RHA SA950i

About once a month, I hear some variation of "I'm not willing to spend more than $50" in the same breath as "I want a really great pair of headphones?what do you recommend?" In the past, I would recommend spending more money?cheap headphones are usually poorly constructed and offer horrible audio performance. But a new breed of budget options is changing the game. The RHA SA950i, at $59.95 (list), is a great deal. If you like deep bass, the SA950i delivers, even at top volumes, without distortion, and the highly tweaked frequency response sounds far better than most sub-$60 options. Throw in a removable cable with iPhone controls, and the SA950i is?bargain for bass-lovers on a budget.

Design
The SA950i's simple, elegant design implies a higher price tag. Its supra-aural (on-ear) earcups have a glossy black plastic exterior, and the rest of the lightweight frame consists mainly of a padded black leather-like material and chrome accents. The design is reminiscent of the Skullcandy Roc Nation Aviator's sunglass-lens-shaped ear cup motif. Each ear cup houses a 40mm titanium-coated driver, with the RHA logo emblazoned on the chrome base of the headband.

More and more, we're seeing removable cables on headphones and earphones, and it's a welcome development?the removable cable adds tremendous value to your investment. Since cables are usually the first element of headphones and earphones to malfunction over time, in this case, you only need to replace the cable itself rather than the entire headphone pair. The SA950i's removable cable has a black fabric braided surface, with iPhone controls and a microphone built-in (the controls also work with most Android devices). The 3.5mm connector has a slightly broader base than you typically see for iPhone-friendly cables. It shouldn't be an issue with most iPhone cases, but it's worth noting.

There are no accessories to speak of, such as a case, bag, or an airplane adapter. But these exclusions ostensibly help keep the price of the SA950i down.

Performance
One common characteristic of cheap headphones is a tendency to seriously distort on deep bass, especially at high volumes and sometimes even at moderate levels. The RHA SA950i, however, shows just how far affordable headphones have come in this respect. At maximum volume on deep bass tracks, such as the Knife's "Silent Shout," there is no detectable distortion to speak of?and plenty of booming low end response. You get the feeling that if you were able to push the volume just a tad higher, distortion would enter the picture, but on our test suite of challenging deep bass songs, the SA950i had a clean response even at top, unsafe-for-listening volumes.

Beyond simply not distorting, the SA950i sounds surprisingly solid for a $60 pair. The bass is boosted noticeably, and the treble is tweaked significantly. The result is never harsh, but things can occasionally sound overly-bright, and low frequency elements of instrumental music?a large drum in "The Chairman Dances," a classical piece by John Adams, for instance?can sound far more bass-heavy and deep than they should. In other words, the RHA SA950i isn't for purists, but there's nothing really in this price range that is appropriate for the audio purist to begin with.

That said, the overall sound signature of the SA950i is easy to like. The response may be highly sculpted, but it lends a level of excitement to many styles of music, even classical and jazz?in some cases, despite the bass being on the heavy side.

The kick drum in Bill Callahan's "Drover" sounds a tad more intense, perhaps, than the mix engineer intended, but it certainly adds an interesting dimension to the song. Unfortunately, the tweaked highs and boosted lows leave the middle frequencies behind a bit, and sometimes vocals like Callahan's baritone can lose their edge and sound slightly muffled.

The thump of the beat and deep bass synth hits on Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild" are delivered cleanly, and the while the vocals again sound a bit pinched or muffled, the sculpted highs brighten up other aspects of the mix.

If you love intense bass, the SA950i's sculpted response is about as good as it gets for $60 or less. The removable cable is a plus, and the lack of accessories is not a big deal for something this affordable. Another budget offering, the Senta-40 Wood Headphones by C. Crane, offers an alluring wood-based design and decent low frequency response, as well, but does have some minor distortion at top volumes. If you're interested in checking out a wireless option in this range, the Outdoor Technology DJ Slims ?sport a look that might not be for everyone, but deliver strong Bluetooth audio for just $10 more than the SA950i. Finally, if you like the on-ear look and feel, and your budget is much more flexible, the Bowers & Wilkins P3 ?offers excellent performance, though it's a bit less crisp than some listeners might prefer. For the money, however, the SA950i is a great deal, particularly for lovers of deep bass and modern music mixes.

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