[Review] Roland RH-D30

This is the start of a review of the Roland RH-D30's.

I've got them for a couple of days now, so I feel it is too early for a full review, but I'll start with some nice pictures and reviewing the fit and build, plus my first impressions of these phones.

I think I should start with a big fat disclaimer: this is my first pair of high(er) end headphones. I'm a life long music lover with a passion for SQ, but never gotten around to buy good headphones. So I don't have much reference for comparison other than the phones I have listened to while searching for these.

So, with that out of the way I'll start my review.

Overview and specs:

When I got them out of the package, it immediately felt sturdy. There is some plastic here and there, but most part are made of aluminium. There are no creaks when twisting or bending, very solid. Yet they only weigh 300g (without cable). The cable extends 3m and is coiled for about 50% of its length.

Packaged is also a 1/4" screw on plug and a carrying pouch.

They set me back €150 (currently $212).

Specs:

Source: Roland.com

Fit:

It's got a good clamping force, not skull crushing but it won't fall off of your head easily. I've got the headband set to the smallest notch and it fits me perfectly, probably got a small head. But to all you big heads out there: each side stretches almost an inch and a half, so there's a lot of room.

The cups are lined with very soft pleather which create a pretty tight seal. They are not very big or deep though, If you've got big ears you'll have to stuff them in, or when your ears point outward you will hit the inside of the cups which might be uncomfortable.

The headband is also covered in pleather with a thin layer of some sort of foam on the inside. It feels very thin, but in the end it's very comfortable.

Sound:

The actual sound quality review will have to wait a week or two, it's gonna take me a while to really discover this headphone's potential. But I'll give you a tip of the iceberg:

The first thing I thought when I put them on my head in the store was: Wow! There are amazing. To give you a hint of my frame of reference, I've listened to Denon AH-D1100, Beyerdynamic DT660, Sennheiser HD280 and Shure SRH440 (among others, but these are all phones I liked and within my budget). Compared to these headphones the Roland's really stand out from the crowd. 

What is most notable is that it has a very solid bass without affecting the mids. They just happily co-exist together and are easily separable. I initially thought that it was very bass heavy, but now already I can say that that's just not true. It has a pretty natural bass response. Maybe it can be described as eager. It's detailed and effortless. 

I'm going to leave it at that for now, the rest will have to wait.

One last thing I want to remark is that I can't believe these phones are so unloved, or better yet, unknown. They really seem to have merit.

Okay, so here comes the review, been listening to them for about 50 hours I guess. 

First I would like to say that I didn't believe in the burning in of headphones, now I'm not so sure anymore… For the first 20 to 30 hours the sound definitely changed. Can't really say it got more detailed but it definitely smoothed out some rough edges. Throughout the entire frequency band it just feels smoother, it's got a silky quality to it.

I don't really know how to put a good review together, I will try to give an impression of my findings and use a couple of songs to point out some specifics.

I'm listening on my MacbookPro, via Spotify. It's streamed at 320kbps AAC.

As I said earlier, I thought they were bass heavy, I don't know whether that's true or not. Bass is absolutely pronounced and has a great punch. This makes it a perfect headphone for electronic music, you want a sick bass? Check! Got it. 

Though when you listen to Riders on the storm, the bassline is there and it blends really nicely in the rest of the music and not overly pronounced. But somehow it doesn't feel 'right'. It has what I call a very 'Sony' feel to it. Digital, clean. I guess it just isn't very detailed in the lower regions.

Listening to some older recordings is not always the most pleasant experience. They can be very unforgiving towards low-quality recordings.

The instrument separation is amazing. When listening to Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan, it is absolutely wonderful. Without effort you can hear the separate guitars, bass, drums and on top of it all the vocals. There is so much going on, so many layers, but nowhere does it get muddy. 

By it's huge separation it can get a little analytical at times, but definitely not boring. This is definitely the most engaging headphone I have heard. I find myself constantly grinning and head bobbing when listening to the right kind of music.

When listening to acoustic rock (Jack Johnson, Colbie Caillat, Acda & de Munnik) it sounds good, but it doesn't do a lot for me (while i'm a definite fan of that genre). I can't really put my finger on what the 'problem' is though.

All in all, I really like these headphones. Though they are not really allround. I would need another pair for listening to more acoustic music. But I reckon they are absolutely perfect for listening to electronic music. Highly recommended.

Thank you for you kind words!

Quote:

Originally Posted by feverfive 

Heck, based on your pics & description, these may be worth their price just for build quality.  They sure look like solidly-built buggers!!  You cover bass response & separation, how do you feel about the mids & treble? 

Well, I had actually hoped nobody would ask about that ;)

Just kidding, but I don't really know how or where to start. All I can say is it feels right and pretty much balanced. Though I think it is slightly U-shaped. It is definitely not 'bright', as in piercing highs that hurt your ears after 5 minutes. It has a slightly warm tonal balance which I like very much. Actually, the mids and highs are very good for a broad array of music. Maybe that is why I neglected to mention in my initial review. It is just good, not much to say about.