Stereo headphones have come a long way over several decades, and there have been so many advances, it's often hard to keep up with the latest technologies. In the beginning, there was basically only ONE type, that of being, the completely over the ear, studio-type and others. As things progressed, "earbuds" of many types began to be offered and an expensive type of these have emerged, with the advent of the I-Pod and various other portable CD and MP3 players. I've never really liked these, as no matter how much one spends, they still have to snugly and comfortably fit the individual's ears, which is no small task, as all human ears are not created equal. Fortunately, various forms of the original concept of over-ear, noise-canceling headphones have kept pace with the earbud variety. Some of these are more completely over the ear than others, some are more or less outside noise-canceling types, and then there are the cheapest non-earbud types, which can vary greatly in concept and overall quality.
For the best experience in private listening, one needs to spend at least $50 these days, if not upwards of $100 or more. However, these type of stereo headphones are usually very large and are not really suited to portable, on the go listening. Still, they do not suffer from the earache of buds, and usually produce the best overall, robust sound. In between most earbud types and most larger "monitor" types, there are so many varieties nowadays, that the general, plug-in stereo-headphones shopper is usually left quite confused when trying to pick out a suitable, high-quality model, at a reasonable price. For almost all purposes, this is a really good buy, and I give them high marks in just about every headphone category one can think of or desire. And the asking price is a bargain.
One little caveat however. The Amazon "product description" and even mentioned in a review or two, state that the cord length is nearly 10 feet. I think this must be referring to some earlier model or just a mistake, because the cord length of these is only about 6 feet total. While this does not interfere with my personal use or intentions of use before I even bought a pair, sound unheard, I think this should be pointed out. The difference between a 10-foot cord length and a 6 foot one is rather substantial. Therefore, these are in no way suitable for "roaming the room" or dancing "to your heart's content," as the Amazon product description states. Amazon should correct this product description. If one desires more than a six-foot cord length however, a cheap extension can always be purchased for a few bucks at Radio Shack and the like. It's a 6 foot cord though, not 10.
Outside of this however, these are really great headphones for the price, and offer terrific sound and value. While they are "fold-able" in a way, this only applies somewhat, as they are not completely so, and attempts at making the set truly small for carrying purposes might only break them. While they are "over-the-ear," they are not entirely of the more expensive, truly "noise-canceling" variety, though they do a fair job at this, again, for the price. The earphones are padded and the set is nicely adjustable for nearly all head sizes, unless you have the head size of a mouse or Eraserhead. Extended use is no problem, once you easily adjust them to comfortably fit personally. That is, wearing these for hours will not cause any real head/ear strains or pains, either during use or afterwards, volume levels and adjustments aside.
These tend to lean heavily towards the bass frequencies and are enhanced to do so, although the mid-range and upper-ranges come through very good as well. Still, since there is no equalizer function, it helps that whatever source you will be listening to with these, can be adjusted itself. That is, if you are using these to listen to a CD or MP3 player, it helps that you are able to use an equalizer at the source, since again, the bass response here is emphasized. I use these mainly for the computer, and my CD/MP3 player on that is fully adjustable as far as regulating highs, mids, and lows, so the extra bass is no problem. Still, even if one is not able to adjust low and mid and high end frequencies on your player source, the overall sound is excellent on generally all forms of music and sounds, and the stereo separation between left and right is, well, right on.
I have always had a generally good experience with Panasonic products, and that includes higher-end, higher priced headphones from them. While these are rather cheaply made and fragile, if you take care of them and don't ask them to do what they are clearly not intended to do, you will be pleasantly surprised. A definite bonus is the small volume control on the cord. This comes in real handy at times, since not all music is recorded and produced at the same volume level, and this control allows one to raise or lower the volume without touching the source player. And again, while these headphones are not really suited for any long life with heavy abuse, and might seem too "cheaply" made for some, taking care during use negates any such negatives and I would guess these will last and perform well just about as long as you want them to.
I bought two pair of these, which got me free shipping, and I really can't complain. They are great for plugging into one's computer, or using with any CD/MP3 player with an equalizer, but generally, they perform well for just about any purpose as far as headphones go. They also fit nicely and comfortably as a "necklace" during breaks in listening. One can easily buy much better headphones, but for the price, these offer remarkable sound at an easily affordable price, and I recommend them highly.
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This Item  Panasonic Headphones, On-Ear Lightweight Earphones with Microphone and XBS for Extra Bass and Clear, Natural Sound, 3.5mm Jack for Phones and Laptops, Work from Home - RP-HT21M (Black & Silver) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | -27% $10.99 List: $14.99 | -9% $19.98 List: $21.98 | $9.99 | -25% $14.99 List: $19.99 | -50% $19.99 List: $39.99 | -45% $5.50 List: $9.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | — | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Noise cancellation | ||||||
| Durability | ||||||
| Volume control | ||||||
| Comfort | ||||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | AILIHEN | Amazon.com | JLab Store | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| connectivity tech | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired |
| headphones form factor | On Ear | On Ear | On the ear | On Ear | On Ear | On Ear |
| connector type | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | 3 5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | Headphone Jack |
| headphones jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack |
| cable feature | Without Cable | Tangle Free | Retractable | Retractable | one single cord | Retractable |
| control type | Media Control | Volume Control, Call Control | Volume Control | Volume Control | Volume Control | — |
From the manufacturer
Panasonic RP-HT21M Corded Headphones
Light, comfortable, high-quality sound and calls with mic
Combining a high-quality listening experience with value and lightweight comfort, the Panasonic RP-HT21M offer big, quality sound for those at any budget. The built-in microphone makes it easy to have clear telephone calls and is ideal for at-home work and school video meetings.
Remote-work and remote-learning versatility
Perfect for work-from-home and school-from-home environments, these lightweight, on-ear headphones has high-quality sound and an integrated microphone.
High quality audio with extra bass
The RP-HT21M with XBS (Extra Bass System) delivers clear, natural-sounding mids and highs along with resonant bass powered by 30-millimeter diameter drivers and neodymium magnets, ensuring you’ll hear every detail in your favorite tunes, movies and video games.
Extra Bass. Extra Boom.
The Extra Bass System port magnifies low-frequency sound and gives you the bass boost when gaming or jamming to the lastest tunes.
Lightweight and comfortable
At less than 5 oz., you might forget you have them on. A wide headband & foam-cushioned pads feel secure—not intrusive—for hours of listening comfort.
Built-in mic for connectivity
An in-line microphone makes the RP-HT21M versatile enough to use for calls, video conferencing, gaming, and voice-activated apps.
Long 3.5mm audio cord
A 4.5' cord easily thread through clothing and bags to keep your music moving.
Comparison
 RP-HT21M |  RP-HT21 |  RP-HT161M |  RP-HT161 | |
|
Customer Reviews
|
31,013
|
31,013
|
31,013
|
31,013
|
|
Price
| $10.99 | $7.99 | $19.99 | $16.99 |
|
Design
| On-Ear | On-Ear | Over-the-Ear | Over-the-Ear |
|
Mic
| yes | no | yes | no |
|
Drive Unit
| 30mm | 30mm | 30mm | 30mm |
|
Impedance (ohm/1kHz)
| 16 | 16 | 32 | 32 |
|
Cord Length
| 4.5 ft. | 4.5 ft. | 6.5 ft. | 6.5 ft. |
|
Frequency Response (Hz-kHz)
| 16Hz - 22kHz | 16Hz - 22kHz | 10Hz - 27kHz | 10Hz - 27kHz |
|
Weight without cord
| 1.2 oz | 1.2 oz | 4.5 oz. | 4.5 oz. |
|
In-Cord Volume
| No | No | No | No |
|
Sensitivity (dB/mW)
| 100 | 100 | 98 | 98 |
Videos
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Koss vs. Panasonic headphones #thisorthat
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#thisorthat Elecder i45 Over-Ear vs. Panasonic HT161
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Reviews with images
Decent Headphones for the Price Point
Not bad quality sound considering the low price. I use them mostly for listening to podcasts on my daily walk. Noise cancelling doesn't really seem to exist so if there's a lot of nearby traffic I have to raise the volume significantly in order to hear anything. And the full audio range isn't *that* full so listening to music isn't stellar, but not bad, either.A major pet peeve, though, and something not restricted to these headphones but that applies to all products these days: when did it become a design thing to put black controls with black labels on black backgrounds? Not very user friendly for people with old tired eyes. Not me, of course, I'm just sayin'. The Left and Right label on each earpiece is just that: black on black (as in the picture, if you can see it). Even dark gray text would be a significant improvement!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2009
Style: On Ear - With Volume ControlVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2012
Style: On Ear - No MicVerified Purchase
Who would have thought that my search for the most comfortable pair of headphones would lead me to these? I sure didn't.
I have tried, and still own, in ear "bud" headphones, behind the neck in-ear headphones, medium cup sized over-ear headphones, and huge over-ear closed style headphones. All have their perks, and unfortunately negatives too.
The in-ear type of headphones would actually cause me physical pain only shortly after wearing them. The little ones, buds, with the little suction type end piece hurt the most. And the portable factor was dismissible once I realized I had to fight to untangle them each time I wanted to use them. The around the neck in-ear headphones, but no "suction cup", would typically yield better results in regards to the length of time before pain commenced. They still hurt after some time, and because the pressure of the band was suppose keep them on your head they weren't very practical for quickly taking off. This also made having them around your neck uncomfortable.
Moving on I then tried headphones with over-ear designs. I ended my search with my Audio-technica monitor headphones (ATH-A700). I love them, for the most part. Audio quality is superb, and the comfort of the band is great, as the wing design fits to your head. They have a closed back design so it helps keep outside noise at a reduced level. These positives unfortunately came with some big negatives though. One, obviously, they are not very portable, and much less practical to use in public. Secondly, due to me spending large amounts of time using headphones for work, school, and hobbies, My neck would start to ache. The sheer weight of the headphones was actually causing pain in my neck around my shoulder area. Keep in mind, I was wearing them for close to 5-8 hours straight, so I'm not knocking the ATH-A700s, I still love them.
Now the Panasonic RP-HT21. I was doing my normal shopping on amazon when I decided to throw these headphones into my cart as an add on item. I thought to myself,
"What the heck, why not? Would be nice to have a pair I could throw around, travel with. They have to be super light by the looks of them, which has a bunch of benefits in itself. They look like the headphones I had in the 90s though, so there's a chance they sound like crap. I mean it's been close to two decades, technology of headphones has to have drastically changed. Ah, for the money, its worth a shot."
Got them, opened, popped into my clip+, hit play. Simply put, I love them. These headphones have obviously exceeded my expectations. They are light, audio quality is good, and the form factor is perfect for traveling and using in public. The biggest plus to these headphones is that they are extremely comfortable, and I mean they are almost "not there" comfortable. Not to mention, the price is fantastic.
I will be buying probably around 2-3 more pairs, so I have backups, and a couple to tinker on. I'm thinking of adding a Rean plug and maybe some braided cord, just for fun not because it's needed.
I have tried, and still own, in ear "bud" headphones, behind the neck in-ear headphones, medium cup sized over-ear headphones, and huge over-ear closed style headphones. All have their perks, and unfortunately negatives too.
The in-ear type of headphones would actually cause me physical pain only shortly after wearing them. The little ones, buds, with the little suction type end piece hurt the most. And the portable factor was dismissible once I realized I had to fight to untangle them each time I wanted to use them. The around the neck in-ear headphones, but no "suction cup", would typically yield better results in regards to the length of time before pain commenced. They still hurt after some time, and because the pressure of the band was suppose keep them on your head they weren't very practical for quickly taking off. This also made having them around your neck uncomfortable.
Moving on I then tried headphones with over-ear designs. I ended my search with my Audio-technica monitor headphones (ATH-A700). I love them, for the most part. Audio quality is superb, and the comfort of the band is great, as the wing design fits to your head. They have a closed back design so it helps keep outside noise at a reduced level. These positives unfortunately came with some big negatives though. One, obviously, they are not very portable, and much less practical to use in public. Secondly, due to me spending large amounts of time using headphones for work, school, and hobbies, My neck would start to ache. The sheer weight of the headphones was actually causing pain in my neck around my shoulder area. Keep in mind, I was wearing them for close to 5-8 hours straight, so I'm not knocking the ATH-A700s, I still love them.
Now the Panasonic RP-HT21. I was doing my normal shopping on amazon when I decided to throw these headphones into my cart as an add on item. I thought to myself,
"What the heck, why not? Would be nice to have a pair I could throw around, travel with. They have to be super light by the looks of them, which has a bunch of benefits in itself. They look like the headphones I had in the 90s though, so there's a chance they sound like crap. I mean it's been close to two decades, technology of headphones has to have drastically changed. Ah, for the money, its worth a shot."
Got them, opened, popped into my clip+, hit play. Simply put, I love them. These headphones have obviously exceeded my expectations. They are light, audio quality is good, and the form factor is perfect for traveling and using in public. The biggest plus to these headphones is that they are extremely comfortable, and I mean they are almost "not there" comfortable. Not to mention, the price is fantastic.
I will be buying probably around 2-3 more pairs, so I have backups, and a couple to tinker on. I'm thinking of adding a Rean plug and maybe some braided cord, just for fun not because it's needed.
Images in this review
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Seiya01
Excelentes Auriculares
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