In the $50 price range there are very few superb earphones and it is generally one of the worst price ranges to buy within, although the MA450i earphones from RHA offer some great performance. For people trying to get rid of their generic earphones or the included Apple ones, the MA450i’s offer some of the best bass sound I have ever heard from a pair of sub-$50 earphones.
There are definitely some issues with the MA450i such as a tinny or metallic sound at higher volumes but in most use scenarios everything sounds as it should.
Although the actual sound signature is fine, bumping into the cord does produce the annoying thump sound. This can make the earphones annoying to use when exercising–try lifting weights without hitting the cord, it’s not easy–but otherwise, there are no truly significant issues with the MA450i.
Since the MA450i is meant to be used with Apple devices it comes with an inline three-button remote which can sometimes be finicky due to its size but is otherwise useful. One of the things that truly stood out to me when I was unboxing the MA450i were the seven pairs of included ear tips, which is twice as many as you would normally receive with $50 earphones.
The cord is fabric braided which results in less tangling but by no means is the cord tangle-free, whenever I took the earphones out of my pocket they were tangled. However, tangling is relatively easy to avoid as long as you use the included carrying case which is also good for protecting them.
Final Thoughts
Without a doubt, there are some issues with the MA450i when it comes to their sound performance at higher frequencies and volumes but for softer songs, they are great. As long as the volume is kept down, most sound issues are easily avoided and at the $50 price point, I am surprised that the MA450i didn’t have more issues.
The inclusion of a carrying case and seven pairs of ear tips makes the purchase even better.
Where To Buy
You can purchase the RHA MA450i earphones at the following locations: