Reviewing headphones is not something we normally do here at Radio & Telly, but this short review is prompted by one of our team’s quests for a decent set of inner-ear headphones.
After having blasted one of the drivers in a rather expensive set of Shure inner-ear headphones, one of our team has been on a quest for a decent set of inner-ear replacements. So far in the quest, he’s ruled out a set of £30 Sonys, which are very “toppy” and lacking bass. A set of traditionally-favoured Sennheisers have been rule out too. Although they offer a decent sound, they’re nothing exciting, but have a problem in that they seem to attract wind noise whilst walking.
Enter the RP-HJE355
So, we’ve plumped for a pair of Panasonic inner ear headphones, and have been quite impressed so far. Price point is around the £20 mark, butting them in the budget range.
First off, the manufacturer’s blurb on the Panasonic RP-HJE355s::
These are described on the packaging at “Deep Bass Fit”. Apparently the “extended long sound port realises direct sound delivery and superb noise isolation”
As inner-head headphones go, they’re quite a comfy fit. They’re supplied with a small, medium and large insert, and have a rather odd shaped earpiece:
Close-up of the Panasonic RP-HJE335 earbud
Although it looks odd, it does actually fit in the ear rather well and by making good contact with the bottom of the outer ear, stops too much movement, which in turn helps with sound isolation
Panasonic RP-HJE335 sitting in an ear
How well do they perform? They’re not too bad. I’m spoilt by being used to a set of £150 Shure inner-ear headphones that deliver superb bass response. The Panasonics are certainly better performers than the Sony headphones we’re tried in the £20-£30 price bracket. They aren’t overly “toppy, so don;t bring out too much sibilance, but they’re not too bassy either, making them decent performers for this relatively budget price. Possibly a little “thin” sounding, but perfectly acceptable, and a significant improvement over the earphones provided free with most media players and smartphones.
There’s something about them that seems to enhance stereo separation whilst I’m out walking with them – No reason why this should be the case, but they seem to offer good performance on one of my test stereo tracks. They’re also fairly well made with a decent 1.2 metre long cable.
Pana3
In summary, if you’re looking for a decent set of budget inner-ear phones, then the Panasonic headphones you wouldn’t normally look at on the shelf, are worth a look, as long as you’re not expecting miracles.
Panasonic RJE335 Specification
- 10.7mm drivers
- Frequency Response: 6Hz to 24kHz
- Sensitivity: 105dB/mW
- Impedance: 16 ohm
- Power handling: 200mW
- Connector: 3.5mm jack
- Cord length: 1.2metres
The RP-HJE335 headphones are available in Black, Red, Blue, Green and White online from Amazon
Tried a set, or know a better budget set of inner ears? Please add a comment below.
