[FrenchGuy]

Hello
I used to have a RHA MA750....loved it. Then it went wrong, and RHA sent me a replacement (refurb, but free of charge)
1) I liked how it sounded (music and movies)
2) I liked its ability to isolate from ambient noise (airplane)
What would be an equivalent in the $50 max range?

Thanks

 

[KinGensai]

Hmm, I'm looking at a graph of the MA750, looks rather warm in the low mids & mid bass region along with a pinna gain comp at 5k? Looks off to me, that would throw off imaging accuracy significantly IME. The general FR region associated with muddy sound is elevated here (250~300).

Is wireless a requirement? If it is, someone else will have to help, I don't use those as I prefer wired sets and lack the experience with wireless. If not, I would suggest you try the Moondrop Quarks DSP and see how that sounds to you. This set shouldn't set you back much, and it's a good reference point for a very close to neutral sound.

Also, what does "good isolation" mean? 14~18 dB reduction? 24 dB? 32? If high NRR is what you want, etymotic has been my go to choice for years, but that sound signature might not be to your preference.

 

[FrenchGuy]

Hmm, I'm looking at a graph of the MA750, looks rather warm in the low mids & mid bass region along with a pinna gain comp at 5k? Looks off to me, that would throw off imaging accuracy significantly IME. The general FR region associated with muddy sound is elevated here (250~300).

Is wireless a requirement? If it is, someone else will have to help, I don't use those as I prefer wired sets and lack the experience with wireless. If not, I would suggest you try the Moondrop Quarks DSP and see how that sounds to you. This set shouldn't set you back much, and it's a good reference point for a very close to neutral sound.

Also, what does "good isolation" mean? 14~18 dB reduction? 24 dB? 32? If high NRR is what you want, etymotic has been my go to choice for years, but that sound signature might not be to your preference.

Wireless not mandatory at all....might be even better wired when flying
I've found the RHA to isolate pretty well from the ambient noise in a plane even though they are not ANC. So anything at least similar would be ideal

 

[KinGensai]

Well, if Isolation is the main goal, I would recommend this if you are comfortable with a deeper fit.
https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-Extended-Respone-Earphones/dp/B07NSL5XS5

I use these when I want to turn the rest of the world off. The fit is a bit of an acquired taste, you might want to try one of Etymotic's cheaper entry level models to see if you are ok with it, but for sleep and absolute sound isolation, these are old reliable for me. From what measurements I can find on the MA750, these will delivera bit less low end response but give you a closer to natural pinna gain region at 2.6k. IME, no other passive isolating IEM beats this for NRR.

If not, you could go for a more traditional fitting IEM with less isolation. ~$50 is a bit of a limiting price bracket... For a bit more, you could give the Truthear Hexa a try? It's very similar in tuning to the Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk, quite a competent set IMO for the price.
https://www.amazon.com/Fanmusic-Tru...onics&sprefix=truthear,electronics,127&sr=1-3

Another option from Truthear. No direct experience with this one, but I hear good things about this. Also dirt cheap.
https://www.amazon.com/Fanmusic-Tru...onics&sprefix=truthear,electronics,127&sr=1-3

If you want to preserve that MA750 frequency response in the low end and tame that strange 5k pinna gain hump, you might be happy with HBB's collab with QKZ.
https://www.amazon.com/Linsoul-QKZ-...s&sprefix=qkz+hbb,electronics,113&sr=1-3&th=1

IMO, given what seems to be your primary goal, I think the ER2XR is the best option. Good hunting.