mechgamer123
Headphoneus Supremus
First off, I would like to thank RHA for providing @C.C.S.. and I with review sets. I would also like to thank C.C.S. for nominating me for the review sample.
Gear used for review:
PC → Project H (Custom Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC and O2 with OPA2134 opamps)
iPod Classic → Silver LOD → Fiio E07k
Galaxy Nexus
Nexus 4
Inside the box:
The box looks very nice and professional overall:
Inside the box, you get a great set of accessories. There are six sets of single flange silicone tips and three sets of bi-flange tips, all included on a nifty metal card that helps you keep track of all the tips:
There is also a nice semi-hard case that has space to put the tip card in, as well as the IEMs themselves:
The cable on the MA750s is relatively thick without feeling too bulky. It feels like it won't be tearing anytime soon. The length is pretty standard for most IEMs. For me, this means they're a touch too short. However, I am 6'6” or roughly 198cm tall, so this shouldn't be a problem for most people.
Even though the MA750s are meant to be worn over the ear, there is still a small amount of microphonics from the cable if you do not use the cable cinch at the Y-split to keep the cable from flopping around against your neck while walking. Once you properly adjust the cable cinch though, microphonics are almost nonexistent.
The strain relief on the connector and the IEMs themselves is excellent.
The Y-split seems well built just like the connector. The strain relief for the Y-split is relatively short on both sides, but it feels adequate enough.
While I generally dislike ear guides, I really like the ear guides on the MA750s. The ear guides are not removable on the MA750; they are built into the cable and if someone would try to remove them, they would probably end up with bare wires. This is fine by me though, because unlike a lot of the ear guides that you can snap on with lower end IEMs, or those included in higher end CIEM cables that have very little give to them, the MA750 ear guides have enough flex in them that the weight of the cable will pull the ear guides down and contour to your ears. They seem more like a subtle hint that you should wear the MA750s with the cable over your ear than a potential obtrusion.
The build quality of the IEMs themselves is top notch. The aluminum shells both look and feel classy and durable.
Isolation is also fairly good on the MA750s. Once you get a good, deep seal (preferably with multi-flange tips), these do drown out most of the background noise, even when I have the volume low (which I usually do to try and avoid hearing loss). They still lag behind balanced armature sets I’ve had, but like most dynamic driver IEMs, the MA750s have a port that allows the dynamic driver to move air, limiting the maximum isolation possible.
Now that I've covered the most of the other stuff about the MA750, let's get to the sound, shall we?
Bass: The bass on the MA750 definitely north of neutral, but not overbearingly so. There is a good punch for most modern recordings, that still sounds coherent with bass guitars and things that aren’t meant to go boom. It occasionally bleeds into the lower midrange, but nothing too severe. I think the quantity is perfect for on-the-go listening. The quality is impressive. Bass guitars never sound muddy and are almost always discernable from the rest of the mix.
Mids: The midrange is, for the most part, balanced nicely in between the bass and the treble, except for a small spike and/or ringing in the upper midrange at approximately 5 kHz. This also adds a bit more detail to the overall sound spectrum though, and there are worse places to have a spike. For the price, you probably can’t find anything that has any part of the sound spectrum other than bass without some sort of spike or a complete lack of upper mids or treble, so this is forgivable, especially when you consider the severity of some treble spikes on other similarly priced IEMs.
Instruments generally sound fairly clear and coherent, probably as good if not better than most IEMs in its class, especially after some EQing, but I’ll touch on that later. Generally, most instruments have a good balance between being detailed without being harsh.
Male vocalists have a nice tonality with plenty of body that never makes them sound thin or unimpressive. Female vocalists on the other hand sound relatively soft and ever so slightly veiled. Some female vocalists, especially those with higher pitched voices, can be affected by the aforementioned spike, though generally it’s pretty minimal.
Treble: I am personally think the treble good on the MA750s, especially again considering its price. Most of the other “basshead” IEMs I’ve heard (Pretty much anything that had any bass response even remotely above neutral) have either completely lacked treble, or had way too much of it. In the case of the MA750, there seems to be a bit of a downward tilt with the treble, though not as bad as similar IEMs I’ve heard, such as the DUNU DN-23, Sony MH1C, and Monoprice 8320. The treble is mostly free from harshness or sibilance, but lacks a bit of treble extension for my tastes. Those who prefer a slightly darker presentation will quite like the treble presentation of the MA750. Once you apply a bit of EQ, the treble really shines.
Soundstage: The soundstage on the MA750s is impressive. I didn’t think it was possible with a bass-tuned IEM, but the soundstage is actually fairly open sounding. No, it will not sound as open as open-backed headphones, but for IEMs at this price point, the soundstage is really good. Better than any of the aforementioned bass-tuned IEMs I’ve heard in the past.
Tip Rolling: I liked the stock tips that came with the MA750, but in the end I preferred tips with a slightly wider nozzle opening, as this almost entirely negated the spike I mentioned earlier. I don’t know where they came from, but I had a pair of bi-flange tips laying around that had a slightly wider bore size and fit the MA750 like a glove.
In conclusion, the MA750 is a great IEM overall for $120. I don’t have a lot of experience with the ~$120 IEM market, but if one of my friends was looking to buy a pair of IEMs in the price range, I would steer them towards the RHAs. They have a great consumer oriented sound that doesn’t do very much wrong and will be appealing to most folks, especially the “beats” generation looking to get something better and cheaper.
Gear used for review:
PC → Project H (Custom Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC and O2 with OPA2134 opamps)
iPod Classic → Silver LOD → Fiio E07k
Galaxy Nexus
Nexus 4
Inside the box:
The box looks very nice and professional overall:
Inside the box, you get a great set of accessories. There are six sets of single flange silicone tips and three sets of bi-flange tips, all included on a nifty metal card that helps you keep track of all the tips:
There is also a nice semi-hard case that has space to put the tip card in, as well as the IEMs themselves:
The cable on the MA750s is relatively thick without feeling too bulky. It feels like it won't be tearing anytime soon. The length is pretty standard for most IEMs. For me, this means they're a touch too short. However, I am 6'6” or roughly 198cm tall, so this shouldn't be a problem for most people.
Even though the MA750s are meant to be worn over the ear, there is still a small amount of microphonics from the cable if you do not use the cable cinch at the Y-split to keep the cable from flopping around against your neck while walking. Once you properly adjust the cable cinch though, microphonics are almost nonexistent.
The strain relief on the connector and the IEMs themselves is excellent.
While I generally dislike ear guides, I really like the ear guides on the MA750s. The ear guides are not removable on the MA750; they are built into the cable and if someone would try to remove them, they would probably end up with bare wires. This is fine by me though, because unlike a lot of the ear guides that you can snap on with lower end IEMs, or those included in higher end CIEM cables that have very little give to them, the MA750 ear guides have enough flex in them that the weight of the cable will pull the ear guides down and contour to your ears. They seem more like a subtle hint that you should wear the MA750s with the cable over your ear than a potential obtrusion.
The build quality of the IEMs themselves is top notch. The aluminum shells both look and feel classy and durable.
Isolation is also fairly good on the MA750s. Once you get a good, deep seal (preferably with multi-flange tips), these do drown out most of the background noise, even when I have the volume low (which I usually do to try and avoid hearing loss). They still lag behind balanced armature sets I’ve had, but like most dynamic driver IEMs, the MA750s have a port that allows the dynamic driver to move air, limiting the maximum isolation possible.
Now that I've covered the most of the other stuff about the MA750, let's get to the sound, shall we?
Bass: The bass on the MA750 definitely north of neutral, but not overbearingly so. There is a good punch for most modern recordings, that still sounds coherent with bass guitars and things that aren’t meant to go boom. It occasionally bleeds into the lower midrange, but nothing too severe. I think the quantity is perfect for on-the-go listening. The quality is impressive. Bass guitars never sound muddy and are almost always discernable from the rest of the mix.
Mids: The midrange is, for the most part, balanced nicely in between the bass and the treble, except for a small spike and/or ringing in the upper midrange at approximately 5 kHz. This also adds a bit more detail to the overall sound spectrum though, and there are worse places to have a spike. For the price, you probably can’t find anything that has any part of the sound spectrum other than bass without some sort of spike or a complete lack of upper mids or treble, so this is forgivable, especially when you consider the severity of some treble spikes on other similarly priced IEMs.
Instruments generally sound fairly clear and coherent, probably as good if not better than most IEMs in its class, especially after some EQing, but I’ll touch on that later. Generally, most instruments have a good balance between being detailed without being harsh.
Male vocalists have a nice tonality with plenty of body that never makes them sound thin or unimpressive. Female vocalists on the other hand sound relatively soft and ever so slightly veiled. Some female vocalists, especially those with higher pitched voices, can be affected by the aforementioned spike, though generally it’s pretty minimal.
Treble: I am personally think the treble good on the MA750s, especially again considering its price. Most of the other “basshead” IEMs I’ve heard (Pretty much anything that had any bass response even remotely above neutral) have either completely lacked treble, or had way too much of it. In the case of the MA750, there seems to be a bit of a downward tilt with the treble, though not as bad as similar IEMs I’ve heard, such as the DUNU DN-23, Sony MH1C, and Monoprice 8320. The treble is mostly free from harshness or sibilance, but lacks a bit of treble extension for my tastes. Those who prefer a slightly darker presentation will quite like the treble presentation of the MA750. Once you apply a bit of EQ, the treble really shines.
Soundstage: The soundstage on the MA750s is impressive. I didn’t think it was possible with a bass-tuned IEM, but the soundstage is actually fairly open sounding. No, it will not sound as open as open-backed headphones, but for IEMs at this price point, the soundstage is really good. Better than any of the aforementioned bass-tuned IEMs I’ve heard in the past.
Tip Rolling: I liked the stock tips that came with the MA750, but in the end I preferred tips with a slightly wider nozzle opening, as this almost entirely negated the spike I mentioned earlier. I don’t know where they came from, but I had a pair of bi-flange tips laying around that had a slightly wider bore size and fit the MA750 like a glove.
In conclusion, the MA750 is a great IEM overall for $120. I don’t have a lot of experience with the ~$120 IEM market, but if one of my friends was looking to buy a pair of IEMs in the price range, I would steer them towards the RHAs. They have a great consumer oriented sound that doesn’t do very much wrong and will be appealing to most folks, especially the “beats” generation looking to get something better and cheaper.
