Rosson Audio - RAD-0 - Official Thread

Thank you for the comparison! Seems like the RAD-0 would be a good complement for a balanced but more analytical sound, which is a flavour I also enjoy.

And yes, gotta love the wood! My grandfather has been a woodworker for over 60 years and his passion for wood is something that has been passed down to the whole family, so getting a pair of ZMFs is a given :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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Helpful comparison. There may be a distinction between ZMF neutral and rest of world neutral.

I don’t find the RAD-0 analytical or bright. I find the Verite Closed warm.

Rosson will be offering the RAD-0 in custom woods; this is reflected on the custom order page on their website.

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I don’t either. It’s about perspective though. In comparison to headphones like the VC, I believe they seem to lean towards the analytical side of the spectrum. Compared to… Oh, I don’t know, let’s use the DT880 as an example (so it doesn’t seem like I’m constantly picking on HiFiMan)… the R0 would seem to have a darker treble and be more mid focused.

Hence my point about “neutral” being preference based and pretty nebulous.

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Understood and I found your impressions to generally line up with mine. I agree that it’s about perspective and that the term “neutral” is nebulous.

The RAD-0 comes in 3 different tunings: bright, standard, warm. It would be interesting to compare the warm tuning with ZMFs using the brighter pads.

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Flashback to my on-site visit to Rosson Audio Design.

Comparison of different tunings:

Wood Purple Heart:

Gear pairing comparisons:

Rosson offers a unique experience. I’m waiting on my custom order - resin rings, bright tuning given my preferences and intended pairing with single ended tube amps.

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Thank you sir! Really nice to be here!:smiley:

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Wicked stuff my dude! Can’t wait to stop by later this summer myself.

Alex is sending me some rings so I can paint mine here (we’re color matching it to a few costumes we are working on from the Mandalorian, and will already have the paints locally as a result!).

Also, there will eventually likely be options available for custom leather and stitching on top of the wood mentioned above. I (think) mine is going to be one of the first guinea pigs for those options.

Have not decided on tuning yet, still need to hear warm and bright. Knowing my taste, I’m probably going to decide on warm.

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It was a rad experience! I dropped your name as well as @TylersEclectic’s and @parmiep’s. I met Alex and Taylor; Oliver has been my main point of contact. Small audio world.

That’s pretty awesome how you’re able to paint your own color matched to costumes!

I wasn’t aware of the custom leather and stitching :+1:t4:.

You really can’t go wrong with any of the selections. Regarding wood versus resin, I found wood to have a more natural timbre with larger sonic images and an engaging staging effect, while resin was faster and excavated more detail. It’s subtle, noticeable enough to influence a selection, but not so noticeable that it’s a different headphone or that I would be unhappy with a selection. Aesthetically, the wood rings have rounder edges, while the resin rings have sharper edges.

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Of all the reviews I’ve read and watched, not one reviewer has ever commented or identified what tuning was given to the headphone being reviewed. Seems like a pretty important fact to be overlooked.

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Specifying would indeed be helpful and preferred, although silence likely means the standard tuning.

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@ProfFalkin review was standard tuning, FYI.

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Someone I know who recently visited their workshop indicated the other tunings were available for the custom ordered units. At least I think they told me that :slight_smile:

Ergo, the units available for sale are standard tuning.

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I am pretty positive the vast majority of units out there are standard tuning, not many people have chosen the alternate options to my knowledge but hopefully there will be a bunch more out there sooner than later!

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Different tuning is new and was not offered on the original run of RAD-0s. The different tuning is one of the many customization options offered down the line and only available on custom pairs. The stock pairs do not have the custom tuning to my knowledge.

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Ok that’s good to know. So what is the stock tuning on older Rad-0 headphones? Flat, bright, or warm? Thanks!

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Having unit 012, I’d say “neutral”.

And bloody marvelous …

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Hmmm…

I guess it helps if one actually reads the review.

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“Standard” would seem to me to be “Flat” or “Neutral”.

At least going by the normal meaning of words (in English at least … being a native Brit myself I’d regard that as a second, maybe third, language here).

Maybe skip the name calling.

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Why would “standard” not be “flat”?

That’s the generally accepted definition of the goal of high-end audio.

Regardless … name-calling is not accepted here. I’ll quote one of our less vocal, but very present and respected (and oldest, by tenure), moderators here …

“This place is about tone, in more ways than one.”

And I’ll say it very simply … if your post involves name-calling, then don’t post - or post elsewhere.

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I should have been more careful with my words as it appears I introduced the word “standard” to the conversation. It’s “flat,” which mentions “standard.”

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