Panasonic RP-HTF600-S Step Monitor

Bought these last week off Amazon.com for $34.  Right out of the box they sounded great to me.
 
Was never a believer in "burn-in", but now it makes sense;  headphones have drivers, which are essentially air-moving diaphragms mounted on pistons (voice coils) - and it is completely reasonable to suppose that these diaphragms get conditioned after so many excursions & hours of flexing and use. Anyway, after about 40 hours of listening, these phones sweetened up quite a bit.
 
Then I got the Byerdynamic ear pads today ($25 USD off Amazon) and installed them - signature-wise, mids are a bit more clear, and the treble really came to life and really does sparkle.  The bottom end of these phones is still just as massive, deep and impressive.
 
Using my funny audiophile synergistic math, $34 + $25 = $250 - grade headphones...proving once again the old adage that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
 
5 stars *****

As many others have, I read the review by Malveax raving about these cans. Being an owner of the JVC HARX700 I of course didn't want to believe that an even cheaper headphone had my beloved bargain King beat.....a headphone that was only fractions away from my Audio Technica ATH-A700. How could a headphone even cheaper and miles ahead actually exist I asked myself?
 
When I received the package I was actually impressed with the packaging. A clear outer box with a 3/4 sized inner box that covers most of the headphone except for one cup. While it isn't a wood box lined with velvet....who would expect that in a sub $30 headphone? I was prepared to be utterly dissapointed at some low quality Chinese crap made of cheap feeling and looking plastics....but I was blown away. Pictures on the internet can be deceiving afterall.  These things look nice. And I'm not talking $30 nice....they would be nice even if they cost $150.....heck even $200!!! I've seen $200 headphones that looked and felt like cheap garbage....the headphone market isn't as linear as say full size high end speakers or power tools....or vehicles.
 
I have a pair of Audio Technica ATH-AD700 which I believe are a very nicely built and quality feeling headphone of mostly metal construction. I'm actually shocked that Audio Technica doesn't slap a $00 price tag on those cans. While these aren't in that caliber theres nothing that calls attention to itself. The only thing that I would omit is the one step adjustment buttons. They seem gimmicky being silver plastic. But they're really not that noticable. The earpads are nice. Firm. Fairly thick vinyl. Actually bit thicker than the ones supplied with the JVC HARX900....I do like the softer supple feel of those by the way. But these are fine....just a bit more firm. I really like the feel of nice smooth vinyl/pleather pad when I'm handling a headphone. Much better than the ultra thin wrinkly vinyl thats standard on many headphones. I won't even mention that ear[ads make my ears sweat....because first of all I don't wear full sized headphones when it's 90 degrees....that wether is reserved for ear buds. Stop complaining about that poeple.....it make you seem like a bunch of whiners. Certain things in life are givens....and pleather ear pads on a hot Summer day is one of them. I actually feel cooler when wearing pleather ear pads....it's smoother and cleaner to me.
 
The cord is sufficient. it's long enough to reach across my listening room....and plenty long for my computer desk. I still don't get how ...or why people complain about a cord being too long???? Would these people prefer a cord that 1 foot? Growing up someone told me....."It's better to have more than you need thaan not enough".
 
I followed the advice when I got these and burned them for at least 20 hours. I gave them a listen.....nothing that impressed me at first except the rich full bass.....but thats not the only reason I would want a new pair of cans....after all I had the HARX700....and the HARX900......which are proclaimed bass monsters by some.
 
I let them burn for another 20 hours playing bass heavy music. When I finally sat down to test them out with a variety of music on my home system which is a Sony ES CD player....Sony ES DAC......and Adcom preamp used solely for it's headphone out..... within 2 hours something happened...they actually started sounding better to my ears....I remember wanting to check out a particular passage on an album.....before I knew it I listened to the entire damn 74 minute album....without skipping through any songs.
 
They do everything in a very satisfying way. I'm a drummer and I know what drums sound like.....cymbals are presented in a very accurate manner with the subtle overtones of the ride cymbal and the impact of the wooden stick on the metal.......the snap of a drum head and all the texture of the coated head  is all there.....lips on the reed of a woodwind...breathing sounds. Fingers on guitar strings.....the nuances of a bow on a string instrument. The low registers of the bass guitar on Joshua Redmans Compass reverberate in the studio and it's felt but without smearing any of the other frequency spectrum. Tom Petty's voice on the MFSL remaster of Full Moon Fever sounds like he's in a recording booth and guitars float on the outer left and right hand side of the sound stage.....I'm assuming thats what the mastering technician intended.
 
Every genre sounds amazing on these headphones. Classical, Chamber, Metal, Jazz, Fusion, Rock, Hard Rock, Pop, Rap. I'm actually amazed at some older recordings and how good they sound on these. To my ears these headphones don't sound veiled one bit. It's a very forward presentation but still giving a good sense of spacial cues.
 
Some have said while it's a satisfying headphone...it isn't HI-Fi. Well that might be true....but last time I checked we listen to music to enjoy the music. Right now the HTF600 allows me to enjoy my music...they bring me in and they don't make me feel as though as it's a veiled sound as my HARX900's do. I'll have to do a few more mods to those since after getting the HTF600 they just aren't cutting it for me anymore. I just don't know how anyone that uses headphones would not want to own at least one pair of these. I'm buying a second pair before Panasonic jacks the price up to $100 or discontinues this model and puts the new model in the M-50 price bracket.
 
I haven't dome too much experimentation with different amp setups. Most critical listening was done through my stereo rig. But much of it is sourced from the computer playing Flac files in Foobar2000 to a cheapo X-Fi sound card and into a mid tier Pioneer receiver via a pair of 6Ft long Monster Cables. But I did hook up a higher quality Denon integrated amp with more juice and some higher end Straight Wire RCA's and the sound was more forward and immediate with a fuller bottom end and a blacker background so I'd say that amping does improve or at east change things. The Fiio E10 is next for my computer setup whenever thats released. 
 
I've said it before and I'll say it again....if someone handed me these cans and told me they were $500.....$600 cans I wouldn't say they were crazy. But if they handed me these and told me the price afterwards I would think they were lying to me...... That says alot.

There isn't too much to say about these phones beyond what MalVeauX has so eloquently stated. His review played a strong part in my decision to get these cans, and he was quite simply correct on all fronts.

The Panasonic RP-HT600-S is an incredible headphone, and IMO an all-rounder fit for a king. Reviewing a headphone can be a little like reviewing food at times; everyone enjoys different flavours. All I can say is that for me, personally, this headphone nails my preference in sound to a tee and should hold at least some level of appeal to most listeners.

If you tick at least 3 of the following boxes you should go buy a pair immediately:

∆ Varied music tastes
∆ You would like a headphone that is kind to its source when required (Local bands / artists, YouTube videos, etc), yet clear and detailed on higher quality sources
∆ You enjoy Bass, yet don't want it to come at the expense of Mids and Treble
∆ You find excessive treble fatiguing to listen to
∆ You enjoy lush, rich and open midrange reproduction
∆ You are in some way curious about the level of sound and comfort that can be had for very little money
∆ You want a headphone that's efficient, ie sounds good straight out of your Macbook, iPod, Mp3 player, etc
∆ You enjoy the things you like, and are particularly partial to the feeling of happiness

Some thoughts on the phones as general package:

Comfort & QC:
These are light with a low clamp force on my somewhat smallish head. Very comfy yet prone to ear warming. They don't feel like they would survive a lot of abuse, which is as much a function of their lightness as anything.

Isolation:
Not their strong point, although I like the fact I can hear the world around me to some extent.

Packaging:
Was nice. Functional but nothing flashy.

Sound Signature:
It's all been said perfectly by MalVeauX so I'll keep it brief.

The bass is strong and reverberating but not overwhelming. To my ears it is a perfect balance that requires no EQ'ing. As Goldilocks would say: "It's just right".

Mids are a real strength. Open and spacious. Rich and lush. I normally listen to music while I'm doing stuff. These phone reproduce music so sweetly they will simply command your full attention. I've been spending plenty of time lately simply lying in my bed enjoying my music with closed eyes. Too much time perhaps. I think my friends and family are starting to wonder if I'm OK

Highs are just perfect for me. I find bright headphones to be a) fatiguing for long listening sessions and b) unkind to certain sources (the Smith Street Band's first album is a masterpiece recorded on a shoe string budget - I don't want a treble focused headphone shining a 1000W spotlight on all it's frailties). The Panny's are rolled off up high, but the effect is not over done. They are smooth, not fatiguing, yet detailed enough for my tastes. I never feel like the treble is missing. Perfect judgement from the Panasonic engineers.

Soundstage is great. With the Pannies on my head there is a feeling of openness, spaciousness. The sound is lively and deep. Engaging and natural. These things rock!!

Final Impression: I paid $55 AUD to get a pair shipped to Australia. I would consider this money extremely well spent. I frankly couldn't be happier with my purchase. If Panasonic doubled the price and released an updated version with Velour pads I'd buy one immediately. I've listened to a fair few of the more expensive phones in stores - mostly from the Sennheiser range and the Monster Beats. Listening in store to music I'm not familiar with is an imperfect scenario - yet every time I heard one of those cans I could easily identify an aspect of the sound I didn't like. Some of the Senn's were overly dark, some lacked bass, some had a small soundstage, etc. The Beats were muddy and bloated - horrible voicing IMO. Nothing sounded "just right". All of them were priced from $100 through to $300+. Yet this budget pair of headphones from Panasonic offers up a sound I would describe as approaching perfection for my array of laptop listening needs. It is kind to YouTube videos, outstanding for a wide array of music, great for movies and best of all - extremely efficient!! No amp needed - so my lovely old Rotel doesn't have to follow me out to balcony for study sessions. I'm a happy man! If these cost $100 dollars I would deduct half a point from a perfect score to account for the ear warmth being a minor annoyance. Yet the RRP of these phones is almost the same as the cost of buying Beyer Velour pads to replace the stocks. Incredible! Let nothing stand in the way of me handing out my ultimate seal of approval: 5 Stars.

Thanks to MalVeauX for his review of these phones which initially caught my attention.

Happy listening to you all!

 

for the money there are very good closed headphones 

Sound Quality: I don't go into much detail here, besides mentioning the obvious. First, they're very warm sounding headphones, with a good bass abundance. Perhaps not as mind boggling as some headphones from the Sony XB line, but can have a lot of power. The bass is one of the biggest aspects of the sound signature, the mids are also nice and warm, not receded, the highs are good and avoid being shrill. The soundstage is pretty wide for the design of these headphones, and while I have headphones that sound better for music, these are my headphones of choice for gaming and movies. Sound isolation is not one of the highlights of these headphones, since they have a semi-open design and can also leak sound to the outside. I have no tested to what extent, but blasting music in public with these headphones may not work out well.
 
Design: Only quality $30 headphones have good design. Many headphones of this price don't take full advantage of their price, but these headphones do well here. My only complaint is the ear cups falling down when not supported. This doesn't help me much, since I like to hang up my headphones and this can get in my way. Other than that, they are still built well and have a sturdy design. Not very portable, however.
 
Comfort: I was pleasantly surprised with the comfort of these headphones. The artificial leather pads are surprisingly plush and comfy. I am not used to "plush" headphones, and these are easily more comfortable than my Sennheiser HD 25-II's for long-term usage and more soft and padded than my Shure 750DJ, making them currently my most comfortable headphone! Comfort is not a worry with these headphones, though they may not be quite as soft or comfy as some of the Sony XB line headphone pads.
 
Overall, I was very impressed with the performance, comfort, and design of these headphones, with only minor gripes that come with owning more expensive headphones and trying to compare them with these. Still, they managed to best my other two in the Comfort department.
 

AMAZING SET OF HEADPHONES THE BASS IS AMAZING TIPS FOR IF YOU DONT HAVE AN AMP AND ARNT GETTING THE BASE
Get an android phone and dowload poweramp and turn the bass knob full and prepare for an earmassage

This is truly my first foray in to high end headphones.I bought a pair of Klipsch Image Ones after listening to them at Best Buy and being pretty impressed with them initially.  Shortly thereafter I discovered this forum and got curious about better headphones.  I went to Echo Audio here in Portland and quickly realized I could spend more money than I cared to.  After doing a little digging here I stumbled on these Panasonic phones and couldn't be happier with them.  They sound great and I can't believe what a good value they are.  It's gotten to the point where my wife steals them all the time because she thinks they sound great too.  Couldn't be happier with them and I laugh now when I see someone with Beats phones because I know I have as good a set of headphones and paid a fraction.  Thanks HeadFi.

 
Little background, I’m a home theater guy who likes listening to music on his Tannoy’s with a Denon receiver I consider warm. When I upgraded to the Tannoy’s I almost went insane watching broadcast TV, out of nowhere there was edginess to certain male voices on occasion. Over time I came to realize that this was just in the poorly mastered audio recording. None of my blu-rays exhibited this or most shows for that matter. These speakers lifted the veil of my old speakers and presented a much clearer openness and transparency I’d never heard before.
 
So I gotta say the guys who come in here and right these off as $30 crap cans without a good listen are blowing smoke out their asses. After enough time to really sit, listen and finally compare these I’ve come to realize just how good they are for how little you pay. They’re not giant killers per se but for anyone who doesn’t know the difference, or is just looking for a detailed fun headphone these will truly blow you away. My wife bought me Beats Solos for my birthday a couple years ago which I returned 2 days later, so dark, muddy and no detail to write home about; pretty sad for $200 Canadian at the time. That’s how I found Head-Fi.
 
My owner ear experience to date has been budget in ears and a cheap PC gamer headset. You have to understand I get sweaty palms just thinking about spending money so making the jump to high end stuff I’ve never heard before would almost kill me. Well OK these aren’t so bad and people seem to be raving about em – let’s spend $30 (well $50 shipped)....... Holding breath......
 
 
*With that said I’ve still been able to borrow an auditioned many a Sennheiser HD555 or similar and always enjoyed their detail but greatly missed the bassy warmth.
 
Enter the Pannasonic HTF-600S.
 
BASS: The Panny’s have just that, impact and warmth that make them fun, but not at the expense of a lot of detail or bloat. Bass is never lacking and extends quite low, it never lags behind and supports everything else almost a little too well at times. However you never get that feeling like someone bumped the subwoofer dial and it’s up too high congesting the rest of the music.
 
MIDS/HIGHS: Although the treble seems to roll off early and it lacks that detail monster sparkle, surprisingly there’s a ton of detail and it’s presented just right for what you get. I thought there was something wrong with these as I was hearing edginess, almost distortion in certain recordings, but remembering what my Tannoy’s had exposed I went back and listened to the same songs on other sources. Well it’s there too, but my cheap and coloured PC speakers masked it quite well as did my budget IEM’s. The HTF600’s have lifted a huge veil off my music and opened things right up exposing the poor quality of some of my 192kbs and revealing the audio goodness of Flacs. There’s a great sense of space in these and the presentation does a decent job placing things around you. It’s not pin point accurate but you get the idea. The midrange presents vocals nicely towards the front; they never get lost behind anything or feel recessed. The lack of extra sparkle comes with a bonus so to speak, making these so easy to listen too for extended periods of time with any fatigue.
 
Oh isolation....... where are you? I sit next to the server room at work and will be switching back to iems (now to find better iems). Isolation is really low and I catch myself far too often turning up the volume to levels that are not too good for most. However the Panny’s will be moved to home stepping in as my new PC gamers and computer music listening cans.
 
I’ll mention I gave up on trying to EQ these. I really have fallen in love with what they do flat, never truly excelling in any one area, basically just doing everything very well in a fun, pleasant and detailed manner.
 
What it boils down to is I can listen to everything from classical to rap and never feel like I’m really missing out on anything. I get a thoroughly fun and almost hi-fi sense of listening to music on a limited budget. So to the Beats crowd out there save yourself a few hundred dollars and just get these or to anyone else who wants good, fun quality sound for next to nothing go buy now.

I original bought most of my Headphones from Pioneer and Sansui back in the 70s and other than buying a few lightweight headphones and earbuds i was still satisfied but then i kept reading about the Audio Technica ATH-M50s and decided to buy them then i got some very soft earpads and although it made live performances sound great they leaked so much it now defeated the reason i have headphones which is so my wife would not be bothered.
 
then i saw the review of these on here and thought what the heck i will give them a shot.
 
they sound many times better than their price and bring real impact from my Adcom Stack without scaring the neighbors with my complete home system .
 
everyone should own a pair of these

Introduction
Panasonic has ridiculously stupid naming schemes for their budget audio products, there’s seemingly no getting around that. When I was snooping around Head-Fi for some cheap over-ear cans that sounded good yet were comfy, the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S were highly intriguing, but I could never remember its model number for more than a week to save my life.
That said, I did eventually buy them and it’s now one of my most used audio products. One that I would whole-heartedly recommend despite the stupid model name, due to its very low price and very likable performance.
 

The Panasonic RP-HTF600-S Headphones
 
Quick Note
The Panasonic RP-HTF600-S, which I would be referring to as the HTF600 from now on, are budget headphones. On Amazon.com, you’ll find them for anywhere between USD $25 to $30. In fact, the Beyerdynamic EDT250V velour pads I bought to accompany the HTF600 were around USD $28 when I got them here (currently USD $24) while the headphones themselves I got for USD $25. It’s not exactly unusual, but it is comical to think that the headphones I’m wearing right now cost less than the pads they have on them.
 
Packaging & Accessories
For your money, you get a bare bones plastic box with the headphones inside and a 3.5 mm to ¼ inch adapter. That’s it, probably the shortest Packaging & Accessories section I’ll ever have to write.
 
 
The headphones and the 1/4 inch adapter it comes with
 
Build
The headphone is made of a cheap, fragile feeling plastic that doesn’t seem like it’ll hold up to a high drop or a careless sitting on. For that reason, I usually avoid placing my HTF600 at the edge of my table or at similarly precarious positions.
The single-sided cable only comes out of the left ear cup and  surprisingly, it’s pretty good. It’s soft, supple and is great for the price except for the fact that it is a gob smacking 9.8 feet long. I know other brands like Fostex and AKG have headphones that have 10 feet long non-detachable cables too, but why any company would want to do such a thing simply baffles me. To keep my cables manageable, I tie it up with a twist tie. Alternatively, you can braid the cable but I’m too lazy to get that done.

 
The insane cable on the HTF600, having to be tied up like a wild animal
 
Also, the cable is not detachable so some users have modded their HTF600 to include a 3.5 mm socket. Again, if you’re a lazy consumer like me, just live with it.
To end this section, just a quick note on the headband adjustment mechanism. The HTF600 come with two buttons on each side that are supposedly to help you adjust the headphones properly, but I find them utterly useless. Just adjust them as you would any other headphone. Note that the click adjustments are rather loose, so the headphones have a tendency to slide down when off your head and rattled a bit. In practice, this means you’ll have to readjust it if you take the HTF600 off and want to put it back on. They don’t slide down when they’re on your head though, so don’t worry about that.
Overall, build is acceptable, but not outstanding in any sense of the word. For your money, you essentially are getting what you paid for.
 
Comfort
Stock, the HTF600 are comfortable enough but do get rather warm and sweaty after around 1 to 2 hours. Keep in mind though that I live in the very hot tropical island of Singapore, which has humidity and heat that other non South East Asian countries may find isn’t quite the norm.
The HTF600 stock are fitted with over-ear pleather pads that aren’t exactly the softest in the world, but are surprisingly comfortable considering the price you pay. For reference, they are less soft and plush than the pads on the Audio Technica ATH-M50x but are definitely miles ahead in terms of comfort compared to Grado’s frankly horrid foam pads. I do not own the popular Brainwavz HM5 pads but I wouldn’t be surprised if the stock HTF600 pleather pads are comparable to the standard pleather HM5 ones.
With the Beyerdynamic velour pads I got, comfort is improved dramatically. It’s much less prone to getting stuffy and sweaty, which is very important to me given where I live.

 
The velour pads (Left) and the stock pleather (Right)
 
The headband is relatively thick and soft, much better than what you’ll find on many other headphones of similar prices. For reference, I have a Sony on-ear I got for free somewhere that used to retail for around SGD $30+ and all it has for a headband is a single piece of plastic. Despite the padding though, I do get a sore spot on the top of my head after around 3 hours.
I’ve been on Skype group calls wearing the HTF600 with the velour pads and would usually notice my head and ears getting slightly sore after around 3 hours or more. However, by then, I’m probably in dire need of a good stretching and walking around anyway, so it works for me.
In short, the HTF600 is quite comfortable, but isn’t anything like a Beyerdynamic DT880 or HD600 for long hour usage. They’re good enough but do still have their clear limitations, as expected at the price.
 
Isolation
Noise isolation is rather poor, due to the large ports on the sides of the ear cups. I have had entire conversations with people while the HTF600 were on and no, I’m not talking about Skype conversations. Noise isolation decreases further when you’re using velour pads like I do. In the end, despite these being stated as closed headphones, they’re basically semi-open, so you should treat them as such.
 
Amplification
The HTF600 are rated to have a 56 ohms impedance and a 100 dB/mW sensitivity. In simple terms, these do not require an amplifier to use and would get pretty loud plugged into a laptop or smartphone. I’m able to use the HTF600 plugged into my iPhone 5S, which has a relatively good internal sound card for a smartphone and my VAIO Pro 13, which has one of the crummiest on-board sounds I’ve heard. Both are able to push the HTF600 pretty well. That said, I now mostly use the HTF600 with my Fiio Q1 Dac-amp.
 
Sound
If comfort and/or the price are the reasons one would be interested in the HTF600, the sound signature at the price would be why one would bother spending the extra pocket change on these headphones. There is even an entire Head-Fi thread here that discusses how the HTF600 is “more fun” than the legendary Sennheiser HD650. Yes, really, this thread exists.
While very amusing and definitely all in good fun, such hyperbolic comments can be very confusing for potential buyers. A $30 plastic fantastic headphone, no matter how fabulous, can’t be “better” than the venerable decades old $450 legend right? So to clear things up, that’s what I’m here to do, ruin the party. Sorry, I mean provide useful information.
Note that the Beyerdynamic velour pads do in fact change the HTF600’s sound so I’ll be describing the HTF600’s sound for both the pleather and velour pads in each section.
Bass
The bass, as most owners of the HTF600 would tell you, is virtually the star of the HTF600’s sound. With what I perceive to be a slight mid-bass hump, the bass is thick and meaty while not being overly Bloated or uncontrolled, creating a rich, dark and fun sound.
Comparing to some other bass heavy gear, I don’t think the bass extends as deep as something like the Audio Technica ATH-M50x or the Future Sonics Atrio (MG7) earphones, both of which I also own. The HTF600 also has the least pronounced bass of the 3, which is probably why the lowest end of the spectrum is much less noticeable. In my opinion, the HTF600 has bass that would be the least aggressive and is the most relaxed sounding overall. The M50x can be a little headache-inducing with its aggressive bass and treble, while the Atrio can be a bit of a one-trick pony IEM with the strong bass not exactly working for some genres. In this regard, the HTF600 is more versatile, not to mention it is also the cheapest of the 3 mentioned products.
With the velour pads, bass is slightly more tame and diffused, having decreased body and impact. In other words, I’d say the bass is flatter with the velours. That said, bass is still very much noticeable with the velour pads and not much of the fun factor in the low-end is lost in my opinion.
Mids
If the bass is the star of the HTF600 show, the mids would be the planet that revolves around it. The mids are intimate, rich and very smooth, having very few harsh peaks I can discern.
Male and female vocals, unlike many other headphones and earphones I’ve both owned and demoed, have an equal opportunity to shine. Male vocals are sometimes bled into by the upper bass, and female vocals can be very slightly peaky especially with hotly mastered tracks, but both genders have vocals represented in a forward and generally smooth manner.
I did notice that brass instruments in particular sometimes sounded a little undetailed and blunted, due to what I guess is the smoothed over frequency response in the mids and upper treble. I don’t personally find this to be a problem, since my rather sensitive hearing means I get physically uncomfortable when headphones are overly brassy or peaky in sound. With that in mind, I personally would rather have a duller sound most of the time over a sound signature that is too energetic or lively with brass instruments hurting my ears, but that’s just my opinion. As with all things audio, your mileage may vary depending on your preferences.
Comparing the pads again, with the pleather pads, the mids, to my ears, are more lush and rich. With the velour pads, the mids, like the bass, becomes more tame, diffused and has decreased body and weight.
Treble
The HTF600 have treble that I feel is veiled and rolled-off. There is an overall slight haze to the sound, but is not muddy or unclear by any means.
Due to the general lack of high frequency emphasis, the HTF600 loses out on having micro-detailing and an analytical sound, but that, as I will discuss later, isn’t always a bad thing.
With the velour pads, the sound is a little less crisp as it is with the pleathers. Detail is slightly lost with the velours and there is slightly less shimmer to the sound. Treble overall is slightly tamer and is less pronounced.
Verdict on Pads
Above, I’ve mentioned how the stock pleather and Beyerdynamic velour pads affect each chunck of the sound signature, but looking at the sound as a whole is when you’ll get the big picture of the differences between the two.
With the stock pleather pads, the sound is darker and richer while also retaining more detail and shimmer to the sound. Vocals are lush, bass is impactful with a fair amount of heft yet being controlled and the high frequencies are present but are far from being aggressive. Basically, the sound signature is slightly U-shaped, with more emphasis on bass, and the mids not being anywhere as recessed as other more aggressively U or V-shaped signature headphones.
On the other hand, the velour pads flatten the general sound signature and make the whole sound more diffused and decreased in weight. The sound is not as lively or energetic, but what you get in return is a much more spacious sound that takes full advantage of the angled driver placement in the headphones. While not as wide and jaw-droppingly precise like the Beyerdynamic T90 for example (for obvious reasons), the HTF600 with velour pads sounds airy and light, for a lack of a better description. You don’t get pin-point accuracy in imaging, but what you get is a very relaxed, mellow and enveloping sound stage that is easy to kick back and chill to.
To settle the differences between the pads, I personally like the pleathers more for most of my music due to their more engaging and fun representation of the sound. However, for long-term comfort, the velours win. On top of that, the velour pads work better for audio that requires a more spacious and airy sound, like orchestral tracks or movies and TV shows.
With all the users online that tell you to just get velour pads without providing much explanation, I hope this comparison would be helpful in your decision regarding whether to spend the extra on pads or not. There is a significant difference in sound, so my description would hopefully help you make a slightly better informed purchase.
With that out of the way, let’s finally wrap things up!
Overall Sound
In summary, the HTF600 can be described to be on the darker side of headphones, with an intimate presentation that is mellow yet fun. The HTF600 is also quite the all-rounder, being able to provide a very pleasant and unoffensive rendition of many different musical genres.
However, for detail freaks, this is not going to be the headphone of choice due to the lack of treble emphasis. The HTF600 is not for everyone or for every situation. But if you want to have a relaxing, non-fatiguing pair of headphones to return home to and don’t have the dosh for something like the Sennheiser HD650 or the Sony MDR-MA900, I believe the HTF600 would make the budget conscious consumer rather happy with the sound it produces at its significantly more affordable price.
Are they as good or God forbid, better, than the HD650? Hell no. Compared to the HTF600, the HD650 is much more detailed in the mids and highs (it’s not even close really), has bass that’s much better in technical performance and the HD650 is a significant number of steps, hops and leaps ahead in comfort.
However, for their respective prices, which is easier to justify? While the HD650 is a fantastic headphone, it is considerably more expensive and it’s no contest, the HTF600, cheaper by literal hundreds of dollars, is the much easier recommendation for the money.
 

 
The Panasonic RP-HTF600-S Headphones
 
Conclusion
In one sentence, the HTF600 is engaging, relaxed, has the potential to be quite comfortable and is a good overall package at its wallet-friendly price.
With the stock pleather pads, it’s great for many different genres of music. Stick on the velours and you get a very comfortable headphone for long listening sessions and a spacious sound that is great for movies and TV shows. All in a package that only costs around USD $60 in total, $30 or less if you don’t want the velour pads.
I don’t think every person in the world needs a HTF600, because really there is no such product that everyone needs other than refrigerators or similarly mundane necessities like that. However, the HTF600 is a very easy product to recommend for many people and at its USD $28 price, it’s a no brainer for many who at the very least just want to give something new a try.
Being very affordable, easy to drive and pleasant to listen to for most genres, it’s also a very easy recommendation for beginners to headphones who aren’t concerned about looks and want a solid sounding yet cheap headphone to start with.
A great budget option that ticks a lot of boxes, the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S is not the “best headphone ever” or a “giant killer”, but is good enough to satisfy most people, if only its model name were easier to remember.
 
About Me, Josh Tseng:
A self-proclaimed “boring person”, I’m interested in audio gear, music, current events and having thought-provoking conversations with people I meet. Right now, SoundTown is a personal passion project of mine to improve my writing skills while being able to explore all things audio. I also happen to be visually impaired, which is why music has, for me, eventually become one of the most important forms of media I can consume.
If you want to talk to me, feel free to email me at soundtownmail@gmail.com or you can also find me on Twitter at @JoshSoundTown. PMs on Head-Fi, for now, would be rather challenging for me to access so that’ll have to be something I’ll have to work on. Oh and by the way, all feedback on my writing would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading and happy listening! 

This is my second pair of great headphones that i bought for $30, the first was a pair of refurbished Senheiser HD 428 headphones that I feel cannot even compete with these.
Lets just say before we start with the review I do not grade my headphones based on other headphones ($500+) but rather on headphones within or around the price category that these are in.
 
 
The Sound:
Lets start with the lows. The bass on these is beautiful, that is the only word I can use to describe it. Online the HD 428s and many other headphones that have something a lot of people call "one note bass", the bass on these is everything but that. On top of being very "variant" the bass is still very controlled however sounds just a tiny bit muddy, however not nearly as much as the Klipsch S4's. I think this is the best sub $50, maybe even $100 pair of headphones for bass heavy music like dubstep.
The highs, while not as surprisingly good as the bass, is still very good and something you expect from a $50+ dollar pair of headphones.
The mids are where these headphones are lacking. The mids are a bit recessed and sometimes I find myself raising the volume to better hear certain parts of my songs however when it comes to genre's that I feel these headphones are made for (mostly electronic music) the mids aren't much of a problem at all.
 
So in all these headphones have a very FUN sound signature which is what I've been looking for in headphones for a long time now. I want to enjoy my music not by hearing everything there is to hear but by being enveloped in the music and enjoy the sounds more.
Lastly, I just want to say that these headphones have a good soundstage. Combined with a good low end and these headphones already have earned some reputation in the gaming community.
 
Build Quality:
Build quality alone these headphones have blown me away, and I'm not being one of those people that just upgraded from apple buds and thing that their new headphones are the sh!t. Compared to everything I've seen for up to $50 dollars, these are the best. The whole body is made out of a solid feeling plastic that while you'd think feels cheap as a while structure feels very sturdy. The headband is wrapped in a synthetic leather which is a very nice touch and the ear cups are also made out of the same leather material. Speaking about the ear cups, they are very soft and are top notch quality. Only con to leather pads, like always, are sweaty ears after a while of listening. Would I pay extra for better build quality? Most certainly but I am yet to be displeased with the headphones.
 
 
Panasonic entered my world of headphones with a bang. I still cannot describe how happy and after weeks, still shocked at what $30 got me.

 
Initial impressions:
I haven't had much time with them yet (maybe 20 minutes) but right off the bat I was impressed with their sound. I've been letting them burn in for the past 6 hours and will continue to do so overnight, but then I'll try to do some comparisons between my other cans.
 
A couple things I did notice were that the bass was not as overwhelming as I anticipated, and it is more of an open design than a closed one. The bass is definitely present and there is plenty enough for dubstep of electro; I think I just read so much much about these that I expected it rumble my whole head. The bass is strong and will play bass heavy electronic music quite well. Also, while these headphones appear to be closed, there are several vents on the outside which make it more of a semi-open/open design. These have a lot of sound leakage, and aren't too great at isolating, but I think this design is what provides the wider soundstage. These phones sound much more airy and refined than other near this price point.
 
Second opinion:
 
They are pretty good. They are definitely worth their cheap price tag. I let them burn-in for about 30 hours with pink noise and haven't heard too much of a difference. They are definitely bassy, a bit boomy for my taste, but then again my current cans are very balanced and a bit weak on bass. Mids seem a bit masked by the bass at times. Not necessarily recessed, but maybe just a bit of bass bleeding into the midrange. I haven't played any games with the so I still can't help on that end. 
 
My only current worry is that they feel somewhat cheaply made due to all of the plastic. I feel like I need to be gentle so I don't accidentally damage them. The comfort is also decent because they are so light, but if you end up liking these, I would recommend trying the velour pads if you can get some.
 
Overall they are definitely quite nice and I'd recommend them if you like bass. They don't compare to my other pairs in terms of clarity, balance, or detail, but the price tag doesn't suggest that they should nor are they advertised as doing so.
 
Edit:
 
I did the paper towel mod where you place a paper towel under the ear pad to create more space between your ears and the drivers. I did notice a slight increase in soundstage. Bass may also be slightly stronger now. Overall not a huge change, but I'd recommend it as it was very easy and can easily be undone.

[size=22.0pt]Panasonic RP-HTF600 Step Monitors[/size] [size=9.0pt]Big Sound with a Not So Big Price[/size]
 
On the never ending quest to find hidden gems out there, yet another challenger has come forth. The Panasonic RP-HTF600 Step Monitor. I try a lot of headphones. I love picking up a set of inexpensive cans and seeing if they sound good or not. Why? Because it's fun. I already have high end stuff but that doesn't mean I can't also look for something fun and great to listen to while not spending much. That also gives me the ability to listen to high end, mid-tier and entry and then there's headphones like the HFT600 which isn't even entry level in terms of cost, because it's so ridiculously inexpensive (anywhere from $25 USD to $30 USD on Amazon; and retails 40EU~60EU elsewhere it seems, so more for non-USA countries, sorry!). I never feel like I'm taking a chance on headphones that cost this. So naturally I go through quite a few. Some are worth talking about. Some not so much. This one, the HTF600 however, is very much worth talking about.
 

 

 
Quick reference as to what's contained here for the impatient:
 

1. Closed back full size headphones
2. Inexpensive ($30 USD!)
3. Warm, bassy, musical, rich, full bodied, smooth sounding
4. Good sound stage (big angled drivers)
5. Easy to drive, and forgiving of source
6. Comfortable & solidly constructed

 
Why am I still clamming on about these things? Well, simply put, these headphones have a huge sound but not a scary price tag.  Anyone can try this headphone and I bet they will at least like it for what it is and likely keep it for fun, or actually use it often. I've worn mine for the past few days to really get into it and I ended up buying a second one so that I could share it with others because it's just so much fun to put in and crank up the music with. And without being humble about it, this headphone is as much fun to listen to with big warm musical sound that literally to me is more fun to listen to than some $150~$250 headphones out there in the mid-tier. Sounds like absolute hog-wash, I know. But I have those mid-tiers. And high-ends. And these inexpensive little gems. And they really do sit right next to them and I do actually listen to them. I was quite floored by them and my crush on them hasn't let up yet.
 
What Comes in the Box:
 

 

1. The headphone itself
2. 1/4" gold adapter (original cable terminates with 3.5mm)
3. Wasteful paper stuff and packaging

 
There's nothing really to call home about when it comes to the packaging. This isn't focused on giving you a display piece, but it does come nicely packaged and you get a nice headphone, so we forgive them for not including a sweet wooden case or something.
 
Specifics of this Headphone:
 

1. Cord length 10 feet, terminating with 3.5mm, included 1/4" gold adapter
2. 50mm drivers, angled (like S-logic)
3. 56 ohms (easy to drive, no amp needed)
4. Sensitivity 100dB/mW (gets loud easily)
5. 10hz ~ 27khz Range
6. Weight 250 grams (not heavy at all, but not a feather)

 
Construction, Materials & Comfort:
 

 

 

 
The HFT600 is actually a solid headphone, unlike most inexpensive models I try often. It's not flimsy and doesn't creak or squeak. It's a nice durable hard plastic unit. It doesn't have any fancy folding or bending or anything though. The cups can flip 180 degrees, but this is not a useful feature other than to make the headphone stand on its cups if you wanted. The cable is good, not too tiny, not overly large and heavy. The adapter is of average quality.
 

 
The cups are padded with a pleather material that is better than other inexpensive headphones that I've tried (they're a nicer grade than SR850's I've tried amongst others for example). The cups themselves are soft, but have a firmness behind them, so they're not weak little pillows nor are they bricks. The cups themselves are pretty big, and house that big 50mm driver too which is angled. The inside of the cup has a felt across the face which is glued (but easily removable). The pads are easily removable and easy to put back on (so could be replaced, or modded, etc). The driver housing is actually nice, it's vented along the back (which helps with bass response, see mods of other headphones and they all include a bass port basically). The drivers angled and the vents combined give you a very nice sound stage considering these are closed headphones (however note, with the vents, they leak a little, and are not very isolating, but are still more isolating than even a semi-open headphone, and don't leak like a Grado). The back of the driver plates are a brushed aluminum with chrome, quite nice actually. It has a look to it that is very technical, mechanical, not organic. The cups do not swivel like a DJ headphone or some monitors. They have a degree of movement to adjust to the contour of a head, but that's all.
 

 

 
The headband has a very generous cushion on top that is very squishy and comfortable. The headband itself has a weird little addition, it has "quick fit" options with two buttons on each side for settings. Essentially it's there so that you can hold the button, pull the headband down to enlarge it, and it will stop at a preset limit based on the button you push. This is a gimmick really and I didn't find it all that useful because I will put them on and adjust them to wherever I want them and leave them that way. But regardless, it's there, and you can quick-adjust them to two preset values for headband size just by holding the buttons and they will be equal on both sides. The headband and the cups do not fold up at all.
 

 

 

 
The cord is 10 feet long and enters a single cup, so you only have one wire coming from the left cup. It is not detachable.
 
The headphone is held together with screws; you can literally take it apart. This is helpful for modders.
 
The construction over all is very sturdy. It's made of good solid plastic, not the flimsy stuff and none of the parts are thin or tweak around, so it should survive a good amount of abuse.
 
Sound Characteristics:
 
The HTF600 surprised me. I didn't expect what was going to flow out of them. They rendered this rich atmosphere, this ambient wonderland, and took my listening pleasure from skepticism to devout acolyte. What a rich musical headphone. So let's get more into it.
 
Quick summary for those not interested in the long winded detail stuff:
 

1. Massive amounts of reverbing bass. They're basshead cans through and through.
2. Bass bleeds into mids a little, but mids are not recessed in a big way.
3. Treble is very smooth, rolls off, not bright or fatiguing at all.
4. Great soundstage for a closed headphone.
5. Below average isolation, the vents are numerous.
6. Signature: Warm, Bassy, Lush, Rich, Smooth, Detailed

 
Some examples of music I tested that I tend to always use because I know the tracks very well: Ani Difranco (Acoustic, Female Vocals), Regina Spektor (Folk, Pop, Female Vocals), Euge Groove (Jazz, Bassy), Ludovico Einaudi (Classical, Piano), Keith Jarrett (Classical, Piano, Live Concert), Rostropovich Cello (Classical), YoYoMa Cello (Classical), The Cranberries (Pop, Female Vocals), Elton John (Classic Rock),  Avantasia (Metal, Fantasy), Buckethead (Alt. Metal), Rusko (Dubstep), Ephixa (Dubstep), JesusDied4DubStep (Dubstep), Robyn (EDM), BT (Trance, Techno), OceanLab (Trance, Techno).
 
Hardware used ranged from my Droid Incredible, Sansa Fuze, Asus Transformer, Vivid V1 Technologies DAC/AMP, Matrix Cube DAC and Schiit Lyr. Note, I did not find any significant difference when juicing anything up with them. They're easy to drive and are pretty forgiving of source so it wasn't a big difference from piece to piece, the idea here is just to express that they work on all these things pretty much equally so you can use them on basically anything without worry.
 

 
Treble (highs):
 
The highs are very smooth. The headphone has detail, not a lot of congestion up here, but they're not transparent or airy like a detail monster or analytical headphone might have, instead, it's just a nice smooth listen that gives you enough treble to know it's happening, doesn't sound like it's distant or damp, and isn't spiking enough to fatigue you. No sibilance at all. I listened to different synth sounds, female vocals, drums, guitars, etc, and the treble was great all through it with no point where I felt I was missing out on treble or had too much. It literally is just a good smooth listen. The detail is surprising though, it's not a dark headphone to the point where you don't hear what's going on. I was hearing little things in recordings  of Cello works that I adore and it was just there, crisp as ever.
 
Mids:
 
The mids are not recessed to the point of notice, which is contrary to most bassy headphones. The bass bleeds into the mids a little, so you will hear some weight added to certain tones in vocals for example I found. But it's a warm sound, it really comes out and grabs you. It's a very organic, lush, full bodied sound that makes you feel like you're listening to music for pleasure, not analyzing it, not being critical. It's all musical here. Plenty of detail going on. I was surprised that female vocals were so musical here, even with some heavy bass pulsing behind it. I was able to run any kind of music through this headphone because the mids are strong enough to present it. Rock, Indie and Jazz were really pleasant and I felt like I had the right headphone on for the job. A good indication of being a decent all around headphone. Guitars were rich and ripping. Vocals were angelic and lush. Instruments were full bodied and just bloomed all over. There was good separation of sound too, it wasn't a congested mess of bleeding everywhere which surprised me.
 
Lows (bass):
 
The bass grabs you by your jimmies and rustles them. How about that for a description. This is basshead headphone. I directly compared it to the XB500 because it's an inexpensive bassy headphone too. The HFT600 sounded like the XB500's bass, very similar, a slight edge maybe going to the XB500, but in return for that, you get all the mids & treble that the XB500 has a big veil over (without equalization). I was quite surprised so much reverbing low bass was pulsing out of these things while still having great lush mids and smooth highs and no equalization going on to balance anything out. It completely replaced the XB500 in my book in all ways which some may not agree with, but as an entire package, it surely did, especially considering it's cost. The bass goes low. There's a mid-bass hump, but it can also hit those low sub bass frequencies with authority which really impressed me and made me think of a Denon. This kind of bass makes pleasure listening for someone who appreciates a good reverbing blooming pulsing bass rumble just grin from ear to ear. It adds immersion to gaming too which was really fun. And it makes movies sound a lot like how they present in theaters (rumble!). The bass is not, however, so out of control that you can't listen to soft acoustic--I tried that too and the bass just added body to the end of a sound, but didn't take over to the point where you felt like it was going too far. It was a very pleasing experience, and the bass presence is just commanding. Officially stamped as basshead approved headphones.
 

 
Isolation:
 
There is not a lot of isolation, they're below average with that, they do leak a little more than your typical headphone, however they don't leak like a Grado. I would say they're just below semi-open in terms of leaking sound. So if isolation is critical, this could be an issue. And if leaking is critical, this could be an issue. There are a lot of vents, and they let the sound leak out a little. It's feint, and someone in the house in the next room isn't going to hear it. But someone next to you on the train or bus will hear you likely (let 'em riot). They do isolate on the inside sufficiently where you don't hear a lot of what's going on outside of the headphone (for example, with music playing, I don't hear my keyboard slamming and clicking at all, only when the music stops; I don't hear the AC, I don't hear a fan, if my phone rings, well, oh well I missed it hah).
 
Soundstage:
 
The sound stage is pretty good. It's not your typical headphone that is closed. Like Ultrasone's S-Logic, the big drivers are angled (the AD700 does this too for sound stage for example). Combine big angled drivers with a nice big open cup and some vents and you get a nice sound stage. Separation and distance is good, it "sounds right" so to speak. Not cramped, but also not wildly artificially expanded either. I found it pretty good for gaming even, the imaging is good.
 
Gaming & Movies:
 
We don't typically think of closed headphones for gaming, but if you're into immersive gaming and watching movies on headphones with some privacy, these things do it great. The soundstage gives you a good sound field to fill up. But the bass and immersion and musicality of the headphone really lends to having a really full bodied experience in games. So if you're into games like Skyrim or watching movies like Dark Knight, these headphones will give you goosebumps. Excellent for gaming (read: varieties other than competitive online-foot-step-listening) and wonderful for movies.
 
Comparing To Others & Closing Thoughts:
 

 
Here's the section you love or hate. I really don't like hearing "Giant Killer" used, but it's so popular to say it, it's hard not to use it in some fashion. Are these going to topple the big analytical detail giants of the mid-tier and high-end spectrum? No. Not at all. But will it compete for pleasure listening? Absolutely. You may sneer and think I'm totally full of fecal material, but I absolutely adore listening to these headphones and don't always reach over for my HE-500's. Next to some D1100's, I was impressed how similar they were. The Pansonic had more bass, but had smoother treble, while the Denon had a tad lower bass volume and brighter sounding treble. I totally preferred the sound of the Panasonic here. I already compared the XB500 to it, and like I said, I really think it completely replaces the XB500 for an inexpensive basshead can in every way (equivalent bass levels, better mids, better treble, better sound stage, better build and comfort overall for me and better cord). It's very energetic, and reminded me of the kind of energy that a Grado gives me, so naturally ran it up against some SR60's and a SR325, the bass completely overshadowed the Grados, and while the Grados had more mid-centric sound, the Panasonic had more sound stage and was warmer and less fatiguing while still having a huge amount of energy. I couldn't even stand to listen to the AudioTechnica ESW9 & M50 after listening to the Panasonic. It completely was way more fun and musical, though the ESW9 was actually a lot more fun to listen to than the M50 (which is sterile and bleh). Previous budget headphones like the Kicker & Monoprice? Forget about them. This thing eats their lunch. These are not giant killers. They are not high fidelity in the slightest. Let's get that straight. But they are absolutely david when it comes to pleasure listening for someone who wants a warm, bassy, musical and smooth listen for having a great time with music. I'll get completely disregarded for it, but these are like a little HD650. Seriously.


Pad Modification (Optional):

By the way, the Beyer velour pads came in today. They're a perfect fit.

I have two sets of Panasonics RP-HTF600 Step Monitors. I just fitted these pads which work on several headphones in terms of size on a pair of the Panasonics. It's a perfect match. Fits like it was made for it. So no worries about it slipping or being loose or having to mod or do anything. They just slide right into place no problem at all without any extra modification. Simple swap.











Comfort: Absolutely comfortable. Beyer Velour is just wonderful. I loved all Beyer headphones I've worn. I'm also a big "velour" fan, as I actually dislike pleather. I only stoop down to pleather when I am forced. And even then, it's only indoors for me because I do not like sweaty ears/head when wearing pleather headphones outside (my portables are always velour due to that, or at least, most of the time). These feel great. They fit just like the stock pads, but they're a nicer material, comfortable, soft and feel even better on my glasses frames.

Sound: Ok, they do have an impact on sound. All pad changes should because it changes how sound is absorbed and reflected, so it changes the end dynamic in your ear folds and reflects differently there too. So no matter what, it will sound different. The question is, do you lose good qualities, or do you get a neutral change, or do you get a positive change in qualities of sound.

Bass changes: Insignificant. Seriously. The bass is still impactful, low, and reverbing. That is awesome. So changing to velour does not effect the warm bass of this headphone in an appreciable way. I tested bass with some dubstep drops and some Cello over and over at the same perceived volume level to test it.

Mids changes: I swear that the bass bleed falls out of the mids, so the mids sound a little less warm and instead have an edge of detail on them. This can be a pro or con depending on what you're looking for. For me, this is an excellent change in the positive direction as this headphone now sounds more balanced actually and the clarity sound comes from the detail shift. I tested this with female vocals and piano (Tori Amos specifically).

Treble changes: Again, the bass is still tremendous and warm, but the highs feel like they lost some weight and became more tight and detailed, instead of being warm and smooth. Now, they're edged. It's not bright or fatiguing though. It's still a smooth listen. But it's not overly smooth to the point of sounding damp. I tested this with some guitar, cymbals, and some really high pitch female vocal with a lot of consonants (some French stuff that I listen to).

Verdict: I think the mid-bass hump gets tamed by the velour pads, therefor you keep the big sub bass hits that we love, but the mid-bass stops bleeding as much into the mids & highs, which results in a more balanced sound. I would call this an improvement. Even though I love the stock sound, it's so warm and musical, I also like a more detailed and clear sounding image. The velour I think takes the mid-bass hump down a notch. I just played with an equalizer to confirm this suspicion and felt like I found the same effective sound by dropping 220hz, 440hz and 622hz 2~3 dB. There's the hump by guestimation from previous thoughts on the matter of frequency response (as this headphone has an obvious mid-bass hump).

Velour pads are an excellent change. Reduced mid-bass bleed. Increase in clarity and detail by a notch. Retains sub bass slam and reverb. Still warm and musical. With the velour pads, the headphone's sound, as a combined package (costing new $50 total shipped) sounds much like $200 headphones I've sampled and have/had and feels like them too. This headphone is reminding me heavily of a mix between a DT770 and an HD650, but $50, and no amp needed, and inbetween fully open and fully closed so sound stage difference. I still feel this headphone has a great sound stage for it's closed nature and considering it's cost (when I compare to closed headphones that are fully sealed and do not have angled drivers, which have next to no sound stage I find, these things have quite a bit better sound stage).

Recommendation: Get the velour pads folks.

 
This headphone reminds you to enjoy the music. For the cost, you should definitely try one!
 

 

 





 
Very best,

[size=medium]Getting Started [/size]
 
Forewarning I'm a neutral fan and don't like colored or veiled sound, please take that into account. Also My ratings are based around the price - for the money these headphones are undeniably out of the ballpark. 
 
The sources used for this review are my SLS audio receiver qv-avr500 (respectable onboard amp) and straight from mp3 player (this is a budget headphone afterall)
 
 
PACKAGING
 
Exceptional - presented like a 100$ headphone and protected well from damage (ordered these online) certainly a better looking package than what came with my ATHM50
 
Contains the headphones (Circum-aural) with quality pleather pads (very similar to M50) 10ft cable (straight and a little thin, but on par with headphones twice the price) 1/4inch adapter (gold) and standard 3.5 (gold) 
 
BUILD/COMFORT  
 
Light and feel neither delicate or sturdy (a great deal of plastic). Great padding, very comfortable (your ears might get warm after an hour or so) They certainly feel like more than 30$ and are infinitely more comfortable (and attractive) than anything in the Sennheiser HD2xx line
 
SOUND  
FROM RECEIVER 
 
Warm and full - very detailed (not just for a $30 can, but for a CLOSED can). Imaging is fantastic and adds great depth to the music. The highs were slightly sibilant when I first used them, but they mellow after a short burn (20 hours)
 
The Mids were slightly recessed, and vocals felt veiled - certainly the biggest shortcoming here, but still, nothing to really take off for - it doesn't effect the music in a negative fashion - but you WILL hear a difference between this and a high level can. 
 
The low end is excellent - tight and punchy or low and boomy, whatever the music calls for. While its not the bassiest can in the world - its enough to make me label this a BASSHEAD headphone. However (being a neutral fan) I should point out that this doesn't sound bad to me - its just not a personal preference 
 
Overall they sounded fun and inviting - WELL worth the money
 
SOUND
MP3 PLAYER
 
Vocals and Mids are more forward - bass is less warm and in less quantity - the detail remains largely unchanged. The highs feel more energetic and the headphone takes a more neutral sound

I find it enjoyable - but it sounds better out of the receiver (making me certain that these will want some form of amplification)

CONCLUSION  
For 30$ you can't beat it - the #1 competitor in this price range is the Senn HD202...and its vastly inferior headphone
 
If your new to HiFi sound, or are a budget can junkie - check these out, they are well worth the $$$
 
(I'll be editing this in the future by adding additional sources/amps)
 
All recordings used were in FLAC or 320k Mp3. 

I like the way it sound out of the box and I think it get little smoother after 20 hour or so(the way I like). It is very fun headphone indeed and I like it better with velour pads than stock one.
 
Nothing can beat it for the price and sound that produce, most of the headphones I've heard and had around $200 + can't even compare with HTF600 at least for me, I would gladly pay more for it sound but they must have better cable and plugs.
 
Thank you very much to Dsnuts and MalVeauX for great reviews ( great find Dsnuts btw ) this is one of my favorite headphone now and I really appreciate the way it sound,
 
My favorite headphone being Denon AH-D5000 and I love it very much every time I listen it but this Panasonic HTF600S gave me different way of enjoyment when I listen to my favorite music. Very nice and smooth, warm and full sound signature with not much of instrument separation but it does produce wonderful sound that everyone can enjoy. It is truly fun headphone ...
 
Design: A-
Comfort: A (Stock pads)
Sound: A-

While having a random conversation with Forum member Dsnuts via Private Messaging, he suggested that I listen to these babies (I believe we were actually discussing the Monoprice cans!) because he was surprised with the bass produced by them. I went ahead and bit and I have to say, I'm glad I did.
 
I was actually looking for "bassy" cans to listen to EDM, dubstep, etc. and thought I would like the cheap Monoprice cans but I found them lacking and uncomfortable. These quickly replaced the Monoprice headphones and sound way better in ALL spectrums. Great bass, mids are audible and highs are Ok. For being this cheap, I am surprised how much fun they are! I even got 2 and plan on selling my AD700s and Shures 440 with 840 pads!
 
I do have "better" more "technical" headphones, but for the price, you cannot go wrong with these!!
 
My biggest con with these... sound leakage.
I use my headphones at work and people actually know which songs I'm listening to when
I use 'em! lol (my Shure 940s, being closed, don't leak like the Pannies!).
 
 
Try them.!

great bass. especially the mid bass is superb and delicately punchy... no bleed to my ears 
 
very clear for a bass heavy headphone
 
they sound warm and overall very easy on the ears...supremely forgiving....great clarity ..
beats my xb 500 in almost everyway.  bass is very well layered and faster than sennheiser hd 428 and xb 500. also shows equal layer and extension in bass to xb500, at the same do not sound bloated like the latter
 
treble is enough not to complain about..  I dint have my usual treble checking tracks but i can still vouch for this....(eq might help here)
 
mids sound warm but i dont find any particular bleed...
satisfying soundstage with good height and nice width... again better than the xb 500s..
 
the mrp of this is 4k inr( around 75 dollars) and thats not really a steal...but price depends where you find it 
 
if you can get it at 40 dollars a pair, these hold the best value i can think of but 75 dollars is still high ...
 
to me it sounds much more realistic and convincing in portraying depth and layer in comparison to similarly priced sets like the hd 438 by sennheiser. Provided, they are super comfortable I would pick these up against similarly priced cans like the ones mentioned.
 
isolation is subpar to average - as good as the xb 500 if you ask me.. but not as good as the ultra-budget friendly hd 202 by sennheiser. 
 
overall the signature is warm and the bass compliments the mids but bounce about high and big when called for.. treble is good but resolution and detail can as well be considered a contribution of the size of the soundstage and overall clarity which gives the sense of perceived detail(imho)
 
cheers

Panasonic RP-HTF600 is one of my first open headphones and because of that I was easily amazed with the openness of its sound signature. For $30, it would be hard to find a headphone of this same type that is as good as this. The headphone doesn't fail in any major way yet still manages to impress me on plenty of ways.
 
Build Quality
 
I expected this to be flimsy but it isn't. It surely is made of plastic and the earcups are made of synthetic materials but even then, I won't call it easily breakable and uncomfortable. Cable is thick, long, single-sided and not removable. I find the cable being long as a convenience since I sometimes use this in my office.
 
Isolation
 
It isolates some and it doesn't leak plenty, both of which are perfect for an office environment. As it's marketed for studio use, I don't think isolation is good enough.
 
Sound Quality
 
Now, on to sound. The headphone overall, with the exception of slightly accentuated bass, has a neutral-dark sound signature. The bass isn’t overwhelming at all however in listening you might find the tonality a bit on the dark/warm side. Bass lacks tightness and is too soft at times.
 
Mids overall are balanced although they can sound a bit distant at times but not recessed. There’s a warmish tilt that can make the lower mids sound prominent however going to the upper mids, the quantity becomes a bit recessed.
 
There's plenty of treble but is not very refined. It sounds soft as well which makes it not sibilant and fatiguing. However, it's hard to find a headphone that has 'decent' treble presence for the price point
 
Soundstage is very good because of it’s open design. I find it larger in width and height than the Superlux cans I tried. There’s a great sense of air and space to it and while instrument separation is below average for an open headphone
 
Overall, the Panasonic cans are a very good sounding headphones especially for its price. Heck, even better than some of the more expensive ones.
 
For the full review and pictures, see my post my review here: http://www.headphone.ph/panasonic-htf600-review/

If I had to visualize the sound signature of the HTF-600, I would describe them to be the bridge from a melancholic place connecting to a cheerful heaven.
These cans extract the soul and love out of every soundtrack out there.

Let me start of by saying that these are not perfect headphones because they don't excel at everything.
These are 30$ dynamic drivers, 50MM drivers at that. They don't have the control that higher end mid-fi
and high-fi cans have. They won't hit all the notes that are available, a lot are drown out.
But what they do have, is an excellent presentation that can engage the listener just as good if not better
than those higher end headphones from 400$ and up.
There is something about the signature of the HTF-600 that makes me come back to it. No matter
how big my headphone inventory gets I still listen to the HTF-600 if I just want a break from all my analytical gear.

The instrument separation is average, the sound is presented as a whole and not in individual parts like other
headphones with good sound separation tend to do. But I can still pick out the individual layers well enough, even though
the bass sometimes trump the mids. This can is excellent at tracking a drummer; "Something to believe in - Citizen Cope" is a good track
to test that with.
I never felt like the HTF600 sounded bloated or messy. It has a very clean and open presentation.

The bass area is where these cans shine. I paired them up with a Fiio E11(excellent match) and with bass boost set to +2 and giving it a V-shaped
EQ-curve, these will impress any bass-head whom desires earth shaking bass on their head. Don't get the wrong idea, these ALWAYS sound great, but improve upon amping.
These cans are very open to EQ-ing(Rock EQ)
I impressed over 30 friends with the Fiio E11+ipod touch Gen 4+HTF-600@V-shape EQ combo. A good example track is "After thoughts- Oddisee". The sub-bass is just wonderful. It does
lack the speed and control of let's say a HE-400. There is a long decay. But you can always track the bassline
and the boosted frequency around the 100hz-200hz makes these thump hard, but never distract the mids/highs.

HOWEVER, proceed with caution using the E11 or any bass boost amp with the HTF-600 outdoors.
The vent holes prevent good isolation and thus you will turn these headphones up to dangerous sound levels. Not only being bad for
your ears, but for the drivers as well. You can easily blow the drivers as they are not designed to driven to such high levels with bass boost
on. I learned my lesson the hard way, I am on my third pair. The driver diaphragm isn't reinforced with any material unlike the DT-770, HP-150
or FA-003TI, so be careful and you should be fine.

The mids on these are very smooth and colored but not very detailed. Ambient noises are hard to pick apart, and little nuances are not present until you amp
this baby up and pair it with a good dac.
Also there is the non fatiguing sound, which makes me assume the frequency around 2khz-4khz is slightly down lifted.
I can not provide a direct frequency response curve for these cans, I have searched around the web but without success. Yet somehow I perceive
the HTF-600's mids to be quite forward. The mids remind me a lot of the HE-400, where the lower mids are upfront and upper mids are recessed.

The highs are just pure euphoric bliss. As another reviewer stated, these are a gift from the heavens. These are tuned to near perfection if you just want to enjoy your music.
They are never fatiguing, and to my ears they bring all my nostalgic feelings I associated with old songs right back to my soul. The highs have a nice bite to them when the trumpets
are blazing. The detail is certainly there, but the highs are certainly rolled off after the 10khz mark. But I never feel like these sound dull because of that. If had to handpick a song and link
the feeling of that song to this can, it would be "Akira - Illusion". Trip hop and RNB/Hip hop goes perfect with this can. Washed out and bonobo sound very dreamy and just blissful.
But these cans can really play anything with pride.

The build quality is pretty good. These cans look really awesome. They are very lightweight and supremely comfortable, and made of durable plastic. The cable is very long but you can braid it by following a YouTube tutorial on the subject. There are velour pads(DT250), MalVeauX has a good explanation on what it does to the sound signature. I have the pads but eventually preferred the pleather pads because they sound more organic. You can easily toss them around and throw them in your bag but I don't recommend sitting on them. Comfort is below average with the pleather pads; after an hour you need to take a quick break from them. This can be remedied by applying the velour pads mentioned earlier. In cold weather these tend to make cracking noise when walking, which can be quite disturbing to the music listening experience (though it's not all that pronounced, just slightly annoying) The driver-cups seem to be plated with a metal piece, as they get cold just like metal does.
I hope Panasonic uses these EXACT same drivers and make it an all metal construction. I'd drop 200$ on those if they did.

Lastly, the sound-stage is pretty good thanks to it's semi open nature. The sound is always happening next to my ears, and you don't get an inside your head feeling.
The imaging is far from realistic, and a lot of sounds are free floating most of the time. The sound-stage is extremely engaging and open sounding. Nice height and width, but average depth.
They remind me of a baby HE-400 in this category.

For 30$, I recommend buying at least 5 of these. Give these as gifts to all your family-members and friends when it is their birthday. Keep a spare or two and lock it away for 50 years and pass it
on to your grandchildren. They will then pass it on to their grandchildren and this will then become a family tradition. Because 500 years or so from now, these cans will inspire someone very
important and thus will safe this planet from eternal doom.



(the bass of these cans hit hard, they knock hard and have great sub bass)

I decided to purchase these headphones after reading the large thread that was praising them greatly. I was in the market for a budget basshead pair of headphones, so it was a logical decision. As soon as I received them, I used them as my primary headphones for a week, while burning them in during the night.
 
My initial impression confirmed that the tone was very warm, musical, and colored. They were pleasant and non-fatiguing to listen to, with a very nice soundstage, and were a massive comfort improvement over my Grados. I did notice a large amount of sound leakage -- it was nothing like a Grado's sound leakage, but it was apparent. These are more semi-closed headphones than they are closed. They felt like an improvement over my more expensive, more analytic cans for genres like electronic. I quickly grew to like them. I compared them against a friend's M50s and decided that, although the M50s had a definite edge, the RP-HTF600s held their ground surprisingly well. I decided I liked the headphones enough to warrant purchasing Pearstone Velour Pads for them. They fit very nicely and improved the comfort to a 5 star rating. 
 
Over time, though, I found myself missing the clarity and punch of my more expensive headphones. By the end of the week, I had switched back to using the Grados as my primary headphones and left the HTF600s as my on-the-go/when-the-Grados-start-feeling-uncomfortable semi-open cans. The best way I can describe how they sounded by comparison is that the HTF600s sounded like they were playing through molasses -- the attack and decay was not very quick. When I played very high-paced bass lines, like those seen in Dark Psytrance music, the HTF600s could barely keep up and the notes were difficult to separate. the more technical features of the headphones were very indicative of their price. The RP-HTF600s are no giant-killers, but they brought a lot of value for the price.
 
Bottom line, for someone looking to try a pair of bassy headphones, these are an excellent starting place. They are easy to drive, forgiving of source, comfortable, and have a musical tone. They offer a high amount of value in the $30-40 price range, but I feel like they begin to start getting outclassed beyond that -- despite the rave reviews of the HTF600, I would not personally buy them again if they are priced outside of that range. I love the returns I got on this headphone for the price, but try to avoid many of the hyperboles offered by the HTF600 fans at Head-Fi. 
 
4/24/12 Retrospective: 
 
These headphones no longer get any head time from me anymore, really. The budget headphone market has expanded since these first became FotMs. I still enjoyed the purchase, but I dropped the value score on this headphone from 4 stars to 3.5 stars and the overall rating from 4 stars to 3.5 stars.
 
Just remember that these are semi-open headphones with some sound leakage and that they are not the absolute highest fidelity for the price. The Monoprice 8323 and the Incipio Forte F38 are, at this time, both technically superior headphones at a lower price.