Recording - August 2015 - 38

B Y M I K E M E T L AY

We've been covering RHA (Reid Heath Acoustics) in-ear
monitors for several years now. This Scottish firm builds inears with an unusual physical design that materially improves
sound reproduction, enough so that they serve not only as a
very good alternative to your standard earbuds, but actually
as a portable listening/monitoring system that can cover for
missing headphones in a pinch.
There are many ways to build in-ears; some designs use multiple drivers to try and give the widest, best-tailored responses,
while others focus on single drivers for full-spectrum reproduction from a single point source. RHA falls into the latter category, with custom-made drivers contained inside aircraft aluminum or stainless steel enclosures. They look classy and
sound, in words taken from a previous review, "believable."
So far, our RHA reviews have featured the still-popular MA
range, which is easily recognizable for its Aerophonic enclosures. Shaped like a trumpet's bell in reverse, the Aerophonic

RHA T10i In-Ear Monitors
The latest generation of these exceptional in-ears is well worth a look and listen
design directs air vibrations smoothly into the ear canal without the turbulence and distortion associated with conventional in-ear sound chamber designs. It sounds like voodoo, but
it works; in our tests, the MA in-ears outperformed some professional designs costing three times as much, and basically
slaughtered all of the "fashion-forward" earbuds sent to us by
well-meaning vendors whose core audience is recreational
listeners who like their audio exciting rather than exacting.
So when RHA sent us the first in a new series of in-ears that
don't use the Aerophonic chamber, our interest was piqued. The
new T10 and T10i (and forthcoming T20) lean more toward a
conventional in-ear design that would be familiar to anyone buying pro-grade in-ears from companies like
Shure, Westone, Audio-Technica, or others of
that ilk. Did giving up the Aerophonic enclosure
also give up RHA's noticeable sonic edge?
Suits you to a T
We received a T10i for review. The only difference between the T10 and T10i is that the
latter includes a microphone and an inline 3button remote suitable for use with Apple
devices. The mic works well for telephone or
Internet chat calls, giving the T10i a bit more
usefulness as an everyday phone headset,
and adds only $10 to the cost of the T10.
We'll start with a few relevant specs. The
T10i claims a frequency response of 16 Hz to
40 kHz, although the displayed curve is by no
means flat. There's a smooth response from the
very low bass up to about 5 kHz, followed by
a significant rolloff up to 10 kHz and a bump
at roughly 15 kHz. This is a classic example of
having to learn a response in order to be able
38

RECORDING August 2015

to produce realistic results when crosschecked on monitors; these
won't replace either your high-end headphones or your speakers,
but they're not intended to. The other truly significant spec is a 16
ohm impedance, which means that these headphones get nice and
loud even when powered by portable electronics.
The T10 and T10i are made of injection-molded stainless steel,
with unobtrusive enclosures that are well hidden inside the ears.
These are attached to coated flexible cables that hook over the
backs of the ears and mold to hold the in-ears firmly in place without pinching. Unlike the MA models we've reviewed, which have
nearly invisible black-on-black Left/Right indicators, the T10i clearly marks each channel with a colored plastic ring around the
earhook connection. The cable is 1.35 meters
(about 4 feet) long, made of oxygen-free copper,
with a gold-plated mini plug (TRS or TRRS). There's
no 1/4" adapter included.
The T10i features a set of interchangeable Tuning
Filters, which are designed to subtly alter the sound
of the in-ears by adjusting bass or treble response.
There are three color-coded sets, labeled Bass,
Reference, and Treble; a threaded steel card holds
whichever two sets aren't currently installed in the
T10i.
The T10i comes in a leather zip pouch that holds
the in-ears, a lapel clip, the extra Tuning Filters, and a
steel card with an array of nine assorted eartips in
various styles and sizes. It's important to try each of
these designs for a day or two, in order to find the
one that provides the best combination of comfort and
isolation. I had the best luck with the dual-density ear
tips, which surround a rigid ring that slips onto the
Tuning Filter with a soft silicone bell. There are also
double-flanged eartips for a tighter fit, and closed-cell
memory foam eartips for users that prefer those.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - August 2015