How RNID evaluates products

How do we test?

We want to make sure that products are fit for their intended purpose and will give you real benefits.

We test individual products, but more commonly look at groups of similar products, for example six mobile phones. We aim to tell you which are the most suitable, which offer the best value and what specific features to look for. To do this we carry out extensive testing on all products we review.

First of all, we need to ensure that the product is safe to use, so we check its safety accreditation or carry out our own electrical safety testing.

Then we have to find out how well a product works and if does what its manufacturer claims. We carry out a range of performance tests, all under controlled laboratory conditions. These tests may include measuring the strength of an inductive coupler or the frequency response of a headphone.

One piece of equipment we use is called KEMAR (short for Knowles Electronics Manikin for Acoustic Research). This allows us to test the performance of headphones and earpieces as if they were being worn by a real person. To do this it has realistic, soft plastic ears and a skull the same size and shape as an average adult man, but obviously the skull is hollow, allowing us to place recording instruments inside.

We check that all relevant features work well and carry out tests to determine whether or not they offer real benefits to users.