Review: Radius HP-TWF41 – All for the music

The HP-TWF41’s strongest point is the midrange. It is full bodied and presented in a slightly darker/warmer way. It’s not veiled at all though and it’s has good enough clarity with great richness, layering and resolution. Separation and spaciousness are done exactly right. Mid bass simply is excellent. Radius managed to make the mids very musical sounding and at the same time, the detail wanting audiophile, won’t be left in the dark. You’ve simply got to love the way the 41 does mids. Bass on the HP-TWF41 is really good too. I would say it quantity wise is above neutral (especially with comply foam tips) but it’s never too much. Bass is just tight enough and reaches deep when needed. It’s not always the most detailed or layered bass though. It’s more of a fun bass with excellent body than it is a highly detailed bass. Bass doesn’t run in to the mids and to me the bass and mids flow perfectly together.

Treble is on the softer side and it is very inoffensive, this also is so as I’m using the foam tips. While it’s very easy and relaxed to listen to it could be further extended, energetic and detailed. On the other hand I bet a lot of people like the treble exactly how it’s tuned now as it fits the softer, slower and easy to listen to character of the HP-TWF41. Silicone tips will most likely make the treble more energetic.

In short? Smooth, relaxed and musical yet rich sounding. While it’s not veiled or missing clarity it isn’t the clearest sounding IEM on the market. It’s tilting a little to the warmer sounding side and the sound stage is good. Especially the mids shine and that makes it a natural sounding unit.

Driveability

The Radius HP-TWF41 with its 32Ohm isn’t overly sensitive. I can’t stand hearing noise or hiss myself but the Radius doesn’t pick up anything. When using your portable player the volume goes up a little higher to get to my usual listening level but basically everything can drive this IEM, even your Android or iPhone.

I mostly preferred using this IEM with clear sounding DAPs such as the AK380, Fiio X7 (AM2), the Cayin N3 or with DAC/AMP units such as the Mojo, DragonFly Black and Duet that don’t make the Radius sounding even warmer or smoother.

Comparison

The $4XX price category is a tough one. Starting from $500 you can easily already find custom IEMs and the famous “high end” universals such as the Campfire units and the Noble IEMs, set you back a whole lot more. Noble with the Savanna and Sage and CA with the NOVA do offer similarly priced units but I unfortunately didn’t test these IEMs myself. In this price range the two universal monitors that come closest to the HP-TWF41 are the RHA CL1 and the Etymotic ER4.

The RHA CL1 will set you back €450 and it couldn’t be different sounding than the Radius we’re looking at here. The CL1 focuses more on upper mids and treble, exactly where the Radius is more recessed. Bass on the CL1, when sufficiently powered, is tight and goes deep. It body-wise is a little less compared to the HP-TWF41 though. Overall the CL1 is a more neutral and faster sounding IEM with a more V-shaped presentation. The full bodied, rich and layered mids of the Radius are far to be found here, in return you get a lighter presentation of the mids with more forward sharper sounding vocals. The CL1 actually plays quite well straight out of the Cayin N3, the Hidizs AP60 makes it warmer sounding with bigger body but it of course can’t fully change the character of the v-shaped CL1.

The Etymotic ER4SR/XR goes for around $349 on Amazon.com and if you’re familiar with the Etymotic units, then you know these excel in clarity, precision and detail. They are – again – extremely different from the ones we’re reviewing today. The Etymotic are real reference IEMs where neutrality comes first. Just make sure the fit is perfect (I use the foam tips myself) and you’ll be in for a treat, this is how a musical/neutral monitor is supposed to sound like. Last but not least there is the Westone W60 universal. The W60 which has been on the market since 2014 already, still sets you back around $869.99 and it sports 6 drivers compared to the one of the Radius.

Linus last week reviewed the Noble Audio Sage (https://www.headfonia.com/review-noble-audio-sage-fantastic/) and Berkhan had a look at the Savanna already (https://www.headfonia.com/review-noble-savanna-special/). I suggest reaching out to the guys on the site to ask them about comparison to other IEMs.

Conclusion

Getting to know the HP-TWF41 and listening to it has been nothing but great fun. Once I got the tips right, the Radius became very musical with superb mids and addictive bass. I’ve you’re a fan of smoother, slightly warmer, yet rich and musical sound with excellent mids and softer treble then the HP-TWF41 is an IEM to put on your “need to check out” list. It is light, isolates pretty well and sits comfortably in your ear but it is more to the plastic side, just looking at the build quality. The design however is unique and you’ll certainly stand out in the crowd when wearing the Radius HP-TWF41. (should that be something you’re looking for). I for one can’t wait for Radius to release a new IEM, they’re that fun.