Panasonic RP-HC101-K Black Headphones

 (16 customer reviews)

These won't stack up to the most expensive, beefy models by Bose and others in the noise-canceling department, but do come out ahead of others I have tried in their price range. These are noticeably better at noise-canceling than many other models I have tried and I was really surprised by that - I had expected poor performance because of the low price. The sound is also quite good. All the nuances of the soundtracks to Avatar, The Hurt Locker, and Crazy Heart came through clearly and beautifully.

I have had issues with other noise-canceling headsets in the past - for whatever reason, they gave me headaches. Perhaps they gripped the head too tight, perhaps the canceling technology wasn't perfect. But the Panasonics had none of those problems. I have used these so far on three 8+ hour flights and thoroughly enjoyed having them. Positioned properly, the noise-canceling nearly canceled out the jet engines completely and I certainly couldn't hear any other people on the...Read more

What the other reviewers fail to mention (as does the product photo and description) is that this headphone has an device located midway in the cable that measures approximately two inches by 3/4 inch and weighs 0.8 ounces. It houses a AAA battery, volume control, "monitor" switch, noise canceling switch, LED and tie clip. You have to clip this device to your shirt or it bangs around on your desk looking for something to get snagged on. The wiring, which is very fine, needs to be untangled before each use. I have no complaint with the sound quality, and it may be well suited for long flights, but for everyday home use, its a real nuisance, especially if you're in an environment that necessitates getting up from your computer frequently. If so, you'll need to unfasten, untangle and refasten each time. Consequently, the cat doesn't get to go out as often.

These Panasonic noise-canceling headphones are a great value, compared with the famous Bose models. They don't cancel as much noise as the more expensive models, but they are quite effective nonetheless. They're also comfortable, and much smaller to carry on a trip. I recommend these.