Raptgo Hook-X

First of all, I would like to thank my friend (Rodrigo Santana) for lending this unit for 2 weeks.

To portuguese speakers, i would reccomend reading the portuguese version of this review at 'Avaliasom' (Aqui tá em português, meu irmão!)

Raptgo?

Okay. The name is something quite unusual. I don't know... It sounds like the name of a game... well... 'Hook Champ' (I miss this game ).

Well, Raptgo is a brand of Minami Medical Technology (Guangdong), a Chinese company that develops hearing aids products. They decided to take a risk by creating an intra-auricular earphone to simply listen to music.

Now, if the execution was good or not, that’s what we will see in this review!

Physical aspects and comfiness

Because it’s a borrowed unit, there won’t be any impressions of Unboxing.

Starting with the case, it is very charming. Coated in gray leather with the logo(quite RAD, haha) of the brand. Inside is all velvety, well made.

A little issue: I found this leather kind of fragile. A little forced rub can end up tearing the coating. To preserve this unit, I decided to keep it in another case while I was using Hook X.

The cable is all covered in fabric. Terminals are interchangeable, allowing the exchange between 3.5mm, 2.5mm, and 4.4mm. Visually it is RAD(haha). But personally, I didn’t like the cable at all. It's very rigid, thick and impractical. But obviously, this is a personal taste. It’s up to you.

The IEMs itself

They’re pretty cool. Although they’re made of metal, they’re pretty light. I doubt if they are aluminum, titanium or die-cast type so light that they are.

The configuration is very interesting and even unusual - it is planar(14.2mm) combined with a piezo driver. I confess that I was afraid about piezo being aggressive in the treble. Soon I will talk more about it.

It’s not one of the easiest things to drive, but nothing drastic. It’s to consider touching a stronger source as most planars require.

And the icing on the cake! It’s an In-Ear "Open-back". Yes! Very cool and quite unusual! The faceplate is all perforated and it is possible to see the piezo driver when you hit the light. So much so that for this reason, when Rodrigo handed Hook X to me he commented: "I recommend you listen at home". But, until I didn’t have so many problems while listening in a bus. Obviously, isolation it's not the best thing in the world. However, in quieter situations, the sound leaks, making it possible for people around you to discover that you are enjoying a "Sandy Marton". Be careful!

As for the fit, this is subjective. For me, it had a reasonable fit. I’m not going to get into the isolation merit of being an "open" IEM.

How does it sound?

My first impressions were: "Wow! That's an awesome BASS, dude! "

Don’t get me wrong. By my conception, it’s not an IEM that I interpret as a "Basshead".

It is an IEM that has a lot of extension in the lows and highs and awesome levels of detail and space. It is slightly warm but not like Tangzu Zetian Wu, which is even romantic. Generally speaking, it is a fun IEM, even energetic, but without losing naturalness. It’s fast and precise, but amazingly, it’s not too analytical and even cold.

Because it is open, it has one best soundstages for an in-ear standard.

The lows

The bass is quite extensive, authoritarian, and fast, as expected from a planar. What draws a lot of attention is the texture, speed, and impact - you follow each fingering of the double bass with a well-defined texture. Listening to this IEM makes you want to play bass!

It gives the impression that the bass is strong, being even interpreted as a Basshead IEM. But in my view, the lows are so well executed that can be pleasant for the bass fanatics. The extension of the lows is great, allowing you to listen to the lower frequencies and even physically feel the sub-bass of the track "Bassotronics - Bass I Love You", even though the sub-bass is not a real priority in Hook X.

It is a pleasure to hear the bass of "BADBADNOTGOOD - Love Proceeding" with Arthur Verocai.

The Mids

The timbre of the Hook X mids is excellent and is the strong point of this region. Moreover, they have great separation and detail. Presence is ok, may sound a little thin, but nothing too much.

Voices, both male and female, are well performed. But what draws attention is the instrumentation, especially on the guitar when well distorted. And dude, the magic of this thing is I can put a track with 10 well-distorted guitars and Hook X will separate one by one. Excellent for metal!

This IEM was able to organize the mess that is the track "Lantlôs - Coma" and execute well done the guitars of "Earthside - Mob Mentality". With Hook X you listen very well to the nuances of guitars.

The Highs

This is where the Piezo comes in! And you know what I can talk about? I was mistaken for being afraid!

At first, I used tips with a narrower nozzle by the mid-trust of the treble. At the time I thought it was cool to take a risk with the sibilant tip and queen of soundstage "Tri Clarion". Bullseye! It was great!

Yes, those trebles are strong, but not sufficient to bother and pierce your eardrums. It's not tiring. They are very present or, even better - physical! You can have an idea of the size, shape, and intensity of each snare. It gives a sensation that you can touch them! It's amazing to listen to "Art Blakey - Mosaic" with its energetic style of playing drums, as the father of Hard Bop!

There’s a note: It’s not that frequent, but it happens. In some situations, they may hiss a little (this disregards the use of Tri Clarion!) and have some "tzz" sounds.

Raptgo Hook X is PERFECT for:

Metal, Rock, Pop, Electronic(EDM, House, Techno...), Rap, songs that demand energy.

Because of the impact and texture in the bass, mids with great timbre, especially in guitars, can be a great option for these musical styles. Nuances and separation on guitars are great for listening to metal. The strong impact on the bass and airy and physical trebles can be an amazing experience when listening to "Antdot – Viagem ao Centro do Eu", an electronic music rich in percussion and the use of the triangle (which will have a cool highlight in this track).

It was fun to listen to the album "Billy Idol - Rebel Yell"

I consider the Hook X as one of the best headphones for listening to metal.

Raptgo Hook X is GOOD for:

Jazz, Classical music, MPB (subjective), folk and acoustic music.

I could even say that jazz and classical music can perform great in Raptgo Hook X because of the great transients for orchestras and physical treble for jazz. I mean, for me, personally, it’s great. But I know that people who listen to classical music prefer something with less bass and some may find the snares for Jazz too frontal and too strong (as for some, this can be very positive).

In the case of folk and acoustic music, as much as the mids have great tonality and even the mids have a cool presence, I feel that something is missing on the acoustic guitar... It sounds quite thin...

By the way, It is awesome to listen to "Badbadnotgood - IV"!

Raptgo Hook X is BAD for:

Congratulations, Hook X! You’re a versatile IEM!

Verdict

When I listen to Hook X, I even understand the whole stylistic name, graphics, and design like: "wow, that's RAD, DUUUUDE". After all, it was a bet (a bullseye!) of a company that makes medical equipment, more specifically, hearing aids. You know? It’s the young guy in the team - he’s gotta be cool, DUDE.

But yes, he’s a BRO. You know? He’s cool, talks with everyone, anyway, he’s a cool guy.

That’s what Hook X is. I understand very well who has this IEM and does not want to level up to the more expensive ones. After all, he delivers everything very well, with versatility and fun without losing naturalness.

I mean, it’s weird to put "Naturalness" and "Energy" in the same place. But Hook X somehow does it!

Anyway, it’s worth the experience.

Welcome to written review of the product. We are going to talk about the Raptgo Hook in its original version.
Before talking about this product, I remember that inother reviews another headset with planar technology was reviewed, the Hifiman Edition Xs. If you want to see the video it´s on my channel.
Time does not usually play in favor of iems since many models are launched every month. An increasingly saturated market seems to be what Chi-fi is looking for. In the case of the Raptgo Hook Today it is still an excellent option below the €300 range.
Raptgo Hook It is not an easy task. Raptgo is a fairly recent brand that has more models, although I think the best performance is found in the Hook X. This iem has a retail price of around €200. There is now a slightly different version called Hook HBB which is blue.

When we open the box and see the contents of the product we already appreciate that it is very well presented. It would not be the first IEm that sells for over €200 that we notice is lacking in accessories or useless accessories. This is not the case with this headset.



Raptgo offers us quite a few white tips in small, medium and large sizes, all very similar, but at least we have spares. The differences are the color of the base of the tips, some come in black, others in white and others in cyan.
The carrying case feels rigid and roomy. One of the best cases I have had for its protection, feel, and portability. It's not too big, heavy or too flashy. It's what a carrying case should be.
The cable is wonderful. Raptgo opts for a greenish design of standard length fabric that is very pleasant to the touch. A flexible cable, but at the same time it feels resistant. Of course, don't expect it to not get tangled...it won't be like that.
They want more? Well, we have 2.5mm – 3.5mm – 4.4mm connectors included. Will they say a 4.4mm connector is necessary for an iem? In planar technology iems it is necessary. Later I will tell you why.
The design of the Hook X seems peculiar to me. I wouldn't be able to tell from a first impression if it seems pretty or ugly. Its green and black external contour matches the cable, also of the same colors. The exterior part is perceived with a different touch and, of course, open. It has small and multiple perforations that make this iem semi-open, which will give special characteristics to its sound.

I consider the Raptgo Hook to be a very versatile iem capable of practically everything. He is quite fun to listen to with various genres, although with electronics he is very enjoyable. It can be used to edit audio and video because it has enough detail, for monitoring I do not recommend it because perhaps its timbre is not 100% accurate although for its price it is the best... Basically it has no weak points if we compare it with sub300€ options.
Isolation
The insulation is good. Despite its semi-open design, it is nothing dramatic. It is true that you will not notice the isolation like that of deeper inserted iems like a Mangird Tea but I honestly consider that its isolation is comparable to that of, for example, an Ikko Oh5. Its leaks will not be anything out of this world either and are less than expected. At higher volumes, as is evident, you will hear a little more of what you hear compared to completely closed IEMs.



The sound signature is quite fun, but it feels technical. It is not the classic sub200€ iem with good bass, but that's it. I would say that Raptgo wanted the music to come first, giving importance to a tonality with a U-shaped signature, but quite natural...although with nuances. It has a strong low range, sub-bass presence, somewhat thinner and more neutral mids and highs on the limit of what I consider harsh. I will delve deeper into each section later.
Will a powerful amplifier be needed?
Will an amplifier be needed? Yes. We have an iem with 105 decibels of sensitivity and 15 ohms. Typical values for planar type headphones. Low sensitivity and low impedance. Sensitivity tells us that it will require energy to function. In fact, the sonata hd pro, a dac dongle capable of 120 mw at 32 ohms does not get 100% out of this iem.
Therefore, we are faced with an iem that a mobile phone can move but that will remain scarce and will not allow the full performance of the iem to be extracted.

SOUND SECTION – TECHS
To analyze the headphone I used an IFI hip dac. A portable amplifier capable of generating more than 250 mw at 32 ohms through the normal output. Taking advantage of the modular cable, I tested it through the 4.4 mm connection and the testing was done from this connection. 400mw of energy so that the iem can give its 100%. It should be noted that I have hardly noticed any difference between the balanced output and the normal 3.5mm output.
As in all reviews, only music in Flac quality at least is used in testing and analysis.
Aural purposes (mastering, music, editing…)
Before starting the sound analysis, it must be made clear that this headset is intended for enjoying music. As I said before, we are going to have a sound with enough detail to also use it for editing, although I believe that listening to and enjoying music is its fundamental purpose.
In terms of soundstage, open-back IEMs should offer something special to the soundstage, helping it achieve a level of extension closer to that of open-back headphones.
This is so? Half. Its sound feels quite expansive but is nothing spectacular. Iems like Olina, with a closed design, I consider to have a more surprising scene since they are capable of removing sounds in a very curious way.
In general, the sound field is wide and expansive, but perhaps the best thing is its stratification, which reaches levels that I don't think I have experienced with an IEM until now below €300…or €400.
In terms of image and instrumental separation, the Hook-X favors a spacious image so that its sound elements show everything they have to give, separating instruments, effects and voices with tons of air. That extension in the treble gives that air to the sound.
You always have a spacious feeling inside the Hook-X, offering your stage a huge amount of free space. Its layers give the image an enveloping depth in which it is easy to get lost. I recommend ambient type tracks to experience these spatial qualities.
All its incredible dimensions and location are perceived too naturally without being exaggerated.



SOUND SECTION – BASS
The bass is boosted slightly above normal, but this is not an IEM for bassheads. Hook-X's bass adapts to the music, so if a recording has meaty bass, Hook-X will respond in kind. As you'd expect from a planar transducer, bass is fast and tight, but if low notes have decay in the recording, you'll hear it on the Hook-X.
The presence of the subwoofer is more than evident. It appears when it has to appear and it shows... boy does it show.
For me the bass is the best thing about the headphone. I consider them to be on par with the OH5 although that extension of the subwoofer makes me prefer these.

SOUND SECTION – MIDS
While the mids have enough detail with excellent spacing, they are warm enough to be engaging as well. For me, the ultimate test is the connection I feel with the music. Everything sounds balanced.
Vocal lovers will appreciate Hook-X's vocal presentation. The male voices are full-bodied and powerful. Female vocals also benefit from the slight bump in the upper midrange; They are sonorous without being shouty and well articulated.
The negative point is that the midrange feels somewhat thinner. It seems that it lacks body in this part. It should be noted that on congested tracks with several voices or instruments the iem suffers and is not as crystal clear as on calmer tracks. Obviously this is noticeable if we compare it with more expensive equipment. A lot more.

SOUND SECTION – TREBLE
In the treble I find that the Raptgo is more difficult to describe. On the one hand, it should be noted that I don't find them soft and in certain songs, I find that they play very close to the limit of sibilance.
It's basically detailed with that extra shine. On the other hand, from time to time I hear a strange ringing or resonance. It reminds me a lot of the BQEYZ Spring 2 IEMs which also contain a piezo driver. I'm not sure if it's the piezo or just the 8 kHz peak, but luckily it doesn't appear frequently enough to be a problem.

Raptgo Hook X is an iem that can last for years and years. It has no weak points except the most crystalline and fine midrange... something that will surely please more than one person equally.



Its bass and subbass are a delight. Its treble gives a spark to the music that makes everything sound more alive and airy. Its stage is wide and attractive enough to enjoy the music and its layers are felt in ambient music.
For €200 or more, that product is even a recommendation for me.

Cable is so-so, the fit is less-so. It starts to hurt after 3-4 hours, but it's okay until then.
Should absolutely not be paired with a warm source, everything becomes soupy. Needs extra clarity and definition to help its shortcomings.