[REVIEW] Panasonic RP-HJE450
Mar 20, 2011 at 4:39 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 9

ClieOS

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From time to time I’ll like to pick up a big brand name earbud or IEM from the electronic chain store just to get a feel of what is ‘out there’.  It is a good reminder for me to see just how far I have travelled and it can certainly act as a good reference point for those who are just decided to move away from the big brand name offering in search of something better. Panasonic, like many other Japanese big brands, has pour out quite a good number of different IEM and earbud models yearly. The HJE series, which actually began its life as one of Panasonic more premier line of earbud, has slowly morphed into a more generic, consumer orientated series. With less than US$30 for MSRP, can we expect a little more from the HJE450?
 
HJE450-01.jpg

 
HJE450-02.jpg

 
SPEC
Drive: 12.5mm Dynamic transducer
Impedance (Ohm) / 1KHz: 16
Sensitivity: 102dB/mW
Max. Input: 200mW
Frequency Response: 6Hz - 26kHz
Cord Length: 1.3m / 4.3ft.
 
HJE450-03.jpg

 
HJE450-04.jpg

 
Packaging, Accessories and Build Quality
Packaging is typical of what you will find on store shelf, nothing to write home about.  Accessories isn’t any better, only consist of the standard selection for three pair of different sized eartips. Like everything else, build quality is decent for a low entry model form big brand but HJE450 does feature a few design elements which I like, and they are the reasons why I picked the IEM up from the store in the first place.
 
HJE450-07.jpg

 
First is the ‘Ergo Fit Design’ of the earpiece, which is basically the semi side-ported nozzle you can find on a good number of other IEM. The really interesting part is the oval nozzle. In my previous review of Klipsch S4, we talk about the oval eartips that are unique to Klipsch. The over nozzle on the HJE450 brings the same effect without the use of special eartips. The nozzle forces the eartip to take an oval shape and it really fits the ear canal well. It is so well that I already start seeing other IEM makers begin to adapt the same oval nozzle design with good result. Though the fit is pretty decent, isolation is relatively poor because of the vents on both the front and the back of the housing.
 
HJE450-06.jpg

 
Second is the ‘Necklace style cord’, which allows the user to loop the cable back to the neck and holds it there. Though it doesn’t totally eliminate cable noise like over-the-ear design, it does help reduce most of the effect. It is kind of hard to describe how it works, but you can check out the picture on the back of the box to get a better view.
 
For a less than $30 purchase, I have no complain about the HJE450. It is not the worst I have seen in that price range nor is it the best. But overall it is still a decent product.
 
Sound Quality
A 50 hours standard burn-in was given and no change was detected. As much as I like HJE450 as a decent $30 product, it pretty much goes downhill from this point forward as far as SQ is concerned. But fear not, it is still not a complete lost.
 
The overall sound signature reminds me of Sennheiser CX300, but with better control. It is warm with a mild U shaped frequency response. Bass has decent quantity, but nothing close to being a bass monster or as bloated as CX300. Mid, especially upper mid tends to be just a half step behind the rest of the frequency, though still carries a fainted sense of sweetness in it. Treble is decently sparkly, but rough and lacks refinement – which can actually be said to the overall presentation: rough and lacks refinement. Soundstage is average, nothing to write home about.
 
HJE450-05.jpg

 
Verdict
For the asking price, HJE450 has done nothing wrong for a big brand offering. You can certainly find much better sounding IEM from the smaller, more SQ oriented brands – and that’s what you should do.
 
For a quick sum-up and ranking, check out the Concise Multi-IEM Comparison in my sig.
 
Mar 23, 2011 at 9:29 PM Post #3 of 9
Comfort wise, HJE450 nozzle / eartips are more comfortable for me than CX300, though CX300 is pretty comfortable as well.
 
Feb 8, 2012 at 3:09 PM Post #4 of 9
The HJE120 is the true bargain in series. For around $6, the sound is quite decent. I also bought the HJE350, which at triple the price of the HJE120 isn't that much better. I bought the HJE350 rather than the HJE450 since it had a slightly better rating on Amazon, and was less expensive. After liking the HJE350, I noticed the HJE120 was very cheap, and also had good reviews on Amazon so I thought I should try it. I was very pleasantly surprised. While the HJE350 has slightly better bass and a bit more detail, the HJE120 was very pleasant to listen to. I am always looking for very low priced audio gear that is decent.
 
 
 
Feb 21, 2012 at 7:06 PM Post #5 of 9
I bought the HJE450 recently. It has much more bass than the HJE350. I would consider the HJE450 as being an extra bass headphone, while the HJE350 imo sounds neutral. The HJE350 isn't that much better than the HJE120 to warrant triple the price. Imo the HJE450 is better than the JVC HAFX1X, since the HJE450 has more natural sounding bass, and a better midrange and treble.
 
Feb 21, 2012 at 11:17 PM Post #6 of 9


Quote:



Why does the Bass look like it's going out of the earphone?
 
By an advertising stand point, that just look plain bad. Bass goes out, with a little arrow pointing in.
 
Feb 22, 2012 at 12:02 AM Post #7 of 9


Quote:
Why does the Bass look like it's going out of the earphone?
 
By an advertising stand point, that just look plain bad. Bass goes out, with a little arrow pointing in.



I think it does that so other people can hear it? O_o
 
Feb 22, 2012 at 1:08 AM Post #8 of 9
Why does the Bass look like it's going out of the earphone?

By an advertising stand point, that just look plain bad. Bass goes out, with a little arrow pointing in.


To get a good bass response, you need some venting on the back of the driver. If the back of the IEM is sealed completely, then the air will get compressed on the back and the diaphragm will not be able to fully extended in one way, which causes the bass quantity and resonance to drop It might be bad illustration from Panasonic but the science is sound. The key is really to control how much venting is needed.
 
Aug 26, 2016 at 9:53 PM Post #9 of 9
Hahahaahahaha

Ok...people who consider hje120 and hje350 to be the legendary deal....guys try out hje125 and hje 355...see frequency graph on goldenear for these and the decay too....


After golden ear standard eq and some finetuning they sound like a etymotic mc5 with big stage(hje355)



For my experiece with hje450....it reminds me of better controled xb30ex especially on bass department making it rich but some how veiled in vocal harmonic mids


Guys try out hje 355 with golden ear accuidio eq and then try finetuning it..

I used viper toolbox for it
 

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