[vonBaron]

RAD-0 definitely has not that punchy bas as Final D8000 or Abyss 1266.

 

[vonBaron]

But still if you are interested of buying them I've got one for sale.

 

[MatW]

Audiophile Heaven just posted a YouTube review on the FAD A8000, he's one of the few YouTubers that listens to proper extreme metal subgenres (maybe not grindcore but definitely some black/folk crossover, melodic death, etc). His preference is definitely much different from mine though, it may have been the primary reason I was so dissapointed with the FiiO FH7. I'm looking into either a Japanese unit/tuning of the UM MEST or the 64audio Nio next. There seems to be a large influx in people deciding to sell their Nios for some reason this week. I also decided against the EA Odin after seeing what it looks like on camera, can't wear flashy faceplates like that outside unfortunately. Crinacle did mention that it would almost top his current ranking list if it wasn't for the price (from his brief audition), and BGGAR is reviewing his set in the next few days.

So getting back on topic with full sized headphones...I finally understand the appeal after hitting a major roadblock with my vinyl + floorstanding loudspeaker setup (on paper). It's such a headache to try to piece together all the components, making sure your room is adequate in size and good enough for general acoustics, avoiding pressure traps, etc. It's almost like you need a room custom built for your setup or else you won't be getting the desired sound. Vinyl Engine forums have quite a bit of theads on loudspeakers for metal and even more minor components like the right turntable cartridge for extreme metal. Steve Hoffman, Audiogon, and WhatHifi boards also have some good home audio discussions pertaining to metal.

This is what I've gathered: a standard bookshelf tweeter pair + subwoofer just won't cut it for metal, you need floorstanding loudspeakers right off the bat. I've personally auditioned the Klipsch R51M tweeters + their corresponding 12" subwoofer at a local audio store with the correct room setup. It sounds absolutely awful with metal. Some of the dirtiest mid-bass I've ever heard, and the horns are a bit too aggressive especially with poorly recorded BM. Anyway, I calculated an entry level cost of ~$5500 CAD just for the basics...that would be a pair of Cerwin Vega SL-12 3-way towers and the corresponding entry level subwoofer (which I would use for DnB, not necessarily metal seeing as the Vegas provide enough bass with their standard woofers). That's $2500 CAD for the speaker system. Then I would need an power amp for the speakers (entry level Marantz starts at $1200 CAD). Finally a budget entry level turntable with an integrated amp (Rega Planar 1 Plus) costs $800 CAD. Then I have to worry about receivers, aftermarket components like a cartridge, tonearm, and/or stylus upgrades, etc. I know I'm missing a few things but that's all that pops to mind right now.

This guy's vinyl setup and collection is the best I've ever seen on the internet, his gear adds up to a whopping $75k CAD (he has two Dynaudio Contour 60 towers) and that's not even counting the receivers, furniture, ultra rare pressings, etc. Isn't that everyone's endgame goal someday? Anyway I'm probably going about this all wrong and I'm just ranting at this point, but I have a newfound appreciation for open air headphones in general now that I realize how much simpler it is to setup and the mobility/flexibility that it affords the user. I can't be tied down to a house, yet alone a full home audio set at my current age and in my field of work - I need mobility. Also I'm aware that vintage audio would cut costs by at least 2/3 but that's not really the issue, it's the fact that finding a perfect room in a condo or townhouse won't be easy and you can't listen at too loud a volume.

TLDR; just ranting about how tedious it is to setup a home audio system with vinyl and floorstanding loudspeakers. Once I'm satisfied with an IEM, I'll look into finally getting an open-air pair of headphones for vinyl listening. I was set on the RAD-0 this whole time but I wonder if I'll be dissapointed with the bass extension after all the reviews I've read/watched. I'm not expecting closed back levels of bass impact but some reviewers make it sound like there's no punch present at all. Suddenly the Abyss look more appealing despite the price tag.

Abyss 1266 or LCD 4, for me. I don't know final d8000 well enough.

 

[Vruksha]

Audiophile Heaven just posted a YouTube review on the FAD A8000, he's one of the few YouTubers that listens to proper extreme metal subgenres (maybe not grindcore but definitely some black/folk crossover, melodic death, etc). His preference is definitely much different from mine though, it may have been the primary reason I was so dissapointed with the FiiO FH7. I'm looking into either a Japanese unit/tuning of the UM MEST or the 64audio Nio next. There seems to be a large influx in people deciding to sell their Nios for some reason this week. I also decided against the EA Odin after seeing what it looks like on camera, can't wear flashy faceplates like that outside unfortunately. Crinacle did mention that it would almost top his current ranking list if it wasn't for the price (from his brief audition), and BGGAR is reviewing his set in the next few days.

So getting back on topic with full sized headphones...I finally understand the appeal after hitting a major roadblock with my vinyl + floorstanding loudspeaker setup (on paper). It's such a headache to try to piece together all the components, making sure your room is adequate in size and good enough for general acoustics, avoiding pressure traps, etc. It's almost like you need a room custom built for your setup or else you won't be getting the desired sound. Vinyl Engine forums have quite a bit of theads on loudspeakers for metal and even more minor components like the right turntable cartridge for extreme metal. Steve Hoffman, Audiogon, and WhatHifi boards also have some good home audio discussions pertaining to metal.

This is what I've gathered: a standard bookshelf tweeter pair + subwoofer just won't cut it for metal, you need floorstanding loudspeakers right off the bat. I've personally auditioned the Klipsch R51M tweeters + their corresponding 12" subwoofer at a local audio store with the correct room setup. It sounds absolutely awful with metal. Some of the dirtiest mid-bass I've ever heard, and the horns are a bit too aggressive especially with poorly recorded BM. Anyway, I calculated an entry level cost of ~$5500 CAD just for the basics...that would be a pair of Cerwin Vega SL-12 3-way towers and the corresponding entry level subwoofer (which I would use for DnB, not necessarily metal seeing as the Vegas provide enough bass with their standard woofers). That's $2500 CAD for the speaker system. Then I would need an power amp for the speakers (entry level Marantz starts at $1200 CAD). Finally a budget entry level turntable with an integrated amp (Rega Planar 1 Plus) costs $800 CAD. Then I have to worry about receivers, aftermarket components like a cartridge, tonearm, and/or stylus upgrades, etc. I know I'm missing a few things but that's all that pops to mind right now.

This guy's vinyl setup and collection is the best I've ever seen on the internet, his gear adds up to a whopping $75k CAD (he has two Dynaudio Contour 60 towers) and that's not even counting the receivers, furniture, ultra rare pressings, etc. Isn't that everyone's endgame goal someday? Anyway I'm probably going about this all wrong and I'm just ranting at this point, but I have a newfound appreciation for open air headphones in general now that I realize how much simpler it is to setup and the mobility/flexibility that it affords the user. I can't be tied down to a house, yet alone a full home audio set at my current age and in my field of work - I need mobility. Also I'm aware that vintage audio would cut costs by at least 2/3 but that's not really the issue, it's the fact that finding a perfect room in a condo or townhouse won't be easy and you can't listen at too loud a volume.

TLDR; just ranting about how tedious it is to setup a home audio system with vinyl and floorstanding loudspeakers. Once I'm satisfied with an IEM, I'll look into finally getting an open-air pair of headphones for vinyl listening. I was set on the RAD-0 this whole time but I wonder if I'll be dissapointed with the bass extension after all the reviews I've read/watched. I'm not expecting closed back levels of bass impact but some reviewers make it sound like there's no punch present at all. Suddenly the Abyss look more appealing despite the price tag.

Few friends of mine prefer hifiman sundara for listening to extreme metal and it's very reasonably priced.

 

[levap]

Recently I had a guest - Rosson Audio Design RAD-0, so couple of word about them on metal.

Headphones do not hurry anywhere, even non-fazor LCD-3 look more hasty. The only close analog in this regard that comes to mind - of course LCD-4, colleagues with RAD-0 in terms of "speed". Highs - comfortable, but the feeling of some loss of details does not occur. Mids - on the one hand, is not some kind of supereffective, as in electrostats or say Abyss. But the voice sounds frighteningly realistic. The middle is not “better than the real one”, but “the real one”. Bass - the hallmark of headphones; volume above the average, powerful when necessary, enveloping and flowing, creating the effect of low speed and setting the overall style of the cans. The soundstage width is not a stadium, but perhaps typical size for open headphones. At the same time, soundstage depth in enormous. Musical instruments separation level – on the top of the top (which also removes the last doubts about the possible concealment of details). The last moment combined with the naturalness of the mids sometimes give a frightening effect of presence.

Amp power hunger - it seems that the cans are really tough in this relation, I am not sure that my balanced Beta 22 have enough juice for them. And here is a paradox - unlike LCD, in under-amped state (listening on SE jack), they have even more atmosphere and character. Even more slow, more "dark" and sadder. However, the main part of the listening will be spent in balance, assuming that the author still intended them to be well-amped. But anyway, if we want to get a more universal configuration for faster genres - we listen in balanced mode, if we want to get the most fun version with the clearest manifestation of the sound signature of headphones - we switch to SE.

On metal, everything is not bad really. Let's focus on the most positive subgenre notes.

Black - Perhaps RAD-0 the new kings of black. The primary malice and darkness, espeacially on raw sounding tracks - just an outstanding impression. That's their niche. Yes, and on a relatively more technical-focused records, for example, Anaal Nathrakh - the atmosphere is so outweighed that the result feed is considered as a feature, and not a bug.

Doom - Another point of absolute power on metal. The fattest, slowest, most powerful dish (with the effect amplified when listening to the SE jack and not by balance). Synergistic resonances twist your hands, preventing attempts to switch tracks.

Goth - Melancholy, darkness and spleen. The depressing mood evoked by the enveloping sound canvas is. What is needed for the genre, in a word.

 

[immortalsoul]

Recently I had a guest - Rosson Audio Design RAD-0, so couple of word about them on metal.

Headphones do not hurry anywhere, even non-fazor LCD-3 look more hasty. The only close analog in this regard that comes to mind - of course LCD-4, colleagues with RAD-0 in terms of "speed". Highs - comfortable, but the feeling of some loss of details does not occur. Mids - on the one hand, is not some kind of supereffective, as in electrostats or say Abyss. But the voice sounds frighteningly realistic. The middle is not “better than the real one”, but “the real one”. Bass - the hallmark of headphones; volume above the average, powerful when necessary, enveloping and flowing, creating the effect of low speed and setting the overall style of the cans. The soundstage width is not a stadium, but perhaps typical size for open headphones. At the same time, soundstage depth in enormous. Musical instruments separation level – on the top of the top (which also removes the last doubts about the possible concealment of details). The last moment combined with the naturalness of the mids sometimes give a frightening effect of presence.

Amp power hunger - it seems that the cans are really tough in this relation, I am not sure that my balanced Beta 22 have enough juice for them. And here is a paradox - unlike LCD, in under-amped state (listening on SE jack), they have even more atmosphere and character. Even more slow, more "dark" and sadder. However, the main part of the listening will be spent in balance, assuming that the author still intended them to be well-amped. But anyway, if we want to get a more universal configuration for faster genres - we listen in balanced mode, if we want to get the most fun version with the clearest manifestation of the sound signature of headphones - we switch to SE.

On metal, everything is not bad really. Let's focus on the most positive subgenre notes.

Black - Perhaps RAD-0 the new kings of black. The primary malice and darkness, espeacially on raw sounding tracks - just an outstanding impression. That's their niche. Yes, and on a relatively more technical-focused records, for example, Anaal Nathrakh - the atmosphere is so outweighed that the result feed is considered as a feature, and not a bug.

Doom - Another point of absolute power on metal. The fattest, slowest, most powerful dish (with the effect amplified when listening to the SE jack and not by balance). Synergistic resonances twist your hands, preventing attempts to switch tracks.

Goth - Melancholy, darkness and spleen. The depressing mood evoked by the enveloping sound canvas is. What is needed for the genre, in a word.

Can you please update your first page with the headphones list because I really like your recommendations and I think many things have changed since you did that table. Thank you. I really appreciate all your work and help here on head-fi

 

[levap]

Can you please update your first page with the headphones list because I really like your recommendations and I think many things have changed since you did that table. Thank you. I really appreciate all your work and help here on head-fi

You're right, couple of rows added since last update of first page )) Here is current version (first post also under update).

 

[vonBaron]

Stll no Final D8000 on that list? Shame...

 

[tcellguy]

I recently got the re-tuned Aeon flow closed (re-tuned version 1). These headphones are quite a surprise. The bass has been increased substantially, while the mids are still aggressive and forward, but much smoother now. The treble is much clearer and the dynamics are very much improved. The sounds stage is also wider vs. the original AFC. These are actually very well suited to metal. You don't get biocell level bass-slam, but they are very fast and the improved bass really helps with kick drums and bass guitar. It also fills out guitar and vocal timbre. I actually prefer these to the Aeon 2 closed, in which the mids were a bit too far pushed back and electric guitar attack was a bit too damped.

 

[Trance_Gott]

Rosson RAD-0 is my No. 1 for metal! No LCD-4, no Phi TC, no Susvara the Rosson RAD-0 has the tonality and speed for all metal genres. Georgeous!

 

[vonBaron]

For me RAD-0 are not even close to Abyss 1266.

 

[Trance_Gott]

Abyss tonality is wrong a big dip in the mids. Highs are piercing. Comfort is horrible. Bass is not very detail it has only good visceral impact that's it.

 

[vonBaron]

@Trance_Gott are you sure you describe Abyss 1266?

 

[levap]

Abyss tonality is wrong a big dip in the mids. Highs are piercing. Comfort is horrible. Bass is not very detail it has only good visceral impact that's it.

Looks like your source + amp faults description.

 

[Trance_Gott]

I had 1266, I had Phi CC, I heared Phi TC.
Sounds not real for me sorry guys.
LCD4 destroys it also in Bass. When you switch from Abyss to lcd4 you realize how much extension in bass is lost with the Phi.

But metal with the Abyss is a lot of fun that's truth!
In terms of realistic tonality RAD0 is better in my eyes.