RHA MA350 Aluminium Noise Isolating In-Ear Headphone - 3 year warranty

by RHA

• Machined aluminum construction and fabric woven cable for durability
• RHA speaker for perfectly balanced response across frequency range
• Noise Isolating - reduction in background noise and sound leakage
• 3 Year Warranty
• Multi Award Winning British design (including What Hi-Fi? 5 Star)

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.1 x 6.4 inches ; 1.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0053R0WWG
• Item model number: MA350
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (99 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 3, 2011

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Cutaway diagram

RHA MA350 — Aluminium noise isolating in-ear headphone

The award-winning British design features full aluminium construction, a fabric braided cable for reduced tangling and durability, gold plated connections and three pairs (S/M/L) of silicone tips which, together with the unique aerophonic shape of the earphone, allow the user to attain a secure and comfortable fit with maximum sound isolation.

RHA have engineered dynamic Mylar drivers which produce the astounding sound quality which has made the MA350 the critics' and customers' choice. The sound is well balanced and detailed throughout the spectrum whilst producing a rich, deep bass response and sparkling, crystal clear mids and treble.

MA350 in-ear headphone

Unique aerophonic design

Inspired by the aerophonic properties of a trumpet's bell, RHA's signature earphone design transfers sound naturally, allowing air to progress unobstructed and unforced from the speaker into the ear. The result is richly detailed, well balanced sound reproduction across the audio spectrum.

Durability

RHA headphones are designed to offer outstanding longevity; the MA350 is machined from solid, aircraft grade aluminium. A fabric braided cable reduces tangling to prolong product life.

Noise isolating design

Soft silicone tips, in combination with the discreet housing, ensures a comfortable, non-fatiguing fit for optimum noise-isolation.

3 year warranty

The MA350 has been designed and engineered to deliver the highest standard of build and audio quality, which is why it is covered by a comprehensive three year manufacturer's warranty.

Frequency chart:

The RHA MA350 has been designed to produce a linear frequency response; no part of the sound produced by the MA350 is emphasised over any other, ensuring richly detailed, well balanced sound.

Designed in the UK

RHA creates unique, high specification audio products, designed and engineered at their research and development centre in Glasgow, UK.

Features:

• Dynamic driver
• Machined from solid aluminium
• 3 year warranty
• Noise isolation
• Gold plated connection
• S/M/L size tips
• Carry case

Product Description

RHA MA350 Aluminum Noise Isolating In-Ear Headphones - 3 year warranty The award winning British design features full aluminum construction, a fabric braided cable for reduced tangling and durability, gold plated connections, and 3 S/M/L silicone tips which, together with the unique shape of the sound pipe, allow the user to attain the a secure and comfortable fit with maximum sound isolation. RHA have engineered Mylar drivers (speakers) which produce the astounding sound quality which has made the MA350 the critics' and customers' choice. The sound is well balanced and detailed throughout the spectrum whilst producing a rich, deep bass response and sparkling, crystal clear treble. The MA350 has a 3 year warranty. Industry leading reduction in background noise and sound leakage Machined aluminum construction for durability Custom RHA speaker for perfectly balanced response across frequency range Fabric woven cable eliminates tangling and prolongs cable life 3 year manufacturer's warranty 3 sizes of silicone tip for the perfect fit 3.5mm gold plated connections and carry case 1.2m copper cable with fabric braiding for durability Designed and engineered in the UK What Hi-Fi? 5 star award Specifications Drivers - dynamic Frequency range - 16-22,000Hz Impedance - 16ohms Rated/max power - 3010mW Sensitivity - 103dB Cable - 1.2m Fabric Braided Connections - 3.5mm Gold Plated Reviews What Hi-Fi? "The RHAs sing in a natural, unforced manner, and consequently remain an easy listen even through the entirety of a long haul flight." Gadgeteer- "RHA have released an earphone that can compete with anything in its price range-and above" Slash gear- "What's impressive is how well the sound sits together. It's a very natural, listenable audio"

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Bright and detailed July 1, 2012

By JoeS

Amazon Verified Purchase

Over the years I've owned lots of headphones/earphones, including various Grado, Etymotic, Koss, Panasonic, Sony, Future Sonics, Ulimate Ears, Sennheiser, etc. Having lost/broken/mislaid/had stolen many of my favorites, I've been looking for a new pair of earphones for walking around/working out, as I've grown dissatisified with an old pair Future Sonic EM-3s I've been using lately. So I looked around on Amazon, came across the RHA MA-350s, did a little reading and research, and decided to give them a try.

Sound: At first, the 350s sounded really detailed, but overly bright and lacking in bass. After several days, I realized some of the issue was that the EM-3s I'd been using were, by comparison, bass-heavy and somewhat lacking in clarity and detail. When I switch back to the EM-3s from the 350s now, the EM-3s sound muffled. That said, if you like your bass heavy and/or like rap or hip-hop, these might not be the buds for you. The bass is there, but it doesn't really whomp. Also, voices, cymbals, stringed instuments, pianos, etc. really come across, but snare drums and the like can be painful/fatiguing --*WHACK!* -- at high volume. If you like to turn it up loud, they're harsh and too bright.

Fit: Small and really comfortable. The aluminum housings are quite small and light and the tips are well-shaped and comfortable. When inserted, all you see from the front are the cords sticking out of your ears.

Looks: Nice, elegant, understated looks -- small and silver/black, the RHA logo, and that's it. Nothing unnecessary.

Other issues:

1) Microphonics from the braided cord. I do notice more noise moving around with these than I do with non-fabric covered headphones/earphones.

2) Straight plug: I prefer a right-angle plug to a straight plug. In my experience, you're less apt to hit it on things and, if you do hit it, there's less stress on the jack. That said, the 350's straight plug is as small as it's possible to make a straight plug.

3) Distinguishing left from right. The small R and L marks embossed on the cord just below the phones are hard to see. I'm going to make my own distinguishing mark on one of the headphones so I don't have to strain to see which one is which every time I put them on (and if you're in dim light, forget it). Edit: Recently noticed that there's also a small raised dot below the "L" on the left bud. Still, it'd be nice to have right and left more easily distinquishable.

My suggestions to the RHA folks for their next earphone:

1) Right-angle plug

2) That little sleeve where you have the R and L embossed? Make them red and blue; or something to make right and left more easily distinguishable -- a (colored) dot on one; Red "R" on the right "RHA," or something. The raised dot on the left is a start, but it's not obvious enough by feel. Maybe a raised ring?

3) Deal with the microphonics.

4) A bit more bass; less strident percussion/guitars at higher volumes

Conclusion: If you jog or do something strenuous with 350s, you will notice more micophonics unless you do something to keep the cord from bouncing around. If you like headphones that emphasize bass and/or rap or hip-hop, these probably aren't for you; otherwise, the sound, comfort, and 3-year warranty make them a bargain. I would recommend them to people that didn't listen to music loud, people who listened to jazz/classical/anything at low to moderate volumes and people who listened to audiobooks. I would not recommend them to people who like their bass heavy or liked to crank it up. If they match your listening needs, they're a great deal at $35; if you listen loud/like lots of bass, look elsewhere.

Despite the few issues I have with them, I give the 350s four stars for achieving this level of sound (especially clarity and detail) -- combined with great comfort, cool looks, and a long warranty -- at this price.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Loudest Cord on Earth Hurts Rating of Kickass Headphones December 4, 2012

By Santino Applebaum

Amazon Verified Purchase

First things first - excellent (5-star) sound, made even more excellent by the (5-star) price. I'm used to constantly replacing really crappy earbuds ($15 and under), because they always seem to break at the plug. The clarity was eye-opening -- I heard things I'd never heard before, even on albums I've been listening to for over a decade. The materials have a quality feel, and I was excited at the prospect of a more durable woven cord.

There are several complaints about bass not being powerful enough. For starters, if you're really looking at lots of thumping bass, there's really only so far earbuds with that itty-bitty 10mm driver can go. I had to play around with the settings on my Sansa to adjust from my old-hat $12 jobbies, but soon found a good mix. At first I wasn't getting any bass either, until I found a good position that engaged the noise reduction and really "locked" the earbuds into my ear canal. All was well, for a brief moment.

If you do have the earbuds "locked" into your ear canals for noise reduction, DO NOT MOVE. AT ALL. That fabric cord -- which should be named "the Serpent of Cacophony" -- will drown out nearly anything with its incessant SWEEP SWOOP SWEEP SWOOP SWEEP SWOOP as it rubs against, well, anything. It's worst when the cord rubs against another fabric -- you know, whatever your shirt, pants, or jacket are made of.

They must have woven this thing using corduroy pants, or material leftover from those compostable "Sun Chips" bags that crinkled at over 90dB. I'm all for recycling, but this renders the phones far less usable for me. I read the reviews mentioning the microphonics; I'm a commuter and I knew the risks, but I honestly didn't think that the issue could be this disruptive.

Tiny little lumberjacks inside the Serpent, drunkenly sawing logs roughly in time with the most reserved of your movements. Walking, sitting, breathing deep, reaching into your pocket, turning your head, riding a bus... unavoidable little things like this will result in a SWOOP SWEEP SWOOP funneled directly into your brain, right when you wanted to hear that great trombone harmony. The only way to hear anything over it is to turn the music up to the point where your ears bleed from the midrange soaring. Anyone who *didn't* mention any problem with this must have the Serpent of Cacophony completely taped down or wrapped up in cottonballs or something -- any tips on how to alleviate this would be greatly appreciated.

I thought the fabric cord was going to be a Godsend. It isn't. I thought it would tangle less. It doesn't; if anything, it seems to contort itself into a knotted old phone cord more easily than cheapo rubber. It doesn't even come with a right-angle plug -- I bet a right-angle plug would ease plug strain without requiring the use of Sun Chip bags. Even the $3 headphones have that nailed down!

I bought these upmarket (for me) 'phones with the express purpose of longevity, and the audio quality has me hoping I can find a way to circumvent this ridiculous cord issue so I can keep them. I'd love to buy RHA again -- their audio engineers have worked some magic -- but the Serpent of Cacophony needs to be refined or replaced.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best value under $100 October 8, 2012

By Ryan Galloway

Amazon Verified Purchase

I've experimented with countless sets of earbuds over the years, from Sennheisers to Sonys to Ultimate Ears. Right out of the box, I was blown away by the clarity of these 'buds given the pricepoint. They are balanced, so don't expect the booming bass of Beats by Dre (garbage IMO). Construction is great, the fact they are machined out of solid aluminum is amazing given the pricepoint (my $300 Ultimate Ears TripleFis are only plastic). The threaded cable is also nice and helps remove annoying knots, just keep in mind they do introduce some microphonics. This probably isn't the best option if you are running or working out vigorously, though this is precisely how I will be using these guys. One tip to reduce microphonics: loop the cable OVER the ear and then into the ear canal. In my tests, this reduced about 75% of the annoying microphonic sounds. Overall, an outstanding product. I will keep my eyes on RHA in the future. Highly recommended!