September 11, 2008
Panasonic RP-HS48 and RP-HS52 Clip-On Headphones
I've been buying the Panasonic clip-on headphones for about three years now. I love them so much that you'd be hard pressed to ever convince me to switch to a different model.
I'm reviewing both the RP-HS48 and RP-HS52 together because they are pretty much the same headphones, with only minor differences between the two.
RP-HS48 (Black)
Review originally written for Amazon.com. It is the highest rated review on the Panasonic RP-HS48 Clip-On Headphones with XBS® Extra Bass System page.
I bought my first pair of these 15 months ago at Circuit City. When I lost the first set, I went to three different Brick and Mortar stores to find this specific model. I finally gave up and ordered the second set from Amazon. I'm just now about to order my third pair and I'll probably buy a few extra sets.
These things are great. They're lightweight and very comfortable. The sound quality is fine. The plastic over-ear piece is much more comfortable than other some of the other over-ear clips I've used. I absolutely love the volume adjustment. It keeps me from needing to constantly reach into my coat for the iPod to adjust the volume. Also, the cord split is just right. Some headphones don't give enough "split" length in the cord, so the headphones will ride up under the chin. Others will give an uneven split, so the cord rides to one side. Not the case. The cord is split perfectly.
If I could change anything, I'd like a bit more volume. Sometimes if I'm at the gym and it's loud, I'd like to pump up the volume a bit more... but unless you're listening to heavy metal, I wouldn't let that deter you.
In sum, I love these things. They're great, and affordable. Panasonic's done well with this model.
RP-HS52 (Blue)
Everything above applies except for my complaints about volume. Where I routinely listened to my RP-HS48s at max volume (without worrying about damaging my hearing), it is actually painful to listen to the RP-HS52s at max, so I don't. The volume wheel, ear clip comfort, and cord split continue to be perfect... and the RP-HS52 is actually less expensive than the RP-HS48s.
My only complaint with the RP-HS52s is that my first pair only lasted about 7 months. Each pair of either model I've ever bought 'died' when the dreaded 'one ear' short caused one ear phone to stop playing. This, I assume, by stress on the headphone jack where the cord meets the jack. The '48's I've owned generally went a year. The one pair of '52s I've owned died at 7 months, but the final verdict is that I'm ordering another pair of RP-HS52s today.