Introduction

If you are anything like me, then “Raptgo” might have made you lose interest already. I saw the name briefly last year with another of its IEMs, and had dismissed it as just another random Asian brand since there was no real information about the company. But then came along this seemingly magical 14 mm sized planar magnetic IEM driver, a version of which we saw on the 7Hz Timeless and the equally impressive LETSHUOER S12. Suddenly, everyone was trying to get their hands on this driver tech, and a couple of other planar magnetic IEMs aiming for a slice of that pie are coming up. Raptgo, as it turns out, is the in-house brand of Minami, an OEM brand established in 1995 that has been involved with products sold by Sennheiser, Bose, CORSAIR, Harmon Kardon, Oppo, and many others. So there are now two different reasons for some interest in Raptgo and their Raptgo Hook-X set of in-ear monitors.

Want two more reasons to read the entire review? The Raptgo Hook-X is an extremely rare set of open-back IEMs, such as the 64 Audio Duo we saw recently, and it is the even rarer set considering it is open-back with planar drivers. Audeze is the only other company I am aware of that made such products, but none of those left a lasting impact in the consumer world. The fourth reason is that the Hook-X is a hybrid set with not only a long-range planar magnetic driver, but also a piezoelectric (PZT) driver to handle the higher frequencies. This would be my first time listening to a set of headphones or earphones with a PZT driver, which certainly had me agree when Linsoul kindly offered TechPowerUp a set for review. So let’s see if these reasons add up to make for a set worthy of purchase as we begin our detailed examination with a look at the product specifications in the table below.

Specifications