Panasonic RP-HJE900 Zirconia Review

[lestatar]

Originally Posted by Satellite_6

...SNIPPED...These 'phones seem to make lesser sources sound really good. For some reason these sound pretty bad on my EF2A, yet I find them very enjoyable on my DAPs and they even make my terrible integrated sound somewhat clear. . . . the crappier the source the better with these! So strange. . . SNIPPED...

Man, this is the exact opposite of what I feel I have discovered. The crappier the source [in my case, low quality LAME rips] the worse the sound. With LAME v2, v0 or even better, FLAC, the Panas really shine for me.

I thought I was crazy but then I read most of the Pana threads on that other site and found others seemed to observe the same "garbage in garbage out" phenomenon.

Placebo? Probably.

Sad they are not working out for you...

[CrowdAds]

[Satellite_6]

Originally Posted by lestatar

Man, this is the exact opposite of what I feel I have discovered. The crappier the source [in my case, low quality LAME rips] the worse the sound. With LAME v2, v0 or even better, FLAC, the Panas really shine for me.

I thought I was crazy but then I read most of the Pana threads on that other site and found others seemed to observe the same "garbage in garbage out" phenomenon.

Placebo? Probably.

Sad they are not working out for you...

I'm not talking about files, just the thing that makes the sound.

Nothing less than 256 kbps files have been reproduced by mine, I would never think that lower bit rates sound better than higher ones!!

I haven't been using them lately. . . too boring, should try them more tho. . .

[lestatar]

lol....but of course. My bad

[vision1994]

Well, just received my v-moda eartips from ebay, and I must say for $3.99 including shipping, I'm quite happy. I actually received them within three days of purchase. They were sent via a mailing envelope and were just tossed in the envelope. It was a total of 6 pairs. They remind me of the ones that came from Sony with my S639. They slipped right on to my HJE900 with no fuss. I had forgot to mention in my earlier post regarding the Sony Hybrids that I actually tore the tip trying to get them to fit on my HJE900's. These seem to be the right mm size (Maybe 3mm). Needless to say, I was angry when that happened. Anyway, for the money, I think this was a great deal. Sound wise, I'm probably not the one to ask, since I think they sound as good as my Sony's mentioned above. My big hassle had been trying to get a tip for these Panasonic's that will seal my ear and stay in.

Vision1994

[lestatar]

Hey vision1994: Nice, thanks for the info that the vmoda tips will fit the Panas and glad you found the right size

Can you link where you got em? I missed that I think...

Enjoy the Panas!
cheers,
-lestatar

[Audioph1le]

@lestatar Hey, where are the RP-HJE900 made in? It should say it on the back of the box, is it Japan?

[Satellite_6]

Originally Posted by Audioph1le

@lestatar Hey, where are the RP-HJE900 made in? It should say it on the back of the box, is it Japan?

Made in china, it says.

Dur, I saw that coming.

[Audioph1le]

@Satellite_6 Hey, so they're made in China?! Is the build quality pretty solid?

[Satellite_6]

Originally Posted by Audioph1le

@Satellite_6 Hey, so they're made in China?! Is the build quality pretty solid?

They are beautiful in this respect. . . but they sound bad.

[lestatar]

lol...yes, made in China...But build quality is undeniably topnotch... Even Satellite who is less than thrilled with the sound cannot deny that...China's gotta get something right - law of averages, you know [I am Asian - I can get away with a crack like that....] lol

Read this whole thread...you know how I feel about them

[ScottGTO]

Well after hearing you all rant and rave about these pana's went ahead and ordered them from Amazon tonight. I got them for 79.99. I hope they sound good. This is the most I've ever spent on iem's. I believe, my grado 60's were about the same price. Hopefully buyers remorse doesn't kick in.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by ScottGTO

Well after hearing you all rant and rave about these pana's went ahead and ordered them from Amazon tonight. I got them for 79.99. I hope they sound good. This is the most I've ever spent on iem's. I believe, my grado 60's were about the same price. Hopefully buyers remorse doesn't kick in.

I've never regretted the $74 I spent on my Grado SR60i's.....bought them in the spring of '09 and love them to this day.

[lestatar]

Originally Posted by ScottGTO

Well after hearing you all rant and rave about these pana's went ahead and ordered them from Amazon tonight. I got them for 79.99. I hope they sound good. This is the most I've ever spent on iem's. I believe, my grado 60's were about the same price. Hopefully buyers remorse doesn't kick in.

Dude, congrats. I am gonna go out on a limb and say you will love them. Use no EQ, maybe a touch of bass as suits you on your DAPs. I don't believe in burn-in, but i did play them on a DAP for like overnight using volume that is 25% percent louder than I normally listen to.

I think the drivers really settled in and now they sound even better than they did originally to me. Either that or my brain really is processing their sound signature even better.

If you end up like Satellite_6 and dislike them, I am sure you can sell them off here and only take a minor hit money wise.

If I am stuck on a desert island with only 1 pair of IEMs, it would be these, hands down, out of all the ones I have and have heard. Period.

But, YMMV...

good luck man and do post when u get em,
-lestatar

[Satellite_6]

Yuck, without an EQ these are straight up crap IMO, then again, so are my HD 485s. . . flatter sound = much clearer sound.

A custom EQ is an audiophile's best friend methinks.

But whatever floats your bad sounding boat.

ScottGTO, I would love to hear what you think of them compared to the SR60s. . .

[dfkt]

You can stop now with that infantile nonsense. I (and probably everyone else following this and other threads) get it, you hate them and you have buyer's remorse - but they clearly aren't bad phones per se, far from it. Just because you don't like them doesn't mean they're bad sounding for everyone else, or that they're overhyped (especially for their current going price). Or, as you seem to imply, everyone who likes them has bad taste.

Some time ago you wrote, "Although these are very nice sounding IEMs on the whole, I’m not totally impressed or amazed by their SQ." Which was rather reasonable - so what made you turn into a childish troll that posts nonsense like, "these are straight up crap" in the meantime? Rhetorical question, don't answer.

You comparing them to full-sized phones makes no sense either, that's very much apples vs. oranges. A flat frequency response doesn't imply clearer sound by default - the HJE are seriously precise and clear - especially in that price range you won't find anything that pulls this off as admirably as the HJE. You can get clear phones, like the RE0, for that price, but you can't find ones that are as punchy and dynamic as the HJE while still staying that crisp and precise.

As Sepinho on Head-Fi puts that whole love/hate dilemma it in a less childish manner: "There seems to be no middle ground as far as liking the HJE900's sound signature is concerned. " - he concludes that it's mostly a matter of the right fit and the right tips, but of course no single sound signature is the right one for every person out there. If a phone existed that would be perfect for everyone, all manufacturers could close shop.

In conclusion: act a bit more mature. Please. You are entitled to your opinion, same as everyone else, but the way you convey your reasoning makes you sound like a cranky kid.

[Satellite_6]

Sorry, I Will refrain from any more comments.

I really don't hate them tho, and my comments were more extreme than I intended.


"Some time ago you wrote, "Although these are very nice sounding IEMs on the whole, I’m not totally impressed or amazed by their SQ." Which was rather reasonable - so what made you turn into a childish troll that posts nonsense like, "these are straight up crap" in the meantime? Rhetorical question, don't answer."

Due to the combative way you put this I feel compelled to answerer, the second comment was under very specific conditions of no EQ. . . I mentioned in the review that I EQ them heavily.

[ScottGTO]

Originally Posted by lestatar

Dude, congrats. I am gonna go out on a limb and say you will love them. Use no EQ, maybe a touch of bass as suits you on your DAPs. I don't believe in burn-in, but i did play them on a DAP for like overnight using volume that is 25% percent louder than I normally listen to.

I think the drivers really settled in and now they sound even better than they did originally to me. Either that or my brain really is processing their sound signature even better.

If you end up like Satellite_6 and dislike them, I am sure you can sell them off here and only take a minor hit money wise.

If I am stuck on a desert island with only 1 pair of IEMs, it would be these, hands down, out of all the ones I have and have heard. Period.

But, YMMV...

good luck man and do post when u get em,
-lestatar

Thanks Les. I am excited about them hopefully they get here soon :-)
I was going back and forth for a couple weeks between using the money to get a S9, Samsung P3 or an E7 but since I already have two excellent SQ DAPs (e345 and Fuze V2 with RB) that I am happy with and have an E5 boosting the Fuze. I realized that I keep on buying these 12 dollar and 15 dollar IEMs trying to find ones that fit my overall tastes and desires. I have bought two pairs of JVC's, the HAFXC-50's when they were 9.99 on Newegg, and from a local BestBuy got the FA 67's for 10 bucks. I really like the 67's but they are a bit muddy, and the 50's are very bright (almost shrill with some genres) although they are very comfortable to wear. I also got this 'Wicked' brand from Fry's on sale from 29.99 marked down to 9.99. The fit and the cord on them is of excellent quality, sound is about the same as the 67's though.
I really liked my Grado's when I had them. I gave them to my brother as I for my use, the open back design let too much sound out and was a bother to others around me.
Anyway, I'll be sure to post some pics and my own 'review' once I get them.

[dfkt]

Here's the frequency response for the HJE900:

[Marvin the Martian]

Damn...that upcurve in the mids is right in the sweet spot where my ears need a boost (with everything but my Grados and KSC75's). Too bad my ears can't take IEM use.

[lestatar]

wow, that graph makes perfect sense to me and what I am hearing. Am no expert reading these kinds of things, but I understand enough to read that.

@ScottGTO:
We share the same DAP gear [E345 and v2RB Fuze]. For me and my ears, for nearly every type of music I have thrown at the Panas for 2 weeks, the following sound settings sound best to me:

- SonyE345: EQ flat, ClearBass = 1. USA E345, with these settings volume 9 is plenty loud.
- Fuze v2 RB: EQ Flat, Treble = 1, Bass = 2. Volume -22dB is plenty loud for me.

Will be interesting to hear you impressions, especially if you bother to try the settings I gave for comparison sake.

cheers [Tom Petty: "The waiting is the hardest part..."]
-lestatar


That's it.