Scosche RH1060 Review
Scosche is known primarily as a car audio company, but made quite a scene a CES this past year by previewing some slick-looking bluetooth headphones in the RH1060’s. They are in the same vein as the Beats and SMS Audio class of headphones: wireless headphones that are as much a fashion statement as a listening device. If Beats are the new Corvette on the block, then the Scosche is a Porsche (it even sounds similar). What was surprising was that, in the typically $300 bluetooth headphones market, Scosche was making their headphones available for $199. Gadget Blog iLounge responded by giving Scosche the ‘best in show for CES 2013’, despite thousands of other new products that were available. And after getting them in the mail, it’s not hard to see why.
The Specs:
Whereas most Bluetooth headphones use their earcups as advertisements, Scosche used the real estate to put Bluetooth controls on each ear-cup. On the left is the play and volume buttons, and on the right is one large ‘connect’ button. After your device (whether it’s your smartphone, tablet or laptop) has been disconnected, it will automatically shut itself off to conserve power.
That’s another thing: these headphones operate on a Li-ion battery, which lasts for nine hours of constant usage before needing to be recharged via an included micro-USB. This alleviates the need to have disposable batteries on hand at any given time (as is the case with Beats).
The ear-pads are memory foam and wrapped in genuine leather, which is a double edged sword when it comes to headphones: it’s incredibly comfortable feels luxurious on the ears, but you’ll need to ‘air out’ your ears every couple of hours or so to keep from overheating. After trying the fancy sheepskin materials of the over-$1000 class of headphones, I’ve been spoiled!.
Compatibility:
Scosche lists the devices that the RH1060 is bluetooth compatible with, which includes all iPhones, iPods, Tablets as well as Samsung Galaxy 3 and 4. I was only able to try it with an iPhone 3GS and the first generation iPad (my devices are fastly becoming dinosaurs!). The devices connnected without a problem. (You are able to connect completely hands free if you have Siri on your iPhone). The bluetooth codec is AAC, which is the standard mobile device protocol.
You can tell Scosche was intending to make a set of headphones you could use with your mobile device. They are sensitive and have a low impedance at 32 Ohms. What that basically means is that you don’t have to crank your mobile device’s volume in order to hear it.
The Sound
Bluetooth technology transmits the sound in a way that degrades the sound quality. And as a result, wireless bluetooth headphones catch a lot of flack from those in the audiophile community. So when Scosche announced that these headphones would be ‘reference grade’, well that’s quite a claim. The headphones also sport massive 40mm drivers with neodynium magnets to reduce distortion. The sound technology in these headphones is certainly on part with most audiophile headphones. So how do they sound?
While these headphones don’t sound as good as the equivalent wired headphones, the RH1060 are some of the best sounding wireless headphones I’ve ever tried. Compared directly with ‘Beats Wireless’ headphones, for example, they blow them out of the water.
The main drawbacks of bluetooth headphones tend to be that they make music sound muddled. Not here. The large 40mm drivers made Led Zeppelin come through loud and clear. Female vocals (Adele) came through loud and clear, and dubstep was fun and hit hard. I actually preferred the bass on these headphones when compared with Beats, in which the bass seems to overwhelm them and compromise everything else.
Conclusion: The Best Wireless Headphones for the Money
Scosche definitely knows how to put its best foot forward when entering the headphones market. At $200, these headphones are cheaper than almost every set of bluetooth headphones out there, and the sound quality is magnificent. With the exception of the Sennheiser RS220 headphones, they are the best sounding wireless headphones I’ve listented to. If you’re looking for some high quality bluetooth headphones, the Scosche headphones are for you.
Click here to visit Scosche.com
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