Review of full-size wired headphones Radiotehnika TD01C

Today we continue our acquaintance with devices under the revived Radiotehnika brand. Last time we tested the Radiotehnika S-20NA acoustic system and discussed the history of the brand. Today we will consider the Radiotehnika TD01C headphones. At a price of about $125, these headphones can pleasantly surprise — they offer balanced monitor sound and an extensive package, including two cables, two types of ear pads and a convenient carrying case.

Before we move on to testing, it is worth noting that the Radiotehnika TD01C are almost identical to the GeWa HP nine-x model, which has already managed to gain a good reputation, although it is not a new product. They are similar not only in appearance, but also in technical characteristics and equipment. Perhaps both models are produced by the same OEM — this is the most obvious explanation. But is this a minus? Not at all. The price of the Radiotehnika is quite reasonable, and although the GeWa HP nine-x can be ordered a little cheaper, this is due to the wait, delivery through intermediaries and the lack of a full warranty. And here we get high-quality headphones available for order in popular marketplaces.

The headphones are packed in an elegant black box, where the logos are applied with glossy paint of the same color, and the name is highlighted in a contrasting white font. This design looks quite unusual, but at the same time very stylish.

The headphones come in a hard case designed for storage and transportation. The outer surface of the case is made of a material with a leather-like finish, and the brand logo is placed on the lid. For easy carrying, there is a small handle on top.

The zipper that runs around the perimeter of the case works well, and the inside is covered with a soft, pleasant to the touch fabric. There is an elastic band to securely fix the headphones, and other accessories can be stored in a mesh pocket. Overall, the case is very convenient. The only question is about the resistance of the outer coating to abrasion and scratches, which is typical for the «leather» finish. Therefore, you should be careful and not put the case next to hard objects to avoid damage.

In addition to the case, the headphones come with two connection cables, replaceable velour ear pads, a 6.3 mm jack adapter, and a brief instruction manual in Russian.

The zipper that runs around the perimeter of the case works well, and the inside is covered with a soft, pleasant to the touch fabric. There is an elastic band to securely fix the headphones, and other accessories can be stored in a mesh pocket. Overall, the case is very convenient. The only question is about the resistance of the outer coating to abrasion and scratches, which is typical for the «leather» finish. Therefore, you should be careful and not put the case next to hard objects to avoid damage.

The gold-plated connectors are made with high quality and inspire confidence in their reliability. The one that connects to the source has a thread for screwing on an adapter to a 6.3 mm connector.

The adapter is compact, and there are no questions about its quality — contact with the connector is reliable, and no extra play was noticed during testing.

The replaceable velour ear pads are pleasant to the touch, but their filling is denser than that of the “artificial leather” ear pads. We will discuss how this affects the comfort and sound of the headphones a little later.

The design of Radiotehnika TD01C is quite strict, in the spirit of «monitor» models. The main decorative element is the logo on the outside of the cups. There is only one color scheme — black.

The logo protrudes slightly above the surface, it is made of film with a «metal» texture. On the headband mount there is a small overlay with the model name.

The entire headband is covered with a soft “artificial leather” pad, ensuring comfortable contact with the user’s head.

The brand name is embossed on the top of the headband. It is clearly visible in bright studio light, but in everyday use it looks much more modest and does not attract unnecessary attention.

The plastic bases of the headband are marked with the right and left earpieces. The earcup mount is also made of plastic and can be extended to adjust the headband size.

The outer part of the pull-out element is reinforced with a metal plate, and the stroke is 3.5 cm on each side. The adjustment is step-by-step, with a total of 10 fixed positions available, including the extreme ones. Moderate effort is required to change the position, and the fixation in each position is reliable and accompanied by a pleasant, noticeable click.

Along the perimeter of the outer panel of the cups are decorative inserts with a «metal» finish. The connector for connecting the cable is located at the bottom of the left cup.

There are no additional cable locks in the connector, but it holds securely. If the user accidentally catches something with the cable and tugs it, the connector will simply fly out of the socket. Rotary locks sometimes cause damage to either the wire or the connector. Therefore, increased reliability of fastening is not always an advantage; it must be sufficient, which is what we see in this case.

The ear cups rotate 90°, which not only allows them to take the most comfortable position when worn, but also allows you to wear Radiotehnika TD01C on your neck if necessary. The dimensions of the ear pad openings are 60×45 mm, which ensures comfortable placement even for relatively large ears, without causing unpleasant pressure on their curls.

On the inside of the ear pads there is a «pocket» made of elastic material, which is inserted into a special cutout along the perimeter of the cups. Although the process is not the fastest and easiest, you can still change the ear pads quite quickly and without any problems.

The headband size can be adjusted within a wide range, which allows you to comfortably and securely place the headphones on a head of any size, including small ones. The pressure of the ear pads is well balanced: they do not press too hard on the head, but at the same time they sit tightly enough, providing noticeable passive noise isolation and minimal sound «leaks». The filler in the leather ear pads is soft, easily dented and retains its shape well, thanks to which Radiotehnika TD01C can be used even with glasses.

On the head, the headphones are stable and stay in place even with moderately sharp movements. Although they are not intended for sports and active activities, for normal use this is quite sufficient. However, with prolonged use, the ears sweat inside the leather ear pads, although there are no complaints about the quality of the «artificial leather» — it is pleasant to the touch and looks reliable. This is a standard problem with closed headphones, with which it is difficult to do anything. The situation could be improved by velour ear pads, which are potentially softer and more comfortable. However, a noticeably denser filler was chosen for them. The pressure created by the headband is well matched for soft «leather» ear pads, but as a result, contact with the head with velour ones is not only less pleasant, but also loose: sound «leaks» increase, noise insulation worsens, and the transmission of low frequencies suffers, which we will see later. In general, you can use the included velour ear pads, but without much pleasure — it is easier to replace them with others, which will not be difficult, since the size is common.

The impedance of Radiotehnika TD01C is 32 Ohms, which makes them easy to drive even with smartphones, laptops and other devices. However, for better sound quality, it is better to use more solid sources — the headphones are worthy of this. Sensitivity of about 100 dB and a maximum power of 1,500 mW provide a volume reserve sufficient for comfortable listening.

First, we will consider the sound of the Radiotehnika TD01C headphones with installed ear pads made of «artificial leather», which are included and allow the headphones to demonstrate their capabilities. The manufacturer promised «balanced monitor sound», and in general, this is true. The headphones really sound balanced, without unnecessary accents and noticeable shortcomings.

The low-frequency range is presented in full: the deep bass sounds dense and has no boominess. However, a slightly elevated lower middle sometimes creates the impression of «deafness» and some indistinctness, although the detailing of the midrange is at a decent level. Nevertheless, due to the uneven feed, it is slightly lost — we expect more from «monitor» headphones. The upper frequencies are reproduced restrainedly and sometimes suffer from a lack of «brightness», which may disappoint lovers of ringing cymbals and clear sounding hi-hats. This is confirmed by the frequency response graph.

It is important to note that all frequency response graphs are provided only to illustrate the main features of the headphones' sound. You should not draw final conclusions about the quality of the model based on them. The actual experience of each listener depends on many factors, from the individual structure of the hearing aid to the pressure of the ear pads, which can significantly affect the transmission of low frequencies.

The frequency response graph is shown against the background of the target curve provided by the manufacturer of the test bench. This curve is an adapted version of the so-called «Harman curve» developed by the Harman International team led by Dr. Sean Olive. Since people perceive sound at different frequencies differently, even the most accurate measurements may not reflect the actual user experience. To compensate for these differences, the target frequency response is used. Sound close to this curve was rated as neutral, balanced and natural by hundreds of test participants. Let's compensate the graph obtained above in accordance with the target curve.

The jaggedness of the graph in the upper frequency range should not be taken too seriously, since such fluctuations are usually associated with resonances in the cavity of the ear pads and the ear canal. Otherwise, we observe exactly the picture that we described earlier: the bass and the lower part of the midrange are slightly emphasized, the middle does not seem too smooth, and the high frequencies are slightly pushed back. All this forms the character of the sound of Radiotehnika TD01C. It is worth emphasizing that in general the sound is perceived organically, without serious violations of the tonal balance. Nevertheless, we would expect a more uniform presentation from «monitor» headphones, especially in the midrange. For comparison, we can cite the legendary Audio-Technica ATH-M50x — they are not ideal in terms of uniformity, but still have a much more detailed middle and a better readable high-frequency range.

Let's note right away that for comparison we chose some of the best headphones in their price segment, which already says a lot. If we had considered some budget wireless solution from a little-known manufacturer, the Radiotehnika TD01C would have easily surpassed it. In this case, the result would have been beautiful, but uninformative.

Finally, let's put on the velour ear pads and compare the sound of the Radiotehnika TD01C with them and the «leather» ones. As already mentioned, the complete velour ear pads turned out to be not the best — they do not provide tight contact with the user's head. Therefore, instead of the expected and slight decrease in the quality of low frequency transmission, we got a strange picture: the changes affected even the mid frequencies, which completely destroyed the pleasant and balanced sound of the headphones.

In its price category, Radiotehnika TD01C are excellent headphones that offer comfortable wearing and balanced sound. However, the included velour ear pads are a bit of a disappointment — the manufacturer clearly has problems with their quality. There are also some questions about the «monitoring» of the sound, especially regarding the uneven delivery of midrange frequencies. During the review, we compared this model with the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x, but it is worth noting that the latter are a couple of thousand rubles more expensive. At the same time, Radiotehnika TD01C come with a carrying case and please with a more pronounced deep bass. Therefore, there is no clear leader if we consider the preferences of an ordinary consumer, and not a professional with specific requirements for sound uniformity. Radiotehnika TD01C can be safely considered a relatively budget option for pleasant listening to music.