Turbo7MN
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2005
- Posts
- 88
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Well, it's been about a week and a half since I got these and I think it's about time to do a review.
Packaging: They come in a very sharp-looking black case, even the box they come in looks good. Flip open the front cover and you'll see everything packed in foam. I'm not sure how other higher-end canalphones are packaged but Panasonic really did a good job.
Accessories: Aside from the earphones themselves, you also get a one meter extension cord, three different sizes of tips, and a metal carrying case with "HJE70" stamped on the front. I found it strange that the extension cord that came with these is actually thinner than the one that came with my HJE50s. The case is foam insulated with hollow sections to stick the earphones and the plug, and a little mesh part to hold the cord. The extension cord and the extra sets of tips are inside the metal case when you first get them. I have found it somewhat inconvenient to get the cord into the mesh part due to the uneven cord length, and if you are using the extension cord I have found it's a lot easier to separate them first.
Appearance/Build Quality: I know everyone has seen the same two pictures of these over and over again, and they look just as good in person. They are in fact built out of metal (aluminum?) and they look to be a lot higher quality than any other earphones I have seen. The plug is also covered in metal instead of rubber. It matches my silver MZ-R900 very nice. The part where the left and right wires separate is made of very thick rubber. I mention this because that is the part that failed on my HJE50s.
Comfort: They are not quite as comfortable as my HJE50s, mostly due to the fact that they are larger, and heavier so they fall out a lot easier. It also might be a bit strange that they are cold when you first put them in your ears. I still like them a lot better than the conventional style of earbuds. Sometimes they caused the insides of my ears to itch a little, a very odd feeling, but it got better as I kept wearing them and I think it may have just been some sort of chemical on the tips. They have the "behind the neck" style cord, which takes some getting used to at first, but I actually prefer it now. It does put a lot of strain on the left side though, especially with the heavier cord and yoke. I think the HJE50s are better as far as comfort goes.
Sound: Yes, here's what you've all been waiting for. I apologize if I don’t do too good of a job explaining stuff here, I’m kind of new to headphone reviews. The sound quality is like nothing I have ever heard before, they are very detailed, but still smooth. You can focus on one instrument or singer and actually be able to pick out individual instruments, but it all still blends together flawlessly for normal listening. The high frequencies were a bit harsh when I first got them, but some burn-in took care of that. My HJE50s were the same way and it's really no big deal. They sound a lot better than the HJE50s though. I was expecting a decently good amount of detail, but I never expected what these can put out. If you get these, I strongly suggest not using any low-quality stuff because you can pick out every little imperfection. As far as having to mess with an equalizer/sound settings to get them to sound good. Well, you don't. Without any adjustment they provide a very good balance, I personally have the bass turned up a little bit because I like the way the bass sounds. With an equalizer, you can tweak them to sound any way you want. I was messing around with the sound settings on my R900 a little bit and I found it is possible for them to put out so much bass it is physically painful to listen to. I wouldn't suggest messing with sound settings too much. Some recordings will require different adjustments, for example I found that the drums were a bit too loud on the album "...And Justice for All" by Metallica so I had to turn down the treble a little. If I use them with my CMoy, it smooths them out enough that I don't need to make any adjustments. I listen to pretty much all rock, which they seem to be suited very well for, but I did listen to a techno album, "Legion of Boom" by The Crystal Method, and they are just as good, if not better, for stuff like that.
Misc. Features: I'm sure you all know that these have some funky hinge deal on them. I have found that it really doesn't serve any purpose, and I don't use it at all. I think that if you put them in your ears and then fold them in slightly, they may stay in your ears a little better, but I really don’t use it at all. Another thing that is worth mentioning is that in the pictures on the internet, they appear to be stuck together, back-to-back. Well, it's true. They have little rubber tabs on the backs of them and you can press them together and they will stay together. Very handy for not getting the cord tangled. When I had my HJE50s, I would leave them hanging around my neck during school when I wasn't using them, but due to the uneven weight distribution they would always get pulled down on the left side and sometimes fall off. With these, I can do that, but clip them together and wear it like a necklace so they don't slip off. I can't wait until school starts again to really try it out.
Overall: I love them, and I would recommend them to anyone and everyone looking for a good canalphone. I really hope that they start catching on. Now we really need someone to compare them to Shures/Etys. I will be taking a bunch of pictures of them later so if anyone has any requests, let me know.
-Darren
Packaging: They come in a very sharp-looking black case, even the box they come in looks good. Flip open the front cover and you'll see everything packed in foam. I'm not sure how other higher-end canalphones are packaged but Panasonic really did a good job.
Accessories: Aside from the earphones themselves, you also get a one meter extension cord, three different sizes of tips, and a metal carrying case with "HJE70" stamped on the front. I found it strange that the extension cord that came with these is actually thinner than the one that came with my HJE50s. The case is foam insulated with hollow sections to stick the earphones and the plug, and a little mesh part to hold the cord. The extension cord and the extra sets of tips are inside the metal case when you first get them. I have found it somewhat inconvenient to get the cord into the mesh part due to the uneven cord length, and if you are using the extension cord I have found it's a lot easier to separate them first.
Appearance/Build Quality: I know everyone has seen the same two pictures of these over and over again, and they look just as good in person. They are in fact built out of metal (aluminum?) and they look to be a lot higher quality than any other earphones I have seen. The plug is also covered in metal instead of rubber. It matches my silver MZ-R900 very nice. The part where the left and right wires separate is made of very thick rubber. I mention this because that is the part that failed on my HJE50s.
Comfort: They are not quite as comfortable as my HJE50s, mostly due to the fact that they are larger, and heavier so they fall out a lot easier. It also might be a bit strange that they are cold when you first put them in your ears. I still like them a lot better than the conventional style of earbuds. Sometimes they caused the insides of my ears to itch a little, a very odd feeling, but it got better as I kept wearing them and I think it may have just been some sort of chemical on the tips. They have the "behind the neck" style cord, which takes some getting used to at first, but I actually prefer it now. It does put a lot of strain on the left side though, especially with the heavier cord and yoke. I think the HJE50s are better as far as comfort goes.
Sound: Yes, here's what you've all been waiting for. I apologize if I don’t do too good of a job explaining stuff here, I’m kind of new to headphone reviews. The sound quality is like nothing I have ever heard before, they are very detailed, but still smooth. You can focus on one instrument or singer and actually be able to pick out individual instruments, but it all still blends together flawlessly for normal listening. The high frequencies were a bit harsh when I first got them, but some burn-in took care of that. My HJE50s were the same way and it's really no big deal. They sound a lot better than the HJE50s though. I was expecting a decently good amount of detail, but I never expected what these can put out. If you get these, I strongly suggest not using any low-quality stuff because you can pick out every little imperfection. As far as having to mess with an equalizer/sound settings to get them to sound good. Well, you don't. Without any adjustment they provide a very good balance, I personally have the bass turned up a little bit because I like the way the bass sounds. With an equalizer, you can tweak them to sound any way you want. I was messing around with the sound settings on my R900 a little bit and I found it is possible for them to put out so much bass it is physically painful to listen to. I wouldn't suggest messing with sound settings too much. Some recordings will require different adjustments, for example I found that the drums were a bit too loud on the album "...And Justice for All" by Metallica so I had to turn down the treble a little. If I use them with my CMoy, it smooths them out enough that I don't need to make any adjustments. I listen to pretty much all rock, which they seem to be suited very well for, but I did listen to a techno album, "Legion of Boom" by The Crystal Method, and they are just as good, if not better, for stuff like that.
Misc. Features: I'm sure you all know that these have some funky hinge deal on them. I have found that it really doesn't serve any purpose, and I don't use it at all. I think that if you put them in your ears and then fold them in slightly, they may stay in your ears a little better, but I really don’t use it at all. Another thing that is worth mentioning is that in the pictures on the internet, they appear to be stuck together, back-to-back. Well, it's true. They have little rubber tabs on the backs of them and you can press them together and they will stay together. Very handy for not getting the cord tangled. When I had my HJE50s, I would leave them hanging around my neck during school when I wasn't using them, but due to the uneven weight distribution they would always get pulled down on the left side and sometimes fall off. With these, I can do that, but clip them together and wear it like a necklace so they don't slip off. I can't wait until school starts again to really try it out.
Overall: I love them, and I would recommend them to anyone and everyone looking for a good canalphone. I really hope that they start catching on. Now we really need someone to compare them to Shures/Etys. I will be taking a bunch of pictures of them later so if anyone has any requests, let me know.
-Darren
