Rosson Audio Design - Official Thread

Plus…you know…they are beautiful to look at :wink:

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I was very impressed listening to these today, the neutrality of the sound signature really allows for every instrument to sit very nicely in the mix and have it’s own clear space to be heard and tracked easily. I was surprised with the few songs I listened to that vocals seemed to be pushed forward slightly, but not at the expense of removing detail/presence from any other instrument. This may have just been from my familiarity with the empyrean where vocals can sit slightly behind instruments at times due to the somewhat warmer sound.
Regardless the Rosson’s sounded fantastic! I would be very interested in hearing these balanced since I’ve heard from numerous sources they really come to life then.

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That mirrors my experience.

Just felt like adding a few more photos I took tonight to test out a new lens handheld (heh, get it?). Anyways, it’s too photogenic to ignore.

Initial impressions continue to be excellent. I’ve figured out the stage a bit. It’s quite wide side to side, but not as deep forward. This is often a perfectly acceptable tradeoff, and you see the same thing with the HD800s and Verite compared to the Arya for example. If those are ‘larger’ than the RAD-0, it’s not significant in the width.

I’ve also figured out some of the comfort issues. It’s still too heavy for me, and I’m not a fan of the little top piece style (I prefer a wider strap style), but the clamp issues can be alleviated by extending the arms out further. It’s designed so that the further the arms extend, the wider the cups sit as well, since the arms are slightly angled outward. And while it’s about as heavy as the Audeze stuff (unacceptably heavy in my mind), it is more comfortable for longer sessions due to it being A) less bulky, and B) the increased clamp force keeps it from dragging down on my head/ears. The clamp is also softened after an hour or so of using it because the cushions kind of conform to the side of the head, so it doesn’t create undue pressure either. I actually feel that some of the clamp is necessary to keep it from feeling too heavy, almost like it’s been deliberately designed with that in mind. If I were to give the Empyrean an A for comfort, and the LCD-4 a D, the RAD-0 would probably get a B- from me. It’s still not what I like for comfort, but passable. I don’t sit down at my desk, look at the headphones and get any feeling like I don’t want to put them on, even at the end of a long work day. And that’s not something I can say about the Audeze planars.

For sound, this continues to impress me. It’s not quite an LCD-4 in terms of detail but it’s remarkably close. And the speed is exceptional. It’s like they were able to take Audeze bass and balance it with hifiman treble (okay maybe not quite as bright). And there’s also this visceral and textured feeling to the midrange that I love. Vocal harmonies are so incredible on this headphone.

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Great pictures and great impressions as always. Rosson Audio Design seems like it’s going to be one to watch. They’re very attractive headphones that seem to be getting lots of praise. Though the market they seem to be aiming at is a tough one what with ZMF doing such a great all round job in the Boutique sector. Though the Design your own headphones ISP is a good way to go I think. That extra bit of personalisation which at the prices charged may appeal more to some.

It will be interesting to see how this company goes on in the next few years. I wish them the best of luck. Damn they make pretty headphones.

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For anyone wondering, here’s the raw graph:

So generally it doesn’t follow the consumer curve in the bass, it’s more mid forward, and a bit more relaxed in the treble. To make a judgment that assumes the average ear isn’t dramatically different from that of the EARS rig (it probably is), I’d conclude the following:

When looking at where the ear shape gain elevates the frequency response around 3.5khz, it should probably be elevated a bit earlier and stay elevated for a little bit longer, instead of dropping down again around 5khz. But I don’t find the lack of energy between 2-3khz and again between 5-6khz to be that noticeable for most of my test music. Because the gain compensation elevation is so strong, it makes those dips sound more like someone added a comb filter (or parametric EQ with medium notches) to those areas, because beyond 6khz it’s perfectly fine again. If anyone has messed around with these types of filters, you know that it doesn’t detract from the overall clarity of the passage, and is often used to correct room tone or extra unwanted resonance. Now it’s not totally the same here because the dips are a bit wider, but they’re also not quite as extreme in the recession as what you would use when applying those filters either. So in my mind it has a similar effect, albeit one that has a slightly bigger impact on overall treble clarity - and this is again why I wouldn’t recommend this over something like the Hifiman Arya for classical music without a touch of EQ, where you’re most likely to notice something like that. But for most other music, I don’t think it’ll be much of a problem

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Here’s the video review:

The more I listen to this the more I think it’s the best version of the ‘audeze-like’ planars. I keep trying to second guess myself on the detail retrieval but it’s actually incredible, and again, very close to the top of the line stuff - to the point where I think a lot of people wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

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If I could write like a reviewer I would but all I can say is the RAD-0 KICKS MAJOR ASS on Woo Audio WA33. Bass is more defined its got some fat on it. It could be the 10 watts of headroom that the amp is capable of.

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If you had to quantify, how close does it get to your 1266 TC?

That’s a tough one both sound amazing. I choose the 1266 because of it’s ability in low end. More of an Abyss house sound fan. It’s incremental in choice.

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Saw this interesting tidbit in a recent review on Audiophilestyle.com

“Rosson also sells [B-Stock] RAD-0 for $1,999 and is planning a wood cup version.”

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