RHA T10 High Fidelity, Noise Isolating In-Ear Headphone

Though they are not as clear and detailed as the MA750's they don't have the painful treble either. The 750's have a large spike in volume in the 11khz range that hurt my ears. I literally winced with pain on some songs. I had to send them back.The t10's, however, are more relaxed in the treble, but still detailed enough to be the clearest earbuds I own. I really like the styling on these also. I bought these for home use. I don't intend to travel with them and I see me owning them at least a decade or more; they really do seem that well-built. Also, their size is smaller than I thought they would be. They seem large in the pictures, but not so.Treble: As I said it's relaxed in the upper ranges. They seem to top out at 15khz then roll off steeply. I don't mind that so much. I can't hear much past 16-17khz myself. Even high-end Etymotics only go up to 16khz on the high end of the sound spectrum.Mids: Mids are slightly warm and also seem slightly forward, but not much. You definitely do not lose the vocals in the music. All voices are clear and separate from the music. Some people claim that female vocals are recessed; I did not perceive that to be true. Female vocals are just as loud as the male vocals to my ears.Bass: It's all about that bass. I looked down in the body of each driver and I swear there is a bass reflex ring around each driver. These earbuds have deep and smooth sub-bass the likes of which I have never heard on a set of earbuds. If you are a bass-head, you will love these. At first, the bass response is weak. I played a test tone in increments of 10 from 100hz and down. The earbuds stop on the low-end around 30hz, which is very deep. You can get 20hz out of them if you turn the volume up. Also, they sounded as if the drivers were blown when I first got them. Everything deep was distorted-sounding. That is because the driver is new and stiff/tight. Once you listen to music for about 30 hours or so, they will loosen up and the bass will get deeper and more controlled, so keep that in mind when you first get them.Filters: The filters are more delicate than extreme. There is only a 3 decibel difference between them from the "Reference" filter. Most people like the Treble filter, but I preferred the Reference filter (as I am sensitive to treble). As of late, I've been watching movies and playing games with the Bass filter in and love the beefy explosions and sound effects. The Reference and Bass filters don't turn up the bass frequencies so much as they turn down or stifle the treble frequencies. The filters have acoustic foam in them of varying amounts (more in the bass, less in the reference, none in the treble) that mutes the sound in a balanced way. As you try the filters, going from Treble, to Reference, to Bass, the sound gets "warmer" sounding. All the way at the bottom on the Bass filters, the treble detail is still there, you don't lose any clarity; only the sound signature changes. Some people say it sounds muddy, or congested, but that's how "warm" sound signatures are. It's supposed to sound like that.Ear Tips: You get some great options here. I wanted to like the foam tips, but they don't come with anything other than a Medium sized tip. I need a large. Also, the foam was designed to be durable, but it's too abrasive to me. The inside of my ears felt raw after putting them in and taking them out several times in a row as I searched for the most comfortable tips. They isolate quite well. The large and even the medium silicone tips seemed to work for me, but there was too much "thundering" for my taste. The silicone tips are thin and soft, which is good, but they act like tympani drums in my ears. I can hear every cable movement rumble, every step thunder like a giant; I can even hear my heart beating in my ears. They seal very well and I don't consider this a flaw specific to RHA. All silicone tips do this unless you have some of those Sony hybrids that are reinforced with foam. I settled on the larger pair of Double Flanged tips. They are even softer and easier to get on/off than the silicone tips. The second flange helps to stabilize the earbuds and they don't thunder as much in my ears - oh sweet silence!Cord: Thick, gray, and well made. It has oxygen-free copper inside. The plug is stainless steel with a cool-looking spring to absorb tension. Just make sure you do NOT pull the cord out of a jack by the spring; you'll stretch it out. I've not made that mistake, but I've seen reviews where someone did. The plug itself is gold plated.Memory Wire: I like the design of the memory wire. I don't find it uncomfortable. Some people say it doesn't hold its shape, but I don't have that problem. It's easy to bend. I think they are just being too rough with it, perhaps? It's comfortable for me. As I've said: I use these earbuds at my desktop. I don't walk (much) or run with them in my ears. They hold their shape and stay in place for hours at night. I have had no trouble with them.

After years searching for the "perfect" headphones or earbuds—I've come to accept that that Holy Grail doesn't exist. Listening to music is such a subjective experience, with so many contributing factors—e.g., actual objective acoustics and electronics of the devices, ambiance ("set and setting"), individual physiology, as well as subjective mood. I've come to realize that each set of earbuds/headphones has its own "personality." And just like there's no perfect personality, there's no perfect piece of listening equipment. Instead, I've learned to appreciate each for what it is, and not expect one set of earbuds to sound like any other. So, what about the RHA T10i?I really wanted to love these—but I just like 'em. The design is great, but the sound is only adequate. Acceptable for casual listening, but not for hi-fi quality, for hearing subtle details. I had difficulty at first finding the right fit (they kept falling out of my ears). Then I realized I was switching R & L. Once I inserted them correctly, they fit fine. (The bad fit was my mistake.) In fact, even though they're a tad heavy, they are probably the most comfortable in-ears I've worn.Sound? I checked out many reviews for these and most give high marks for the sound. Not my experience. Compared to Bowers & Wilkins C5 S2, the RHAs sound a little tinny and shallow (a bit raspy and sibilant on "s" sounds)—like some cheaper earbuds. The design and craftsmanship are excellent (which is why I wanted to love these). I did a switch test between the RHA T10i, B&W P5, and Ultimate Ears (UE). Result: B&W C5 S2 have clearly the best all-round sound. The UEs a close second, with good clarity, highs and mids. The C5s score best on bass with plenty of umph (not overdone). The RHA T10is lack the clarity of both the P5s and the UEs, A few reviewers here on Amazon talk about the powerful bass of the T10s, but I don't hear it.Score on sound: 3 out of 5.0. Not what I'd expect for a $200 IEM.Craftsmanship: Hmmm. The compact, solid metal design of the actual in-ear piece and the cords get 5 stars for look and feel. Even the packaging is superb. However . . . the faux leather case that comes with the earbuds feels cheap. First, the two halves of the case were out of alignment, which made closing the case really difficult. In fact, the first time I tried to zip the case closed, the zipper broke, making the case useless.Bottom line: On balance, even though the sound quality is just okay, I've decided to keep these because I do love the ergonomics—the most comfortable in-ears I've worn. Too bad the carrying case is defective (let's see if RHA read these reviews and offer me a replacement). Nice try, RHA, just wish these sounded as good as the B&W C5s (maybe in time I'll come to fully appreciate the T10i's unique "personality").PS: Another feature: the T10i comes with tiny changeable metal filters for bass and treble ("reference"/neutral filters come installed). Some reviewers praise the difference in sound when they switch the filters. I hardly noticed any difference. However, I did notice that trying to screw in the tiny filters (especially the bass filters for some reason) was particularly difficult. (as was slipping the silicon buds over the filters). In fact, the "female" threads got screwed up (no pun) as I changed the filters. So watch out . . .UPDATE: I've now used the T10is for a few days, and the more I listen with them the more I enjoy them. As a result, I've now decided these merit five stars. Also, RHA customer service contacted me and are sending me a replacement carry case. All is good . . .