Intro
It feels like it’s been a while since Truthear has released an IEM, especially when compared to companies like Ziigaat who seemingly release a new product every month. Does slow and steady beat fast and often? Maybe, but that’s not what we’re talking about in this review, we’re here to talk about the Truthear Pure.
The Pure is the successor to the Truthear Hexa. The Hexa is still regarded as being one of the most neutral IEMs at any price. So is the Pure a re-hash of the Hexa? Well…yes and no. They represent two different flavors of neutral, kind of at the opposite ends of the spectrum. While the difference between the Hexa and Pure isn’t massive, it’s not as subtle as the frequency response graphs would indicate either. Let’s dig into the Pure and see what it’s all about.
Tech Specs
Driver Configuration: 1 Dynamic Driver, 3 Balanced Armatures
Sensitivity: 124dB/Vrms @1kHz
Impedance: 13.8Ω±15%@1kHz
Frequency Response: 20 – 20 kHz
Connector: .078mm 2 pin
Price: $89.99
Sound
Overall
And now for the part that everyone came here for: the sound. Like the Hexa, the Pure is neutral, but with a splash of warmth to it. Imagine taking the Hexa and adding a 2-2.5db downward tilt to it, very similar to the Meta style of tuning. It’s not a huge difference, but it’s definitely enough to shift the character of the Pure to the warm side, as opposed to the Hexa being a tad lean and a little on the thin side. To me, the Pure is the more mature and better executed Hexa.
Bass
The bass on the Pure pushes right up to the line of sounding neutral, without crossing over into bass-colored territory. It’s full and rich without affecting the timbre of the mid range. Bass guitars sound very nice and realistic, and kick drums are perfect, offering some impact and authority, while still somehow retaining neutrality.
The Pure uses the same style bass as the Hexa and Moondrop Blessing 3, a straight line from 1k all the way down to 20Hz. This affects the bass in some interesting ways. The upper/mid bass gets a little extra pep in it’s step here, contributing to the way it presents kick drums and bass guitars. While ending up in the same place as sub bass focused tuning (i.e.: Meta tuning), the linear style of sub bass is less than those types of tuning, thus helping keep the Pure’s bass in the realm of neutral. While not necessarily unique, this style of bass tuning really helps give the mid bass some emphasis, while keeping the sub bass in check, contributing to that hint of warmth in the sound signature.
Mids
There’s not a whole lot to talk about here…which is a good thing! The mids are pulled back by 1-2db from the Hexa, helping to give that hint of warmth, but without sacrificing or pulling back instruments and voices in this area. It’s really smooth and well done.
Treble
Again, the treble is a lot like the Hexa, just scaled back a tiny bit. In fact, the treble reminds me a whole lot of the CrinEar Daybreak, which again, is a good thing! It’s smooth, natural, and finds the balance of being heard without standing out or being too recessed. Cymbals sound like you’re standing a few feet away in a concert – they’re that realistic sounding. Overall, the treble is great, there’s not much else to say.
Technicalities
Again, the Pure is very similar to the Hexa when it comes to technicalities. Check out the review of the Hexa and scale everything back by 5-10% and you have a good sense of what the Pure is capable of.
The two things that I’ll point out in this review are the instrument separation and detail retrieval. Instrument separation is top-notch for the price and even steps on the toes of IEMs that are almost double the price. Detail retrieval is like the Hexa, it’s good for the price, but not superb. Detail heads will want to look elsewhere.
How to Get the Most from Pure
I really struggled to come up with anything for this section. To my ears, a wide-bore eartip helped tame the bass by a fraction, letting the mids and treble do their thing by the same margin. It’s not necessary, but if you find the Pure to be too warm for your taste, this is a good way to tame the warmth down a tiny bit without EQ.
Conclusion
I wasn’t expecting Truthear to take the Hexa and make it even better. That seemed like an impossible task, but they did it anyway. Would I pick the Pure over the Hexa? In a heartbeat. It’s a more mature and more fun sound, and an easy decision that matches my preferences better.
If you’re looking for a brighter and thinner sounding neutral IEM, the Hexa is for you. If you want a slightly warmer and more engaging neutral style sound, the Pure is the way to go.
As a quick comparison, I’d take the Pure over the Juzear Defiant. While the Defiant has a more fun sounding signature, I still prefer the sound of the Pure – not to mention the crazy tip rolling required to get the Defiant to sound halfway decent.
The Pure is an excellent sounding neutral IEM and is an easy recommendation for around the $100 mark.