audiosplitz: RHA

IFA 2016 - RHA's New Specialist Product Range

August 29, 2016

25 Aug - The second biggest tech show after CES, IFA 2016 will be held from 2 to 7 Sep in Berlin. To kickstart the slate of launches prior to the event proper, RHA throws its hat into the ring with 3 new "specialist" products - 2 earphones and 1 amplifier.

IFA 2016 - RHA Dacamp L1, CL1 Ceramic, CL750

What's So Special?
Five year old British-based RHA has traditionally been developing products in the earphone domain such as the T10i we reviewed previously. Now it has come up with its first portable amplifier.

1. Dacamp L1

RHA's first effort in this product type is a fully balanced DAC / headphone amplifier that leverages on an ES9018K2M DAC chip and a class AB amplifier for each stereo channel. In plain English, this translates to high quality digital audio file processing from mobile / desktop sources.

There are a vast array of inputs (USB / micro-USB / combined optical- and line-in) and outputs (four-pin balanced out / earphone-out / line-out). Dacamp L1 is compatible with Android / iOS / PC / Mac with dials for Bass / Treble / Gain. Oh, and its 4000mAh battery promises up to 10 hours of usage.

2. CL1 Ceramic
The 14g CL1 Ceramic rises to become RHA's new flagship earphones with moldable and wrappable earhooks. Two things set these buds apart.

i. Dual-drivers - We have seen similar implementations such as the Klipsch Reference XR8i Hybrid. These earphones offer traditional dynamic drivers and a ceramic plate transducer (now you know where the product name comes from). The plate boasts "unprecedented control over high frequency and harmonic tone reproduction". Combined, this should promise a more than decent audio output with the dynamic drivers that takes care of the bass and mid-range and the ceramic plate to handle the treble.

ii. Customizations galore - For a pair of in-ears, the options provided here really attempt to impress. You can choose from the 2 sets of braided cables provided (one traditional cable with a 3.5mm jack and one balanced cable with a 4-pin mini XLR linkable to Dacamp L1) to connect to the CL1 Ceramic earbuds via SSMCX. There are 11 earbuds to choose from ranging from silicon (2 sets of S / M / L), double-flange (S / L) and Comply Foam Tsx-200 Comfort Plus (S / M / L).

3. CL750
These buds appear to slot themselves in the upper mid-range tier of RHA earphones, between the T- and MA-series of products.

The CL750 uses dynamic drivers, termed CL Dynamic ultra-wideband transducer, for "authentic sound reproduction up to 45kHz". They leverage on RHA's trademarked Aerophonic design, employed in their MA-series and are certified as high-resolution audio capable by the Japan Audio Society. Similar to the CL1 Ceramic, they come with the same 11 earbud pairs to choose from.

Let's check out a teaser video courtesy of RHA:

Pricing and Availability
Worldwide, all 3 products are expected to be available from October 2016. We are now checking on Singapore availability.

Dacamp L1 - GBP 400 (SGD 714)
CL1 Ceramic - GBP 350 (approx SGD 625)
CL750 - GBP 100 (approx SGD 179)

In-Ears

RHA T10i In-Ear - Adjustable Sound

September 07, 2015

The T10i features adjustable ear filters that allow for the customization of sound. The British company aka Reid and Heath Acoustics, claims to combine 'high quality materials, precision engineering and a fundamental commitment to design'. That said, the RHA T10i, priced at SGD 309, is a testament to this ideal. We take a closer look at how these in-ears fare.

Design
We dive straight into the product itself as we were provided just the barebones - the T10i unit, some additional ear tips and the 3 customizable ear filters.

The 41g RHA is quite a heavy pair of in-ears due to an incredibly sturdy stainless steel housing made from a metal-injection moulding process. They have mouldable hooks that aim to provide a good fit over your ears and certainly add to the style of the product. The flipside is that you need to take time to shape them everytime you remove and place them back.

The rest of the 1.35m cable comes punctuated with a remote that rests just under the right ear. The stainless steel at the joint at the neck of the Y-cord and the vertical 3.5mm plug contain scriblings such as 'Design by Reid Heath' which add a nice touch to the design. The cord-side of the 3.5mm jack includes a practical spring mechanism to mitigate the risk of cord fray.

Features
The unique feature about the T10i are the changeable tuning filters that allow you to have 3 types of sound quality - Bass, Treble and Reference. You replace these by first removing the ear tips and then unscrewing the ear filter.

The unit comes supplied with a whopping 10 pairs of ear tips - 6 pairs of silicon tips (2 x S/M/L), 2 pairs of double flange tips (1 x S/L) and 2 pairs of memory foam tips (universal fit). I couldn't test the flange tips as this was not provided but it's certainly welcome to have as many options available for personalization.

Photo credit: RHA website

The RHA in-line remote is solidly built and the playback controls lie on a rubberized portion where buttons are easily identifiable due to the depression in the center for Play / Call.

Performance
These are a comfortable pair of in-ears. Once they are hooked on your ears, you won't feel much strain when lying on pillow. However, the in-line remote may tug on your shirt collar so you will need to pull up the cable cinch to suit your needs.

The silicon tips are easy to fit and remove from your ears. The memory foam tips, on the other hand, are harder to insert into the ear even when pinched. The flipside is they provide excellent noise isolation and are recommended when commuting on the train.

Bass is the one word to summarize the RHA T10i. That was the immediate impression I had when first tested. I was contemplating doing a breakdown by each ear filter but I thought it would make much better sense to do an assessment based on each music type instead.

Photo credit: RHA website

The Brand New Heavies' acid jazz-infused Sometimes had the right level of bass in different modes but the enunciation of the 'S' in 'sometimes' came through as a piercing hiss using Treble and even in Reference. Interestingly, the Bass ear filter appeared to fit this song best.

For classical, we tested Sarah Brightman's Who Wants To Live Forever. Using the Treble and Reference filters, the build up of the orchestration was warm but the vocals were shrill at times when the letter 'S' rolled off the tongue.

We used the Reference filter on Air's electronica-themed Modulor Mix. At 7:28, the cymbals were not as clear as intended and the bass sounded darker than punchy. The Bass filter performed in a similar manner while the Treble filter just made the detail a little cleaner.

If you like clear detail in your music, we can plainly state that these are not the pair of earphones for you. Bass is the name of the game for the T10i so your music type would be likely be in the acid-jazz, trance or dub step range in order to truly appreciate these.

Overall
The RHA T10i is engineered with a high degree of personalization for a pair of in-ears. While the earphones are very inclined to bass-laden tracks, RHA's attention to detail in the design is very welcome and they are certainly a stylish pair to be spotted with.

Audio Sources
Sometimes - Brand New Heavies (Spotify 320kbps) on iPad Air
Who Wants To Live Forever - Sarah Brightman (Spotify 320kbps) on iPad Air
Modulor Mix (Stein House Remix) - Air (Spotify 320kbps) on Samsung Galaxy S4

Credit to Eng Siang International for a review unit.

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