hangforum.com - The Archive

I received my 8 note tone field XXD from Pantheon yesterday, and all I can say is "Wow!"

I love the scale. The notes are not quite as harmonic in pairs of notes, but after a year of playing a hang in D harmonic minor, a very interesting and melodic scale is quite a breathtaking change. I've listened to the scale of the DXD halo in recent videos, and it sounds much less oriental, which makes sense as basically it is the pygmy scale with an additional note.

A couple of minor differences I note in the XXD Halo over the Ake Bono Halo is that Kyle's concerns about the 7 note tone-field being better may be a perfectionist issue -- I find both instruments equally resonant and all the notes strong and clear.

The patina on the XXD seems to be a bit different, and slightly prettier. The new finish is slightly smoother, making it a bit more difficult to make the Halo "sing" by rubbing my fingers on the ding. Kyle confirmed with me over the phone that it was a new finish and technique, and that if I wanted he might be able to change it back. I don't think it will be necessary, as I never found the "singing" technique for either the hang or the halo very reliable, but it was nice that he offered.

I will have to return the Ake Bono soon, but I'll try to post a couple of videos of both of the halos and my harmonic minor hang so that people can compare.

-- Christopher Allen