# Rosson Audio - RAD-0 - Official Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Official Headphone Model Discussion\ **Tags:** planar, open, high-end, rosson-audio-designs\ **Created:** [July 23, 2019, 10:15pm UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/rosson-audio-rad-0-official-thread/3537 "2019-07-23T22:15:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 4
**Author:** ![Torq](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.headphones.com/torq/32/16384_2.png) [@Torq](https://forum.headphones.com/u/Torq)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2019, 1:00am UTC](https://forum.headphones.com/t/rosson-audio-rad-0-official-thread/3537/4 "2019-07-24T01:00:19Z")
So … thanks to @taronlissimore and @Andrew, [headphones.com](http://headphones.com) and “[The HEADPHONE Community](https://forum.headphones.com)” [preview program](https://forum.headphones.com/t/announcing-the-new-headphone-community-preview-program/1319), I have the above-pictured RAD-0 sitting on my noggin right now. I’ve been listening for about the last 4 hours or so. Some initial thoughts … ### Sound They sound **excellent**! It’s too early to say exactly where they fall in my overall spectrum of headphone experience and preference, but they’re clearly serious performers as well as being extremely enjoyable. Bass has _real_ growl and rumble. It’s typically planar-linear. The mids are really nicely balanced and are fully present, without seeming emphasized, unlike so many bass-capable planar flagships. And the treble smooth, even, airy, extended and sibilance free. For the first 20 minutes or so I would have sworn the bass was coming from _behind_ my ears, and everything else adjacent to them. That effect has abated. Maybe it’s post SR1a adjustment, maybe it’s placement, maybe I need a nap. _Given that I’m coming off almost a solid month of listening to pretty much just the [SR1a](https://forum.headphones.com/t/raal-requisite-sr1a-earfield-monitor-headphone-official-thread/3220) and the [Vérité](https://forum.headphones.com/t/zmf-verite-open-back-dynamic-headphone-official-thread/2684), that’s fairly high praise._ ### Comfort They are **heavy**. More so than I expected. They weigh in at 714g, which is the exact same weight as my personal pair of LCD-4. I dare say this is more noticeable after the 425g of the SR1a than it would otherwise be. And it does NOT bother me (Audeze cans were my daily-drivers for years). It did take me off guard a bit, though, initially. Clamp pressure is quite high. Again, coming off the SR1a this may be exaggerated somewhat (the RAAL-requisite cans pretty much float on my head with the merest pressure near my temples, and I barely feel them). The upside of this is that these things **stay put** … where the LCD-4 would tend to slide off my head if I leant forwards or backwards too far. Extending the arms helps a bit here, but that puts all the weight on to the cup/clamp/head interface and is less comfortable for me than just letting the band take the weight. The pads are surprisingly deep and thick. They’re also _very_ soft and supple. I doubt even glasses wearers will have any issue getting a **perfect** seal every time. In fact, they seal so well you can feel the pressure on your ear drums when you first put them on (that fades in a few seconds). When dealing with planar cans, and very-solid seals, it’s not uncommon to hear some “diaphragm” crinkle. There is NONE of that here. Even pushing vigorously on the cups excites no such thing. Raw pad comfort is **excellent** , though they are a fair bit warmer (temperature) than anything I’ve had on my head in the last year. Not to the point of being uncomfortable, but it’s noticeable. ### Build These things are both **gorgeous** _and_ **solid**. Compare the RAD-0 to the Audeze LCD series and the yokes, arms and sliders are both more nicely finished and more polished feeling on the Rosson unit. The band on the RAD-0 looks more substantial, and is also very well executed, but the extra width of the Audeze’s suspension design _may be_ more comfortable in the long run. I say that on the basis that the headband is not giving me any hotspots so far, but wider is usually better in my experience. Still, the RAD-0 has a much more polished, less “agricultural” seeming design and implementation. ### Driveability Yes, made-up-word … but still … The RAD-0 are surprisingly easy to drive. Just coming off the single-ended tube output from the Cayin N8 I don’t need full power nor max gain, have plenty of volume left, and even with massively bass-intensive music, at higher-than-normal listening levels, they are composed, dynamic, punchy, hit hard, with lots of appropriate rumble and slam. _These are WAY less demanding, power wise, than my other planar cans (LCD-4, AB-1266 Phi CC)._ * * * Obviously I have a **lot** more listening to do, including extensive back-to-back comparisons with the LCD-4 and the AB-1266 Phi CC (the only planar cans I currently own). The LCD-4 and Abyss may just have the edge, so far, with bass-tunefulness at sub-bass frequencies (again, more listening needed). But so far the RAD-0 are encouraging, enjoyable and quite compelling! One hell of a first release … --- _[View the full topic](https://forum.headphones.com/t/rosson-audio-rad-0-official-thread/3537)._