Panasonic RP-HC150 Noise-Canceling Headphones

by Panasonic

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.7 x 6.9 x 9.6 inches ; 10.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000FEJPZW
• Item model number: RP-HC150-S
• Batteries: 1 AAA batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 13, 2006

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Noise-canceling headphones began as an expensive, bulky laboratory concept, but Panasonic's RP-HC line brings them into the realm of affordability. The RP-HC150-S can handle up to 54 hours of active background noise cancellation from a single AAA alkaline battery. Panasonic reports up to 75% reduction of environmental noise, and the model's large 1.57" neodymium-backed drivers respond to frequencies spanning 10 Hz to 27 KHz. The folding design and included aircraft adapter plus carrying pouch make them perfect for noisy airliner cabins and travel in general. A gold-plated mini-stereo plug helps assure a quality connection.

Select Specifications

Drive Unit (mm):	40
Impedance:	28(on) 56(off)
Sensitivity (dB/mW):	102
Max. input (mW):	100
Frequency Response (Hz-kHz):	8 - 22
Cord length (ft):	1.5
Weight w/o cord (oz):	4.9
In-cord Volume:	No
Miniplug (3.5mm):	Yes
Air Plug Adaptor:	Yes
Magnet Type:	Nd:Neodymium
Plug:	Nickel

Product Description

Panasonic RP-HC150S Noise Cancelling Travel Headphone RP-HC150S Headphones & Earphones

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very comfortable but mediocre noise cancellation, December 26, 2006

By 

P. Zeissig "pzeissig" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic RP-HC150 Noise-Canceling Headphones (Electronics)

Here is my review on these inexpensive headphones after one 3 hour flight:

ADVANTAGES:
- Quality build and good materials
- Very comfortable over the ear design with large earcups. I'm sure you can use them for 10+ hours without pain, since there is no pressure on the ears.
- Lightweight
- Folds to a compact size and stores in an included leatherette bag
- Sound quality seems good although I'm not an audiophile to make a good judgement on this
- Only little hissing when noise cancellation is on (the Bose don't have any hissing by the way)
- Headphones even work without noise cancellation in passive mode (some other brands don't)

DISADVANTAGES:
- Noise cancellation is not very good. It does drown out very low frequencies on the airplane but you can still hear the jet engines and everything else. I tried the Bose QC2 and QC3 on a trip and their noise cancellation works much better. When you activate the Bose noise cancellation you get this numbing sensation and everything is calm and quiet. With these there is only a slight change in the noise, but enough of a change to make the engine noise less annoying.
- Since the noise cancellation isn't very good and they hiss, they're not something to use in the office to drown out background noise (again, the Bose are very good for that).

So overall I'm pleased, mainly because of the comfort and low price (you can get 10 of these for one Bose!). I tried several other brands and returned them because they were either uncomfortable, had ineffective noise cancellation or were too expensive.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I Deeply Regret This Purchase--Learn From My Mistake, July 13, 2009

By 

Ted Glick "Ted G" (Eugene, OR, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Panasonic RP-HC150 Noise-Canceling Headphones (Electronics)

These headphones are lightweight, large enough for my moderately-large dome, and have comfortable ear cups. Those are the only good things I can say about them.

There is no padding on the top piece, so baldies like me must endure the hard plastic directly on the cranium. Not good.

The noise canceling is nearly non-existent. Frank, my very loud neighbor in my miserable cube farm with his ceaseless, inane phone chatter can be heard loudly and clearly with these headphones on. I used to refer to my old NC headphones my "Frank Blockers," but these barely dim Frank's incessant cacophony, sad to say.

Also, with the supposed noise cancellation turned on, there is a very audible hiss in these headphones that is incredibly annoying. It's ridiculous that you must crank up the volume of your music or podcast to drown out the hissing produced by the noise cancellation function.

To round things out, the sound quality of this headset is extremely poor. I am reminded of my misspent youth listening to AM transistor radios when I use these headphones.

Oh, and I cut myself trying to wrestle these things out of the obnoxious bomb-proof plastic packaging.

I feel very cheated and ripped-off having purchased these. My goal is to inform you so that you don't make the same mistake. I hope you heed my warnings.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good value and comfortable, November 5, 2009

By 

Princess T (Maui, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Panasonic RP-HC150 Noise-Canceling Headphones (Electronics)

I have been looking for comfortable headphones for when I travel. I want to be able to listen to my iPod and maybe the movie in the airplane and have things quiet so that I could sleep on the plane (I always use earplugs). I have done alot of research and really wanted something like Bose but I can't justify spending that much money on something I will use probably only 1-5 times a year when I fly. So when I saw these headphones on sale at my local retailer, I took a chance (they were on sale for $32.00). I have not taken them on a trip yet but without listening to any music, I put the headphones on while my husband was watching TV at a normal sound level. It made things quieter but I could still hear the program and understand what was being said. When I turn on the noise cancellation feature, I could still hear the TV but it was difficult to understand what was being said and there was absolutely no hissing sound. When I played some music, I could no longer hear the TV or my husband trying to speak to me. I imagine though a loud sound like airplane engines might still come through a bit. If you really want to block out ALL outside noise then you will likely be disappointed in these. Personally, I don't mind being hear alittle outside sounds for safety's sake.

These headphones are comfortable and that is very very important to me. My ears get ichy and hot if they are covered and pressed down for more than 15 minutes (like some circular foam padded type of headphones) and ear buds fall out of my ears and end up causing me pain because I keep trying to push them in far enough that they will stay. But like one other person mentions here, there is no padding between the top of your head and the band on these. That would be nicer I think but for me, it was ok when I just moved the band forward or more back to get it in a more comfortable spot. They are a little stiff and just ever so slightly tight on me, but I do have a wider head than some I think. They are brand new as well so maybe they will start to give alittle after being used some, in which case they will be perfect for me as far as fit.

The sound is real nice, better than my Sony earbuds that were $50.00. I think, for the money, these are great. I'm sure I could have paid more for some others and not been as satisfied as I am with these. If I would be using them more or at work on a daily basis or if I was someone that is real picky, I would probably want to invest in Bose or something top of the line, but I am pleased with these for my intended purpose and the price paid for them.