Review - the Radius HP-TWF11 DDM.

idc

Well-known member
I (and others, sorry I have no control over who gets the loan) have been given a loan of the Radius through iHeadphone to give them a review. So here are my thoughts of my first ever shot at IEMs.

HP-TWF11_01.jpg


They are £120 or so, which when you get them for the first time does seem a lot for a very little. They are known for short as the Radius DDM which stands for Dual Diaphragm Matrix. In effect there is a bass and tweeter somehow magically squeezed inside them. This creates a ‘spacious sound’ found in ‘high end headphones’.

Actually, no it does not. As I said I have never been a fan of pushing things into my ear and always use over on some on-ear headphones. Prior to getting the Radius I was using my AKG K280 Parabolic. It has tow drivers for each ear and at times you can hear all four playing different parts of a track. The music feels all around you and not rapped in your head. That is not the case with the Radius. So a fail there.

When I opened up the package I found a choice of about 4 sizes of plugs. So I went for the ones that were the same size as the earplugs I use at concerts now. I went through my tester tracks and then tried some Swedish prog with Anekdoten. It was all pretty awful. It was very bright and strident, detail was lacking and then one ear piece went pop and fell out. Now I know you need to get the right earpiece. I tried the next smaller size, shoved it right in and tried again.

The sound was now much better. The midrange is very detailed and clarity is superb. The only issue, but I was using my high power for a headphone amp X-CANV8P, was the amount of background hiss I could hear. The Radius are very sensitive and detailed, so they pick up original tape mastering hiss. But, both bass and treble were lacking. They were recessed and at times kick drums sounded as if they were being tapped with a hand as opposed to hit with a foot.

These are not IEMs for rock. They lack attack with the notes rising out rather than jumping at you. But they excelled at vocals and if you like to follow lyrics, these are for you.

I also found them very comfortable having used them for three hours non stop with no issues. I do not think they are very secure as the overall shape did not rest well in the bottom of my ear.

So, overall, because of the lack of bass and treble and the, to me user of Parabolics lack of soundstage, I will not be buying them. But if you prefer IEMs, I suspect, giving my review turned out to be similar to others who know their stuff, they are worth it.
 

idc

Well-known member
I have been trying the Radius out of my ipod Classic. I take back what I have said before about all headphones benefit from amping. The Radius sound better with the ipod. Detail and clarity have suffered slightly but have been replaced by more musicality and sound that hangs together better. I have the ipods volume at 60%, way less than any other headphone I own, most of which are set at 90%.

The only comparison I have headphone wise are the Sennheiser mx500s. I never liked their big, fat, fixed hard buds and now I know why. If you shove them painfully into the corner of your ear so they fire straight down the ear canal, they can sound similar to the Radius. IEMs are far more comfortable. The Senns, no matter what I do with position and the ipods EQ sound thinner and tinny. The Radius has a wonderful midrange, but with a bit of Led Zep, showed some bass abilities as well. That they sound better with EQ off I think is the sign of a quality headphone which does not need artificial help.

Overall the Radius claim of "DDM system made it possible to recreate the spaciousness of the sound that other earphones were unable to achieve. You would feel as if you are using high-end speakers" I say is an exaggeration, particularly the second part. But I would imagine, if you like the looks and have £120 or so to spend on IEMs they are very good.
 

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