Thieaudio Hype 2 Review: Mid-Range Excellence
Thieaudio has spent a lot of time focusing on high-end earphones over the last review, but it’s returning to its roots with the Hype 2. Its latest pair of earphones adopts designs from its flagship Monarch MKIII and brings them to a more accessible price point. At $299, these headphones aren’t cheap but offer sound quality and performance that’s destined to impress.
In many ways, the Thieaudio Hype 2 feels like a return to form. The company has spent a lot of time in the high-end designing flagship in-ear monitors (IEMs) for audiophiles and live performers. Products like the Monarch MKII , MKIII , and Prestige LTD have been excellent and prove that this is a brand that knows its craft. But those IEMs are also $999 or more and out of reach of most listeners.
That’s not where the brand began, however. Some of my earliest reviews in the audio space were for some of its most formative IEMs, like the Legacy 3 , which retailed for only $119. It has experimented a lot since then, releasing products across the pricing spectrum, including a couple pairs of headphones. The Hype 2 returns the company to more accessible pricing — or at least mid-tier pricing — and brings some of its biggest advancements to more affordable price points.
The Thieaudio Hype 2 is being called a mini-Monarch and for good reason. It uses a hybrid driver arrangement, consisting of two balanced armatures and two dynamic drivers, While its BAs are both part of Sonion’s latest generation, they’re different from the ones used in the Monarch MKIII, and there’s no ESTs either. What draws them together are the dynamic drivers and the tuning.
Like the Monarch MKIII, the Hype 2 utilizes two 10mm dynamic drivers. These drivers are placed in an isobaric chamber to
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