Gadget review: RHA Ca-200 headphones

By Grant Paterson
Published on Tuesday 24 January 2012 16:15

When looking for a good set of headphones we all want a set which offers exceptional sound quality at a reasonable price. The Reid and Heath Acoustics (RHA) Ca-200’s fit the bill perfectly.

They are a clear yet punchy sounding set of headphones which fit with comfort. For this reason alone you could be mistaken for believing they’ve been designed by a boffin in a top secret lab in some far off part of the world. I did and therefore hadn’t expected to find them right on my doorstep - in Glasgow.

West coast acoustic company RHA pride themselves on cutting edge design and innovation but I wondered if their new Ca-200 ‘around the ear’ headphones could compete against the big boys. It’s fair to say I’m a sucker for a good underdog story yet I really did hope they would look more like an A-List than B-grade celebrity. I was pleasantly surprised - attractive smooth contours and space-age design easily satisfied me that there were more Portman than Price.

Keeping the design simple, they look expensive and come in only two colours - black or white. Aimed at the iPhone generation, where comfort and technological cool go hand-in-hand.

The RHA ‘Ergofit’ system uses a sliding ball and socket mechanism to adjust the headphones. Light-weight and flexible, they are made from plastic but are extremely comfortable.

The soft pads fit snugly around the ears, applying the perfect amount of pressure to isolate sound while the light-weight materials ensure they remain comfortable for all day listening. Clever.

The headband too never feels obstructive as it’s a strip of padded leather material. I found the cabling to be exceptionally clever - it’s detachable and fabric braided, which eliminates tangling and prolongs the life.

Detachable cabling has been available in high-end headphones for quite some time but the use of fabric braided cable truly beats the alternatives.

Ca-200’s are driven by two 40mm Mylar drivers, neodymium magnet and CCAW voice coils which, in plain English, means the sound is exceptionally clear, made from professional grade components usually found in much more expensive sets.

The 3.5mm gold plated connections have become a standard feature on most headphones these days, but will allow the best audio transfer and in keeping with current standards.

The Ca-200’s give an exceptionally clear and fast sound. The dynamic range is decent and the bass punchy, easily good enough for most music tastes from rock to classical to pop and electronic.

At a mere £39 they are fantastic value. RHA have entered into a world where the market has been dominated by technological super powers such as Japan, Germany and the USA. A scary prospect for some but not for the little Scottish company. In doing so they have punched well above their weight thanks to their inventiveness, grit and determination.

So, that’s me off to play ‘Flower of Scotland’ very, very loud and smile smugly at a Scottish company echoing the ethos of Scottish engineering with pride and innovation.

• www.rhacoustics.com

• Follow @scotsmantech on Twitter

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Mario Antoinette

Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 02:45 PM

very hard to write a 1000 word essay on headphones, i know - but dynamic range is more important than how snazzy they look. Bass Response ? 50hz or lower ? top range ? cmon.

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