Apple's AirPods started a wave of truly wireless earbuds so there are plenty of great alternatives. The RHA TrueConnect headphones are a prime example. Find out why in our review.
Should I Buy The RHA TrueConnect?
Our Verdict
- The wait for RHA's truly wireless earbuds was worth it. They're much more affordable than most rivals and have a lot to offer.We love the comfortable and lightweight design and stylish charging case that offers a total of 25 hours battery life. More importantly the sound quality is outstanding and there a no annoying dropouts either. We couldn't ask for much more.
Price When Reviewed
- $169.95
Bluetooth earbuds have come a long way in a short time. RHA has been biding its time to launch a truly wireless pair and it seems the wait has paid off and you'll find out in our TrueConnect review.
Before we start, let's quickly define what we mean about truly wireless earbuds. Of course, wireless headphones have been around for a long time, but earbuds that have no wires at all – not even connected to each other – are known as truly wireless earbuds.
RHA has made plenty of wireless pairs, but we're talking about ones like the MA390 and MA650 which are known as 'neckbuds' due to the way the connecting wire runs between each earbud around your neck. The TrueConnect are a top Air Pods alternative.
Price
So far the wireless earbuds we've reviewed average at about £200/$200 with some stretching to £300/$300.
However, the RHA TrueConnect are priced at just £149/$169. That matches the Jabra Elite 65t as the cheapest pair we've tested to date. You can buy them from RHA, Amazon and John Lewis.
Check out our chart of the best wireless earbuds.
Design & Build
A lower price than rivals would normally mean a dip in build quality but that's not the case here. With RHA we've come to expect a high standard and the TrueConnect meet this level for sure.
Although the earbuds themselves are constructed from plastic, they don't feel cheap. Instead, they look and feel suitably premium with a nice matt finish. Choosing plastic over metal helps keep them lighter and at just 13g for both, they're very light. As of July 2019, RHA has introduced two new colours: Cloud White and Navy Blue.
There are medium silicone tips already on them in the box then a further six sets in small, medium and large. That's not all as you also get Comply Foam tips in the three sizes too. They're all stored on a neat aluminium sheet.
Moving onto the charging case and this is the best one we've seen yet. It's stylish and has a stainless steel metal frame. The inner part flips out so you can slot the headphone in and there's a USB-C port rather than older Micro-USB for charging the case itself. A set of three LEDs on the side indicate the battery level.
It's nice to see IPX5 sweat and splash resistance on a pair cheaper than rivals.
The last thing to mention on design is that both earbuds have a button on the outside for control. You have to push inwards which on other pairs has been awkward and painful but it's not so bad here, largely as the buttons don't require too much force.
You'll need to spend some time learning the controls, though, as each earbud does different things. We double tapped the right bud expecting to skip a track but the volume went up instead. So while the right controls volume, the left handles skipping forwards and backwards.
Sound Quality & Features
Although the TrueConnect don't offer any kind of noise cancelling, the seal – particularly with the Comply Foam tips – is excellent so you get excellent acoustic noise isolation. The world around you is shut out nicely and the headphones don't leak sound.
The TrueConnect earbuds use Bluetooth 5.0 which is the latest version. This coupled with the stem design is aimed to minimise connectivity issues. Having two wireless devices on either side of your head makes things tricky in this respect. Wireless earbuds often suffer from dropouts but we've not found any problems which is a big plus point.
Like the Sony WF-1000X, the earbuds contain 6mm drivers with a frequency range of 20Hz-20kHz. There might not be support for aptX or AAC but if this means nothing to you then you're unlikely to notice the difference.
Even to our trained ears, the TrueConnect earbuds sound nothing short of stunning despite this shortfall.
We listened to all kinds of music and all elements across the mid- and high-range are reproduced with precision and attention. What's most impressive is the bass, which is extremely powerful yet doesn't overpower the overall sound. It's warm and rich, giving a subwoofer quality which is very rear for in-ear headphones with small drivers.
Battery life is solid as the TrueConnect buds can last up to five hours on a single charge. The case can then charge them a total of four times giving you a whopping 25 hours before you need to replenish the case.
Once popped in, the charging case will charge the earbuds to 50 percent in a sprightly 15 minutes.
Specs
- Driver: 6mm dynamic
- Frequency range: 20-20,000Hz
- Range (unobstructed): 10m
- Charging (from 0%): 15m to 50%
- 1h40 to 100%
- Sweat/splash resistance: IPX5
- Weight (earbuds): 13g
- Manufacturer's Warranty: 3 years
- Included in box:
- Charging case
- USB C charging cable
- RHA TrueConnect silicone ear tips: 2xS, 3xM, 2xL
- Comply Foam TrueGrip Plus ear tips: 1xS, 1xM, 1xL
- Stainless steel ear tip holder
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