RHA MA750i review

Build quality is often one of the main issues we have with in-ear headphones; spending a fortune only to discover the cable has split after a few months of use can be incredibly frustrating. British company RHA knows our pain, having gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure its latest set of in-ears won’t fall victim to wear and tear.

Each MA750i earbud is made from steel, which gives them a seriously durable, if slightly heavy build. The 3.5mm audio jack, inline remote and Y-splitter cable are all made from steel too, giving the MA750is a sleek, industrial look that should also take some serious punishment. RHA is confident enough to provide a three year warranty – almost three times as long as in-ears from most other manufacturers.

The 1.3m cable is significantly thicker than most other in-ear headphones we’ve used, which again adds to the weight but effectively prevents tangles. We could bundle them into a bag and not have to spend five minutes unravelling them when we next wanted to listen to music. They also help reduce microphonics, although the MA750is are by no means silent when the cable hits against your clothing.

To prevent the extra weight pulling the buds out of your ears, RHA has included a comprehensive ten sets of ear tips, including smooth and flanged silicone, as well as two pairs of memory foam tips which mould to fit your ears. If you can get used to them, they undeniably create the best seal this side of getting a pair of custom moulds made, improving bass response and blocking out unwanted exterior noise.

Each earbud is designed to hook over your ears, rather than hang down, with reinforced plastic covering the cable and a small counterbalance weight too keep them in place. This means that even if an earbud does pop out, it won’t drop to the floor. Once we’d found the tips that fit us best, this wasn’t a problem – even when we took the MA750is to the gym they stayed in place.

The single dynamic driver inside each earbud produces bright and crisp audio, with a great balance between bass and mid-range. We certainly wouldn’t call them neutral, however; bass may not boom like it does on other pairs of in-ears, but it is certainly boosted. This gives rock, electronic and hip-hop tracks real oomph, but doesn’t overpower more delicate acoustic songs. 

The high-end is mostly spot-on for the price, although we felt it suited vocals rather than the sharp cymbal hits of certain tracks. We were able to make out the difference between drum sticks and brushes on a delicate jazz track, so details are most definitely preserved. The mid-range was mostly clean, although it tends to sit behind bass and high-end in the mix to produce a warm signature sound. Unless you want a completely neutral sound, there’s very little not to like.

At £90, the MA750i is exceptional value, even if the over-ear design and heavy duty build quality won’t suit everyone, especially if you have small ears or wear glasses. If you don’t need the in-line remote, you can even save £10 with the basic MA750.