- Joined
- Aug 9, 2006
- Posts
- 12,932
- Likes
- 1,080
God I feel stupid saying this, even for thinking it, but this gimmicky earphone is simply an aural treasure full of lots'n lots of pleasure.
Here is my full review of the Radius HP-TWF11R with pictures
Fit 'n crap
First, let's get the bad stuff out of the way so we can focus on the good stuff: this earphone is a b*tch to wear. Up or down, it simply doesn't sit right. It is too long, strangely angled, and prods out like the hairy arms of a rude lumberjack.
Worse yet is that combined with horrid fit comes a horrid cable. All nylon, all mighty microphonics. Every breath you take, every move you make, this thing will be chomping 'thwacky' sounds into your ears - that is if it doesn't first fall out.
The neck cinch doesn't help either - it is nicely made, but without purpose since these things have nothing better than precarious plowed into them. Horrid, maybe even worst yet.
Build 'n That
All together, not bad. Typical shortsightedness applies to cable design: straight plug termination makes it easy to snag on objects and break the plug or DAP. Be careful. The strain reliefs are okay; certainly, they are nothing to write home about, but they should be better than a lot of competition out there.
The body is 100% plastic and Sansa Fuze style of cheap ***** rubber coating. Not bad, but what in the hell is the cleaning cloth for? For polishing plastic? LOL.
Sound
Okay, here is where this earphone really turns it up. I will make an overbearing, possibly damning statement here: you may not find as well-tuned an earphone for any price.
That out of the way, I hope you read on. By that I mean, it isn't bassy in the traditional sense: Atrio M5, FX500, IE8 - no, it is balanced as far as the ear is concerned. There is a healthy nudge upward in the low frequencies, but it is by far the best balance I've heard in a dynamic earphone.
Tailored, you bet, but wonderfully. Texture, space, pace - it's all there. You will NOT find a more well-realised earphone anywhere near its price range. The same goes for the midrange - there simply is nothing wrong. Great shimmer in the mid-highs and highs, to-die-for guitars of any variety: bass, steel, nylon, electric; fabulous distortion and piano which should not sound so good for 140$.
If there is anything to complain about, it is that a mild suckout in the female vocal area is noticeable, but hardly hardly a problem. There is nothing sonically that his earphone can be faulted for.
Space: it is there in gobs - and I mean GOBS. And unlike the IE8, not a hint of plastic echo - even when playing trance.
Excellent.
If this earphone was built better, I'd pay upwards of 400$ for it. Sadly, it is built/designed for... who knows. It is simply embarrassing because Radius could have made the best value known to portable audio had they just done their cable and fit homework.
Final rating: 3/5
Sound 5/5
Here is my full review of the Radius HP-TWF11R with pictures
