Hane Arpegear
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A shoutout to TOPPING Audio, thanks for giving me this set to make this review and to give it my sincere opinions and impressions. The TOPPING Audio ArpegEar Hane is the first entry by TOPPING Audio in a crowded and very competitive world of IEMs, powered by a 10 mm DLC dynamic driver, in a quality resin shell, with its beautiful feather-like faceplates with the ArpegEar and Hane logo respectively. An interesting proposal who can satisfy curious audiophiles and beginners with an MSRP of 129 USD, competing with its pairs and presenting a different proposal in the IEMs world.
You can find it at Topping Audio Official store in AliExpress, Amazon, and other minor retailers online.
TDLR; One contender in the 100+ USD market, presenting a neutral, bright, clean, crisp and interesting experience brought by TOPPING Audio with a different approach for a dynamic driver, a first entry into the IEMs world, appealing to a large number of consumers and audiophiles alike.
The ArpegEar Hane was launched back in 2024, with certain quantity of time in the market, being the first and only entry by TOPPING Audio to a very competitive market, with a very capable driver configuration, and with a different and interesting approach to the personalization of sound according to one own tastes, giving a neutral, bright, transparent and decently technical delivery of sound, showing TOPPING Audio’s tuning with a decent bass, mids and treble extension with the usual perks of a dynamic driver and with the possibility of adjusting the sound to your tastes with its switches.
SPECIFICATIONS
What's included in its package:
· TOPPING HANE IEMs
· Six pairs of ear tips (3 SML sizes narrow bore eartips, 1 pair of Moondrop spring tips M size, 2 pairs of M size Foam tips)
· Tuning tool
· User manual
· 4.92ft (1.5m) braided OFC cable
· Carrying pouch
About the packaging, the ArpegEar Hane box come with a nice selection of eartips, in this review I’m using the included Moondrop spring tips and the stock cable, but later I changed it to a TRN T2 pro cable with a 4.4 mm balanced plug to give the Hane the power it is craving. I would prefer the inclusion of a carrying case like other IEMs in the same price range because the carrying pouch included is only capable of carrying the IEMs with its cable and nothing more.
Its cable looks nice and well-built, and it matches goodly with the shells, maybe it is a little thin for my personal tastes and I found it is prone to tangle and producing microphonics, in my opinion you can use as it is, but this IEM needs a significantly powerful source to be well driven so is better paired with a cable with a 4.4 mm balanced plug. The shells are made of a very quality resin which is sturdy yet lightweight, with a minimalistic design and a gorgeous faceplate with a feather-like design and the ArpegEar and Hane logos respectively**.** Its comfort is something to highlight, it fits nicely in my ears and its nozzles (approx. 6 mm diameter) are a nice fit for my ears and the eartips I’m using, but I am conscious of the nozzle size, so have this in mind before you make a decision to buy this set.
How the ArpegEar Hane sounds:
The Hane with its 10 mm DLC Dynamic Driver offers a neutral bright tuning, a clean and balanced sound (depending on the switches' configuration), with a good extension into the lower and high frequencies (depending on the switches' configuration), an emphasis on its lower mids and a smooth pinna gain with a characteristic 3 khz peak and a nice 6khz dip handling the sibilance, with a clean, crisp and well aired treble extension and with the possibility of using the tuning switches to fit a lot of personal tastes.
Tuning switches:
First, thanks so much to ATechReviews for taking measures of the different configurations of switches of this Hane, so, this IEM got 4 switches who function as follows:
1 On = +2 dB on the subbass.
2 On = +4 dB on the subbass and midbass.
3 On = -2 dB on the upper mids and treble from 3 kHz and so on.
4 On = +4 dB on the upper mids and treble from 3 kHz and so on.
My favourite configuration after trying all the 16 possible ones is DUDD who makes the Hane more balanced, bassy and fitted to my tastes (neutral with bass boost). The DDDD config is more neutral bright, UUDD is the basshead’ configuration, and UUUU is the neutral bright with bass boost one, so you can play with the switches to see what it fits you better.
The following description goes with the DUDD config:
BASS: The subbass thump is more predominant than the midbass bump, but the bass shelf overall is very clean, detailed and crisp, so it is enjoyable as well, it bleeds enough into the lower mids without muddling the vocals and giving a more balanced and natural presentation of sound, good attack and decay. In songs like “Caramel” by Sleep Token you can feel the subbass drops and midbass and lower mids bass kick in a delightful presentation, in “Vodka Butterfly” by Ghost Bath, the ArpegEar Hane delivers the drums kick and bass guitar with a decent quality as well.
MIDS: As I mentioned before, the midbass bleeds into the mids but male vocals and bass kick are not muddy, neither veiled but it is slighty rolled off, a good pinna gain who takes a nice approach of cleanliness and enough presence and resolution, with a peak in the 3 kHz region, and a well-putted 6 kHz dip to crank the volume up, so you can hear those plates and cymbals, with a female vocals demonstration forwarded as well, neither sibilant nor fatiguing. In songs like “Fata Morgana” by Spiritbox the fast drums and the vocals of Courtney LaPlante (clean and growls) sounds very good, without fatigue or sibilance, in “Ruthless” by Cannons her vocals and instrumentation overall sounds well putted.
TREBLE: A nice and not offensive presentation, the treble is very crisp and sharp without harshness, very smooth but also with enough air, in songs like “Opus Brain” by Igorrr, the samples sound very natural, clean, transparent, engaging, in songs like “Sheol, Pt. I - Nowhere” by Hypno5e all the instrumentals and microdetails are well delivered, it is a pleasure listening to this band with the Hane.
TECHNICALITIES: The upper treble extends graciously, presenting an airy and spacy sound, the soundstage is wide and has plenty of space sensation and depth. In songs like “Sacred” by Parkway Drive you can hear all the instrumentals, macro and microdetails of the track so well-putted. The Hane has an enough resolving presentation of sound with a decent imaging average for its price, with live and full of details tracks like “ThereIn (Live in millan 2008)” by Dark Tranquillity there’s no congestion at all, with a good distinction of all the instruments involved, and a decent feeling of the live scenario in which they performed.
Final thoughts and conclusions:
The TOPPING Audio ArpegEar Hane stands out as a well-rounded offering and an interesting option in the 100+ USD segment, it offers a different approach to the personalization of the sound to fit a lot of tastes, it can be neutral, bright, balanced, bassy, etcetera, and its DLC dynamic driver delivers a quality of sound to notice, so it converts the Hane in an overall nice all-rounder with an engaging and musical character, making it ideal for newbie audiophiles and other ad curios audiophiles who appreciate a joyful and charming audio experience.
The ArpegEar Hane have some caveats I try to acknowledge in this review like the need of a powerful source to drive it well (I’m using my Fosi K7 Desktop Headphone Amplifier, the DTC480 and DTC800, and the Shanling UA Mini to obtain the best results), its stock cable is only 3.5 mm so, the offering of a 4.4 mm termination or a modular cable is desired… And its carrying pouch is not enough to carry the IEMs with its cable and a dongle to add to its portability. TOPPING Audio enters the IEMs market with an interesting offer with this ArpegEar Hane with a sound to beginners who want to try different tunings to see what it fits they better and curious audiophiles who like and enjoys different tunings and who wants to experience a high-quality entry into the Hi-Fi world.
Again, thanks to TOPPING Audio for giving me this IEM to review, also, thanks to you the reader for enjoying this revision, and happy listening!
You can find it at Topping Audio Official store in AliExpress, Amazon, and other minor retailers online.
TDLR; One contender in the 100+ USD market, presenting a neutral, bright, clean, crisp and interesting experience brought by TOPPING Audio with a different approach for a dynamic driver, a first entry into the IEMs world, appealing to a large number of consumers and audiophiles alike.
The ArpegEar Hane was launched back in 2024, with certain quantity of time in the market, being the first and only entry by TOPPING Audio to a very competitive market, with a very capable driver configuration, and with a different and interesting approach to the personalization of sound according to one own tastes, giving a neutral, bright, transparent and decently technical delivery of sound, showing TOPPING Audio’s tuning with a decent bass, mids and treble extension with the usual perks of a dynamic driver and with the possibility of adjusting the sound to your tastes with its switches.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Driver unit: 10mm DLC dynamic driver
- Frequency response: 5Hz – 35kHz
- Sensitivity: 115dB/Vrms
- Impedance: 80Ω ±15%
- Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): <0.05%
- Cable: 4.92ft (1.5m) OFC braided cable
- Connector: 0.78mm 2-pin
What's included in its package:
· TOPPING HANE IEMs
· Six pairs of ear tips (3 SML sizes narrow bore eartips, 1 pair of Moondrop spring tips M size, 2 pairs of M size Foam tips)
· Tuning tool
· User manual
· 4.92ft (1.5m) braided OFC cable
· Carrying pouch
About the packaging, the ArpegEar Hane box come with a nice selection of eartips, in this review I’m using the included Moondrop spring tips and the stock cable, but later I changed it to a TRN T2 pro cable with a 4.4 mm balanced plug to give the Hane the power it is craving. I would prefer the inclusion of a carrying case like other IEMs in the same price range because the carrying pouch included is only capable of carrying the IEMs with its cable and nothing more.
Its cable looks nice and well-built, and it matches goodly with the shells, maybe it is a little thin for my personal tastes and I found it is prone to tangle and producing microphonics, in my opinion you can use as it is, but this IEM needs a significantly powerful source to be well driven so is better paired with a cable with a 4.4 mm balanced plug. The shells are made of a very quality resin which is sturdy yet lightweight, with a minimalistic design and a gorgeous faceplate with a feather-like design and the ArpegEar and Hane logos respectively**.** Its comfort is something to highlight, it fits nicely in my ears and its nozzles (approx. 6 mm diameter) are a nice fit for my ears and the eartips I’m using, but I am conscious of the nozzle size, so have this in mind before you make a decision to buy this set.
How the ArpegEar Hane sounds:
The Hane with its 10 mm DLC Dynamic Driver offers a neutral bright tuning, a clean and balanced sound (depending on the switches' configuration), with a good extension into the lower and high frequencies (depending on the switches' configuration), an emphasis on its lower mids and a smooth pinna gain with a characteristic 3 khz peak and a nice 6khz dip handling the sibilance, with a clean, crisp and well aired treble extension and with the possibility of using the tuning switches to fit a lot of personal tastes.
Tuning switches:
First, thanks so much to ATechReviews for taking measures of the different configurations of switches of this Hane, so, this IEM got 4 switches who function as follows:
1 On = +2 dB on the subbass.
2 On = +4 dB on the subbass and midbass.
3 On = -2 dB on the upper mids and treble from 3 kHz and so on.
4 On = +4 dB on the upper mids and treble from 3 kHz and so on.
My favourite configuration after trying all the 16 possible ones is DUDD who makes the Hane more balanced, bassy and fitted to my tastes (neutral with bass boost). The DDDD config is more neutral bright, UUDD is the basshead’ configuration, and UUUU is the neutral bright with bass boost one, so you can play with the switches to see what it fits you better.
The following description goes with the DUDD config:
BASS: The subbass thump is more predominant than the midbass bump, but the bass shelf overall is very clean, detailed and crisp, so it is enjoyable as well, it bleeds enough into the lower mids without muddling the vocals and giving a more balanced and natural presentation of sound, good attack and decay. In songs like “Caramel” by Sleep Token you can feel the subbass drops and midbass and lower mids bass kick in a delightful presentation, in “Vodka Butterfly” by Ghost Bath, the ArpegEar Hane delivers the drums kick and bass guitar with a decent quality as well.
MIDS: As I mentioned before, the midbass bleeds into the mids but male vocals and bass kick are not muddy, neither veiled but it is slighty rolled off, a good pinna gain who takes a nice approach of cleanliness and enough presence and resolution, with a peak in the 3 kHz region, and a well-putted 6 kHz dip to crank the volume up, so you can hear those plates and cymbals, with a female vocals demonstration forwarded as well, neither sibilant nor fatiguing. In songs like “Fata Morgana” by Spiritbox the fast drums and the vocals of Courtney LaPlante (clean and growls) sounds very good, without fatigue or sibilance, in “Ruthless” by Cannons her vocals and instrumentation overall sounds well putted.
TREBLE: A nice and not offensive presentation, the treble is very crisp and sharp without harshness, very smooth but also with enough air, in songs like “Opus Brain” by Igorrr, the samples sound very natural, clean, transparent, engaging, in songs like “Sheol, Pt. I - Nowhere” by Hypno5e all the instrumentals and microdetails are well delivered, it is a pleasure listening to this band with the Hane.
TECHNICALITIES: The upper treble extends graciously, presenting an airy and spacy sound, the soundstage is wide and has plenty of space sensation and depth. In songs like “Sacred” by Parkway Drive you can hear all the instrumentals, macro and microdetails of the track so well-putted. The Hane has an enough resolving presentation of sound with a decent imaging average for its price, with live and full of details tracks like “ThereIn (Live in millan 2008)” by Dark Tranquillity there’s no congestion at all, with a good distinction of all the instruments involved, and a decent feeling of the live scenario in which they performed.
Final thoughts and conclusions:
The TOPPING Audio ArpegEar Hane stands out as a well-rounded offering and an interesting option in the 100+ USD segment, it offers a different approach to the personalization of the sound to fit a lot of tastes, it can be neutral, bright, balanced, bassy, etcetera, and its DLC dynamic driver delivers a quality of sound to notice, so it converts the Hane in an overall nice all-rounder with an engaging and musical character, making it ideal for newbie audiophiles and other ad curios audiophiles who appreciate a joyful and charming audio experience.
The ArpegEar Hane have some caveats I try to acknowledge in this review like the need of a powerful source to drive it well (I’m using my Fosi K7 Desktop Headphone Amplifier, the DTC480 and DTC800, and the Shanling UA Mini to obtain the best results), its stock cable is only 3.5 mm so, the offering of a 4.4 mm termination or a modular cable is desired… And its carrying pouch is not enough to carry the IEMs with its cable and a dongle to add to its portability. TOPPING Audio enters the IEMs market with an interesting offer with this ArpegEar Hane with a sound to beginners who want to try different tunings to see what it fits they better and curious audiophiles who like and enjoys different tunings and who wants to experience a high-quality entry into the Hi-Fi world.
Again, thanks to TOPPING Audio for giving me this IEM to review, also, thanks to you the reader for enjoying this revision, and happy listening!
Attachments
I would like to express my gratitude to Apos Audio for providing the IEM. As always, my opinion is solely my own, and I have not been paid or coerced in any way.
https://apos.audio/products/topping-hane-iems
Specs
- Driver unit: 10mm DLC dynamic driver
- Frequency response: 5Hz – 35kHz
- Sensitivity: 115dB/Vrms
- Impedance: 80Ω ±15%
- Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): <0.05%
- Cable: 4.92ft (1.5m) OFC braided cable
- Connector: 0.78mm 2-pin
We'll begin with the box; it's a decent-sized, blue and black box with comprehensive information about the item on the outside.
The box contains the Hane IEM, a beautifully designed faceplate with a blue, sparkly, feather-like design, well-crafted from medical-grade resin. It comprises a vast array of tips of various kinds, a decent yet slender cable, and an extremely small pouch.
Sound-wise, the Hane offers versatile directions; it's just north of balanced with an almost neutral tuning by default, and with a single switch, it can boost the bass to highly enjoyable levels, or further switches can fine-tune or amplify the treble.
In its default setting, the bass is quick and has a pleasant, subtle rumble, as I discovered while listening to LL Cool J's "Murdergram." With the first switch engaged, the bass gains a bit more depth and the rumble intensifies, which I find to be the best setting, especially when listening to Teddy Swims' "The Door." The bass can be subtly textured with decent detail or more pronounced with a slight decibel increase using the first two switches. The midrange is clear and perfectly neutral, with a touch of brightness at the upper end on the default setting, which shouldn't be a problem at normal volume. The Treble offers a clear and sparkling sound quality; it is not overly sharp but can be adjusted with the final few switches.
A soundstage that is well-rounded, offering good imaging and details within an open and equal field.
In a nutshell
The Hane Arpegear is a nice-looking IEM with good isolation and fit, it has a tunable neutral sound with the ability to increase air and treble as well as bass. the switches actually work well on this one and while the cable is thin it is robust, and the pouch is probably my least favorite thing.
video soon!
Attachments
