Rock Jaw Clarito review: Price and competition
There is quite a lot of competition in the market with the like of the Verbatim 44400 earphones coming in at £17-£27.95, the ActionPie earphones at £22.99, and the JVC HAFX1X Xtreme Xplosives at £13.95. Other, more expensive earphones include the SoundMAGIC E10S at £37, the Rock Jaw Alfa Genus V2 at £43.90 and RHA S500i at £39.95.
Rock Jaw Clarito review: Build quality, design and comfort
For a cheap earphone, you would expect to barely get any accessories, but with the Clarito, you’ll find a set of small, large and two medium sets of silicone tips.
There is also a small pouch and a shirt clip, both of which make the earphones great to take on-the-go. At its price tag, we’re impressed to see a nice array of accessories included. Also see: Best tech to take on holiday 2016. The earphones are terminated by a gold plated right-angled 3.5mm jack which has a similar cable to the Rock Jaw Alpha Genus V2 – a thick black cable, that’s great for anti-tangle purposes, but makes it a little pain to store away with ease. The thick cable suffers from microphonics, also known as cable noise. However, the noise can be eliminated by using the earphones over-the-ear. Given that the earphones are very light, despite having an aluminium housing, the Clarito can be worn for hours without discomfort.
Speaking of the housing, there is a left and right indicator written in white on the earphones’ housing. Given the earphones have a relatively low-profile design, their passive noise cancellation is just below-par versus other earphones that have a larger housing design. The earphones are well built and have a sleek design. At its price point, we were impressed to see a good blend of design and practicality. The icing on the cake would have been a one-button remote with mic, but unfortunately the Clarito doesn’t include one.
Rock Jaw Clarito review: Sound quality
The earphones have a good sound quality reproduction for their price tag, but are let down by its somewhat narrow and closed soundstage.
We found the earphones to have a slightly recessed mid-range, with the overall sound signature having a v-shaped warmth to it. Given the price tag of the earphones, they produce a fantastic sound reproduction throughout the frequencies. The sub-bass is existent but very faintly reproduced. The sub-bass doesn’t fully extend and is cut-off at the lower end frequencies. Whilst its mid-bass has a decent presence that is both controlled and not overpowering. The mids are slightly recessed with a slight pushed back sound. We found that when EQ’ed the Clarito’s would sound slightly artificial in their mid-range reproduction. Over stock earphones, the Clarito sound a lot better and have detail in the mids, making vocals sound a lot better. The highs are well extended, with a nice sparkle at the top end frequencies, giving the earphones life and excitement to listen to. Unfortunately, the earphones’ soundstage was its biggest let down, with it being closed down, where it lacked real depth and width. In comparison to the Rock Jaw Alfa Genus V2 it was clear to hear a difference between the soundstage presentation. Put into perspective with earphones that are similarly priced, such as the Verbatim 44400 earphones, we found the Clarito to lack that extensive soundstage which was one of the Verbatim’s best traits. Read next: Best budget headphones.
