DogMeat
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2011
- Posts
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So...... every summer, I pick up a light-weight, relatively inexpensive set of closed-back cans.... partly because it's hot, partly because I have the fans running in the house, partly because I might opt for outdoors time with a portable rig.
But I've never taken such an oppourtunity to do a review here on HeadFi, in spite of the many chances for doing so.
Some sets,(of cans), have turned out to be absolute DogMeat,(lol), others have been a pleasant surprise.
They all run in the less-than-120-USD cost range.
This year, I picked up the Panasonic RP-HTX7.
Why?
Well.... I saw them on a couple of characters in a couple of TV shows.
AND.
They are made by Panasonic, not an ENTIRE slouch on things electronic.
That's it. The only reasons. As close to impulse as I ever go. No research, no recommends from anybody.
The cans;
They are light, oval-shaped, uni-cabled, with plastic cups that fit handily over the ear with comfortable "pleather-ish" foam-filled pads. The cable is 3.9 ft./1.2 m long, and does not kink or tangle.
They come in several kind of fun colours,(I got "Sky"), and, with the 3.5mm jack plug, they are clearly meant for mobile use. The head band is light and cool and NOT a brain-clamp and looks pretty good... and is quite adjustable to a very large degree. The light weight,(5.8 oz./165g including cable), is easy for summer wear and the materials are "low-sweat", even on a muggy, 94 degree F. day!
Some specs;
Impedance = 40 ohms. Sensitivity = 99dB/mW Frequency Response = 7 - 22 Hz
The drivers are 40mm.
So, how do they sound?
First, allow me to relate my listening conditions;
At the desk, I used my Woo WA7 Fireflies amp,(on low impedance), music via iTunes from my Mac, HD grade music quality,(Apple Lossless, or no less than 192k so that CRAP IN wasn't a factor).
My high velocity kitchen fan was on some of the time, some of the time it was not. Sometimes the TV was on too, loud enough to hear over the high velocity fan from the kitchen....
Out and About, I used my JDS Labs C421,(mostly), or a little DIY CMOY amp Altoids box amp,(made from a Newman's Own Ginger Mints container), both run out of my iPhone 6s.
On a bus. In the SHOTGUN! position in a car, windows open. Back yard with dogs careening about. ETC.
The Music was kind of the typical eclectic mix of the sort of stuff I listen to at this time of year; Light concerti for the classical stuff,(think Water Music, Royal Fireworks,Seasons), Hearts of Space programme mixes for the yoga/meditative/it's-just-too-hot-to-move genre, vocal musics sampled were provided by Halsey, The Killers, Yes, ELO,(strings too!), Foo Fighters, and acoustic was handled by Leo Kottke.
I tried to listen to the same musics both at the desk and OTR by sticking to a created playlist kept on both output devices.
I started listening to them RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX!
Yep, you heard that right.
But, a) I wanted to see if run-in time mattered with these, and, b) typical users of mid-to-low end cans don't usually wait for a run in.
(Maybe that sounded a bit snobby....but you know what I mean....we're talking peeps who don't know the diff between pink and brown noise, forchrissakes!)
And who has time for run-in when you're trying to catch a ride to Key West with your dorm-mates???
Isolation;
A biggish deal, especially when the kitchen fans are running, or on a bus.... they do a pretty solid job.
Until I put my head right within 3 feet of the fan, the noise was negligible, and the cans did NOT blow off of my head. Couldn't really make out the TV, when it was on,(and music was playing inside the cans).
On a city bus, normal conversation levels didn't get in, and I actually missed hearing a siren until it blew by the bus. The lady sitting next to me on the bus kindly listened to my questions about sound leakage, did not act like I was some weird-oh mugger, and replied that she was not able to hear anything I was listening to, not even Foo Fighters "Free Me" or "DOA".
Sound quality;
Vocals are pleasing enough, there isn't any noticeable shrill or stridence, the clarity is good enough that I could even make out most of David Grohl's lyrics. All except the really screamy bits. Which I can't understand on my T1's, either........
Halsey and Killers were a piece of cake and entertaining. Not WORK to enjoy. Not sibilant, not harsh.
Classical and acoustic musics were also engaging and fun to listen to...I didn't feel that anything was too bloomy or bass heavy, midrange was comfortable and highs were adequately detailed and had enough sparkle to say that these headphones don't "slog" when something fairly complex is run through them.
As far as closed-back cans go, I didn't feel that the sound was "smothered" or entirely lacking in stage.Granted, you can't really place each instrument in space...but that's not really a big deal on a crowded bus, or when studying, or when I'm just trying to doze in the call-room behind the Emergency Room during a hot and cranky 16-hour shift.
I think one would call these somewhat warm sounding but are NOT at all bass heavy. I hate bass heavy, so I attend to this issue a LOT.
The over-all balance is pretty nice and "comfortable". These will not be for bass-heads. Just sayin'....
The cable offers NO microphonics, no matter what I was doing. Jogging for the bus, reaching across the counter for my coffee mug, bending to pet a demanding dog... all without rub or scratchy sounds along the cable. And it's really NICE that the cable doesn't kink or tangle,(no matter what I was doing).
These sounded marginally better after a week of run-in/use.
The detail became just a bit more clear and maybe a little more crisp, they became a tad warmer sounding. The bass became a little more present without becoming off balance. Mids remained stable and pleasant. Highs stayed nicely pleasant and have not become sibilant or shrill.
And yes. They DO sound better on a better quality amp. ALL headphones do. PERIOD.
I've enjoyed these little cans.
At less than 100 USD... a decent enough pick up.
An inexpensive "summer fling", if you will.
They don't offer any pretensions of being taken seriously as anything more than what they are; a kicky, fun, decent sounding set of cans you can pick up and run out to the park, or jump into the back of the Uber....and if you lose them, you didn't break the bank or have to call in your home-owners insurance over it!
okay...THE PIX!
But I've never taken such an oppourtunity to do a review here on HeadFi, in spite of the many chances for doing so.
Some sets,(of cans), have turned out to be absolute DogMeat,(lol), others have been a pleasant surprise.
They all run in the less-than-120-USD cost range.
This year, I picked up the Panasonic RP-HTX7.
Why?
Well.... I saw them on a couple of characters in a couple of TV shows.
AND.
They are made by Panasonic, not an ENTIRE slouch on things electronic.
That's it. The only reasons. As close to impulse as I ever go. No research, no recommends from anybody.
The cans;
They are light, oval-shaped, uni-cabled, with plastic cups that fit handily over the ear with comfortable "pleather-ish" foam-filled pads. The cable is 3.9 ft./1.2 m long, and does not kink or tangle.
They come in several kind of fun colours,(I got "Sky"), and, with the 3.5mm jack plug, they are clearly meant for mobile use. The head band is light and cool and NOT a brain-clamp and looks pretty good... and is quite adjustable to a very large degree. The light weight,(5.8 oz./165g including cable), is easy for summer wear and the materials are "low-sweat", even on a muggy, 94 degree F. day!
Some specs;
Impedance = 40 ohms. Sensitivity = 99dB/mW Frequency Response = 7 - 22 Hz
The drivers are 40mm.
So, how do they sound?
First, allow me to relate my listening conditions;
At the desk, I used my Woo WA7 Fireflies amp,(on low impedance), music via iTunes from my Mac, HD grade music quality,(Apple Lossless, or no less than 192k so that CRAP IN wasn't a factor).
My high velocity kitchen fan was on some of the time, some of the time it was not. Sometimes the TV was on too, loud enough to hear over the high velocity fan from the kitchen....
Out and About, I used my JDS Labs C421,(mostly), or a little DIY CMOY amp Altoids box amp,(made from a Newman's Own Ginger Mints container), both run out of my iPhone 6s.
On a bus. In the SHOTGUN! position in a car, windows open. Back yard with dogs careening about. ETC.
The Music was kind of the typical eclectic mix of the sort of stuff I listen to at this time of year; Light concerti for the classical stuff,(think Water Music, Royal Fireworks,Seasons), Hearts of Space programme mixes for the yoga/meditative/it's-just-too-hot-to-move genre, vocal musics sampled were provided by Halsey, The Killers, Yes, ELO,(strings too!), Foo Fighters, and acoustic was handled by Leo Kottke.
I tried to listen to the same musics both at the desk and OTR by sticking to a created playlist kept on both output devices.
I started listening to them RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX!
Yep, you heard that right.
But, a) I wanted to see if run-in time mattered with these, and, b) typical users of mid-to-low end cans don't usually wait for a run in.
(Maybe that sounded a bit snobby....but you know what I mean....we're talking peeps who don't know the diff between pink and brown noise, forchrissakes!)
And who has time for run-in when you're trying to catch a ride to Key West with your dorm-mates???
Isolation;
A biggish deal, especially when the kitchen fans are running, or on a bus.... they do a pretty solid job.
Until I put my head right within 3 feet of the fan, the noise was negligible, and the cans did NOT blow off of my head. Couldn't really make out the TV, when it was on,(and music was playing inside the cans).
On a city bus, normal conversation levels didn't get in, and I actually missed hearing a siren until it blew by the bus. The lady sitting next to me on the bus kindly listened to my questions about sound leakage, did not act like I was some weird-oh mugger, and replied that she was not able to hear anything I was listening to, not even Foo Fighters "Free Me" or "DOA".
Sound quality;
Vocals are pleasing enough, there isn't any noticeable shrill or stridence, the clarity is good enough that I could even make out most of David Grohl's lyrics. All except the really screamy bits. Which I can't understand on my T1's, either........
Halsey and Killers were a piece of cake and entertaining. Not WORK to enjoy. Not sibilant, not harsh.
Classical and acoustic musics were also engaging and fun to listen to...I didn't feel that anything was too bloomy or bass heavy, midrange was comfortable and highs were adequately detailed and had enough sparkle to say that these headphones don't "slog" when something fairly complex is run through them.
As far as closed-back cans go, I didn't feel that the sound was "smothered" or entirely lacking in stage.Granted, you can't really place each instrument in space...but that's not really a big deal on a crowded bus, or when studying, or when I'm just trying to doze in the call-room behind the Emergency Room during a hot and cranky 16-hour shift.
I think one would call these somewhat warm sounding but are NOT at all bass heavy. I hate bass heavy, so I attend to this issue a LOT.
The over-all balance is pretty nice and "comfortable". These will not be for bass-heads. Just sayin'....
The cable offers NO microphonics, no matter what I was doing. Jogging for the bus, reaching across the counter for my coffee mug, bending to pet a demanding dog... all without rub or scratchy sounds along the cable. And it's really NICE that the cable doesn't kink or tangle,(no matter what I was doing).
These sounded marginally better after a week of run-in/use.
The detail became just a bit more clear and maybe a little more crisp, they became a tad warmer sounding. The bass became a little more present without becoming off balance. Mids remained stable and pleasant. Highs stayed nicely pleasant and have not become sibilant or shrill.
And yes. They DO sound better on a better quality amp. ALL headphones do. PERIOD.
I've enjoyed these little cans.
At less than 100 USD... a decent enough pick up.
An inexpensive "summer fling", if you will.
They don't offer any pretensions of being taken seriously as anything more than what they are; a kicky, fun, decent sounding set of cans you can pick up and run out to the park, or jump into the back of the Uber....and if you lose them, you didn't break the bank or have to call in your home-owners insurance over it!
okay...THE PIX!
