Introduction
The RHA MA390 is a budget-friendly pair of in-ear headphones that promises a punchy audio experience without breaking the bank. In this review, we’ll delve into its design, sound quality, comfort, and overall performance.
Design
The RHA MA390 boasts a sleek and durable design. The aluminum construction not only looks premium but also ensures longevity. The earbuds are lightweight, making them comfortable for extended use. The cable is tangle-resistant, a practical touch for on-the-go lifestyles. The in-line remote is conveniently placed, allowing easy control of playback and calls.
Sound Quality
The MA390 earphones are great for their price when it comes to sound. The deep bass adds a nice thump to your music without being too strong. The mid and high tones are clear, giving you a well-balanced listening experience.
The earphones also do a good job of blocking out background noise, making your audio time more immersive. Whether you like heavy bass or focus on vocals, the MA390 performs well and is worth considering.
Comfort
The earbuds are designed to fit comfortably in your ears and stay in place, so they won’t fall out when you move around. The package comes with different ear tips to suit various ear shapes and sizes, making sure you can find the perfect fit. This considerate design makes it comfortable to wear the earbuds for a long time, whether you’re commuting or exercising.
Pros
- Sturdy aluminum build
- Balanced and punchy audio
- Tangle-resistant cable
- Excellent noise isolation
- Comfortable and secure fit
Cons
- Limited color options
- In-line remote could be more responsive
Overall Performance
The RHA MA390 is a great choice for people who want good audio without spending too much money. It’s well-made, sounds really good, and feels comfortable to wear. Even though it doesn’t have fancy features, it’s a solid option for a reliable and enjoyable listening experience in its price range.
Kai –
I’ve been a long time Sennheiser earbud user, but decided to try these RHA buds as they have a good rating and come with a guarantee – we all know how annoying the cutting-out of thin cables can be!
The packaging is superb and stylish, with the headphones displayed nicely. There is a pouch to store them in and extra earbuds.
The feel on these is … not premium. The white buds seem quite tough, and the medium-sized buds feel looser in the ears than Sennheiser equivalents. The result is that the noise isolation doesn’t feel quite right (the larger buds are just that touch too large for me).
The sound is punchy, but bass-heavy. I shouldn’t gripe because these were only £19.90, but I would have thought the amount of “premium” slogans on these would have been an indication of slightly more premium feel.
J. H –
Having owned through the years hundreds of pairs of headphones ranging from freebies to £400+ I can honestly say for build/sound quality there is very little competition to the RHA MA390 for £20. I was pleasantly surprised at the clear, punchy sound, with deep full bass, well balanced highs and very distinct vocals. It’s easily comparable to that of pairs in the £70-£80 price range. As for build quality, the aluminium build of the actual buds is sturdy and the cable is made from fabric up to the split then rubber. The one button set-up for calls/voice assistant works well, and I don’t particularly miss the lack of volume controls found on other models. Furthermore the inclusion of a 3 year warranty is testament to the faith RHA have in the quality of their build. I would be delighted to get 3 years out of headphones in general at this price, and the warranty guaranteeing that offers great peace of mind. Overall a great product for the price and in general.
Timos –
Well, they certainly won’t win any awards for accuracy, but these diminutive earphones deliver a ‘fun’, punchy sound – well suited to pop, rock and hip-hop. They’re not great with classical and more detailed genres of music; there’s a bit too much bass for my liking, and the treble could be sweeter. Also, the bass seems to ‘colour’ the other musical frequencies, and the mids in particular suffer as a result. HOWEVER, despite these misgivings, the overall sound produced is rather pleasant, and the soundstage is surprisingly wide for in-ear cans. For that reason I can recommend this set. They’re likely to be an improvement over the free earphones bundled with your smartphone, at least.
They come with three sets of earpieces – so you’re bound to find a fit that suits you – and there’s a soft carrying case and a shirt clip included as well. Also fitted to the cable is a one-button remote, which works just fine. There’s no volume control, but personally I don’t miss this – I just use the volume rocker on my phone through my pocket. One piece of advice if you decide to change the rubber earpieces provided: turn them inside-out before putting them onto the actual earphone. This is a bit fiddly, but a lot less fiddly than fitting them ‘right-way round’.
Some have complained about the loss of sound from one channel or the other over time and other build quality issues, but there’s a 3-year warranty so if you do have problems RHA should sort you out. For £20, these are a bargain. If you’re a bit strapped for cash I can’t imagine you’d get more for your money elsewhere.
Panayot Dobrev –
First thing first: Look and feel really well made for the price. The buds are metal, looking solid, the cable is half braided, half normal. It is braided until it splits up for the ears. It’s a nice soft cable that doesn’t need a lot of time to break and soften so it feels nice straight from the box.
Sound: Punching above their price tag for sure! Quite a wide stage for such earphones with a nice amount of bass. Nothing too serious though but it’s there. Sound is good, nothing too exceptional but for the price these are definitely one of the best earphones out there.
If you think on upgrading your original phone earphones, these are a pretty good choice and a nice value. And moreover come with a 3 year guarantee which at this price point is a no brainer.
Will try to update this review as time goes on to report on the build quality.
Speccy Four-eyes –
Not sure I like the rubber coated upper part – I realise this may have been due to the rustling people complained about with the fabric covering but if you wore the MA350 behind and over the ear you wouldn’t have had the problem 😉
Nor am I keen on the positioning of the microphone/remote on the MA390u when you wear the cables behind and over the ears – it feels too far back. But, as I bought these to mainly listen to music, it’s a small issue for me.
The sound is warm, yet clear and the ear buds fit me well using the smallest supplied buds. I also like the cable tidy that’s on the upper part of the ear phones. I did initially think it was pointless as I assumed it would only go as far the microphone/remote but then I discovered that that side was split to enable the removal of the wire so you can bypass the remote and reconnect above it.
The remote is also a nice addition. It works well and comes in useful when your phone is in your pocket.
I also preferred the L shaped phone jack on the MA350 as it didn’t stick out so far and I found to be less likely to get caught on things.
So why am I still giving 5* to this product? My complaints are minor niggles and don’t detract from the quality of the product. These are very good earphones and I would definitely recommend them to others.