Review: Hyla TE5B & TE5T – The Trident Engine

Sound

The driver configuration of the TE-5B consists of 1 Dynamic + 2 BAs + 1 Ceramic Driver. It’s a very unique combination just like the CE-5, and it’s nice to see tuning improvements over the predecessor.  There are 3 different types of drivers, enhanced crossovers and the inclusion of the new titanium sound tubes with 2 bores instead of 3 which we see a lot with other monitors.

Anyway, how does the TE-5B sound? Overall, it follows the footsteps of the CE-5 but puts more to the table especially in the mid area. The bass is strong as ever with great presence, the mids are better and more honest overall, and once again there’s nicely articulated and extended treble. Let’s dig deeper:

Bass

The bass is powerful as expected, especially the subbass area is very strong and emphasized just like the CE-5. Overall bass can feel a little bit bulky at times with certain genres/recordings, but it’s not on an extreme level. Actually I expected this model to hit and rumble more, but it’s not as extreme as I thought it would be. The midbass is more apparent then the CE-5, which had recessed midbass area and that didn’t go well with some genres.

Hyla TE-5B

Other than midbass addition, the overall bass performance is identical to the CE-5 and once again, jaw dropping. So I will just quote myself, from the review of CE-5:

“The extension, deepness, rumble and power are all exceptional. This is the most impressive bass I’ve heard in a monitor. I doubt there’s a better and more impactful bass in the market right now.”

“Lows are strong, the slam is absolutely great and overall resolution of the bass is impressive. And while being very strong, lows are perfectly under control at all times, provided that you feed your source with good recordings. There’s no bass bleeding or bloat, yet it’s still incredibly strong and it can go very very deep, and I simply can’t explain how they did it. Quantity is high, but the quality is also at the top level.”

Lows might feel too bulky and over the edge to the reference sound lovers out there, but even they can appreciate the marvelous bass quality and texture this IEM produces.

Mids

The midbass presentation feels more realistic when you compare it to the CE-5. This allows mids to have a little more warmth and presence particularly in the lower mid area. Male vocals benefit quite well from this and many instruments have better timbre which is good to hear. So I think this is a nice tuning success from Hyla Audio to create a better mid response, especially in terms of tonality.

Hyla TE-5B

Overall with this tonality performance and with a little more warmth, the TE-5B feels a little more musical. I basically should say that it’s a better all-rounder this way. The mids are also clean sounding with good separation and I also think they have good energy, openness & transparency. Quantity-wise you also have more apparent mids and they’re not much recessed at all. I found the TE-5B very successful in the mid region, unlike the CE-5.

Treble

Treble is identical to the CE-5, and that piezoelectric driver really produces special cymbals. Once again the treble is pronounced really well but not with any kind of an aggressive approach. That’s the best part of this new driver technology. The IEM reproduces the treble effortlessly and it’s a joy to listen to cymbals. The extension, detail and articulation are all impressive.

Highs have lots of micro detail and they’re very well articulated. The IEM copes with faster songs as well, so energetic highs won’t stick to each other, they indeed are separated very well. The ceramic driver definitely makes its presence felt. This IEM simply has one of the best treble presentations one could find.

Hyla TE-5B

Technical Performance

Sound stage is quite wide and deep just like the CE-5. But since the CE-5 has recessed mid bass and lower mids, it feels more spacious and separation feels sharper. Resolution and transparency levels are similar, but like I said, I think the TE-5B produces better mids with better resolution and tonality.

And despite with more midbass and mid body, the TE-5B still has a large sound stage performance with good depth as well. It is once again quite impressive in that regard. Imaging and instrument separation is also on a high level and pointing out your favorite elements in a song is easy and smooth. The background blackness is certainly very good to help you with that.

The sound overall is very transparent and clarity is great together with resolution. It controls the spectrum very well, leaving no shrills or boomy nature of bass, and upper mids are also free from sibilance. The treble is very energetic but still under control and I heard no distortion in my listening sessions.

Hyla TE-5B

Let me quote myself again, to see what I found missing in the Hyla CE-5:

“The only things I can find in the Hyla CE-5 is the low mid bass body and fun type of tonality. Those aside, it’s a great high end monitor top to bottom.”

Yes, and the TE-5B fixes that. Now you have more body in the mids, and the tonality feels more correct. It’s still slightly colored but not too much to make you feel “wrong”. This is the most important aspect of the TE-5B, it’s a more complete and all around IEM than the CE-5.

Comparisons

vs. Hyla CE-5: I mentioned the CE-5 many times in the text to compare these two, but to sum it up; the TE-5B has more mid bass presence and that creates more body in the mid region to have better and more realistic timbre, compared to the thinner mids of the CE-5. The TE-5B also has more accentuated mids and they sound a bit closer. Other aspects are identical between these two boutique IEMs.

vs. Oriolus MK2: Frequency-wise these two share some similarities. The bass texture and quality are close, but the TE-5B has a more focused bass performance which is tighter. The bass goes deeper and it hits harder overall. It’s simply one level up in terms of bass than the Oriolus, and many steps up than most monitors.

Hyla TE-5B

Mids have better resolution with the TE-5B with more transparency but tonalities are similar in these two, while the Oriolus produces a more engaging and slightly darker tone, the TE-5B is sharper here with better resolution. Treble simply goes to the Hyla as it’s basically better in every aspect. In respect of mids, the Oriolus puts up a real fight and still shows it’s one of the best around.

Technicalities are better in the Hyla as well, such as soundstage, imaging, separation and resolution. So from an overall standpoint, the TE-5B is the better IEM. You can still choose the Oriolus if you like effortless, smooth and forgiving sound, but technically the TE-5B is better in every way.

Find everything about the 5T on the next page!