Panasonic RP-HJE900 Zirconia Review

[dfkt]

Yeah, the stock tips of the CX are awfully thin - I guess they could have an adverse effect on isolation. But the way they react to wind noise is quite the dealbreaker for me anyways, going outside on windy days with them is no fun with the constant hiss.

[CrowdAds]

[james444]

A word of caution, in case anyone's experimenting with different tips, especially foamies. Like dfkt said in his review, the Pannies have tiny vents around the nozzle. You can see them in the picture:



Just be sure not to cover these vents with your tips. It happened to me accidentially and it took quite some time to find out why the phones suddenly sounded like crap.

[kasrhp]

Well I just called the company from Amazon I ordered from. They were sold out when I ordered (foot in my mouth) and will take until next week to get them in. So, he is going to call me to tell me when they expect them, and then said they could overnight them to me when they receive them. So, we shall see. The suspense is killing me.

[butler360]

Originally Posted by dfkt

It is a shame that some clearly inferior phones get hyped and advertised that much, and the Panas fall through the cracks of the media, reviewers, and customers.

I see this a lot with Panasonic. Just look at their awesome DSLR, the GH1. Their slogan should be "Silent Brilliance." It's kind of a tasteful way of doing business, I suppose, but it does cause them to get passed up by the average consumer who doesn't care to do some research first.

So has anyone used them with the Kleer wireless? And how would they compare to the SA6 and/or the RE2s?

[Curiouss]

off topic, but can you also review the A840

[NeedBalanceCtrl]

Originally Posted by lestatar

Hmm, re: the CX300 - dfkt, you are cheating and using different tips.

NBC, my comments about the relatively poor isolation of the CX300/EP630 were due of course to the fact that I only use the stock tips on em. With nice ones like dfkt always uses, not surprised at all isolation would be better.

Bottom line: dfkt knows what the heck he is talking about whereas I....

I use stock tips only as well. But I think I'm going to give the UE/Logitech tips a try.

Originally Posted by kasrhp

Well I just called the company from Amazon I ordered from. They were sold out when I ordered (foot in my mouth) and will take until next week to get them in. So, he is going to call me to tell me when they expect them, and then said they could overnight them to me when they receive them. So, we shall see. The suspense is killing me.

That sucks kasrhp. I saw many places that offered them for sale list them as special order items. I made sure to call up J&R and specifically asked the sales guy over and over if they indeed had them in stock and ready to ship immediately or whether they'd special order them once I placed an order with them. He said they had 12 of them in stock and even asked, jokingly, if I wanted to purchase all 12 of them. I ordered last Thursday and J&R did ship out my pair last Friday. So props to J&R for not BSing. They delivered.

Originally Posted by dfkt

Yeah, the stock tips of the CX are awfully thin - I guess they could have an adverse effect on isolation. But the way they react to wind noise is quite the dealbreaker for me anyways, going outside on windy days with them is no fun with the constant hiss.

dfkt, in regards to the size of the UE/Logitech tips, are they the same size as the cx 300/creative 630; that is to ask, if I use the medium size tips of the creative 630, I would purchase the medium size for the UE tips as well, correct? They are equivalent in size? I'm referring to the part that goes into my ear, not the part that attaches to the earphone. Thanks.

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by Need Balance Control

dfkt, in regards to the size of the UE/Logitech tips, are they the same size as the cx 300/creative 630; that is to ask, if I use the medium size tips of the creative 630, I would purchase the medium size for the UE tips as well, correct? They are equivalent in size? I'm referring to the part that goes into my ear, not the part that attaches to the earphone. Thanks.

An image says more than 3.1415926 words.



Senn L and M to the left, Super.Fi M and L to the right.

[Tommifier]

Awesome review, dfkt. Do you know if the cables are still on sale? I looked on their website and couldn't find them. I have a pair of Sleek Audio SA1's and would like to get a really strong cable for it, as I have a tendency to break them.

[dfkt]

It seems the cables have to be imported from some Japanese stores that ship overseas. To the best of my knowledge they're not sold separately in the EU/US. Which is a bit of a shame, since that would drive the cable price to something like $60 - while the Sleek cable can be had for $15 if one looks around a bit.

[NeedBalanceCtrl]

Thanks dfkt. They look the same size to me. I use the medium size CX 300 tips, so I'll order medium UE tips. And to you they do make a difference as compared to the stock tips? It isn't just placebo affect, right?

Originally Posted by dfkt

An image says more than 3.1415926 words.



Senn L and M to the left, Super.Fi M and L to the right.

[dfkt]

To my ears the smoother, thicker material of the Super.Fi tips gives a better fit than the rough, thin material of most stock tips. They also don't flap/bend over that easily when you take them out of your ears.

[NeedBalanceCtrl]

Originally Posted by dfkt

To my ears the smoother, thicker material of the Super.Fi tips gives a better fit than the rough, thin material of most stock tips. They also don't flap/bend over that easily when you take them out of your ears.

You've been very patient with me dfkt. I appreciate it. Please pardon my ignorance one more time as I'm confused which exact ones to purchase.

Do I get these? (I'm assuming it's these, but I'm not sure.)
5 pairs of MEDIUM black silicone ear cushions for TripleFi 10, 10vi, SuperFi 5pro, 5eb and SuperFi 3 Studio
Ear cushions for Triple Fi P/N 993-000346




or

do I get these?
5 pairs of MEDIUM transparent silicone ear cushions for Metro Fi 170, 170vi, 220, 220vi, SuperFi4, 4vi, 5, 5vi
Ear cushions for Metro Fi
P/N 993-000343




Thanks again for indulging my ignorance.

[dfkt]

You need the black ones. The transparent ones have a smaller nozzle diameter, made for the newer generation of UE universal IEMs.

[ultrauber]

Would you consider these a solid update from the RE0? I've been looking for a bit more of the low, low bass and better instrument separation. But not at the cost of any of the detail I've grown to love.


ps 500th post, SSSENORZ ROOL

[floeezy]

Once again, wonderful write up dfkt. I really appreciate the hard work you put into writing very professional reviews.
Judging by the daily traffic on ABI and the influence your ears play on users and readers alike, I can predict that RP-HJE900 sales have significantly increased for Panasonic, especially when comparing this increase to the poor sales they have experienced in previous months.
Of course, this spike in sales is quite minimal for Panasonic in the grand scheme of things; however, your following wish...

Originally Posted by dfkt

I hope enough people actually bought a pair of those phones, so Panasonic feels encouraged enough to continue their research and development, and deliver some more of those (semi-literal) gems.

...is also mine, and I believe your review will help it come true.

Now it's time for me to make a $130 decision!

[Tommifier]

Originally posted by dfkt
It seems the cables have to be imported from some Japanese stores that ship overseas. To the best of my knowledge they're not sold separately in the EU/US. Which is a bit of a shame, since that would drive the cable price to something like $60 - while the Sleek cable can be had for $15 if one looks around a bit.

Ah, that's a shame, though it's what I expected. Looks like I'll just have to be really careful with them. Or maybe save up for the wireless thing, but I don't know how practical it would actually be.

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by ultrauber

Would you consider these a solid update from the RE0? I've been looking for a bit more of the low, low bass and better instrument separation. But not at the cost of any of the detail I've grown to love.

They're definitely a solid upgrade from the RE0. Besides the semi-pathetic China-OEM build quality of the RE0, the HJE have real deep bass where the RE0 roll off and have too much midbass in relation, the soundstage is much more accurate and wider, and the dynamics and punch/attack/speed are a whole step up as well. The RE0 play sound waves, the HJE play music.

Originally Posted by floeezy

Judging by the daily traffic on ABI and the influence your ears play on users and readers alike, I can predict that RP-HJE900 sales have significantly increased for Panasonic, especially when comparing this increase to the poor sales they have experienced in previous months.
Of course, this spike in sales is quite minimal for Panasonic in the grand scheme of things; however, your following wish...

...is also mine, and I believe your review will help it come true.

Now it's time for me to make a $130 decision!

Heh, I noticed the Amazon Marketplace store I linked in the review had them for $114, now they're up to $129 there.

Maybe they still can be had for cheaper someplace else - I guess some genuine Yankees are better suited to find a lower price than little old me in Austria.

[lestatar]

lol....it's prolly your fault dfkt...Driving up demand for those Panasonics.

Please consider posting a negative review on them so demand and thus prices will drop. Then yank the review after I have purchased my set [hopefully for under 100USD].

muahahahahahaha

[dfkt]

For everyone living in the UK, play.com has the HJE900 for EUR 97 / GBP 69: http://www.play.com/Electronics/Elec...s/Product.html

Of course those damn bastards don't ship to any address outside the UK, damn them. I would have bought them in an instant.

[JxK]

Look at some mail forwarding services, maybe one isn't terribly expensive. Or better yet, if you know of a member here who lives in the UK, maybe just ask them if they'd be willing to forward it to you. That would be an even cheaper solution.

For you it's an option since you're in Europe. But for us poor souls living across the Atlantic, well, sadly we're just out of luck.