ROSESELSA Distant Mountain Review – Retro Style Over-Ear Headphones
ROSESELSA takes you on a trip to memory lane with the all-new ROSESELSA Distant Mountain. It’s a pair of on-ear headphones with a rich high-gloss finish. Distant Mountain has a retro appeal to itself that will attract the audience to its charming design.
ROSESELSA has equipped the pair with a 40mm large-sized dynamic driver unit that adopts a Topological composite diaphragm and high-power neodymium magnets. ROSESELSA has crafted the pair with a beautiful finish. The Headband has a coaxial CNC machined stainless steel beam with a lambskin headband. With a sweet array of pressure relief design, the pair ensures greater wearing comfort and enhances air permeability.
Classic Retro Style
ROSESELSA Distant Mountain packs a retro-classical look with a simple on-ear design. These kinds of designs are rare in the market today, except for a handful of models. You can’t find such quality on-ear headphones today. The Distant Mountain is made up of a CNC-machined metallic frame. It also has a finely adjusting headband that will help users adjust the ear cups to their ears.
High-Res Sound With a 40mm Large Driver Unit
ROSESELSA has equipped the Distant Mountain headphones with a large 40mm dynamic driver unit. The on-ear headphone packs a large composite topological diaphragm that helps produce a crisp and defined sound response.
Super Powerful Magnetic Architecture
Distant Mountain produces crisp and defined sound with its 40mm driver unit. The driver benefits from a strong magnetic architecture designed with high-power neodymium magnets. They not only provide better efficiency but also deliver cleaner sound with low distortion characteristics.
Array Pressure Relief Design
ROSESELSA Distant Mountain features an array of pressure relief designs on the side of the ear cavities. This properly vented array manages the air pressure buildup, ensuring better comfort while wearing. With increased air permeability, this design element also enhances the sound output.
Lightweight and Comfortable Design
ROSESELSA Distant Mountain has a lightweight and comfortable design. One can use the fine adjustment on the head beam to adjust the position of the ear cups. With a lambskin headband, sponge ear cushions, the Distant Mountain promises perfect wearing comfort.
Unboxing
Features
- Classic Retro Design On-Ear Headphones.
- Coaxial CNC Machined Stainless Steel Headbeam with Lambskin Headband.
- 40mm Composite Topological Diaphragm Dynamic Driver.
- High-Power Neodymium Magnets.
- Specially Designed Array Pressure Relief Design.
- Lightweight and Comfortable Design.
- Fine Length Adjustment for Enhanced Comfort.
- Detachable Cables with MMCX Connectors.
- Two Classic Color Options.
- Comes with RZ200m USB DAC/AMP.
Specs
- Impedance: 32Ω±15%.
- Sensitivity: 115±3dB.
- Frequency Response Range: 20Hz~20kHz.
- Total Harmonic Distortion: ≤2%@1kHz.
- Price: $65
Sound
The Distant Mountain provides enough bass to remain enjoyable outside of a home listening environment. The treble is decent, gradually decreasing in the higher frequencies. While there is some sparkle, the emphasis is primarily on the midrange.
The midrange is somewhat subdued but not so much that it gets overshadowed by other frequencies or suffers from mid-bass interference. Vocals and instruments maintain their clarity without dominating the overall sound. The soundstage is good, though not expansive enough to create a fully immersive experience.
The Distant Mountain performs adequately in terms of technical aspects, but it doesn’t offer anything surprising for its price range. In summary, it’s a well-balanced headphone that performs nicely in various settings. I appreciate the sound quality of the Distant Mountain, even if it doesn’t reach the “best of” level, except in terms of managing sibilance, and the driver could benefit from further refinement.
Bass
The Distant Mountain delivers a powerful low end, featuring a well-balanced mix of mid- and sub-bass that emphasizes the mid-bass area. The notes are impactful and provide strong feedback, especially when a track has deep elements. The speed is satisfactory, with the 40mm driver maintaining its performance until faced with fast double bass sequences or complex bass alongside intricate sections.
In these cases, the Distant Mountain struggles to maintain clarity, causing notes to blend. The texturing from the Distant Mountain is decent. Grungy notes have a suitably rough quality, but there is a need for more refinement in smoother sections.
Mids
The mid-range of the Distant Mountain is well-managed, sitting comfortably behind other frequencies. The balance leans slightly towards the lower mids, but this does not compromise the overall clarity, preventing any muddiness in the sound. The strong mid-bass adds warmth to the mid-range, resulting in a rich, full sound from the Distant Mountain.
While it may not excel in detail and clarity, these aspects are still quite good, and I never felt that the Distant Mountain fell short. The way the Distant Mountain handles sibilance is truly impressive, ranking among the best I’ve experienced. The Distant Mountain manages to maintain a comfortable listening experience without causing fatigue.
Treble
The upper sections of the Distant Mountain are capable but not particularly remarkable. As you get closer to the brilliance area, you notice a moderate shimmer and sparkle. The extra donut pads that come with the Distant Mountain enhance the brilliance area slightly, but the impact is mostly minimal.
While the detail and clarity are decent, they aren’t exceptional, and some finer details don’t stand out as they should. The Distant Mountain maintains a fairly dense sound, meaning there is an average amount of space between notes. This impression is also influenced by a note presentation that could be more precise and well-defined.
While I wouldn’t describe the Distant Mountain as loose or overly splashy, it lacks the crispness and refinement it could achieve. Overall, I find the treble to be well-tuned. It’s not harsh, exhausting, or technically outstanding, but it also avoids being dull and lacks character.
Staging & Dynamics
Staging from the Distant Mountain provides a spacious experience, though it lacks a fully immersive quality. The default vocal positioning is fairly close, right at the edge of the outer ear, with the deep bass creating most of the spatial sensation.
The soundstage is wider and deeper than it is tall, delivering a generally balanced feel. Sounds transition smoothly and accurately between channels, especially off-center, where it effectively handles subtle shifts. The Distant Mountain excels in layering and instrument separation, but its somewhat dense and robust note presentation holds it back. I noticed this limitation primarily when playing fast, complex tracks.
Sum-Up
For just $65, the Distant Mountain headphones are a fantastic deal and a smart choice if you’re looking for stylish, durable, and good-sounding headphones.
ROSESELSA has introduced an impressive budget-friendly option with the Distant Mountain. They have excelled in design, creating a product that combines a retro aesthetic with a unique presence.