Okay Geek Farm
RHA CA-200 headphones review
Ricardo Trejo
While people are oogling over the latest set of Beats, Reid and Heath Acoustics over in Britain are a looking to make headway in the headphones game. But do they have what it takes to offer cheap alternatives to some of the goods the big boys are selling? Their offerings aren’t huge, a line up of 4 different models are currently on the market, so we’re going to be looking at their first two sets; the CA-200 headphones today, and later next week the MA-350 earbuds.
Features
- 40mm mylar drivers
- Lightweight - 156g (0.34lbs.)
- 3.5mm gold plated connections
- Detachable, braided, fabric cable
- RHA ErgoFit system (ability for ear cups to pivot)
Our Impressions
There isn’t much to the CA-200’s right out of the box since the only accessory provided is the removable Y-styled audio cable that plugs into the bottom of each earcup. The headphones themselves are glossed over in black which are huge fingerprint magnets, some of which can even be seen in the photos we took for this review.
When holding the CA-200’s you’ll tend to notice that the earcups jostle pretty easily, which is caused by the “ErgoFit” tech that RHA created though we’ll speak on that later. However, it is a little of annoyance since everytime you pick them up or even move them a bit they rattle. The self-promoted RHA branding was a big “no-no” since it kills a bit of the edge the headphones had going for them in terms of a sleek, glossy design.
Overall, the first impression we had with the headphones themselves were that of a cheap alternative headset one would get to simply get by.
The provided audio cable is 1.2 meters long, or something to the tune of 3 feet and a couple of inches, although it doesn’t play host to any iPod play controls. The cable itself is lined with a braided fabric which does wonders to prevent tangled up messes when carrying around these guys.
Not to mention the cable is also detachable which makes for easy traveling so that you don’t end up throwing them into your pocket and becoming like commonly seen tattered white Apple earbuds.
Comfort
In terms of adjusting the size on these, RHA opted to throw in their patented “ErgoFit” system which pivots the each earcup to fit automatically alongside your head’s contour. It’s an interesting idea to say the least, however, it’s not one that I would say was executed to a T, though it does do the trick since they not only pivot up and down but also to the sides as well. Alongside this is also the means to adjust the length of each earcup for small or generously sized heads.
The earcups are made out of a synthetic cushion that after prolonged use of about more than an hour or so really don’t cause any sort of fatigue on your ears. This is a big plus considering if you’re using these as your main listening device when studying, casually listening to music, or whatever you’d do with these, the overexposure to your ears won’t kill your experience. The cups themselves are quite large and even fit my entire ear into the cushions, so that’s quite commendable.
The drivers are easily discernable with a thin mesh material covering them through the center of earcups and come in nice and clear, however, while it doesn’t feel if there’s a barrier between you and your music, there is something of a strange experience in the way the sound resonates into your ear — more on that later though.
It’s also pretty awesome that even with the “ErgoFit” stuff automatically adjusting to your ears and no “lock-in” feature, they remain relatively still while you’re wearing them.
The headband itself doesn’t bend in any sort of way since it’s solidly constructed as one unit the whole way through, which isn’t a big player in comfort and is more of a design choice than anything else since the earcups pivot to your fit anyway.
Sound and Performance
So the headphones are pretty good so far, “but how do they sound,” you ask? Well, this will all depend on your taste in music as well if you can overlook a certain defect (feature?) that plagues most songs we listened to.
For example, when listening to some mid’s populated from vocal heavy, indie, or folk music, such as Death Cab For Cutie, The Weepies, or the Temper Trap, it sounded as if the artists were cupping their hands over their mouthes to get the sound over to me. I’m not sure if this a problem with the design and placement of the drivers or simply something happening within the drivers themselves but it gives everything a sorta condensed sound.
Surprisingly, though, bass heavy songs performed by artists like Daft Punk or Philter really filled up that space that seemed to be lacking when listening to music rich in vocal auditory. It’s a mixed bag that was hit or miss when it came to each time I went to pick these up and listen to some tunes.
Overall
For £29 pounds, or nearly $50 in US dollars, what you pay is what you get. And with the CA-200’s you’re getting quite the bargain, although sound quality is not bad just… odd. While their design can get some getting used to and a matter of preference, for the price it’s hard to find a glossy pair of headphones that look sophisticated (despite the RHA branding on each side), feel comfortable overall, and actually perform well, but again you’re taste in music will all depend on whether you should take the plunge or not with the CA-200’s by RHA.
Pro’s
- Audio cable provided doesn’t tangle
- ErgoFit actually does the trick and is comfortable
Con’s
- Design is hit or miss
- Sound quality has issues with mid-range sounds
Where to buy
Amazon — MSRP: £29.95
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