Truthear HOLA

[markanini]

There's something of an elephant in the room, reviewers have collectively started to praise some pretty warm tuned IEMs compared to before and accepting less technicalities, which they could not accept before. I'm not sure I can trust any of these reviewers to be honest. At least they provide graphs.

 

[IAtaman]

There's something of an elephant in the room, reviewers have collectively started to praise some pretty warm tuned IEMs compared to before and accepting less technicalities. I'm not sure I can trust any of these reviewers to be honest. At least they provide graphs.

I think it would not be totally unfathomable to think there is some sort of fashion in audio preferences that changes over time, maybe even linked to the popular music of the era.

 

[markanini]

I think it would not be totally unfathomable to think there is some sort of fashion in audio preferences that changes over time, maybe even linked to the popular music of the era.

Literally a review where the guy says "I really like them but other reviewers don't, so I can't recommend them".

Not much of a "bad boy" if he has to ask for permission. Shortly after he basically admitts third-party tips and cables might have been involved in how others formed their opinion. There's no ethic to exclude those opinions, as if he considered them equal conditions.

On a different note, last years "basshead favorite" Tin T3 plus is less bassy than todays main recommendation Tangzu Wan'er and Truthear Hola.

 

[isostasy]

@markanini The T3 plus has more bass the Hola: https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,T3_Plus,Hola

Also it's "basshead favorite" according to one guy, who is... Who even is he?

 

[markanini]

@markanini The T3 plus has more bass the Hola: https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,T3_Plus,Hola

Also it's "basshead favorite" according to one guy, who is... Who even is he?

I will share the graph you linked to for posterity. Other than that it's unclear what you want by arguing minutia with me.

 

[isostasy]

I will share the graph you linked to for posterity. Other than that it's unclear what you want by arguing minutia with me.

View attachment 262071

Apologies, I had set the graph to normalize at 500Hz but it evidently doesn't save that in the URL.

I agree the Hola looks like quite a warm IEM, however the point in contention is that there's a collective move towards praising IEMs with warm tuning which therefore makes reviewers untrustworthy. Isn't it more the case that reviewers are simply willing to forgive a warm tuning under $20, which both the Hola and Wan'er are? The Tin Hifi T3 Plus is considerably more expensive, and the Hexa, which Crin praises extremely highly at $80, has noticeably less bass than all the aforementioned, more in line with the Etymotic ER2XR. I expect the Hola and Wan'er wouldn't be so well received if they were priced much more, and I personally haven't seen the same acceptance of such warm tunings in IEMs in higher price brackets. Of course, I'm open to counter examples!

I have ordered the Tangzu wan'er due to it being on sale for only $15 and having, on paper, very similar tuning to the Etymotic ER2XR (though with measurably more bass). I can let you know what I think once it gets here.

 

[markanini]

Apologies, I had set the graph to normalize at 500Hz but it evidently doesn't save that in the URL.

View attachment 262165

I agree the Hola looks like quite a warm IEM, however the point in contention is that there's a collective move towards praising IEMs with warm tuning which therefore makes reviewers untrustworthy. Isn't it more the case that reviewers are simply willing to forgive a warm tuning under $20, which both the Hola and Wan'er are? The Tin Hifi T3 Plus is considerably more expensive, and the Hexa, which Crin praises extremely highly at $80, has noticeably less bass than all the aforementioned, more in line with the Etymotic ER2XR. I expect the Hola and Wan'er wouldn't be so well received if they were priced much more, and I personally haven't seen the same acceptance of such warm tunings in IEMs in higher price brackets. Of course, I'm open to counter examples!

I have ordered the Tangzu wan'er due to it being on sale for only $15 and having, on paper, very similar tuning to the Etymotic ER2XR (though with measurably more bass). I can let you know what I think once it gets here.

I don't think you understood my larger point about reviewers numerous behaviors eroding trust. Since you bring up tuning vs. price I will mention that the Wan'er are tuned very similarly to the $80 Moonlight Aria. The $70 Tin T3 plus have it's lower priced "clones", the $50 Tin C3 and the $35 Kiwi Cadenza. That suggests tuning styles go in and out of fashion like @IAtaman put it, regardless of price.

Nevertheless congrats on a good deal and definitely share your impressions like others have in this thread. That's far more interesting than reviewer content to me.

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

Thanks to IEM, superb audio performance is now a commodity. We can debate all we want about the Harman Curve it seems to be one good metrics. And now we have a plethora of IEM under $100.oo that seems to adhere to it. One can confidently predict that there will be soon some IEM with built-in DSP to provide even better adherence to the Harman IEM curve for less than $100.oo in the next few months. To make things even more interesting let say below $50.oo. The Moondrop Quark is $15.oo and, yes, sports a DSP. Not yet Harman-esque, but .. It won't take long, for a Quark-H or ... since there are so many versions of "quarks" in Physics, they won't be out of "quark" variants/name for sure .
Enthusiasts, who up to then, had been discussing of and about various devices, will come to realize that the issue is close and done.. Similar to what we witness in DACs, where we are at a point at which one just buys what you like, knowing that past $9.95 (!!!!) you will not get any audibly better performance.

This is to me a wonderful development .

Peace

 

[truckers_atlas]

I picked up the Hola since I liked what I heard from the Truthear Zero before I gifted it to a friend, and I was very annoyed about the Moondrop Chu requiring those clunky earhooks for the cable to stay wrapped around my ears. I figured the Hola's increased bass would be better for my beater, walking-around headphone, and it was $19 on Amazon with 2-day shipping, so why not? My lunch today from my favorite Vietnamese restaurant cost that much.

The Hola's accessories are good. I'm more critical of accessories at this price point, because bad accessories are how a $25 IEM turns into a $50 IEM, e.g. BLON BL-03. The cable is pretty nice and stays wrapped around my ear, and the eartips work well but like the Zero, are a real pain to put on the IEM. There were minimal cable microphonics when I was walking around today. The Hola is made of a good plastic, and the bigger shell is more comfortable in my ear than the Chu.

The Hola has a warm, pleasing tonality. The emphasis is on the bass, which is elevated compared to my neutral IEM reference, the Blessing 2 Dusk. The extra bass does work nicely when you're out in the world. A lot of reviewers will call this V-shaped because of the recessed vocal presentation but to my ears, there isn't enough treble on the table for this to qualify as V-shaped. In terms of technical ability, well, it sounds like a $20 IEM. Don't expect miracles here. A warm, not very technical IEM does work well for music that's poorly mastered, like Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which I was listening to on the Hola today to hide the infamous mastering deficiencies that album has.

I'd recommend the Hola over the Chu. The warmer tuning of the Hola is better for this price point. While I'd prefer the Chu's brighter presentation in a more expensive IEM, that tuning at the Chu's price point just reveals all the deficiencies of the driver, such as the Chu's metallic treble. Normal people won't bother with EQ, which the Chu needs for satisfactory bass. The Chu has less bass than it measures to my ears without EQ. The graphs say that the Chu has similar bass to the Etymotic ER2XR, which I also own, but in practice the Chu without EQ has a similar bass presentation to a typical open-back headphone. I don't mean that as a compliment. Still, I don't think the Chu is without merit, as it comes with all 3 sizes of Moondrop's Spring Tips, which are $13 on their own, and it's well-tuned. At this price point, the 7Hz Zero may be a better representation of the tuning that the Chu is going for but I have not listened to the 7Hz Zero.

 

[oleg87]

I expect the Hola and Wan'er wouldn't be so well received if they were priced much more, and I personally haven't seen the same acceptance of such warm tunings in IEMs in higher price brackets. Of course, I'm open to counter examples!

It's basically the same tuning as the Aria/Kato/Starfield/KXXS family, not megabuck tier but among the more popular IEMs below $300.

 

[markanini]

I'm putting my impressions of Kiwi Cadenza here, because it's broadly in the same tuning family as Hola.

Bass and vocals are both coming through well - I like that! In contrast to Sony, KZ and QKZ sets I'm used to, this set is all about natural trebles and mids. Less harsh, grainy, shouty, more velvety and clear. Bass goes a little crazy on certain tracks but still keeps it together. I consider the bass a high point, but could be better executed, at least a little. Maybe with less bass energy, or a bit more uppermid-treble energy. That said this is a $35 IEM and the problematic songs have issues on speakers too. I considered Tangzu Wan'er, 7Hz Zero and Tin C2 before choosing, I can't picture liking the Cadenza less than any of those efter hearing Cadenza in person, but will experiment with EQ to verify. I don't find myself eager to reach for EQ initially. Very consistent volume scaling, not like some sets that prefer a certain volume, I think that speaks to the quality of the tuning. Cable is serviceable, no microphonics. At least one pair of the provided tips seal consistently for me, gray L. Comfort is good.

 

[xavx]

Got the Hola today. Glad this time Truthear got the shell molded close to a human ear and not a robot ear like their Zero. Comfort is similar to the 7Hz Zero.

Sound wise, I find it a good complement to the 7Hz Zero : Hola for loud environment or laid back listening & 7Hz Zero for neutral, open-back like listening.

 

[Cote Dazur]

Received my pair of Hola, I like the Zero so much, that I thought I would give this cheaper set a try.
To they are a million years apart in performance, from great (the Zero) to OK.
Very average performance, not worth it, if like me you think about it because of what the Zero brings to the table, stay clear.
Luckily they are cheap.

 

[Marc v E]

I like the looks and the name. In my native language "Hola !" means something like "Excuse me !" or "What are you doing? What's going on!"

 

[markanini]

Received my pair of Hola, I like the Zero so much, that I thought I would give this cheaper set a try.
To they are a million years apart in performance, from great (the Zero) to OK.
Very average performance, not worth it, if like me you think about it because of what the Zero brings to the table, stay clear.
Luckily they are cheap.

I haven't heard either set, but I know some that preferred the Hola after owning both. It's interesting how preferences differ in the IEM space.

 

[Matias]

I like the looks and the name. In my native language "Hola !" means something like "Excuse me !" or "What are you doing? What's going on!"

I think it is related to "hola" the greeting in Spanish, as if greeting customers into the brand through the entry line model.

 

[Cote Dazur]

To they are a million years apart in performance, from great (the Zero) to OK.
Very average performance, not worth it, if like me you think about it because of what the Zero brings to the table, stay clear.

Please, accept my apology and forget what I wrote in this post. After spending more time with the Hola, this comment does not represent my impressions of them any more.
Once I found the right tips and the right position for my ear, they sit differently than the Zero, I am now very impressed by the Hola.
They are different, yes, but both very good at playing music, each instrument tonality sound real and correct, all the details are there. They both seem to have no distortion and can both play louder than my ears can take.
I am still very green with listening to music seriously with IEMs. It all started after reading @amirm review on the Zero, they have been a revelation to me, showing me a new perspective.
After adapting to listening to IEMs, it is now a daily part of my audio diet, I can see it taking the lion share as time goes by. The seal is very important and how they sit in the ear, not so dissimilar as placing speakers in a room, as our ear canal seems to be, like rooms, all different, is also key to a great musical experience.
I hope the Hola will be reviewed here soon, as it might help more music lover to access a great opportunity to listen to great music and sound for very little money.

 

[SiW]

Please, accept my apology and forget what I wrote in this post. After spending more time with the Hola, this comment does not represent my impressions of them any more.
Once I found the right tips and the right position for my ear, they sit differently than the Zero, I am now very impressed by the Hola.
They are different, yes, but both very good at playing music, each instrument tonality sound real and correct, all the details are there. They both seem to have no distortion and can both play louder than my ears can take.
I am still very green with listening to music seriously with IEMs. It all started after reading @amirm review on the Zero, they have been a revelation to me, showing me a new perspective.
After adapting to listening to IEMs, it is now a daily part of my audio diet, I can see it taking the lion share as time goes by. The seal is very important and how they sit in the ear, not so dissimilar as placing speakers in a room, as our ear canal seems to be, like rooms, all different, is also key to a great musical experience.
I hope the Hola will be reviewed here soon, as it might help more music lover to access a great opportunity to listen to great music and sound for very little money.

I got some Holas and none of the tips are quite right. Chu were great immediately but can’t get the Holas to seal the same.

I found the Chu ‘better’ as the sound was more balanced. Maybe it’s the seal?

Also needed higher volume on the Hola.

I prefer the cable in the Hola as it just works and fits great with no messing around.

Chu is fixed cable as we know.

Either way, the Chu were only £10 from Amazon Warehouse with remote compared to £19 for the Hola and no remote. So cheaper and ‘better’ for me.

Will try my Chu tips to see if that helps improve the Hola. Any recommendations for other Hola tip options?

 

[markanini]

I got some Holas and none of the tips are quite right. Chu were great immediately but can’t get the Holas to seal the same.

I found the Chu ‘better’ as the sound was more balanced. Maybe it’s the seal?

Also needed higher volume on the Hola.

I prefer the cable in the Hola as it just works and fits great with no messing around.

Chu is fixed cable as we know.

Either way, the Chu were only £10 from Amazon Warehouse with remote compared to £19 for the Hola and no remote. So cheaper and ‘better’ for me.

Will try my Chu tips to see if that helps improve the Hola. Any recommendations for other Hola tip options?

Sounds like bad seal. You tried all the included tips in the box?

 

[SiW]

Sounds like bad seal. You tried all the included tips in the box?

Tried 4 of the pairs supplied. Will try some more