Received Nova today. Bitter sweet as I did pay full price from Shenzhen Audio. However, the packaging was surprisingly flatter would have fitted through my letterbox had I not bumped into the postman. What a journey my box of goodies have made I thought as I ripped into the plastic envelope. Fast forward and there inside were my blue Novas, securely embedded in their foam retainer. It always amazes me how much finessing must go into putting all the elements that comes with Truthear products into such little volume. I found the audio cable in the nifty zipped case. I always have trouble with closing the press stud cases that accompany both, the Zero and Hexa.
For the purposes of this comparison I opted to use my TRN T3 Pro cable to maintain consistency and allow easier switch between jack sizes. I used the Truthear Shio's 4.4mm balanced input in high gain position for one set of evaluations with Hexa and Nova and the Topping G5 Mid gain 4.4mm jack unbalanced for another. I used the foam plugs - bit more squashy with this set.
I've been using the Hexa/Shio combo almost exclusively since it was released. The Zero gets a occasional outing when I ride my motorbike. It's loss wouldn't be too much to bare. The point being is that I'm very well versed with Hexa's sonic behaviour and character. To that end, it hasn't lost any of its lustre after prolonged use. It always gives me a certain, brief element of smugness, when I see people messing about with their Apple thingy. They must be thinking the same about the wires dangling from my ears I guess, but we all know the truth here ( Truthear ) don't we?!
There's no getting away from the Hexa's excellent ergonomics. It is considerably more petite than the Nova, which is very similar in dimensions to the Zero. In fact, one could easily confuse the cheaper version and make a weird mix and match. The Hexa wins hands down there. They are futuristically cool. The Nova is not so easily distinguishable from the Zero and a lot of others I've seen, but who cares? I quite like the stealthiness of the Nova appearing like a Zero. A bit like a BMW M looks the same as a standard BMW except the knowing tell tale signs. These are the gold lettering on the Nova and the blue and black cable. I guess that's enough to allow product differentiation for an ASR officianardo and the knowing look that results, but you'd probably be fooled if you swapped cable with a Zero - the cheapskate!
My metrics for comparing devices such as IEMs are based on assessing how good the conveyance of the musician's intent was. That's woolly and weird right? Guitarists will know that one guitar is just not enough! A bassist might have two lumps and a drummer chooses his kit depending on the genre of music. For example a Jazz drummer would opt for Sonor and rock Yamaha, Pearl etc.. I know what a Gibson SG sounds like through a particular amp and I know it won't sound the same with a different one, sometimes even if they are both the same! I want to know how the guitarists strummed their strings, drummers beat their drums, horn section blew into their horns and singer sang to get to the music they wanted us to hear. So many factors are involved that it's easy to describe how Pavaroti differs from Scott Walker, but we can experience exactly the same emotion even though they sing completely different material. Having said that, in sharp contradiction, classical music is a case of having exactly the same notes played with the same instruments but with startlingly different results. No two orchestras playing the same music sounds the same IMO. Piano players, violinist, etc seem to sound different to each other even when playing exactly the same notes. This is completely down to the musician's/ conductor's interpretation/perception and instruments. Therefore, controversially, while many so called professional reviewers strain sinews to differentiate the personality of, usually, expensive kit, the datum for us all interested in listening to music must be noiseless and pure reproduction. Kit shouldn't impart personality or flavour music. Kit should just reproduce accurately, I mean our ears don't add "character" to what we hear do they? Hence, the logic behind the blind listening test - the killer of many an expensive bit of kit. However, as we have seen, there are state of the art, essentially, noiseless, equipment that sound different to each other. I still don't understand how that can result with DACS. For example how can the Gustard R26 sound better than the SMSL SU10? What is making this perceived difference? Are they using a Harmann curve equivalent?
Anyway, emotional content is what we need and expect from music and I think I experience more levels of emotion as more detail is revealed. Ultimate resolution produces exactly what the musician was doing to produce the music. For example, a bass note, in most average equipment, will hardly be distinguishable from the foot pedal beat of the bass drum on any Led Zepp. song with below par reproduction equipment, it's all amalgamated into a muted thud.
However, with excellent equipment, you can hear the musician strumming the each guitar string with his plectrum. All musicians will strum differently, use different picks, strings, amps. Same fascinating level of permutations with all other instruments. Even the humble triangle. For me anyway, trying to take part in the experience of what the musicians did has very high value. So, any unwanted noise is seriously unwanted.
What am I getting at? Well, musicians, IMO, obsess (if they are pros) about getting their sound "right". If you listen to Keith Richards playing on records, who would know that he tunes his guitar in weird ways and strums only 5 strings to get his unique sound? Jimmy Page, likewise, nearly went mad getting the sound for songs. Apparently, Supertramp recorded "Give a little bit" inside an elevator. The song is the ultimate point of delivery and our musicians and their singers merge creativity to produce art and to try to earn a living. Just like all paintings aren't the same, all songs follow that rule. Just like we're all different even though we may have the same features. Most musicians and painters toil away without getting famous. Pro musicians are victims and prisoners of their instruments.
Reproducing that infinitesimal diversity in sound is the poison chalice of the sound engineer and then the audiophile. I guess, no two audiophiles are the same too, just to complicate matters, but we have learnt to standardise certain audible cues which apparently tell us good from mediocre to rubbish.
For most of us, knowing good from bad was a hit and miss affair. For me, light shone into my ears when I stumbled on the waxy complexion and features of Amir in his introductory video to ASR, on You Tube and subsequently "the detailed analytical review". What a revelation and although I did a lot of physics (inc. transforms), most of the stuff and data is beyond me..
However, this enabled me to ditch the fable and buy the truth. I ditched brands that most people would envy. Indeed, friends thought I'd gone mad when I showed them I'd replaced those lofty brands with little black boxes with made in China on them.
These little boxes in conjunction with my juicy speakers, well some things are just too good to ditch, have been a revelation ever since. The S.M.S.L SU 10 is just amazing.
The same story goes with IEMS - the Shure collection was hived off and Truthears plugged in. Nonchalantly buying IEMs for hundreds of dollars because " it must be better" while waiting around airport lounges has gone out of the window.
I thought the Hexa in combination with the Shio was going to be unbeatable while on the move. Paired with the G5, a great sunday lie in was guaranteed, although; I did undertake a longhaul flight with it once and will never again. Topping really have to sort out, the weight, short battery life with extended (forever) recharging time and noise interference from the phone - not a problem when in airplane mode, but a nuisance when trying to overcome jet lag in a hotel room and were finally falling asleep listening to Miles Davis. I did fix that issue with a bit of alu. foil placed in between mating components. Why don't Topping do that?
The Nova will replace the Hexa as my must go to, first choice, pole position IEM device. That's because IMO it is really exceptional. I say this without ever having listened to other IEMS that are supposed to be better. The ultimate IEM appears to cost thousands and is made by one man somewhere in the Far East. I wonder how they sound?
I never thought I'd be able to resolve, with clarity, the sonic intent of musicians with such diminutive and relatively cheap IEM devices, but today was that day. In short the Nova is an outstanding product.
For those impatient people, I'm finally getting to the point now,
I listened to my faithful Hexas first with the IEM killer that is Terrence Fixmer. Shifting Signals. Matiere Noire. I recommend everyone try this and you'll understand what I chose this track first. With both the Shio and G5 the sound is resolved clinically and is expansive - more with the G5.
With the Nova, things are different. Suddenly, the cavern has doubled in size and my ears have been injected with rejuvenating juice. Another dimension is exposed in the music with my old ears. The sort that makes you hold your breath. Switching back to the Hexa, feels like a thin veil of material has been placed in my ears. Back to the Nova and all is restored, everything is crystal clear and big.
Another selection, Talking Heads. With the Nova the separation is clear, but I can tell what the musicians are doing. Whose singing in a lower key to purposely add layer and complement, but not be lost to the lead singer? It's the bass player. The importance of their tonality is revealed. It's quite astounding to experience this level of musical detail. This is different to just detail. The character of the instruments are more lucid. If you play, you know about sustain etc.. here you can here the musicians working hard. You can hear the chords from each individual instrument and how the musician is choosing to play it at that instant.
Another selection in Apple is everybody's reference. Miles Davis, Kind of Blue, Digitally remastered, is just amazing for its intensity. You can feel the tension. It is there because Davis wanted/expected perfection. It was. Jimmy Cobbs drumming is a subtle masterpiece, never still, but joining everything together - he is pushing those guys along with slight of hand. I never got that before, he's actually in the front not at the back of everything going on. It's as if you're in the studio, but you know you're not because one of the microphones was defective. To me anyway, so you hear distortion on Adderley's sax on So What. Well, almost perfect. The most important element on that album which high end equipment often fails to reproduce accurately is the interwinning of chords between piano and sax on the same track. The piano either gets drowned out by the sax or intrudes annoyingly sounding like Evans was trying to make a point. With the Nova both players are resolved perfectly and are interplaying to synthesise - so what. Bill Evan's notes are audible and complement Coltrane's solos. That can be a mess. Not for the Nova. Churning in the background is Paul Chamber's double bass. The Nova is a step up from the Hexa in just being able to get there. Usually, the low frequencies are lost, but the Nova pumps it out without any fuss. It is expanded and fills the space just like a big beasty double bass would.
I put Scott Walker 4 on to test what many people, claim to be a Nova forte, which is vocal reproduction. Can't argue with them. Again, Walker's tonal nuances are effortlessly conveyed as is the musician's intent. I guess I hadn't fully appreciated just how good he was, but I notice a momentary level imbalance in the backing vocal chorus. A lose knob maybe. The tambourine is the instrument that really stands out on the first track. Have a listen - with the Nova. I just love that album.
Steely Dan is more of the same. More revelations and I'm really enjoying the obvious intelligence between Fagan and Becker being played out for us to decipher. The Nova excels at enlightening each instruments contribution. All the instruments! I mean, you know horns wobble notes because those guys playing them smoke 60 a day. Ha ha. Just joking lads.
Alabama Shakes is a real test. The vocals and that infuriating guitar amp the singer, Brittany, uses can be a pain. However, the really stand out for me is how the bass is resolved acutely on the first track. It's the first time the bass has outshone the xylophone on that track - Sound and Colour. The intensity and power of Brittany Howards vocals is eye watering. These are obliterated by the guitar in the next track. However, on track 3, that amp can be heard clearly feeding back a bad earth somewhere! It is annoying, but I guess they liked it! I'm not sure I heard that before.
Now the ultimate - Ini Kamoze -Ini Kamoze- World of Music. This is where the Nova edges the Hexa by quite a long way. Dub music should convey a feeling of being in outer space, with passing sputniks in your immediate vicinity. Endless echoes resounding around mile high valleys. The Hexa does a pretty good job, but the extra head room of the Nova hits the mark. It's akin to a 30,000W PA being played at full max in an empty Superbowl venue with you in the middle. How did they make that record?
I've seen a lot of those Harmann graphs being bounded about, but I only have my ears. The stand out performance of the Nova for me is an improvement on bass frequencies. The separation, depth, positioning of musicians (travel of drums left to right etc..) and clarity are all characteristics that have been enhanced to me. Clarity results in an almost like for like sonic reproduction of everything. You really get an impression of the effort players are making to get the sound because they are not excluded by the IEM not being capable. Really. It's that good IMO. Obviously, there must be better IEMS out there, but this is better for a few dollars more not thousands. For that I could buy a few new guitars! Might go for a drum kit, a sax, bass; well a live band!
Was it worth twice the price of the Hexa?
Yes, I think it was. The Nova has an additional dimension. It is extremely musical and that is what I like it about it. You get to understand the intent and art behind the music. I hope Truthear double the price of the next one and give us much more if that is possible?!
Sorry to go on, but I felt this device needed a bit more. Respect.
UPDATE: Got sale price difference refund from Shenzhenaudio!! whoop.