General Information
My Quest for Bluetooth Perfection- a review of the RBH EP1b
I received this pair from RBH Sound as compensation for my review but I have previously purchased every headphone they have made on my own dime.
I want the convienence of Bluetooth. I also demand superior audio. I used to really love my Beats Studio Wireless headphones and would defend them against fellow headfiers as being a completely competent set of earphones. After testing several Bluetooth headsets, I can say I've heard much worse, and much better. I reached out to RBH as it is no secret to anyone in any headphone or IEM forum that my love for the rbh epsb is unparalleled with any wired or wireless IEM on the market, including Sennheiser ie800, Dunu 2000j, Sony XBA Z5, jaybird X2, X3, Bose Soundsport, or Nuforce Be6i. There is a certain magic that the epsb uses to get the best detail and soundstage I've ever heard. Ever. So I was curious about the hp1b, their full size wireless headphones.
Rbh was kind enough to send me a pair to review. After two weeks of testing, I can offer a comparison with Beats Studio Wireless and the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2.0.
My listening occurred on an iPhone 6 with my iTunes library through the Iaudiogate music player with eq turned off. Songs used for review- Pink Floyd Time studio version and The Knife Silent Shout.
Pink Floyd- Time: what instantly stands out to me is that the bass on the Hp1s go deeper than both the Momentums and the Studios. The Hp1s offer a good soundstage, nice separation, although the bass creeps into the mids occasionally, however I found myself really missing the bass when switched to the Momentums. The Studios were doing fine keeping up in sound quality until we get to David Gilmour's solo. The solo was full of harsh treble that got fatiguing quickly. The Momentums sounded smooth throughout and so they should for being the most expensive Bluetooth headset on the market. They better. The HP1bs have a v shaped sound and are fun but with a little eq which I stayed away from for this test, they can get pretty darn close to the Momentums for half the price. The Studios mids are really good, the bass is okay, but the treble lost me. Also, the HP1bs get louder than the other two without distorting. Bluetooth audio always suffers from a bad volume limit, but not so with the RBH offering, I am so happy to report.
The Knife- Silent Shout: this is the song to test out the bass on any headphone. Holy cow! RBH must have put a subwoofer In These cans! This sounds awesome and impactful. Hip hop, EDM, techno, they all shine the most with the Hp1s. The mids were clearer and more airy on the Momentums, but again at double the price point. The Studios, well, they sounded okayish.
A note about comfort- the HP1s are by far the most comfortable of the three by quite a long shot. They feel light while I can't wear the Studios for more than a half hour because of the pressure put upon my noggin. The Sennheisers split the difference and become uncomfortable after an hour or two. I can wear the HP1bs all day without any problem.
The Big Surprise- I know this is a wireless review but the truth is, the HP1s really shine when plugged in and amped. I was quite shocked to find out just how magical these babies are when paired with the proper equipment. I recently acquired a dragonfly red, which I highly recommend to any iPhone user. While they are nice with my iems, I wasn't blown away until the RBH test. I re listened to Pink Floyd with all the three headsets and the HP1bs came alive! The best tightened up and went even deeper, the mids became engaging and clear as daylight, and the highs gained definition. An already good soundstage opened wide. Equally shocking, when I plugged in the Sennheisers, I found them to lack dynamics and sounded hot and tinny. I have been walking around all week rediscovering my music collection with the HP1bs paired with my iPhone and the Dragonfly Red with Iaudiogate. I am in audio heaven!
Conclusion- these are great Bluetooth headphones and if you eq them a bit, they are even better. If you are a bass head, get these now! While I did like the Bluetooth experience a bit more with the Momentums as the mids and highs were a bit more defined, the whole story changes when plugged in and amped. In fact, i can recommend these whole heartedly as a wired headphone that is able to go wireless when you want it to. RBH value proposition is fantastic as for $200, these beat any other similarly priced wireless headphones out there, and they are super comfy as well. I love the 3D soundstage that I get with all RBH headphones and I certainly hope that more people find out about these guys as they do audio right. They care about customer service and satisfaction as well. Thank you RBH for allowing me to review these awesome headphones and keep up the great work!!!
I received this pair from RBH Sound as compensation for my review but I have previously purchased every headphone they have made on my own dime.
I want the convienence of Bluetooth. I also demand superior audio. I used to really love my Beats Studio Wireless headphones and would defend them against fellow headfiers as being a completely competent set of earphones. After testing several Bluetooth headsets, I can say I've heard much worse, and much better. I reached out to RBH as it is no secret to anyone in any headphone or IEM forum that my love for the rbh epsb is unparalleled with any wired or wireless IEM on the market, including Sennheiser ie800, Dunu 2000j, Sony XBA Z5, jaybird X2, X3, Bose Soundsport, or Nuforce Be6i. There is a certain magic that the epsb uses to get the best detail and soundstage I've ever heard. Ever. So I was curious about the hp1b, their full size wireless headphones.
Rbh was kind enough to send me a pair to review. After two weeks of testing, I can offer a comparison with Beats Studio Wireless and the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 2.0.
My listening occurred on an iPhone 6 with my iTunes library through the Iaudiogate music player with eq turned off. Songs used for review- Pink Floyd Time studio version and The Knife Silent Shout.
Pink Floyd- Time: what instantly stands out to me is that the bass on the Hp1s go deeper than both the Momentums and the Studios. The Hp1s offer a good soundstage, nice separation, although the bass creeps into the mids occasionally, however I found myself really missing the bass when switched to the Momentums. The Studios were doing fine keeping up in sound quality until we get to David Gilmour's solo. The solo was full of harsh treble that got fatiguing quickly. The Momentums sounded smooth throughout and so they should for being the most expensive Bluetooth headset on the market. They better. The HP1bs have a v shaped sound and are fun but with a little eq which I stayed away from for this test, they can get pretty darn close to the Momentums for half the price. The Studios mids are really good, the bass is okay, but the treble lost me. Also, the HP1bs get louder than the other two without distorting. Bluetooth audio always suffers from a bad volume limit, but not so with the RBH offering, I am so happy to report.
The Knife- Silent Shout: this is the song to test out the bass on any headphone. Holy cow! RBH must have put a subwoofer In These cans! This sounds awesome and impactful. Hip hop, EDM, techno, they all shine the most with the Hp1s. The mids were clearer and more airy on the Momentums, but again at double the price point. The Studios, well, they sounded okayish.
A note about comfort- the HP1s are by far the most comfortable of the three by quite a long shot. They feel light while I can't wear the Studios for more than a half hour because of the pressure put upon my noggin. The Sennheisers split the difference and become uncomfortable after an hour or two. I can wear the HP1bs all day without any problem.
The Big Surprise- I know this is a wireless review but the truth is, the HP1s really shine when plugged in and amped. I was quite shocked to find out just how magical these babies are when paired with the proper equipment. I recently acquired a dragonfly red, which I highly recommend to any iPhone user. While they are nice with my iems, I wasn't blown away until the RBH test. I re listened to Pink Floyd with all the three headsets and the HP1bs came alive! The best tightened up and went even deeper, the mids became engaging and clear as daylight, and the highs gained definition. An already good soundstage opened wide. Equally shocking, when I plugged in the Sennheisers, I found them to lack dynamics and sounded hot and tinny. I have been walking around all week rediscovering my music collection with the HP1bs paired with my iPhone and the Dragonfly Red with Iaudiogate. I am in audio heaven!
Conclusion- these are great Bluetooth headphones and if you eq them a bit, they are even better. If you are a bass head, get these now! While I did like the Bluetooth experience a bit more with the Momentums as the mids and highs were a bit more defined, the whole story changes when plugged in and amped. In fact, i can recommend these whole heartedly as a wired headphone that is able to go wireless when you want it to. RBH value proposition is fantastic as for $200, these beat any other similarly priced wireless headphones out there, and they are super comfy as well. I love the 3D soundstage that I get with all RBH headphones and I certainly hope that more people find out about these guys as they do audio right. They care about customer service and satisfaction as well. Thank you RBH for allowing me to review these awesome headphones and keep up the great work!!!
