Rhapsodio Clipper

yacobx

1000+ Head-Fier
Pros: Good details and clarity
Cons: The iem housing does not do well with a lot of tips
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The clipper is one of those earphones you hear of that peak ones curiosity. Why am I curious? Bc the clipper is about 1/10th the cost if anything else they sell. Talking with the CEO I found out the background thoughts on the creation of the Clipper. Him and his engineer wanted to make an earphone that would give people a taste of their superb sound quality but at a fraction of the price. They spent the majority of their money on the driver.

Accessories and fit:

The clipper is sold with a nice box and sent with the normal ear tips. However for me I could not use the basic eartips well and switching out to cp100 spinfits was magical. The cable included is nice but has issues with the plug. I was told the will be updated with new units.


Sound:

The clipper is bottom heavy. If you have read anyone else's reviews this was their findings too. For me it's perfect when I am listening to my favorite electronic music but not limited to that. I also find that when I use the clipper when there is slot of ambient noise present I don't loose any sound quality. Ok back on track, the soundstage is very large and has great detail with nice warm mids. The bass is big but it doesn't take away from the other areas. When talking with the CEO they told me the idea behind the clipper was spend all of the money on the driver and get the best sound quality while sticking to the budget iem market. Which definitely affected the other areas.


Final thoughts, would I suggest some to buy this iem? Absolutely, it has a great place in my collection of earphones. I would love if rhapsody would release a version 2 one day that has the bass toned back which would make it perfect in my opinion. I have the Sony xb90 and clipper gets as lows as the Sony but handles the rest of the frequency better and isn't fatiguing. My most favorite pairing with this iem is the Lear Bluetooth BTC 01 and I will go into why I'm my review if that unit.
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Pros: Rounded Meaty bass, Decent separation, A really solid fit (once I found the right tip), Detachable (and replaceable) MMCX connectors, Easy to drive
Cons: Rounded Meaty bass, Using the cable is like wrestling with a baby snake, Shallow fit and limited tip options, Somewhat cheap build & shell design
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At the time this review was written, the Rhapsodio Clipper was listed for sale on their website. Here is a link to their listing of the product:
 
http://www.rhapsodiostore.com/products/rhapsodio-clipper
 
Introduction
There’s a lot of dynamic driver in-ear monitors listed for sale now days. Anywhere from budget to high end in-ear monitors offer variations of this driver set up, leaving one to wonder what it is that causes one to cost a thousand dollars while there’s budget versions that cost five bucks.
 
Build, sound quality and materials used are the main reasons, but sometimes it’s reputation and magic snake oil driving up the prices. This is why reviews from seasoned listeners is so important.
 
When a fellow Head-Fier contacted me to see if I would be interested in reviewing the Clipper from Rhapsodio, I agreed. I had not had an opportunity to hear their in-ear monitors besides at audio conventions and Head-Fi meets. Being on Head-Fi for some time, I had heard of them mentioned several times before.
 
Rhapsodio is known for their higher end in-ear monitors and upgrade cables. If you aren’t familiar with their product lineup, here is a link to see what they have to offer:
 
http://www.rhapsodio.com/
 
The Clipper breaks away from Rhapsodio’s high end roots. The Clipper earphone I will be reviewing today comes in at a very low price of fifty-five dollars. Let’s see what they can do for this price.
 
Disclaimer
I was given an opportunity to review a free sample of the Clipper in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I am in no way affiliated with Rhapsodio. I would like to take this time to personally thank fellow Head-Fier @flinkenick for the opportunity to experience and review this earphone.
 
My Background
I AM NOT a numbers and graphs audiophile or sound engineer. Personal audio enthusiast? Absolutely! Headphone junkie? Possibly…
 
There’s something about quality DAPs, DACs, Amplifiers and Earphones that intrigues me. I want to hear any earphone that looks promising, in hopes that I can share my impressions with  enthusiasts and help them find the audio product they’re looking for. My Head-Fi profile has a list of audio products ranked from favorite to least favorite. For me, this hobby is more about getting great price to performance ratio from a product, and having a variety of different gear to mix and match. With personal audio gear, we tend to pay a lot of money for minor upgrades. One thing I’ve learned over the last few years is that just because a headphone has a higher price tag, it doesn’t mean that it has superior build and sound quality.
 
I’m always looking for great audio at a great price. I’m after headphones and IEMs that give me the “WOW” factor. I can appreciate different builds and sound signatures as long as they are solidly built, with ergonomics and sound that is pleasing to my ears. It’s my pleasure to share my experiences with audio products and make recommendations based on gear I have owned and used.
 
REVIEW
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The clipper arrived in a square black clamshell case with a red zipper. The case has a carbon fiber looking print on it. Overall, there is nothing remarkable to say about the case itself. It is identical to what budget manufacturer KZ (Knowledge Zenith) offers in their product line. It’s definitely adequate for holding your earphones and that’s about it. There was no retail packaging that came with the sample I received.
 
Specifications and Accessories
Specifications are currently unavailable. I have my feelers out to see if I can get some to post. For now we will skip to accessories.
 
Accessories
1X Pair Clipper earphones
1X Clamshell case
3X Pair silicone wide bore tips (S,M,L)
 
Housings
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The Clipper housings are all plastic and somewhat generic looking. They are very lightweight. The frosted clear shells seem durable and create a nice display for the internal wiring. It’s nice to see a well thought out and high level of craftsmanship in how the wires are twisted and soldered into the drivers.
 
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The nozzles of the Clipper are a straight tube that has a fairly average length and has no nozzle. Despite the fact that the nozzle was a bit wider than your typical IEM, tip rolling was easy to do. An MMCX plug is utilized, making the cable replaceable

 
Cable, Y-Split, Cable Jack, Strain Reliefs
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Clipper has a detachable MMCX cable, which is a very nice touch for a fifty-five dollar earphone. It has a slick looking black and white candy cane striped appearance and is fairly average in length. I personally didn’t care for the material used for this application. The cable has quite a bit of spring and memory. After removing the earphone from its case and plugging it into whatever source you plan on using it with, the cable retains a level of spring and memory that can be a nuisance. The Y-split is a silver metal jacketed tube with rubber innards. The cable jack is a straight 3.5 mm gold plated jack with the same silver metal jacketing as the Y-split. Strain reliefs are very subtle but adequate. The MMCX connectors are jacketed in a black plastic housing. With a plastic housing and MMCX connectors, I don’t things these will withstand being stepped on or handled roughly day in and day out. When we’re talking about budget priced gear, these are the sacrifices we sometimes have to occasionally make.
 
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My favorite aspect to the Clipper cable was the springy-ish memory wire that goes around the ear. It is a universal shape that helps secure a comfortable and stable fit.
 
Functionality
The stock Clipper is geared for music enjoyment. There is no microphone or remote. Plug them in your source, pop them in your ears, enjoy some music and repeat. Because the Clipper is an MMCX connection, an aftermarket phone cable can be purchased for them.
 
Ergonomics, Fit and Microphonics, Isolation
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Clipper can only be worn over the ear. Their shape and cable won’t give you an option to let them hang without looping them over each ear. They have some aspects that will make wearing them a challenge. First, they have a somewhat shallow fit. The way the nozzle is shaped it doesn’t leave a lot of room for people with deeper ears to get them far enough into their ears. On top of this, the bulk of the MMCX connector will also prevent the nozzle from reaching deep enough into some people’s ears and create a seal. Add the fact that the Clipper comes with some wide bore tips that are very shallow, it creates a triple whammy. I can see many people having an issue with getting the Clipper to fit. Fortunately for me, I was able to do some tip rolling and come up with a tip that relieves all of this. With the stock tips I couldn’t get something that would seal and stay in my ears. If you get the Clipper, try using a tip that fits the nozzle and extends its length. Once I came up with a tip that works, the fit was great.
 
Once a proper seal is achieved, the Clipper creates a vacuum like seal that will cause driver flex if too much pressure is applied to the driver. Isolation is better than your average isolating in-ear monitor. Thanks to the over ear fit microphonics is non existent.

 
Sound Review
I did my demo with my usual gear. I used an LG-V10 for smartphone use, and either my Shanling H3 or iBasso DX80 DAP/Bushmaster D14 DAC/Amp for high fidelity portable use. For desktop use, I used my Toshiba Satellite Laptop in combination with a ifi micro iDSD playing at 32/192 kHz. I tested them with several other sources as well. I used Google Music in its highest download quality (320 KBPS), and also streamed FLAC via Tidal streaming service. I also used purchased and downloaded tracks in MP3, FLAC, WAV and DSD. I make sure that any gear I test has sufficient playtime before writing a review.
 
I used my usual same songs for testing gear:
“Limit to your love” by James Blake (bass speed, punch, response)
“Doin’ it Right” by Daft Punk (sub bass)
“Get lucky” by Daft Punk (bass to midrange transition resolution, male vocals)
“Madness” by Muse (soundstage, separation)
“Some nights” by Fun (soundstage and male vocals)
“The soundmaker” by Rodrigo y Gabriela (texture and imaging)
“Bassically” by Tei Shi (bass to midrange resolution, female vocals)
“Skinny Love” performed by Birdie (female vocals, acoustic playback)
“One” by Ed Sheeran (male vocals, acoustic playback)
“Outlands” from the Tron Legacy Soundtrack (symphonic presentation, imaging)
“Sultans of swing” by Dire Straits (detail, separation, balance)
“And Justic for All” by Metallica (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
“Ten thousand fists” by Disturbed (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
 
Note: Other tracks were used, but the listed songs were primarily used to assess and break down the gear’s response.
 
Source Selection
The Clipper is a very sensitive IEM. When listening to them with my LG V10, I couldn’t get beyond the halfway point without them being too loud to listen to. Even still, listening to them with a more powerful source seemed to render more control of each frequency (primarily bass tones).
 
The bassy signature of the Clipper combined with a less forward midrange and treble response makes them forgiving with poorly recorded music. I also noticed that they will upscale to a certain extent with better sources and higher bitrate files. The bassy signature of the Clipper doesn’t vibe well with warmer and bassier sources. Clipper sounds best with a leaner high powered source and high bitrate music files. Just be careful if you use a powerful source as the volume will be really touchy due to the earphone’s sensitivity. They will also sound really good streaming music with your smartphone. My favorite way to use them was streaming Google Music on the go with my LG V10.
 
Sound Signature
Bass in your face. That’s the theme here...
 
The Clipper is very bassy, and will be too bassy for some. They have a mid-bass forward signature that lingers over all other frequencies. Lower frequencies have added color and are thick in tone. Despite this, there is some nice clarity and separation in mid, upper-mid, and treble ranges. The overall feel is loads of bass with a forward bite on vocals and upper mid-range frequencies. Every other frequency is perceptually relaxed and smooth with some decent clarity.
 
Bass
The thing I hear most is mid-bass. There is sub-bass bass, but it takes a perceptual back seat to a lingering and somewhat bloated mid-bass response. There is a resonant quality that casts a shadow over every other frequency. It’s a shame because there is some really nice clarity from neighboring ranges. I did a equalizer adjustment to make the sound more ideal for my listening preference. Here it is:
 
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NOTE: With this adjustment, everything is is much more balanced and natural. Vocals are very natural and the soundstage improved to my ears. Sub-bass came forward and was authoritative when need be. The focus was taken off of the mid-bass tones and I was able to hear more soundstage depth. Yes, the EQ is pretty drastic, and has altered the sound pretty significantly. There’s lots of capability in this driver. Some tweaks I would suggest are lowering the not only the mid-bass, and also the upper mid-range just a bit. To maintain consistency with my impressions, the rest of the review will carry on without this EQ adjustment.
 
Mid-range
The Clipper mid-range is not bad at all, but suffers from the previously mentioned bass forward presence we discussed in the last section. Lower mid-range seems very natural, but as soon as the bass is engaged it’s overshadowed by bass resonance. I won’t say it’s bleed that causes distortion. It’s just way to bass focused for its own good in my opinion.
 
To top all of this off, the Clipper mid-range has a dip around 1 kHz, adding a sense of the mids being slightly recessed at this range. There is a lift at upper mid-range frequencies that helps balance out with the mid-bass and keeps the Clipper from being deemed as terribly dark sounding. There is bite on vocals thanks to this lift.
 
Treble
Treble avoids sibilance, and because of the bass focused response it takes a back seat and is perceptually smooth. Pronunciations of the letters S and T are adequate but more on the smooth side of things. Treble picks up after this range. I don’t consider the treble to be lacking on a whole. It more takes a back seat to the booming stuff.
 
Soundstage and Imaging
The fact that these are all about mid-bass, soundstage is small to my ears. With my previously mentioned EQ adjustment I would say that it’s fairly large. Stock tuning however is below average. I can’t seem to take my focus away from the booming lower frequencies. Because of this I would say that stage is below average for a fifty five dollar earphone. Thanks to a nice level of clarity the Clipper possesses, imaging is solid (although slightly skewed because of tuning).
 
Comparisons
Fidue A65 ($40 to $70 USD on many sites)
The A65 is a titanium diaphragm single dynamic driver per channel earphone that breaks away from most consumer oriented tunings that can be found at this price range. They have a very balanced and nicely detailed sound, offering a touch of warmth through its mid-range.
 
Comparing the two, the A65 is far more balanced and natural to my ears. Just the opposite, the Clipper is far more dynamic and bassy. In terms of resolution (and if you can listen past the bass forwardness of the Clipper) they are evenly matched. Depending on your listening preference and preferred genres of music, the Clipper tuning can be more entertaining.
 
Build and design goes to the A65. Their metal housings promote an under or over the ear fit, and their cable is more manageable. Fidue also offers a few more tip options.

 
T-Peos Altone 150 ($89 USD on CTC Audio’s website)
The Altone 150 is the cheapest model in their Altone product line. They sport an HPS driver that is supposed to offer a smooth midrange and dynamic bass presence.
 
Listening to both earphones, they both pack a perceptually mid-bass forward tuning. The Clipper mid-bass is slightly more forward, but also seems to have more clarity at the same time. There is quite a bit more resolution through the Clipper mid-range, making the Altone 150 seem very smooth and almost congested sounding in comparison. To be completely honest, at one point I had to stop switching back and forth and can flat out say the Clipper is a better sounding earphone in just about every way.
 
Build quality and design goes to the Altone 150. Although they have similar cables in terms of spring and memory, I prefer the DC style plug of the Altone 150, and also prefer their metal housings. Accessories goes to the Altone 150 as well. They offer more tips and their cable has an inline microphone and remote.
 
Conclusion
The Clipper is a bassy earphone with decent separation and resolution. They have a nice design, and their bass forward tuning and better than average isolation makes them an ideal candidate for some great commuting earphones.
 
The Clipper has some nice qualities and their general concepts are good, but there are issues with just about every criteria that I personally feel needs to be addressed. A different stock cable with less spring and memory would be a big improvement (remember, the Clipper has a removeable/replaceable cable). Some design tweaks should be made to the housings and MMCX connectors to provide a fit that isn’t as shallow as it currently is (can be remedied with longer aftermarket tips). An inline microphone and remote would be a nice touch, considering this is a portable pair of phones. Last but not least, the bass needs to be reduced to make room for other frequencies to breathe, revealing the clarity they can have. Even still, the Clipper is far from horrible. They have a place in the market as a great budget cell phone companion. The will work excellent for those who are looking to listen to modern genres of music on the go.
 
When rating a product I have to take all criteria into account. I give the Clipper three stars for build quality, three stars for their fit, two and a half stars for accessories, and out of respect to the audio enthusiasts who love lots of bass I will give them three and a half to four stars for sound quality (thanks to their ability to maintain some good clarity). All in all I give the Clipper three and a half stars.
 
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Thanks for reading and happy listening!
Redcarmoose
Redcarmoose
Those look exactly like the Basic ie300HD IEMs. My only issue now with them is fit. They are the only IEMs I own that lose their bass when I move my jaw. Maybe I should keep exploring tips?
Redcarmoose
Hawaiibadboy
Hawaiibadboy
Great review. I missed it since somebody has posted like 30 reviews in the past 3 days :frowning2:
Aaaaanyway....so yeah...BASS :wink:
Pros: Bass is mental. Super fun to play with. Wooo party time!!!
Cons: Bass is always in play and dominant. Needs power to be their best.
Rhapsodio Clipper Earphone Quick Review by mark2410
 
Thanks to Rhapsodiostore for the sample.
 
Full review here http://www.head-fi.org/t/816867/rhapsodio-clipper-earphone-review-by-mark2410
 
Brief:  Clearly all about the bass.
 
Price:  US$55 or about £42
 
Specification:  Erm, I dunno.
 
Accessories:  3 pairs of silicone ear tips and a rather nice little case.
 
Build Quality:  It appears to be rather good, I can find no fault visually nor by touch.  Bit light but then they are all plastic.  Removable cable though with is nice.
 
Isolation:  For a dynamic it’s really quite good.  They are pretty well sealed (enough to get driver flex) but the upside is good for everywhere, even the odd Tube commute or flight.  Naturally it means way more than enough to make yourself an organ donor of you don’t look where you’re going.
 
Comfort/Fit:  Great.  They sit rather shallow but I was fine with that and aside from a second or two for the air pressure to equalise I was all good.
 
Aesthetics:  I like the look, clear but frosted plastic.  It looks good, if not borderline great.  I like the zebra cable too.
 
Sound:  Bassy.  High quantity, high quality bass.  The one caveat is that it doesn’t truly shine unless you power them well, in which case they are super fun, bass cannons.  The trouble there though is if you have a source that’s good enough to make them there best you are possibly buying something more expensive than this.  Not that they are hard to drive, your crappy phone will do it, make them loud too, it just won’t make them be the best they can.  That would be a shame too.  Now these are sort of the rough sound signature I like, big bass, good mids, tame treble.  It’s just they’re a more dramatically sloped slant than id normally like.  They are too bass, lol, big, crazy town bassy.  When you don’t power them that well the bass is rather mediocre in its quality but should you pair them, power them well, the bass kicks it up a very significant notch in terms of quality.  Sure there is way too much but its stonkingly good.  Energetic, potent, it’s got so much vigour to it.  I do find that if I listen for ears out it wears me out but in smaller doses its super fun.   Crazy, wild, prolific, bass party cannons.  Yet with pretty damn good quality.  Still the quantity, lol it literally has me laughing at the abundance and the proclivity it has to kick you in the ear drums.  It’s a right little beast of a thing, truly a little beast of a thing where the bass is concerned.  The mids are pretty good, little lower favouring and not really much airiness to them.  The treble, well they are really quite subdued which is perfectly fine for my ears but you know, treble fans won’t love them.  Also proper music, things well recorded and mastered like acoustic classical, can sound rather skewed.
 
Value:  Great.  They need paired well to be their best bet they are fab when you do.
 
Pro’s:  Bass is mental.  Super fun to play with.  Wooo party time!!!
 
Con’s:  Bass is always in play and dominant.  Needs power to be their best.
Hisoundfi
Hisoundfi
"Organ Donor" haha, these are the comments that make your reviews very entertaining and why I will always continue to read them. Cheers buddy

B9Scrambler

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Built in ear guides - Wonderful bass response - Feels durable
Cons: Value - Driver flex - Underwhelming treble presentation
Greetings Head-fi,

Today we are going to be looking at the Clipper, a new entry level offering from the good folks at Rhapsodio. Congratulations Rhapsodio on celebrating your fourth year anniversary! Here is to many more years of success and further growth.

The Clipper can be purchased right now from Rhapsodio for 55 USD. Here is a link to their site where you can check out the other cool products they make; http://www.rhapsodio.com.




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Disclaimer:

I would like to thank @flinkenick for reaching out to me to see if I would be interested in reviewing the Clipper, and Sammy at Rhapsodio for sending it over for review. I am not receiving any financial compensation for this review and all comments and views within are my honest opinions.

This review has been updated to better reflect why I have opted to give them 3.5 Stars. Edited sections are denoted via italicization.

Edit (Dec-12-2017) - Edited down to 3 stars due to account for newer products that do the same thing as the Clipper, but with various improvements/enhancements.


A Little About Me:

Over the last couple years I decided to dive head first into the world of portable audio. After reading pretty much the entirety of IjokerI's multi-earphone review thread and being greatly inspired, I took a chance and started writing my own reviews. Fast forward a couple years and I've had the opportunity to write about some great products for wonderful companies like RHA, Havi, FiiO, NarMoo, Brainwavz, and Meze. I don't do it for money or free stuff, but because I enjoy it. If my reviews can help guide someone to an earphone that makes them happy, I'll consider that a job well done.

The gear used for testing is pretty basic composing of an HTC One M8 cellphone, Topping NX1 portable amplifier, and my aging Asus G73 gaming laptop paired with a Plantronics Rig USB amp. I listen primarily to various EDM sub-genres (liquid drum and bass, breakbeat, drumstep, etc.), hip hop, and classic rock. When it comes to earphone preferences I tend to leans towards aggressive and bassy, but I try not to limit myself to one signature only.

Enough preamble. Let us dive into the good stuff shall we?




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Packaging and Accessories:

The Clipper comes as a pretty bare bones package including only a simple carrying case and three sizes of silicone ear tips; s/m/l. No retail packaging is included. While the point of this was to help keep costs down and focused on the earphone itself, I have to admit that I was still somewhat disappointed if only because of the actually quality of the accessories.

The case is the same simple square case that you get with many Knowledge Zenith purchases (10 USD budget earphones), and that can often be picked up online for around 1.50 USD, or less. At least its a decent case with netting in place for tip storage, though it's not overly firm and squishes easily. It is also quite small forcing the cable to be wound more tightly than I would prefer. The opaque white wide-bore tips feel a low-rent compared to those from JVC, UE, Sony, Dunu, etc. but they do the job and provide a great seal.

The accessories provided work, but are well below average in quality. If number of accessories matter, the Clipper falls behind the competition there too.

Build, Design, and Comfort:

The Clipper takes on a stubby, low-profile design, wrapping itself neatly around its 10mm dynamic driver. The plastic used for the housing feels quite solid and of good quality, and the interior frosting is a nice touch. It is a very unassuming design, free of flashy colors, logos, or anything overly defining. That is, until you get to the cable.

The Clipper features a removable cable with MMCX connectors. While I only have a few other earphones the use an MMCX design these offer the most secure and confidence inspiring connection I’ve come across. The cable is an eye-catching candy cane swirl of black and white, terminated in a simple, well-relieved straight jack. The y-split is uncommonly relieved at both ends, something I welcome with open arms. Absent is a chin slider which doesn't bother me any, though I know for many of you this omission will not be ideal. The most brilliant part of this cable can be seen where you would normally find memory wire, or a preformed ear-guide, a la Brainwavz XFIT XF-200 or Somic MH415.

The built-in ear guide on the Clipper is by far and away the best I've come across to date. Unlike every other earphone I have with this feature, Rhapsodio went with a soft rubber that not only acts as strain relief, but does a fantastic job of guiding the cable around your ear comfortably and securely. I haven't had any issues with the cable coming out of place which makes the omission of a chin slider more acceptable. Other companies that opt out of memory wire and decide to move forward with a built-in ear guide need to take a hard look at what Rhapsodio has done here. It's awesome.

Comfort or fit with the Clipper is a bit of a mixed bag for me. Everyone's ears are different, but if you have had issues in the past with earphones shaped like the Brainwavz XFIT XF-200, QKZ W1 Pro, Mee Audio M6, or a slew of other earphones sharing this basic design philosophy, I suspect you may run into problems here too. Driver flex is also quite prevalent. Not surprising given the housing are sealed. This does lead to pretty good isolation though, so there's a win.

The biggest issue for me is that the nozzles are just too short. Medium tips do not insert far enough to create a seal meaning I have to resort to large tips and settle for an extremely shallow fit. After running through my tip collection I ended up going back to the Clipper's stock large silicones. With a bit of finagling, I can get them to seal comfortably and consistently right at the entrance of my ear canal. Other tips required even more effort to seal properly and tended to easily come out of place. Very annoying because all I want to do is sit and listen to the wonderful sounds being produced.

In summary they're well-built minus the invasive driver flex, offer little in the way of a unique design, and are eventually comfortable once you can get them to fit in and seal correctly.




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*Frequency chart can found on Rhapsodio's Facebook page.



Sound:

And what a wonderful sound it is. The Clipper is a very good earphone, leaning towards a warmer sound that does it's 55 USD price tag justice. While they are bass-heavy, the quality of the bass they output is phenomenal and in no way takes away from the experience. In fact, it is by far and away my favorite thing about the Clipper.

If you primarily listen to EDM, hip hop, pop, or other bass-heavy genres the Clipper is going to slap a stupid grin across your face. I usually try to remain a little reserved in my reviews and hold back my excitement for fear of coming across a bit over-enthusiastic, but the bass on these things deserves some serious praise. Rhapsodio has tuned them with an expert balance of mid and sub-bass presence, with additional focus on sub-bass. Not only do you get to hear every detail, but you feel it too. Despite how robust the low end is, it's also quick and well-controlled. In my opinion Rhapsodio absolutely nailed the low end on the Clipper.

So, we know the Clipper outputs some seriously good bass. Thankfully their mids are pretty juicy too. Clear, well-separated, natural, and detailed enough. I suspect that as a result of the little spike in the 3K region some female vocals (ex. Nicki Minaj) occasionally come across a little hot, exaggerated by mediocre recordings.

Treble presentation on the Clipper is merely acceptable. It comes across as slightly dry, brittle, and a touch grainy. It lacks the natural and organic feel of the rest of the signature. On the plus side you still get a decent amount of detail and clarity. It's not bad, just a little too easily overshadowed by mids and bass. It's need some of that special sauce that Rhapsodio dumped in everywhere else.

The Clipper presents itself with a full soundstage. While not huge or offering an out-of-head experience, it is refreshingly spacious for such a bassy earphone. Moving from Brainwavz's XF-200 which has a pretty decent soundstage, you will notice the Clipper is notably larger and more vivacious. It's not going to be rivaling the budget king, the Havi B3 Pro 1, anytime soon, but it holds its own. Imaging on the other hand is brilliant. These things do a great job of throwing sounds around realistically and with a distinct sense of distance and space.

In summary, they are an excellent sounding earphone with okay treble. If the rest of the signature wasn't so enjoyable this wouldn't stick out so much.

Amping:

While not mandatory, the Clipper does seem to benefit. Results? Even better bass. It's tighter, quicker, and overall just sounds that much more refined. Amping also helps out the treble by giving it some life , bringing it more in line with what it should have been from the start.




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Select Comparisons:

Brainwavz XFIT XF-200 (25 USD): The Clipper is less v-shaped, smoother, and more refined but lacks the upper end excitement of the XF-200. The XF-200 puts more emphasis into the midbass regions and still offers up good subbass extension, just not to the extent of the Clipper. I also lacks the same level of control, though it's not far off. The XF-200 has the edge when it comes to offering a more energetic listen. The Clipper is a bit more laid back and better for longer listening sessions. The Clipper requires notably more power to drive to similar volumes.

QKZ W1 Pro (~8.50 USD): In my review of the W1 Pro I compared it directly to the XF-200 saying "Sound quality is also very similar, with the XF-200 being the more aggressive of the two. In comparison, the XF-200 is bassier and brighter, appealing to those wanting a more "fun" sound." Let's revise that comment to apply to the Clipper. "Sound quality is also very similar, with the W1 Pro being the more balanced yet also more aggressive of the two. In comparison, the Clipper offers less detail, is bassier, and would appeal more to those wanting a "fun" sound that also happens to be smoother and more refined."

The W1 Pro highlights what I dislike about the Clipper's treble presentation. Listening to them back to back the Clipper comes across a bit lifeless. But then that bass kicks in and the W1 Pro stands aside. The Clipper can teach them a thing or two in that department, both in quantity and quality. Both require similar power to drive.

JVC HA-FX3X (~45.00 USD): Now this is more like it. One of my favorite JVC's going head to head with the Clipper. Their overall tonality and signature is quite similar with different levels of emphasis. The JVC turns up the treble, leaves the mids, dials up midbass a touch, and drops the subbass a bit. Soundstage on the Clipper is larger and their bass texture is improved, but the FX3X bests them in detail and clarity everywhere else. Imaging on both is great with the Clipper showing greater competence. Both require similar power to drive.




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Overall:

What can I say? The Clipper is a bassy heavy earphone that offers up an addictive sound and a great removable MMCX cable with the best built in ear-guide I've come across. While the 55 USD price tag seems pretty fair at first, I then look at the 8.50 USD W1 Pro and start to second guess things.

Does the W1 have a removable cable? Yes, and it's a good one too (not MMCX though, which might be a plus to some). Carrying case? Got it. Low profile, over-ear design? Uh huh. Basic collection of s/m/l eartips? Indeed. Memory wire? Yes. Not only does it go feature-to-feature with the Rhapsodio, tossing an inline microphone and single button remote into the mix, but it still manages to sound pretty good. Not to same level of the Clipper, but much closer than you would expect. You also would not expect such a price disparity when holding them in hand as the perceived build quality is very close. The edge goes to the Clipper with it's better fit and finish.

And therein lies what I think is the Clipper's Achilles Heel; value. I love this earphone, don't get me wrong. They sound fantastic and if that's what's most important for you, you will be a happy camper. That bass is ridiculously addictive and their mids are very welcoming. I would love to see Rhapsodio sell bucket loads of them. BUT, the budget earphone market has been on a roll lately bringing consumers some amazing value-for-dollar earphones. Outside of their bass quality and that awesome ear guide, I fear the Clipper is being sent to battle with a great weapon and inadequate armor.

For the budget conscious consumer that decides to cross-shop the Clipper with other similarly priced earphones, I can understand if they are hesitant to drop 55 USD. What warrants the price? There are no exotic materials, the same general design philosophy that can be found in products by numerous other manufacturers, and the included accessories are cheap feeling and barren. While I am NOT under the impression the Clipper is of poor value, I AM under the impression that it is not good value. This is Rhapsodio's entry into a very crowded segment with the bunch of excellent earphones that offer consumers more than just great sound. The Clipper can hang with the best and beat most there, and they have an excellent cable with an ear-guide that puts most to shame, but the rest of the package is lacking. You can add onto that workable but underwhelming treble presentation and very noticeable driver flex.

At a lower price or with an accessory kit befitting of the price tag and overall quality of the earphone, the Clipper would be a must buy for a bass lover on a budget. As is I think they could be a tough sell, though one that you will undoubtedly enjoy should you decide to purchase them.

Thank you again Rhapsodio for giving me the opportunity to listen to and review the Clipper. This will be a great gateway earphone to your brand and higher end offerings.

Thank you for reading! Comments and suggestions are welcomed.

- B9Scrambler

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****​

Some Test Tunes:

Dillon Francis & NGHTMRE - Need You
Dillon Francis & Martin Garrix - Set Me Free
Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj - Bang Bang
Soil - One Love
Run the Jewels - Sea Legs
Aesop Rock - Crows 1
Aesop Rock - Saturn Missiles
Gramatik - It's Just a Ride
Gramatik - Bluestep (Album Version)
King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black
Supertramp - Rudy
Various DnB Mixes crafted by Matson of the SubSil3nt Podcast

Explanation of title:

Clip represents the removable cable.
Click represents the driver flex.
Boom represents dat BASS!
twister6
twister6
Agree 100% with a review, you nailed all the points, bud!  Short nozzle with a shallow fit was my concern (of course, dependent on your ear anatomy), some driver flex (not major), and a serious bass slam (which could be overwhelming with some songs).
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