[Dobrescu George]

I would be quite interested to see a comparison between this Rad-0 and the Kennerton Thror headphone. By memory from last year from trying the Kennerton Odin both seemed fairly comparable in terms of weight / size / price and even sonically, though the Rad-0 actually seemed more comfortable. Both are planar and the Thror has a wood cup, costing somewhat more. The reason for the Thror comparison would be because it is essentially the higher, better reviewed model from Kennerton.

I have Thror and RAD-0, along with Arya, He6SE, LCD-Mx4 and quite a few others

What would you like to know?

RAD-0 is more comfortable, RAD-0 is actually the same weight but is softer, Thror is very tight, and has harder pads. Thror is easier to drive than RAD-0, but RAD-0 sounds more impactful.

Since I can do this comparison what are the most important aspects you'd like to know about?

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

I have Thror and RAD-0, along with Arya, He6SE, LCD-Mx4 and quite a few others

What would you like to know?

RAD-0 is more comfortable, RAD-0 is actually the same weight but is softer, Thror is very tight, and has harder pads. Thror is easier to drive than RAD-0, but RAD-0 sounds more impactful.

Since I can do this comparison what are the most important aspects you'd like to know about?

Frequency balance, soundstage, treble amount

 

[DecentLevi]

I have Thror and RAD-0, along with Arya, He6SE, LCD-Mx4 and quite a few others

What would you like to know?

RAD-0 is more comfortable, RAD-0 is actually the same weight but is softer, Thror is very tight, and has harder pads. Thror is easier to drive than RAD-0, but RAD-0 sounds more impactful.

Since I can do this comparison what are the most important aspects you'd like to know about?

That's great of you to offer this comparison and lucky for us you happen to have both! Judging from the Kennerton Odin I tried which came before the Thror, it would seem the Rad-0 would be more comfortable. But I think the Rad-0's weigh around 650 grams so have you had any / much discomfort after a few hour listening sessions?

RE amping, I noticed (from my testing) the Rad-0 seem picky on synergy with amps, though not necessarily hard to drive. For instance the Euforia tube amp which wasn't strong enough to drive the power hungry HEDDphone One, the Rad-0 was loud enough on it but the synergy was off; while it was driven well and had good synergy with all other amps I tried it with - Quad PA One +, GSX Mini, Rangarok 2 and WA-33. Would you tell us which of your amps it paired well with - and which were either too quiet or bad synergy?

And of course about the sound (Thror vs. Rad-0):
- Which has a larger soundstage
- How does the tonality or FR differ between the two
- Which causes more listening fatigue from high frequencies
- Which is your personal favorite sound

It's also good news the Rad-0 has the edge in dynamics over the more expensive Thror, making it even more appealing. So far it's my personal favorite planar I've tried to date, except perhaps the HE-6, though required a large speaker amp and is hard to obtain anyway.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Frequency balance, soundstage, treble amount

Frequency Balance,

RAD-0 has a more meaty bass, more sub-bass and bass, but not necessarily more in amount, but with more control and depth. Both Thror and RAD-0 have convincing Bass, I just feel that RAD-0 has it more natural and fluid, but also more controlled. The mids are similarly presented, but RAD-0 goes for musicality, while Thror is more neutral, not tilted towards any direction in particular. Detail may be a touch better on Thror, but the overall sound flows much more smoothly and more naturally on RAD-0. Treble amount is similar, both are smoother, but I think that Thror has a bit more sparkle in the treble, RAD-0 is quite smooth there. RAD-0 does have enough treble sparkle to be interesting, but it is one of the smoother flagship headphones I heard. RAD-0 is smoother also in treble texture, if there was one way to describe RAD-0, it would be, excellent bass, extremely natural, very musical and grain-free. Thror is more like, very clean and crisp, honest, natural.

Soundstage is a bit larger on Thror, but both have excellent imaging and instrument separation.

That's great of you to offer this comparison and lucky for us you happen to have both! Judging from the Kennerton Odin I tried which came before the Thror, it would seem the Rad-0 would be more comfortable. But I think the Rad-0's weigh around 650 grams so have you had any / much discomfort after a few hour listening sessions?

RE amping, I noticed (from my testing) the Rad-0 seem picky on synergy with amps, though not necessarily hard to drive. For instance the Euforia tube amp which wasn't strong enough to drive the power hungry HEDDphone One, the Rad-0 was loud enough on it but the synergy was off; while it was driven well and had good synergy with all other amps I tried it with - Quad PA One +, GSX Mini, Rangarok 2 and WA-33. Would you tell us which of your amps it paired well with - and which were either too quiet or bad synergy?

And of course about the sound (Thror vs. Rad-0):
- Which has a larger soundstage
- How does the tonality or FR differ between the two
- Which causes more listening fatigue from high frequencies
- Which is your personal favorite sound

It's also good news the Rad-0 has the edge in dynamics over the more expensive Thror, making it even more appealing. So far it's my personal favorite planar I've tried to date, except perhaps the HE-6, though required a large speaker amp and is hard to obtain anyway.

RAD-0 is quite heavy, but I was able even to walk for about two hours while wearing them and I experienced no wearing fatigue

I really loved RAD-0 with both Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ and iBasso DX220 + AMP7 from iBasso. I tried both quite loud, and there was no trace of distortion, RAD-0 was simply excellently musical and enjoyable from both, kinda like what you'd expect from its sound.

I think it has excellent synnergy with M2Tech Younh MKIII + Wells Milo

I think that neither causes any listener fatigue. At all. But somehow, RAD-0 is both smoother, and yet feels more musical.

It would be hard to say I have a favorite, both are excellent, but I grabbed RAD-0 a LOT lately becuase I love hearing the guitars in metal music the way RAD-0 plays them. I also have HE6SE, and I agree, RAD-0 and HE6SE are both at the top of my favorite Planar Headphone list.

I have a video review of RAD-0 I will be posting very soon!

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Frequency Balance,

RAD-0 has a more meaty bass, more sub-bass and bass, but not necessarily more in amount, but with more control and depth. Both Thror and RAD-0 have convincing Bass, I just feel that RAD-0 has it more natural and fluid, but also more controlled. The mids are similarly presented, but RAD-0 goes for musicality, while Thror is more neutral, not tilted towards any direction in particular. Detail may be a touch better on Thror, but the overall sound flows much more smoothly and more naturally on RAD-0. Treble amount is similar, both are smoother, but I think that Thror has a bit more sparkle in the treble, RAD-0 is quite smooth there. RAD-0 does have enough treble sparkle to be interesting, but it is one of the smoother flagship headphones I heard. RAD-0 is smoother also in treble texture, if there was one way to describe RAD-0, it would be, excellent bass, extremely natural, very musical and grain-free. Thror is more like, very clean and crisp, honest, natural.

Soundstage is a bit larger on Thror, but both have excellent imaging and instrument separation.



RAD-0 is quite heavy, but I was able even to walk for about two hours while wearing them and I experienced no wearing fatigue

I really loved RAD-0 with both Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ and iBasso DX220 + AMP7 from iBasso. I tried both quite loud, and there was no trace of distortion, RAD-0 was simply excellently musical and enjoyable from both, kinda like what you'd expect from its sound.

I think it has excellent synnergy with M2Tech Younh MKIII + Wells Milo

I think that neither causes any listener fatigue. At all. But somehow, RAD-0 is both smoother, and yet feels more musical.

It would be hard to say I have a favorite, both are excellent, but I grabbed RAD-0 a LOT lately becuase I love hearing the guitars in metal music the way RAD-0 plays them. I also have HE6SE, and I agree, RAD-0 and HE6SE are both at the top of my favorite Planar Headphone list.

I have a video review of RAD-0 I will be posting very soon!

Very helpful impressions! Thanks! Hopefully, there will be more to come. It doesn’t seem like very many people have heard this headphone.

 

[DecentLevi]

Better bass definition than the Thror, smooth, laid back yet detailed sound with great timbre, excellent imagining and instrument separation, musical tone, fairly comfortable, comparable to the best ever planars. That's my summary of your impressions which are exceptionally good for any headphone and I loved the sound too.

I'm also curious if you share my sentiment on amp pairings - were there any amps that didn't synergise with the Rad-0 that paired well with most other similar planar or even dynamic headphones?

 

[Dobrescu George]

Very helpful impressions! Thanks! Hopefully, there will be more to come. It doesn’t seem like very many people have heard this headphone.

.I'm sure more will chime in, RAD-0 is simply that amazing

Better bass definition than the Thror, smooth, laid back yet detailed sound with great timbre, excellent imagining and instrument separation, musical tone, fairly comfortable, comparable to the best ever planars. That's my summary of your impressions which are exceptionally good for any headphone and I loved the sound too.

I'm also curious if you share my sentiment on amp pairings - were there any amps that didn't synergise with the Rad-0 that paired well with most other similar planar or even dynamic headphones?

Hm... I think that I liked RAD-0 more with Brooklyn DAC+ and Wells Milo than with stuff like Burson Play Basic.

BTW, this may come as a shocker to some, but RAD-0 is fully drive-able and up to some amazing performance with iBasso DX220 + AMP7, and with QLS QA361

 

[DecentLevi]

Wow I just checked out the specs of the iBasso DX220 from their site and it's out of this world chalked with features, power and tech. Amazing it pairs so well as you say with these top full size planar headphones. I'd imagine that would be a super fly mini- rig for traveling, the DX220 DAC/DAP & AMP7 + Rad-0 headphones. Was this with balanced or SE connection? Have you compared this or any other headphone pairing with their DX220 vs. DX200? And I'm curious if you've got any opinions on the Brooklyn DAC vs. the DX220 as a DAC? They're obviously quite different beasts but both have the same DAC chip.

 

[Dobrescu George]

Wow I just checked out the specs of the iBasso DX220 from their site and it's out of this world chalked with features, power and tech. Amazing it pairs so well as you say with these top full size planar headphones. I'd imagine that would be a super fly mini- rig for traveling, the DX220 DAC/DAP & AMP7 + Rad-0 headphones. Was this with balanced or SE connection? Have you compared this or any other headphone pairing with their DX220 vs. DX200? And I'm curious if you've got any opinions on the Brooklyn DAC vs. the DX220 as a DAC? They're obviously quite different beasts but both have the same DAC chip.

Yep, I have used DX220 + AMP7 with RAD-0 portably! It is amazing, and with the beautiful style and design of Radsonic... It blew my mind, and the minds of everyone around!

Single Ended only, AMP7 is a SE module only.

DX220 vs DX200 with the same AMP module is similar enough for me to not be able to tell the sonic differences right away. But they are different in terms of abilities and such, design, and even hardware.

I also tested my Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ vs DX220, I'm curious by nature so this was only natural to test. The part that is most different is the AMP, since the dAC chip itself is the same. Brooklyn does sound better, larger soundstage, more natural, even better control and dynamics. But I can't take Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ in a pocket, and DX220 + AMP7 is one of the best I ever heard, and the synnergy with RAD-0 is top notch

DAC+ just takes things one step ahead. Or multiple steps ahead, sonically. But it is a desktop device only.

 

[Dobrescu George]

So I promised everyone that I'd post a video on the RAD-0 soon, and well, it is time! This is one of the videos I placed quite a bit of effort in, mostly because I really wanted to try my best to let you know how this one sounds, there are few reviews so far, but I have a feeling this headphone will climb its way in the ranking ladders of all music lovers, especially given their sound... But more details in the video!!

 

[DecentLevi]

George I enjoyed the video, good work. Being somewhat of a detail freak I will correct a few things:

The Rad-0 uses angled earpads, which appears to be pleather on the sides and velour on the surface. The colored swirl design cup of the headphones appears to be made of a chrome material, and with a metal grille. It's a planar magnetic headphone that uses a 3.5mm to dual 3.5mm interchangeable cable with modestly heavy weight which is made more comfortable from being distributed in ways such as clamping force.
I agree with what you said about these sonically, it's a vivid, liquid smooth musical sound, and I would also say it's lush with controlled robust bass and very resolving vs. more of a dry and even darker sound with slower transients of the likes of Audeze LCD2.

 

[Ultrainferno]

Wow!

 

[DecentLevi]

Hoping not to come off as 'sponsored' LOL, but FYI the Radical-0 are released in full force on Headphone.com with different color options!
EDIT: headphones.com

 

[wenbinbin2010]

Hoping not to come off as 'sponsored' LOL, but FYI the Radical-0 are released in full force on Headphone.com with different color options!

I picked up a pair from Headphones.com. Taron and Andrew Lissimore (founders of the company) are amazing to work with, so I highly recommend!

As for the RAD-0, I immediately liked how they sound, more than any Audeze headphone I've owned in the past, included a recent pair of LCD-4s. The RAD-0 has incredible clarity throughout all frequencies, without harsh treble. The treble is definitely more defined and present than the LCD-4, and it has a "rounded" quality where it hits you, but not too hard that it's piercing. In comparison, my previous Hifiman HEKse had great treble extension, but sounded harsh on some recordings. The clarity really isn't just in the treble though. Mids and bass are so clear, bass is punchy and never sounds smeared into the low-mids. The soundstage isn't as wide as the HEKse (which is the widest headphone I've heard), but it actually has more depth. There were a number of songs where I felt like the bass line was coming from slightly behind my head, instead of just laterally. Better soundstage than the LCD-4 IMO. You wouldn't expect that at first because the clamping force is actually a little too strong. That might be my only strike against the RAD-0. The earpads aren't super thick or large, so the leather mostly just sits on your ear. It feels claustrophobic, but the soundstage is anything but closed in.

The swirled acrylic seemed a little excessive to me when I was considering buying them, but now that I have them in hand, they are downright beautiful. The ZMF Verite (my other keeper) is beautiful in it's own right, but the acrylic swirl on the RAD-0 is so unique and eye-catching. Overall, very pleased. To me, it solves the "recessed" sound of Audeze headphones that I never realized was there until I started venturing into Hifiman planars. I know some people feel like Hifiman does treble and clarity well, while Audeze does bass the best. Well finally, in my humble opinion, the RAD-0 combines both features of the best Hifiman and best Audeze headphones into one! Icing on the cake, there was a letter in the packaging from Alex Rosson stating that the drivers are warrantied FOR LIFE. Lifetime driver warranty is one of the reasons I decided to stick with ZMF, and it might be another reason I decide to keep the RAD-0 as well. I've only had one driver failure with Audeze, but that was enough for me to constantly be worried about high-end headphones failing on me. With a lifetime driver warranty, I'm completely happy keeping these headphones without wondering when I need to upgrade to the next model, just to renew the warranty.

 

[DecentLevi]

Funny how you make such a comparison to Audeze because the founder Alex Rosson was a former Audeze member too... Looks like his breakout took things up a whole new level