For testing purposes, I was using the RAD-0 with a Silver Dragon cable and the Matrix Audio Element X Streamer. The headphone sounds phenomenal and Drew’s assessment is spot on. The RAD-0 is quite resolute, offering minute detailing in your music, but providing enough warmth and depth that any genre shines through these cans. Pushing enough power through your planar magnetic drivers really improves the performance and presentation of the music, and such is the case with my testing set up.
The RAD-0 phones lean towards being a great reference sound but maintain a warm and smooth low-mid and mid-section. The low-end isn’t boomy, but there is some nice tight bass which extends to lower frequencies. An artist I like to use when testing the frequency spread of a headphone is Woodkid’s album “The Golden Age.” French music video director Yoann Lemoine’s debut album as Woodkid is one of the most unique genre-mashing experiences I’ve heard. It’s a mix between epic film score, percussion samples, and contemporary pop. The song “Iron” has some amazing percussive elements combined with sweeping orchestral moments. It’s a nice track to see how far the lows and highs go. The bass is punchy and present, even when the brass sections are screaming. The top end rolls off nicely, so the really piercing sounds of the high brass don’t sting, but sparkle in a rather impactful way. Lemoine’s vocals are far from perfect, but its those imperfections that are warm and smooth in the mid frequencies that lends an honest performance from the artist. This maximalist approach really shows off the soundstage of the RAD-0. It’s like a machine that can efficiently sort hundreds of coins in under a minute. Each instrument of the orchestra can be placed with pinpoint accuracy in the spread, with the drum samples forming the foundation for the entire sonic “house.” I consider the RAD-0 an impressive headphone for the sole fact that it can “handle” such a turbulent and dramatic record with ease.
A song like R.E.M.’s “The Great Beyond” really shows off this warmth well. The rhythmic synths and bass in the verses really capture the slogging daydream-esque quality of the mid-to-low frequencies. There’s a surprising amount of low end to this song that really comes out in the RAD-0. The bass and kick drum are punchy on the refrains and retains a lot of energy from the song. The vocals really shine due to the mid-frequencies of this headphone. Even in more rock-oriented songs the vocals shine through and take that center stage without competing, or rather having to compete, with the other instruments. The song “Man on the Moon” (R.E.M.) illustrates how great the imaging of the RAD-0 is. The tom hits on the verse are incredibly resolute and easy to place in the soundstage. The same can be said for the acoustic guitar: about 3 feet away from my 2 o’clock. It sounds like it’s right there. I attribute this to the great openness and design of the ear cup, and of course the phenomenal planar magnetic driver.
I haven’t had this much fun with a headphone in quite some time.
