We study the acoustical intensity field radiated by a thin cylindrical rod vibrating in its lowest compressional mode. Due to the cylindrical symmetry, the emitted field is measured in a radial plane of the rod which is sufficient to reconstruct the full three-dimensional field. Starting from the one-dimensional approximation of the excited compressional mode, we develop a simplified theoretical wave equation which allows for a semi-analytical solution for the emitted wave field. The agreement between the experimental results and the semi-analytical solution is eloquent.