RHA MA450i earphones – Review

As a person who tends to rattle through a lot of earphones, these – before sticking them in the earlobe – have pitched two intriguing points at me. Firstly the RHA MA450i are allegedly high quality, noise isolating earphones for just €49.99. Secondly they claim its fabric braided cable will reduce tangling and increase durability.  Dealing with the second set of claims first, reduced tangling is untrue, unless my pockets are tangle machines. However, I fully accept that whatever physics happen inside a pocket, it’s almost impossible to eliminate tangling. The fabric cable itself does feel strong and durable compared to most plastic covered leads. But Is it? Well that’s hard to tell, but RHA back up their claims with a 3 year  ‘no quibble’ warranty, so I’m not overly worried.

There is also an inline remote with a mic to control calls, music and volume directly from recent Apple products on the cable. The lead split is a classic Y shape, which is a departure from the rather popular short left, long right, around the neck model. You can still run the right ear around the back of your neck but it places the inline remote / mic awkwardly, making it uncomfortable or unusable, thus defeating the purpose, it’s a minor thing, but these headphones would feel more natural if they allowed us to remove both earpieces comfortably without having to find a pocket for them.

The structure of the earbud has been given a shape much like that of a mute from a trumpet, which is kind of apt when you consider these are noise-isolating. The back of the earphone is important to me, as I directly link that to comfort, some earphones have sharp or harsh edging making it tough to wear them for prolonged periods. The MA450i’s slot neatly into the lobe; the rounded back and edges make for a more comfortable listening experience. The multiple dual density ear tips; ranging in size, also allow you to maximise comfort of the in-ear segment. The mix silicone is comfortable but produces a nice tighter seal, which prevents sound leak.

The audio itself is clear and vibrant, providing good deep bass without being overpowering. The treble can be a bit rough depending on the track, but overall the vocal clarity and bass reproduction are high-end. The MA450i are probably one of the best sounding earphones in this price range and are close to putting more expensive sets to shame.

Quality to price tag is undoubtable, there are better audio reproductions out there, but you will hand over a fistful of euro’s to own them. These headphones are perfect for an iPhone/iPad/iPod user looking for high quality, noise isolating headphones. Rumour has it RHA are working on an Android version of the headphone to allow the use of the handy inline remote functions on that side of the mobile market.

 Pro’s

• Good sound
• Good price
• Comfortable and multiple ear tip size options
• Nice fabric braided cable

Con’s

Specifications