Review: Hyla TE5B & TE5T – The Trident Engine

Now you have Linus’ thoughts about the TE-5T below:

TE-5T

The TE-5T only differs slightly to the 5B, the most obvious change of course is external. Despite how the photos look, the TE-5T is actually a light green IEM. It also comes with the same Hyla branded PW Audio cable as the 5B, with the change that the T uses a Rhodium plated plug. Those are the only external changes I can see, all other changes are in tuning.

Let’s go over the audio performance of the TE-5T.

Hyla TE-5T

Sound

The bass of the TE-5T is rather light, it has good body but is missing out on substance. It has a presence that’s slightly south of neutral, and an overall soft touch. Lows however have plenty of air in them, but at times seem too filled with them. The bass’ texture is nice, it has good resolution but with the lighter weight it lacks in impact and grunt. Bass doesn’t go particularly deep into sub-bass.

Mids are fast and crisp, there are tons of details in them, but they are again a little lighter. Lower midrange could use some blood for my taste, as vocals of the likes of Frank Zappa, Leonard Cohen or Barry White seem to miss their secret sauce to sound as full and vibrant I as know them. Upper midrange is more forward than their lower frequency counter-parts. The energy in some E-Guitar solos is absolutely stunning.

Now treble. This is where it gets conflicting for me. On one hand I adore the richness and energy the TE-5T has, but on the other hand it has a treble presence which is on the edge of comfort for me. Treble does have a tendency to become a little hot at times and some cymbal crashes can really push me out of my comfort zone. High notes are bright and clear, if the tunes don’t have too much going on in the treble section it’s better.

On a technical note the TE-5T performs on a high level. It has excellent resolution throughout, stretches a decent sound stage with good measures into all dimensions. The Hyla also images pretty well and has good layering.

Hyla TE-5T

Hyla’s TE-5T is supposed to be more balanced than the 5B, which has more focus on bass. However, I feel that is exactly the part where the 5T is missing out. The treble is nice in most aspects, but it needs some additional low end to counter-balance it in my opinion. If you’re a treble head, you might find real joy in the TE-5T. For me it’s just too much, and I also like the occasional dose of treble.

For me, the TE-5T is a great candidate to be paired with a good tube amplifier, such as the Oriolus BA-10 or Oriolus NT-1, which evidently are from the same company as the Hyla IEMs. These two add the needed body and weight the Hyla so desperately seeks in my opinion. Another great tube amplifier to pair with the TE-5T would be the WA8 by Woo Audio. This one gives the Hyla excellent body, a lush sound and it tames that treble to moderate levels. This one is actually my favourite pairing with the Hyla.

Comparisons

After I got to know the TE-5T a little better, it actually reminded me of the Kaiser Encore by Noble Audio, which also has a more forward upper mid and treble section. It however comes with more weight in its lows. I want to take a closer look at how the Hyla compares to the new Noble flagship – the Khan, since they are using a very similar triple hybrid topology.

Noble Audio – Khan (1DD/4BA/1Piezo; 2,399$)

There obviously is a big price gap between the two models, but a price doesn’t always determine how good audio quality is. The Hyla and the Noble do perform on a similar technical level, however the Khan stretches further and wider when it comes to sound stage dimensions. The resolution of both models is very good and the Khan only edges out the TE-5T by a small margin.

These two have a very different tuning though. The Khan has a more powerful low end with noticeably more weight and thunder. It goes deeper into sub-bass. The Hyla has a softer bass, that doesn’t colour the lower midrange at all. The Khan has more weight in the lower mids segment giving deep male vocals a rougher tone. The 5T is much lighter and also faster in the midrange with higher transparency, but the Noble is just more pleasing.

Hyla TE-5T

When we’re looking at the treble, the Noble isn’t as harsh as the Hyla. They both have a rich top end, but the Hyla is just hotter and sharper, which makes its way through especially in violins and other brighter instruments. Where the Hyla pierces the Noble stays calm.

Empire Ears – Zeus XIV (14BA; 2,099$)

Another monitor with a similar tuning would be the Zeus XIV in my opinion. They have a bass reproduction that’s quite alike. Both are lighter down low and could use some more blood in their bass for my taste. The Hyla as well as the Zeus have a softer sounding bass, that isn’t loaded with resolution or punch.

The Zeus has a larger stage and higher resolution, to me it’s still the king of vocals. Where both male and female singers sound splendid. Though to me it seems females are clearly favoured in the Zeus’ signature. The same goes for the Hyla. Both have wonderful transparency in the midrange, though the Zeus puts his mids more forward than the TE-5T, which has a raised upper mid and treble section.

The treble again is where they differ. The Hyla is richer, the Zeus is faster. I find the XIV to be more accessible in its highs, where I find the Hyla to be too much for my taste I’m still in a more comfortable zone with the Zeus. Yes, the Zeus also has hard crashes, but nowhere as hard as the Hyla’s.

If you like the Zeus’ signature and might something like a Zeus lite with more treble, give the TE-5T an audition.

Hyla TE-5B

Summary

The new limited production IEMs from Hyla Audio certainly work wonders. If you have a chance to listen to these two anywhere, just  go for it. Besides being limited units, they surely sound great, tuned for being assertive in the polar opposite parts of the spectrum. I got the impression from the crowd that the TE-5B is more liked in general, but the TE-5T also has good qualities. I’ve read some other impressions for the TE-5T which state that it’s great as well. It all comes down to your preferences.

The Oriolus MK2 was dethroned from our list by the Hyla CE-5 if you remember. Now the TE-5B comes in and takes it’s place in our Best Universal IEMs list, unfortunately while pushing out the CE-5. You can still go for the CE-5, if you ever find it anywhere, but now Hyla released an even better IEM and it’s on sale right now. If you want to pull the trigger, check their shop here. Again, there are only 200 units for both so they can be out of stock very soon.