Dethonray Honey H1 Review

Software

As I said, Anson cleared all of the bugs (except the ones that Apple users face) so it’s important to get the latest firmware and install it to the H1. For doing that, you need to follow certain steps. It seems a bit complicated at first, but it’s actually not that complex.

Just go to this link and follow the exact steps in the pdf file. However, be aware that there are 2 versions available; the standard one and the “UltraMan” version. UltraMan is for power-hungry cans. That version maximizes the output power so it’s the best for headphones. Choose the standard version for IEM use.

Sound Quality

The Dethonray Honey H1 is a very rich, dynamic, and musical sounding device with excellent technicalities. It’s quite warm, analog, and sometimes even thick, but it sounds very natural and lively at the same time. It has that certain musical quality that makes you want to listen more.

It’s dynamic, lush, and full-bodied. Honey H1 performs especially well with bright sounding gear. It reminded me of the first generation Hugo, to be honest. I don’t have the Hugo¹ anymore so I can’t directly compare, but from memory, it somewhat sounds like the Hugo¹, which is great. Hugo is one of my all-time favorite devices ever.

Bass

The bass is impactful and punchy with great decay and texture. It has good resolution with a good kick to make you tap your feet, especially in terms of Pop and RnB. I wouldn’t say that it’s a too bassy unit, but it surely has warmth in terms of midbass. Yet, it brings a certain body to the music and that creates a joyful listening experience.

The bass has great attack and texture but it is also controlled. With a warm IEM, the mid-bass area could be overwhelming, but when you pair with a preferably bright sounding IEM with a moderate bass, the overall bass performance becomes fantastic. This doesn’t mean the bass covers the mid area or bloats in any way, it’s controlled with great speed and attack. It doesn’t sound boomy whatsoever. This is high-quality bass response. But quantity-wise it will definitely satisfy your needs as well. It certainly does wow you with the texture and impact, as well as the body.

Mids

The mid-range is the best part of the Honey H1 to me. It’s clean, resolving, and a bit forward with great tonality and fullness. The analog feeling is very present here and the transparency is quite remarkable. The instrument separation is also top-notch. It surely has a great resolution in this part. The mids have a heart-touching timbre, and overall the vocals and the instruments are lively with an organic and warm approach. I especially found the vocals especially good.

The mids are also a bit close and they’re in front of the stage. You get wonderful transparency across the mid-range with lots of detail. Mids also have a good body and they’re full sounding. The Honey H1 has tremendous musicality with breathy instrument presentation. The mids are also quite dynamic and lively. IF you like to have your mid-range with a certain focus and definition, the Honey H1 is excellent. This is one of the smoothest mid presentations I’ve heard with very good tonal balance.

Treble

The treble is nicely articulated and extended, without being harsh and aggressive. However, because the mid-range is the star of the show here, the treble is not that impressive at face value. If you have a good IEM or headphone which is performing nicely regarding treble, the Honey H1 will definitely bring the best out of it as it has great detail retrieval and resolution.  The treble overall is relaxed with a good extension so it’s not a very bright sounding device.

Once again the transparency is great, and the detail level is awesome. This is a very smooth yet detailed treble, which is very pleasing particularly with mid-fi and high-end gear. The H1 has a great micro detail performance and this is mostly felt in the treble region. Although being a warm sounding device, the treble performance is very good. Once you start to listen to it over long periods, you appreciate this treble performance even more thanks to its consistency, transparency, and definition.

Technical Performance – 1

The great thing about the Honey H1 is the overall layering and stereo imaging. The background is very dark, and the instruments sound with great texture, dynamism, and transparency. It’s almost the DAC/Amp version of the HA-2 in that regard. The overall balance is also very impressive together with a fantastic timbre. Yes, the Honey H1 has an incredible instrumental timbre that you can’t find everywhere. This is one of the most impressive parts of the device and one of the biggest reasons for reminding me of the Hugo¹.

The sound-stage is not very wide with the Honey H1. This is not the widest sounding equipment and I recommend pairing it with holographic sounding IEMs and headphones if you put great emphasis on staging. It is by no means mediocre, and actually, it’s quite good. But the width is not as impressive as the other aspects of its sound. I found the stage depth to be very good though, as it has a great layering performance.

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