Sound Impressions for Low-ends: Basshead Performance, Without Sacrificing
Radon 6 has a well-balanced w-shaped sound with elevated bass. The Kinetic bass plays a major role that differentiates it from the rest of the earphones, even those that are well-known as basshead IEMs. The bone-conducting, realistic, and clear vibrations of the bass growls are the specialty of Radon 6. Yet, the bass doesn’t get overly boomy or muddy, still keeping its control. Daringly aggressive in bass details and thickness yet keeping its class – that’s what Radon 6 is. The bass quantity is strong enough to call it a basshead IEM, yet differs with most as Radon 6 hasn’t sacrificed the rest of the frequency ranges just for the bass.
The low-end extension is deep in both extension and color, providing a clean, thick groove yet not overly highlighted in quantity to the point of muddying the atmosphere. However, the warm, embracing bass is inevitably there, so if you’re the type of listener who doesn’t like bass reverbs in general or prefers a reference, clean-cut bass that doesn’t highlight much sub-bass (like Astell&Kern Zero 2). Though Radon 6 is capable of pleasing also those who aren’t particularly a basshead despite its strong bass presence. It’s possible due to its impressive overall balance as well as the naturally clean bass. Radon 6 won’t headache-ring your entire head but just let you enjoy some plentiful, quality, and realistic bass vibrations.
The Vocals: Breathable Realism, like a Loudspeaker
Mids take a gentle step forward, and while the lows are also placed close to the ears, FIR made a clever tuning with the Radon 6 so the lows and mids don’t muddle up, as the low-ends stay strictly on the lower grounds while the vocals form on the upper side, hence lows and mids are respecting each other by only staying within their own grounds while both approaches near to the ears.
That said, you might wonder if that means there’d be an odd gap between the sub-bass and the lower-mids. That’s not the case, however. The transition from the lows to mids is done so naturally, in both phasing, position, and timbre.
Radon 6’s vocals also have a good thickness and large scale as the bass. The full-bodied mid-range allows the transition to be seamless and to have the vocals just as powerful and impactful as the lows. Vocals have a warm tone that is fused with a touch of airiness throughout the mid-range, preventing the vocals from getting stuffy or overly dark.
However, it does a gently dim dark tone, so those who seek cool, shiny vocals may not find the Rn6’s vocals resolving enough. Though if you’re one of those who would say “I’m fine as long as the vocals are smooth-clear and detailed”, or treble-shy but don’t like muddy sound either, the Rn6’s vocals will treat you just fine. Vocals have a very steady flow and timbre across the mid-range, showing no noticeable dips or sibilance. Dynamic yet surprisingly flat should I say?
The Trebles: Lively, Open-ended, and Natural Decay
Highs take a subtle step back from the vocals but Radon 6 makes no compromise in treble details and extension. FIR’s Open BA technology makes the sound prominently different from the casual, tubed BA drivers. First, the trebles sound open-ended and airy while not losing density and clarity. The crisp texture and agile technicality are what we usually expect from a high-end IEM, and Rn6 delivers them. The strike is solid with good speed and crispiness.
However, what Rn6 differentiates from the tubed ones is that the trebles are expansive with much more natural, realistic decay. The way how the treble splashes decay, and how naturally it’s done is what makes the Rn6’s treble truly shine. Sure, tubed-BAs can still provide superb trebles that produce natural decays, yet they would usually have boosted trebles that may easily fatigue the ears or even get shouty.
Radon 6 desires detailed yet fatigue-free trebles, and the level of detail to be as good as those that are treble-boosted. Rn6’s trebles have a neutral-cool tone, yet the appropriately controlled quantity allows practically any user to have no issues with treble fatigues. Of course, those who seek bright trebles would and may find the treble intensity insufficient. But the details and resolution? Cross them out from your concerns. Absolute comfort yet TOTL treble performance is the strength of Rn6.
Next Page: Comparisons with FIR Radon 6 & AME Gaia / Verdicts