RHA TrueConnect review: wireless headphones that are worth their price

I learned the hard way that cats and headphones don’t mix. I’ve lost multiple pairs to my cat’s mischievous ways after she’s chewed through the wire or swiped at a dangling earbud only to catch it just enough to tear the internal connection. I was tired of spending hundreds of dollars replacing what my cat single-pawedly turned into trash, so I set out to find a cat-proof pair.

That’s when I found RHA’s newest pair, the TrueConnect earbuds ($169). Not only are they totally wireless — nothing for the little monster to chew through — they also come in a hard charging case that has withstood crashing to the ground after being pushed off a table. Who knows why my cat has such a vendetta against headphones, but RHA TrueConnect has thus far thwarted all her attempts to rid me of them.I was initially a bit nervous about going wireless for fear that an earbud would fall out and bounce onto the subway tracks, thereby becoming the eternal property of the rat king that most definitely lives down there. But the RHA TrueConnect headphones come with three different sizes of silicone tips that ensure you can find the one that fits your ear most snuggly.

Additionally, there are three sizes of tips made of the same foam rubber as earplugs, so you can compress them before you insert them. They will then expand in your ear and create a tight seal that not only ensures security but also blocks out ambient noise. After finding the right size for my ears I jumped around my apartment, jogged back and forth, and did a little headbanging to test their staying power, and I was thrilled that they didn’t budge. The only time I’ve had one fall out was while eating cereal, but I think the chewing motion was the culprit there.

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Most importantly, they sound incredible. I have a select set of songs I always use to test the range of new headphones that includes a lot of bass-heavy tracks — weak bass is my biggest headphone pet peeve. It’s, admittedly, a pretty non-scientific test, but it works for me, and if my headphones can bump “Tempo” by Lizzo feat. Missy Elliot with full richness, I’m happy. For the audio geeks out there, the RHA TrueConnects boast a range of 20-20,000 Hz and a 6mm dynamic driver.

They’ve also got an impressive battery life. Out of the box, they lasted for an incredible two weeks worth of commutes before I had to charge them. Now, I’d say I charge them about once a week. The headphones themselves are charged by the case and offer about five hours of continuous listening. The case offers an additional 20 hours of charge and can charge the headphones to full battery in about a half hour. Putting the headphones in the case automatically disconnects them from your phone and puts them in charging mode. Once the case’s battery level gets low, it occasionally has trouble recognizing the headphones, and they’ll stay connected to your phone, draining their individual batteries. It’s best to keep the case fully charged for optimal performance.

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Some Amazon reviewers have expressed Bluetooth connectivity issues, but I use these on my daily subway commute where they compete with the signals of everyone else’s devices, and I’ve never had them lose connection, even for a moment. As additional peace of mind, RHA offers a three-year warranty that covers repair or replacement costs if your headphones break.

My only real gripe with these headphones is their maximum volume level. I often have them cranked all the way up and outside noises still leak in. It’s probably best for my hearing health that they don’t get as loud as I insist I want them to, but if you like to blare your music directly into your brain, you might be a little disappointed by these. Thankfully, I found out I could set my Spotify to the “loud” playback setting, which helps compensate on the app level.

The RHA TrueConnect are an investment at $169, but I’ve poured so much money into replacing wired headphones that my cat has destroyed, it’s worth it to me to have durable, amazing-sounding, long-lasting, and warranty-protected headphones.

Buy the RHA TrueConnect Wireless Earbuds for $169 from Amazon