Topping Hane IEM Review

[amirm]

It's strange that most of the responses are strawman arguments comparing the airpod pro's I mention to over the ear headphones.

I thought that is what you were asking. On airpod i don't want to keep charging the thing.

 

[staticV3]

2V (standard) output for most dongles might not be enough voltage, depending on linearity behaviour of the Z on those IEMs.

2V output will drive the Hane in default switch position to 120dB SPL Peak at 425Hz or 125dB SPL at <50Hz.

Z linearity is hardly relevant in this case as even with SW2 engaged, impedance doesn't drop enough to affect common headphone outputs.

 

[kemmler3D]

A great result for an IEM review, the distortion especially. I think the mixed comments just illustrate the nature of designing an IEM. they nailed the target they aimed for as well as anyone could, at a pretty reasonable price. They even added EQ, more or less. But in the world of IEMs any given target (and size, sensitivity, etc) won't make everyone happy.

Bravo to topping for a great result here, will definitely be on the list if I shop for new in-ears.

 

[Nwickliff]

I thought that is what you were asking. On airpod i don't want to keep charging the thing.

That's fair I suppose. I charge the case once a week when I go to bed if they seem low, and they obviously charge the buds whenever they are put back in their tiny little case. No wires to untangle when I take them out or put them away. I even took the audiology test and have the frequencies I'm deficient in boosted when in transparency mode. Horses for courses I guess. I wear them half of the day and forget they are in even when I'm not listening to music or podcasts.

 

[Jimbob54]

2V (standard) output for most dongles might not be enough voltage, depending on linearity behaviour of the Z on those IEMs.

I own Meeaudio's P1 where Ohm is "only" 50 and can't get it real loud paired with Fiio Q1. 2V on that 50 Ohm IEM is just a joke. No spark, no emotion. It's not only about loudness.

Put it another way . Amir measured them as needing 170mv to get 94dB spl . How much more might you need ?

These should need little or no positive eq so no need for preamp reduction. Even the voltage hobbled EU apple dongle should be fine for modern pop and rock type stuff .

 

[Tommy-Geenexus]

It's strange that most of the responses are strawman arguments comparing the airpod pro's I mention to over the ear headphones. You mention bulky and Amir mentioned ear sweating, both of which have no relevance to airpod pro's. Not sure how it gets more portable than airpods pro. No dongle, needed, PEQ built into app, has microphone included and no wire to mess with. To each his own I suppose.

I'm not using Apple products, so i can't comment on the airpods, but other buds (galaxy buds) were inferior in terms of comfort and usability (charging, EQ).
From my understanding it seems that full airpod functionality is limited to Apple devices, so it is not an option for many people.

 

[Nwickliff]

I'm not using Apple products, so i can't comment on the airpods, but other buds (galaxy buds) were inferior in terms of comfort and usability (charging, EQ).
From my understanding it seems that full airpod functionality is limited to Apple devices, so it is not an option for many people.

Interesting. I’ve never heard the galaxy buds compared to the other leaders in this market, (Apple, Sony, Bose) so no idea how they stack up. You are correct that eq is limited somewhat but there are some 30 presets you can choose from. Also, as you stated if you’re not in the Apple ecosystem many of the ease of use benefits are null and void.

 

[oleg87]

Due to its abnormal high 80 Ohm Z.

2V (standard) output for most dongles might not be enough voltage, depending on linearity behaviour of the Z on those IEMs.

I own Meeaudio's P1 where Ohm is "only" 50 and can't get it real loud paired with Fiio Q1. 2V on that 50 Ohm IEM is just a joke. No spark, no emotion. It's not only about loudness.

As Amir said: these are as sensitive as a pretty average over-ear headphone. Their impedance is similarly unremarkable, and will be much less susceptible to FR shifts from high output Z sources than the Truthear dual driver stuff. I can only speak for myself and my preferred volume levels, but I’ve found overly high sensitivity in many IEMs to be a *much* more serious issue than not getting enough power with completely average sensitivity headphones.

 

[Chagall]

2V (standard) output for most dongles might not be enough voltage, depending on linearity behaviour of the Z on those IEMs.

I own Meeaudio's P1 where Ohm is "only" 50 and can't get it real loud paired with Fiio Q1. 2V on that 50 Ohm IEM is just a joke. No spark, no emotion. It's not only about loudness.

So P1 is even less sensitive 96dB/mw than Hane 97db/mw. 50 vs 61 ohms (depending on the switch) won't change much.

For spark and emotion see here:

Nominate Your Favorite Track of 2024 (Contest)

Is there a single music track that really captured your heart in 2024? For me, this was it: the cover song by David Gilmour's daughter, Romany Gilmour: Between Two Points. I especially like this tour rehearsal video. The bass is distorted but the vocals are well recorded, highlighting the...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Heinrich]

2V (standard) output for most dongles might not be enough voltage, depending on linearity behaviour of the Z on those IEMs.

You could recap the formulae for dBs versus voltage and such. Thing is, how would You mount some hearing protection under the IEM? Space is quite limited in there. As was already mentioned, I too have to always tone down the volume with my Zeros pretty much to end up at bearable spl, losing precious bits in countable numbers on the way - what a pitty. But if not, I would be deafend, which somehow contradicts my xpert status.

 

[CedarX]

I bought Arpegear Hane about 2 months ago. I also have Truthear Nova which has been mentioned in this thread as a potential alternative: both of them are very good IMHO.

Now, do I find them better than, say the inexpensive 7Hz Zero:2, Moondrop Chu-II, or Tanchjim One? No, not really… different maybe… but as in a “good difference”. Oh, and I still EQ all of them to explore around their freq. response and “differences”.

Would I buy Hane again? Absolutely!
First, for the same reason I bought quite a few Topping devices: the assurance I get TOTL performances... even if it’s not really audible for my average hearing capabilities.
And second, because they fit my ears well and I found them very comfortable.

Thanks @amirm for the review!

 

[Nango]

Reserved for @AdamG to kindly post the specs.

Manufacturer Specifications:

View attachment 417043

Only cheap linen pouch, no foam tips, no other but simple tips, no flanged tips, mhhhh ...... It's a no for me, stick with my Truthears so far .....

 

[Curupira]

Am I the only one who thinks toggles are a feature worth at least half the asking price and some sensitivity loss?

I fear for the durability of them with constant use. Imagine getting a stuck switch on one side.

 

[F1308]

I fear for the durability of them with constant use. Imagine getting a stuck switch on one side.

You opened my eyes...

Ordering ten more, just in case.

 

[Chagall]

I fear for the durability of them with constant use. Imagine getting a stuck switch on one side.

If they fail in the first couple of days, then they deserve to be returned. After that initial setup period, there is no need to tinker with the switches.

 

[Angenor]

Here measurements on BK5128 by Hangout (Crinacle) with Harman IE 2019 as reference, it's a bit crowded but I wanted to include all switches combinations
View attachment 417246

https://graph.hangout.audio/iem/5128/?share=Harman_IE_2019_(B&K_5128)_Target,Hane

This treble peak is even more pronounced there, very stingy.

 

[Angenor]

That is a function of the fixture and will highly vary based on actual use. It is a resonance due to volume of the tube in front of the measurement mic. My GRAS fixture "high resolution" coupler suffers far less than typical coupler but it is still there:

View attachment 417117

These are the variations you can get without the damping in my fixture:
View attachment 417118

It is therefore impossible to know what resonance there is in real usage.

As I have said though, lack of standards in music production means you don't know if what is there is already exaggerated, neutral or diminished so there is no good solution here other than per track equalization or just ignoring it.

Ok, but independend of the individual location, there definitely is a pronounced treble peak that is hard to exactely localize, let alone EQ away. There are many offerings, in this price range or even well below, that perform better in this respect.

 

[Heinrich]

Ok, but independend of the individual location, there definitely is a pronounced treble peak that is hard to exactely localize, let alone EQ away. There are many offerings, in this price range or even well below, that perform better in this respect.

We've seen a curve for the "transfer impedance" before, see post nbr.17, which in my understanding isn't identical with a resulting frequency response. Maybe this the reason why it isn't compensated automatically, when creating a measured frequency amplitude response graph. Namely, it is unclear how that impedance would translate to amplitude. It depends on, just guessing, additional masses and pathways, flow resistors in the IEM.
The Harman preference is just another guess, revised addionally for preferable peaks or not once in a while. Influential Crinical discussed the broader shape with Olive once.

 

[mc.god]

Ok, but independend of the individual location, there definitely is a pronounced treble peak that is hard to exactely localize, let alone EQ away. There are many offerings, in this price range or even well below, that perform better in this respect.

Among reviewed iems , TE Zero:Red and 7Hz Zero 2 surely show a smoother higher region, with Hane more resembling original 7Hz Zero:

For someone it can be a problem, for others it can be pleasant (maybe someone like me leaning versus neutral bright preference), surely it would have been great if the switches could also work on that but probably the peak is too narrow to be managed via a simple circuit working on impedance (i suppose) and requires dsp.

 

[totti1965]

I guess the advantage is flexibility but if you are the apprehensive type is going to be hell deciding which one is the best configuration for you.

I don't mind switches (or nozzles) as long as they are used only to adjust bass or treble level but having too many combinations is a headache, you stop hearing any difference after the 3th or 4th one.


I think for the price (and aesthetics) they are a year or two too late.

Yes, an inconvenient Truth: All these possibilities would kill me! I am sticking with my Crinacle Zero Red‘s: Same extremely low distortions, easy to add a tiny bit (2 dB) bass in the sub 140 Hz range, and last but not least, much higher sensitivity, which is handy for me as an IPad (6th Generation) user.