GOD, NOOOOO... Not My HEADPHONES!!!!
Written: Sep 28 '07 (Updated Oct 12 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Everything
Cons: Dude, I totally dig your fly headphones...awesome... dude.
The Bottom Line: Sometimes the one you love most has an accident and destroys a much loved treasure.
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| shmoo1's Full Review: Panasonic RP-HT455 Consumer Headphones |
Yesterday, I told you about one of the worst pair of headphones I have ever owned. Today, it’s only fair that I tell you about the best.
I have a brother who is ten years older than I. He is also an avid fan of music, across all genres and I truly believe it was he that instilled that love in me.
He was cool, in the kind of awe inspiring way that only a brother much older than your self can be. I’m safe enough with who I am now that I can admit that many times I wanted to be just like him, but with subtle differences so that we weren’t clones.
He wrestled in High school; I wrestled in a different weight class.
He played Sax for a lot of years, I played Trombone for a lot of years and both of us got off on playing Big Band. His signature song was In The Mood and mine was Sing, Sing, Sing (The Gene Krupa version).
And he had these big, almighty headphones...
Sometimes, later at night, I would open the door to our library looking for my brother and he would be sitting in an overstuffed chair, one leg thrown over an arm and his head tipped back, eyes closed, listening to The White Album, or the new Genesis album, or The Allman Brothers. He was engrossed in the music, lost in it… somewhere else. I would shut the door and wait for him to be finished.
In the 80’s and early 90’s big headphones went out of style. Then they came back.
When I found the Panasonic RP-HT455 headphones I was immediately struck with a wave of nostalgia. Except for the color (modern day brushed silver and buffed black) they looked almost exactly like those headphones of my long forgotten youth.
The price tag (at Best Buy) was just shy of forty dollars Canadian. I had been going through years of wearing those lightweight headphones that leaked sound like water or the ear piece phones that always became uncomfortable after an hour and wanted something more substantial for my home. I spent a lot of money on my computer set up to listen to music and my home stereo system for my movies so I wanted something that had excellent sound quality and comfort.
I took the chance and picked them up. I’m glad I did.
First, I’ll start with the Cons:
1) People are likely to call you “Hurley” if you wear them in public. However don’t let that stop you.
2) There are no other cons
Pros:
SOUND QUALITY:
Simply outstanding. They have tweaked the base so the music is rich and full. There is no distortion when you turn your system up. I like my music a little louder than average and even with it cranked to the point of unbearable every note and drum hit is pure. I turned up the Jully Black remake of Seven Day Fool and I swear I could feel the bass drum riffs on my chin. My movies are truly in surround sound and if you haven’t watched a film like Lord Of The Rings with a set of really good headphones on... well you should. The difference is almost impossible to describe. The closest I can come is the difference between a crappy little transistor radio and putting your head between two huge speakers
COMFORT:
Extremely comfortable. This is another reason to look stupid and wear them in public. I used them every day that I commuted with my first IPOD.
They are light (just over 6 ounces) and sit VERY nicely on the head. Part of this is due to a soft rubber “false top” that sits about half an inch below the real top of the head set. It conforms beautifully to any shape of head and is supported by the harder resin above it.
The side ratchet arms of the earphones can not only be elongated (as is the norm on all) but each ear piece can also be turned about fifteen degrees from side to side, which makes a huge difference.
The ear pieces are more than large enough to encompass my ears and are deep enough that the tops and bottoms of my ears don’t get crunched back. They are oval in shape (instead of round) and you may have noticed that your ears are also oval.
Well... ok, that was an assumption. My ears are oval. Your ears may be square or octagonal or something.
Due to the size and design, the ear coverings sit nice and flush on the skull with out being too tight. Very little sound escapes when you have these turned up.
The ear piece coverings are made of a material that is reminiscent of fine kid leather. Soft and light to the point of silky yet still durable.
THE CHORD:
It’s over sixteen feet long, not too thick, pliable and durable. I have more than enough room to lounge in my favorite chair while watching a movie. I can also move around my office freely and pull files or write on my white board while still listening to tunes.
It comes with the now standard Unimatch Gold Plug In Adapter
The chord is equipped with two bonus features that I now can NOT do with out. There is a volume button and a mute switch. The songs on my computer are not all recorded at the same level. Some will play louder than others. Rather than having to continually adjust my main settings, I can use the chord. Likewise, if my phone rings, I can use the mute switch to shut off quickly.
DURABILITY:
Full marks for durability despite the fact that mine broke.
I’ve had them for almost two years now. I carried them in a soft briefcase back and forth to my office (an hour plus commute) daily for months. I stretched out the headphones and put the ear pieces on either side of my wife’s stomach when she was pregnant (highly recommended btw, my one year old is a huge fan of music).
I beat these things mercilessly, to the point where I figured they were indestructible.
They are not.
As mentioned in my last review, my pregnant wife ran our home office chair over them and broke an arm. I am positive that it has very little to do with the extra baby weight, and since I have no urge to die I'm not going to mention that to her.
"Another Pickle and Cherry Jam sandwich love? Sure thing... just give me a moment."
I just don’t think these were made to be run over with a chair. Doesn’t seem like a standard quality control test to me.
I went out and purchased another pair of a different brand, similar in price. I was so disappointed that I returned them the next day.
I will continue to purchase these as long as they keep making them. In fact, I may just buy two pairs this time around in case they stop.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
shmoo1
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Location: Milton On. Canada
Reviews written: 103
Trusted by: 66 members
About Me:Vote Kingfish/ Shmoo in 2012 'Cuz A Shmoo In The Hand...
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