Are the Rosson RAD-0 headphones any good? That was the essence of an email from Scape Mastering’s Stephan Betke who we interviewed last year about his mastering work and philosophy. I didn’t know much about the RADs beyond a smattering a social media posts but, in the absence of my lack of first-hand experience, Stephan knew a friend who might.
Enter electronic musician John Tejada whose releases have been mastered by Betke so often over the years that they have become close friends. Tejada is also friends with – and not merely an acquaintance of – RAD-0 designer Alex Rosson. Head-fi-ers will know of Rosson as the man who led Audeze’s march to high-end prominence before doing at stint at Detroit’s Shinola to help them bring a turntable and loudspeakers to market.
John Tejada uses a pair of RAD-0 as part of his studio arsenal. Would I like to try a pair? He would facilitate the hook-up. Yes, but a review wouldn’t spill for several months. Also by return: would Tejada care to be a guest on the Darko.Audio podcast to talk about his music (of which I’m a long-time fan), his creative process and his favourite audio gear? The answer now sits on SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Podcasts:
Photos: Holly Parker
Mentioned in this episode…
Orbital – Green Album:
https://www.discogs.com/Orbital-Orbital/master/8932
John Tejada – Mesh Series 004 mix:
https://soundcloud.com/meshmeshmeshmesh/john-tejada
Psyance “Andromeda’s Dance”:
https://www.beatport.com/track/andromedas-dance-original-mix/1226022
The Orb’s – Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld:
https://www.discogs.com/The-Orb-The-Orbs-Adventures-Beyond-The-Ultraworld/master/7119
Plaid w/ Björk – “Lilith”:
https://youtu.be/pNA-l2Nb1ow
Photek – The Hidden Camera:
https://www.discogs.com/Photek-The-Hidden-Camera/master/65745
Art of Noise “Beatbox”:
https://youtu.be/JSWhzsGY3hA
Kraftwerk – Computer World:
https://www.residentadvisor.net/reviews/25051
Richard H. Kirk – Virtual State:
https://warp.net/artists/91322-richard-h-kirk/info
Etapp Kyle – Nolove:
https://ostgut.bandcamp.com/album/nolove
Forest Drive West – They Live EP:
https://midgar-records.bandcamp.com/album/forest-drive-west-they-live-ep
Neon Chambers – One:
https://neonchambers.bandcamp.com/album/one
Hard Wax store:
https://hardwax.com/
Genelec 8351 The Ones:
https://www.genelec.com/previous-models/8351a
Reftone Cube:
https://reftone.com/
Rosson Audio Design – RAD 0:
https://www.rossonaudiodesign.com/
Stefan Betke (Scape Mastering):
https://youtu.be/5d7O4uMx7YE
Dan Clark Audio Aeon2:
https://darko.audio/2019/11/a-short-film-about-the-dan-clark-audio-aeon-2/
Touched Music – Covert II EP:
https://touched.bandcamp.com/album/covert-ii
John Tejada presents Future Stars:
https://touched.bandcamp.com/album/john-tejada-presents-future-stars
Regis – In This Is The Light That You Miss:
https://dns-regis.bandcamp.com/album/hidden-in-this-is-the-light-that-you-missed
Campfire Audio – Solaris & Polaris:
https://darko.audio/2020/01/a-short-film-about-campfire-audios-solaris-polaris-ii-andromeda/
Juan Atkins & Moritz von Oswald – Borderland:
https://shop.tresorberlin.com/index.php/juan-atkins-moritz-von-oswald-borderland-tresor-262.html
John Tejada Bandcamp:
https://johntejada.bandcamp.com/