid forward rock/vocal IEMs. In the $250-500 price range, maybe the Moondrop Blessing 2, Thieaudio Hype 4, and anything Penon makes (I really like the Vortex and it's only $200). For $500+, the Oriolus Isabellae probably takes the cake for vocal forward IEMs. My favorite IEM that I have currently is the FATFreq Maestro SE, but that's out of most people's price range so I definitely wouldn't recommend it for most people. I still feel stupid spending as much money as I did, but hey, I enjoy it so I'm getting my money's worth!

The Hype 4 has indeed been garnering hype since they have been released. They are pretty V-shaped and while they would defianetly work for some libraries, they certainly would perform poorly on others. Its too sub-focused with vocals generally pushed back and even buried in busier tracks. The Da Vinci, with its dense sound signature, seems to outperform the Hype 4s in the vocals department but nothing else.

From my experience, i have only found the delci and hype 4 to be good enough for me. They dont sound as good as my edition xs, but you get portability which is a trade off i can accept. Delci is sub 100 and hype 4 is about 300-400 dollars if im not wrong. Generally speaking, i prefer soundstage and headphones provide that much better than iem. However, iem portability is unmatched, so my mindset is buy one good iem and be done. Im using the delci rn, will upgrade to the hype 4 once i have the money.

The hype 4 is a level better than delci at everything.the bass is more defined, the soundstage is larger, better imaging, better mid etc. it is a direct upgrade to me. The delci has good soundstage, the only one that extends to the outer ear under 100 (to my experience, yours can be different). However, delci other qualities like detail, bass, or mid are just ok enough. Well, they dont outright suck, but they wont impress you. Also,the delci isnt really bright (the kefine klean on the other hand, is quite harsh). If you dont have high budget and just want to buy sth to use immediately, i think the delci works fine (i havent tried delci ae yet, but people have said that it is brighter, and personally, the delci is on edge with its treble already, more treble will just make it worse). Otherwise, hype 4, it is. I dont suggest blind buy, try everything before buying if you can.

You probably already received your pair by now but sound is very subjective. I enjoy these iems a lot and love the tuning. i typically listen to EDM, K-pop, J-pop, R&B, Classic Rock and Metal. These iems are good enough for me and i’d say they are good for their price. They are very mellow for me and very natural sounding. I LOVE BASS and these have good enough slam for me but I wouldn’t use them if I am craving bass lol. I use my Thieaudio Hype 4 if I really want big, deep bass without it bleeding into the other frequencies. I also own Moondrop Dusk (yes the Crinacle collab), Moondrop Blessings 3, Thieaudio Hype 4, Finalaudio A4000, and on the lower end of the price bracket the Linsoul KZ ZS10 Pro 2. My personal rankings for my IEM collection (from best to worst): Hype 4 = Dusk > Blessing 3 > Daybreak > Finalaudio A4000 > KZ ZS10 Pro. Daybreaks are good for their price range but I wouldn’t say they punch above their weight. The ones i ranked ahead are more than double the price of the Daybreak so it makes sense why my rankings are like that but if you have the money for the Daybreaks then I would say go for it and keep them and if you don’t like the tuning then just return them and maybe save up for a more expensive iem? Also just an FYI, I am pretty new to the IEM scene as I used to mainly collect and use Over-ear open back headphones (I own the Sennheiser HD800s, HD600, HD6xx, AKG K712 Pro, Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro, hella Koss Porta Pros, and hella Grados). So you can take my say with a grain of salt since I am fairly new to IEMs.

Owned Tea Pros, Hype 4 and MK12 at the same time. Decided to sell the former two because the MK12 sound that good to me (after PEQ), and was <1/2 the price (backed on Kickstarter).

Get a cheaper mic arm and remove the dac, you can get better IEMs. I have the Hexas and the Hexas are good for their price for sure, but at double the price you can get a whole list of great IEMs around the 160 range. A better iem does far more difference for audio quality than any dac would. From my subjective experience, IEMs really do go up linearly in quality from budget to mid-fi. I went from the Hexas to the 300-400 dollar Thieaudio hype 4s and I can say in my opinion it is at least 4 times better in enjoyment for me. Same goes for 80 to 160. I think the super mix 4 is like almost 2 times better than the Hexas, this is all subjective of course. Jays Audio just made a great video with a comprehensive list of competitive Iems at that range. As someone else said, get an apple dongle instead or just plug it into your PC. Also I recommend a cheaper mic such as the solocast if you want to squeeze out more for 10 dollars and get better iems. If you use your onboard headphone jack on your PC, a 20 dollar arm (or no arm at all to save even more), and a 40 dollar mic, you are spending 40 or 60 dollars and leave about 190 to 210 for a great IEM. Here is the video that I mentioned: https://youtu.be/dapR2KQDXhQ?si=PyQILHFZPE36J2z1 In the description of the video he also leaves a genre guide and a ranking list of all the IEMs he listened to and their prices, you can even find many of them on AliExpress for even cheaper sometimes if you are willing to wait for the shipping. Edit: For gaming I prefer a tuning with clear treble since you will hear more detail and things will seem more spacious

If you're happy with the build quality, the fit/comfort and the look of them, I would try to eq. Pretty much anything you buy is likely to have a certain area, or multiple areas that may benefit from anything from very minor to more major eq adjustments. Here is one to try I came up with for Hype 4. It should sound slightly more neutral. Preamp: -0.8 dB Filter 1: ON PK Fc 21 Hz Gain -0.5 dB Q 0.300 Filter 2: ON PK Fc 45 Hz Gain -0.9 dB Q 0.300 Filter 3: ON PK Fc 100 Hz Gain -0.2 dB Q 1.000 Filter 4: ON PK Fc 425 Hz Gain 0.9 dB Q 1.100 Filter 5: ON PK Fc 1400 Hz Gain -0.3 dB Q 1.800 Filter 6: ON PK Fc 5600 Hz Gain -0.6 dB Q 1.700 Filter 7: ON PK Fc 5700 Hz Gain -0.7 dB Q 1.900 Filter 8: ON PK Fc 5800 Hz Gain 0.5 dB Q 0.500 Filter 9: ON PK Fc 8900 Hz Gain 0.9 dB Q 2.000 Filter 10: ON PK Fc 14000 Hz Gain -4.6 dB Q 1.100

After spending some time looking at various IEM's around what would be considered the 'mid' price brackets, it seems you just can't win with everything (not even close). From needing to EQ various areas to try and get the sound you want through to lots of QC or design issues - even a lack of aesthetic choices. Example of IEMS I'd buy: Hype 4 - Shell itself and 2 pin connection issues. One owner clearly resorted to a gluegun being used to try and hold the connection in. Maybe a batch issue? EQ tweak fine. Dusk - 3.5mm EQ essential + new 3.5mm cable as the one provided wouldn't be out of place on a budget IEM, channel imbalance issues (notable if you look at frequency response - may not be always heard), resin cracking around 2 pin connection underneath the connector (not visible unless cable removed, likely to worsen over time) plus possible moisture issue (minor). Davinci - EQ essential due to bass. Size issue plus nozzle size issue at 6.7mm widest point (why not bond a nozzle on that's less wide?) Mega5est - 2 pin connector on shell possibly not fully flat resulting in the connection of normally left side constantly coming out slightly - reported here and on atleast one review that's even pictured. Unsure if design was revised and if this is a regular problem. Difficult or not possible to know if you would get a revised design when ordering online. EQ tweak fine.

Thieaudio Hype 4, sounds better than my Sennheiser HD 800S and Sennheiser IE900

I own both but I'm addicted to the Hype 4's clarity. The tea hurt my ears :( but they're good too!

treble in the hype 4 is magical, all I can say

Left to right Everyday desktop listening: 1. Linsoul x Hbb Jupiter 2. Theaudio Monarch MKIII Relaxed listening: 3. FIIO FX15 On the go: 4. Theaudio Hype4

If you like the reds you'll be amazed once you surpass the $350 mark. Yeah I know it sounds like a lot for wired ear buds BUT the sound quality is amazing. I personally think the hype4 is probably the best for a moderate price iem. On black Friday they hit low $300s. I probably would have been happy there but I'm way to stupid to be reasonable. Lol. Impulse buying makes me giddy.