Need a Pair of Headphones Under $100? Check out the Yamaha Rh5Ma’s!

Yamaha Rh5Ma Studio Headphones

How do these perform for UNDER $100?

During the last few years, HWIH has witnessed an influx of artists enter the industry without traditional backing from a major record label. Heck, we’d even venture to guess that more than 80% of today’s new artists are conceived from the foundational roots of an indie-based operation. This is largely due to the availability, accessibility, and mobility of home studio gear.

Yes, what was once reserved for those with major deals, major connections or major dough can now be controlled, operated and engineered by a part time hobbyist who plays and sings in the comforts of their own “home studio” which doubles as the bedroom they share with their siblings.  Talk about MAJOR accomplishments!

Although many have made significant strides with independent production, we’re surprised to find that most aren’t fully appreciating nor HEARing their music they way it’s intended to be heard. In order to HEAR properly, one needs either a set of headphones and/or a pair of speakers to bring good music to their ears. And it is with this in mind, that we are compelled to share our thoughts on a set of headphones we recently tested, the Yamaha RH5Ma.

Are they a pair of cans that are worthy of being used in 100% of studios at a price for the 80% at home? Keep reading…

What Studio Application? The Yamaha RH5Ma’s are semi–closed back headphones where sound leaks from the surrounds.  So with that in mind,  we recommend limiting their use for the tracking engineer and the reference mix.

What about the sound? When pitted against the Sony 7506’s, we found that the Yamaha’s are on par but the vocals are more pronounced. They’re bass heavy, but not in a Dre Beats Studio kind of way.  The isolation is different. As sure as the Shure 44’s on a reference mix…yeah maybe. Albeit, not intended to do what all other industry standard headphones do, we will say the one thing they are intended to do, they do swell…and that’s sound great! You can get a good mix on these and they sound richer than anything under $300…the HS’s of headphones!

How’s the Quality? Yamaha, Yamaha, Yamaha…all have varying degrees of quality, but can they be trusted to not fall apart during a session! Can they survive an unsupervised 3 a.m. session with the “KrunkSideTurnDown4What” crew…errrr, not! They are extremely light (less than a pound) and plastic, but nonetheless feel somewhat sturdy.

Best Features? The best part about the design is that the ear surrounds sit on your ear instead of over it, so there’s minimal sweat build up.  (Yeah, we’ve experienced problems with headphones causing irritation where the surrounds meets the skin under the ear, so this design is a welcome relief.)

Good for iPhone/Mobile devices? They’ve got a nice low impedance and get decent volume out of cell phones/mobile devices, so you can lower the volume on your player and conserve battery life.

Price? $59.99…is a steal for these!

All in all…we give the Yamaha RH5Ma’s a full head-nod!