keanex
Keeper of The All-New Headphone Buyer's Guide
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2010
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Pros: Build quality, fit, resolution, clarity, sound quality
Cons: Lacking tips, cord tangle issues, sub-bass shy
Style: Over-ear medium insertion IEMs
Tonal Balance: Neutral with decent resolution, giving it a mild analytical feel.
Listening Set-Up: Musicbee (Wasapi) -> Oppo HA-1, Sansa Clip+/Sansa Clip Zip
Cost At the Time of Review: $120
Reviewing Process
The user manual that comes with the R-50 states that the R-50 sound best after 20 hours of burn-in. I’ve ensured at least 20 hours of non-headtime burn-in as well as numerous hours of headtime. The R-50 have been mostly used outside of the home in low stress and low outside noise situations. During my time with them I have listened to various genres and feel that I have a well enough grasp of their sound to make an opinion on them. The views expressed here are that of a headphone enthusiast and are by no means the only view.Headphone Background
Rock-It are a relatively new headphone company that makes IEMs as well as full sized headphones. The R-50 are their current flagship IEM using two balanced drivers to provide an in-ear solution tuned towards studio monitoring.Accessories
Included with the R-50 are 3 pairs of silicon single flanged tips and a semi-hard clamshell carrying case.
Build and Fit
TL
ROut of the box with stock tips I’m able to get a tight seal with above average comfort and and excellent staying power. In addition to this, the headphones feel well built from top to bottom with only cable issues for those who tangle these often. The memory wire is a bit hard angle correctly at first, due to the angled housings, but this is remedied with some time spent.
Build
Starting with the top, the R-50 feature a long and thin plastic nozzle that the stock tips fit snugly onto. There are no worries of the ear-tip leaving the nozzle as I remove the IEM. The housing itself is rather small and is wrapped with a rubber wrap that exposes on the back and side of the IEM, the side shows R-50. The rubber body of the IEM is a nice touch, it allows for even sweaty hands to get a solid grip on the housing to insert the IEM firmly into place. The rubber that surrounds the housing also makes up the entirety of the very short stress relief. The shortness of the stress relief doesn’t cause any concerns for me though as the cable becomes a memory wire immediately after, therefore it shouldn’t receive any stress there.
The cable is braided and feels very flexible and soft, though this is a curse. The wire tangles very easily and this could be a point of weakness for those who aren’t careful with their IEMs. I could easily see someone throwing these in their bags and knotting up. The cable terminates into a 3.5mm straight plug that has a flexible stress relief. I have mild concerns about the stress relief here causing issues, but only with portable media players which would accept the plug from the side, like the Sansa Clip+.
Fit
The lack of tips is a bit of a let down considering other companies offer a much larger variety for the same price or cheaper. Fortunately I was able to get a very solid fit with the stock tips. The stock tips allow for shallow to deep insertion, but I found a compromise to be the best sound and fit for me. After the memory wire is situated, which takes a little bit, the fit is rather comfortable. I find no issues with wearing these for an hour or two at a time and have no issues with positioning when properly inserted and moving my jaw or changing facial expressions. The R-50 sit firmly in my ear without any movement issues when walking around.
The fit is definitely a step above those that I’ve reviewed in this price range.
Sound Quality
TL
RThe R-50 are neutral IEM with great clarity and impressive resolution for the price range. Well mastered recordings like Steely Dan’s Aja shine through the R-50 while they expose poor recordings making them near unlistenable to the discerning ear. The sub-bass is a bit weak and the highs come off a bit dry and nasally at times. Overall these are very clear headphones that excel with any sort of well mastered recording.
Bass
As I stated in the cons list, as well as the TL
R, the R-50 have a weak sub-bass presence as well as weight behind the sub-bass that is heard. The sub-bass is heard in the upper regions, for instance I can hear the quickly quavering sub-bass in James Blake’s Limit to Your Love, but it comes off incredibly weak with no authority. The best way I could describe it is as if the sub-bass is whispering while the rest of the spectrum is talking. This hurts the listening experience for bass heavy genres like drum and bass, dubstep and grime. What I do hear of the sub-bass seems to be about average in texture and detail, a tad slow and a bit murky. The midbass is quick and neutral, nicely detailed and punchy. I find that when listening to rock and jazz that the amount of bass is just right, adding a slight warmth to accent the overall enjoyment of the song, rather than imposing itself forcefully. I find that the midbass is balanced nicely along with the mids, existing quite well together in the soundstage.
I feel that the R-50’s bass lends itself very nicely to classics like Steely Dan or The Beatles, or softer modern day acts such as of Montreal and Sufjan Stevens. The bass notably sounds best with soft acoustic music, coming off natural and perfectly balanced.
Mids & Highs
As with the bass the mids and highs aren’t entirely perfect. The first thing I noticed about the R-50 is that the upper mids, mainly, have a tendency to come off a tad nasally and dry. There’s little sparkle, despite the highs being well represented with crystal clarity. In-fact horns sound absolutely phenomenal and the upper ranges of the harmonica sound full and lively. The dryness tends to hurt the liveliness of brass instruments and cymbals at times. The positive to this is that while the R-50 are detailed and extended into the highs, they haven’t come off as fatiguing to my ears.
The second, and last, problem that I encountered with the mids is a slight recession near where the mids approach the midbass. This tends to affect male vocals the most, causing them to feel strained at times, or that they are struggling to find their place in the mix. Fortunately the mids absolutely shine with any sort of guitar. I’ve had many “wow” moments when listening to the clarity, naturalness, and details shown with guitars. Not as lively as a Grado SR80i, but more detailed with a much more natural tone to them. Acoustic tracks really stood out though. If I were to close my eyes I could almost forget that I was wearing headphones. Male vocals with an acoustic guitar sound lifelike and incredibly satisfying.
Aside from the clarity, detail and natural qualities of the midrange, the mids and highs are very quick. What impressed me most was fusion jazz, such as Herbie Hancock, and modern progressive rock, such as The Mars Volta. Both artists have incredibly quick and detailed passages that the R-50 breeze through. The quickness, from memory, almost keeps up with the very quick Audio Technica Ad2000.
Presentation
The width of the soundstage is rather average, as is instrument separation. Rarely do I feel any sense of 3d imaging either. Depth wise the R-50 are about average as well. Presentation isn’t exactly the strong suit of the R-50, but the sound comes through as clean and uncongested due to the excellent clarity and detail of the drivers.
Overall
As a complete package I find the R-50 to be a very worthwhile IEM that I will find myself recommending often. The R-50 excel immensely with guitars, acoustic music, and fast complex fusion jazz or progressive rock passages. For those who find themselves listening to The Beatles, Bloc Party, or The Mars Volta more than Jay-Z, Skrillex or High Contrast then I highly recommend the R-50. Those who do listen to bass heavy genres might want to consider something like the JAYS a-JAYS Five. For $120 I find the R-50 to be a bargain and a staple recommendation in the price range.Come see more photos here!
