In between being on, in, and under the water this weekend, I got to spend a little more time with the RAD-0. Uncharacteristically most of my listening with these has, so far, been from DAPs (A&K SP1000m and Cayin N8) or transportable sources (Chord Hugo 2).
All of them drive the RAD-0 without issue all the way into un-safe territory. This is a far cry from the early days of planar magnetic cans, and even today some of the best ones are a lot more demanding of power than is convenient.
From this point on, however, I’ll get to try them with the usual array of desktop/full-size sources and amplifiers. Usually it’s the other way around - which often led to disappointment with planar cans. No worries about that here, I think.
I’ve gotten used to the weight and clamp pressure of the RAD-0 and only notice it now if I’m coming straight off/switching to another headphone that isn’t the LCD-4.
I am also not noticing the “pressure” on my ear-drums when I first put them on anymore. I doubt anything has changed with the headphones/pads here (I’ve not had them on long enough for that, I don’t think), so I would put this down to a simple perceptual adjustment.
I remain impressed with the sound of these things. They’re a good bit less intimate (or maybe it’s better say, they’re “more expansive”) in their stage than the LCD-4, which is a good thing. I haven’t run into any more boominess in the bass, which is incredibly linear. The mids are luscious with as much detail as I’ve heard from any planar headphone, and the treble is smooth, extended and properly present.
And unlike too many of the mid-range-to-flagship planar cans I’ve heard in the last two years, I do not get any sense of “plasticity” in their timbral rendering (something that has put me off most of them until recently … and is the biggest part of the reason I’ve not bothered writing up reviews of any myself).
Right now, if I had to choose between these and an un-EQ’d LCD-4, I’d have to go with the RAD-0. I can use these anywhere, off any source I’m likely to bother with, as-is, with no fuss. With the LCD-4 I want the “Reveal” (or similar) EQ applied for most listening - and that requires a computer or fussing with EQ on portable devices (which rarely do it as well as a proper desktop EQ solution, and is only a facsimile of what “Reveal” or Roon pre-sets do).
…
I love the aesthetic (especially on this pair) and the build. I’m less in love with the cable/connector arrangement, but it’s not terminal.
A year ago I would have added these to my collection without a second thought. In fact on Friday night last, I had pretty much decided to do that.
This morning I am hesitating a little …
NOT because of the sound … its two other factors entirely!
The first, and biggest, is their customizability. I love the look of this particular pair. But it’s also the only pair I’ve seen in the flesh, and there are a ton of options both in the colors/materials within the cups and also with metal finishes for the hardware.
I am not convinced I can customize a pair that I’ll like as much as these, but at the same I am pretty sure that I’ll run across a set, at some point, that I like even better … and will want even more (it happened with my Verite!).
The solution to that, as @taronlissimore mentioned in another discussion, is perhaps just go customize a set and then NEVER look at another pair again!
The other point of hesitation is just down to my down-sizing my collection. Adding ANY headphone from here on out means getting rid of one (it’s a space/mobility issue). So, at this point I should probably compare the RAD-0 to the Meze Empyrean as I won’t be buying both, and I already know the RAD-0 are excellent, they’re similar in price, both are gorgeous and I can probably swing a back-to-back comparison (including with my two existing planar flagships) …
First world problems …