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Review: Rockit Sounds R-Lite, R-DJ and R-Studio
Firstly I would like to thank Catherine at Rockit for sending me these samples, I will write as honest a review possible. These all received over 50hrs of burn-in, some small changes were noted, so don't judge them straight out of the box.
Gear Used:
IPod Classic 160gb (rockboxed) > Rockit headphones
I also used my O2 amp with the R-Studio and R-DJ
MSRP:
R-Lite: $44.99
R-DJ: $75.99
R-Studio: $73.99
(From left: R-Lite, R-Studio, R-DJ)
Packaging, accessories and build quality:
Packaging of the 3 is very similar, a brown card box, with a sleeve that has a picture of the headphones, and information and specifications on the back. Nothing really eye catching, but the main focus of these is on the sound.
Accessories vary little, the R-Lite comes with no accessories which is a shame, at least a soft carry pouch would have been nice.
R-DJ comes with 2 different cables, one coiled (3m), one straight (1.2m) that's it too.
R-Studio comes with only one straight cable (1.2m)
So none of them come lavishly equipped with accessories, I wouldn't have minded the price being a little higher if they included cases for each, and adapters.
Build quality:
Let's start off with the R-Lite again, it is mainly plastic with metal reinforcing. The headband is metal, the sides are covered in plastic, the top in pleather for comfort. The cups are plastic with a metal plate on the outside. The plastics used for the headband do not feel great, but should be fine if you look after them. The cups do swivel and fold for portability. The cable is non detachable and rubbery, the jack is angled and the cable has sufficient strain relief on both ends. Overall it does feel a little cheap, but that is what they are. I think they should hold up fine if looked after.
R-DJ is mainly plastic again with metal plates on the cups, the headband (covered in pleather padding) is reinforced with metal. There is a swivel system with plastic hinges but it feels sturdy. The plastic has a rubbery coating, to make them matte and feel nicer. Overall they feel sturdy but I do not know how they would hold up in a DJ environment. The cable is detachable and has a standard 3.5mm entry in the cups, it is slightly recessed so you would have to use a slim 3.5mm upgrade cable.
R-Studio feels the best built out of the three, with brushed metal arms, headband completely covered in pleather, and the back of the cups is covered in pleather too. The cups are rubber coated plastic like the R-DJ. It also has a detachable cable like the R-DJ using a standard 3.5mm jack, but again it is slightly recessed so only smaller jacks will fit.
Comfort, isolation and cable noise:
Comfort of the R-Lite is fine for shorter listening sessions but they clamp a little and become a little uncomfortable after longer listening, the pads are quite stiff when you first get them, and should soften up after some use. The headband is sufficiently padded and also not too tight that its painful. The arms do not extend enough for larger heads.
Isolation of the R-Lite is average for supra-aural headphones, not great but enough for when out and about.
Cable noise is not an issue on the R-Lite.
Comfort of the R-DJ is also good, the pleather pads are comfy but will make your ears warm, padding on the headband is also soft and distributes the weight well. They are not very heavy but do clamp quite hard. I find the comfort good, and they would be fine for a couple of hours, but not much longer.
Isolation is very good, the pads are quite deep and thick (my ears only just touch the driver), they are closed back circumaural so they block out a good deal of outside noise.
Cable noise is not a problem on the R-DJ
The R-Studio I found is also the most comfortable, with the deeper rectangular pads, not too much clamp and the headband is the most padded out of the three. Overall you can listen to the R-Studio for longer periods of time, but being closed they will still warm your ears up.
Isolation is good being closed back, I actually find these to be suitable for out and about listening, a portable full size. But they don't fold up.
Cable noise is also not really a big problem, there is a little, but not major.
Sound:
R-Lite give quite a balanced sound. I was expecting to hear some boosted lows and washed out mids, not the case.
The lows have good punch in the mid bass, but also good body and extension, they easily extend down to around 40hz and gently roll off from there. The lows are well controlled and do not overpower the mids.
The mids are slightly forward and well detailed, I'm actually impressed by the neutrality of the mids, they are not warmed by the lows, and don't suffer from peakiness in the upper mids. They may be slightly on the drier side of things, but very very good for the price.
The highs are also detailed and well extended. They may not be the crispiest, or most controlled, but they contain enough sparkle and detail for them not to sound dark. They complete the sound, with good placement, but they still sit a little behind the mids, so some might find them lacking a little presence. Luckily they don't become too splashy on more complex passages.
The R-Lite has a more intimate sound, quick in attack and recovery, with fairly good space and don't sound too congested with fast music. The soundstage is intimate but with good placement of instruments.
Overall I must say it is an excellent portable headphone, a lot to like about them, the balanced sound, the detailed and slightly forward mids. It makes you forget your listening to budget portable headphones. The only thing that could be improved is the build quality.
R-DJ I was expecting a slightly warmer sound, they actually sound very flat. The lows are tight and fast, the mids very clean and separated with a little sibilance up top. The highs are very present and extend effortlessly.
The lows have good punch backed up by good extension, but I did find they quantity a little lacking. I'm not a bass head, but I personally think the sub-bass could have been raised a little.
The mids are well separated from the lows, very detailed and clean. Both male and female vocals shine on these, but a little sibilance can be detected on the upper mids. The mids have plenty of power, but sit just behind the lows and highs. I also found the mids to be a little dry on these, not having the most natural tone.
Highs have good definition and extension, with great presence. I cannot fault the highs, they shimmer and crash with authority, and detail retrieval is very good.
These are definitely the most neutral out of the 3, precise lows, clean mids and shimmering highs. Not what I was expecting from a DJ headphone. They don't have a wide soundstage, instrument separation is fairly average and they do become a little congested with complex music passages, but they are very good if you want a portable full-size headphone with fairly neutral sound. They remind me a little of the Shure SRH440 but the Shure has slightly more natural sound, and is slightly more refined overall.
I did do a little mod, I did punch 2 holes in the back of the driver (they are all covered stock) and it did bring out a bit more body in the lows, I would suggest this mod to people who have these, slightly more fun without loosing any detail. These do very well with a lot of genres.
R-Studio has the easiest sound to listen to, and is my favourite out of the three.
The lows are full bodied, articulate and well controlled, they are not neutral, they do lean towards the warmer side. But they never become too present and dominate then sound, they are detailed and separated, but there is a little boominess (modding to come). The midbass is not as hard hitting as the R-DJ but the sub-bass backs it up better, and has more body on the lows.
The mids are well separated again, but this time they are lush and detailed, not dry. These have the more realistic mids out of the three, they share similarities with the R-Lite. The full bodied lows help give the mids a solid foundation, but do not overwhelm them. These also don't have the upper mid peak of the R-DJ so the mids are smoother without any big peaks or dips. I will say that the mids do sit just behind the lows, but are not recessed.
The highs are smooth with great extension and detailed. The decay and timbre is very good. Placement of the highs is accurate, and they don't become splashy, presence is good but I like my highs so I would say a little more quantity wouldn't hurt. Overall very spacious and well controlled highs.
These have a very large soundstage, and sound very open and spacious. Instrument separation is excellent, they don't become congested on faster tracks, imaging is perfect too.
A smooth slightly warm sound signature, in ways they are similar to the SoundMAGIC HP100, of course these are less than half the price, so they are not as detailed or refined. But they share some sonic similarities, in that they both sound detailed, with a full bodied slightly warmer sound, with a wide soundstage.
A very good can for the price, with modding possibilities. I had these at the London Head-fi meet and people couldn't believe the price, they hit way above their price, competing with the $150 models.
Out of the three, the R-Lite is an excellent portable headphone with an easily likeable sound, the R-DJ is fairly neutral lacking a little body, and the R-Studio is a great balanced but slightly warm all rounder.
Sound perfection rating:
R-Lite: 7.5/10
R-DJ: 6/10
R-Studio: 8.5/10
Thank you for reading
Tracks Used:
Skrillex – First Of The Year (Equinox) (320kbps MP3)
Paramore – Franklin (320kbps MP3)
Diana Krall – The Girl In The Other Room (FLAC)
Deolinda – Passou Por Mim E Sorriu (live) (ALAC)
Suicide Silence – Unanswered (FLAC)
Massive Attack – Angel (ALAC)
Eat Static – Dzhopa Dream (ALAC)
The XX – Crystalised (FLAC)
Funeral For A Friend – Bend Your Arms To Look Like Wings (ALAC)
Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man (FLAC)
The Scene Aesthetic – Humans (259kbps MP3)
A Hero A Fake – Swallowed By The Sea (254kbps MP3)
Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, Spring Allegro (ALAC)
Johnny Craig – Children Of Divorce (161kbps MP3)
Deadmau5 + Kaskade – I Remember (Caspa Remix) (320kbps MP3)
Black Uhuru – Utterance (ALAC)
We Are The In Crowd – Never Be What You Want (226kbps MP3)
Silverstein – Discovering The Waterfront (320kbps MP3)
Concept Of Thought – Our Thought (FLAC)
Nirvana – Something In The Way (Unplugged) (ALAC)
Firstly I would like to thank Catherine at Rockit for sending me these samples, I will write as honest a review possible. These all received over 50hrs of burn-in, some small changes were noted, so don't judge them straight out of the box.
Gear Used:
IPod Classic 160gb (rockboxed) > Rockit headphones
I also used my O2 amp with the R-Studio and R-DJ
MSRP:
R-Lite: $44.99
R-DJ: $75.99
R-Studio: $73.99
(From left: R-Lite, R-Studio, R-DJ)
Packaging, accessories and build quality:
Packaging of the 3 is very similar, a brown card box, with a sleeve that has a picture of the headphones, and information and specifications on the back. Nothing really eye catching, but the main focus of these is on the sound.
Accessories vary little, the R-Lite comes with no accessories which is a shame, at least a soft carry pouch would have been nice.
R-DJ comes with 2 different cables, one coiled (3m), one straight (1.2m) that's it too.
R-Studio comes with only one straight cable (1.2m)
So none of them come lavishly equipped with accessories, I wouldn't have minded the price being a little higher if they included cases for each, and adapters.
Build quality:
Let's start off with the R-Lite again, it is mainly plastic with metal reinforcing. The headband is metal, the sides are covered in plastic, the top in pleather for comfort. The cups are plastic with a metal plate on the outside. The plastics used for the headband do not feel great, but should be fine if you look after them. The cups do swivel and fold for portability. The cable is non detachable and rubbery, the jack is angled and the cable has sufficient strain relief on both ends. Overall it does feel a little cheap, but that is what they are. I think they should hold up fine if looked after.
R-DJ is mainly plastic again with metal plates on the cups, the headband (covered in pleather padding) is reinforced with metal. There is a swivel system with plastic hinges but it feels sturdy. The plastic has a rubbery coating, to make them matte and feel nicer. Overall they feel sturdy but I do not know how they would hold up in a DJ environment. The cable is detachable and has a standard 3.5mm entry in the cups, it is slightly recessed so you would have to use a slim 3.5mm upgrade cable.
R-Studio feels the best built out of the three, with brushed metal arms, headband completely covered in pleather, and the back of the cups is covered in pleather too. The cups are rubber coated plastic like the R-DJ. It also has a detachable cable like the R-DJ using a standard 3.5mm jack, but again it is slightly recessed so only smaller jacks will fit.
Comfort, isolation and cable noise:
Comfort of the R-Lite is fine for shorter listening sessions but they clamp a little and become a little uncomfortable after longer listening, the pads are quite stiff when you first get them, and should soften up after some use. The headband is sufficiently padded and also not too tight that its painful. The arms do not extend enough for larger heads.
Isolation of the R-Lite is average for supra-aural headphones, not great but enough for when out and about.
Cable noise is not an issue on the R-Lite.
Comfort of the R-DJ is also good, the pleather pads are comfy but will make your ears warm, padding on the headband is also soft and distributes the weight well. They are not very heavy but do clamp quite hard. I find the comfort good, and they would be fine for a couple of hours, but not much longer.
Isolation is very good, the pads are quite deep and thick (my ears only just touch the driver), they are closed back circumaural so they block out a good deal of outside noise.
Cable noise is not a problem on the R-DJ
The R-Studio I found is also the most comfortable, with the deeper rectangular pads, not too much clamp and the headband is the most padded out of the three. Overall you can listen to the R-Studio for longer periods of time, but being closed they will still warm your ears up.
Isolation is good being closed back, I actually find these to be suitable for out and about listening, a portable full size. But they don't fold up.
Cable noise is also not really a big problem, there is a little, but not major.
Sound:
R-Lite give quite a balanced sound. I was expecting to hear some boosted lows and washed out mids, not the case.
The lows have good punch in the mid bass, but also good body and extension, they easily extend down to around 40hz and gently roll off from there. The lows are well controlled and do not overpower the mids.
The mids are slightly forward and well detailed, I'm actually impressed by the neutrality of the mids, they are not warmed by the lows, and don't suffer from peakiness in the upper mids. They may be slightly on the drier side of things, but very very good for the price.
The highs are also detailed and well extended. They may not be the crispiest, or most controlled, but they contain enough sparkle and detail for them not to sound dark. They complete the sound, with good placement, but they still sit a little behind the mids, so some might find them lacking a little presence. Luckily they don't become too splashy on more complex passages.
The R-Lite has a more intimate sound, quick in attack and recovery, with fairly good space and don't sound too congested with fast music. The soundstage is intimate but with good placement of instruments.
Overall I must say it is an excellent portable headphone, a lot to like about them, the balanced sound, the detailed and slightly forward mids. It makes you forget your listening to budget portable headphones. The only thing that could be improved is the build quality.
R-DJ I was expecting a slightly warmer sound, they actually sound very flat. The lows are tight and fast, the mids very clean and separated with a little sibilance up top. The highs are very present and extend effortlessly.
The lows have good punch backed up by good extension, but I did find they quantity a little lacking. I'm not a bass head, but I personally think the sub-bass could have been raised a little.
The mids are well separated from the lows, very detailed and clean. Both male and female vocals shine on these, but a little sibilance can be detected on the upper mids. The mids have plenty of power, but sit just behind the lows and highs. I also found the mids to be a little dry on these, not having the most natural tone.
Highs have good definition and extension, with great presence. I cannot fault the highs, they shimmer and crash with authority, and detail retrieval is very good.
These are definitely the most neutral out of the 3, precise lows, clean mids and shimmering highs. Not what I was expecting from a DJ headphone. They don't have a wide soundstage, instrument separation is fairly average and they do become a little congested with complex music passages, but they are very good if you want a portable full-size headphone with fairly neutral sound. They remind me a little of the Shure SRH440 but the Shure has slightly more natural sound, and is slightly more refined overall.
I did do a little mod, I did punch 2 holes in the back of the driver (they are all covered stock) and it did bring out a bit more body in the lows, I would suggest this mod to people who have these, slightly more fun without loosing any detail. These do very well with a lot of genres.
R-Studio has the easiest sound to listen to, and is my favourite out of the three.
The lows are full bodied, articulate and well controlled, they are not neutral, they do lean towards the warmer side. But they never become too present and dominate then sound, they are detailed and separated, but there is a little boominess (modding to come). The midbass is not as hard hitting as the R-DJ but the sub-bass backs it up better, and has more body on the lows.
The mids are well separated again, but this time they are lush and detailed, not dry. These have the more realistic mids out of the three, they share similarities with the R-Lite. The full bodied lows help give the mids a solid foundation, but do not overwhelm them. These also don't have the upper mid peak of the R-DJ so the mids are smoother without any big peaks or dips. I will say that the mids do sit just behind the lows, but are not recessed.
The highs are smooth with great extension and detailed. The decay and timbre is very good. Placement of the highs is accurate, and they don't become splashy, presence is good but I like my highs so I would say a little more quantity wouldn't hurt. Overall very spacious and well controlled highs.
These have a very large soundstage, and sound very open and spacious. Instrument separation is excellent, they don't become congested on faster tracks, imaging is perfect too.
A smooth slightly warm sound signature, in ways they are similar to the SoundMAGIC HP100, of course these are less than half the price, so they are not as detailed or refined. But they share some sonic similarities, in that they both sound detailed, with a full bodied slightly warmer sound, with a wide soundstage.
A very good can for the price, with modding possibilities. I had these at the London Head-fi meet and people couldn't believe the price, they hit way above their price, competing with the $150 models.
Out of the three, the R-Lite is an excellent portable headphone with an easily likeable sound, the R-DJ is fairly neutral lacking a little body, and the R-Studio is a great balanced but slightly warm all rounder.
Sound perfection rating:
R-Lite: 7.5/10
R-DJ: 6/10
R-Studio: 8.5/10
Thank you for reading
Tracks Used:
Skrillex – First Of The Year (Equinox) (320kbps MP3)
Paramore – Franklin (320kbps MP3)
Diana Krall – The Girl In The Other Room (FLAC)
Deolinda – Passou Por Mim E Sorriu (live) (ALAC)
Suicide Silence – Unanswered (FLAC)
Massive Attack – Angel (ALAC)
Eat Static – Dzhopa Dream (ALAC)
The XX – Crystalised (FLAC)
Funeral For A Friend – Bend Your Arms To Look Like Wings (ALAC)
Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man (FLAC)
The Scene Aesthetic – Humans (259kbps MP3)
A Hero A Fake – Swallowed By The Sea (254kbps MP3)
Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, Spring Allegro (ALAC)
Johnny Craig – Children Of Divorce (161kbps MP3)
Deadmau5 + Kaskade – I Remember (Caspa Remix) (320kbps MP3)
Black Uhuru – Utterance (ALAC)
We Are The In Crowd – Never Be What You Want (226kbps MP3)
Silverstein – Discovering The Waterfront (320kbps MP3)
Concept Of Thought – Our Thought (FLAC)
Nirvana – Something In The Way (Unplugged) (ALAC)
