Some people prefer the comfort of over-the-ear headphones; others favour the convenience and portability of in-ears. It’s simply a matter of personal taste. If you do choose to go the IEM way, you’re unlikely to find a brand as dedicated to the art of producing quality in-ears as RHA.
Although relatively unknown in the mainstream market, RHA is a hit in enthusiast circles. This small Scottish IEM specialist has produced quality earphones for a while now. It’s known for its detailed reproduction of audio and open sound. We’ve reviewed the top-of-the-line RHA T10i IEMs; read on to find out how they fared.
The RHA T10i is powered by the company’s flagship 770.1 handmade dynamic drivers. It has a frequency range of 16-22,000Hz, an impedance of 16Ohms and a sensitivity of 100dB. The only out-of-the-ordinary specification is the weight; the T10i weighs a hefty 41g, because its casing is made entirely of injection-moulded steel.
This is quite possibly the sturdiest and most well-built pair of in-ears we’ve had the pleasure of using. The solid steel casing looks like it’s capable of withstanding all kinds of rough use (not that we tried), and makes a significant thud when it hits a hard surface.
The same goes for the other steel parts, such as the 3.5mm plug, the in-line remote and the casing for the left-right splitter. The heavy build of the earphones means that they don’t simply fit in your ears like any other pair.
They have to be supported, and so they have flexible wires that hook them behind your ears. This is probably the only part of the design we don’t like, but we got used to it soon enough so we won’t go as far as to say it’s a problem.
