Recently, we have reviewed headphones of almost all types and configurations, but Raptgo still has something to surprise us with. In the new Hook-X hybrid model, they managed to combine a 14.2mm planar driver with a double-sided 9-layer piezoelectric driver. I personally have not yet seen such configurations and have not even heard of them. But this is not all, in order to add naturalness to the sound, it was decided to leave the design itself open. What happened, not only causes frank delight, this model can easily be compared with solutions several times more expensive. And this is already a very serious claim for success among advanced music lovers.

Characteristics

• Drivers: planar 14.2 mm + double-sided 9-layer piezoelectric
• Connector: 2Pin 0.78mm.
• Frequency range: 20 Hz – 40 kHz
• Sensitivity: 105 dB/mW
• Impedance: 15 ohm
• Cable resistance: 0.128 (total) + 0.493 (left and right) ohm

Packaging and equipment

The headphones came in a gray, strictly designed cardboard box with the image of the heroes of the review, an indication of the presence of a planar emitter inside and a general diagram of their device on the reverse side. In order to find out the technical characteristics, you will have to refer to the official website or the store page. Of the important, this is an impedance of 15 ohms and a sensitivity of 105 dB / mW.

In the kit, we put a small instruction manual, a warranty card, a tight carrying case and three sets of almost identical-looking silicone ear pads.

Of much greater interest is a dense cable in a fabric braid with heat-shrinkable ears, classic already fork connectors and a modular straight plug. To which all the most common configurations are attached: standard 3.5 mm, balanced 2.5 mm and pentacon 4.4 mm. As practice shows, this is a much more successful way than choosing the type of plug at the ordering stage, since it allows you to switch between sources using the same cable, without any additional investments.

The equipment showed the resistance of its common channel equal to 0.128 ohms, and the left and right 0.493 ohms each. The spread, of course, is present, but absolutely insignificant.

Design/Ergonomics

The cups themselves, as I mentioned, have an open design with numerous holes on the back. All this is complemented by a green convoy, which is in perfect harmony with the all-metal case and the cable of the same color.

On their inner part there is a single compensation hole and a medium-sized sound guide, with a ledge to hold the ear pads and a protective metal mesh.

So you can guess about the use of a planar emitter here only by the translucent elements of the driver through the holes in the front part.

I won’t say that it looks cool, but it’s quite worthy. The model sat comfortably in the ears, the only thing is that the included eartips turned out to be a bit small, so I replaced them with third-party ones from the KbEar set.

measurements

According to measurements, we have almost a reference impulse, acceptable discrepancy between the left and right channels and distortion, reaching 3% at the peak. Which, of course, is a lot, but still acceptable. By the way, the right channel has much lower distortion, about 1%.

The phase behaves naturally, and the attenuations at 30 and 60 dB are somewhere between 76 and 96 ms, with slight perturbations in the low-frequency region.

The ear pads, as you can see, give a completely identical result. Which is not surprising, since they differ only in silicone.

In terms of frequency response, we have an increase in low frequencies by 8 dB with a slight approach to the middle, a classic selection of the intelligibility area and a peak at 8 kHz to enhance the sharpness of the sound. The range itself was honestly brought to us up to 20 kHz.

Measurements taken on an artificial ear according to the IEC-60318-4 standard.

Sound

When listening to Hook-X, you literally immediately notice how transparent and at the same time natural sounding is here. With fat and rather textured bass, light expressive mids and comfortable but rather long highs. That is why vocals, like most mid-range instruments, get a very good basis in depth, simply excellent separation, emphasized melody and attenuation that is pleasant to the ear. Without cramps, taunts and sibilants. That is, the tops were not only highlighted for us, they were also competently prepared so that they would not dominate and at the same time not be relegated to the background. Which, given the excellent saturation of the mids, gives just a delightful balance.

Comparing the hero of the review with the Kinera Imperial URD, I would like to note a much more biting bass, in Kinera it is noticeably softer, a little less juicy middle and more pronounced tops. I confess that this is exactly how I would like to hear them in the Imperial URD: slightly accentuated, layered, with the right weight and almost silky in their sophistication attenuation. The middle, rather due to the open design, seems cleaner and more relaxed, thus providing a fantastic level of immersion in the material. I wouldn’t say that the Hook-X is superior to the Imperial URD, far from it, but they are quite comparable. In addition, in Raptgo, the uniformity of the presentation is also attractive, as if one single mega emitter sounds.

In 7Hertz Eternal, you immediately feel the difference between a single dynamic emitter and a planar one, coupled with a piezoelectric one. 7Hertz sound much juicier, more voluminous and more melodic. Compared to them, Raptgo has a lot more air, thinner and more refined mids and just super transparent highs. However, in addition to the clearly positive aspects of the open design, it is worth bearing in mind that you can hear a little what is happening around in them, but your music will not interfere with those around you. In 7Hertz Timeless, the sound was no less interesting, but it was perceived even thinner and there was no such immersion due to the open design. The Shouer S12 has been tuned to be more aggressive in the treble region, which owners have repeatedly complained about. Solutions from TinHiFi are tuned for an almost flat frequency response, which is why they are perceived drier and more neutral. This is neither good nor bad, just a different approach to sound tuning.

Regarding the amplification requirement, I personally always take planars with a balanced plug to guarantee more than 100 mW into 32 ohm loads. You can, of course, and less, but there is a chance they simply do not swing. A regular 3.5 mm plug only makes sense for external amplifiers or full-fledged audio players. Stylistically, in my opinion, the model is absolutely universal. The only thing for which Hook-X may not be suitable is if you need not a transparent melodic middle, but a solid one with an emphasis on macro. But this is no longer about genres, but about the taste perception of sound. Well, for the way the heroes of the review reproduce orchestral music, one can only give a standing ovation – this is something stunning. With the texture, volume, depth and accuracy of positioning in space characteristic of instruments. Really, it’s better to look.

Complete ear pads, despite almost identical graphics, slightly, but change the perception of musical material. So the version with a blue core completely removes the lower bass, thereby emphasizing the high-speed characteristics of the middle and directly the top. Blacks, in my opinion, are the most bassy, and whites are something in between. But, as I already mentioned, I personally did not use the stock tips, for me, the white tips with multi-colored cores from the KbEar kit just look great with the Hook-X. They are now equipped with many flagships and they can also be bought separately . Highly recommend and not only for these headphones.

From the sources of the model, both something super musical and strict analytical solutions are perfect. In the first case, we will strengthen the emotional and melodic component, and the heroes of the review will not occupy the clarity and transmission of various small nuances anyway. Something monitor-oriented with a bias in analytics, on the contrary, will emphasize the already worthy separation, enhance the rendering of nuances, as well as speed performance across the entire frequency range. That is, the priority here is only your taste preferences. I have DACs in each of these two settings, and in each case I’ve had my own particular listening pleasure.

In short, it should be remembered about Hook-X that this is an open design, due to which the rendering of the scene here is simply magical, regardless of the complexity of the work. Pretty deep bass, with many favorite rumbles on the sub component, where the range itself is completely transparent in terms of timbres. The middle is clear, like spring water, with a slightly advanced vocal, emphasized melody and such realism that it seems only a few steps to the musicians. High ones are generally a work of art. Raptgo somehow managed to combine excellent length with the right mass and naturalness of what is happening. Nothing spills or cuts anywhere, while all the attenuation is in full view. It turned out very well, on a par with the best models from other manufacturers.

findings

As a result, open hybrid headphones based on planar and piezoelectric emitters, in my opinion, made a real revolution in sound, pushing models that were still considered almost the best in their price segment. There were too many nozzles in the kit, but I would recommend replacing them with third-party ones from KbEar. With them it becomes not only better, but much better. But the cable really pleased, in the color tone to the headphones, dense, twisted, with interchangeable plugs of all common types.

In terms of sound, we have a deep bass with good dynamics, a crystal-clear middle, with a very good melody and drawing of nuances, just incredibly deliciously cooked highs and an ideally accurately constructed stage. You should only care about the power of your amplifier. Planars have always been sensitive in this regard, so the more the better. In total, I really liked the model and even having higher-level headphones in the collection, I often preferred Raptgo hybrids for listening. Very worthy, you can take.

Raptgo Hook-X on aliexpress Raptgo Hook-X on the website

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