Okay this review keeps getting delayed and I apologize. I often type my reviews as I listen to whatever device is under review. This usually works for me but I have a problem with the TGD (the Korean brand name for what we know as T-Peos) Rasiel "Killing Sound" earphones. I like the sound so much that I get lost in the music and I stop typing. This is not a good thing when you're offering a review.
So much for being objective. I like these inexpensive, pretty, comfortable earphones with their "vacuum tube" sound.
BTW as part of the normal disclosure T-Peos reached out to me and asked if I'd do a review of the Rasiel earphones. There was no incentive offered nor asked for and as previous reviews show I won't hesitate in giving my honest opinion. In a previous life I was a news reporter, community newspaper editor and group editor of a bunch of Canadian national magazines I had a pretty tough reputation for honest reporting and it's a tradition I bring to my reviews of audio equipment.
In my reviews I rarely talk about packaging, accessories or highly technical information which I leave to others. My reviews focus on two things really. Did I enjoy my experience with the unit in question and is it worth the price?
Again for background I tend to compare audio components as a way to determine if I like what I am hearing. I've had other earphones from T-Peos (D-202N and Baguette earphones both of which I liked...a lot). I also have Shure 535s and Dunu Titan 1s and I'll be using all of these in the review. In addition my reference units are Audeze LCD-Xs and a bunch of lesser headphones (Sennheiser Momentum on ear - which are terrific; Sennheiser 590s and modified 439s and Fostex T50RPs all of which won't be considered in this review.
Also I normally drag out a bunch of DACs and amps (Fostex HP-8ac; Aune 1Xs, and a bunch of very serviceable Fiios along with a Picollo amp., Aune B1 and again a bunch of Fiios. Reviews around here can take nearly a hundred hours of listening if I get something that is really challenging.
THERE'S NO CHALLENGE HERE
But there's no challenge here when it comes to the Rasiel earphones. If you're looking for something that's fun to listen to and is as comfortable as old socks then the Rasiel's are for you.
There are some serious audio issues but we'll come to that soon enough.
Here's what's great about the Rasiels. These are one of the very few in-ear earphones that I can leave in for hours and hours at a time and this with the standard rubber tip. Some of the other in-ears needed changes to their tips to be comfortable and even then after an hour or so my ears were happy to have a break. Not the Rasiels. In my ears they rest perfectly. There's something to be said about earphones that are actually comfortable right out of the box. (It took me weeks to get used to the Sennheiser on-ear headphones. Painful break-in but worth the effort.)
But not all is perfect in Rasiel heaven. When the earbuds are pushed into the audio canal they create a seal and a near-perfect seal causes the huge boost in the bass. It's a lot like hitting the bass boos on my Fiio E10K. It's boom, boom, boom in my head. When listening to Bob Marley and Whalers this isn't such a bad thing but listening to Shelby Lynne's 10 Rocks which starts with a piano rumbling away in the bass register the Rasiels sound pretty muddy and unbalanced when compared to the Titan 1s. Shelby wouldn't be happy.
You'd almost think you were listening to different cuts of the same song as each earphone has its own signature sound but the Raisels take this a step beyond.
On the Titan's Shelby's voice is blended with the bass line and the backup singers are as sharp as diamonds.
On the Rasiels it's a very different mix. Shelby Lynne has a barroom lower-register voice and the Rasiels give it their advertised "tube sound and in this case that's not a good thing.
For fun I listened with the Shure 535s and the bass rumbles along as Shelby's voice rises above. The backup singers aren't as sharp. It's a different sound and one likely more accurate to what the audio engineer created.
Let's go back to Rasiels: The base is way more rumbly and not as tight but Shelby is still just above the fray and the backup singers are sharp. They're not as sharp as on the Titans but sharper than the Shures.
Next up (I've using my Astell and Kern AK-100 II as my source with random songs being auto selected) Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac in the Ttian's sound anemic when compared to the weighted sound of the Rasiels. Which brings us to our next topic...the tube sound.
THE TUBE SOUND
We're got a Korean guy in our Toastmaster club (I've been a member for over 20 years. Highly recommended.) and he's very new to Canada. I wouldn't call English is second language yet but he's trying very hard and his efforts to speak the Queen's English is one of the bravest thing I've ever witnessed but sometimes he just murders the meaning of the words.
So when it comes to T-Peo's marketing department I think we have to read between the lines sometimes. Their tagline about the Rasiel "killing sound" might have better been written as "killer sound" but we get the point don't we?
Same for the next line "Filled with the Sound of Vacuum tube". I know what they mean and where T-Peos is coming from is the bass and treble boost that colours the sound and can change the way the mix was meant to sound. For example, Dwight Yoakum's voice in his song Wild Ride through the Rasiels is push back so far as to sound like there's a faint echo. In the Baguettes Dwight's voice is much more prominent. It's still got an echo but it's not being overwhelmed by the bass.
I was so confused by what I was hearing I got out the Momentums which immediately calmed down the sound.
If you read the other reviews on the Rasiels (and I always do as some of these guys know more than I'll ever learn about audio) and you'll see that the audio signature of the Rasiels is described as being a "W". That's to say the bass is boosted. There's a boost in the lower mid-range frequencies and a lesser boost in the treble top end.
So what you get with Rasiels is a simulated "tube sound" which emphasizes the bass and lower mid range, then scoops out the middle and adds a kick to the top end.
This audio signature works for a lot of music. Bob Marly and Whalers sound great. You can follow the bassline like a road map. It's that prominent. Tom Waits's gravelly voice never sounded better. Because Simon and Garfinkel sing in higher registers the Rasiels like them too. Just about any acoustic guitar sounds amazing. Jesse Cook just sizzles in the Rasiels. Jazz as played by Miles Davis is very cool. Kinda tube like if you know what I mean
Joni Mitchell makes the cut as her voice is pitched in the higher registers that the Rasiels emphasiz while on the other hand Heart's Ann Wilson's voice is a little lost in the group's mega hit Alone.
You can (and should) do your own testing and remember your mileage may vary.
SO AVOID THE TUBE SOUND?
It depends. What the Rasiels have is character. I like characters in my life and I like earphones and headphones with character. Sometimes the character can overwhelm the experience and that's not a good thing but character on its own isn't necessarily something to run away from.
For most of type of music I listen to the Rasiels reproduce the sounds beautifully even dramatically if you will. And if you don't go around comparing every phrases from one earphone to another you're not likely to notice the Rasiels when they miss reproducing the sound in the way the audio engineer set it up.
One reviewer said he knew the sound was "wrong" but it was "super fun" and I agree totally.
Some earphones and headphones which approach studio quality or the even higher demands of the audiophile aren't that interesting to listen to for hours. Sure they're accurate as an arrow but after an hour or two I find myself longing for a little colour in my music. And try wearing the LCD-Xs for hours at a time. They weigh a ton and while the pads are comfortable it's a lot of weight and eventually I have to take them off. (I know: Poor me!)
I also like how extremely comfortable the Rasiels are for in-ear earphones. This is a big plus.
Same too for their non-twist cord. I've got earphones that have cords that immediately tie themselves into knots every time you put them down. Not fun.
Also the cord is non-microphonic. In other words it doesn'tt transmit rubbing sounds when worn. I've got a set of old Sennheisers that you can't take for a walk as the cords make so much noise when they rub against clothing as to make listening an unpleasant experience.
Most reviewers think the chromium plated brass looks good and I agree.
WHAT ABOUT PRICE?
Oh did I mention price? While there is no published price yet that I know of the other reviewers are saying they're going to retail for $40 US (likely $60 Cdn). $40 is the cost of a decent lunch these days so this is a no-brainer. Fun, comfortable, pretty with a few accessories (small selection of rubber and foam tips) what's not to like? Well the weighted sound may not be for everyone but I like it.
Finally, and this was a surprise, the Rasiels don't need an external amplifier to sound good. In fact I found external amps tended to overdrive the sound when using the Rasiels. The AK-100 II into the Class-A Aune 1 amp and using the Titan's is superb and the same can be said using Momentums. The Rasiels however still repress the frequencies where Ann Wilson lives and the amp only emphasizes this effect. The Momentums and Titans bring Ann's voice back in front.
Remember if you're not comparing every song most times you're not going to notice a little shifting of frequency response. What's really nice is switching out the external amp and hearing no real advantage. My LCD-Xs really respond to the Aune B1 amp and sound way better thanks to its colouring and overall boost. But the Rasiels don't resond in the same manner. That's not to say some amplification isn't welcome. My Cypher Labs Picallo amp added a little more fullness to the overall sound regardless of which headphone I was using including the Rasiels but if you weren't comparing you'd not know how little you were missing.
SO WHO ARE THESE FOR?
The Rasiel earphones work great with DAPs, smart phones and the like and they don't need an external amp to sound great. They're comfortable, pretty and cheap (I'm tempted to make a smart remark here but the Internet being what it is I'll pass.) so what's not to like? Audiophiles may not like them but for the rest of us with $40 or so they make a great purchase and you too will get that real "killing sound" of "Vacuum tube" .
Beautiful