Customer Reviews

PANASONIC Noise Canceling Headphones RPHC300

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

For many, the gold standard in noise reduction headphones is the Bose Quiet Comfort 2 (QC2) and up until this point, there really hasn't been a real competitor. Until now. Cynics might call the RPHC300 a QC2 knockoff, but where is does follow the Bose lead, it does so with good reason. Performance-wise, the Panasonic is very good. Subjectively, noise cancellation is on par with the Bose, although the 'noise floor' (the hissing you hear when the electronics are turned on) is seemingly lower (better) on the Bose than Panasonic. No matter once the you turn on the music or movie you won't notice the hissing on either. In my opinion the noise cancellation performance of the 2 is equal.

Comfort-wise, the Bose is the better of the 2. The earcups are a tad small on the Panasonic, so if you have larger ears you may find the RPHC300's a bit confining. To me (I think I have larger than average ears) it's not a big deal, just a nuisance. The Panasonic does have a fairly high clamping pressure which on a long flight may lead to some fatigue but thanks to soft cushions on the earcups it isn't a big deal. Compared to the Bose, however, they are a bit less comfortable.

Sound quality is very good but bass is lacking on the Panasonic for my taste. The Panasonic's do have very large 40mm speakers but they seem to lack 'punch'. I'm not looking for teeth-rattling bass, just a little more. Otherwise, the RPHC300 are very good - just not as good as the QC2 but worlds better than what the airline will offer you and far better than the other noise cancelling headphones I've tried.

Both headphones share a fold-flat design, detachable input cable, and a carry case that makes transporting the headphones and, say an iPod, very easy. One important note, be sure to pack a spare batteries. Listed operating time on one AAA battery is a typical 17 to 35 hours, but the unit won't provide any sound with the noise reduction in the off position (or with a dead battery).

These are my 3rd pair of noise reduction headphones and the one I like the most. Considering their street price of $125-135, they're an exceptional value compared with the $300 Bose QC2.

I tried my friends pair of Bose QC3 and fell in love with them, although I could never justify spending that much on a pair of earphones!

I did a lot of reading up on alternatives to the Bose. These Panasonics were reviewed in T3 magazine and came out top of the testing out of 5 models. They were hard to get in the UK but I'm glad I made the effort.

The reason most of you will be reading this review is to find out how good the noise cancelling is. First thing is first there is no such thing as 100% noise cancellation, there is not even anything close to this

Any low rumbling noises are cancelled very well but high frequencies still get through slightly. Also the more constant the noise is the better it is canceled out. Sometimes you may not think they are doing much, then after an hour you take them off and the world sounds extremely noisy!

Dont listen to the 1 star review that says they have no sound cancelling effect at all. Thats just dumb. I think some people put them on and expect to be inside an acoustic bubble - thats just not possible.

These are an excellent alternative to selling your organs for a pair of Bose. I can sit at work and get totally immersed in what I'm doing, you take them off after a while and you feel like you've been in your own little world. If you work in an office with computer noise, air conditioning units and noisy people then these are what you need

PROs.....

1. Very high build quality. Includes an tough cable that locks into the ear cup. They feel like you expect high-end headphones to feel, a nice carry case too.

2. Super sound quality. Like all speakers/headphones these take a bit of breaking in. Around 15 hours use and you will notice a much richer sound. I listen to a lot of acoustic music and they handle this brilliantly. Bass is punchy without being overdone

3. Comfort. People review these and say that they are uncomfortable but I guess it just depends on your head. With the Bose I felt like my head was being squeezed but these sit very nicely. I wear them most of the day at work and they dont bother me at all.

4. Travel. If you travel a lot then you know how tiring the constant noise can be. These headphones are worth the money just for travelling. They actually make you feel quite smug as you flick the switch and relax

CONs.....

1. The noise cancelling is slightly less than the Bose but thats what you pay the extra $200 for. When you have music playing there is not much difference between the 2 sets

2. Availability outside the USA is very limited. You can order them direct from Panasonic but that is a very expensive option.

3. As other reviews have mentioned they need a battery to work at all. The battery is nicely hidden away though

4. You really need music to enjoy the effect. The noise cancelling produces and very quiete high frequency fuzz. With music on you dont notice this though

These headphones are about right for the price. I am comparing them to the Bose, of course, which is considered the gold standard. I think the Panasonic are of equal or better quality craftsmanship, which is good for the price. The Bose headset falls apart far too easily for the $300. This is a good alternative. But you will definitely hear the difference between this set and the Bose.

The noise cancellation is not quite as good as the Bose headsets. An additional problem is the feedback or howling sound you can get if the cords are looped around touching each other. Interestingly, I was able to pick up a local FM station on the these headsets without plugging them into anything. I e-mailed the station about this problem and it seems to have cleared up. I am not sure if this is the fault of the headset or the station bleeding all over the spectrum.

I've actually rated this higher on the site but I'm actually saying these are about *** and ½. I've had these Panasonic cans for about three weeks now. At first, they didn't seem as good as my ultraEars SX70's. However, over time, they seem to have gotten a lot better. Granted it took about 30 hours of listening time.

These aren't true noise-canceling (if there is truly such an animal) but they have minimized lower frequencies quite a bit. They seem to work much better while flying on jet engine planes (not prop planes) or in not so quiet SUVs. If you are planning on wearing these around the office then they're really not noise-canceling unless you turn up the volume. After that, just about any outside noise is canceled out. Haha. Right now, I'm wearing them and can't even hear myself typing on the keyboard.

Now on the technical side, these cans employ the "large, 1.4 drivers with Neodymium rare-earth magnets for rich, powerful sound." In order for these babies to do their thing, they require a good amplified source such as a home stereo receiver. Neodymium magnets are the most powerful magnets and are used for the transducers in numerous high-fidelity headphones or buds. Transducers convert changes in electrical signals into acoustic form. The bigger the magnets, the more power they need. In the case of my SX70's, the magnets are very small and the output from my iPod is more than enough to harness these magnets. As for the RPHC900's, I'm sure the magnets are much bigger. The output from my iPod is not powerful enough to fully use the magnets in RPHC900. This is why a battery is needed. This is where the flaw lies. Because, there needs to be either a stronger battery or power source or I need to lug around my home stereo receiver. Now you can hear a BIG difference in sound from your iPod if you change your EQ setting for "loudness" to "on". Also, sound check needs to be turned off. For other mp3 players, adjust the SRS settings. Also, change your mp3 settings to 160 kbps or higher and not the 128 kbps that people say works fine. If you don't have either of these types of players or a home stereo unit (even high-end CD players), then these cans are not for you.

Now, I believe there is a breaking-in period required for these headphones. To me, after 3 weeks, they sound a lot better than when I first bought them. To me, right now, the sound quality just about the same as my next door cubicle mate's Bose QC2's. As for the noise-canceling, they are better than the Sennheiser SX250's which I bought from CompUSA and returned them. Anyone who says they are better these RPHC900's are full of it. Proof is when you put the headphones on, with nothing turned on. The leather elliptical cups surround seal your ears (even big ears) better than the smaller round Sennheiser's. Now when you turn on the music loud enough, then they BOTH drown out the background noises. But I still think the cans have a better richer sound because of the neodymium mags. If you want the convenience factor that the Sennheisers offer than I suggest buying the ultraears SX70s earbuds which sounds almost better than my panasonics (except for the fact that I'm thinking they are responsible for some hearing loss. Haha).

Finally, a warning. If you get these cans, then know that Neo Mags are strong enough to erase disks, music stored on mp3 players, cassettes, etc. They also drain power from your iPod battery even when it is turned off. So don't store your mp3 player in the same place as the RPHC300s'. Enjoy.

I got these headphones based on the positive reviews here; however, I can't say I'm impressed. They work well as headphones regular headphones, but the noise cancelation is mediocre.

When I got the RP-HC300s, I put in the battery and turned them on. While there was some reduction of external noise, it was nowhere near what I had expected.

Thinking that I had done something wrong, I turned to the booklet that accompanied the unit. There I found that Panasonic claims that the RP-HC300s reduce ambient noise by "up to 1/8th" (13%). Had I known this, I never would have bought this product -- unfortunately, the only place that it says this is in the documentation inside the packaging.

Having experienced the lackluster performance of the RP-HC300, I understand why the Bose QC2s command such a high price. I'm returning these and going with the in-ear Sennheiser CX 300. They're noise blocking, rather than active noise canceling, but they cut out a lot more than these do.

I won't say that these are a bad pair of headphones -- I've had much worse, but I don't think they're worth anywhere near what they cost.

Amazon's description doesn't mention these are only made to cancel out low frequency noise such as airplane and car noise, and it doesn't mention the mid-hi hiss noise that they add when they are turned on (and they must be turned on to work at all).

Sure they cost half as much as those Bose, but when I tried my friend's Bose, they cut out most out side noise and didn't add any of their own. I wouldn't mind using these Panasonics just for plane travel, but I would never want to use them for just 'at home listening' because of that hiss.

I saw some AKG headphones with NC for about the same price as these but I haven't tried them (they might be worth a look, AKG is a serious pro audio company).

I'm a US Navy pilot who flies the P-3 aircraft, one of the noisiest planes one can be on for an extended period. These headphones have allowed me to not only sleep in comfort while I'm not flying, but also allow me to listen to music that would have been otherwise impossible to hear. These do NOT cancel high frequency sound however so beware if you purchase them for that reason. Low frequency sound (the "dull roar" of engines) is almost completely eliminated for about 1/3 of what Bose charges with similar results. I've tested both for extended periods and these are ALMOST as effective. Highly recommended.

I had fair hopes for this product after reading reviews that claimed it to be a "worthy competitor" to the Bose's.
No Way! That review which Amazon highlights - is totally misleading.

There is a distinctive hiss which is not quite apparent in an airplane but very disturbing in a slightly quieter environment. However, that hiss does fatigue your ears after a while.

When travelling Japan to SFO - my co-passenger had a pair of QC2's - we exchanged our units for a while! You can't even compare the NC performance of the two - let alone the sound quality. The Bose is way superior in every way - even comfort level.

My RPHC300 pair is headed to ebay.
Save your money - go for the other options out there!
Probably the first panasonic product to dissapoint me this bad.

Incidentally - a leading consumer magazine gave this a rather low rating confirming my experience. Amazon reviews can't always be trusted it seems.

I decided to move away from in-ear headphones (Sony MDR-EX71SL) for two reasons: 1) The in-ear headphones pop out of my ears with the slightest accidental tug on the cord, e.g. crossing my arms, reaching for my coffee cup, etc. 2) I wasn't getting as much noise reduction from the in-ear headphones as I wanted. I work at home, and we have a fussy baby, and older daughters who practice piano a lot. I also have three computers with noisy fans in my office.

The most important issue with my new Panasonic headphones is discomfort. I do not think I have overly large ears. However, these closed-design headphones are quite small. My ears don't fit in them comfortably, especially in the upper half. You might be surprised how uncomfortable just a slight amount of pressure on your ear can be. I can't tolerate it for more than a half hour or so.

The opening formed by the cushions is approximately elliptical, slightly wider at the top than the bottom. The widest part is less than 1.5 inches wide, narrowing to 1.25 inches most of the way to the bottom. The opening is 4.25 inches top-to-bottom.

If you find yourself not liking the fit, the best comfort I have managed was with the headphones pushed back on my ear so that most of the pressure is on the front of my ear, slightly relieving the pressure on the back of my ear. Also, adjusting the head strap to pull the weight of the headphones off of the top of my ears helps a little bit. Even with these measures, I cannot wear the headphones long.

As for the sound, I find it to be flat. The bass is lacking, which I sort of expected, but I am surprised by how limited the highs are, too. I may have been spoiled by the crystal-clear highs of my in-ear phones. In fact, with the in-ear headphones properly inserted, I think they had much better bass response, too.

And finally, for the noise reduction. This is my first pair of noise-cancelling headphones. These headphones do help reduce the noise from the computer fans, but the white noise produced by the headphones themselves is subjectively about half as noisy as the fans were. The noise cancelling does not make any difference at all when it comes to the fussy baby or the piano practice. Believe the product specs that say they work primarily with low-frequency noises. For the noise that concerns me, I think I got more benefit from my in-ear headphones.

In summary:

The Panasonic RPHC300 is certainly more secure than my Sony MDR-EX71SL headphones are, but at the expense of considerable discomfort.

The Panasonic headphones don't provide as much noise reduction (of the kind that I care about) as my Sony headphones do.

The Panasonic headphones don't provide the dynamic sound that I am used to from my in-ear headphones.

The noise-cancelling headphones cost three times as much as the in-ear headphones.

I purchased my Panasonic model RPHC300 headphones about a year ago. They offer reasonably good sound quality compared with the more expensive Bose noise cancelling headphones I tried. I concur with another reviewer that the ear muff is a little small for my size ears, but it is still pretty comfortable for up to a 4 hr plane ride. The low-frequency noise reduction is good for reducing the backgound rumble of jet noice, but does less well at higher frequency sounds, like the screaming baby in the seat nearby.

I replaced the connecting cord within 6 months due to an electrical short at the input plug. I don't think I was very hard on the cord, so this may be a weak link. The replacement cord from Panasonic online was pricey, but was easy to order and has worked fine.

Overall, I consider the headphones a good value at this price. I use mine with my iPod at home, at work and especially for travel.