Closer Examination

The changes keep coming, other brands could learn a thing or two about not using the exact same accessories across the entire product line. The Truthear NOVA cable differentiates itself from the usual plain black color by going for a black and blue textile sleeve which is soft and light to the touch. This helps make you feel the cable is more luxurious than it costs which is always a good thing for first impressions. It's a four-strand, 448 core—each strand has 112 individual wires of monocrystalline OCC (Ohno continuous cast) high-purity copper conductor. There's really no tangling or flexing of the cable where the sleeving is used given it's loose enough to not resist re-shaping while still being tight enough to not collapse out of the 3.5 mm source plug with its long black metal housing. There is plenty of strain relief through—perhaps too much given how long it is—and the splitter has the Truthear logo followed by a functional cable cinch that remains in place where you keep it. My only real issue with this cable is with the pre-formed memory wire-style sheathing on the other end which not only looks ugly but you may well have to bend and keep it there by pressure/heat if the ear hooks don't conform well around your ears. The cable terminates in two 0.78 mm 2-pin connectors for the IEMs with black plastic housings that have L/R markings to help identify the left and right channels, respectively. All the metal plugs are gold-plated for oxidation resistance.


Truthear continues to rely on IEM shell manufacturer Heygears for DLP (digital light processing) 3D printing of various different resins to get the same detailed prints that SLA printing offers but at a much faster rate, enabling true mass volume production. These shells are black in color and form the cavity for the driver assembly to slot into with the rest added akin to a sandwich with the face plate glue-dropped onto for capping. Once glued in place, the shells are hand-polished and varnish sprayed to give a glossy finish that allows the decorative face plate to shine through. Branding comes in the form of the Truthear printed on the upper side and this is not really visible in use.


I would still not classify this as a minimalist design given the face plate is quite striking with its layered approach to adding in various elements under the resin pour. It's not as three-dimensional or iridescent as the Truthear ZERO was but the NOVA still has its own identity while falling in line with the overall design philosophy the ZERO/ZERO:RED also adopt. This time round, the shells are opaque enough to where you can't really see the drivers inside. There's a prominent L/R marking above the Truthear branding in case you were not able to discern the two sides and we also spot a fairly novel venting system on the side next to the 2-pin connectors placed in a cutout but flush with the shells. Thankfully, Truthear has a much more agreeable nozzle design here compared to what was on its previous IEMs, not only with a gentle slope but also with a less wide and long nozzle. The very end of the nozzle measures in at ~5.8 mm in diameter with a notch to help keep ear tips in place once installed. There is no metal filter on the end where we instead have three openings for the acoustic tubes leading from the drivers, including one that has a Knowles damper pre-installed.


Fitting the different ear tips will require you to slightly stretch the inner bore to fit over the nozzle before pushing them in and going around to ensure they are not at an angle. The notch becomes a defined end point where the ear tips effectively stop and the bore of the ear tips runs out of expansion room. Seen above are the included size M silicone and foam ear tips installed on the Truthear NOVA, including one of the double-flanged tips. Try out the various tips and sizes, and keep in mind that both ear canals won't necessarily have the best seal with the same size or set, either.


Regardless of which tips you pick, the next step is to connect the cable by carefully identifying the matching channels and orienting the ear hooks around your ear when connecting the IEMs. Doing so is simple as you simply push the 2-pin connectors in place and they remain there via a friction fit. The flush connectors in the shells clash somewhat with the recessed-style connectors on the cable, thus there's an extra length of housing hanging past the shells which I am not a big fan of. The 3.5 mm connection then goes to a source with the equivalent output, and I found myself using this set predominantly on the go paired with the Truthear SHIO offering nice value for money, or the more expensive but better sounding Questyle M15.