RHA TrueControl ANC Review: Fit For Every Ear
"Great sound and unique shape are held back by a low battery and a high price."
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Full, rich sound
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Responsive, customizable controls
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Ergonomic design
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Tons of earplugs included
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Expensive
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Mediocre call quality
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Bad battery life
At the top end of the true wireless earbuds category, you can find some standout products like the Sennheiser Momentum 2 True Wireless, the Master and Dynamic MW07 Plus, and the Bose QuietComfort earbuds. If a company wants a seat at this table, it has to bring its A-Game with it.
That's what RHA is aiming for for the new $ 300 TrueControl ANC, a line of noise-canceling earbuds that defy conventional thinking in their shape, touch controls, and charging case. But are these innovations enough to earn our recommendation's TrueControl? Let's look at them.
What's in the box?
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With the exception of a few very small plastic stickers, the packaging of the TrueControl is made from 100% recyclable paper and cardboard, which I think is very commendable.
In the packaging, the TrueControl ANC earphones are already in the charging case, a USB-C charging cable and 10 pairs of earplugs, three of which are made of memory foam and were manufactured by Comply.
design
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Typically, true wireless earbuds are built so that you insert the tip into your ear canal and then twist the earbud back and forth until you find the magical combination of comfort, safety, and sealing. The RHA TrueControl ANC takes a different approach. The earphones are made of a non-slip, matt black plastic and are asymmetrically shaped and contoured so that they can only be inserted directly into the ear.
The touch controls are some of the best I've tried.
Once seated, this shape prevents any twisting or turning. It's a bit of a risky design decision considering how differently everyone's ears are shaped, but RHA believes they were designed to "fit right in the ear". Although they stick out a bit from your ears, they're no bulkier than the Sennheiser and significantly less bulky than the Bose QuietComfort earbuds.
The touch controls also deviate from the norm. They look like physical buttons, but are actually tiny gesture-based touchpads that can be swiped or tapped.
The charging case is identical to the RHA used for the TrueConnect and TrueConnect 2 earbuds – a stunning and unique rotating barrel with a black aluminum frame – but this time with wireless charging. A tiny indicator with three LED battery life indicators on the barrel lights up when you open the case. Unfortunately, the unusual choice of design and materials makes the case large and heavy – it weighs 3.8 ounces with the earbuds, down from just 2 ounces for the Jabra Elite 85t.
The edges of the aluminum frame can scratch other items if you don't know exactly where to stow it. Another unique feature of the case design is that the earbuds are swapped out when you open them with the plastic case facing up (this is the only option if you want them to lie flat on a surface). The left is on the right and vice versa.
If they're new in the box, take a good look at the earbuds and case. It's probably the last time you'll see them without their fingerprints. The slightly rubberized matt plastic is an absolute magnet for fingerprints.
The earbuds are easy to remove and replace and are held in their charging sockets by strong, but not overly strong, magnets.
Comfort and control
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
Due to their unusual shape, the TrueControl ANC have a large contact area. This means that they likely feel like they “fill” your ear more than other earbuds like Apple's AirPods Pro, which have a much smaller profile. Once you get used to it, it's surprisingly convenient. It's also very safe, so you no longer have to rely on ear fins or other support structures like those found on the Bose QuietComfort earbuds.
RHA's inclusion of a wide variety of earbud sizes and types is a big reason I was able to find a good fit, and this should be the industry standard. After using the standard silicone earbuds for a few hours, I eventually swapped them out for the largest size of Comply foam tips, which I think offer even more comfort and much better sound quality (more on this below).
I can't tell you with 100% certainty that the TrueControls will suit you, but given the number of tips to choose from, your chances are far better than if RHA had simply offered the same three sizes as the vast majority of real wireless earbuds. Yes, a few extra tips that you probably never will use are a little wasteful, but better than returning the earbuds as you can't get them to fit.
The touch controls are some of the best I've tried, probably because – unlike other so called touch controls – they use a capacitive touch surface rather than a motion sensor to detect when you're using them. Not only does this make it easier for custom typing (since you don't have to worry about how hard you hit them), it also enables TrueControl's swipe-based gestures.
Skipping forward a track will swipe the left earbud forward, and skipping backward will intuitively swipe backward. The volume is adjusted using the same procedure, but using the correct earbud.
Once you find the earplugs that give you a good seal, the TrueControl ANC sounds really great.
Not sure if you like the swipe control method? The RHA app lets you customize them and select swipe or tap gestures for volume, track skipping and ANC mode, as well as the earbud used to perform these tasks.
The infrared wear sensors are also very good at detecting when you've removed an earbud, pausing the music quickly and restarting it when you put the bud back in.
Sound quality
RHA
Once you find the earplugs that give you a good seal (another reason I love that RHA has so many in it), the TrueControl ANC sounds very good. Using the factory EQ provides a very satisfactory frequency balance with plenty of warm low-end bass, detailed mids, and crisp highs. With the RHA app you can adjust these settings with four additional presets. However, there is no way to create your own settings. This is a surprising omission given that this feature is standard on so many other high-end models (and even some budget-friendly ones). .
Voices, more than music, can be drowned out by vehicles, and TrueControl has practically kept those interruptions at bay.
The stereo imaging is well rendered and I particularly like the resonant and authoritative feel of the bass response. But as good as they sound – and I think most people will enjoy them a lot – I don't think they do as well as some of their direct competitors. The $ 230 Jabra Elite 85t and $ 230 Sony WF-1000XM3 both offer a wider soundstage and overall greater clarity, especially for vocals. To be clear, there isn't much of a difference and you would have to listen to the same tracks over and over and switch between those models to find out the intricacies.
If you're an Android user, you'll also benefit from the aptX Bluetooth codec which, under the right circumstances, offers better audio quality than SBC or AAC, although that difference is negligible when streaming from very high quality sources like Tidal and HiFi.
Noise cancellation
The RHA TrueControl ANC can compensate for external noises very well. One of my favorite torture tests is wandering busy streets listening to podcasts. Voices can be drowned out more easily by overtaking vehicles than by music, and TrueControl has easily kept those interruptions at bay. When seated in an environment with persistent noise like a loud fan or vacuum cleaner, they don't display the amazing silent cone effect that the AirPods Pro offer, but I have yet to come across another set of ANC buds that can. High frequency sounds can still prevail, but low frequencies are canceled very effectively.
Oddly enough, the TrueControl does such a good job of passive noise isolation (especially when it comes with the Comply foam tips) that you might not need an ANC. However, you will feel the need for ambient mode which runs very well. This can be turned on as always, or just briefly selected for Quick Surround mode by tapping and holding the left earbud. You can adjust how much sound gets into the RHA app.
Battery life
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ANC appears to be a serious problem for the battery life of true wireless earbuds. RHA's non-ANC TrueConnect 2 offers excellent playback of 9.5 hours and a total lifespan of 44 hours with the included housing, but the TrueControl barely does what I want for the minimum of endurance with just five hours per charge and a total of 20 hours keep up with the fall. RHA does not say how long they last if you turn ANC off.
For comparison: the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 receives seven hours per charge and a total of 28 hours with the charging case.
In this price range, only the Bose QuietComfort earphones achieve poorer performance with six hours per charge and only 18 hours of total playtime.
A 14 minute quick charge will give you an extra hour of life, which is roughly average.
Call quality
Call quality on the TrueControl ANC is good, but not great. Callers could hear me with acceptable clarity, but background noise – even moderately loud – tended to be annoying. When call quality is paramount, the Bose QuietComfort earbuds are a much better choice.
Oddly enough, I couldn't get the microphones on the TrueControl to work with voice recording apps on iOS or Android.
Our opinion
A solid set of features coupled with great sound quality and good ANC make the RHA TrueControl ANC a great set of noise canceling earbuds, but their unusual shape and high price tag might keep them out of the running for some people.
Is there a better alternative?
Because the TrueControl ANC is priced at $ 300, many of the best noise-canceling models make great alternatives, especially if price, battery life, and call quality are your primary concerns. This includes the $ 230 Jabra Elite 85t$ 230 Sony WF-1000XM3$ 280 Bose QuietComfort earphonesand if you're an iPhone user that's $ 249 AirPods Pro.
How long will they last?
The RHA TrueControl ANC and its charging case are built super solidly and I expect them to last for many years. RHA grants a three-year guarantee on them, which is by far the longest factory guarantee in the industry. With an IPX4 rating for water resistance, they should be able to handle moderate sweat with ease.
Should you buy it?
Yes. While the TrueControl ANC is expensive compared to the competition, it sounds great, offers a very secure and tight fit, and does a good job of canceling noise.
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