RHA is back in action with their TrueConnect True Wireless Earbuds and taking aim at the top dogs in the wireless earbud market, the Apple AirPods and Jabra Elites. With inarguable convenience, an impressively bold sound, and a highly customizable and comfortable fit, RHA’s TrueConnects are shaping up to be something very special.
These earbuds will be perfect for general listeners who want a great pair of headphones with good battery life and plenty of charge for everyday use will love these headphones, while athletes will love and appreciate the IPX5 sweat and splash resistance and stable, lightweight, comfortable fit that never irritates the ear. Top all of that off with fantastic noise isolation provided by Comply memory foam ear tips, Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and a high-end, premium look and feel for a pair of plastic earbuds. Overall, the design and build is clever and impeccable, and the stability is surprising considering the lack of additional parts like wing tips or clips to hold the earbuds in place on the ear. RHA has really pulled off something special with the TrueConnect True Wireless earbuds.
Design & Build Quality
The RHA TrueConnect True Wireless earbuds sport a fingerprint-resistant matte black design that is subtle, mature, and flawless in its universal aesthetic appeal. A small LED indicates both connectivity and low battery levels, and a red dot indicator is a clean, precise way to make sure you’re putting your earbuds in the correct ears without having to awkwardly switch between them. It also helps designate the right earbud as the primary driver, which means it can act independently of the left earbud. The left earbud, on the other hand, cannot work properly without working in conjunction with the right. These earbuds are a lightweight 13 grams in weight, with IPX5 water and weather resistance that allows it to resist jets of water from any direction. These design choices make these the true wireless earbuds you’ll want for intense exercise while maintaining a premium look and feel with your audio experience. It’s truly a breath of fresh air to not have to deal with haywire touch controls during a workout.
Both earbuds have a very clean design and have buttons on the outside as opposed to much-dreaded touch controls. A single press on either earbud plays or pauses audio, but multiple taps have different functions depending on which earbud you’re using. On the left side, two taps skips forward and three taps skips backward on your audio. The right earbud’s two-press function turns volume up, while three presses turns volume down. The volume function is a bit unusual and takes a second to get used to, but it’s easy to use and doesn’t take long to get into the swing of using it in lieu of standard volume rockers. Holding the left earbud’s button summons Siri or Google Assistant, but if you don’t have that setting set up, it does nothing when you hold the button.
The sleek, unique, U-shaped charging case is very satisfying to use while being very intuitive and user-friendly. The lid slides open and the earbuds will be inside when you first open your brand new RHA TrueConnects. This metal-reinforced charging case sports three LEDs to indicate remaining charge, and fits handsomely in one’s pocket for up to 20 additional hours of charging on top of the TrueConnect’s 5 hours of battery life. The PVD-coated black case features a swivel design that reveals the earbuds when pushed back. The uniqueness of the case simply cannot be emphasized enough: it allows for the earbuds to maintain the golf tee-style design of the Apple AirPods without a larger or bulkier storage need, and the security of the storage despite the small size is incredibly admirable.
A new package of RHA TrueConnect earbuds will also come with a USB Type C cable for charging, and a stainless steel caddy with plenty of ear tips: seven pairs of soft silicone tips, and three pairs of incredible Comply memory foam Rx-2000 ear tips. The customization and noise isolation options from these ear tips alone are tremendous, and both the silicone and memory foam varieties are incredibly comfortable for hours of wear. The USB Type C Charging is a wonderful touch, so even in a pinch when you can't find your charger, most standard phone charging cables will do the trick. On top of that, charging is faster and more convenient than other options such as micro USB Type B, for example.
Comfort & Fit
The RHA TrueConnect earbuds are a dream to wear, and with the IPX5 certified splash and sweat protection, these earbuds are the perfect companion for your hikes, trips to the gym, and morning runs. While these true wireless earbuds don’t sport any wing tips, the fit is very snug and stable without them, and the onboard controls are simple and easy to use so you never have to take out your phone while you’re working out, traveling, or working. The connectivity is reliable, and the noise isolation, especially from the memory foam tips that come with the TrueConnects, is fantastic for getting immersed in the music for hours without discomfort. You might get a hint of wind noise on a very windy day, but it’s slight and doesn’t detract from the audio experience provided by RHA’s engineering and design.
Sound Quality
The British audio hardware veterans at RHA are well known for their audio engineering and have not disappointed by any stretch of the imagination with their first iteration of true wireless earbuds, the TrueConnect.
The sound is lush, vibrant, and incredibly fun in tonality. The sound signature and sound stage in general is refreshing and surprisingly wide within a 20Hz to 20kHz range, driven by 6mm dynamic drivers that deliver immersive, punchy sound effortlessly. The lows are bold and authoritative in nature, and paired with warm, hard-hitting mids and clear, crisp highs that roll off a bit at the very top end, but are nonetheless fantastic to listen to. While there’s no ambient mode, the Comply foam ear tips that come with these earbuds will enhance your listening experience considerably with natural isolation capabilities and aid considerably in rounding off the treble so you get a fuller audio experience. The overall frequency response is pretty neutral, but adds its own punchy flair nonetheless.
Like any wireless earbud, the TrueConnects probably won’t be your go-to for mixing audio or studio listening in general, and super dedicated audiophiles may prefer a pair of high-end, wired, on-ear cans for that purpose, but for everyday use both indoors and outdoors, these earbuds are absolutely perfect.
The integrated dual mic on the RHA TrueConnects is excellent for recording and taking calls, and the quality is quite surprising for a pair of in-ear wireless earbuds. There’s no muffling during calls, even in a busy environment like a crowded restaurant or busy street, though the crispness could be a bit better. To err on the safe side for recording and listening to your calls, staying indoors is definitely ideal to get the most out of your recording hardware, and, of course, to avoid any noise that might come from busy streets or windy weather.
Connectivity
The RHA TrueConnects utilize Bluetooth 5.0 for their wireless connectivity and a stem design tailored to minimizing connectivity issues. While wireless earbuds have a tendency to drop connection or go out of sync, that has never once been an issue with the TrueConnect True Wireless earbuds. Pairing is effortless and seamless in implementation with a stable range of about 10 meters, or around 33 feet. Listeners might experience split-second dropout when connecting an Android device to a Wifi or mobile network, but otherwise you can expect a very stable Bluetooth connection while you are in range. These headphones are perfect for a trip to the gym or your favorite coffee shop, your morning or evening commute, or putting in some time at work to your favorite tunes.
Those who keep up with streaming codecs will find the RHA uses SBC, which has improved considerably since its inception, rather than AAC, LDAC, aptX or aptX HD. Most ears, however, will not notice much difference between these streaming codecs and works perfectly fine for casual audio listening. The wireless strength of the TrueConnects is really impressive for wireless earphones and even trumps AirPods with ease. With minimal dropouts and no lip sync issues when streaming media, and no hiss when audio wasn’t playing, these earbuds are a fantastic investment for high-quality connectivity and wireless stability to enhance your truly wireless audio experience.
Battery Life
The RHA TrueConnect charges much more quickly than micro USB wireless earbuds because of the USB Type C charging capability. Listeners can count on 5 hours of high-quality, portable playback, and the elegant matte black case holds as much as 20 extra hours of battery for these true wireless earbuds before the case itself needs recharging. Three LED indicators on the outside of the case will give an idea of battery levels in a sleek, yet user-friendly way.
Another impressive feat the RHA TrueConnects can boast about is the ability to hit 50 percent charge in a short 15 minutes. That means 2 and a half hours of listening time at your fingertips in the time it takes you to grab a cup of coffee at your favorite cafe. The quick charging is incredibly convenient and walking around with over a day’s worth of playback in your pocket is a wonderful feeling.
Our Verdict
All in all, the RHA TrueConnect True Wireless Earbuds are an incredible value in terms of design, build quality, audio quality, and features. True wireless lovers who aren’t impressed by Apple’s AirPods or Jabra’s Elite 65ts will love the comfort and stability provided by the RHA TrueConnects. These RHA earbuds are perfect for audiophiles everywhere looking for a truly wireless and premium listening experience. What’s not to love about Comply memory foam ear tips for high-end noise isolation while you listen to your favorite tunes without a wire anywhere in sight?
The sleek, mature design, unique and amazing charging case, recording quality, and total comfort and security of the fit make it some of the best truly wireless earbuds available. The 36-month warranty isn’t anything to sniff at, either. Athletes and exercise aficionados will love the IPX5 splash and sweat resistance and find the TrueConnects to be the perfect gym companion. The Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity is impressive as well, though aptX streaming codec support would have been nice, it’s a small caveat in an otherwise almost perfect package tailored to a true wireless experience like no other that is perfect for everyday use.