Skip to main content
DEAL WATCH: Keurig K-Express | 22% off $69.99

Keurig has changed the face of coffee, and snagging one of these for less than $70 is a solid deal. Read Review

BUY NOW
  • The Look

  • The Sound

  • The Verdict

  • The Insides That Count

  • Frequency Response

  • Distortion

  • Isolation

  • Other Tests

  • The Look
  • The Sound
  • The Verdict
  • The Insides That Count
  • Frequency Response
  • Distortion
  • Isolation
  • Other Tests

The MA750i in-ears have a solid construction with stainless steel components and a thick, durable cable that should help these last much longer than your standard pair of in-ears. The stainless steel components have a certain level of heft to them that puts in mind deep, powerful music. Surprisingly, there's only a small amount of bass support, which means these headphones would be better suited for bright sounds, such as those found in classical music.

The Look

Made with stainless steel and a contoured, over-ear cable

When you’re holding the MA750i in-ears you can feel the weight of the heavy-duty construction, thanks to the stainless steel components and the thick cable. Where other headphones can feel cheap or flimsy, the MA750i in-ears feel ready to take a beating and keep on dishing out respectable audio along the way.

Where other headphones can feel cheap or flimsy, the MA750i in-ears feel ready to take a beating.

The stainless steel casing of the earbuds aren’t designed with any gimmicky features or designs. Instead, it looks like a solid metal cap with the RHA logo machined into the surface. Stemming from the casing, the cable is contoured to fit and rest on top of your ear.

The way that they rest in your ear feels like there’s a semi-loose fit. It’s not enough that you should worry about them falling out, which you might at first, but it’s definitely loose enough that you’ll feel like you won’t get the full experience of what the MA750i in-ears can do unless they’re pushed deep into your ear canal. Of course, mileage may vary depending on which of three included types (basic silicon, double-flange, or memory foam) of tips you use.

The in-line controller was built for Apple devices and won't be fully functional with Android.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Nick Schmiedicker

The in-line controller was built for Apple devices and won't be fully functional with Android.

On the cable is an in-line controller that was built specifically to be compatible with an Apple device and features a microphone and three button control—volume up, volume down, and audio/phone call control. Like the earbud casings, the controller is also machined from stainless steel with rubber buttons that are large and have a very satisfying click when pressed. Like a lot of other headphones that have in-line controllers built for Apple devices, if you use these in-ears with an Android product the volume controls will not work. So fans of the green robot beware.

Stainless steel construction won’t do you much good if the connection at the plug and the right and left casing is flimsy and weak. You won’t have to worry about that when it comes to these in-ears, though. The cable is thick and durable, with attachments on either end to decrease the likelihood of breaking. On the end of the earbuds the cable has a plastic divider between the cable proper and the loop that extends over your ear. The opposite end, where the cable connects to the 3.5mm jack, there is a spring protecting the cable. This makes it extremely difficult to bend it anywhere near the point where the cable may eventually break.

From port to casing, the MA750i in-ears are durable and built to take a beating.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Nick Schmiedicker

From port to casing, the MA750i in-ears are durable and built to take a beating.

Inside the box, RHA included a handful of accessories to accompany the MA750i in-ears. There is a bifold leather carrying case to shuttle your already durable in-ears from place to place, a removable shirt clip, and a stainless steel ear tip holder that houses 18 replacement tips.

With all of these accessories there’s really no reason that the already durable MA750i in-ears shouldn’t last you a very long time, with enough options that you should be able to find a good fit.

The Sound

Classical music fans take note

At this price there’s a certain level of expectation as to how well a pair of headphones should perform. Unfortunately, while the MA750i in-ears are good, they don’t quite have the performance to justify the $130 price tag.

It was tempting to think that I wasn’t experiencing the full power of the MA750i in-ears because of what felt like a loose fit. I kept trying to fiddle with the in-ears and tried a few different sized silicon tips before I realized that was just how they sat in my ears. The loose fit does mean that these in-ears are far more comfortable than many others of its kind.

The MA750i in-ears have a flexible contoured cable that is meant to rest over your ear.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Nick Schmiedicker

The MA750i in-ears have a flexible contoured cable that is meant to rest over your ear.

Everything became much clearer after we ran our tests. These in-ears don’t have a huge emphasis on bass sounds and instead, the midrange sounds are much more prevalent. This leaves you with music that doesn’t have the power or depth you’d assume when you see these hulking, steel in-ears. These sound the best when paired with bright sounds like what you’d find in classical music from composers such as Beethoven or Mozart.

The MA750i in-ears also suffer from a healthy dose of distortion in the sub bass range. While this is the most difficult area for human ears to pick up distortion, the levels are high enough that audiophiles will pick up some fuzzy, crackling sounds.

When it comes to blocking ambient sounds from the outside world the MA750i in-ears performance will vary based on which of the three types of ear tips you use (basic silicon, double-flange, or memory foam).

RHA includes a wide selection of tips for maximum comfort.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Nick Schmiedicker

RHA includes a wide selection of tips for maximum comfort.

The memory foam tips will provide the most isolation, cutting down some sounds to around a quarter of their original volume. That level of isolation does come at a price, namely your comfort. They’re fairly large and if you have small ears they’ll definitely cause some discomfort.

The basic silicon tips have the most size choices so it should be relatively to find a comfortable fit, but they also do a poor job of blocking ambient sound. They’re unable to block any kind of bass sounds that you’ll encounter near a subway or bus on your commute, and only reduce other sounds you’re likely to encounter by about half.

It’s the double-flange tips that will probably strike the right balance of comfort and isolation. They’ll cut down those pesky deep bass sounds by at least half, and the other sounds you’re likely to encounter down to a quarter their original loudness. Plus they come in both medium and small, which should cover the majority of people’s needs.

The Verdict

Might not live up to the hefty price tag

The RHA MA750i in-ear headphones (MSRP: $129.99) do a lot more in the looks department rather than delivering a truly impressive sound experience. For that amount of money you would be right to expect the moon and more with your in-ears.

If you don’t want to spend quite as much money as this on in-ear headphones, we’d recommend taking a look at the AKG K 323XS in-ears (MSRP: $59.95). The AKGs boost bass much higher than the MA750i in-ears, which is perfect for music that benefits from an emphasis on the deep, rumbling sounds. They also come in a variety of colors and block much more ambient sound with only the basic silicon tips.

But, if you don’t mind spending the extra dough for a truly impressive listening experience, you can’t go wrong with our 2014 Best of Year in-ear headphones, the JBL Synchros S200i (MSRP: $129.95). The JBLs cost the same as the MA750i in-ears and they have a more unique, spoke-like design that delivers an impressive range of sound for the best quality tunes.

That doesn’t mean you should rule out the MA750i in-ears completely. The AKGs aren’t the prettiest pair of in-ears and, along with the JBLs, don’t have the same durability expectations that come with a stainless steel construction. The MA750i in-ears sound good enough, especially for fans of classical music and they come with plenty—10 pairs—of options when it comes to finding the most comfortable fit.

The Insides That Count

The RHA MA750i in–ear headphones scored well on all of our tests and didn’t have any particularly glaring problems. While their isolation result could’ve been better—especially considering this is usually an area in-ears excel in—they had a solid frequency response with minimal distortion that would be audible to the average listener.

Down below I’ll break down the individual tests and shed some light on the good, the bad, and the just okay.

Frequency Response

When we measure frequency response we start with a parent signal of 78dB and then measure what the particular pair of headphones reproduce across the audible spectrum (from 20Hz to 20kHz).

There is a greater boost in the higher bass frequencies and lower midrange frequencies than anywhere else on the audible spectrum.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Nick Schmiedicker

There is a greater boost in the higher bass frequencies and lower midrange frequencies than anywhere else on the audible spectrum.

In the sub bass range (20–60Hz) the MA750i in-ears had an output of about 68dB—half the relative volume of our parent signal—which then gradually rose to 75dB at 60Hz. That means that the really deep sub bass sounds of your music will get downplayed by the not-as-deep bass sounds. The bass range (60–300Hz) continues this steady increase until the sound peaks at 82dB at 250Hz.

From there, the level drops as the sounds head into the midrange of 300Hz–2kHz. The midrange sounds start at about 81dB but steadily drop until 2kHz, when they reach a 70dB output. The midrange and bass frequencies mirror each other relatively closely, so you shouldn’t expect one to overpower the other while you listen to music.

The high mids go from a short drop to 65dB at 2.5kHz before spiking back up to 77dB at 5kHz. Finally, going into the high frequencies (6–20kHz) the decibel levels fluctuate but stick pretty closely to 70dB overall.

Distortion

When headphones have a problem with distortion—any kind of crackling, fuzzy sounds—it's typically found in the sub bass and bass sounds. The MA750i in-ears aren’t any different, and the highest levels of distortion we found were in frequencies lower than 100Hz.

It's difficult for the human ear to pick up distortion in the sub bass and bass frequencies.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Nick Schmiedicker

It's difficult for the human ear to pick up distortion in the sub bass and bass frequencies.

There are three main spikes to note: the first is at 20Hz with a total amount of distortion reaching 17%, the second is at 40Hz with 7% distortion, and finally a spike at 60Hz with 5% distortion. First, you should keep in mind that 3% is our threshold of what’s considered audible. While these values go higher than that, the sub bass and bass frequencies areas are the most difficult for the human ear to pick up distortion. So, there’s actually a pretty good chance you’ll hear minimal to no distortion at all, unless you have sensitive ears.

Once you get to the frequencies that are higher than 100Hz the amount of distortion sticks to 1% or lower, so there’s nothing to worry about there.

Isolation

The MA750i in-ears came with three different kinds of tips (with different sizes) that will all affect the amount of ambient noise that’s blocked. The basic silicon tips don’t handle outside ambient noise as well as we’d like compared to some of the other in-ears we’ve tested that have similar tips. They do still perform well enough that you shouldn’t worry too much about bringing them on your commute.

While not so great at blocking bass sounds, it's a different story for the midrange frequency sounds.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Nick Schmiedicker

While not so great at blocking bass sounds, it's a different story for the midrange frequency sounds.

As far as bass sounds go (those that’re between 0 and 300Hz) the MA750i in-ears don’t block any sound. So, if you have a commute that involves a bus or a train—or if you’re taking these with you into the air—you can expect to be fully aware of any rumbling engines.

Moving into the midrange (sounds between 300Hz and 2kHz) the isolation is a lot stronger. Starting around 500Hz, the isolation levels take a sharp drop to half the original volume at 800Hz, and continues to reach a quarter as loud at 2kHz. This is where the bulk of the ambient sounds you’re likely to encounter are from, so you can expect more music than outside world during most of your day.

While you’re unlikely to encounter sounds with a frequency above this, if you did, the MA750i in-ears continue dropping the relative volume with a low of almost 1/16 its original volume at 4.5kHz. After this, the amount of isolation doesn’t do so well and the levels rise back to only being between a quarter and half as loud close to 8kHz.

The double-flange tips block much more bass sounds than the basic silicon tips.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Nick Schmiedicker

The double-flange tips block much more bass sounds than the basic silicon tips.

The double-flange tips provide much better isolation overall, but you’ll sacrifice a certain level of comfort to achieve it. Using the double-flange tips will reduce the relative volume of the bass sounds to about half its original volume. This is a great improvement over the basic tips and the hits just keep on coming.

The midrange sounds start out being about a quarter as loud as they would normally and keep dropping to reach 1/8 as loud by 1kHz and then 1/16 as loud close to 2kHz. As I mentioned above, you aren’t likely to encounter a lot of ambient sounds that reach such a high frequency, but if you do they’ll be reduced to almost nothing.

They might be uncomfortable, but the memory foam tips provide the most amount of isolation.
Credit: Reviewed.com / Nick Schmiedicker

They might be uncomfortable, but the memory foam tips provide the most amount of isolation.

Finishing out are the memory foam ear tips. These things are beefy and will most likely be the most uncomfortable of the three. But, if you don’t think they’re that bad, you’ll be able to block a truly impressive amount of ambient sound.

Bass sounds will start off sounding nearly a full quarter quieter than they would normally, which extends into the midrange frequencies. Sounds that have a frequency of 1kHz will reach a relative volume of 1/8 as loud which will drop to 1/16 around 3kHz. These are the tips you’ll want to have if you’re seated next to the wings on a long flight, as long as they’re not unbearably uncomfortable.

Other Tests

{{ photo_gallery name="Test" }}

Meet the tester

Nick Schmiedicker

Nick Schmiedicker

Former Managing Editor

@@nschmiedicker

Coming from Buffalo, NY, Nick studied media production and arts journalism. When he’s not writing about tech Nick can be found playing video games and keeping up on the latest in pop culture.

See all of Nick Schmiedicker's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next