RHA MA750i Review: High quality earphones at a reasonable price

During my daily 2+ hour train commute and while traveling for business I prefer to pack along a good pair of earbuds to listen to podcasts and music. For the last few weeks I have been living with the MA750i in-ear headphones from RHA and I am loving every minute of it.

Hardware

Last year I checked out RHA's mid-tier earphones, the MA450i , and found them to be a steal at $50. The MA750i takes things to the next level, including the price at $129.95. However, I think you will find that they live up to this price.

The MA750i earphones are composed of 303F stainless steel, black plastic, gray rubber, and opaque silicone materials. The earphones feel very well constructed with the cable ends and connection points being of higher quality than anything else I have seen.

Starting at the earphone end, we see a stainless steel housing that contains a dynamic driver with a formed end that fits a silicone tip on the end. There is then about 3 inches of black coated cable that wrap around your ear to secure it in place. The only time I noticed the earphones slipping out was when I had a ball cap sitting low.

A black plastic piece transitions the wrap around black cable into a gray coated cable that runs down and meets up at the Y with the other earphone. Down about 5 inches on the right side cable you will find the three button remote and microphone for calls. Functionality of the buttons is dependent on the phone you have connected. There is also a MH750 model without the remote and mic that sells for $10 less.

A sliding adjust piece can be used to bring the left and right cables together under your chin. The stainless steel piece that connects these cables at the bottom of the Y is attractive. There is textured stainless steel at each end with a signature on the smooth central piece.

Below the Y you will find about three feet more of even thicker gray coated cable. The stainless steel 3.5mm jack at the end reminds me of the older large headphone stereo cables we used to plug directly into our record players and receivers at home. There is a wire reinforced section before the jack end that should help with longevity of the earphones.

The package comes with 10 pairs of earphone tips to choose from. There are three sizes of silicone tips with two pairs in each size. One pair of small and medium double flange tips are included along with two pairs of memory foam medium ear tips. This earphone tip storage mechanism is a stainless steel plate.

A carrying case is also included to protect your investment while it is in your bag or kit.

Usage and experiences

The first thing I noticed was the quality feel of the earphones when I pulled them from the package. The rugged gray coated cable seems to prevent cord tangling, but given the length they still do get bunched up a bit when you throw them in your bag.

The default mid size tip fit me well, but I switched to the memory foam tips since they were even more comfortable to me.

I primarily use an Android device and the remote worked well with Google Play Music to control play/pause, skip forward, and skip back. However, it did not control the volume on the Note 3 I tested. Pressing and holding the center button launched S Voice on the Note 3, but you still have to press the mic button on the display to activate S Voice functionality. I understand it is optimized to control Siri on iOS devices.

Audio sounded fantastic with the handmade drivers in these earphones. I was never disappointed with the audio quality, hearing the bass, treble, and details I expect in very expensive earphones.

Callers said I sounded just fine with the integrated microphone.

Pros and Cons

To summarize my experiences, here are my pros and cons.

Pros

• High quality construction
  
  
• Premium materials and design
  
  
• Outstanding audio quality
  
  
• Reasonable price for high end earphones
  
  
• Three year warranty

Cons

• Remote did not control volume on the Note 3
  
  
• Takes two hands to wrap around your ears
  
  
• Over-the-ear design interferes with glasses

Pricing and availability

The RHA MA750i earphones are available on Amazon and Apple for $129.95.

The competition

There are several other earphone competitors, but many that compete with this high quality are priced at $200 or more. RHS is known for making high quality earphones priced for the consumer.

Specifications

• Handmade 560.1 drivers
  
  
• 303F stainless steel construction
  
  
• 3 button remote and microphone
  
  
• Frequency range: 16-22,000 Hz
  
  
• Impedance: 16 Ohms
  
  
• Sensitivity: 100 db
  
  
• Weight: 36 grams
  
  
• Cable length: 1.35 meters
  
  
• 3.5mm gold plated connections

Conclusion

The RHA MA750i earphones seem to be extremely well constructed and look great. Audio quality was top notch and I didn't feel there was anything missing from the audio experience.

I was surprised that I could not control the volume with the remote on Android. I understand these are optimized for iOS devices and understand that using them with iOS will give you the best experience.

Contributor's rating: 8 out of 10

Related reading

• The RHA MA-450i earphones sound better than their $50 price (review)
  
• SA950i headphones are an amazing value at just $59.95 (review)
  
• Audio gear for your smartphone or tablet [Gift Guide 2012]