Damage
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2003
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Because no one asked for it, here's my thoughts/reviews on the Panasonics RP-HEJ50s.
If anyone is aware of my listen preferences, or have kept track of my posts here, the Orange Board (aka T-Board), and Minidisc.org's Forum, then you're probably aware that I'm usually the first to come whenever someone bashes the EX-71s. And those usually had good reason, since most of the negative opinions were usually initial quality (where EX71s are at their weakest). Out of curiosity, I picked up a pair of Panasonic RP-HEJ50 earbuds at a local Circuit City for $30. I had little to lose, since that Circuit City also had EX81s, which I had my eyes on for a while.
The King is dead.
Or at least, very mortally wounded. The Panasonic RP-HEJ50s is presented quite nicely from the start. In its nice clear plastic box, you can see the earbuds and nearly all of included accessories, which are:
Small, medium, large tips (1 set each size)
Extension Cord
Felt Bag with draw string
The entire driver housing is somewhat reminiscent of the the EX51 housing, except it's more squarish in shape rather than bulbish. In your hands, they feel quite solid and sturdy, maybe tad on the heavy side perhaps. Entire buds are white save for a little chrome trim. This includes the flanges as well, and this is one of its downfalls (more on this later). Finally, for remote users like myself, the cord setup is exactly like the EX71s, though the cord length between left and right bud is quite longer than the EX71s.
However, one of the biggest key difference between the EX71s and the HEJs are the diaphgrams used by each phones. Where as the EX71s use a thicker paper like material with a pinhole in the center, the HEJs use a very thin, translucent membrane. One can also assume that the drivers are most likely different between the two. So, given those two key differences, how do each stack up against one another?
Procedurals: MZ-RH10/NH1 -> RP-HEJ50s, accumlated about 20-30 hours of playback.
All things considered...
One could assume that they would sound fairly similar to the EX71s given all of the similarities. In fact, the tips/flanges are interchangable between the two, each has three holes on the outside of the buds, each has a little chrome accent, etc. And for the most part, they would, right?
Not necessairly. Let's assume for a moment that everything is equal between the two, and there was one thing that separated them, other than the sticker price. That one thing is the vocal representation, and it's very crucial here. The HEJs have a vocal that's much more forward, much more louder, and much better represented overall vs. the EX71s that makes the choice between the two almost a no-brainer. It's almost like listening to a karaoke version of a song vs. the same song with full vocals. Sure, it's nice to sing the song yourself. However, in the end the song sounds better with its original performers. Or it does, in my case.
However, not everything is equal, and HEJ does things better than EX71 does in other areas too. Would you like more impactful and visceral bass? You got that with the HEJs. Given a nice bass track, the HEJs' bass has that body shaking bass that is only equalled by the XD-400; a considerable feat considering that the latter is a full sized semi-open headphone with driver that's nearly 5x bigger then the HEJs. Trebles seemingly isn't this sets cup of tea, though all things considered, they are almost equal to EX71s (though it is noticably less sibilant from the get go). Even with some Equalization to boost the trebles, they don't seem quite... all there, I suppose. But in the overall scheme of things, this is something of a small quibble. The final SQ works in favor of the HEJ50s, in that it is well suited for portable listening (that it is bass and vocal friendly) and casual application.
Not to say that the HEJs are perfect. For one, these are much more microphonic than the EX series, almost to the level of Shure E3s (hmmm... things get decidedly interesting now, don't it?). The flanges are much thinner and flimsier than the EX tips. Thankfully, the two are interchangable, so you can use whatever floats your boat. Construction seems a bit shoddy, the left driver's diaphgram was loose when I purchased mine (and considering exchange, but I doubt it).
Back to the point about its microphonics and seal. I noted that these are very microphonic/stetheoscopic. Almost like Shure E3s. In fact, the seal on my left ear is very reminiscient of how Shure's feel in my ear, that there is a much stronger and better seal. But the right driver doesn't exihibit that effect at all. So, it's a question of construction now. And in this case, the Sony wins all over the Panasonics. There's no argument about it here, Sonys are constructed and balanced physically much better than the Panasonics. I'm willing to chalk this up to a statistics on this one however, you'll get a bum unit every now and then.
So, what does one get for $30? Overall, a very good set of entry canal phones. It's certainly better than its competitors in the similar price range, the Maxell's $15 special notwithstanding (wait for that one folks, I'll get around to it). In fact, it's enough to make me swear off the EX71s for a long long time.
Which is no small feat in and of itself.
Addendum: The first set has been exchanged for the second set. The good news is that the diaphgram on the left driver is sealed properly, and the worries of a small piece of paper residing in my ear canals is now gone. Unfortunately, the crappy QA team at Panasonic China strikes again! The right driver housing this time falls apart as so much as I look at it cockney-eyed. Not quite, but when I exchanged the tips several times, the housing separated by itself. Looks like I may need to apply some very small and controlled dabs of super glue. If you're harsh on your headphones, I will not recommend these at all, at least not until some of the kinks have been worked out.
The Good: Very balanced sound, including a forward and louder vocals and much more visceral bass.
The Bad: Trebles seems slightly off.
The Ugly: Quality Control, what Quality Control?!?
If anyone is aware of my listen preferences, or have kept track of my posts here, the Orange Board (aka T-Board), and Minidisc.org's Forum, then you're probably aware that I'm usually the first to come whenever someone bashes the EX-71s. And those usually had good reason, since most of the negative opinions were usually initial quality (where EX71s are at their weakest). Out of curiosity, I picked up a pair of Panasonic RP-HEJ50 earbuds at a local Circuit City for $30. I had little to lose, since that Circuit City also had EX81s, which I had my eyes on for a while.
The King is dead.
Or at least, very mortally wounded. The Panasonic RP-HEJ50s is presented quite nicely from the start. In its nice clear plastic box, you can see the earbuds and nearly all of included accessories, which are:
Small, medium, large tips (1 set each size)
Extension Cord
Felt Bag with draw string
The entire driver housing is somewhat reminiscent of the the EX51 housing, except it's more squarish in shape rather than bulbish. In your hands, they feel quite solid and sturdy, maybe tad on the heavy side perhaps. Entire buds are white save for a little chrome trim. This includes the flanges as well, and this is one of its downfalls (more on this later). Finally, for remote users like myself, the cord setup is exactly like the EX71s, though the cord length between left and right bud is quite longer than the EX71s.
However, one of the biggest key difference between the EX71s and the HEJs are the diaphgrams used by each phones. Where as the EX71s use a thicker paper like material with a pinhole in the center, the HEJs use a very thin, translucent membrane. One can also assume that the drivers are most likely different between the two. So, given those two key differences, how do each stack up against one another?
Procedurals: MZ-RH10/NH1 -> RP-HEJ50s, accumlated about 20-30 hours of playback.
All things considered...
One could assume that they would sound fairly similar to the EX71s given all of the similarities. In fact, the tips/flanges are interchangable between the two, each has three holes on the outside of the buds, each has a little chrome accent, etc. And for the most part, they would, right?
Not necessairly. Let's assume for a moment that everything is equal between the two, and there was one thing that separated them, other than the sticker price. That one thing is the vocal representation, and it's very crucial here. The HEJs have a vocal that's much more forward, much more louder, and much better represented overall vs. the EX71s that makes the choice between the two almost a no-brainer. It's almost like listening to a karaoke version of a song vs. the same song with full vocals. Sure, it's nice to sing the song yourself. However, in the end the song sounds better with its original performers. Or it does, in my case.
However, not everything is equal, and HEJ does things better than EX71 does in other areas too. Would you like more impactful and visceral bass? You got that with the HEJs. Given a nice bass track, the HEJs' bass has that body shaking bass that is only equalled by the XD-400; a considerable feat considering that the latter is a full sized semi-open headphone with driver that's nearly 5x bigger then the HEJs. Trebles seemingly isn't this sets cup of tea, though all things considered, they are almost equal to EX71s (though it is noticably less sibilant from the get go). Even with some Equalization to boost the trebles, they don't seem quite... all there, I suppose. But in the overall scheme of things, this is something of a small quibble. The final SQ works in favor of the HEJ50s, in that it is well suited for portable listening (that it is bass and vocal friendly) and casual application.
Not to say that the HEJs are perfect. For one, these are much more microphonic than the EX series, almost to the level of Shure E3s (hmmm... things get decidedly interesting now, don't it?). The flanges are much thinner and flimsier than the EX tips. Thankfully, the two are interchangable, so you can use whatever floats your boat. Construction seems a bit shoddy, the left driver's diaphgram was loose when I purchased mine (and considering exchange, but I doubt it).
Back to the point about its microphonics and seal. I noted that these are very microphonic/stetheoscopic. Almost like Shure E3s. In fact, the seal on my left ear is very reminiscient of how Shure's feel in my ear, that there is a much stronger and better seal. But the right driver doesn't exihibit that effect at all. So, it's a question of construction now. And in this case, the Sony wins all over the Panasonics. There's no argument about it here, Sonys are constructed and balanced physically much better than the Panasonics. I'm willing to chalk this up to a statistics on this one however, you'll get a bum unit every now and then.
So, what does one get for $30? Overall, a very good set of entry canal phones. It's certainly better than its competitors in the similar price range, the Maxell's $15 special notwithstanding (wait for that one folks, I'll get around to it). In fact, it's enough to make me swear off the EX71s for a long long time.
Which is no small feat in and of itself.
Addendum: The first set has been exchanged for the second set. The good news is that the diaphgram on the left driver is sealed properly, and the worries of a small piece of paper residing in my ear canals is now gone. Unfortunately, the crappy QA team at Panasonic China strikes again! The right driver housing this time falls apart as so much as I look at it cockney-eyed. Not quite, but when I exchanged the tips several times, the housing separated by itself. Looks like I may need to apply some very small and controlled dabs of super glue. If you're harsh on your headphones, I will not recommend these at all, at least not until some of the kinks have been worked out.
The Good: Very balanced sound, including a forward and louder vocals and much more visceral bass.
The Bad: Trebles seems slightly off.
The Ugly: Quality Control, what Quality Control?!?
