At the time this review was written, the Rhapsodio Clipper was listed for sale on their website. Here is a link to their listing of the product:
http://www.rhapsodiostore.com/products/rhapsodio-clipper
Introduction
There’s a lot of dynamic driver in-ear monitors listed for sale now days. Anywhere from budget to high end in-ear monitors offer variations of this driver set up, leaving one to wonder what it is that causes one to cost a thousand dollars while there’s budget versions that cost five bucks.
Build, sound quality and materials used are the main reasons, but sometimes it’s reputation and magic snake oil driving up the prices. This is why reviews from seasoned listeners is so important.
When a fellow Head-Fier contacted me to see if I would be interested in reviewing the Clipper from Rhapsodio, I agreed. I had not had an opportunity to hear their in-ear monitors besides at audio conventions and Head-Fi meets. Being on Head-Fi for some time, I had heard of them mentioned several times before.
Rhapsodio is known for their higher end in-ear monitors and upgrade cables. If you aren’t familiar with their product lineup, here is a link to see what they have to offer:
http://www.rhapsodio.com/
The Clipper breaks away from Rhapsodio’s high end roots. The Clipper earphone I will be reviewing today comes in at a very low price of fifty-five dollars. Let’s see what they can do for this price.
Disclaimer
I was given an opportunity to review a free sample of the Clipper in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I am in no way affiliated with Rhapsodio. I would like to take this time to personally thank fellow Head-Fier
@flinkenick for the opportunity to experience and review this earphone.
My Background
I AM NOT a numbers and graphs audiophile or sound engineer. Personal audio enthusiast? Absolutely! Headphone junkie? Possibly…
There’s something about quality DAPs, DACs, Amplifiers and Earphones that intrigues me. I want to hear any earphone that looks promising, in hopes that I can share my impressions with enthusiasts and help them find the audio product they’re looking for. My Head-Fi profile has a list of audio products ranked from favorite to least favorite. For me, this hobby is more about getting great price to performance ratio from a product, and having a variety of different gear to mix and match. With personal audio gear, we tend to pay a lot of money for minor upgrades. One thing I’ve learned over the last few years is that just because a headphone has a higher price tag, it doesn’t mean that it has superior build and sound quality.
I’m always looking for great audio at a great price. I’m after headphones and IEMs that give me the “WOW” factor. I can appreciate different builds and sound signatures as long as they are solidly built, with ergonomics and sound that is pleasing to my ears. It’s my pleasure to share my experiences with audio products and make recommendations based on gear I have owned and used.
REVIEW
The clipper arrived in a square black clamshell case with a red zipper. The case has a carbon fiber looking print on it. Overall, there is nothing remarkable to say about the case itself. It is identical to what budget manufacturer KZ (Knowledge Zenith) offers in their product line. It’s definitely adequate for holding your earphones and that’s about it. There was no retail packaging that came with the sample I received.
Specifications and Accessories
Specifications are currently unavailable. I have my feelers out to see if I can get some to post. For now we will skip to accessories.
Accessories
1X Pair Clipper earphones
1X Clamshell case
3X Pair silicone wide bore tips (S,M,L)
Housings
The Clipper housings are all plastic and somewhat generic looking. They are very lightweight. The frosted clear shells seem durable and create a nice display for the internal wiring. It’s nice to see a well thought out and high level of craftsmanship in how the wires are twisted and soldered into the drivers.
The nozzles of the Clipper are a straight tube that has a fairly average length and has no nozzle. Despite the fact that the nozzle was a bit wider than your typical IEM, tip rolling was easy to do. An MMCX plug is utilized, making the cable replaceable
Cable, Y-Split, Cable Jack, Strain Reliefs
Clipper has a detachable MMCX cable, which is a very nice touch for a fifty-five dollar earphone. It has a slick looking black and white candy cane striped appearance and is fairly average in length. I personally didn’t care for the material used for this application. The cable has quite a bit of spring and memory. After removing the earphone from its case and plugging it into whatever source you plan on using it with, the cable retains a level of spring and memory that can be a nuisance. The Y-split is a silver metal jacketed tube with rubber innards. The cable jack is a straight 3.5 mm gold plated jack with the same silver metal jacketing as the Y-split. Strain reliefs are very subtle but adequate. The MMCX connectors are jacketed in a black plastic housing. With a plastic housing and MMCX connectors, I don’t things these will withstand being stepped on or handled roughly day in and day out. When we’re talking about budget priced gear, these are the sacrifices we sometimes have to occasionally make.
My favorite aspect to the Clipper cable was the springy-ish memory wire that goes around the ear. It is a universal shape that helps secure a comfortable and stable fit.
Functionality
The stock Clipper is geared for music enjoyment. There is no microphone or remote. Plug them in your source, pop them in your ears, enjoy some music and repeat. Because the Clipper is an MMCX connection, an aftermarket phone cable can be purchased for them.
Ergonomics, Fit and Microphonics, Isolation
Clipper can only be worn over the ear. Their shape and cable won’t give you an option to let them hang without looping them over each ear. They have some aspects that will make wearing them a challenge. First, they have a somewhat shallow fit. The way the nozzle is shaped it doesn’t leave a lot of room for people with deeper ears to get them far enough into their ears. On top of this, the bulk of the MMCX connector will also prevent the nozzle from reaching deep enough into some people’s ears and create a seal. Add the fact that the Clipper comes with some wide bore tips that are very shallow, it creates a triple whammy. I can see many people having an issue with getting the Clipper to fit. Fortunately for me, I was able to do some tip rolling and come up with a tip that relieves all of this. With the stock tips I couldn’t get something that would seal and stay in my ears. If you get the Clipper, try using a tip that fits the nozzle and extends its length. Once I came up with a tip that works, the fit was great.
Once a proper seal is achieved, the Clipper creates a vacuum like seal that will cause driver flex if too much pressure is applied to the driver. Isolation is better than your average isolating in-ear monitor. Thanks to the over ear fit microphonics is non existent.
Sound Review
I did my demo with my usual gear. I used an LG-V10 for smartphone use, and either my Shanling H3 or iBasso DX80 DAP/Bushmaster D14 DAC/Amp for high fidelity portable use. For desktop use, I used my Toshiba Satellite Laptop in combination with a ifi micro iDSD playing at 32/192 kHz. I tested them with several other sources as well. I used Google Music in its highest download quality (320 KBPS), and also streamed FLAC via Tidal streaming service. I also used purchased and downloaded tracks in MP3, FLAC, WAV and DSD. I make sure that any gear I test has sufficient playtime before writing a review.
I used my usual same songs for testing gear:
“Limit to your love” by James Blake (bass speed, punch, response)
“Doin’ it Right” by Daft Punk (sub bass)
“Get lucky” by Daft Punk (bass to midrange transition resolution, male vocals)
“Madness” by Muse (soundstage, separation)
“Some nights” by Fun (soundstage and male vocals)
“The soundmaker” by Rodrigo y Gabriela (texture and imaging)
“Bassically” by Tei Shi (bass to midrange resolution, female vocals)
“Skinny Love” performed by Birdie (female vocals, acoustic playback)
“One” by Ed Sheeran (male vocals, acoustic playback)
“Outlands” from the Tron Legacy Soundtrack (symphonic presentation, imaging)
“Sultans of swing” by Dire Straits (detail, separation, balance)
“And Justic for All” by Metallica (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
“Ten thousand fists” by Disturbed (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
Note: Other tracks were used, but the listed songs were primarily used to assess and break down the gear’s response.
Source Selection
The Clipper is a very sensitive IEM. When listening to them with my LG V10, I couldn’t get beyond the halfway point without them being too loud to listen to. Even still, listening to them with a more powerful source seemed to render more control of each frequency (primarily bass tones).
The bassy signature of the Clipper combined with a less forward midrange and treble response makes them forgiving with poorly recorded music. I also noticed that they will upscale to a certain extent with better sources and higher bitrate files. The bassy signature of the Clipper doesn’t vibe well with warmer and bassier sources. Clipper sounds best with a leaner high powered source and high bitrate music files. Just be careful if you use a powerful source as the volume will be really touchy due to the earphone’s sensitivity. They will also sound really good streaming music with your smartphone. My favorite way to use them was streaming Google Music on the go with my LG V10.
Sound Signature
Bass in your face. That’s the theme here...
The Clipper is very bassy, and will be too bassy for some. They have a mid-bass forward signature that lingers over all other frequencies. Lower frequencies have added color and are thick in tone. Despite this, there is some nice clarity and separation in mid, upper-mid, and treble ranges. The overall feel is loads of bass with a forward bite on vocals and upper mid-range frequencies. Every other frequency is perceptually relaxed and smooth with some decent clarity.
Bass
The thing I hear most is mid-bass. There is sub-bass bass, but it takes a perceptual back seat to a lingering and somewhat bloated mid-bass response. There is a resonant quality that casts a shadow over every other frequency. It’s a shame because there is some really nice clarity from neighboring ranges. I did a equalizer adjustment to make the sound more ideal for my listening preference. Here it is:
NOTE: With this adjustment, everything is is much more balanced and natural. Vocals are very natural and the soundstage improved to my ears. Sub-bass came forward and was authoritative when need be. The focus was taken off of the mid-bass tones and I was able to hear more soundstage depth. Yes, the EQ is pretty drastic, and has altered the sound pretty significantly. There’s lots of capability in this driver. Some tweaks I would suggest are lowering the not only the mid-bass, and also the upper mid-range just a bit. To maintain consistency with my impressions, the rest of the review will carry on
without this EQ adjustment.
Mid-range
The Clipper mid-range is not bad at all, but suffers from the previously mentioned bass forward presence we discussed in the last section. Lower mid-range seems very natural, but as soon as the bass is engaged it’s overshadowed by bass resonance. I won’t say it’s bleed that causes distortion. It’s just way to bass focused for its own good in my opinion.
To top all of this off, the Clipper mid-range has a dip around 1 kHz, adding a sense of the mids being slightly recessed at this range. There is a lift at upper mid-range frequencies that helps balance out with the mid-bass and keeps the Clipper from being deemed as terribly dark sounding. There is bite on vocals thanks to this lift.
Treble
Treble avoids sibilance, and because of the bass focused response it takes a back seat and is perceptually smooth. Pronunciations of the letters S and T are adequate but more on the smooth side of things. Treble picks up after this range. I don’t consider the treble to be lacking on a whole. It more takes a back seat to the booming stuff.
Soundstage and Imaging
The fact that these are all about mid-bass, soundstage is small to my ears. With my previously mentioned EQ adjustment I would say that it’s fairly large. Stock tuning however is below average. I can’t seem to take my focus away from the booming lower frequencies. Because of this I would say that stage is below average for a fifty five dollar earphone. Thanks to a nice level of clarity the Clipper possesses, imaging is solid (although slightly skewed because of tuning).
Comparisons
Fidue A65 ($40 to $70 USD on many sites)
The A65 is a titanium diaphragm single dynamic driver per channel earphone that breaks away from most consumer oriented tunings that can be found at this price range. They have a very balanced and nicely detailed sound, offering a touch of warmth through its mid-range.
Comparing the two, the A65 is far more balanced and natural to my ears. Just the opposite, the Clipper is far more dynamic and bassy. In terms of resolution (and if you can listen past the bass forwardness of the Clipper) they are evenly matched. Depending on your listening preference and preferred genres of music, the Clipper tuning can be more entertaining.
Build and design goes to the A65. Their metal housings promote an under or over the ear fit, and their cable is more manageable. Fidue also offers a few more tip options.
T-Peos Altone 150 ($89 USD on CTC Audio’s website)
The Altone 150 is the cheapest model in their Altone product line. They sport an HPS driver that is supposed to offer a smooth midrange and dynamic bass presence.
Listening to both earphones, they both pack a perceptually mid-bass forward tuning. The Clipper mid-bass is slightly more forward, but also seems to have more clarity at the same time. There is quite a bit more resolution through the Clipper mid-range, making the Altone 150 seem very smooth and almost congested sounding in comparison. To be completely honest, at one point I had to stop switching back and forth and can flat out say the Clipper is a better sounding earphone in just about every way.
Build quality and design goes to the Altone 150. Although they have similar cables in terms of spring and memory, I prefer the DC style plug of the Altone 150, and also prefer their metal housings. Accessories goes to the Altone 150 as well. They offer more tips and their cable has an inline microphone and remote.
Conclusion
The Clipper is a bassy earphone with decent separation and resolution. They have a nice design, and their bass forward tuning and better than average isolation makes them an ideal candidate for some great commuting earphones.
The Clipper has some nice qualities and their general concepts are good, but there are issues with just about every criteria that I personally feel needs to be addressed. A different stock cable with less spring and memory would be a big improvement (remember, the Clipper has a removeable/replaceable cable). Some design tweaks should be made to the housings and MMCX connectors to provide a fit that isn’t as shallow as it currently is (can be remedied with longer aftermarket tips). An inline microphone and remote would be a nice touch, considering this is a portable pair of phones. Last but not least, the bass needs to be reduced to make room for other frequencies to breathe, revealing the clarity they can have. Even still, the Clipper is far from horrible. They have a place in the market as a great budget cell phone companion. The will work excellent for those who are looking to listen to modern genres of music on the go.
When rating a product I have to take all criteria into account. I give the Clipper three stars for build quality, three stars for their fit, two and a half stars for accessories, and out of respect to the audio enthusiasts who love lots of bass I will give them three and a half to four stars for sound quality (thanks to their ability to maintain some good clarity). All in all I give the Clipper three and a half stars.
Thanks for reading and happy listening!
