7Hz Timeless II vs ThieAudio Hype 4

7Hz Timeless II

Approved coverage treats the Timeless II as a real second-generation effort rather than a rebadge: the dual-sided 14.5mm planar brings the punchy, fast bass the original was loved for, while the treble extends further and the stage opens up. The consensus verdict is that it is one of the strongest planar IEMs near $229, with the familiar planar caveats: upper-midrange energy that can turn edgy on bright recordings, and a large disc-shaped shell that not every ear tolerates. Compared with the original Timeless, reviewers hear a more refined, more extended, and slightly more expensive-sounding tuning, at a price that moved up alongside it.

ThieAudio Hype 4

The Hype 4 is a $399 hybrid built around a pair of 10mm dynamic drivers working together on sub-bass under ThieAudio's IMPACT2 arrangement, with four Sonion balanced armatures covering mids and highs. Coverage settles on a warm-neutral all-rounder. The low end stays powerful and clean without bleeding into the midrange, the midrange has natural timbre and gives instruments realistic weight and body, and the treble carries detail and air without sharpness, harshness or shoutiness. That last point is why long sessions and poorly mastered tracks get described as easy going. Imaging precision is well regarded, though how exceptional the staging is depends on the account: one calls the stage impressively wide and holographic with imaging among the best at the price, another calls it adequately wide with decent depth and a step behind the pricier Hype 10. Bass impact is the sharper split, read as substantial and weighty in one account and as enjoyable but not hard-hitting in another, which warns dedicated bassheads outright. The recurring complaints concern the box rather than the sound: a 3.5mm-only cable with no balanced or modular option at this price, and a tip selection thin enough that the wider than average nozzle makes tip rolling close to necessary. A dongle or a phone drives it, but source character still matters, since a bright source can push it toward sharpness and a warm one can thicken it.