Panasonic RP-HC500 Noise-Canceling Headphones by Panasonic
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Digital camera reviews of Panasonic RP-HC500 Noise-Canceling Headphones
Digital camera Review: Bite the bullet, buy Bose
Summary: 1 Stars
I know Bose is awesome, but I just couldn't comprehend spending the kind of money they required. However, I rarely travel anywhere without music, and so I didn't want to go cheap. I was considering all the leading competition, but finally settled on these. That was a mistake.
My first issue - there is considerable sound leakage. I like my music loud, but I respect others around me enough to feel uncomfortable if they can hear my music as if they had the headphones on themselves. To top it off, the noise cancelling mechanism more than doubles the leakage!
Second issue - My ears popped every time I put these on. The air pressure literally cuts out half your hearing (well maybe not half), but this is probably why they can boast 92% noise cancellation. This makes it harder to hear the music as well.
Third issue - Ultimately, I had to return them, because the noise cancellation feature produced a loud ringing in the left ear cup. Unacceptable!
All I can say is buy Bose. The sound is infinitely better without all the issues I've encountered with this product. The good thing is, Amazon understood and refunded me the full price ASAP.
Digital camera Review: Bose vs Panasonic Noise canceling phones
Summary: 1 Stars
Well, after reading many reviews on Bose and Panasonic Noise-Canceling headphones I got both sets so that I can see for myself. They looked, designed and packaged very similar as if one company copied the other. I did not focus on the sound quality (I am not an expert and that was not my objective). I took Bose with me on 14 hours flight one way. Panasonic did not arrived on time so I tried them upon my return a week ago.
Bose headphones worked very well. They were very efficient, in my view, comfortable and helpful. Not only plane's noise was canceled, all talking of others were muffled to the point that it was no longer a bother. And all that without music on, just the headphones. The cord could be detached from the headphones and you can just enjoy a quiet ride. By the way, I have Bose 2 (so that you know the model I am talking about). I prefer the large size of Bose 2 and a regular battery, which lasted the whole round-trip flight, a few hours at the hotel I was staying, and a few hours here at home. And the battery is still OK, though the red light is now flashing. I assume it indicates that the charge is running out, but it is really good as it is. I had them on almost 100 % of the flight time, and my head and ears were quite comfortable all the way. Also I noticed that the jet lag was reduced so greatly that I was very impressed.
Now, when I came back I got to the Panasonic pair; since they are three times cheaper, I was thinking, if they work as well as Bose, I would return Bose. And I already new what to look for and what to expect as a minimum. They both seems to cancel noise nicely and equally. But, and here is the caveat, I was able to have Panasonic headphones on for only about 20 minutes. It is because the pressure on my eardrums became very painful and I could not take it anymore. I tried again the next day. I did it without any music, just the headphones. The effect was the same. But the pain seems to now settled inside my ears while the phones were no longer on my head. Even a few days after, my eardrums are yet to recover. (And now I am not so sure about Bose as well). I am trying to figure out why I have the pain. Is it because of the long use of Bose headphones during my last trip or is it the Panasonic's impact. I have about a week left before 30 days are up on my Bose... Well, it could be anything, but for me it was enough to return Panasonic. My advise: buy both or just one; you have one month to check them out with Amazon, too. What works for one person may not work for the other; we are all different. Make sure you try them on without any music and see if you feel any pressure and for how long. As I said, Bose did not cause me any trouble during the trip with many hours with or without music or movies (but maybe there is a delay of sort, or it could be just my ears). Good luck.
June 2009 update. Bose pair works fine; I have been on several long flights since then, and the pain is no longer in my ears (the pain was gone after about two months from the date of my first review).
Digital camera Review: Breaks easily - no support
Summary: 1 Stars
Breaks easily and don't expect Panasonic warranty department to help - they have great excuses.Digital camera Review: Broke after about 80 days
Summary: 2 Stars
These broke about 80 days into the unbelievably short 90 day warranty. The right ear developed an intermittent crackling noise even when there was no cord attached.
I shipped them back (at my expense) and Panasonic hassled me about fixing them under warranty. Eventually, they agreed and shipped me a refurbished unit, which works (for now). Now I just have to hope the second pair lasts longer than the first.
Digital camera Review: Broken Within Two Years
Summary: 2 Stars
These are (were) uncomfortable to wear, and the tight fit eventually resulted in the plastic breaking on the left earphone, rendering the headset unusable. The noise reduction was marginal, in my view. The sound for music and DVDs was pretty decent. If they had not broken, I would probably have been reasonably satisfied.