RP-HS16-K In-Ear Earbud Heaphones with Flexible Ear Hinge (Black)

Update at 2025-Jun-13: I bought my first pair of these earphones about 15 years ago. I've tried others now and then, but for me, these Panasonic over-the-ear earphones outperform them all. These Panasonic earphones typically work perfectly for about a year +/- 9 months. Some connection breaks down for one ear, leaving sound only in the other. So, I get another pair. A wireless pair would please me, but no manufacturer seems to have found a way to make Bluetooth with independence from heavy battery, user-friendly setup, basic sound quality, reliability, and the comfort of these Panasonic over-the-ear earphones. Original Review: I use my earphones while (1) Riding on the bus, (2) Riding on my bicycle, (3) Walking and hiking, and rarely otherwise. Top sound quality is something I would like to have, but I'll never get it, even with the finest earphones, because I use them in noisy environments. Fairly good sound is the best I can hope for. On the other hand, practicality and comfort matter greatly to me. Formerly, I used in-the-ear earbuds, but I got an ear infection, my first since I was a kid, and I felt (sorry, no controlled study on this) that sticking those objects in my ears led to the trouble. So, I switched to these earphone styles that grab the ears. I compare the competitor Koss KSC75 Portable Stereophone Headphones K ( Koss KSC75 Portable Stereophone Headphones ) with the Panasonic RPHS46EK Slim Headphones P. I've alternated use of both of them for about 2 months. Either K or P is a good choice. Both are good products. I prefer P. Of dozens of earphone makes and models, P is the best I've ever found for my purposes. K has better sound quality than P, I think, when I sit in a quiet room. On the road, I can tell no significant difference. Wind noise doesn't seriously affect either K or P. They are as good as any other earphones that don't completely cover the ear. K has a straight-thru jack, while P has an elbow jack. I like the elbow, because it goes in a pocket more easily, and because I don't worry about it snapping off, leaving a chunk of metal inside my iPhone. I've noticed no significant noise from the cord with either K or P. The earpieces of K are heavier than the P, so that when I disengage the earpieces (as when I want to hear somebody speaking to me) and hang them over a shirt collar, the K fairly rapidly descend with gravity so they swing in the breeze on the end of 30cm of slack cord. The K earpieces are rather larger than the P, maybe half again the diameter in any dimension. For me, it's more difficult to fit the K into a pocket when not in use. The earhooks on the K are more rigid than the earhooks on the P. Thus the K are a little more difficult to get on/off. I often have to "weave" my ear between the earhook and the pad to get a good fit. The stiffness of the K make them a little less comfortable to wear. Comfort can be increased with adjustment. The P are generally quite comfortable. One of the K earhooks popped off the other day. I was able to snap it back on, without much trouble. This may be a rare event. I haven't enough experience with them to say at this time. No such problem with the P.

(Updated Review 2021) 5 Years Later and I use these on occasion. I still own 2 sets of these headphones. Headphone A lost functionality on the right channel, likely because I had washed them too many times accidentally and it finally gave out. Headphone B's cord is now very stiff for some reason, not loose and floppy like they came out of the package. The sound quality has not diminished from either A or B, but I can't say the same for the foam ear pads. B's pads completely disintegrated over time due to normal wear and tear, but they lasted quite a good deal of time overall. A's pad is starting to rip from the rim. Would I buy these again? No. I now have these which i think are quite decent if not equivalent to the Panasonics. https://www.amazon.com/Technica-ATH-EQ300M-PL-Ear-Fit-Headphones/dp/B001DDIJ24/ (Old Review 2016) These headphones are worth it. Love these these things so much. About 10 years ago I purchased these headphones, cheap, pretty good audio, nothing special. However, they somehow managed to last 9 years when almost all the headphones I'd purchased since then had come and gone, breaking, etc. These Panasonic earphones finally broke when I stupidly ripped the wire and I immediately ordered another pair. They have become a mainstay in my back pocket when out of the house and, even after being sat on daily, still sound great and have zero damage whatsoever. I have faith this replacement will last me just as long as the first. They are a great choice for low profile, high quality listening without having to use bud style headphones. They're quite comfortable and if you're trying to get good, clean audio without catching attention with big, expensive cans, these are it.

I had been getting random headaches here and there and I had recently suspected it from being from my PC Headset and me using it for a long period of time. I didn't wanna really waste more on other headset or anything but I had remembered Etika (R.I.P brother) using Ear-Clip Headphones due to his hairline so I was thinking I should go with buying something like that as to not get much headaches when using my computer for when I'm using it casually. Now while Etika used to use Koss KSC75 Headphones, I went with these as they were a bit cheaper and looked to be good. So they came in just some hours ago now and I've been using them since then. First of all, which I am very much happy about, they came in actually brand new without any scratches whatsoever and the packaging was nice. They had a small little opening cut-out in the back of the packaging to make it much easier to open it up which made it an easy time to take them out. For the actual headphones though, I will admit that I did not expect them to be small but that could just be me having a bad memory of Ear-Clip Headphones from back then lol. The sound quality is pretty great for what it actually is but not as good as my own since I messed with the EQ of those to make it sound better and clearer. Noise cancellation is something that I had to put my input on for some reason in the review page but I'll mention it here. The noise cancellation is unsurprisingly not the best as one should obviously expect with these types of headphones but they can block out some noise I suppose based on the volume and how well you place them on your ear. Now for how comfortable they are is entirely dependent on positioning and placement really. When I first put them on, they fitted snuggly and I can't really deny it but after taking them off for a moment to focus on something, I put them back on for them to be a tad bit less comfortable but it was fine for me. As of right now, I find it to hurt a tad bit from use so take breaks when using them lol. I did notice from the other reviews that the cushion on the ears come off sooner or later down its own lifeline so be wary of that and same with the wire. They're doing quite fine now for me right now but knowing this, I do intend to be careful using them. I don't intend to use them very often admittedly outside of on my PC or for when I want to use the audiojack on my consoles so I'll probably come into this issue later than other buyers but I'll still give warning of this for others. I'll update this review for when that time comes for these headphones but I caution buyers that it kind of is something that happens to most of these types of headphones so if you do buy these, handle them with care.

My very old wired pair is hanging on for dear life and I needed a backup for the inevitable. I can’t wear earbuds, ouch! I didn’t want Bluetooth - babysitting another device battery life, no thanks. These earphones checked all my boxes! The sound is surprisingly good. Slim comfy fit, secure on my ears, doesn’t shake loose during activities. I’ve used them during yard work, chores, exercise, etc. The wire length is also a plus, not too long. I didn’t want to be constantly managing slack or tangles. At this price, totally worth it!

I am reviewing Panasonic- Rp-hs46e-k Slim Clip On Earphone - Black. These come up as the "prior generation (#1)." I have been using the same pair since before October 2019 (it is now May 2021). I wear my headphones while listening to audiobooks so I have them on for very long periods of time. The slim earphones fit over my ears perfectly and are very comfortable. They "open up" to put on your ears so you do not need to rotate and slide them on like some brands. I can wear them with sunglasses and regular glasses, and reading glasses without an issue. I love the "L" shaped plug and haven't had an issue with the cord bending or breaking. They do not block out all of the outside noise, but I like that - my children and co-workers can still get my attention if needed. The volume is still loud enough to block out voices too. I wish there was a wireless version, but I pair it with a clip-on Bluetooth receiver with a microphone. I have tried several clip-on brands and traditional headband and behind the head band styles and these put the least amount of pressure on your ears, they stay on very well and are comfy for long periods of use (like an entire day). Also, they are comfortable enough to use in bed, although I do not sleep with them on. Another feature that I did not see listed anywhere is that they are magnetic. The two earpieces stick together when not in use which is helpful to prevent tangling. I am going to stock up on them so I will not need to worry about them being discontinued in the future.

I have been using these every night for 3 and half years. I got them to replace the headphones in one of these headband earphones. The original headphones (different brand) crapped out in a few months. I fall asleep with white noise and these slipped into the headband. Not cushion comfort but well enough to sleep on and they lasted 3.5 years. The right ear piece went out. I'd order another set but can't seem to find the original flat style. I have another Panasonic flat style in my list, I'll probably order those. Sound quality was ok, good enough for my needs. Low price so yr not going to get Bose or even over the ear sound quality. But these helped drown out my husband's snoring.

I saw these online I thought they were about the size of dimes. They're more like silver dollar sized, close to 1.5" across, not including the housing for the ear wires. When I first put them on I was struck by a few things: 1. They are very light 2. Almost feels like not wearing anything at all 3. The sound was somewhat harsh Since they sit a little far from the ear canal, the mid and low ranges are lost, making the high end tones sound more pronounced. Press them up against your ears, and you hear the difference. Since mid and low range are important for music, I would classify these personally as being good for things like audio books, podcasts, Skype, YouTube vids (other than music), and other things where a full acoustic envelope isn't required. Not because they can't deliver more, but b/c they can't unless pushed against your ears, OR turned up high enough that the low and mid ranges are projected to your ear canal... but this makes the high end tones louder too, so maybe with some EQ adjustments, this would work for you. But listening to music at lower volumes AND having the full spectrum of tones isn't really compatible with this design in my experience. I think I read people were exercising with them which surprises me b/c they aren't super-secured to your ears. And while they were totally comfie at first, after 30min or so the ear pieces began to irritate a little where they hook over top of the ears. (The hooks are made of hard molded plastic rather than a wire covered with something softer and more pliable.) I got these for listening to audio in bed, thinking I could lay on my side with them. However I didn't realize how large they are, and while I read reviewers who said they were using them in bed and loving them, I did not find them comfortable on my side at all. If a standard earbud design were rated as a 1 with 1 being least comfortable for laying on your side, and 5 being best or most comfortable, I'd rate these at 2. To be fair, they aren't marketed for that purpose. For $13 they might have a place in your roster of needs... since they don't fit anywhere near your ear canal you can hear everything going on around you, which might be a plus for those who need to stay alert to surrounding sounds, such as mothers with kids in the house, or people at work. And they are comfortable sitting up, especially for the first 30m - 1hr. But I can't recommend them for listening to music at lower volume levels unless you don't mind losing the mid range and bass. For that reason I'd categorize them more as utility ear buds, myself. JMO.

Perfect - the ear pads are flat so you can lay your head down on a pillow comfortably and the ear hooks pivot so they won’t break if they are pulled your ears; much more comfortable than ear buds but one draw back is they aren’t Bluetooth compatible; highly recommended