Radsone Earstudio HE100 Review

Introduction:

Radsone (short for Radical Sound) is a Korean company that became popular in the community with their Bluetooth DAC/AMP the HS100.

Radsone Website: https://www.radsone.com/

The Radsone HE100 that I will now review for you is a new step of the company in to the IEM market. The HE100 features a so called Single Hi-Res Dynamic Driver with a unique 3 Layer Diaphragm.

Product Page: https://www.radsone.com/he100

Disclaimer:

I would like to thank Radsone for providing me the HE100 for review purposes. I am not affiliated with Radsone beyond this review and these words reflect my true and unaltered opinions about the product.

Price: 

The actual price for the Radsone HE100 is 89,00 USD and can be purchased under the following link.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VB2Q8S9

Package and Accessories:

The Radsone HE100 came in a small box, which was wrapped with a cardboard box that shows some product brandings and information’s.

This box is containing the following items;

• 1 pair x Radsone HE100
• 3 pairs x Silicone ear tips (S, M, L)
• 1 pcs x Carrying Pouch
• 1 pcs x Cable Clip

Design and Build Quality:

The monitor shell of the Radsone HE100 is made of metal and has a rounded minimalistic design and is pretty lightweight.

The monitor shell of the HE100 consists of 2 main parts, which are the front part where you can find the sound nozzle with a metal mesh on the top to prevent the insertion of dust, earwax, etc. that is in gunmetal color, and the main body that is in the so called midnight blue color.

At the back of the main body is the EarStudio logo which is printed in white color.

At the bottom of each monitor are the left and right markings.

On the left side is the Hi-Res description which is also in white color.

The cable of the HE100 is not detachable and is fixed to the monitor with a plastic strain relief in black color.

The cable of the HE100 has a plastic insulation from the chin slider and y splitter up to the strain relief, while the rest down to the L-angled single ended (SE) headphone plug is made of fabric material.

The chin slider and y-splitter are made of plastic that is in black color.

On the right side of the cable is an In-Line Microphone for Hands-Free Calling that performs pretty well in terms of clarity.

The housing of the L-shaped headphone jack is made of plastic material in black color and features a strain relief for extra durability.

Fit, Comfort and Isolation:

The small and rounded shape of the HE100 monitor shell makes it to an In-Ear monitor that is comfortable to wear for long listening periods, while the noise isolation is on a average level and fairly ideal for the use in the public.

Technical Specifications:

• Driver Type    : Single Hi-Res Dynamic Driver with 3 Layer Diaphragm
• Impedance     : 27Ω
• Sensitivity       : 103dB/mW
• Freq. Resp.     : 10 Hz – 40 kHz
• Max Input       : 30 mW
• Plug                : 3.5mm SE (Unbalanced)
• Cable length   : 1.2m

Drivability:

The Radsone HE100 has an impedance of 27ohms and a sensitivity of 103dB., which makes it to an ideal earphone to use with relative weak sources like Smartphone’s, Tablets and smaller sized DAP’s and pairs very well with the Radsone ES100 wireless DAC/AMP.

Equipment’s used for this review:

• IEM’s                          : Radsone HE100, Brainwavz B200, Meze 12 Classics
• DAP/DAC/AMP         : Radsone ES100, FiiO M5, Cayin N5II

Albums & tracks used for this review:

• Gogo Penguin – Raven (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Otto Liebert& Luna Negra – The River (DSF) – Binaural Recording
• Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Season” (Wav 24bit/88kHz)
• Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Elton John – Your Song (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• David Bowie – Black Star (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Dave Gahan – Kingdom (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Eric Clapton – Unplugged Album (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• B.B. King – Riding With The King (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• First Aid Kit – My Silver Lining (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• London Grammar – Interlude (Live) (Flac 24bit/88kHz)
• Aretha Franklin – I Say a Little Prayer (Wav 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Diana Krall – So Wonderful (DSF)
• Laura Pergolizzi – Lost On You “Live at Harvard and Stone” (Wav 16bit/44.1kHz)
• No Doubt – Hella Gut (Spotify)
• Rush’s – Leave That Thing Alone (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Twerl – Lishu (Spotify)
• U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday (Flac 16bit/44.1kHz)
• Opeth – Windowpane (Wav 16bit/44kHz)
• Metallica – Sad but True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Slayer – Angel of Death (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
• Armin Van Buuren – Vini Vici (Spotify)
• Lorde – Royal (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
• Photek – The Hidden Camera (Spotify)
• Tom Player – Resonace Theory (16bit/44.1kHz)
• Massive Attack – Angel (Flac 24bit/192kHz)
• Portishead – The Hidden Camera (MP3 320kbps)

The Sound:

The Radsone HE100 is an In-Ear Monitor with a tad warmer than neutral tonality. The bass response is fairly linear and balanced; the midrange is clear and detailed with focus to the upper midrange, while the treble range is slightly rolled-off and fatigue-free.

The Bass:

The subbass region of the Radsone HE100 shows a fairly good amount of rumble, which should be enough for genres such like Rock, Pop, Metal or Classical music, while the quantity and intensity could be a bit low for genres such like EDM or Trance music. The subbass is successful in terms of control and clarity, while it leaks a bit in the depth and extension department.

The midbass region of the Radsone HE100 shows less quantity and intensity than the subbass region, while the impact is on an average level. Here are no negative situations like a midbass-hump or bleedings in to the midrange and shows an adequate level in terms of speed and control. Instruments bass guitars, drums and trumpets are sounding pretty clear and realistic while I would prefer a touch more body.

The overall bass performance of the HE100 is pretty good for its price range, especially in terms of detail and speed.

The Midrange:

The midrange of the Radsone HE100 shows a close to neutral tonality with emphasis in the upper midrange. The level of clarity and detail retrieval is quite good especially for a product with a price tag of 89.00 USD.

The male vocal presentation of the HE100 is pretty clean, detailed and soft without to show negative situation like muddiness or mixings. The only thing I would wish would be a touch more of lower midrange emphasis that could help to give a bit more body male voices.

The HE100 has a strong upper midrange emphasis which is pretty detailed and transparent. This upper midrange tuning is the reason why female vocals have a very good level of clarity and detail. The general tonality of female vocals is a bit bright but doesn’t show any unwanted sibilance or harshness. Female vocals are slightly more forward and detailed compared to male vocals.

 The instrument presentation of the Radsone HE100 is close to neutral and slightly bright tonality with good amount of air between them. The positioning and distance between each instrument is also quite successful for an IEM in this price range.

Instruments like guitars are a bit bright in tonality, while pianos have a good level extension and detail.

Upper Midrange & Treble:

The Radsone HE100 shows a strong upper midrange emphasis which is quite detailed and transparent in its presentation. The tonality is close to neutral, while the general presentation of this region is transparent and airy. The transitions are pretty controlled without to show any unnecessary sharpness/harshness.

The treble range of the Radsone HE100 is less pronounced than the upper midrange region. The focal point of this area is the lower treble region (presence) around the 4 kHz range, while there is a noticeable roll-off in the upper treble range. The extension and intensity in the lower treble range is a bit short while the overall presentation is quite controlled and fatigue free.

The Soundstage:

The Radsone RE100 has a suitable soundstage for a fairly precise instrument placement. The soundstage is fairly airy and spacious, while it shows more width than depth. The performance in terms of separation of instruments and vocals is on a sufficient level.

Some Short Comparisons:

Radsone HE100 versus Brainwavz B200:

The Brainwavz B200 is an In-Ear Monitor with a linear bass response. The midrange and treble area is very neutral and transparent while the level of detail is above its price range.

The Radsone HE100 has more subbass depth and intensity compared to the Brainwavz B200, which lacks also in terms of extension. The midbass region of the HE100 shows slightly more quantity and impact, while the Brainwave B200 has the upper hand in terms of bass speed and control.

Both the Brainwavz B200 and the Radsone HE100 have a transparent midrange tuning. The HE100 has the upper hand in terms of male vocals, while both are successful with female voices. The Brainwavz B200 shows slightly better midrange clarity and extension, while HE100 is superior in terms of lower midrange depth and tonality.

The treble range of the Brainwavz B200 is more pronounced especially in the upper treble area, where the Radsone HE100 shows a noticeable roll-off.  The B200 has the upper hand in terms of treble extension and intensity, while the HE100 offers a slightly better control and a more fatigue-free listening experience.

The soundstage of both In-Ear Monitors shows more width than its depth.

Radsone HE100 versus Meze 12 Classics:

The Radsone HE100 shows less subbass intensity and rumble compared to the Meze 12 Classics, which has the upper hand in terms of subbass depth. The Meze 12 Classics has also a greater midbass impact and higher midbass quantity than those of the Radsone HE100. The HE100 on the other hand is superior in terms of bass speed and control.

The midrange of the Radsone HE100 shows better clarity and detail retrieval than the Meze 12 Classics, which sound a bit veiled. The Meze 12 Classics is mores suitable for male vocals due to the lower midrange emphasis, while Radsone HE100 sounds more detailed and natural with female vocals.

The upper midrange of the Radsone HE100 is more pronounced than those of the Meze 12 Classics and has also better extension and detail retrieval than the Meze 12 Classics. The upper treble region of the Meze 12 Classics is more pronounced than and Radsone HE100. The treble range of the HE100 sounds more controlled and is fatigue free compared to the Meze 12 Classics.

The soundstage of the Radsone is wider, while the Meze 12 Classics offers slightly better depth.

Conclusion:

The Radsone HE100 is an In-Ear Monitor with a high value for the price. It offers a well balanced sound signature with a good amount of detail retrieval and clarity. The comfortable fit and the fatigue free presentation makes it also to a ideal source for long listening periods.

Pros & Cons:

• + Bass speed and Control
• + Overall Clarity and Detail Retrieval
• + Fit and Comfort
• + Build-In Microphone
• + Price to Performance Ratio

• – Treble Roll-Off
• – Soundstage Depth
• – Fixed Cable