Ted Baker Rockall Review: Too beautiful for a headphone?
I bought these headphones based on some nice photos and I hesitated to do so because of some criticisms in online reviews. In the end an extremely low price triggered the purchase. I write this review, because potential buyers might be in the same situation, and I want to share my impressions after owning and using the Rockall for three months. I bought these headphones with my own money (it is not a review of a free sample).
1. Design
These headphones ooze quality. The photos look good, but the phones even look better. The metal parts are brushed steel and the construction seems sturdy. The cable splits and leads to both earcups separately (in a Y-shape), where they are connected by 3.5mm plugs. This means that if the cable breaks, it can simply be substituted, as there is no wiring between the cups. The earcups swivel a little, and by this they can follow the shape of your head. This is not trivial, because for providing the best sound, the headphones have to seal against your head. The cable, however, is just ugly and it feels as bad as it looks. Anyway, so far it gets its job done.
2. Sound
The sound is wonderful. I mostly listen to classical music from lossless files, and the reproduction of acoustic instruments is very natural and convincing. The treble is clear without overdoing it, and this gives the sound a certain freshness. Bass is great without getting bloated. And the mids very naturally fall in between, exactly where they should be and how they should sound. I own several headphones, but in the end I like the convenience and the balanced sound of the Rockall, therefore my other full size headphones (HE400i and T50RP MK3) do not see a lot of use recently. The headphones are easy to drive, they sound very good directly from the AKJr. They sound even better with an external amp (Graham Slee Voyager), but just because “excellent” is the enemy of “good”.
3. Reviews
There are not many reviews by sites which are usually testing headphones, maybe because as a product of a fashion brand the Rockall somehow flew under the radar. I mainly hesitated to buy these phones based on three criticisms found in online reviews:
a) ‘There is a gold nob without function’. Well, it does not screw down, but seriously - who would ever have needed such a function on a headphone? What these nobs do is that you put your index fingers on top of them and your thumbs below the lower ends of the headband. Then you adjust the size of the headphone to your head by slowly pressing the fingers together. You get a perfect fit and the headphones adjust in a symmetric manner, much better than in my other headphones.
b) ‘The design is awkward, the phones do not seal to your head”. Not in my experience: By normal use the swivel-joints get more elastic and the phones find a perfect perpendicular seal with your head. These headphones need time to break in, I own them since three months, and they are getting better and better. The design is simple (archaic) and functions in a perfect way.
c) ‘The cables will break”. I am glad I found this warning in other reviews, and I do take it seriously, so the first thing I did was checking the wiring of the cable and taking notes. The bad news is that so far I did neither find a headphone with the same wiring nor the cable as a spare part. The good news is that it is a very basic setup, so in case of the cable breaking, it will be easy to buy a nicer cable of this “Y-type” from some other headphone and solder two 3.5mm connectors with the wiring of the Rockall onto them. Chances are high that the result will even look better than these plastic-pasta wires supplied with the Rockall. Another positive side effect of the “functionless” golden nobs will be that I can choose between silver or gold connectors for the replacement cable, and they will perfectly blend into the color scheme of the headphones.
Summary
These headphones fool you, because they look too good. They fool you, because they are from a fashion brand. But: They have obviously been designed by people who know exactly what they are doing. The sound is great and easily competes with premium products of established headphone brands. I do not like the cable, but this would not keep me from buying them again, as the cable can easily be replaced (if you can handle a soldering iron). I think that the original price of the Rockall was completely justified, and getting this little acoustic, haptic, and visual gem at current discounted prices is an easy decision.
Good headphones, but they need a couple of upgrades to be truly great
The sound is very good and the build quality seems very nice also. I have only had mine for a couple of weeks though, so that might change over time.It is however a true chrime not to switch out the earpads with more comfortable types. The original earpads on these are truly horrible. Not large enough to fit my ears, doesnt close of sound completely if not in the absolut perfect position and way to slim to be comfortable beyond 20 mniutes of wear.I can recommend upgrading to these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MFDT894/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_3The do fit nicely, however they take some effort to switch out.The cord is also a bit short for anything beyond listening to your phone but that is of course easily fixed with and extension cord. I bought this set which suits me well and seems like great quality: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01I7SS3KA/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_2
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