[glassmonkey]

 

@Deftone
u predicted correctly mate

very harsh treble and v shaped.
destroys musicality

Yeah just as I imagened, it's shame they can't keep the treble under control ma750 got extremely harsh at times and T10 too v shaped for my liking.

I've never found the ma750 harsh at all on the treble much less 'extremely'; the t20, harsh for sure, but the ma750, never. I think one of the reasons that they've partnered with Comply and picked the ones with wax guards on them is to attenuate the treble. I'd suggest trying with the Comply foamies. I really enjoy the ma750, and they are one of my top picks under $100.
 
It'll be more than a month before I get to hear these, but there will be loads of tour members able to give feedback.

 

[audio123]

Just got back from ISSE, here are my thoughts:

Disclaimer: I have a cold and running nose that might have affected my listening impressions, but my own iems still sound great to me so...

I was an owner and great fan of the MA750.

I was... Unpleasantly surprised by how thin and shrill sounding treble are on both models. The bass was not overpowering like the T10 and T20, but the mids were recessed and the trebles were just... Terrible. I have no idea why RHA tuned them that way. I tried both CL750 and CL1 from their dac amp, but no difference... It's really impossible for me to recommend anyone to get them, fan that I am of the MA750.

I didn't spend enough time with the dac amp to formulate any kind of impressions, just that there isn't anything special about it to justify its price. The treble and bass knobs work as advertised, but since all my sources tend to be flat and neutral, I prefer the knobs set to off.

agreed fully!
 
the cl1 and cl750 are easily the worst iems I have ever tried.
the build quality and design are all a gimmick.
 
piercing and shrill treble with 0% musicality.
possibly the first iem in the world that is able to make any tracks sound bad.

 

[audio123]

  Coincident? The same time you're introducing your first DAC/Amp, you're also introducing you're first two IEM's optimised for use with amplifiers. Marketing on his best, but almost on a level that makes me belief that RHA beliefs that ALL customers are brainless. Don't get me wrong, I'm own several RHA products and I love them, but will considering now to buy more from them. I'm a RHA costumer from the beginning when I was believing they do great stuff out of love for the IEM community. Now RHA is just another profit based company. Sade day indeed.

well, they are not going to sell much though since the tuning of the cl1 & cl750 is extremely off.
the sound is just bad.
best audiophile community brand award goes to Trinity Audio.
 

  I'm interested in all 3 devices. It's nice to see a company with a flagship that doesn't use tuning filters, which I regard as largely a gimmic (aside from IEMs like the FLC8 which have fine-grained customization).

you are right. it is a gimmick indeed.

CL1s look gorgeous, just worried about the treble.

you should be worried extremely harsh treble that destroys your whole listening experience.

 

[nmatheis]

Alright, calm down audio123. Give others besides yourself and xuan87 a chance to listen and comment before you fill up the whole page with negative comments

 

[Delance26]

It is possible the one you listened to had a product defect, after all, it was a pre-production unit and may not have been tuned the same as the final product?  
 
I do find it odd that a company such as RHA that usually does pretty good R&D and communication with the audio community would tune something so oddly.  While yes they tend to have a treble happy sound in most IEM's it sounds odd that their new flagship would be so alienating to most listening preferences. I am more curious than ever to have a listen once the tour sample arrives  

 

[audio123]

  It is possible the one you listened to had a product defect, after all, it was a pre-production unit and may not have been tuned the same as the final product?  
 
I do find it odd that a company such as RHA that usually does pretty good R&D and communication with the audio community would tune something so oddly.  While yes they tend to have a treble happy sound in most IEM's it sounds odd that their new flagship would be so alienating to most listening preferences. I am more curious than ever to have a listen once the tour sample arrives  

it is the production unit and another member shared similar views as me.
you will be disappointed at the sound of it.
cheers!

 

[voxie]

 
agreed fully!
 
the cl1 and cl750 are easily the worst iems I have ever tried.
the build quality and design are all a gimmick.
 
piercing and shrill treble with 0% musicality.
possibly the first iem in the world that is able to make any tracks sound bad.

Just out of curiosity how is the build quality and design are all a gimmick? 

 

[Delance26]

 
it is the production unit and another member shared similar views as me.
you will be disappointed at the sound of it.
cheers!

Well, I will wait until I have actually listened to it pass any judgment.  I may or may not be disappointed after all everyone's views are different and we all hear differently.  Time will tell! As I said earlier I am still very curious to listen to these.  I have heard wonderful impressions and negative impressions.  It is possible that it will just be one of those headphones you either love or hate.  

 

[youurayy]

Not everyone believes in 500 hours burn in though it would be better to let the brain adjust and then after a week or 2 decided if you like them or not.

 
that's what i meant, burn in is mostly brain based... neural network training

 

[audio123]

Just out of curiosity how is the build quality and design are all a gimmick? 

to cover up for the bad tuning

 

[productred]

Wow audio123 isn't it a bit over the top.........? ............while I think you views are valid I guess it's time to hold back a bit and allow others who had tried them out to chime in?
 
No offence really...................You have made your point. Point taken. And agreed to a certain extent.
 
Shrill trebles, thin and a bit recessed mids, but decent bass out of my MW1A SE high-gain (that's the first time I feel the need of switching on high gain after I got the player). Diagnosis: SE power not enough for the piezo driver, i.e. thin, peaky and shrill trebles, but good enough for the dynamic driver, i.e. decent bass. It seems the crossover point is set way too low, giving the DD too little to handle while the piezo taking up too much.
 
The worst thing is not this though.
 
The one who designed this MMCX socket should be sent back to the design school. While it is a nice piece of engineering by itself, the VERY recessed mmcx socket means virtually NO aftermarket mmcx cables could fit in. That's also the reason why I could not try it out with the MW1A's very juicy balanced output, nor AK's balanced output, which I believe could give life to the piezo driver. To RHA team: The audiophile market HATES closed systems. A tweek to the mmcx socket may takes a bit of investment but can probably save you product.  Yes you have marketed it to be paired with an amp, and you have released an amp with it, but for most out there who'd invest that sort of money in an iem they probably have their favorite system in place already and a proprietary mmcx socket had closed all possibility for them, i.e. they won't buy it, even though they like your concept (me included). It's against how this market works. Simple logic.
 
Dun get discouraged by these reviews tho............the concept itself is really REALLY interesting. Better start working on a tweeked version team RHA.

 

[Ultrainferno]

I don't have the new 750 but I did listen to it in Berlin and didn't get the impression shared by 2 members here.
I do have the L1 and CL1 and while there obviously is more treble focus in the CL1 (like the EAMT-1A and several other recent iems) I certainly would not say it sounds bad, badly tuned or anything like that. If you don't like treble then I can see why you wouldn't like it that much but it does not mean it sounds bad. That may be your personal opinion but that doesn't mean it is the case.
 
Now about the build quality and looking gimicky, I have no idea where you get that as mine are perfectly built and have no issues whatsoever.
I feel these units are being put in a bad light while they simply don't deserve it. I hope this doesn't prevent others from giving the new RHA gear a chance, to me they are still getting better each unit.

 

[Ting Tiew Yik]

Just got back from ISSE, here are my thoughts:

Disclaimer: I have a cold and running nose that might have affected my listening impressions, but my own iems still sound great to me so...

I was an owner and great fan of the MA750.

I was... Unpleasantly surprised by how thin and shrill sounding treble are on both models. The bass was not overpowering like the T10 and T20, but the mids were recessed and the trebles were just... Terrible. I have no idea why RHA tuned them that way. I tried both CL750 and CL1 from their dac amp, but no difference... It's really impossible for me to recommend anyone to get them, fan that I am of the MA750.

I didn't spend enough time with the dac amp to formulate any kind of impressions, just that there isn't anything special about it to justify its price. The treble and bass knobs work as advertised, but since all my sources tend to be flat and neutral, I prefer the knobs set to off.

Oh I expected so much for the ceramic transducer in cl1....

 

[productred]

  I don't have the new 750 but I did listen to it in Berlin and didn't get the impression shared by 2 members here.
I do have the L1 and CL1 and while there obviously is more treble focus in the CL1 (like the EAMT-1A and several other recent iems) I certainly would not say it sounds bad, badly tuned or anything like that. If you don't like treble then I can see why you wouldn't like it that much but it does not mean it sounds bad. That may be your personal opinion but that doesn't mean it is the case.
 
Now about the build quality and looking gimicky, I have no idea where you get that as mine are perfectly built and have no issues whatsoever.
I feel these units are being put in a bad light while they simply don't deserve it. I hope this doesn't prevent others from giving the new RHA gear a chance, to me they are still getting better each unit.

 
Definitely agree to give those a chance and definitely gotta try before commenting. I've spent a long-ish time demoing the CL1 (clearly not even half burnt in) wanting to like it - after all as I've said the concept is really sweet and tempting. But to me, no the CL1 didn't perform as well as I'd have imagined. Not that I have imagined much, given its initial reception. I have expected the worst, and didn't hear much better than that. Actually it was one of the really, really rare occasion in the recent few years that I found a piece of gear actually sound bad. BTW I still have and still like the MA750.
 
BIG BIG CAVEAT: demoed ONLY with Sony WM1A SE high-gain AND AK70 with Mojo combo. Did not bring my AK380 copper combo but in terms of power the WM1A SE hi-gain isn't too far off from AK amp SE.
 
ANOTHER BIG BIG CAVEAT: I didn't really commented on "tuning" cos I suspect I still haven't got the chance to hear the tuning the team RHA had intended that for. Even the Mojo seems underpowering the CL1. And since I have no intentions whatsoever to get the L1 I stubbornly refused to test run my gear with that. Interested ppl if you are not as stubborn as me please do at least test a song or two with the combo and report.
 
The CL1 may sound good when given ample power, but its mmcx socket prevented me from trying it with the powerful balanced outputs of the players of my choice. That is a fact. Not even the Mojo got enough juice for that, and out of the Mojo (which is warm-ish) the treble is still overwhelming and the mids audible but thin. Bass out of either setup is pretty decent.
 
I love treble, need nicely extended trebles in all my gears and the problem with the CL1 isn't exactly its treble...........rather I'd say it's probably the difference in driveability of the two drivers, and the extreme hunger for power. Its treble during my demoing WAS extended yet was also thin and peaky. And the ultimate deal breaker is the mmcx socket. If not for that I may have already picked up a pair and do all sort of experiments at home, which I always do as a way to appreciate innovative concepts.
 
Still, I have high hope of the concepts and shall patiently wait for the CL1.5 or CL2.
 
P.S. Build quality on the CL1 body and its cable is excellent, the shell material is pure class and the design on looks is great.

 

[productred]

   
Definitely agree to give those a chance and definitely gotta try before commenting. I've spent a long-ish time demoing the CL1 (clearly not even half burnt in) wanting to like it - after all as I've said the concept is really sweet and tempting. But to me, no the CL1 didn't perform as well as I'd have imagined. Not that I have imagined much, given its initial reception. I have expected the worst, and didn't hear much better than that. Actually it was one of the really, really rare occasion in the recent few years that I found a piece of gear actually sound bad. BTW I still have and still like the MA750.
 
BIG BIG CAVEAT: demoed ONLY with Sony WM1A SE high-gain AND AK70 with Mojo combo. Did not bring my AK380 copper combo but in terms of power the WM1A SE hi-gain isn't too far off from AK amp SE.
 
ANOTHER BIG BIG CAVEAT: I didn't really commented on "tuning" cos I suspect I still haven't got the chance to hear the tuning the team RHA had intended that for. Even the Mojo seems underpowering the CL1. And since I have no intentions whatsoever to get the L1 I stubbornly refused to test run my gear with that. Interested ppl if you are not as stubborn as me please do at least test a song or two with the combo and report.
 
The CL1 may sound good when given ample power, but its mmcx socket prevented me from trying it with the powerful balanced outputs of the players of my choice. That is a fact. Not even the Mojo got enough juice for that, and out of the Mojo (which is warm-ish) the treble is still overwhelming and the mids audible but thin. Bass out of either setup is pretty decent.
 
I love treble, need nicely extended trebles in all my gears and the problem with the CL1 isn't exactly its treble...........rather I'd say it's probably the difference in driveability of the two drivers, and the extreme hunger for power. Its treble during my demoing WAS extended yet was also thin and peaky. And the ultimate deal breaker is the mmcx socket. If not for that I may have already picked up a pair and do all sort of experiments at home, which I always do as a way to appreciate innovative concepts.
 
Still, I have high hope of the concepts and shall patiently wait for the CL1.5 or CL2.
 
P.S. Build quality on the CL1 body and its cable is excellent, the shell material is pure class and the design on looks is great.

 
And, with all that said, I'd still be happy to give the CL1 another shot with my Sony once I manage to get hold of a 2.5mm to 4.4mm adaptor. That speaks a lot of my approval of its everything from concept to build quality.