Audio Hekili
7 balanced armature (BA) and 1 dynamic driver in-Ear Earphone IEMs
- Upgrade from Audio Lokahi
- Detachable MMCX Cable
- Ergonomic Design
- Made of industry standard medical-grade UV resin
- Handcrafted IEMs with a maximum of 2 pcs made per day
Audio Hekili
About Audio Hekili
Audio Hekili was founded by a freelance engineer who has built up a sizable reputation in the DIY in-ear monitor (IEM) community throughout Asia. By using advanced crossover designs that far exceed the primitive single-order passes that most other IEM’s utilize, Audio Hekili is able to achieve the ideal target tunings with extreme precision. With a vision for paramount sound quality and bespoke character, Audio Hekili is committed to hand crafting each earpiece in small batches and continually innovating the field of in-ear monitors by implementing unique tuning strategies with the latest driver technologies.
Hekili - Passion for Music
Audio Hekili is the upgraded from Audio Lokahi. Hekili means Thunder/ Passion . The 7 balanced armature (BA) and 1 dynamic driver to ensures that the sound is true to what it was intended to be. With the upgrade of the two high frequency drivers and one dynamic driver, the sound quality is upgraded. Whether you are a performing artist, a studio engineer, or just a lover of great music, the Hekii could be one of your choice.
Each driver is tuned to perform at its optimal frequency range, minimizing the total harmonic distortion while maximizing the audio resolution that BA drivers are famed for. This tuning approach allows the subbass and bass to be deep and impactful without hindering upon the mids, which is kept at a neutral position to emphasize a natural tone. The BA tweeters utilized for the trebles in the Hekii are modified from the famed ‘Harman Curve’ survey, but goes further to extend the treble decay in order to better highlight harmonics and details, while increasing the perceived “airiness” in the music. In short, the accuracy of the Hekii ’s engineering means that its tuning is fit to amaze performers and listeners of every instrument and genre.
Quality Upgrade Cable
To best highlight the Hekii ’s impressive sound, it has been paired with an upgraded 4-core silver-plated OCC copper cable. Featuring the MMCX connection, the cable can be easily swapped to prolong the longevity of the IEM, as well as allow customization of your setup. The MMCX connectors chosen for the Hekili have been tested to meet the highest quality standards available and will provide a secure fit for the lifespan of the IEM.
Bespoke Design
The Hekili is handcrafted using industry standard medical-grade UV resin that is popular amongst the biggest IEM brands internationally. The quality resin provides both durability and comfort to the Hekili , and its ergonomic shell design means you won’t even notice your IEM’s during long performing or listening sessions. Because every Hekii unit is handcrafted, each shell design is unique and bespoke.
Technical Details
- 1 x Audio Hekili
- User Manual
Processing Time
This product is in Pre-order period. Pre-orders are provided for items that have not reached us and will take some time to be shipped out.
Pre-order Period: 1-2 week(s)
Note:
- No cancellation of orders once ordered.
- All orders to be shipped out sequentially.
Customer Reviews
Sounds like it should and looks nice, but doesn’t do anything special.
Im listening to various kinds of music and I was looking for a good overall IEM. And I’m not disappointed, I am amazed. I am using them with an Fiio DAC on an IPhone and they provide me with an rich and detailed sound I’ve never heard in this price range before. Highly recommend!
I think for the money your getting a stellar pair of IEM's in terms of sound quality. The soundstage is wide, the separation is excellent. These hit all the right notes, the high's are clean without sounding harsh and the bass is quite deep to my ears. I really like the mmcx connectors vs 2 pin which was one of my primary search criteria as I had issues with 2 pin IEM's falling out. Great job here.
I don't regret it, they sound perfect. They highlight what is just and necessary to make it sound flat, but enough equalized so as not to become boring, the low frequencies have presence but not for basshead (because I don't like iems either), they also have exquisite sub-basses, clear mids that don't dirty the mix (the most annoying noises are found at those frequencies, which is incredibly not the case), elements such as a guitar or a snare stand out for their clarity. They have extensive highs without being sibilant, I am somewhat sensitive to these frequencies, however I did not experience fatigue in hours of listening, but I cannot guarantee that someone more sensitive than me will possibly dislike it. Very good image, spacious soundstage without sounding like an artificial or forced reverb that doesn't exist. About ergonomics, they are very comfortable (I should mention that I consider myself to have average-sized ears).
Something negative? Nothing that is not solvable. It would be the package that it comes with, since it is a synthetic leather case (without a box) where a small cleaning brush comes, a pair of ear tips (curiously they resemble the low-end sony ear tips), it comes without manual, instructions, warranty, or any text or paper. Regarding the cable, these were already connected to the iems, my impressions about these were quite positive, they are solid, but they do not give me the feeling of being high-end for the price.
Everything mentioned, the packaging, the ear tips and the cable, can be improved by oneself, so here comes the big question, are they worth the price? Absolutely, at the end of the day the most important part is the iems and the drivers that they come with that sound spectacular (anyway I usually change the cable that the iems come with, regardless of the brand to improve my setup) 10/10.
I just love them . I got couple other IEM in my collection even more expensive than Hekili but keep coming back to them . One of my favourite . Definitely not going to regret if you buy them . One happy owner of Hakili .
I find these simple yet refined. They are worth the cost.
Imaging is simply phenomenal, imaging is on par with the Starfield's, but with greater resolution, warmth & detail. Bass has a good thumpy hit that is textured with layers, and vocals are intimate and rich (both male & Female). Mids are lush, instruments have nice spacing and imaging is simply killer. Treble gives everything air and sparkle without any harshness. Stage is above average, the bass tightened up after 24 hours of burn in. They sound good on everything, but really prefer them the most on the Shanling M3X, and also on the SMSL SU-9 tied to the iFi Zen Can.
>>>Update, after having these for several seasons, they are 1 of a Kind. The stage is simply breathtaking, the treble is perfect without being fatiguing or harsh, the vocals are natural and rich, and the bass has a nice hard punch quality to it but is nicely controlled with a slightly less pronounced sub-bass, as there is a very slight hint of a roll-off, still, everything is felt. And this allows for a nice warmth without the muddiness, and the treble allows super details to enter the scene as instrument detail is crisp with awesome 360 imaging. What a Fu@n IEM! It's awesome, this is without a doubt, an IEM that surpasses its price point with its sound quality, spacing and imaging. A Stellar Tuning! Mainly use it now on the FiiO K9 Pro(AK series) and still on the M3X.
Ordered these out of not being able to get on the Lokahi train for the longest time. They came in a case that is fine, along with some tips but no box which is understandable as it is just a small team, I believe.
Quite a bit disappointed that the "upgrade" cable out of the box was defective. I had to chip away at the plastic covering one of the solder joints on the jack so I could re-solder the thing(pic is post-op, I had to cover the joint with tape so the thing wouldn't short with the cover) because pre-fix, there were just a few strands making contact with the solder joint which caused the right side to be severely underpowered and made the left side super loud by the time you got to hear anything from the right. Not everyone who might buy this is going to have the soldering skills nor the patience to deal with the hassle of trying a return/refund on these. Another minor gripe I have is that although the construction quality on the shells is great, the handcrafted nature will stand out as the execution on the design is noticeably asymmetrical. I would have preferred the Lokahi style with just a homogenous color instead of the S thing.
That being said, with the issues out of the way, they sound like a concert hall with main emphasis on the bass as it is an upgraded Lokahi setup just with a dedicated dynamic driver for the lows, which is at times a bit too much at least for some of my library, and is a hair under what I would consider bloated but will probably satisfy most bassheads. Mids and treble are clear and non-sibilant. It has a warm, v-shape sound signature which, combined with the slam on the lower frequencies on a proper and comfy fit, makes it quite enjoyable for longer periods of time. Soundstage depth, tonality, and imaging are above average but timbre might leave more to be desired(just something about BAs you have to consider, still quite good though). They're also not all that difficult to drive.
Minor comparison with the only other BA set that I have, KZ AST is similarly tuned and is a bit wider in the staging and slightly better layering but everything else pales to the Hekili, as the mids and highs on the KZ have a muffled, veiled feel to them, and cohesiveness isn't anything to write home about. Bass slam, overall timbre is also more enjoyable on the Hekili.
Solid recommendation outside the quality control issues on the cable however I might be an outlier here.
*Updating the review to reflect the value these things have over the course of the year. The only viable replacement that I tried that compared to these that were nearly identical to how they sounded were the Sony M7s but they are double the cost of these. I'd rather stomach the wait time for pre-ordering a set of this over the Sony's.
This iem is really good.
Tuning is great , similar to Hbb's mele with slight bass boost.
Bass is so good , textured with authority. Mid have very good resolution and highs gives a very nice imaging , reverbs are beautiful on this set. Resolution in general is top notch.
When I look at some set I bought around the same price...
