RHA T20 Wireless IEM’s.

Disclaimer: I have not been paid or sponsored by RHA for this review.
The views in this publication are unbiased and my own.

Lorna and RHA kindly sent these IEM’s in for review and they currently sell for £199.95.

Review equipment and software used:

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus.
Audioquest Dragonfly Black V1.5.
Spotify Premium.
Single ended output.

Astell & Kern AK70.
Balanced and single ended outputs.

iBasso Pelican PB2 balanced portable headphone amplifier.

Custom Forza AudioWorks balanced hybrid mmcx cable.

Packaging and accessories:

Where do I start? The RHA T20’s come boxed up in a lovely well presented package seen more in higher end products.
The box is packed with lots of accessories including some very premium “Attachments” which I will list below.

3 pairs of stainless steel tuning filters. Each pair has a different sound characteristic. These are screwed into and presented on a stainless steel holder which has a colour coded guide that clearly informs you which filter is which.
The holder itself is very well made with no sharp edges and a smooth black finish.

1 stainless steel card holding 10 pairs of ear tips.
6 pairs of dual density silicone ear tips. ( S, M & L )
2 pairs of dual flange silicone ear tips. ( S & L )
2 pairs of Comply Foam Comfort Tsx-400 ear tips. ( M )

Again this is very well made and presented and there are a good selection of tips to choose from as you can see.
This is also supplied in a smooth black finish.

1 single ended ( unbalanced ) OFC mmcx audio cable terminated in a 3.5mm jack.
Although the cable is shielded in rubber it feels and looks high end.
Made well and doesn’t feel delicate or fragile in any way.

1 SecureFlex Bluetooth Neckband with mmcx connectors.

1 USB A to USB type C charging cable.

1 Clothing clip.

1 Neoprene carrying pouch.

1 pair of T20 In-ear monitors.

Spec:

RHA DualCoil drivers.
Swappable tuning filters.
12 hour SecureFlex Bluetooth neckband with High-Fidelity AptX.
3.5mm OFC unbalanced audio cable for wired High-Resolution listening.
Comfortable and ergonomic design for optimal noise cancelling.
Included assortment of accessories as seen above.
Detachable stainless steel housings.

Build:

The T20’s astonished me the moment I unboxed them.
For a sub £300 pair of IEM’s they ooze premium craftsmanship.
The IEM’s alone are made of a high grade stainless steel and finished in a smooth satin black.
Although they have stainless steel housings they’re not heavy. But we’ll get into that more when we speak about comfort.
The tuning filters are a great touch, really well made and are easy to screw and unscrew into place. The holder for the spare tuning filters is made of a high grade stainless steel and again finished in a really nice satin black. It has markings that are colour coded to the filters so you know which filter has what sound characteristics.
The ear tips supplied are of a high quality, extensive and yet again are housed in a stainless steel card in that superb satin black.
The unbalanced 3.5mm audio cable supplied has a rubber shielding but is of a thick, strong quality. The mmcx connectors are snappy and secure and the 3.5mm jack and Y-Splitter are again made of high grade materials.
This is my first pair of IEM’s with a neckband and it was an initial concern as I’ve never been keen on the design. However I was pleasantly impressed with both the build and the stable Bluetooth connection. It’s flexible but doesn’t give me any concerns of weak points or poor quality switches. The band is a soft silicone/rubber material but I have no worries of it wearing away any time soon.
The supplied carry case is made from neoprene and is just the right size and shape to house the T20’s, all three cables, the ear tips in their card and the tuning filters and holder without putting any strain on any of the items. I was even able to place a custom made FAW balanced cable with pigtail adaptor in the case securely along with everything else and it’s still a good fit.

You really couldn’t ask for more from a premium pair of IEM’s at this price point, and that’s before we get to the sound quality!

Getting set up:

RHA have made a Bluetooth neckband that is easy to pair with both Android & iOS.
There is no dedicated app which at first I was a bit disappointed about, however after using and listening to these IEM’s heavily for a few weeks I believe it would just complicate matters and the built in “EQ” settings on Spotify or other streaming apps are more than sufficient to make any tweaks if required.
So just pair the neckband and start listening.
On a side note, before fiddling around with EQ’s, try out the different tuning filters first. In my opinion they are the only tweak you’ll need to think about aside from finding the right ear tips for you.

Comfort:

I’ll cut to the chase here.
These are by far not my most expensive pair of IEM’s.
However they have rapidly become my “Go-To” in ears.
I get a near perfect fit in my ear canal , both cables supplied are comfy over the tops of my ears and don’t dig in or rub.
Of the ear tips I’ve so far tried they are all made of premium silicone and foam and are silky smooth in my ears.
Although the housings are made from stainless steel they don’t feel heavy, hard or cold. Against most of my lighter plastic IEM’s these are comfier by a mile.
Also, the housings are relatively small as you’ll see in some of the comparison images.
The neck band is light and soft and after a short while I can almost forget it’s there, similar to a necklace you constantly wear and get used to.
I’ve worn the T20’s in their various iterations and can say that I can happily wear them for well into three hours without any discomfort.

Mic/ANC:

The RHA T20’s don’t have built in active noise cancelling, however they create a very good seal with the correct ear tips fitted. So they passively cancel noise very well.

When speaking to my wife over the phone and FaceTime we found the mic to be clear. Background noise can be heard but at ambient levels.

Soundstage/Imaging:

Soundstage isn’t narrow but I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was wide either. I imagine myself in a decent sized studio as I find the soundstage “focused”, almost like listening to a pair of near field monitors.

Imaging is exceedingly good with great instrument separation and positioning. I can make out each instrument with no fatigue or noise.

Noise floor is really low so I can listen to the T20’s at lower volumes and get fantastic results which is something most of my other IEM’s struggle with. Get a good seal and paired with the low noise floor and you’re golden!

Bass:

Deep, rich, low, clinically precise bass.
I really can’t put it any better. It’s not often that I hear a pair of IEM’s or headphones for that matter that go low and deep while keeping control and sounding accurate.
The T20’s maintain good separation and pace even at the low end of the spectrum.

Mids:

Luxurious, airy, smooth, extended.
The T20’s boast a lovely midrange that isn’t over extended or harsh.
I don’t like a lot of midrange but I’m beginning to find with certain IEM’s or headphones that I like a fair bit of midrange if it’s delivered perfectly. Yeh I’m a touch OCD about these things sometimes. And oh do the T20’s deliver!

Highs:

Razor sharp, accurate, fast and agile.
The highs take point. Every high hat hit, even the softest brush,
Percussion instruments, strings and brass all come at you with a fast and accurate energy that is quite simply the tip of the sword of the T20’s sonic abilities.

Wired VS Wireless:

I didn’t notice much of a difference between wired or wireless use of the T20’s.
Obviously using them wirelessly you’re limited in power output. However saying that, the SecureFlex neckband delivers a solid connection and sound. I don’t find the need to crank the volume right up when using it.
As an extra I tried these IEM’s out with one of my custom balanced cables on both my AK70 and powered from my iBasso Pelican PB2 balanced amplifier and I heard a significant tightening up and boost in all areas of their sound quality.

Recommendations and summery:

Go out and buy these now! Whether you’re a veteran and have a fortune to throw around or you’re new to high end audio and are looking for a nice pair of entry level IEM’s.

RHA have knocked it out of the ball park.
The T20’s have astonished me with their level of craftsmanship, tuning, design and bang for your buck.
I expected them to be good and sound decent.
I did not expect them to blow me away the way in which they have.
Until something else comes along, out of all the IEM’s I have owned or sampled in this price range the T20’s have taken the top spot in my sub £300 list of favourites.

I have tried and I mean tried really hard to find something about the T20’s to dislike or be annoyed at. And I can’t.
There is no pros & cons list to see here.

At £199.95, quite simply, they are a steal.

Thank you Lorna & RHA for sending me out such a magnificent product and for your patience.
This was my first experience with an RHA product and I will most definitely be returning to them in the future!

As always, thanks for reading folks.

Paul.

Dorian

Friday, November 13, 2020

RHA T20 Wireless IEM’s.

RHA T20 Wireless IEM’s.

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