Customer Reviews

Panasonic RPHS900 Brain Shaker Extreme Headphones

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Well, after reading all the great reviews on these headpohones, I decided to give them a try. As I feared, they are a gimmick. These headphones have a vibrating thing that sits on the back of your neck. While it's designed to simulate the heavy bass of a real home theater system, it ended up making me shake my head; both uncontrollably and because I feel like such a sucker for purchasing these things. The shaking mechanism produces no actual SOUND of bass, just a rythmic pulsing. Sounds cool? It isn't. And to top it all off, the headphones are rather uncomfortable. I don't recommend these for long listening sessions, but their bulky, clumsy design makes them difficult to walk even a short distance with, so sitting down seems to be the only venue for listening. To be fair, however, these headphones produce some fairly decent sound. Midrange sound seems almost absent however, and everyhing seems to have a slightly high pitch to it. With the VMSS bass system turned off, the drivers still manage to produce some decent bass, but not enough that I'd justify the $... price tag, and the so-so mid and high range sound is nothing to die for either. And for the aesthetically-conscious teen like myself, these headphones look absolutely horrid. I don't think I'd walk around with them unless I was in my grandmother's nursing home. In short, if you want to buy into a gimmicky product, then go ahead and purchase the Brain Shaker Extreme headphones, but if you're like me, and you want a pair of portable, decent-sounding 'phones, look elsewhere.

I first heard about the "brain shaker" headphones through an editorial colomun on another website. I mostly bought these headphones out of disbelief in the claims Panasonic made. I honestly could not see a headphone being able to produce home theater quality bass. Well it does produce bass. It produces amazing bass! It puts my home speaker system in my room to shame. The remote (it is different than the picture, it shows three buttons on the side of the phones, they are actually on a remote, which in turn is much more conveient for the user) has three settings no bass,mild,max. This is a great feature for those that don't always want there head being pounded with vibration. Not only does it produce quality bass but the sound is the best i've heard with the ear bud type headphones. The only problem i found with them was comfort. Every time i turn my head they feel like they are going to fall out (they don't but you're always worried they will). Other than that i can not think of any other problems experienced.

THE BOTTOMLINE: IF YOU LIKE BOOMING BASS THESE HEADPHONES ARE FOR YOU and or the person still in doubt after reading this review!

The concept is great! The bass moves with the music and I haven't heard trance better on headphones yet. For being in-ear, this set offers a great range of sound, and the clarity is superb. It's as close as you're going to get to being at a club and standing next to a speaker. There really is a difference when you're feeling an actual bass behind your neck. You have to try it to believe!

But... the headphones don't fit every head perfectly. The only adjustable part of the headphone is where you can place the earhole, and that rotates in and out (look at the picture for a better image). The headphones weren't designed for small or large people, only the "average" head size. I would caution that. I'm a small person, so in order to get the VMSS in the right place on the back of my neck I have to compromise the comfort of having the earplugs in my ear correctly. Also, when you move your head in a nodding motion, the neck piece moves, which means the earplugs move as well, causing more discomfort.

I can't wear these for very long (more than half an hour), but while I am wearing them, it sure is an experience.

woowwwwwww!!!!! be carful guys!!!!these headphones are something from outer space!!!

what a sound! i'm so thrilled that panasonic came up with such a brilliant idea. the "brain shaker extreme" of panasonic will ROCK your body and mind with delusions of house crashing bass under 10 hz!!!

the ear elements of the headphones will provide the real sound and the rear 'neck element' will ROCK YOUR WORLD!(there are 3 bass vibration levels).

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! uriah.

I bought these, based on the specs (claim to go down to 15Hz). The vibrating thing might fool you into thinking there's some thumping bass behind your head, but the overall response of the speakers is nowhere near that good. It's like the mid-range is barely audible, and aside from the bass you would normally feel instead of hear, you don't really hear any bass at all. After wearing these things for half an hour, I had a headache. I wouldn't buy a pair like this without a good test-run first.

The idea behind these headphones sounds kind of strange but they do actually make a significant difference in the feel of music that has a lot of bass.

BUT...

The problem with the design of the headphones makes the benefits somewhat moot. When I was able to get the ear pieces to fit in my ears properly (by holding them there) I was able to see what panasonic was intending by adding the vibrating component. But I had to hold them there and if I didn't the buds would pull back rather painfully on my ears. Furthermore, the sound was terrible because they wouldn't sit properly in my ears.

I don't know if it's just that I have a big head (I do), or if it is just bad design, but these just don't quite seem to work as well as they could. If you like to feel bass these might be worth a try but don't be surprised if you find yourself returning them a couple days later.

I've owned these head phones for over 1 year and a half now and I still love them. They were well worth the money. They make me want to buy a seat which has speakers in it. If you want a seat but it costs too much, then this is the perfect cheap alternative.

I play video games on my computer with these on, and they really add to the realism. Counter Strike, and most likely any other first person shooter, is great with them making you feel each hit. You literally jump in your seat. Once you've played with them you can never go back to ordinary headphones.

The only draw back is that the cord is kinda short.

The vibrating behind the head is great, it really gives you a feeling of being near a speaker at a club. However, the sound is not actually that good, it has an empty feel to it. Your money is better spent on a different behind the head set that covers your entire ear. Also it projects sound poorly, so everybody else can hear your music as well.

WOW... that sums it up! These are incredible! They are a little uncomfterable at first, but after a few days they fit like a glove. The VMSS really lets you expirence bass like never before. Just remember to turn them off when your not using them, or you'll go through batteries real fast@

This is my second set of Brainshaker headphones. The original ones came with a Panasonic VMSS player. The main reason for buying is the unique base: you get a feeling that it's there, but you don't get a headache from the actual sound.
A few users mentioned that these headphones cause pain... That's true: In my case it was for about two weeks. Headphones will not align with your head right out of the box. While flexible plastic component of headphones adjusts to your head, you may experience some pain in ears and neck. Once it aligns, you don't know they are there.
On the upside, I noticed that unless you yank on the cord, nothing will shake them off your head, at least when you're not using soft ear buds.
Downside of these headphones... battery unit which is pretty heavy, although uses cheap AA batteries; quality of materials and assembly... treat these headphones with care. They do not like the abuse, and that includes the wire.
Pros: unique sound... for me that was enough to buy the second set.
Cons: takes some painful time to get used to; not too durable; battery unit is a bit too heavy: you have to find a place to clip it to.

P.S.
I hope one day Panasonic will release a VMSS compatible MP3 player.