RHA T10i: In-canal earphones that challenge the norm

In-ear headphones have always been a polarizing bit of gear: there are those who swear by them, and there are those who can’t stand using them. Based on a form factor that requires a part of them to be inserted into the ear canal, many users are simply not down with wearing them, especially during extended bouts of serious listening.

Times have changes and in-ear headphones are no longer associated with marking the low-end of the quality and performance spectrum. These days they use exotic construction materials, imparting comfort and robustness not generally attributed to these little buds. Case in point, the RHA T10i kit we heard recently.

RHA is a British company known for their prowess in creating high-end audio listening gear. Their top-of-the-line T10i is a pair of headphones that pushes the boundaries when it comes to how well-crafted a pair of in-ears can get. These are noise-isolating headphones--they do not have active circuitry that cancels ambient sounds, but instead rely on the quality of the seal that earbuds make to keep external sounds out. The fact that this is premium was very apparent, given its heft (so far as earbud standards go), and the excellent packaging. Pulling open the covering flap of the box reveals an excellently-crafted first-look experience, with the headphones and the numerous bits and bobs that comprise the kit revealed through the transparent window in the box, with appropriately awe-inspiring photos and graphs flaunting the products key features on the left flap. You want to leave it open and take it all in.

Nestled in the foam tray are the two brushed-steel headphones, created using a process called metal injection moulding that apparently enabled the engineers to craft a more ergonomic and acoustically precise form. Also on display is the array of nine types of silicone and memory foam tips, aimed at providing a comfortable fit for virtually any ear. Nodding to smartphones and tablet applications, the headphones integrate a 3-button inline remote that includes a microphone. But most interesting are the two pairs of mysterious-looking ‘pegs’ mounted in a metallic plate within the packaging. Here’s where things get interesting with these particular headphones.

While most headphones rely on some form electronic tuning--generally via electronic crossovers--for enabling listeners to customize the audio signature toward the bass or treble end, these headphones use actual, tiny, metal-moulded filters for the job. Unscrew a tiny component at the tip of the earphones and it can be replaced with one of two additional screw-on filters that provide up to 3dB of boost in either the treble (above 1KHz) or bass (under 200Hz) frequency bands, enabling a ‘tweaked’ acoustic signature.

We drove these headphones through their paces with our reference system comprising a Fiio E07K DAC/amp, through which we listened to a wide swatch of musical genres at mid- (190Kbps) to hi-definition (uncompressed FLAC) bitrates. Being such tiny devices, one does not expect to hear such expansive, crystal sound come out of them. But come out it did; sound that was tight, with clean and present bass and crisp treble. Off-the-bat and with no equalization dialed in, I did however note a lack in the mid-range response where vocals and wind instruments tended to take a back seat in the performance. Nothing that a spot of equalization could not fix--I use MediaMonkey, which does a fine job of managing diverse music libraries while lending fine-grained control over the listening experience.

If you prefer the innocuousness of in-ear headphones and are looking for a solid set that will do justice to high-quality music--price no bar--the T10i does a fine job. Be sure to pair it with a good audio player and you’re set.

Quick specs:
Frequency response: 16Hz - 22KHz
Impedance: 16 Ohms
Sensitivity: 100dB
Primary construction: Steel, Kevlar, memory foam, foldable for storage

Price: Rs 14,999

Available at www.HeadphoneZone.in