RHA MA450i Earphones Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging & Bundle3. The RHA MA450i Earphones4. Performance and Closing Thoughts5. View All Pages

Seven silicone ear-tips are provided with RHA's MA450i earphones. The variety of sizes and two different styles allow users to tailor their choice of tips to their own individual preference.

The orange coloured tips conform to a standard hemispherical design of varying sizes.

The all-black tips utilise a unique ‘double-hull' design that resembles a pair of unequally-sized hemispheres connected to one another.

RHA's MA450i earphones use a unique ear bud design which sees their shape narrowing from a flat-backed circle that sports the RHA logo, to a thin pipe-like structure that feeds directly into the silicone ear-tips.

Machined from solid aluminium, the ear buds certainly have a high-quality feel about them.

The rubberised section of cable connected to each ear bud is a good medium from which the MA450i earphones can be held. The letters ‘L' and ‘R' indicate the ear to which each individual bud should be delivering sound.

Removing the silicone ear tips is a simple task; just peel back the flexible cover and pry them away from the ear bud. Replacing them, on the other hand, is a far more difficult chore. The standard, hemispherical tips' flexible material makes pushing a solid pipe-shaped structure through an almost identically-sized gap a very tricky procedure – the tips just bend and flex. We had to resort to a pair of needle-nosed pliers which helped us attach the tips.

Fortunately, the unique design of the double hemisphere tips makes connecting them to the ear buds a hassle-free manoeuvre.

An in-line microphone doubles up us a device's remote. On Apple devices, the centre button can be used to accept calls, issue a voice command and manipulate tracks, while the ‘+' and ‘-‘ buttons control the volume level.

For Android users, the volume buttons do not function. We would assume this is also the case for Windows phone users as shortly after our RHA SA950i review, RHA had this to say when asked about functionality with a Nokia Lumia device: “the SA950i’s (and the MA450i earphones) are ‘Made for iPhone’ so offer full functionality with recent Apple products. Some call and music control is offered on Android and other smartphone devices, however, this functionality is dependent on all of model, generation, software as well as which applications are installed; as I’m sure you can appreciate, we therefore can’t guarantee full functionality on the Nokia Lumia 920.”

RHA's choice of 1.5m fabric cable helps prevent irritating tangles that would have plagued a plastic version.

Become a Patron!