Panasonic RP-HC55

Who's It For

Audiophiles

The distortion will scare away audiophiles.

Portable User

Although we really like having to work around the control pendant, it’s really not all that hard to work around it. Assuming you can tether this thing to your clothing, these are a decent set of portable in-ears.

Airplane Traveler

The RP-HC55s seem to be a great set of in-ears for a plane ride. They tend to not be the most comfortable when you’re up and moving, but when you’re sitting the control pendant won’t be an issue. The active cancellation will help block out the lower-end roars of the engines and the absurd battery life means you can listen to your music the entire flight to Tokyo on a set of stale batteries. Some in-ears can isolate better, but that doesn’t mean the RP-HC55s aren’t good.

Home / Office Use

There are far better options for home theater users. Although the cord is long enough to perhaps do the job in a pinch, we wouldn’t recommend any in-ears for home theater users. A pair of over-ears will provide you with a larger, more immersive sound. They’re also likely to be more comfortable.

Conclusion

The RP-HC55s aren’t spectacular headphones. In fact, they have some issues with comfort since the control pendant is downright awkward. This being said, if the pendant doesn’t annoy you, these are a very inexpensive set of active-cancelling in-ears. They’ll let you get the isolation capabilities of a higher-end set without having to pay the price. If you’re a commuter and don’t mind dealing with the pendulous movements of the control pendant, or always have a shirt pocket to keep the thing clipped in place, then they’re really not a bad choice. No, they don’t have the best audio quality out there, but the same could be said for most in-ears and active-cancellers. Really, these are meant to be portable, and going outside means competing with loud, low, ambient noise.