Pros
- Extremely active sound signature that brings the most out of lossy audio
- Prominent bass that does not overshadow the overall sound signature
- Generally smooth treble
- Does an amazing job expressing details for it’s price range
- Build quality is amazing for the price
Cons
- Treble is extremely active and sometimes it can become stressful to listen to
- Things can sound like a jumbled mess on more active tracks
General Overview/First Impressions
The RHA 350 is RHA’s entry model IEM mostly aimed at the
average consumer, mainly those looking for a nice replacement for those white
iBuds. Being priced at $39.99 there are plenty of similar products that compete
for the consumer’s money and there are very few whose sound quality is decent
enough to write a worthwhile review, well needless to say the MA350 is one of
those few. In a market as crowded as the $20-$50 market first impressions and
appearance is usually what makes the sale. The MA350’s package isn’t flashy or
particularly special but it does a good job showing the quality of the IEM. The
cord wire sleeve for the cable and aluminum earbuds does a great job of giving
a quality feel to the IEM and makes a lot of it’s competitors feel a little
cheap in comparison.
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| A few package shots |
Overall Sound
Treble
The treble on the MA350 have a very noticeable exaggeration
which present itself quite prominently on the right tracks. This exaggeration
begins in the mids and grows slowly toward the treble. I find this rather smart
as it helps offset treble detail that is usually lost during lossy compression
as well as to make sure the bass does not overshadow it. This tuning makes the
treble is really aggressive on some treble prominent lossless tracks and makes it
feels like the treble is blaring at you. The MA350 are rather weak with fast
consecutive frequencies that are in the treble region which generally turn into
a muddled sandy mess this is usually hidden fairly well this fact is fairly
well hidden by the sharp attack the MA350’s treble delivers that tends to
shadow it’s successive tones. When listening to cymbals on lossless tracks the
initial clash is generally overshadows the its proceeding tones and hides them
very well. This sharp and occasionally, blaring attack does a great job at
bringing out the treble but can really wear down the ears during a long
listening session. While they are still
present, most of these problems are a lot less prominent on lossy tracks as
most of those peaks are lost during the compression process. As a result the
treble ends up providing support to the more prominent mids and bass and the
exaggeration ensures that the rest of the sound signature doesn’t drown the
treble out.
Mids
The mids of the MA350 are very well done and are almost
never overshadowed by the bass or the treble due tracks generally prioritizing
the mids or vocals over everything else. It does a really good job pronouncing
details that are usually lost or overshadowed by the main vocals such as the
backup vocals and they do a fine job showing minor repeated tones that would
usually be jumbled up into a cluster of sounds in this price range. The MA350
do a fine job allowing the vocals to shine through in its relaxed sound
signature very well but they tend to struggle a little as they near the lower
mids and upper mids where the exaggeration for the treble and bass begins as
they tend to lose out or fight for dominance but this rarely occurs and is not
much of a concern. Though I found that the vocals can get rather harsh as they
begin to enter the treble region and harder tones like “s”, “st” or “sh” became
really harsh and can create a little stress for the ears. While this problem
generally occurs a lot more often when listening to lossless tracks it also
occurs on a few compressed tracks.
Bass
The MA350 bass is the aspect that makes the MA350’s sound
signature so fun to listen to. The MA350’s bass is clearly exaggerated which
gives the MA350 a rather relaxed and warm sound. Generally speaking, the MA350
have smooth, prominent, deep bass that feels a lot more controlled and tight in
comparison to most IEM in its price range. In budget IEM I usually find the
bass is lacking in depth, control or both and when the IEM has a bass prominent
sound signature these flaws tend to show even more. This is why I so impressed with the even with
the bass exaggeration I notice little to no loss of bass control. The bass of
the MA350 is rather revealing and tends to show details that are usually lost
or sound faint on other brighter IEM making it a very fun and entertaining
switch.
Final Thoughts
The MA350 are a phenomenal budget IEM that has a very fun
and generally relaxing sound signature that does a great job at reproducing
details. The build quality is amazing as it feels durable and feels like it was
built to last. With a $39.99 price tag it makes a great gift and is a great
first step into better audio.
Links
Check out the MA350 at RHA's website here.
Interested in the MA350? You can order them here at Amazon.com.
Technical Specifications
| Drivers | 130.5 Dynamic |
| Frequency range | 16-22,000Hz |
| Impedance | 16ohms |
| Sensitivity | 103dB |
| Rated/max power | 3/10mW |
| Weight | 11g |
| Cable | 1.3m, fabric braided |
| Connections | 3.5mm, 90°, gold plated |
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