The RHA CL750 I Bought on Taobao Is Probably Fake

I bought one of these a while back. That pair seemed to have a “channel imbalance,” but only at low impedance — put it through an amp and it was fine. Then, almost half a year later, it actually did go imbalanced. Yeah, properly imbalanced, the kind no amp can fix. The Taobao seller had promised a lifetime warranty, so I figured what the hell and messaged them — turns out the shop had gone under.

Normally with sketchy earphones of unknown origin, you’d just let it die. But I still kinda missed it.

Not the sound, though — I missed that absurdly long cable and the fit. So I went looking on Taobao and found the thing’s still being sold. Cheaper now, too: 59 yuan, free shipping.

So I bought another one…

Since the RHA CL750 is absolutely flooded with counterfeits, I’m pretty sure mine is fake too. Fired it up and it doesn’t sound anything like the last one. The previous pair had a very standard pop tuning; this one has better separation, all of it crammed into the mids — it’s basically turned into a vocal-focused set.

Doesn’t really matter. At least it’s not unpleasant to listen to.

Still got that long cable, the fit feels the same, and no channel imbalance this time. It seems easier to drive, too. So yeah, probably genuinely fake…

But as long as it doesn’t sound bad… and honestly, for a shut-in loser like me who spends all day listening to Nanahira and yuayua’s moe-bait tracks, what do I even need a good pair of earphones for.