July 1, 2013 at 06:08About acquaintance with "reinforcing" sound on the example of Rock It Sounds R-20
Rock It Sounds has established itself in the portable audio market thanks to the Rock It Sounds R-50 dual-driver “fittings”, but there are also cheaper models with a single emitter based on a balanced armature in its arsenal. As you may have guessed in this article, we will focus on the R-20 model.
Inside - a meager set of silicone tips (3 pairs), an adapter for using headphones on an airplane (all of a sudden, huh?) And a hard case for storing and transporting headphones.
By the way, the cover turned out to be extremely convenient, it is made of solid woven fabric, and inside has two sections, for example, for additional nozzles or an adapter. Other manufacturers should take note and also complete their products with similar covers.
The minimum number of nozzles is compensated by a convenient case and a rather rare adapter for using headphones in airplanes.
The sound guides are not covered by anything, and everything would be fine, but in addition to this, there is no any device for cleaning them, although the price of the device probably affects it. Therefore, do not forget to clean your ears, but without fanaticism.
The length of the wire is 1.3 meters, Y-shaped, twisted. It looks pretty pretty, but tends to get confused, compared to the reinforced cable of the SoundMagic E10that we wrote about a few months earlier.
Splitter block and plug - inspire confidence. There is a slider for fixing.
A behind-the-ear landing , thanks to which the headphones sit comfortably and do not strive to fall out. Also a tangible advantage of this method of wearing is the almost complete absence of a “microphone effect”. But there were some drawbacks, because of the long sound guides, most of the case is located outside, as a result of which the headphones will be uncomfortable to wear under the hat. Noise isolation is good enough, it is enough for the subway.
The first impressions of these headphones were quite mixed, the sound seemed somehow "flat" and, which is characteristic of the "fittings", not at all bass. But after 30-40 hours of listening to music at a volume above the average, the sound changed. Not that dramatically, but the amount of bass increased, the sound became surround and overall brighter. Whether this is due to magical heating or the banal adaptation of my ears, I do not know.
Headphones are perfect for lovers of jazz, classical, light electronics or indie rock, and of course there will be no problems with podcasts, audio books or watching movies.
Nevertheless - I have a dilemma. There is a SoundMagic E10 with bass (soft), but at the same time detailed sound and good dynamics, and there is Rock It Souds R-20 with even more detailed sound, excellent elaboration of the midrange and treble, but still lack of dynamics and bass. Therefore, I listen alternately and plan to move to a higher level in terms of portable sound.
Thanks to the high sensitivity, the headphones will play without any problems with any source. In fairly noisy places, 26 divisions (out of 40) of the volume level on the Cowon D20 player (29 mW per channel) are enough for me.
Product on the manufacturer’s website
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► Declared specifications
| Electro-acoustic transducer | Reinforcing (single driver) |
| frequency range | 20 Hz - 18 kHz |
| Impedance | 31 ohm |
| Sensitivity | 109 dB |
| Cable | 1.3 m twisted |
| Plug | 3.5 mm straight gold plated |
| Body material | Plastic |
► Packaging and equipment
Rock It Sounds R-20 comes in a neat black cardboard box. On its front part there is a small window through which we can see the headphones themselves.Inside - a meager set of silicone tips (3 pairs), an adapter for using headphones on an airplane (all of a sudden, huh?) And a hard case for storing and transporting headphones.
By the way, the cover turned out to be extremely convenient, it is made of solid woven fabric, and inside has two sections, for example, for additional nozzles or an adapter. Other manufacturers should take note and also complete their products with similar covers.
The minimum number of nozzles is compensated by a convenient case and a rather rare adapter for using headphones in airplanes.
► Appearance and ease of use
The design is definitely for the amateur, because not everyone will like the symbiosis of glossy black plastic with hard rubber. At the same time, there are no complaints about the workmanship. Housing parts fitted soundly. The inscriptions for identifying the left and right headphones are embossed, which from an aesthetic point of view does not look the best.The sound guides are not covered by anything, and everything would be fine, but in addition to this, there is no any device for cleaning them, although the price of the device probably affects it. Therefore, do not forget to clean your ears, but without fanaticism.
The length of the wire is 1.3 meters, Y-shaped, twisted. It looks pretty pretty, but tends to get confused, compared to the reinforced cable of the SoundMagic E10that we wrote about a few months earlier.
Splitter block and plug - inspire confidence. There is a slider for fixing.
A behind-the-ear landing , thanks to which the headphones sit comfortably and do not strive to fall out. Also a tangible advantage of this method of wearing is the almost complete absence of a “microphone effect”. But there were some drawbacks, because of the long sound guides, most of the case is located outside, as a result of which the headphones will be uncomfortable to wear under the hat. Noise isolation is good enough, it is enough for the subway.
► Sound
To evaluate the sound quality, I used the following equipment: Cowon D20 MP3 player , FiiO E10 DAC / amplifier , Jiayu G2 smartphone, and lossless recordings. Intentional warming up of the headphones was not performed.The first impressions of these headphones were quite mixed, the sound seemed somehow "flat" and, which is characteristic of the "fittings", not at all bass. But after 30-40 hours of listening to music at a volume above the average, the sound changed. Not that dramatically, but the amount of bass increased, the sound became surround and overall brighter. Whether this is due to magical heating or the banal adaptation of my ears, I do not know.
Headphones are perfect for lovers of jazz, classical, light electronics or indie rock, and of course there will be no problems with podcasts, audio books or watching movies.
Nevertheless - I have a dilemma. There is a SoundMagic E10 with bass (soft), but at the same time detailed sound and good dynamics, and there is Rock It Souds R-20 with even more detailed sound, excellent elaboration of the midrange and treble, but still lack of dynamics and bass. Therefore, I listen alternately and plan to move to a higher level in terms of portable sound.
Thanks to the high sensitivity, the headphones will play without any problems with any source. In fairly noisy places, 26 divisions (out of 40) of the volume level on the Cowon D20 player (29 mW per channel) are enough for me.
► Summary
Rock It Souds R-20 is a budget in-ear headphones with a single emitter based on a balanced armature. They more than justify their price and are perfect for exploring the "reinforcing" sound.► Cost
In Ukraine, headphones can be purchased from the official representative of Rock It Sounds of Era in ear . At the time of writing, their cost is 309 UAH , which is approximately equal to 39 dollars. Where to buy in Russia - I won’t tell, but nobody has canceled Ebay or Aliexpress yet.► Related links
Product on the manufacturer’s websiteIf you do not have an account on Habrahabr, you can read and comment on our articles on the BoxOverview.com website