REALM Reference Grade Headphones by Scosche - RH1056

When traveling or attending an all day event there are a few essential pieces I always need to take with me. One is my Scosche goBAT II portable charger and back-up battery with the syncABLE II and the Scosche IDR653md earbuds. These are the bare minimum I pack on the go.I do have an arsenal of Scosche products, because I like their designs and their knowledge of what consumers' needs are.I use my Scosche IDR653md on a daily basis, whether it’s for hands-free in the car or blocking out annoyances during flights.When Scosche announced an over-the-ear reference headphone at SEMA 2011, I immediately needed them. I needed them to fill the void in my Scosche arsenal, plus it would be great during video edit sessions.A few months later, I was lucky enough to get my hands on not only the Realm Reference Headphones (RH1056) but I was also got my paws on a pair of Realm In Ear Monitors (IEM856).This time around I want to focus on the RH1000 Series of over-the-ear headphones.The Packaging I wanted to emphasis a little bit on the packaging. Overall, "it’s always the first impression that counts." I was pleasantly impressed by the heavy stock that was being used, along with the descriptive diagrams and contrasting colors on the packaging itself. The spot UV on the product image balances out perfectly with the matte-black finish while highlighting what is important. The details on this package carried itself all the way to the Realm logo wallpapered on the outer casing of the inner sleeve.  A touch that is very classy.The yellow lining was so in your face that got you excited once it was opened.Inside was a rubberized-foam hard case with a nicely placed Scosche logo and heavy-duty zipper. When opened, the Realm RH1056 is placed neatly folded into its place. Inside the kangaroo pouch, were many adapters: like the standard 3.5mm jack, 3.5mm to 1/4" adapter, PC adapter for gaming and VoIP, and their infamous tapLINE remote and mic. All of the cables are a flat wire to eliminate or lessen tangling. It also includes a soft travel pouch and a cleaning cloth.The ConstructionThe shell is constructed of a high-impact polycarbonate material and pinned using hex screws around the folding hinges.The driver is a 40mm precision wound copper voice coil coupled with a rare-earth neodymium magnet for weight and efficiency. The driver is surround by a finely engineered ported sound chamber.For comfort, visolastic memory foam is wrapped with supple genuine leather for over-the-ear and head comfort.The ListeningFor the listening source I chose what I would use on a daily basis: a MacBook Pro, Gen 5 video iPod and a HTC Incredible 2, an android based phone. I listened to a variety of tracks from different artists, random YouTube clips, and a couple video editing sessions.I have to admit, I don't listen to much hip hop because I am more intrigued by physical instruments rather than electronic samples, beats, and voice synthesizers. Although there are some pretty sick beats being created today, but when I need to enjoy music, I need to hear the bass, guitar, drums, vocals, and every filler in between. There is nothing more amazing than being able to listen to your favorite band and visualize actually being at a live show.I'm a big fan of acoustic and live recordings because of the raw detail in them and when I first cued up Alanis Morissette's, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic, I was blown away. The vocals were clearly front-staged and the guitars were in their perspective channels. I could clearly visualize the acoustic guitar on the right and bass on the left. The string noise added so much realism into the music and was picked up well in the Realm headphones. Bass was well controlled and solid.Another favorite album of mine is Madonna's, Immaculate Collection. Some may frown on it, but tracks like "La Isla Bonita" has a detailed guitar solo section, with hand drums, and various hand shakers throughout. All were well defined in the background while Madonna's voice was apparent in the front.I also needed to test the Realms on The Eagles', Hell Freezes Over CD. My favorite tracks are "Hotel California" and "Take It Easy." Having been to their show at the Rose Bowl during their Hell Freezes Over tour I kind of knew what to expect. I love the long guitar interlude which lead to Don Henley's distinctive voice and was reproduced with excellence.I then wanted to venture in a little different route from the acoustic forms and cued up another favorite classic, Dr. Dre's, The Chronic. Of course, "Nuthin' But A "G" Thang" was immediately chosen. I wanted to see how it could handle lower bass notes. Without a doubt they were very well controlled and had good extension. The Realms actually picked up more high-end details than his own self branded headphones.I even decided to listen to a heavier bass track, "Like a G6" from Far East Movement and it surprised me how well controlled the extension was. It was clean and undistorted.It's been a while since I have had an over-the-ear headset, but I could still remember the experience I had with my Sony on a few tracks back then. The Realms really brought that experience back - something that lacked in my music listening lately. One of the most beneficial experiences that I've had with the Realms was that I never got listening fatigue. It often happens to me on an unbalanced headset or audio system.The addition, Scosche’s tapLINE III is very convenient to advance music, launch the music player, and control the volume. It worked wonderfully on the MacBook Pro.The only drawback with the Realm is they are difficult to sleep with at night since I like to sleep on my side.Contributor Jay concludes:

The new high end folding Realm Series headphones from Scosche, gave my iPod tunes a new breath of life and excitement. The driver, coils and magnets used on the Realm Series headphones produced clear, precise and on-point musical production no matter what genre I listened to. The super soft –memory foams contoured to the ears easily and didn’t make it hurt even after more than 3 hours of use. Also, need not to worry about getting your tunes cut off due to low batteries as these are not needed. As you’re ready to tuck away the easy folding Realm series, the kit comes with a travel pouch, which includes gold plated audio cables, adapters and clips. The Scosche Realm series headphones looked sleek and backed up its design with an astounding sound at an affordable price. This is definitely a “Must Have” accessory for the music lovers.

For more information on Scosche products, visit their web site. at http://www.scosche.com.As a DaYUUM reader, we can offer you 20% off on your sale of all Scosche products by using "DAYUUM" at check out.