Recording - December 2013 - 22

Reviews by Mike Metlay

Microphones are intimately associated with sound sources they favor-a
particular mic with a particular singer, for example. Speakers are intimately associated with the spaces in which they live-a certain monitor sings in
a certain place in a certain room. But I would argue that the most intensely
personal relationship between an audio listener and a piece of equipment is
through headphones. They go with you, and provide you with a listening
environment that is the same no matter the room, no matter the gear on the
other side of the headphone amp.
Because of that, the recording musician should have at least one really
good set of phones he or she can rely on for sound that's trustworthy,
whether tracking or mixing. For this holiday edition of Recording, I've

collected listening impressions for a number of interesting headphones and
in-ear monitors that have come through my office over the past year or so.
Some are very affordable, some pricey; some are very straightforward in
their design purpose, others do multiple duties or have interesting extra features. But I think that many of our readers will find something in hear
that's worth putting over their ears. Enjoy!-MM

RHA MA350 In-Ear Monitors
$39.95; www.rha-audio.com/us/

I get anywhere from two to six sets of in-ears for evaluation and possible review
every year. Most are consumer-grade models with massively hyped bass and screechy
treble, sent by hopeful PR firms trying to increase visibility for "fashion brands" by getting them reviews in pro audio magazines. I usually manage 15 minutes or less before
I send them back with a polite apology, not wanting to inflict them on my readers' ears.

Once in a while, though, I find a set that's happily non-fatiguing and hype-free.
You'd expect that of expensive custom-molded in-ears with carefully selected drivers
like the Alclair Reference (reviewed May 2012), but it's a lot more rare in non-customized in-ears... and nearly unheard of when you get much below $100 a set, which
makes the MA350 from British maker RHA (Reid and Heath Acoustics) even bigger
news.
The MA350 comes in a small velvet drawstring pouch with a selection of soft
silicone earplugs in three sizes. Rather than the usual easily-kinked rubbersheathed cabling, they come with a 1.3-meter soft, pliable cable with a braided
fabric sheath that coils and stores nicely. The cable terminates in a very slender
straight miniplug that will plug into any listening device's headphone jack without
issue, including smartphones in most protective cases. (From the RHA website, it
seems that currently shipping MA350s come with a right-angle miniplug.)
The drivers themselves are rated for a frequency response from 16 Hz to 22 kHz.
They have a 16 ohm impedance and a 103 dB sensitivity; they get loud fast, even with
the tiny amplifiers on portable audio devices. The drivers are encased in an
"Aerophonic" aircraft-aluminum enclosure, rather like a trumpet's bell in reverse that
focuses sound into the ear with increased clarity, according to RHA.
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RECORDING December 2013

The MA350s fit comfortably and securely into
the ears, with the fabric cables going over and
behind the ears and secured behind the neck.
Even though there's no wire stiffener for behind
the ears, the in-ears remain in place comfortably
for long periods of listening.
Their sound quality is perhaps best described
as "believable". There's a lot of detail in the highs
and mids, with sparkle that doesn't turn strident
when the original source is good and a reassuring solidity in the all-important midrange where
vocals and guitars tend to live. Bass is very solid
without being stupidly extended or hyped; you
couldn't finish a critical mix on these, but they'd
get you into the ballpark for final tweaks on a
proper monitoring system. I was certainly able to
hear the audio issues present in some of my very
early mixes for CD releases in the 1990s, and
would trust the MA350 to help me pick out trouble spots.
I lived with them for several months (remarkable
in and of itself, considering my usual experiences
with in-ears) and got their sound "into my ears" to
the point where I could use them as a backup for
my much spendier Alclairs. I was especially enamored of how comfortably they sat in my ears, and
how easily pocketable they were when the cable
was coiled. But what really stunned me was that
as I completed this review and finally went over to
the RHA website to research pricing, I discovered
that these impressive in-ears are at the bottom of
the RHA line! I can't wait to try some of their more
expensive models...
If you're looking for a new set of portable inears that combine supreme portability with
decidedly non-hipster sound, RHA is a name
you'll want to get to know.

http://www.rha-audio.com/us/

Recording - December 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - December 2013