True wireless earbuds designed to keep you connected.
The TrueConnect combines stylish, subtle design, excellent call and streaming quality, IPX5 sweat and weather resistance, and intuitive device and call control in noise isolating earbuds.
Pros: + Good Build Quality
+ Buttons instead of wireless controls
+ Awesome comfort
+ Isolates fairly well
+ Stury carrying case with type-C connectors
Cons: - Sound Quality is fairly average
- Buttons can be a bit mushy
- Dark Signature won't work well for all music styles
- Call quality could have been better
The price of the TrueConnect dropped to 70 USD from 170 they were launched at, making them a pretty good deal now. With a ton of competitors, like Master & Dynamic MW07GO, HIFIMAN TWS600, and 1More Stylish TWS IEMs, they have to fight for their place in today’s review.
Introduction
RHA, as a company, is one of the best there are. Lots of reps, very good english, support above everything you’d expect. They are pretty much the perfect company in everything, and I can totally say that you’re going to have an awesome time purchasing their products. When receiving the TrueConnect, they sent some sweets in as well, and we all know I have a bit of a sugar tooth, so they got me there. Joking aside, they are just awesome in general when it comes to supporting their customers.
It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with RHA, I am not receiving any incentive for this review or to sweeten things out. I’d like to thank RHA for providing the sample for this review. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it, the purpose of this review is to help those interested in RHA TrueConnect TWS find their next music companion.
First things first, let’s get the packaging out of the way:
The package of the True Connect is actually a bit more interesting than that of most TWS IEMs. Especially their carrying / charging case is a top 10/10 one, and they even have a Type-C cable, a huge selection of tips placed in a metallic support, and overall presented just too nicely to miss.
What to look for when purchasing a high-end In-Ear Monitor
The video review about the RHA True Connect has been one of the first ones I did with the new editing, and I’m happy I took that decision. You’ll notice where this led in a few months, when I manage to complete my setup and the quality will be something else entirely. The True Connect truly deserved me to do that review better, because they are an UK-Based company, with their product offer including some pretty interesting flagship IEMs.
The build of the True Connect is just as good as their top IEMs, with a metallic charging case, that has a Type-C connector. We have Bluetooth 5.0. The battery life is rated at 5 hours on a single charge, with the case offering 4 additional charges. This is much better than MW07GO, which is also more expensive.
RHA also covers their TWS IEMs under a 3-year warranty, and IPX5 sweat proof. With a soft touch cover on the IEMs, and the case, it is a delight to hold and use the True Connect. The ergonomics are ok, not the best, because the IEMs are a bit large, but the carrying case is practical, is not damaged easily. The large selection of tips helps a lot with fit and comfort.
You can push the face of each IEM, as they are buttons, much better than having touch controls. The mic and phone quality of the True Connect is above average, and the person on the other side could hear me clearly, and I haven’t managed to lose connection from my Note 9s phone even once while using them.
Sound Quality
Although the call quality of the True Connect is pretty great, the actual sonic quality is focused on a pretty warm and commercial signature, similar to Skullcandy & Early Beats products rather than catering to the audiophile crown. This means a warm sound, with a pretty smooth treble, not a lot of excitement up top, the detail is normal for the current price, 70 USD, although the soundstage is pretty large, and instrument separation is not bad at all.
The bass is the central part of True Connect’s Sound, it is large, pretty wide, and slow in speed. This works well with Hip-Hop, but not so well with most other music styles, being a bit slow for Trance, and a bit too much for metal / rock. There’s enough bass to satisfy most bassheads, and you never feel like the sound lacks substance. The entire bass is enhanced, and this colors the upper bass, and bleeds in the midrange too.
The mids are colored from the bass, have a thicker presentation, warm tone, and are pretty typical in terms of detail. The soundstage is wide, and True Connect creates a nice 3D presentation, although there’s not a lot of treble and this can be heard in rock and metal music.
The treble is recessed, with no particular peak, as everything tends to roll off after the upper midrange. In fact, even the upper midrange is fairly rolled off, resulting in a pretty relaxed sound, with a really smooth treble.
Comparisons
The main competitors are MW07GO, TWS600 and 1More Stylish TWS IEMs. You guys asked me about the comparison between the True connect and Lypertek Tevi, so I decided to add it as well to this review!~
RHA TrueConnect vs HIFIMAN TWS 600 (170 USD vs 200 USD) – TWS600 is pretty much at the same price as True Connect at the moment of writing this review, which makes them pretty even. In terms of sound, they are similar only in detail, as both are pretty average. TWS600 has a very light, bright sound, where True Connect is thicker, warmer, has a more substantial sound with more impact, and a sweeter midrange. Much smoother and relaxed treble.
RHA TrueConnect vs Master&Dynamic MW07GO (170 USD vs 200 USD) – Mw07GO is much more expensive than the True Connect, but it also sounds much better, with more resolution, a wider soundstage, and actually has better comfort, having a more ergonomic design. The thing is, True Connect is now less than half the price of Mw07 GO, but still manages to have a much better overall life, charges quicker, holds more, simply being better for a portable TWS IEM.
RHA TrueConnect vs 1More Stylish TWs IEMs (170 USD vs 50 USD) – 1More is pretty similar to True Connect in general, they have similar ergonomics, similar sound, although True Connect is a bit more even, where 1More Stylish TWS is even more of a basshead IEM. The biggest difference between them is in the build quality, or rather the aesthetic. Both use high-quality materials, but one is golden, sparkly, and pretty feminine, while RHA feels more professional, more masculine and the design makes it easier to pick iof you want to keep a low profile.
RHA TrueConnect vs Lypertek Tevi (170 USD vs 100 USD) – Tevi is about 100 USD right now, and it is V-Shaped, so more sparkly, more exciting and although the box and the IEMs feel cheaper than the True Connect, I consider Tevi a much better fit for Audiophiles who may desire the sonic performance above everything.
Value and Conclusion
In terms of value, we have no value. This might have been what RHA realised or decided when they lowered the price from 170 USD to 70 USD, which is much closer to the value, at least for the sound of the True Connect. Although I really liked the presentation, ergonomics, quality of the build materials and everything else, the sound of True Connect wasn’t a good value at 170 USD. At 70, they are a fair deal, and even better than some of the competition. There’s also a True Connect 2 out there, which I plan on reviewing in the near future.
The package is pretty simple, but effective, with a cool aesthetic & Design. Also, coming with a good number of tips, RHA made sure you’d get a good fit with their True Connect.
In fact, if you’re comfortable with a commercial sound, you’ll be in love with True Connect, especially if you come from a Skullcandy product, as you’ll be surprised by a better overall definition, clarity and a much much better build / materials quality.
At the end, if you’re looking for a commercial-sounding TWS IEM, with good call quality, good bluetooth signal, and a beautiful aesthetic, nice build quality, and a good price tag, RHA TruConnect should be right for you.
Product Link
You can get RHA TrueConnect and other TWS IEMs from www.amazon.com :
While we listened to considerably more songs than those named in this playlist, those are excellent for identifying certain aspects of the sound, like PRaT, Texturization, Detail, Resolution, Dynamics, Impact, and overall tonality. We recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new most, most of them being rather catchy.
Pros: Good design
Very good sound quality
Excellent build quality
Cons: Smudgy and slippery, grease and fingerprint magnet, mushy buttons
Connection issues and poor range
Unclear voice quality over mic
MY VERDICT
RHA’s first truly wireless in-ear headphone offering excels in sound quality, build quality, battery life and fails to serve the purpose of this kind of IEMs by having poor wireless connectivity. Poor wireless performance negates whatever positives its sound quality brings to the table.
DESIGN, BUILD & FIT
RHA TrueConnect comes in a well-built case made of metal and plastic. Case is quite ergonomic and can be carried easily in pockets. Outer part of the case is made of aluminum and the body which holds the IEMs is made of plastic and is finished in soft touch matte black finish same as the IEMs themselves. The body swivels front to show the IEM compartment which also charges them through magnetic strips instead of wireless charging. The case has three LEDs on outside to indicate its charging levels. The IEMs are held together with nice magnetic force and won’t fall off even the opened case is turned upside down. IEMs come with buttons which need to be pressed rather than swiped. And those buttons are mushy and won’t exude confidence while using. Controls, like single press to pause/attend/disconnect, double press to increase volume and triple press to decrease are not that intuitive but can be get used to it. Microphones have been placed at the bottom of both the earpiece’s stems. Though it has excellent build quality, it is extremely smooth, slippery and catches grease and fingerprints quite easily. It has an average fit and isolation. For me, only the large size silicone tips and comply foam tips kept them from falling off my ears very often. Isolation too improved vastly with the provided Comply foam tips.
SOUND IMPRESSIONS
Sound quality out of 6 mm dynamic driver is very good. Has fun sound and is very enjoyable right out of the box. Bass gets prominence here, with good depth and slam. Even though bass is punchy, it spreads over headroom and slightly cloud the mids. Mids are sweet and clear. Resolution is good. Instrument separation and imaging are very good. Sound stage is spacious and big for a TWS IEM. It has got good width and depth. Treble is detailed, reserved and non-sibilant to a large extent, with certain spikes in upper treble region.
WIRELESS PERFORMANCE
This is where this IEM falters big time. Wireless reliability is poor. Bluetooth range is mediocre and there are instances where I lost connection for a few seconds even if I am 5 meters away from my phone. I observed there are connectivity issues between the left and right earpieces too. Call quality is mediocre too, with both the caller and receiver sounding unnatural to each other. Being a true wireless IEM and failing in its main purpose is a disappointment. RHA, though, said to have rectified these issues in the latest batches, is a good thing. I rather wish they should have done it prior to release itself.
BATTERY LIFE
RHA claims good figures in battery life section and I found my real time usage almost matching those figures. RHA claims 5-hour battery life for the earpieces and 20-hour battery life for the case. I got 3 hours and 30 minutes out of it when I continuously played music through it and good 5 hour 30 minutes with mixed usage. That mixed usage consists of 40-minutes of each videos, music and phone calls. Mileage may vary with your usage though.
COMPARISONS
Samsung Galaxy Buds+: Samsung's latest TWS IEM, Buds+ is a dual-driver IEM launched along with their latest flagship S20. It comes in an even smaller case than the TrueConnect and has a very pocket able design. Battery life is leaps and bounds better than the TrueConnect, with Buds+ surviving a handsome 11 hours on a single charge, whereas TrueConnect could only muster half of it in mixed usage and worse in continuous music playback. Sound-wise these sound balanced compared to the warm and fun tuned TrueConnect. Buds+ has got cleaner mids, slightly crispier treble than the TrueConnect. But TrueConnect pulls ahead in the bass section with its bass being more punchier than Buds+. Buds+ has less bass in quantity. Call quality and connectivity is definitely lot better in Buds+ as i could hear clear voices at the other end and connectivity is better with no latency whatsoever, whereas TrueConnect only managed to give me muffled voices during calls and pretty ordinary connectivity. At the end, choosing between these two just boil down to preferences. Buds+ is for those who are after balanced and clean sound signature, better call quality and connectivity and RHA TrueConnect is for those who prefer warm, fun sound, bass prominent and with good performance all over the spectrum. But it fails in the other prominent aspects of a TWS: calls and stable connectivity.
VERDICT
Even though I am very impressed with its very good sound quality and decent battery life, I cannot recommend this to any prospective buyer for the obvious glaring issues mentioned above. RHA lost a golden opportunity to score a winner. Can’t buy a true wireless IEM for just sound quality alone, it should also fare well where it’s needed.
Please note that it is a review unit sent for review by Headphone Zone.
RHA has been one of my favourite brands. I have used the famous RHA MA 390 and recommended it to a lot of my friends. I also have the RHA MA 750 wireless. RHA always have amazed me with their premium design, comfort, ease of use and sound. When the True Connect arrived for review, I was really excited to experience another RHA product.
So did the True Connect came up to my expectations? We will know that in some time.
DESIGN:
The True Connect is the first truly wireless product by RHA. It features a Apple Airpods like stem design. But unlike Airpods, these have the nozzle like that of a usual in-ear design. My unit is a all matte-black colour including the charging case. The earphone and the case has a soft rubber coating. The earphone is controlled by the button on each earbud, they can be used to connect via bluetooth, play/pause, increase/decrease volume, disconnect call, activate google assistant. The control scheme is pretty minimalistic and I got used to it pretty easily. Both the earbuds have an led indicator which indicates if the earbuds are active or not.
The case features an unique swivel design and whenever opened shows the battery level on the 3 white LED lights present on the top right conrer of the case. The type-c charging port is present along the side of the case. The case is extemely well built with a coating of soft rubber.
FIT:
The earphone fits really well in the ear. They felt pretty light and I didn't find anything bothering in regards to the weight. I have used it for 3-4 hours straight and they are really comfortable. As a truly wireless earbud one would have high expectations while using outdoors and True Connect are really impressive. I would use them frequently while commuting to work, which includes walking as well and never felt any compromise on the fit. They stay put on the ear and I never had to worry about them falling out. I am usually too lazy to go to a gym or go out for jogging, but since truly wireless also has the use case of listening to music while working out in a gym or while going for jogging, I did go for jogging to test them. They tend to stay put in this case too. So in terms of fit, they were good to go. The IPX5 active sweatproof rating makes them a perfect use case for any workout activities, however anything highly aggressive might still make them fall out of our ears.
The soft rubbery coating is another thing that makes sure the earphones sit comfortably in our ears without causing any irritation.
CONNECTIVITY:
The True Connect comes with Bluetooth 5.0 which offers high bitrate audio streaming and better connectivity. It is backwards compatible with Bluetooth 4 devices as well. The pairing process is pretty easy, one just needs to click and hold the button on the right side of the earphone until it shows up on the unpaired devices list of your phone. Just choose RHA True Connect and it gets connected. As soon as we put them inside the charging case, they get disconnected easily and similarly when we bring them out of the case they get connected to the recently paired device. This feature is very convenient and leads to a great user experience. During my use, I didn't find any connectivity issues. At a certain situation where another device is connected to your phone via bluetooth gets disconnected automatically, the earphone also gets disconnected for a brief 2-3 seconds which I feel isn't the fault of the earphone. The range as marketed is 10 meters. But when I kept the phone in another room, then the earphone doesn't face any connectivity issue for atleast 15-20 feet (5-6 meters approx).
SOUND:
The True Connect features 6mm Dynamic drver which gives a rich detailed sound. I haven't tried much in the wireless category, but even in the standards of the wired counterparts, the True Connect does pretty well. The sound feels balanced with good extension on highs but not too bright. There's good amount of details. Bass is natural and is in appropriate amount, which might disappoint the bass lovers but I never felt the bass lacking in any form of music I tried. Mids are rich with slight emphasis towards the upper mids. The mids aren't forward neither recessed, makes them very natural sounding. Highs are well extended and very detailed. I was surprised to find such details in a pair of wireless earphone. I have used the RHA MA 750 wireless which was pretty brilliant but the True Connect retrieve details at another level. The soundstage isn't too wide though but I guess it wouldn't be fair to expect on the levels of wired earphones. Nevertheless, the soundstage and imaging are pretty decent for a pair of truly wireless and I am pretty satisfied with the quality of sound the True Connect offers. It connects via AAC codec which is pretty good and performs better than the usual SBC codec. However MA 750 wireless had Aptx enabled and I believe, in today's date Aptx HD on the True Connect would definitely push them to another levels.
I used it extensively to watch Netflix and didn't find any lag in the sound. Same goes for Youtube or any other video streaming as well as for offline videos.
CALL QUALITY:
As a pair of wireless earphone, call quality is another important factor. The call quality is pretty good, I never faced any issues while hearing on the earphones and neither realised any issue with the mic. The person on the other end was able to hear me clearly even in outdoor noisy situations. On video calls I didnt face any lag in the speech.
BATTERY:
The earphones are rated at 5 hours of battery life and an additional 20 hours from the case. During my use the earphones did last 4-5 hours easily and the charging case charges the earphones 4-5 times atleast. Under normal uses, I had to put the case on charge on alternate days.
ACCESSORIES:
The True Connect comes with plethora of accessories in the box: One type-c charging cable, ear tip holder, 7 pairs of silicon eartips (S/M/L) and 3 pairs of Comply Foam TrueGrip Ear Tips. The multiple pairs of eartips are really helpful considering different people have different types of fit.
CONCLUSION:
Well now we have arrived to the part where I can go ahead and say that these are easily recommended. I love the design approach of RHA and with True Connect they have done it again. While functionality wise they almost have it all, sound-wise too they did great! RHA offers a whopping 3 years warranty, not that you are going to need it but the procedure is hassle-free.
Getting a pair of these, looks like just what I want for exercise. What is the consistency of connection like, this has been a problem I have had with other headphones while out running. Also do both headphones have to be in the charger for it to work?
Getting a pair of these, looks like just what I want for exercise. What is the consistency of connection like, this has been a problem I have had with other headphones while out running. Also do both headphones have to be in the charger for it to work?
That's excellent to hear, we are excited too! With the IPX5 rating, the TrueConnect are well suited for exercise.
The TrueConnect utilise a stem design and Bluetooth 5 to ensure a strong and stable connection and each earbud can be charged separately in the case. Also, the right earbud can be used on its own while the left bud is charging.
Getting a pair of these, looks like just what I want for exercise. What is the consistency of connection like, this has been a problem I have had with other headphones while out running. Also do both headphones have to be in the charger for it to work?
Just for clarification, does this mean that the right earbud is the primary i.e., the left earbud cannot be used by itself while the right is charging?
My initial excitement over these has been tempered because RHA chose not to include AAC or Aptx support. These are SBC only. They may still sound good but I'm waiting for reviews and impressions before diving in. They claim these are optimized for battery life and connection with sounds like it may be a trade off for SQ. Form factor looks nice. Looking forward to impressions here.
Getting a pair of these, looks like just what I want for exercise. What is the consistency of connection like, this has been a problem I have had with other headphones while out running. Also do both headphones have to be in the charger for it to work?
Feel like I'm missing something as a new guy, seems there hasn't been any updated review or even a mention of the revised RHA True Connect 2's. Seems some folk complained of battery life and call quality, but that RHA have revised those issues from the looks of it, wondering if anyone has tried them out or rates them at all.
Also if I'm missing something with regard to searching, apologies, would appreciate any advice.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
