RHA may not be a household name like Sennheiser or Beats, but that doesn’t mean it can’t build great headphones. Previously, the company has been known for the likes of the RHA MA750 Wireless headphones, which many quite liked. Now, the company’s back with another pair — the RHY MA650 Wireless headphones.
But can the headphones improve on the previous model while still coming at a decent price? We put the RHA MA650 Wireless headphones to the test to find out.
Design
The first thing to notice about the RHA MA650 Wireless headphones is their design, and they’re not bad-looking. The headphones feature a neckband design, with small plastic wires that extend from the ends of each side of that neckband.
On the right arm of the neckband, you’ll find a power button, with the control remote sits half way down the right wire. The remote is pretty basic, featuring a standard three-button setup. On the right arm, you’ll also find a USB-C charging port. We’re glad RHA opted for USB-C here — MicroUSB is outdated, and no company developing a new product should be using it at this point.
The headphones are available in two different colors — white, and black — and they both look pretty classy. We’re reviewing the white version of the headphones, though judging by the photos on the website we think the black looks a little sleeker. You can’t really go wrong either way though.
The actual neckband seems pretty well-built too. It’s made from a rubber material that’s nice and flexible, which means that it’s less likely to break if under any stress. The build quality of the wires connecting the earbuds, however, could be a little better — the wire felt like it could break relatively easy, which is never good.
In the box, you’ll get a nice selection of accessories. Apart from the headphones themselves, you’ll get a carry pouch, and a hefty eight pairs of ear tips, including the ones that come pre-installed. Ear tips are different sizes, flanged, and even one pair of memory foam tips. We really appreciate that — not everyone has the same sized ears, and memory foam tips help ensure that the headphones stay firmly in the ear when necessary.
Comfort
In-ear headphones generally have a rough time when it comes to comfort, and these are no different. Thankfully, the earbuds themselves are relatively small so you should be able to wear them for a while without them getting too uncomfortable.
The main issue we had was that the shape of the headphones doesn’t lend itself very well to the headphones staying firmly in your ear. We found some success with different ear tips, especially the memory foam pair, through we still felt like the headphones fell out a little too often.
Sound
Of course, the most important thing to consider when you’re buying a new pair of headphones is how they sound — and thankfully, these headphones sound pretty good. They may not, however, be for everyone.
Let’s start with the bass, which we found to be pretty natural-sounding. The bass was relatively powerful, and while it didn’t really extend as deep as some might like, it was still loud enough for most situations.
The mid range featured a somewhat unique sound profile. While the low mids are relatively warm and present, it’s the high mids that really got a boost here. We didn’t really like the overly boosted high mids — it made snare drums a little piercing, and vocals sound a bit like an AM radio.
The high end is pretty well-tuned and clear, thanks in large to the fact that the headphones feature aptX support. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed a bit by the high mid boost — if the high mids were cut a little, the high end would probably sound even better.
Soundstage on these headphones was fine, though not mind-blowing, and the headphones were fine at cutting out any outside sound, especially when they were equipped with the comply memory foam tips.
Performance
The RHA MA650 Wireless headphones are, as the name suggests, wireless — meaning they’ll connect to your listening device through Bluetooth. We’re not sure of the Bluetooth version, but they should get you 10 meters, or 33 feet, of listening range. We found that the headphones were generally pretty good at retaining a good connection.
When it comes to battery life, the headphones will get 12 hours — which isn’t bad for in-ear headphones. It’s not stellar — but it’s pretty good.
Conclusions
The RHA MA650 Wireless headphones have a lot to offer. They feature a relatively nice design, are pretty comfortable despite the fact that they seem to fall out a lot, and sound decent. They’re not perfect — as mentioned, they can fall out a lot, and there’s a somewhat frustrating high mid boost — but at $100, those are negligible issues.
But are there better options? Well, yes — but they come at a price. We think the V-Moda Forza Metallo Wireless is perhaps one of the best neckband-style pairs of headphones, but it costs $170 — so you’ll have to keep that in mind. Alternatively, there’s the JLab Gravity neckband, which comes in at $40.
Still, because of their good value for money, we’re awarding the RHA MA650 Wireless headphones the Headphone Review Bronze Medal.
| Store | Price |
|---|---|
 |
$99.95 |
| RHA | $99.95 |
| Frequency response | 16Hz – 22kHz | Active noise cancellation |
No |
| Driver size | Unkown | Noise attenuation | Unknown |
| Driver type |
Dynamic | In-line controls | Yes |
| Design |
Closed | Microphone | Yes |
| Sensitivity | Unknown | Eartip material | Gel |
| Rated impedance |
Unknown | Magnet material | Unknown |
| Total harmonic distortion |
Unknown | Water resistance | IPX4 |
| Rated input power |
Unknown | Battery life | 12 Hours |
| Maximum input power |
Unknown | Wireless distance | 10m (33ft) |
| Wireless connection |
Bluetooth | Cable length | N/A |
| Wired connection |
No | Case type | Pouch |
| Detachable cable |
N/A | In-the-box |
|
| Weight | 33g (1.2oz) | Colors | Black, white |