Disclaimer:
Today we are going to see together the Roseselsa Distant Mountain kindly sent by Hifigo.
A product that is very reminiscent of old school headphones but at a decidedly superior quality level. I was very curious about this on-ear model because, honestly, over-ear headphones create quite a bit of discomfort for me in prolonged use. They usually heat up my ears a lot and I only use them in the winter or cold months. These Roseselsa Distant Mountain are very open in structure so you can’t expect a performance like with closed ones. I could say that in some points they resemble some Hifiman that I have had the opportunity to try.
However, the review will still be 100% honest and in no way biased.
I’m not an audiophile; I’m just a guy that likes to test out different IEMs and DACs and spends a lot of time listening to music.
So I’m not going to use super-technical words to review it, but I will do my best to describe it.
Tech Specs:
Distant Mountain
- Driver Units: 40mm Diaphragm Driver
- Total Harmonic Distortion: 2% @ 1000Hz
- Sensitivity: 115dB @ 1mW
- Impedance: 32 Ω
- Frequency Response Range: 20-2000 Hz
- Interface Type: 3.5 mm
- Cable Length: 120 cm
- Connector Type: MMCX
RZ200m Dongle
- Plug Type: 3.5mm to Type C
- Chip: ALC5686 Decoder Chip
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR): 124 dB
- Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): -95 dB
- PCM Sampling Rate: 32bits/384KHz
- Frequency Response Range: 20Hz – 20000Hz
- Dynamic Range: 113 dB
- Output Load: 3.0V – 5.5V
- Output Power: 22.5mW @ 32Ω
Packaging:
The packaging of the Roseselsa Distant Mountain has a scent of times gone by. The packaging is extremely well finished from every point of view. The design is simple, classic, and elegant, like the product itself. Opening to the left, the package “unrolls,” revealing different compartments with some of the accessories included. The headset is set in the main part and has some protections on the gold-colored chrome parts.
Inside we find the following accessories:
- RZ200-m Dongle
- 2 pairs of pads
- MMCX cable
- Anime gadgets
- Manual and warranty
In terms of accessories, you have everything you need. The cable is well made, like all those included with the Roseselsa. The pads are more than enough but you can buy more for greater comfort. The dongle is always a very useful accessory, especially if you don’t already have one. If you have others, you can easily get the version without it. A carrying bag is missing.
Design/Build Quality:
The design of the Roseselsa Distant Mountain immediately brings to mind the era of portable CD players. Times that are now gone but that are in the memories of all of us. Honestly, I find it a simple and effective design; personally, I like the retro look. The materials chosen by Roseselsa are high-quality: lambskin headbands and everything else is CNC-machined metal. They have their own consistency that makes them very solid and with a premium feel.
The choice of materials is perfect. The adjustment of the headband is a bit limited because there is no joint on the pavilions that causes the inclination to change. You need a medium-large head to fill the headband and give the right inclination to support the pavilions on the ears. In the case of a small head, the lower part of the pavilion will exert pressure while the upper part will not. This, in my opinion, will lead to several conflicting feedbacks from users. I have a large head so I have the best alignment that can be obtained. The earcups are practically open-back, as you can see from a ring of holes that runs all around. The MMCX connectors are not my favorite but on a product like this, they fit divinely. Once the pads are removed, you can take a peek at the topological drivers. Above we find a black mesh for protection.
Comfort/Fit:
I was comparing myself with other people in this hobby; I find them decidedly comfortable compared to my over-ear headphones because they don’t heat my ear at all. In addition, my head fills the headband, allowing me to have a higher level of comfort than perhaps those who have a narrower head. I don’t have other on-ear headphones apart from an old House of Marley, which, however, is very heavy and heats the ear a lot. This is infinitely more comfortable but I imagine there are much more comfortable models.
Maybe those who have a gap between the driver and the ear will opt for higher-quality pads but I still think that the sound situation changes relatively little.
Initial sound impression:
The Roseselsa Distant Mountain honestly surprised me in terms of sound quality. Despite the very open structure of the pads, the sound is halfway between closed and open back. They tend to be bright (but I don’t notice harshness or annoying peaks); on the other hand, the mids are nice and detailed and quite natural in the sound signature. The bass is surprising in my opinion; for the type of headphones, they are deep and have a good impact with a decent sub-bass extension. If the track requires it, they can bring out a certain unexpected character (obviously everything depends on the correct positioning of the same). There is no bass bleeding and the entire image is remarkably accurate. As a first listen, I was particularly surprised because I expected a detailed sound but with less richness. Pay attention to the source you choose because, from one to the other, I noticed differences in the mid-low range.
Equipment used for testing:
Device:
- OSX
- Poco M4 Pro
Software:
- Amazon music UHD 24-bit 96kHz
DAC:
- Creative SoundBlaster G8
- Fosi Audio K7 (upcoming review)
- EPZ TP35
- Fosi SK02
- Muse Hifi M4
- Fiio KA11
- Fiio KA17
- Fosi DS2
- Simgot DEW4X
- EPZ TP50
- Creative SoundBlaster X5
Final sound impression:
In the meantime, that I have been using them for a few weeks, I have read with interest the comments of other users and I have noticed a certain division of opinions about them. I believe the only plausible explanation is that since there is no mobile connection on the earcups for some, the positioning of the pads leaves space in the upper part of the ear, making the sound very bright. In my case, I find the mix perfectly balanced and extremely enjoyable.
Above all, on the comfort side, they do not cause me any strange pressure at any point. They are breathable and even external sounds permeate well inside, making them excellent even for use outside in traffic. Even the headband, despite being very thin and not very padded, does not cause me any discomfort.
It is a product that in its genre is particularly successful, there are no alternatives that use similar materials so I think it will have its own market share.
Treble
The treble of the Roseselsa Distant Mountain is crisp but has never bothered me. In terms of hardness for me, they are very safe. I will tell you that in terms of highs there is also a fairly early roll-off that takes away a bit of air and detail. The perception of extension for me is limited in a satisfactory way but I can understand that if the pads do not rest correctly on the ear, the problem of too much brightness could arise.
Mids
As for the mids, I find them particularly pleasant and rich in details and with the right weight of the notes. The tone is slightly warm but for the most part, natural. I find it very pleasant to listen to R&B and jazz genres. Both male and female voices are very pleasant. They have the typical tone of Roseselsa and the type of topological driver. It reminds me a bit of some Hifiman headphones.
Bass
The bass, as anticipated, is much more present and prominent than I would have expected. They are deep bass for the type of headphones you are listening to and even the sub-bass, even if in moderate quantity, does its part. We are far from the bass that one can expect from a Closed-back but I think their presence is still surprising. Thanks to them, the notes and voices have the right richness and the soundstage, even if quite intimate, manages to take a bit of depth.
Separation/Imaging/Soundstage:
There is no noticeable bleeding; the soundstage is quite limited; we go out a few centimeters beyond the ears but it is still precise in its intimacy with a sharp and rich image. I realize that this perception depends entirely on the positioning of the Distant Mountain on the ears.
Comparison:
I can’t make comparisons with Koss. The last time I used similar headphones was with a portable CD player, probably over 15 years ago. I have a pair of House of Marley On-Ear but with questionable sound quality. The Roseselsa Distant Mountain reminds me at times of some planar Hifiman that I tried with more warmth on the low range but less linearity on the treble. I honestly like them and currently they are the ones that guarantee me the best comfort.
Conclusion:
The Roseselsa Distant Mountain is a retro-style on-ear headphone with very good overall quality. If we think about the materials and the sound it offers, in my opinion the asking price is more than fair. I’ve been spending several days now with them in my ears, listening in total relaxation to different albums and playlists. I think that an additional joint on the earcup would have made them even more comfortable. You need a head that can fill the space between the two earcups well; otherwise, you will have significant losses of low frequencies with an increase in treble. As for the audio sources, you need a good dongle; it also plays with the one offered by them in the bundle but in my opinion, you need something that is at least comparable to a CS43131, like a Fiio KA11.
A nice product at the right price.
8.4/10
Pros:
- Nice build quality
- Nice stock cable
- Included ALC Dongle
- Comfort depends on your head shape
- Lightweight and really breathable
- Old School vibes
- Topological 40 mm DD
- Bright signature (depending on the positioning)
- Nice vocal and natural signature
- Pretty good soundstage
- Price/quality ratio is insane
- Extremely easy to drive
Cons:
- Limited flexibility for smaller heads
- Not for bassheads
- Could be spicy
- It depends a lot on the source
