Ranko Acoustics RIE-880

Ranko Acoustics RIE-880

Disclaimer: The RIE-880 was sent to me by HiFiGo.com as part of a review tour in my country, in exchange for my honest opinion. I am neither paid by nor affiliated with HiFiGo or Ranko Acoustics in any way and have no incentive whatsoever, for writing anything positive or negative about the IEM. The views shared in this article are my personal views based on the week or so I spent using the RIE-880. Ranko Acoustics RIE-880 can be purchased from hifigo, using the following link:
https://hifigo.com/products/ranko-acoustics-rie-800-in-ear-earphone

The RIE-880 has a single 9.2mm dynamic driver enclosed in a white resin shell. The IEM can be used with a 2-pin 0.78mm cable. RIE-880 is available in 2 color options, white and black. The unit sent to me was the white one. The IEM itself looks quite good with a 3D printed resin shell and a hand-painted faceplate. I had no issues in terms of fit, but given the rather large size of the IEM, I guess smaller ears may have some fit issues. The carry case included with the IEM is quite good and sturdy. In terms of aesthetic appeal, the IEM is let down by its cable. The best way I can describe the stock cable is that looks (and feels) like a twisted pair cable used for wiring electrical appliances. The cable is rigid, unsightly and totally ruins the aesthetic appeal of the otherwise good-looking IEM. The sonic performance of the cable is also nothing to write home about and it just about does the job. However, for the asking price of 130 USD, I guess it isn’t much of a deal-breaker.

The stock ear tips are quite good, but I usually prefer tip-rolling and I found that the IEM sounded best with Radius Deep mount ear tips in silicon and Flare Audio Universal ear tips in memory foam. Other ear tips tried and eliminated include Sony Triple comfort, JVC Spiral Dots ++, JVC Spiral Dots SF, Tennmak Whirlwind tips, SpinFit CP100, SpinFit CP145, SpinFit CP360, Dekoni Mercury, Flare Audio every day (silicon), and Audiophile (memory foam). For the purpose of this review, I chose to use the Radius Deep Mount ear tips.




Sound:

Going through the specs of the IEM, I found it very strange that the IEM has an impedance of 60 ohms yet the maximum power is rated at 15mW. I initially assumed this may have something to do with the RA FPhase Acoustic Architecture and the Electronic Equalizer Internal Circuit. Alas, after giving it a listen, I’m convinced that this is most likely a printing/translation error in the marketing material. (Facepalm!!)

The RIE-880 has a U-shaped signature with a fairly good presence in the bass region. However, I’d like to highlight that it requires a fairly powerful source to be driven well. I personally found a massive difference in the dynamic range when I ran it off FiiO BTR5 vs FiiO M11 Plus LTD. The latter definitely made it sound much better. There is good rumble and the resolution in the lower region is fairly good, given the price point. Fortunately, the RIE-880 doesn’t bloat the mid-bass to create a sense of boominess. The result is clean sounding and deep hitting bass that makes percussion instruments sound lively and natural. There’s an Indian percussion instrument called “dhol” and since I’ve been digging a lot of dhol based tracks off late, I had a really good time listening to the following tracks on the RIE-880:

• Fistful of dhollars – TDF (
  )
• Dhol Wajda – Let’s Enjoy ()
• Atomizer – Pathan’s Dhol Remix (
  )

The mids on the RIE-880 are recessed, but not too much. This makes the overall tonal balance quite good, although there is some bass bleed into the mids, hence resulting in some graininess, which is perceivable in the lower mids, especially in busy tracks. There is no hint of sibilance in female vocals, but I’d like to mention here that the mids are not the most detailed even when compared to other IEMs in this price range. If you’re someone who wants to hear the nuances of vocals, especially in a track like Ambarsariya – Fukrey () or Shelter – The XX (), then the RIE-880 is probably going to disappoint.



However, if you’re someone who enjoys tracks like Deep in my Soul – 16BL () or Far and Wide – 16BL (), the tonality of RIE-880 is worth a shot if you have a fairly powerful source.

The elevated treble in the RIE-880 makes for a good amount of space, which is welcome, especially since the mids seem somewhat congested. There is good detail here and this is where I felt the Radius deep mount tips did a better job than the stock ear tips. The stock ear tips make the overall tonality somewhat bright, which although not too fatiguing, made it difficult for me to enjoy, especially since I’m hyper treble sensitive. ☹ The radius deep mount tips were able to tweak this region slightly, thereby, resulting in an amazing tonal balance. I usually prefer foam ear tips and if you’re someone like me, who prefers foam tips for comfort, I’d recommend getting the Flare Audio Universal ear tips, should you plan to buy the RIE-880. The soundstage of the RIE-880 is quite wide and tall, though the separation is not the best I’ve heard in this price range.



Conclusion:

The RIE-880 is a good U-shaped IEM that performs well when provided with sufficient power. This IEM may be suitable for those who aren’t looking for nuanced vocals and like their bass deep and hard. Given the price of 130 USD and a relatively hard-to-drive 60-ohm dynamic driver, it makes it hard for me to recommend the RIE-880 over other options available at this price point.

Disclaimer

Ranko Acoustics RIE-880 has been provided to me for review purposes as part of HiFiGo's India Tour. I am in no way related to them, nor work for them. Impressions provided by me are subjective to gear used and my listening capabilities. You can purchase RIE-880 for 140 USD from HiFiGo through following link:

https://hifigo.com/products/ranko-acoustics-rie-800-in-ear-earphone

About



Ranko Acoustics has released their latest single DD set of in-ear monitors, meet the all-new Ranko RIE-880. Bringing you the magic of a single 9.2mm Dynamic Driver on each side, the pair is tuned to deliver a crisp, balanced sound with high-resolution clarity through a wide frequency range. The pair adopts Ranko Acoustics's Patented RA FPhase acoustic architecture for smooth, distortion-free output. It comes with a high-purity RHA-1050(OCC Copper+Silver-Plated Copper) cable with a gold-plated 3.5mm termination plug.

Fit & Finish



RIE-880 is made of resin and feels very good in hand and build quality. Shell size is on the larger side, though I didn't find it troublesome, but it may be for some people. Shells are finished in white color with a very nice faceplate design(which is hand painted) . It looks beautiful. Finish is very good. Rank Acoustics did provide good case to carry the IEM and cable around, but it's smaller size and can only accommodate IEM and cable, with relatively no space for additional tips. Provided cable is of decent quality, and for the price we can't ask much, it does the duty.



Source Used

I used my DAP, HiBy R6 2020 to test RIE-880. I used it with both 3.5mm and 4.4mm HO.



Sound Quality

Overall, RIE-880 has decent sound quality. Shows average performance across the spectrum. It sounds for me as an unfinished project. It performs good enough for most part, only to be pulled back by lack of clarity at every spectrum. As this is a single DD IEM, with an impedance rating of 60 ohm, it does need more power to sound at full capacity. But even with powerful sources, it doesn't scale much.

Coming back to sound quality, 880 starts off well with good, enjoyable bass performance. Bass has very good quantity and of decent quality. Sub bass has very good slam, making it very enjoyable listen. Bass go deep and has little slower decay. But, as much as it excels in quantity, it suffers in quality. There's graininess in bass and it also bleeds into mids.



Mids are recessed apart from carrying the aforementioned bass bleed and graininess. Vocals sound good, but they sound unnatural on occasions. Male vocals sound good. Female vocals sound good and have very good extensions, but again bass bleed and grain spoil the party here.

Soundstage has decent width and depth. It doesn't have out of head experience, but in your head kind of experience. There's decent air and instruments are nicely separated. Imaging capabilities are good. Detail retrieval is good enough for the price. Instrument separation is good and nowhere does it sound congested.

Treble is harmless and smooth. It does perform decently, but lack extensions and air that will make sound more exciting. Same graininess can be found here too. Treble details are decent.

Verdict



Ranko Acoustics has done decent job with RIE-880. It could have been a better offering if not for the grainy sound all through the spectrum and the bass bleed. I wish Ranko Acoustics rectify these issues in their next iteration of this product, as this IEM has the potential to succeed at this price point.

INTRODUCTION:

Ranko Acoustics is a HiFi audio equipment company and they primarily focused on the development of high quality audio cables and accessories and last year they have decided to enter the IEM market and launched their first flagship product RIE 1000 and to continue its line-up they have also launched the RIE 880. In this review let’s see how does this 880 performs



DISCLAIMER:

This unit has been provided to me as a part of a review circle organised by HiFiGo and thanks to the team for considering me and giving me this opportunity. I have not been paid by any means to manipulate this review hence this review is completely based on my experience with this product and it might differ from person to person since this relies upon the type of source used to test out the gears.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Driver: 9.2mm Single Dynamic Driver

Frequency Response Range: 5Hz-30 kHz

Maximum Power: 15mW

Impedance: 60 Ohm

Jack: 3.5mm

Connector: 0.78mm 2-Pin

PACKAGE:

Since this is a review sample circulated among our group members only the earphones along with the case is provided and from that perspective the case is really the best. The case is made of plastic but its hard plastic. Inside the case there is a soft sponge layer to protect the earphones from scratches. The case is locked by a hinge clip on mechanism which is pretty sturdy and feels very premium.



DESIGN AND FIT:

The design of the 880 is custom shell shaped and the overall size is pretty average and can fit most of the ears. The faceplate is unique with some lamination, they are hand painted too and the overall build is seamlessly finished with no cracks or gaps.

The 2 pin connector area is nicely recessed and the nozzle is pretty good in length with lip seal to prevent the tips from slipping on. The fit is actually good with nice noise isolation and the tips included are pretty good enough.

The cable looks like an electrical cable, the texture looks very sturdy. The cable is not that supple and feels very hard in hand. The cable is twisted and overall aesthetically they are not that pleasing. Sonically it does the job and if you need some premium feel and to match the aesthetics, then get an aftermarket cable.



SOUND:

The overall sound signature of the 880 is U shaped sound with recessed midrange and the boosted bass and the treble. I personally like the U shaped since they are not that recessed like the V shaped and attains that sweet spot for the midrange. The midrange will be smoother and fatigue free in this signature and in this review let’s see whether this one really lives up to my expectations.

Source: iPhone + Zorloo Ztella + iFi Zen Can

LOW END:

880 has one of the best low ends in the game. It's not the deepest extension but it does well in its range. The sub bass is more elevated than the mid bass thus making the midrange pretty clean and sweet. The sub bass has enough rumble and the texture and separation is above average.

The resolution in the low end is pretty great too with nice micro detail retrieval in the low end. The mid bass is fairly balanced here thus it never reaches the boomy side of the bass whereas it sounds very controlled and clean in the low end.

Overall the low end has enough warmth and has great technicalities for the price. This might not be the bass head level but will never disappoint even the bass heads too thus making this a very good pair to buy if you love the controlled and well resolved low end.

Tracks Used:

1. Why Do We Fall – Hans Zimmer
2. What Are You Going To Do When You Are Not Saving The World – Hans Zimmer
3. Bigfoot – MALFNKTION
4. Even Heaven – Aimer

MIDRANGE:

The midrange here is slightly recessed and laid back in signature. Since it's a U shaped signature the midrange is pretty relaxed and sometimes it's not that engaging in sound. Personally I like the forward presentation of the midrange especially the instruments but here they are pretty laid back but yeah this might be preferred by a set of people.

The other aspect that I don't like here is the tonality and timbre. It’s brighter! The vocals sound very bright and even the instrument's timbre is brighter. The kick drums appear natural but percussion instruments like the piano notes, trumpet and the acoustic guitar picks are pretty brighter thus not providing the natural listening experience.

The midrange overall is pretty clean and well layered. This is the best aspect of the 880, the layering and the separation is impeccable. The detail retrieval in the midrange is pretty great too. Despite the tonality and the timbre they perform really nicely in the midrange. Both the upper and the lower midrange is pretty balanced and thanks to the clean mid bass which lead to the clean vocals and the instruments making the lower mid section not fuzzy.

Tracks Used:

1. Cardigan – Folklore
2. Every Little Thing – Eric Clapton
3. Me Love – Sean Kingston

TREBLE:

The treble here is inoffensive and smooth. After extended listening I can confirm that this is definitely a fatigue free and non sibilant earphone for sure. The treble has nice separation and detail retrieval. The amount of air that it has is very impressive thus creating that nice spaciousness in between the instruments.

The cymbal crashes again. It's very bright but thankfully they are not splashy. I don’t know what went wrong but the tonality and the timbre is pretty bright for me thus I cant use this as my primary iem. The electric guitar sounds very bright too thus they don’t sound natural, thus making it more metallic or artificial.

The extension is pretty good and good in terms of detail retrieval. Overall the highs are non sibilant and pretty offensive during my listening. The treble energy may not be present like that of the all BA but for this configuration this is pretty good.



Tracks Used:

1. Move Your Body – Sia
2. Something Happened On The Way To Heaven – Phil Collins
3. Dreams – Fleetwood Mac

TECHNICALITIES:

Soundstage: The soundstage here is pretty good with enough width, height and the depth. This is not the widest but it's great overall and it doesn’t have that in head effect. The depth and the width are proportionate and overall they are pretty nice and spacious.

Imaging: The imaging is very precise and the transient movements are smooth and the sweep is pretty smooth across the channels. Since each frequencies are separated well even in faster tracks the precise pointing of instruments is made easily.

The detail retrieval and the separation resolution are above average for the price and overall it has excellent technicalities. The layering is another exceptional quality of this earphone making this pretty engaging to listen to.

VERDICT:

The 880 RIE, a latest offering from the Ranko Acoustics is a pretty welcome package which does most of the aspects correct. From the build to the sound everything is pretty great for the asking price. Has nice technicalities and good consumer friendly audio signature but for me this is a big deal breaker since the tonality and timbre is what i expect to be better than the technicalities. I would have preferred a less brighter tonality and timbre which the Ranko can ofcourse make it perfect in their next iteration of earphones.

Overall this is really a solid buy for people looking for some U shaped sound with nice technicalities in this price range. Based on my experience with other similarly priced iem’s i question that does this thing do anything different? Can't find the answer but I hope Ranko can deliver this answer via their next iteration of product.