Introducing the T10i, an all new IEM from RHA

[nmatheis]

Agree that they had excellent bass extension - just wished it was faster and didn't mask the rest of the spectrum so much.

 

[kyuuketsuki]

 

 
There is definitely a place in every collection for a bassy/warm headphone. I really need to increase my neutral headphones now. Bassy is good for edm, games and movies, not really for much else (also for commuting). But now that I am not commuting as much I'm finding the need for neutrality to be higher.
 
I'll also disagree with the masking thing. They had a slight veil to them, but it really wasn't negatively impacting the rest of the spectrum. In fact I'd say they were the most clear bassy IEM I've heard aside from the ASG-2 (which is a different beast entirely). Really the way I'd say it is that the clarity and detail retrieval was fine and on par with headphones of similar price and maybe a bit higher, but it didn't seem it because of the warmth. I still heard everything, but the bass was the star. The bass actually bothered me most of all, aside from the upper treble. The bass was just slow, probably the slowest I've heard. The M-100s aren't fast by any means, but they were a touch faster than the T10is. The nicest thing about them was they had a decent 3-D sound stage and decent isolation.
 
These would be good to replace my ASG-2s and have my ASG-2s be made into ASG-1 Plus, since I'm craving more neutral these days. It seems like a fair trade off.

 

[WNBC]

Looking forward to your review as you definitely have more experience with bass-centric earphones/headphones.  I never got around to testing them with fast rock/metal or EDM.  It would be interesting to listen to these again after taking a break and coming into the situation knowing what to expect.  
 
 
Quote:

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

There is definitely a place in every collection for a bassy/warm headphone. I really need to increase my neutral headphones now. Bassy is good for edm, games and movies, not really for much else (also for commuting). But now that I am not commuting as much I'm finding the need for neutrality to be higher.
 
I'll also disagree with the masking thing. They had a slight veil to them, but it really wasn't negatively impacting the rest of the spectrum. In fact I'd say they were the most clear bassy IEM I've heard aside from the ASG-2 (which is a different beast entirely). Really the way I'd say it is that the clarity and detail retrieval was fine and on par with headphones of similar price and maybe a bit higher, but it didn't seem it because of the warmth. I still heard everything, but the bass was the star. The bass actually bothered me most of all, aside from the upper treble. The bass was just slow, probably the slowest I've heard. The M-100s aren't fast by any means, but they were a touch faster than the T10is. The nicest thing about them was they had a decent 3-D sound stage and decent isolation.
 
These would be good to replace my ASG-2s and have my ASG-2s be made into ASG-1 Plus, since I'm craving more neutral these days. It seems like a fair trade off.

 

 

[nmatheis]

kyuuketsuki: Seems like you and I had a pretty different experience with T10i clarity. I'm coming in from TPEOS Altone200 as my daily driver IEM, and I can guarantee you that compared to the Altone200, the T10i lack clarity. Combine that with the very slow bass response, and T10i just couldn't keep up with a lot of the music I listen to. A shame too, because T10i have the best sub-bass on any IEM I've listened to to-date...

 

[kyuuketsuki]

@kyuuketsuki: Seems like you and I had a pretty different experience with T10i clarity. I'm coming in from TPEOS Altone200 as my daily driver IEM, and I can guarantee you that compared to the Altone200, the T10i lack clarity. Combine that with the very slow bass response, and T10i just couldn't keep up with a lot of the music I listen to. A shame too, because T10i have the best sub-bass on any IEM I've listened to to-date...

 
The slow bass is the real killer. I've not heard the Altone200s, but I won't say these have better detail retrieval than almost any of my other previous Dynamic IEMs aside from the Shure 215. Again they didn't LACK clarity, that became apparent when I listened to intentionally bass light songs. Naturally they didn't sound great because of the treble roll off and slightly laid back mids, but the details were there, the clarity was there, but it wouldn't be on par with BA phones, or microdriver even (I've noticed with RE400 and Rockets that microdrivers are surprisingly proficient at clarity and detail retrieval, but I'm not sure if that is due to the tuning or the nature of microdynamics) (at least in my experience). If you are looking for absolute clarity and detail retrieval, these aren't for you. But I can tell you that they are just as detailed and clear if not more so than equally priced dynamic driver headphones. I find it unfair to compare BA to Dynamic honestly, save hybrids. I compared these to my ASG-2s because those are my benchmark for bassy phones, moreso than my M-100s. BA and dynamic driver are simply different beasts. I also have found that BA seem to be, on the whole, more unnatural sounding to my ears, especially in the bass. They have the absolute fastest bass, but the decay isn't there. It is an odd trade off. Being a drummer, I tend to listen to drums for what I hear as "real." Kick drums especially can sound wonky on some BA phones. Cymbals are also very tricky to get right, but that goes across all phones. And really for IEMs, BAs tend to get it right more than dynamic. Granted I haven't listened to any really high end BA phones for extended periods. At most it's been an hour or two. 

 

[kyuuketsuki]

My review is now live http://www.head-fi.org/products/rha-t10i/reviews/12293

 

[WNBC]

Excellent review.  I am in pretty much complete agreement with it.  Many of us are coming from a perspective of wanting more neutrality.  The other consideration is of where we all are in the audio journey.  My first major headphones were the AT-ESW9a and Sennheiser HD650.  You could say the ESW9a is very warm and the HD650 somewhat warm or dark.  If these T10i had come along in my early days of head-fi I would have received them with open arms.  It does seem like many go towards a more neutral sound as we progress forward in the journey.  Not to say we don't want a bassy headphone in the lineup somewhere.  Additionally, a lot of us have owned more expensive IEMs that we probably use as an internal audio memory reference.  With that said, I think we have been fairly good as commenters in saying for $200 with its flaws + achievements, the T10i is a decent bargain these days.
 
So, for RHA, the T10i likely will be an excellent seller among the crowds that pursue a warmer and bassier IEM.  I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what RHA has for those of us wanting a more neutral sound but in that fabulous stainless steel housing.  All at a very reasonable price like the T10i.
 
Quote:

  My review is now live http://www.head-fi.org/products/rha-t10i/reviews/12293

 

[RHA Team]

Hello! 

Thanks for the continued feedback on the T10i! We just wanted to flag that we're offering a set of the T10, the non-remote/mic variant, for review in a new thread in this forum for those who haven't checked out either version as yet. If you're interested, head over here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/749522/rha-t10-now-available-review-opportunity
 
Thanks, and happy new year everyone!

 

[kimvictor]

Deleted

 

[ThickT]

These are the absolute KING of basshead earphones that ive tried over the years. Aside from mabey....the atrio and cks1000, ive listened to most of the basshead offerings in this hobby and can say that when you consider the premium build and excellent design along with the bass performance, the t10i should be the "grail phone" for any bass enthusiast. It really is a completely top tier package that I dont believe any other bass earphone has ever had the luxury of claiming. Considering most of the basshead field is littered with plastic cylindrical or barrell shaped offerings that slap on a bright color and toss a large driver inside, The T10i is setting the standard. The very first basshead earphone that, thanks to its genious engeineering, will make even the most stern audiophile a little bit curious about whats inside and almost certianly turn them into a closet basshead. Furthermore, I would like to thank RHA for making IEM's that have managed to bring disticntion and class to an otherwise taboo or guilty pleasure- like corner of this hobby.

Having said all that, it was entirely not what I was looking for at the time I purchased them, nor did I expect them to sound this way. During the hype phase, there were words like "balanced" being thrown around by RHA's team in several videos from trade shows and even the packaging shows a FR response that is flat-ish, as well as a driver description that unfairly calls them "balanced", " detailed", and "precise". So why the heck would they do this? Do they not know what the T10 sound like? Or were they planning on misleading folks? <--- joking. I dont know, but really ive had a few moments of wanting to return these due to the unexpected signature. Witch is odd because it isnt a bad signature overall, but just not what I was hoping for I guess....

For what its worth, the bass performance is bigger than the fx850. Side by side comparison shows the T10 has more than a few Db's of bliss... *I mean bass over the fx850. While the fx850 has the upper hand on treble extention, midrange tonality and spatial imaging.

I am learning to get over my expectations and finding how easy it is to love my T10's for what they are: Basshead Grail-Phones. While my neutral itch wasnt scratched, I have found an amazing IEM that I am thrilled to have in my collection.

 

[xedjflowx]

These are the absolute KING of basshead earphones that ive tried over the years. Aside from mabey....the atrio and cks1000, ive listened to most of the basshead offerings in this hobby and can say that when you consider the premium build and excellent design along with the bass performance, the t10i should be the "grail phone" for any bass enthusiast. It really is a completely top tier package that I dont believe any other bass earphone has ever had the luxury of claiming. Considering most of the basshead field is littered with plastic cylindrical or barrell shaped offerings that slap on a bright color and toss a large driver inside, The T10i is setting the standard. The very first basshead earphone that, thanks to its genious engeineering, will make even the most stern audiophile a little bit curious about whats inside and almost certianly turn them into a closet basshead. Furthermore, I would like to thank RHA for making IEM's that have managed to bring disticntion and class to an otherwise taboo or guilty pleasure- like corner of this hobby.

Having said all that, it was entirely not what I was looking for at the time I purchased them, nor did I expect them to sound this way. During the hype phase, there were words like "balanced" being thrown around by RHA's team in several videos from trade shows and even the packaging shows a FR response that is flat-ish, as well as a driver description that unfairly calls them "balanced", " detailed", and "precise". So why the heck would they do this? Do they not know what the T10 sound like? Or were they planning on misleading folks? <--- joking. I dont know, but really ive had a few moments of wanting to return these due to the unexpected signature. Witch is odd because it isnt a bad signature overall, but just not what I was hoping for I guess....

For what its worth, the bass performance is bigger than the fx850. Side by side comparison shows the T10 has more than a few Db's of bliss... *I mean bass over the fx850. While the fx850 has the upper hand on treble extention, midrange tonality and spatial imaging.

I am learning to get over my expectations and finding how easy it is to love my T10's for what they are: Basshead Grail-Phones. While my neutral itch wasnt scratched, I have found an amazing IEM that I am thrilled to have in my collection.

Yep, she's pretty odd to me too

 

[davidallsopp]

Hi. I have a new set of T10 and I can only imagine that the T10s have been tuned since the first sets because I hear a completely balanced and open soundscape. Yes the bass is stronger than the MA750s but it is complimented by distinct and clear audio in every register. The separation is really effortlessly heard.

 

[nmatheis]

With which filter?

 

[ThickT]

Hi. I have a new set of T10 and I can only imagine that the T10s have been tuned since the first sets because I hear a completely balanced and open soundscape. Yes the bass is stronger than the MA750s but it is complimented by distinct and clear audio in every register. The separation is really effortlessly heard.

1 post and you joined 2 months ago? Not buying a word of this. The t10 has not been re-tuned. RHA team, correct me if im wrong here.

 

[davidallsopp]

1 post and you joined 2 months ago? Not buying a word of this. The t10 has not been re-tuned. RHA team, correct me if im wrong here.

Thanks ThickT. Sorry if you don't think someone who only joined 2 months ago can have an opinion, but I don't hear the excessive bass described in the thread.  I think I am allowed an opinion?