The RHA CL2 Planar earphones are compact wi-fi earbuds that pack in planar magnetic drivers – the sort of cutting-edge audio know-how often present in open-backed studio headphones that almost all of us can solely dream of affording.Planar is well-known for providing unbelievable audio element and depth, because of its distinctive and magnet-based driver design. The CL2 Planars, particularly, droop a 16-micrometer (zero.016 mm) diaphragm and planar coil between two magnetic fields. That is proper, your drivers are floating in there.Compressing this know-how into in-ear headphones is nothing in need of a marvel. It is not the primary time it has been tried – try our overview of the Monoprice Monolith M300 from earlier this yr – however it might be one of the best instance. The wi-fi connectivity can be a world-first for planar drivers of any dimension. Whereas the CL2 Planar earbuds value tons of relatively than hundreds – like some planar cans on the market – the excessive price ticket continues to be a giant ask for such small tech. However when you’re the ‘perfection-seeking’ viewers RHA is aiming these at, the promise of customization and compact high quality could also be simply what you ordered.Anyway, after testing them in depth to see in the event that they lived as much as the hype, we do not assume you may be dissatisfied.Worth and availabilityWhile the is a lot to get enthusiastic about, the worth tag might cease you in your tracks. The CL2 Planar earbuds are available in at a lofty £799 / $899 (about AU$1,250). You get loads of for that amount of cash – extra on this beneath – however there isn’t any choice to purchase a ‘diminished’ set with solely the cabled or wi-fi choices, that means you’ll have to fork out for each.The earphones launched to market in early September, after an August announcement, and can be found at various choose retailers or from the RHA web site.DesignSo what do you get out of the field? In step with RHA’s normal type, there’s loads of scope to customise your eartips, or select between wired and wi-fi choices.To start out with, there is a foldable onerous case for tying up all of your cables and wires, with another delicate zip pouch, relying in your choice for carrying it round. Alongside casing choices are additionally 9 separate pairs of eartips, together with double-tipped covers – and a few comprised of a snug reminiscence foam. There is not any particular best option right here, and we advocate attempting out a handful to see what works finest for you.You’ll be able to then select between wi-fi and wired play. The wi-fi choice see the earbuds related to a band that sits round your neck. The neck band acts as a Bluetooth receiver, with a protruding energy button and USB-C charging port. There is a particular weight there, however it’s nonetheless prone to be extra interesting than having a cable trailing all the way in which right down to your pocket. That mentioned, when you then don’t desire the fuss of connecting the earbuds to the neck cable and streaming music wirelessly, you should use the three.5mm braided copper cable to jack straight into your telephone, laptop computer or different machine. There’s additionally a 2.5mm silver-coated cable that may allow you to hyperlink as much as suitable amps, and which is claimed to supply a slight enhancement to the audio element. And also you all the time have the choice of swapping out the included MMCX-standard cables with a few of your personal, if in case you have them. Be warned although: the MMCX connectors between the cables and earbuds aren’t the best to piece collectively or pull aside, and may really feel a bit fiddly – though it’s possible you’ll not have a lot of a have to swap out the cables if your choice from the offset.We have been, nevertheless, dissatisfied to not see an in-line distant management on the wired choices, as with the Bluetooth band, however it’s a small value to pay for a top quality tethered connection.The earbuds themselves are made from a ‘near-indestructible’ ceramic compound, with loads of air contained in the earbuds to attenuate interference with the sound. Contemplating the marginally bulbous form of the buds themselves, sporting the CL2 Planars is surprisingly snug.The buds match naturally into the ear, whereas the pliable cables are wired behind your ear to maintain them in place throughout listening periods. You will need to reshape the cable barely each time you slip them on, which is a bit irritating, however it undeniably does the job.These aren’t informal earphones, so will not be the quickest to slide on and off, however when you’re settling in for an extended prepare journey or stroll, or getting by means of an album at dwelling, you are unlikely to seek out it a trouble. All in all, there’s an enormous quantity of flexibility for creating your excellent setup.PerformanceSo what of the sound? The planar magnet inside the driving force is the primary cause behind the excessive value level, they usually’re claimed to emit a purer, extra lifelike sound than customary audio drivers.That is actually our expertise of the CL2 Planar.Its genuinely onerous to explain the sound high quality, apart from calling it tuneful. The resonance of the magnet manages to ship a sharpness and concord throughout a spread of frequencies, so particular person frequencies by no means really feel like they’re competing for prominence, and there is a pleasing depth and element to the audio.There’s presumably a slight emphasis on lows and highs, relatively than mid-frequencies, however the audio all the time feels even-handed, and delivers a shocking quantity of heft on the bass ranges. Carrying the CL2 Planars, it is simple to overlook that you just’re not sporting over-ear cans – or, for that matter, why you’d want them rather than the CL2s.You do not fairly get the broad soundstage of, say, the over-ear Oppo PM-Three headphones – additionally planar magnetic cans – however it’s nonetheless an unbelievable audio efficiency for such compact in-ear know-how.Listening to some tracks, it was clear that the CL2s have been even able to drawing out extra audio element than the Oppo cans, catching the delicate twang of guitars in St Vincent’s Los Ageless because it shifted from one earbud to a different – a element we might by no means observed earlier than – or drawing out the reverb within the haunting vocals of Max Richter’s Sarajevo.The CL2 Planar earphones actually elevate customary MP3, and can be capable of deal with the deeper element and richness of FLAC and Hello-Res Audio, for these with a Tidal Hello-Fi subscription or related entry to high-resolution information.What would possibly sound like grungy rock on customary high-street earbuds right here turns into actual, crackling electrical energy, with startling sharpness – to the purpose the place it will possibly really feel barely overwhelming when you’re used to much less correct headphones. We’re not exaggerating after we say the expertise is magical, as we might hope from planar drivers, however would not have anticipated to such a level in these compact casings.These choosing such audiophile earphones may be trying to a conveyable DAC (digital to analogue converter) to boost their audio additional. The sound high quality is actually spectacular with out one, though when testing the CL2 Planar earphones alongside the iFi xDSD, there was a noticeable elevate to the depth and soundstage of Normani’s pop monitor Gradual Down, including a extra 3D and stereoscopic really feel.We could not detect a significant distinction utilizing the silver-coated cable, however you actually have the choice if you have already got an amp with a (fairly uncommon) suitable 2.5mm port.The earbuds additionally provide surprisingly spectacular sound isolation, greater than able to dealing with a busy prepare carriage or crowded avenue. You are not fairly getting the isolation of over-ear cans, however the CL2 Planars get fairly shut regardless of their far smaller dimension.When taking telephone calls, the in-line mic on the Bluetooth neck band was in a position to decide up speech simply, although it tended to cease recording fully when not spoken into – resulting in sudden jumps and drops in background noise all through our conversations.Different fashions to considerIt prices critical cash to be on the slicing fringe of audio know-how. As a lot as we love the sound of the CL2 Planar headphones, there are many high-quality earphones and earbuds out there for a fraction of the associated fee.If you happen to’re in search of planar above all else, the Oppo PM-Three planar magnetic headphones are among the finest closed-back headphones we have ever had the pleasure of attempting out, and pack in planar magnetic drivers in a extra spacious over-ear bundle.There’s additionally the Monoprice Monolith M300 planar in-ears, which are available in at a way more respectable $150 (about £110, AU$195), though you may be buying and selling right down to lower-grade supplies and much much less consolation than you get with the CL2s.You’ll be able to try our checklist of one of the best earbuds and earphones in 2018 for some very succesful in-ear options to the planar choices right here.Our early verdictBoy, do the RHA CL2 Planar earphones sound good. A spokesperson for RHA referred to the drivers’ “harmonic depth”, which is a phrase that rings true for the CL2s. They’re spectacular earphones with a pretty premium sound and customizable , whereas the standard of the supplies and drivers is much larger than we often count on from in-ear headphone.Many people are completely satisfied to shell out three-figure sums for high-quality over-ear headphones, so why not for these? Properly, a part of the enchantment of in-ear headphones is their ease-of-use, and these aren’t earphones you may be eager to take to the gymnasium, depart on a bus seat in your commute, or chuck too carelessly into the underside of your bag. Investing this a lot in such small tech would require a degree of care larger than a few of us are used to giving to our on-the-go earphones.In any other case, the one issues actually stopping an ideal rating for the CL2s are the meeting, and the necessity to re-twist the wired cable each time you’re taking them on or off. However do not be postpone: when you can afford them, these perfectionist earbuds are among the many best-sounding in-ear headphones on the market.