RHA MA350 Aluminium Noise Isolating In-Ear Earphones - 3 year warranty

Having just misplaced my second set of Shure SE210s, I wanted to find a well-made pair of noise-isolating headphones that wouldn't break the bank. Based on the reviews, I narrowed my choice to the RHA MA-350s and Soundmagic's E10s, eventually plumping for the RHAs based on their closed-driver design (I like to keep my music to myself), the braided non-tangle cable, the volume of positive user reviews - and the fact they're British!

The build quality is excellent and coupled with the design it certainly suggests a pair of headphones costing much more than the £30 asking price. Straight out of the box, the sound appeared to be very bass heavy, dominating the mid and treble. I'm not sure whether burning in really does make any difference or if it's purely psychological, but after listening to music through them for the last six hours, my impression is of a very involving, warm, rich sound. The bass is prominent, but handled brilliantly and it's not to the detriment of the overall experience: there's a lot of detail in all the music I've been listening to today. And, unlike with my Shures, six hour of listening hasn't left me with aching ears!

Overall, a great pair of earbuds that delivers build quality, aesthetics and sound comparable to much more expensive headphones. Go on, treat yourself: you won't be disappointed.

I ordered these headphones back in September based on a review on "The Register" website. I have since been very impressed with their sound quality, design and ease of wearing.

However, recently, I dropped the headphones and, in a fluke hit, the ear bud separated. I contact Reid & Heath Acoustics to see if I could get them repaired. However, I was very pleasantly surprised when they offered to replace them under warranty (saying the headphones should have withstood a simple drop onto tiles). The replacements arrived yesterday and I now have both an excellent set of headphones and a very good impression of the company.

I will definitely buy more from Reid & Heath Acoustics and recommend them as a cut above the pack.

I purchased these headphones over the Sennheiser alternative. While similarly specc'd, the made in the UK stamp and aluminium construction drew me to the Reid and Heath headphones, and I wasn't disappointed.

They arrived in beautiful off grey and orange packaging. The standard size ear buds fitted fine and are comfortable for prolonged listening sessions so I haven't tried the smaller or larger ones which also come with the headphones. The sound quality and noise isolation is very good, as a result they are 'loud' compared to other headphones, I run my iPhone on minimum volume when listening to music at work.

The bass response is subtle and articulated, not too overpowering, while mids and highs raise no complaints. Compared to stock iPod headphones you hear a lot more detail in the music and in the basslines and background, which is really exciting. Compared to my other headphones, Grado SR80i, they perform admirably, they are not as subtle or colourful and the bass is a little muddier, but they are a quarter of the price, have go anywhere appeal and the Grados are a really tough benchmark to compare against!

The cord has a braided cover which helps reduce tangling and gives a quality feel. This matches the aluminium buds - they feel much more robust than the standard plastic variety on most ear bud headphones.

The only negatives I can find is that the headphone lead feels a little short, it works fine if your MP3 player is in your trouser pocket, but if you have it on a desk it has to be close. The other negative is you hear yourself a lot when eating with these headphones on, I think it because the are noise isolating and brushing the braided cable across clothes is loud as well - the noise travelling directly up the lead to you ear.

These two points aside, I really recommend them, they are good value and good quality.