However, like the flagship, it does quite well in terms of providing a secure fit and for me, improves on the comfort of the original despite using a similar headband style. I actually did some crude weighing and both came in around 1.2lb or close to the 550g spec on the website. With a dual-sided magnet array and wood cups, the MPL-0 will not win any awards for being the lightest planar headphone in the market at up to 650g. I just wonder if that was part of the tuning revision since relative pad depth can affect what you hear. The pads on my MPL-0 sample are the same protein leather and soft fabric inner material but they seem thicker than the original RAD-0 review sample versions. That includes a black-finished aluminum yoke, gimbal, and joining block to a matching black protein leather headband with similar dimensions for the protein leather-wrapped memory foam just underneath. What is pleasing though is that just about every other aspect of the RAD-0 build has been retained so there is value in there already. The user-replaceable cup grills have also changed with a black aluminum finish and what seems to be a tighter Fibonacci-type pattern but it could well be a mirage since the wiring surface seems to be a little thinner compared to the silver RAD-0 version. The maple finish is on every MPL-0 cup so you will not get the uniqueness of the RAD-0 dyed cup designs but then again the reduced labor involved means you are paying a grand less. This is a light-grain finish on the outer ring with a lacquered finish to bring up a very nice glossy tone to the wood and amplify that fine grain a little. That is what MPL actually stands for, maple. Of course, there are some striking aesthetical differences with the maple finish being primary among them. That means a classic round cup with an arched yoke screwed into some beautiful maple-finished cup rings on either side with a mix of vegan leather for the pads and pressure alleviator nestled on the underside of the headband. The MPL-0 shares the same elegant design language as the RAD-0. You can read more about our pairings and power testing in our synergy section on page 2 of this review but if you are used to the likes of the Meze Audio Elite and already own the RAD-0, the MPL-0 should not require an amplifier rethink. You should not need a huge amp to get a satisfying performance from the MPL-0 but a good quality system, naturally enough, should allow it to scale and sound optimal. To drive home that point the MPL-0 matches the RAD-0 for sensitivity and impedance ratings at 29Ω and 98dB which places it on the easier side of things in terms of power requirements to drive it properly. Alex did hint as far back as 2019 that his aim was to create a few more headphone variations on this diaphragm and driver so the MPL-0 would seem to fit into this goal. The core driver is the same as the RAD-0 just with a different dampening and tensioning technique as well as different materials for the acoustic enclosure. It is circumaural or full-sized using a similar diameter diaphragm from the RAD-0 at 66mm with a proprietary array of 11 N52 magnets in a dual-sided configuration. The Rosson Audio Design MPL-0 is an open-back planar magnetic headphone. The launch of the new MPL-0 is the first new model to join the RAD-0 on the Rosson Audio Design shelf.Īnd what is more, the MPL-0 is significantly cheaper at $1699 whilst still offering the full open-back circumaural planar magnetic headphone experience as the RAD-o. Heck, his only headphone offering, until now. With some minor variations along the way, the RAD-0 still remains his flagship offering. He put a lot of his time, money, and soul into that magnificent beast of a headphone. I can distinctly remember just how happy Alex was to show off his creation at CanJam Singapore 2019. It has been almost 4 years now since the launch of the first Rosson Audio Design headphone, the RAD-0.
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