Product Review: RHA SA950i Headphones

British electronics-maker RHA recently unleashed the SA950i model to meet the growing demand for durable everyday headphones with studio quality and design. The models have a more classic design than some of the leading brands, and present some features particularly desirable to the power-user on the go.

One of the best qualities of the SA950i is their 105 gram weight. They’re light on the head, crested around the neck and in the bag. Although lightness is often associated with brittle plastics, the RHA’s fit nicely in a zipper pocket of a computer/shoulder bag without snapping or bending in any way. They are convenient for the pedestrian consumer. Similarly, the cable is fully detachable on both sides, which is great for somebody with a lot of accessories. There is no tangle or careful process to removing the headphones. The cable features gold-plated connections and an elastic fabric material often found on electric guitar-to-amp connections, preventing from tangle during storage. One of the best features of the cable is that a sleek volume and remote is included. The cable can also be used on most phones, but the volume is easy to adjust without removing your device. If wiring into a phone (as I did), you can take calls without reaching for your pockets. As with anytime you’re using two volume controls, you’ll need to adjust the devices volume to a medium level to properly enjoy the other control. Anything above 75% volume seemed to result in low end, as you’ll find with old school car adapters.

The speakers themselves speak to the price-point. The 40mm titanium coated mylar drivers can take bring to life big musical compositions in a way that included iPod ear-buds can’t. These phones are intended for many genres (think the factory EQ settings on many standard car stereos) so deep low-end may bottom out (as they did with Cigarette Boats by Curren$y & Harry Fraud). The bass However, the comfort and ease of the headsets along with their design (made to fit even the biggest) is the ultimate trade-off.

Priced at less than $60 USD, these headphones are a nice upgrade from those you’ll see in stores and earbuds. These are ideal for the urban traveler that wants an enclosed listening feel, but doesn’t want headphones that either slide around on their head or cost more than the music player. RHA uses a classic design in making their product hassle-free. This is a great gift as well as a nice purchase for the novice listener/music-maker.

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