First, I’d like to say a big thanks to the RHA team for generously arranging the review competition and for choosing H20Fidelity and I. To be perfectly honest, I hadn’t heard of RHA before this year, when I saw some reviews of their products on Head-Fi. From what I read, the MA750 that we were sent is currently their flagship, followed by their MA600.
For a long time, I have always been on the BA side of the driver debate, but I have been quite impressed by some dynamic IEMs like the GR07 MKII and I wasn’t exactly sure what I should expect from the MA750 and after I heard it, I was (spoiler alert) impressed to say the least. Anyway, let’s get on to the review now. These were burned in for 100 hours before any serious listening. I found the change to be quite significant, offering a more balanced sound, but a more recessed midrange.
**Disclaimer** I was given these as a review sample by RHA in return for an honest, unbiased review.
Testing Gear
In order to see how these fared with different sources, I used tested them with my DX50, iPod Nano 3rd Gen – E6, Sansa Clip+ and SGS3.
The Samsung made the MA750 sound a bit bloated and all over the place with poor imaging, soundstage, separation, detail and clarity. The bass also seemed quite bloated; these don’t pair well at all.
The Sansa is pretty good, a clear step up from the SGS3, but once again, it is lacking a separation and soundstage.
The iPod – E6 combo sounded much better than I had expected and has great clarity.
Overall, the MA750 pairs very well with higher end sources. Amping does improve the sound quite a bit.
Unboxing & Accessories
Wow! The packaging really makes the MA750 feel like it costs much more than its $120 price tag, more like the $300-400 range.
Upon opening the flap with magnets, you are greeted with the MA750s and a very nice looking metal tip holder.
After taking that compartment off, there is a classy case, cable clip and manual. Personally, I think that although the case looks great, it is not particularly protective since it is softish. Another thing that maybe RHA can improve on is to make sure that the packaging doesn’t bend the cable too much or leave marks in I, but that is rather trivial.
Design, Isolation & Cable
IMO, the RHA MA750 looks absolutely brilliant, probably one of the best looking IEMs out there. From looks, one might even think that the
MA750 is a cheaper K3003! I think that they are very comfortable and easy to wear as well. The strain relief on the plug is very reassuring as well. One gripe I have is that the 3.5mm plug seems to be smaller than normal and is rather loose on all my sources. The build quality is absolutely top notch but the edges scratch quite easily.
As for isolation, it is rather average and the vent does let a bit of sound leak in. It’s around a 3.5 on ljokerl’s huge review thread.
The cable seems very sturdy and is quite a lot thicker than your average stock cable but it is not hard to handle at all.
Sound Quality
The main reason why I really like the MA750 is because of its sound quality, which almost makes other companies look bad. As per all my reviews, the sound section will be split into 3 main parts – the bass, midrange and the treble.
Bass
The bass is really a “typical dynamic” sound, which I love. As I stated above, I generally prefer BAs over dynamic drivers but one thing I feel like dynamics do better in bass. Most BAs just don’t have that hard hitting but fast bass, which the MA750 does incredibly well. The bass never intrudes into parts where it is not needed and I have never felt that it has too little impact. I wouldn’t say it is punchy like my Miracles, and it is more than a GR07 MKII. Actually, the bass reminds me a little of the Tralucent 1plus2. The detail of the bass far exceeded my expectations. The sub-bass was also another highlight and has nice rumble without obscuring details or making everything sound muddy. To me, the MA750 has the best bass by far in its price range. The bass is clearly the best part of the RHA flagship.
Midrange
The midrange is the part that I am not quite sure about. On some songs, they seemed very dark, which they are not and quite recessed, but on other songs the mids had no problems. Straight out of the box, the midrange seemed a bit dark but more forward than what it is now. On most songs the midrange is actually quite neutral with a bit of warmth and it doesn’t sound veiled at all. Vocals are not too far back, but just right and they have a very realistic presentation. The slightly warm vocals, does not detract from female vocals whatsoever, which is what warm IEMs tend to do. Vocal clarity and instruments were all rendered extremely realistically. On the majority of my songs, I loved the mids on the
MA750, but on some the midrange just sounded a bit off. Overall, the mids are great, especially for its price.
Treble
According to the graph on the MA750’s box, the treble is rather rolled off around 7K and I certainly hear it. The treble is rather tame and as a result, the sound is very non-fatiguing and relaxing, but that it not to say that it is boring and dull because it definitely isn’t. Cymbals are still sparkly, but they are never harsh at any point and I have yet to hear sibilance even on high volumes. If you come from bright IEMs like the AX7, UM Miracle etc, these will seem like they are dark and veiled, but after a song or two, you will get used to the darker treble. The extension is still pretty good and it is rather detailed, but not as much as a TWFK based IEM like the R50. Even though I personally prefer a brighter sound signature, I still enjoyed the MA750s very much.
Presentation
The presentation is one of the MA750’s strong points. The stage is rather wide and much more out of your head than other IEMs like the AX7 and the BA-100. Also, it doesn’t have that surround feeling like the UM Miracle.
Accuracy
So how close can a $120 IEM get to an actual performance? Well, as it turns out, very close indeed. It does recreate everything quite well, especially in the bass region. Vocals also sounded realistic, but were a tad too warm. The treble is too rolled off to be neutral, but the decay isn’t overly short. Considering its $120 price tag, the MA750 does very well indeed.
Soundstage & Imaging
Simply put, the soundstage is one of the biggest in the under $200 price range, but it does lose out to the DN-1000. It is very wide and quite deep and feels extremely spacious.
Like the soundstage, the imaging is great, but again, not to the level of the DN-1000. It hardly ever gets congested, quite a feat considering its $120 price.
Detail & Separation
Ok, I think that the detail is one area that can be improved slightly. The similarly priced R50 is more detailed, but it doesn’t have the same bass impact. I would say that it is around the GR07 MKII’s level of detail.
Separation, especially vocal separation, was impressive. I test vocal separation on some tracks by Fun. and the MA750 passed with flying colours. Instrument separation was good as well, but it had some trouble with faster music.
Summary
The MA750 is an IEM that can potentially change the sub $150 market and with some slight changes like a brighter treble and getting rid of the high midrange dip, it will be almost perfect for $120. Bass is absolutely excellent on these and overall, I am extremely impressed with what RHA have made. Once again, thanks to RHA for arranging this to be sent to me.
All photos were taken from Google Images.
For a long time, I have always been on the BA side of the driver debate, but I have been quite impressed by some dynamic IEMs like the GR07 MKII and I wasn’t exactly sure what I should expect from the MA750 and after I heard it, I was (spoiler alert) impressed to say the least. Anyway, let’s get on to the review now. These were burned in for 100 hours before any serious listening. I found the change to be quite significant, offering a more balanced sound, but a more recessed midrange.
**Disclaimer** I was given these as a review sample by RHA in return for an honest, unbiased review.
Testing Gear
In order to see how these fared with different sources, I used tested them with my DX50, iPod Nano 3rd Gen – E6, Sansa Clip+ and SGS3.
The Samsung made the MA750 sound a bit bloated and all over the place with poor imaging, soundstage, separation, detail and clarity. The bass also seemed quite bloated; these don’t pair well at all.
The Sansa is pretty good, a clear step up from the SGS3, but once again, it is lacking a separation and soundstage.
The iPod – E6 combo sounded much better than I had expected and has great clarity.
Overall, the MA750 pairs very well with higher end sources. Amping does improve the sound quite a bit.
Unboxing & Accessories
Wow! The packaging really makes the MA750 feel like it costs much more than its $120 price tag, more like the $300-400 range.
Upon opening the flap with magnets, you are greeted with the MA750s and a very nice looking metal tip holder.
After taking that compartment off, there is a classy case, cable clip and manual. Personally, I think that although the case looks great, it is not particularly protective since it is softish. Another thing that maybe RHA can improve on is to make sure that the packaging doesn’t bend the cable too much or leave marks in I, but that is rather trivial.
Design, Isolation & Cable
IMO, the RHA MA750 looks absolutely brilliant, probably one of the best looking IEMs out there. From looks, one might even think that the
MA750 is a cheaper K3003! I think that they are very comfortable and easy to wear as well. The strain relief on the plug is very reassuring as well. One gripe I have is that the 3.5mm plug seems to be smaller than normal and is rather loose on all my sources. The build quality is absolutely top notch but the edges scratch quite easily.
As for isolation, it is rather average and the vent does let a bit of sound leak in. It’s around a 3.5 on ljokerl’s huge review thread.
The cable seems very sturdy and is quite a lot thicker than your average stock cable but it is not hard to handle at all.
Sound Quality
The main reason why I really like the MA750 is because of its sound quality, which almost makes other companies look bad. As per all my reviews, the sound section will be split into 3 main parts – the bass, midrange and the treble.
Bass
The bass is really a “typical dynamic” sound, which I love. As I stated above, I generally prefer BAs over dynamic drivers but one thing I feel like dynamics do better in bass. Most BAs just don’t have that hard hitting but fast bass, which the MA750 does incredibly well. The bass never intrudes into parts where it is not needed and I have never felt that it has too little impact. I wouldn’t say it is punchy like my Miracles, and it is more than a GR07 MKII. Actually, the bass reminds me a little of the Tralucent 1plus2. The detail of the bass far exceeded my expectations. The sub-bass was also another highlight and has nice rumble without obscuring details or making everything sound muddy. To me, the MA750 has the best bass by far in its price range. The bass is clearly the best part of the RHA flagship.
Midrange
The midrange is the part that I am not quite sure about. On some songs, they seemed very dark, which they are not and quite recessed, but on other songs the mids had no problems. Straight out of the box, the midrange seemed a bit dark but more forward than what it is now. On most songs the midrange is actually quite neutral with a bit of warmth and it doesn’t sound veiled at all. Vocals are not too far back, but just right and they have a very realistic presentation. The slightly warm vocals, does not detract from female vocals whatsoever, which is what warm IEMs tend to do. Vocal clarity and instruments were all rendered extremely realistically. On the majority of my songs, I loved the mids on the
MA750, but on some the midrange just sounded a bit off. Overall, the mids are great, especially for its price.
Treble
According to the graph on the MA750’s box, the treble is rather rolled off around 7K and I certainly hear it. The treble is rather tame and as a result, the sound is very non-fatiguing and relaxing, but that it not to say that it is boring and dull because it definitely isn’t. Cymbals are still sparkly, but they are never harsh at any point and I have yet to hear sibilance even on high volumes. If you come from bright IEMs like the AX7, UM Miracle etc, these will seem like they are dark and veiled, but after a song or two, you will get used to the darker treble. The extension is still pretty good and it is rather detailed, but not as much as a TWFK based IEM like the R50. Even though I personally prefer a brighter sound signature, I still enjoyed the MA750s very much.
Presentation
The presentation is one of the MA750’s strong points. The stage is rather wide and much more out of your head than other IEMs like the AX7 and the BA-100. Also, it doesn’t have that surround feeling like the UM Miracle.
Accuracy
So how close can a $120 IEM get to an actual performance? Well, as it turns out, very close indeed. It does recreate everything quite well, especially in the bass region. Vocals also sounded realistic, but were a tad too warm. The treble is too rolled off to be neutral, but the decay isn’t overly short. Considering its $120 price tag, the MA750 does very well indeed.
Soundstage & Imaging
Simply put, the soundstage is one of the biggest in the under $200 price range, but it does lose out to the DN-1000. It is very wide and quite deep and feels extremely spacious.
Like the soundstage, the imaging is great, but again, not to the level of the DN-1000. It hardly ever gets congested, quite a feat considering its $120 price.
Detail & Separation
Ok, I think that the detail is one area that can be improved slightly. The similarly priced R50 is more detailed, but it doesn’t have the same bass impact. I would say that it is around the GR07 MKII’s level of detail.
Separation, especially vocal separation, was impressive. I test vocal separation on some tracks by Fun. and the MA750 passed with flying colours. Instrument separation was good as well, but it had some trouble with faster music.
Summary
The MA750 is an IEM that can potentially change the sub $150 market and with some slight changes like a brighter treble and getting rid of the high midrange dip, it will be almost perfect for $120. Bass is absolutely excellent on these and overall, I am extremely impressed with what RHA have made. Once again, thanks to RHA for arranging this to be sent to me.
All photos were taken from Google Images.
