OUR VERDICT
The RHA TrueConnect are one of the best true wireless headphones you can buy thanks to their stellar sound, reliable connection, and build quality. While they lack nice-to-have features of other true wireless headphones, the RHA TrueConnect’s core experience is one of the best.
FOR
- Balanced, detailed sound
- Excellent build quality
- Reliable connection
AGAINST
- Fingerprint magnet
- Mushy buttons
- No app to tailor sound
The Jabra Elite 65t have owned the top of our best true wireless headphones list for months, but they’ve met their match with the RHA TrueConnect.
We loved the Jabra for its long battery life, comfort, and ambient noise mode but RHA wowed us with the TrueConnect’s superior sound quality, more reliable connection, and an even more comfortable fit.
The RHA TrueConnect is the company’s first foray into the true wireless headphone market but they’ve smashed it out of the park.
All said, if you’re shopping for a pair of true wireless headphones, the $170 (£150, about AU$265) RHA TrueConnect should be at the very top of your list.
Design
The RHA TrueConnect feature an understated design with its matte-black-everything approach. The earbuds and case are coated in a soft touch rubber coating, making them feel warm to the touch against our ears. And, similar to the Apple AirPods, the TrueConnect feature stems that jut out from the bottom of each bud.
All of the headphone’s controls are activated via the single button on each earbud. You can control play/pause from either side, but only the left controls music playback while the right handles volume. You double click the right earbud to increase volume one step and a triple press lowers it. This control scheme isn’t very intuitive when you first use the headphones but we got used to it quickly.
The case of the TrueConnects features a unique swivel design that reveals the earbuds when pushed back. It’s a little annoying not being able to tell which way the case swivels since the design is symmetrical but that’s hardly a deal breaker.
The case itself is extremely well built with an aluminum cover that’s PVD coated black. We found that the PVD coating began wearing off slightly on the edges after a couple months of use and, because the case body is covered in the same matte black soft-touch rubber as the earbuds, it attracts a ton of fingerprints.
You’ll find a single USB-C charging port on the bottom of the case, which means the earbuds top off more quickly than headphones using the outdated microUSB port.
Performance
After a couple months of testing, we came away extremely impressed by the wireless strength of the RHA TrueConnect: The headphones connected with our phone and to each other every single time we took them out of the case and we rarely experienced an audio dropout. We also didn’t experience any lip sync issues that is common with true wireless earbuds like the Bose SoundSport Wireless.
The Jabra Elite 65t is also reliable but there were several times we had to reset the headphones because the stopped pairing to each other.
Not only were they reliable, but the RHA TrueConnect also impressed with its sound quality. There was no hiss when music wasn’t playing, which is an issue common with true wireless headphones and, tonally speaking, they had a great balance. Bass is deep without being overbearing, mids are lush with nice texture, and highs are exciting without sounding sibilant. The overall tonality of the TrueConnect is warm, but pleasant to listen to for hours at a time.
Even better, you’ll be able to listen to the RHA TrueConnect for hours as the earbuds last 5 hours on a charge and the battery case provides another 20 hours for a combined playtime of 25 hours. This easily matches the Jabra Elite 65t’s earbud battery life and bests its charging case capacity. And with USB-C quick charging, the RHA TrueConnect can be a pair of headphones you rely on.
Verdict
Although the TrueConnect is RHA”s first true wireless headphone, the company showed they did their research and development by making it one of the best true wireless headphones on the market today. The combination of sound quality, battery life, and wireless reliability means these are a pair of headphones you can rely on everyday.
The Jabra Elite 65t set the standard for what true wireless headphones should be and, regardless of what RHA has done here with the TrueConnect, they’re still great headphones. Compared to the RHA TrueConnect, the Jabra has more features with its useful ambient noise mode to help with situational awareness and an app that lets you tailor sound.
The RHA doesn’t have either of those features but we didn’t miss them, thanks to better sound quality and wireless reliability. The RHA also feels more like a premium product than the all-plastic Jabra.
This means the RHA TrueConnect should be at the top of your list if you’re looking for a pair of true wireless headphones that won’t break the bank. RHA may have kept us waiting for their first true wireless headphone, but it was worth the wait.
Source: techradar.com
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