[wyager]

I just got mine today... WOW... Love them!
To address some of the complaints about cables:
I am 6'4" and these things reach all the way to my ipod in my relatively low-hanging shorts, the only time I had a problem was when I craned my neck to try and grab something off a shelf, and then there was no "problem", I just felt a little tugging. So cable length is fine for me. As for the durability, I think it's pretty dang tough. Aluminum(?) joints at all the jacks, and the little thing that cinches the L/R cables together is REALLY cool. You twist one direction to loosen and move, and twist the other to tighten it. I just started using them, so they're not burned in yet, but they sound better than anything I've ever used (although to be fair, I am a newbie at this).

 

[docjohnny]

I bought the earbuds in response to the rave reviews here. I don't agree with those reviews.... I can't say they are bad, certainly not for $80! But, to be critical of them is easy. Specifically, there is a nasty, brittle harshness around 8K Hz and 12K Hz. This mid-treble nastiness is fatiguing, to say the least. I burned mine in for 200 hours and they still were pretty aggressive. I enjoyed the bass response and the resolution, but ultimately I sold them and have no regrets. I will have to point out that this is a flaw in the design of the earbud, and not "character". Having the treble spit into your ears like the buds are pissed off at you is not good.
Anyway, a lucky friend of mine got them for $50......

 

[albau]

Their housing is nicely built but the cables do not impress me. Whoever designed them obviously was thinking of people who are 122cm or shorter. The cable has memory, microphonics and the metal connecting to the housing is too long for proper over the ear use. If they had a cable that was longer with a shorter metal connector it would be better. Also their chin slider is useless. The HJE900 does look very nice however.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with most of this except for good looks and excellent build and materials.

I'm 6" and I feel that cable length is adequate. The upside of the shorter cable is that it doesn't annoyingly dangle and move around while exercising or jogging like it is with long and heavy E3 cable.

I didn't notice any microphonics despite moving a lot. Ditto for cable memory. Again in both cases shorter cable actually helps. And no problems wearing behind the ears but that's probably individual. To make chin slider useful you simply need to rotate it and it stays secure.

 

[buffalowings]

Quote:

Sorry, but I have to disagree with most of this except for good looks and excellent build and materials.I'm 6" and I feel that cable length is adequate. The upside of the shorter cable is that it doesn't annoyingly dangle and move around while exercising or jogging like it is with long and heavy E3 cable. I didn't notice any microphonics despite moving a lot. Ditto for cable memory. Again in both cases shorter cable actually helps. And no problems wearing behind the ears but that's probably individual. To make chin slider useful you simply need to rotate it and it stays secure.

 


Quote:

Their housing is nicely built but the cables do not impress me. Whoever designed them obviously was thinking of people who are 122cm or shorter. The cable has memory, microphonics and the metal connecting to the housing is too long for proper over the ear use. If they had a cable that was longer with a shorter metal connector it would be better. Also their chin slider is useless. The HJE900 does look very nice however.

yay! I pass the "you must be this tall to ride this ride" sign! wait..is this a good thing or bad thing?...

 

[wyager]

I'm leaving for yosemite in 2.5 hours... (to sleep or not to sleep?) I should be able to test both durability and cable microphonics in chilly weather. (Just below freezing, nothing serious.)

 

[mvw2]

I was initially unimpressed by the HJE900 earphones.  First, I think I was expecting something way different.  Some of the sound characteristics I simply am not looking for.  The more I use it, the more things I find out about it.  Some aspects are quite good.  There's a good sense of realism in that it has a good ability to give you that "I'm there" kind of presentation and that it has a very direct kind of sound that is oddly not in-your head.  It's visceral and is just there but without falling into the trap of that in-head experience.  It's kind of hard to do and Panasonic seemed to pull it off.  The frequency response is well balanced but with a medium bass and treble boost (think medium Loud feature) which can sound what could have been an incredibly balanced earphone either warm or bright depending on which part of the midrange the sound resides.  The dynamics are good and the earphone is pretty revealing, however the notes are also pretty smoothed over lacking a good bit of micro detail and texture.  It luckily doesn't come across muddy.  It's an interesting earphone.  I value what it has to offer, but I don't quite like it personally.  For a $100 range product, it does quite well as long as you're a person who's not looking for super high detail.

 

[kingpintps]

I don't like them...i got a faulty piece from Amazon..the sound goes in and out when the Y-splitter moves! Not a fault of the Pannies, but maybe just a combination of average build quality and bad luck!!

 

[takkaki]

Another update: Both my filters fell out.. so I replaced them with some RE0 replacement filters. The selling point of these to me was the build quality and now I question it..On the other hand, the more I listen to the Panasonics, the more I like them, but they're definitely not as detailed as I would like. The harshness is gone at the 50hr-80hr burn-in mark and the sound becomes smoother and more refined.

 

[kiteki]

Quote:

If the mids are recessed - Couldn't you just boost the mids using the EQ??

 
It doesn't work like that.  You can't turn Coke-Zero into normal Coke no matter how much fake sugar you add to the mix.

 

[albau]

Quote:

The harshness is gone at the 50hr-80hr burn-in mark and the sound becomes smoother and more refined.

Yeah, normally I don't really believe in burn-in for IEMs but these really benefit. I had them like 4 days on a mix of pink noise and normal music and treble harshness had certainly mellowed.

 

[mackat]

I love them. Best earphones I've ever heard.