Package

The RedGiant A03 Ossicle in-ears ship in a smart looking cardboard box.


The bundle is pretty standard. You get six sets of tips, three made from very thin silicone and three somewhat thicker. Also included is a carrying case which you have to fold and assemble. The pouch is of a somewhat low quality.

The carrying bag is folded on all production samples of the A03 in-ears. The fake velour fibers are easily rubbed off and will contaminate everything they come into contact with.


In the final production version of the A03s a set of small silicone rings have been included. These slot on over the ear tip's sound tube portion and effectively alters the hard diameter of the tip. This allows you to fine tune the fit and feel of the silicone tips very easily. Since good fit is essential both in terms of comfort and sound quality this is a neat idea. It makes the soft silicone tips more useful because you can make the tips harder at the end.

Closer Examination

Design wise the A03 Ossicle in-ears from RedGiant are unique. The complex outer shell is very different from what we are used to seeing. The white faceplate will probably go down well with the Apple fanatics of this world, but some might find it a bit too flashy.


Another unique design trait of the A03 is the huge silicone strain relief that also acts as an ear hook. Unfortunately it is not pliable enough and makes it slightly annoying to route the cable over the ear. RedGiant markets their in-ears as being aerodynamic and therefore they should be less affected by wind noise generated when for example riding a bike. The shape is not aerodynamic according to any books on the subject I can find, and based on the total shape of ear plus in-ear the aerodynamic / noise benefits look even less likely. It comes as no surprise when our tests show that the A03s are just as affected by wind generated noise as any other in-ear design.


The rather clumsy strain relief system is huge! The cable on the other hand is well made. The total solution would have been better if they had omitted the strain relief system altogether.


The tips supplied all work relatively well. The thicker silicone models usually provide the best sound quality, but if you cannot get those to fit well for some reason, the softer ones might be more successful.


The TRRS mini-jack is of a surprisingly high quality and the 90 degree bend is well executed. This design is very very good.


The y-split takes after the jack in the sense that it is well made, small and good for quick adjustments.


The remote and microphone system works well on the A03s. The remote is not the most durable construction out there, but it gets the job done alright.


Here is something you do not see every day, a joke in-a-box.