Panasonic RP-HJE120-K In-Ear Earbud Ergo-Fit Headphone (Black)

JAMEZTHEBOI

New Head-Fier
Pros: Really good bass, mids are nice, amazing fit and comfort, super light, CHEAP
Cons: Terrible highs, synthetic sound, flimsy cable, sensitivity kinda low.
This is gonna be a simple review

BASS
For a $7 in ear it is actually really good. A little overbearing at times but quite articulate considering the price. 

MIDS
They are not airy and vocals by no means sound lifelike but they are clear and not muddied by the elevated bass.

HIGHS
This is where this in ear does not shine. It is extremely recessed around the 10kHz to 14kHz range so cymbals are quiet as hell. It has a very metallic sound to it as well but it is cheap so it is expected.

SOUNDSTAGING 
The staging on this is pretty bad so don't expect a room like delivery of sound

COMFORT
Really good actually. It is super light and the "ergo-fit" actually works. Easy to wear for hours and you can even sleep with it in due to the low profile.

BUILD
Pretty cheap lol. The cables are flimsy but the jack area seems pretty sturdy. 

FINAL THOUGHTS
It is a pretty good in ear that actually stays in your ears even during heavy motion. It may be synthetic sounding and it might be a little low sensitivity in ear but for the price I would say it is pretty good. But remember it is CHEAP 

Raketen

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: Price, Decent Bass, Comfort
Cons: Treble/Detail, Isolation
Originally purchased as temporary replacements. I've had the same pair for something like 5 years now-  they've gone on to see a lot of gym and work use, and are so comfortable and secure that I've often used instead of inears with much better SQ. Don't get a lot of rotation lately, but the 120s live on as the backups I keep in my bag.

The sound isn't quite good, but surprisingly decent given the price (boomy bass, ok mids and treble missing some detail, narrow and slightly soupy/muffled sound common to the budget cohort but not distractingly so). Isolation is ok for mild city noise, until a truck drives by. Construction isn't remarkable but the shells and plug seem solid, and earns a lot of credit considering they've lasted me longer than every other headphone I've owned in spite of seeing a lot of rough use- the one gripe is a thin, tangle prone cord.

Price and comfort are what make the HJE120s worthwhile, for budget listeners, as a cheapo backup or temporary stopgap, and comfortable beater/utility/podcast set for those who don't mind occasionally compromising  on SQ.
  • Like
Reactions: stalepie

STRMfrmXMN

New Head-Fier
Pros: Solid mids, decent noise isolation, bass is mostly flat and EQs to be harsher without issue
Cons: Stupid cable, earbud tips prone to break, highs are wimpy, separation is near-nonexistent
They sound better than anything I've heard at this price point. I use these earbuds with my iPod Nano every day. The one thing that makes these things annoying as crap is the stupid cable that gets tangled and stays tangled. 
 
They isolate noise OK. My ears aren't the best shape for them so if I wiggle my ears sound suddenly leaks through. I replaced the rubber eartips with the ones from JVC Marshmallows - in my opinion the most comfy tips for buds. They make the driver a bit more distant from your ear but this is solved by raising the volume.
 
Separation is poor which is to be expected. Nothing like my HD518s and I don't expect them to be.
 
Honestly, for 6 bucks these are great. I've never owned any really great earbuds but I do know that I normally tear through earbuds because I am not nice to them and none have lasted as long as these have. I got these right before the 2014 year ran out and, seeing as it is currently September you could say that these things are build pretty well.
  • Like
Reactions: JAMEZTHEBOI
JAMEZTHEBOI
JAMEZTHEBOI
I agree. It has some serious issues with treble and separation but for that price I have no complaints

immersz

New Head-Fier
Pros: Very cheap, great bass, good isolation
Cons: Highs aren't great, cheap cable
After losing a piece from my Vsonic VC-02's I decided to get something really cheap for now. These cost $7.18 on Amazon. Bass response is better than anything I've heard in this class. It's actually almost overwhelming at the low end; this is the first time I can remember EQ'ing bass down for an IEM, especially a cheap one. Isolation is surprisingly good. Highs are a little lacking, and maybe the soundstage isn't perfect. Again, these cost $7.18 so you have nothing to lose.
  • Like
Reactions: JAMEZTHEBOI

ardorformusic

New Head-Fier
Pros: heavy bass, compacted sound, instrument separation
Cons: muffled, does not capture detail
I love these! Haved used for a long time.
  • Like
Reactions: JAMEZTHEBOI
JK1
JK1
This is the cheapest Panasonic IEM. It is very bass deficient, and very inefficient. While its price is low, imo it is well worth spending around $20 for the Panasonic RPHJE450 or RPHJE355. The HJE355 has great detail, but only 10.7mm drivers, so its bass isn't as strong as that of the HJE450 with its 12.5mm drivers. The HJE450 has less detail than the HJE355 though. The prices for these are sometimes much lower on Panasonic.com than on Amazon.

Trevayne10

New Head-Fier
Pros: Nice & flat sounding, comfy, responds well to EQ, good build quality, no cable noise. Very budget ($9.45 USD)
Cons: none
They just work. Nice, clear & flat-sounding (nothing in audio spectrum particularly stands out -  a good thing, if you want to approach "analytical", which these things most assuredly are not).  Listening to 320 kbps ambient tracks on internet-radio.com right now.  Very immersive, good sound stage / separation.
 
Very Comfy fit, using large silicone tips. No cable noise. Decent build quality.
 
Excellent bargain at Amazon.com - $9.45 USD.  What's not to like?
 
These things garner 4.4 out of 5 stars among 38,316 reviews on Amazon.com, which has to count for something, I would think. I agree; I'm giving these 4.5 stars.
  • Like
Reactions: gobin
gobin
gobin
Are you sure about the "no cable noise part", because I have to wear them upside down with the cable wrap around my ear (I forgot the term for this type of wearing), every time I go outside for a walk. Heck, even when I stay at my desk, each time my head move and the cable send the noise they make rubbing against my shirt straight into my ear canal.
TL;DR: they are very microphonic. 
 
But other than that your review is pretty much on point.
Trevayne10
Trevayne10
Hi gobin -  thanks for your reply.

I usually wrap the leads of IEM's over my ears...kind of a habit. Not sure how it works, but it vastly reduces cable noise and microphonics, so maybe I should have reserved judgement on that score.
Back
Top