The Radical headphones from PopClik have never been spoken of before on Head-Fi, to my knowledge. These headphones are a consumer-oriented pair of headphones that I was honestly impressed by.
Accessories- Hard carrying case
The carrying case is pretty good for a stock headphone accessory. It feels much more well made than some of the cases I've come across (I.E. Klipsch). It's no V-Moda case, that's for sure, but, overall, I would say it is better than average in terms of build. It's also got a clip that allows for easy attachment to a bag or pack.
Design - The Radical are among the nicest looking headphones that I've ever seen. A large amount of that goes to the frame, which resembles that of the Parrot Zik. Also, the colors are very appealing to me. While the 'black and red' scheme is getting old and common, I think these do it very, very well. The Radical, to me, is an elegant-looking headphone that should impress whomever you might come in contact with.
Design/Build - The PopClik Radical is an interesting headphone overall. Build quality feels quite good in general. The cups are made out of plastic with a matte finish. The red parts of the cup are made from plastic also, but these have a gloss finish. There is also a metal strip on each of the cups.
The headband is covered with a smooth, soft, squishy rubber-like material. It's very comfortable to me and feels well put together. I can honestly say that sometimes I just like feeling it, because it is so smooth and squishy. Good experiences.
The adjusting frame is made out of metal as well. It feels very well built as well. There are numbers on the metal that show as you lengthen them, ranging from 1 to 3, depending on how far you lengthen it. There is a swiveling joint slightly above the cups that swivel around 140°, which make it easy for portable storage in its included case, or just more comfortable when wearing around one's neck.
The pads are incredibly soft and comfortable. Some of the best pads I've encountered for an on-ear headphone. Soft to the touch, plush and relatively thick.
The cable that comes with the headphone is covered with Kevlar. I've had a few Kevlar-sleeved cables before, and they all have been quite durable. The jacks are both straight-plugs, with one end being close to the in-line microphone, making it easy to discern which end goes where; not like that truly matters in the end anyways.
The jacks do have a lack of strain reliefs, so the durability in that regard may be iffy, even with the Kevlar sleeving. The jacks and in-line microphone are made of metal-looking plastic. It does fit the design well, that's for sure.
Comfort - With the headband and pads, the comfort of the Radical is very good. There is little clamping force to go along with that, too. The Radical is also a quite lightweight headphone. These factors combined make a very comfortable headphone. I let a few of my friends try them on, and they all commented on how comfortable they were; pads especially.
Isolation - Isolation is pretty average for an on-ear headphone. Perhaps slighly under-average. Thankfully, the sound signature allows for the volume to be turned up to a good amount without it becoming fatiguing. I only had to do that when I was on public transportaion, though.
Sound - I can finally say that I have found a headphone that both looks incredible and sounds good.
The sound is definitely warm. Warm and relatively dark.
Bass - The Radical has consumer-oriented bass. It's definitely emphasised a significant amount. It's not as emphasised as, say, the XB500 or HA-S500, which are two very bassy headphones, but it's much above neutral. The bass is controlled and extended well. I've not had any bass bleed on whatever music I had listened to with them (rock, dubstep, DnB, jazz, hip-hop, orchestral, chiptune).
Mids - Interestingly enough, for a consumer oriented headphone, the mids aren't recessed at all. Vocals sound very good and forward. Detailed, too. The mids made rock and jazz really sound great.
Treble - The treble is dark in the lower and upper regions. There is a significant roll-off in the upper treble. I don't find it too noticeable in non-electronic genres, but for things like dubstep and DnB, the roll-off is very noticeable. I personally really dislike the roll-off when listening to electronic music.
Soundstage - Little to no soundstage. Things do sound quite congested.
Overall - The Radical is a headphone that I would recommend to people who prefer to listen to more classic genres, like rock, jazz, hip-hop, etc. that value appearance highly. There are definitely better choices out there if sound is top priority, like the JVC HA-S500. Design-wise, these take the cake for design in a sub-$100 headphone ($75 MSRP). With an excellent build, a case, and all of the other factors mixed in, these headphones are a good portable set for those who are willing to sacrifice a little sound for appearance. Of course, that's not to say that they sound bad, because they don't.
Thanks to PopClik for the review sample!
Accessories- Hard carrying case
The carrying case is pretty good for a stock headphone accessory. It feels much more well made than some of the cases I've come across (I.E. Klipsch). It's no V-Moda case, that's for sure, but, overall, I would say it is better than average in terms of build. It's also got a clip that allows for easy attachment to a bag or pack.
Design - The Radical are among the nicest looking headphones that I've ever seen. A large amount of that goes to the frame, which resembles that of the Parrot Zik. Also, the colors are very appealing to me. While the 'black and red' scheme is getting old and common, I think these do it very, very well. The Radical, to me, is an elegant-looking headphone that should impress whomever you might come in contact with.
Design/Build - The PopClik Radical is an interesting headphone overall. Build quality feels quite good in general. The cups are made out of plastic with a matte finish. The red parts of the cup are made from plastic also, but these have a gloss finish. There is also a metal strip on each of the cups.
The headband is covered with a smooth, soft, squishy rubber-like material. It's very comfortable to me and feels well put together. I can honestly say that sometimes I just like feeling it, because it is so smooth and squishy. Good experiences.
The adjusting frame is made out of metal as well. It feels very well built as well. There are numbers on the metal that show as you lengthen them, ranging from 1 to 3, depending on how far you lengthen it. There is a swiveling joint slightly above the cups that swivel around 140°, which make it easy for portable storage in its included case, or just more comfortable when wearing around one's neck.
The pads are incredibly soft and comfortable. Some of the best pads I've encountered for an on-ear headphone. Soft to the touch, plush and relatively thick.
The cable that comes with the headphone is covered with Kevlar. I've had a few Kevlar-sleeved cables before, and they all have been quite durable. The jacks are both straight-plugs, with one end being close to the in-line microphone, making it easy to discern which end goes where; not like that truly matters in the end anyways.
The jacks do have a lack of strain reliefs, so the durability in that regard may be iffy, even with the Kevlar sleeving. The jacks and in-line microphone are made of metal-looking plastic. It does fit the design well, that's for sure.
Comfort - With the headband and pads, the comfort of the Radical is very good. There is little clamping force to go along with that, too. The Radical is also a quite lightweight headphone. These factors combined make a very comfortable headphone. I let a few of my friends try them on, and they all commented on how comfortable they were; pads especially.
Isolation - Isolation is pretty average for an on-ear headphone. Perhaps slighly under-average. Thankfully, the sound signature allows for the volume to be turned up to a good amount without it becoming fatiguing. I only had to do that when I was on public transportaion, though.
Sound - I can finally say that I have found a headphone that both looks incredible and sounds good.
The sound is definitely warm. Warm and relatively dark.
Bass - The Radical has consumer-oriented bass. It's definitely emphasised a significant amount. It's not as emphasised as, say, the XB500 or HA-S500, which are two very bassy headphones, but it's much above neutral. The bass is controlled and extended well. I've not had any bass bleed on whatever music I had listened to with them (rock, dubstep, DnB, jazz, hip-hop, orchestral, chiptune).
Mids - Interestingly enough, for a consumer oriented headphone, the mids aren't recessed at all. Vocals sound very good and forward. Detailed, too. The mids made rock and jazz really sound great.
Treble - The treble is dark in the lower and upper regions. There is a significant roll-off in the upper treble. I don't find it too noticeable in non-electronic genres, but for things like dubstep and DnB, the roll-off is very noticeable. I personally really dislike the roll-off when listening to electronic music.
Soundstage - Little to no soundstage. Things do sound quite congested.
Overall - The Radical is a headphone that I would recommend to people who prefer to listen to more classic genres, like rock, jazz, hip-hop, etc. that value appearance highly. There are definitely better choices out there if sound is top priority, like the JVC HA-S500. Design-wise, these take the cake for design in a sub-$100 headphone ($75 MSRP). With an excellent build, a case, and all of the other factors mixed in, these headphones are a good portable set for those who are willing to sacrifice a little sound for appearance. Of course, that's not to say that they sound bad, because they don't.
Thanks to PopClik for the review sample!
