Panasonic RP-HT16 Headphone Review

[ta240]

You know who buys $8 headphones?
Grade school teachers (out of their own pockets) for the kids to use with tablets for in class stuff. The little kids aren't listening to HiFi on them and are probably going to end up yanking the wires out anyways.

 

[solderdude]

and others like the Koss Porta Pros ... Would be fun to see measurements.

Koss

back to measurements home Go To measurements of Koss headphones: Koss: KSC35 Koss: KSC75 Koss: KPH30i Koss: PortaPro back to measurements home

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

 

[ocinn]

It's amazing how far we've come. These are the earbuds shipped for free with my old Samsung phone

I use them as beaters, sound amazing to my ears stock, only 2 small filters to bring them to pretty textbook harman, but they really don't need it.

 

[AndreaT]

The only truly irreplaceable quantity in life is time. Why waste more than an hour to listen to bad HP, when for less than the price of a restaurant meal you can buy perfect tonality (and low distortion) IEM, and, for a bit more, high quality HP? Why would you limit your musical experience with bad gear? Amir’s reviews are an important tool to avoid missing out emotion and joy that happens to be right there in the recording, for you to savor and treasure.

 

[USER]

Koss

back to measurements home Go To measurements of Koss headphones: Koss: KSC35 Koss: KSC75 Koss: KPH30i Koss: PortaPro back to measurements home

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

Thank you.

Interesting: is it just me or do the Koss KSC75 have a resonance issue similar to these just up a bit higher in the FR? Now I wonder about that style in general.

Edit: And in case some people still think these kinds of headphones aren't worth reviewing, it is clear that a certain generational nostalgia is going on strong:

What we bought: An ode to the Koss KSC75, still the oddest and best-sounding headphones $20 can buy

They aren't pretty, but if all you want is an affordable way to savor your music at home, the $20 Koss KSC75 are arguably the best value on the headphone market.

www.engadget.com

Just don't really listen to what he says, lol. Instead, measure them!

 

[Astrozombie]

Flashbacks to the $30 Panasonic closed cans from like 10 years ago, wish I still had them.

 

[tktran303]

Expand you mind, man.

I’m all about growth mindset. But to clear,
IMHO there are far more significant headphones in the history of headphones than these.

Best regards,
tktran
User of Panasonic portable CD players and Sony tape Walk-man since 1980s.
Member of Head-Fi for 20+ years, and Head-Wize, the forum before that since mid 1990s.

Looking forward to reviews of bad sounding but ubiquitous ear/headphones bundled with Sony Walkmans and Disc-mans and Apple iPods.

 

[USER]

I’m all about growth. But to clear,
IMHO there are far more significant headphones in the history of headphones than these.

Best regards,
tktran
User of Panasonic portable CD players and Sony tape Walk-man since 1980s.
Member of Head-Fi for 20+ years, and Head-Wize, the forum before that since mid 1990s.


View attachment 301439

Looking forward to reviews of bad sounding but ubiquitous ear/headphones bundled with Sony Walkmans and Disc-mans and Apple iPods.

Here's a tip: if you find something to be a waste of time, unthoughtful, or simply dumb, just ignore it. Watch how I put you on ignore so you know how to do it.

 

[tktran303]

Sorry to hear you were offended that I thought it was a joke for Armir to measure an irrelevant (IMHO) historical headphone, which is a waste, again, IMHO of his valuable time.

If he is happy to do it, then all the more power to us members!

Did you submit these headphones for review? If so, my sincerest apologies for causing some offense. That was not my intention.
Perhaps it was my blind spot that these headphones are part of the Antiques Roadshow of headphones that millions of people had enjoyed, that I had somehow missed.

In future I won't comment on measurements of Antiques Roadshow headphones.

I also find some questions from fellow member really mundane, sometimes I ignore the comments, sometimes I put them on ignore. You have every right to put me on ignore.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Why didn't they put long retractable needles that spring out and pierce the listener's eardrums every time they play a 2.6 khz note instead?

 

[bequietjk]

Now im curious to see how my $10 Koss from the hardware store measures.

 

[amirm]

Sorry to hear you were offended that I thought it was a joke for Armir to measure an irrelevant (IMHO) historical headphone, which is a waste, again, IMHO of his valuable time.

Thank you for you concern. I do apply a very strong filter to anything that is not being sold right now. What gets tested has passed that scrutiny. Many of us want to know stuff that was popular/famous was any good or not. I am interested in that and so is the membership.

 

[Dennis_FL]

They remind me of the headphones they used to hand out on the airlines and taken back at the end of the flight. The airlines went through a period of time where the users of the headphones had a spike in ear infections (I was one of them) and the airlines couldn't figure out a reason. Everyone started buying Bose Quiet Comforts.

But, now they have disposable ear buds. Or preferably, you use your own equipment as the entertainment music and movies comes over WiFi to your tablet or laptop.

 

[dasdoing]

these kind of phones where for us kids back in the days. beeing able to listen to music privatly and/or on the road was allready badass enough lol. we had no clue how it supoused to sound anyways. our dads had Sennheisers they used at home for late night listening lol

 

[dasdoing]

Anybody with a TPS-L2 in working conditions able to send the headphones to @amirm for testing? That was my first Sony Walkman back in 1979

View attachment 301359

mine was this, and I think these were the headphones I had, too

 

[srkbear]

I’m all about growth mindset. But to clear,
IMHO there are far more significant headphones in the history of headphones than these.

Best regards,
tktran
User of Panasonic portable CD players and Sony tape Walk-man since 1980s.
Member of Head-Fi for 20+ years, and Head-Wize, the forum before that since mid 1990s.


View attachment 301439

Looking forward to reviews of bad sounding but ubiquitous ear/headphones bundled with Sony Walkmans and Disc-mans and Apple iPods.

If I could only have the time and energy I wasted both visiting and subsequently pulling the taffy out of my head acquired on that forum you emblazoned up there—which you’ve apparently soaked yourself in for 20 years of your life. The ad agency format of your post is proof enough that your claim is 100% legit.

When I finally realized how contaminated with bull I had become over there, every second I’ve spent there since has been like being powdered with fleas. I’m aghast at the idea that it has even existed for two decades—what horrors must lurk on that server. No wonder you can’t sit still for this review—after two decades I’d be unsettled by anything honest too!

 

[tktran303]

@srkbear

The intent of that post was so show that Head-Fi.org has been in existence for over 20 years.
(Before Head-Fi, there was Head-Wize). And so, I’m not new to the world of headphones.

I just did a search for this headphone- and it does not show up any hits.

If this is such a significant headphone, say, compared to the Sony MDR-3L2 earbuds bundled with first Walkman in 1979, then, I thought it may have shown up in a search on that forum. But alas. Now there are Head-Fi haters amongst us, who consider it to be irrelevant now, but in the early days it had a pretty good SINAD of good posts. So despite thousands of members and hundreds of thousands of words written there, there was a single one about this headphone.

I, too, would like to see some measurements of older headphones. Good or bad examples, historically important ones eg, earphone for the first transistor radio the Regency TR-1, or more recent like the Apple earbuds bundled with the first iPods in early C21,

As well the hidden gems like the Koss KSC-35. Or most important headphones that changed the game, like the first QuietComfort (noise cancelling in 2000) or Beats- that finally brought bass that consumers like Amir craved.

Before that the studio or live staples like MDR-7506 or AKG K240, or Senn HD25 had use for professionals but didn’t take to consumers very well.

Oh, as well as classic audiophile headphones like the Orpheus, K1000, Grado RS1 etc. This is only a small list.

And yeah, I last posted on Head-Fi in 2011, long before it started monetising. (Anyone can search for my profile there)

Let’s hope ASR stays independent. Free of advertising or affiliate links or other ways of monetising from its increasingly large membership base.

 

[mathman]

Come on guys, it got a score of 83.1 with EQ!
I was really tempted to vote "Great"

 

[srkbear]

@srkbear

The intent of that post was so show that Head-Fi.org has been in existence for over 20 years.
(Before Head-Fi, there was Head-Wize). And so, I’m not new to the world of headphones.

I just did a search for this headphone- and it does not show up any hits.

View attachment 301599

If this is such a significant headphone, say, compared to the Sony MDR-3L2 earbuds bundled with first Walkman in 1979, then, I thought it may have shown up in a search on that forum. But alas. Now there are Head-Fi haters amongst us, who consider it to be irrelevant now, but in the early days it had a pretty good SINAD of good posts. So despite thousands of members and hundreds of thousands of words written there, there was a single one about this headphone.

I, too, would like to see some measurements of older headphones. Good or bad examples, historically important ones eg, earphone for the first transistor radio the Regency TR-1, or more recent like the Apple earbuds bundled with the first iPods in early C21,

View attachment 301602

As well the hidden gems like the Koss KSC-35. Or most important headphones that changed the game, like the first QuietComfort (noise cancelling in 2000) or Beats- that finally brought bass that consumers like Amir craved.

Before that the studio or live staples like MDR-7506 or AKG K240, or Senn HD25 had use for professionals but didn’t take to consumers very well.

Oh, as well as classic audiophile headphones like the Orpheus, K1000, Grado RS1 etc. This is only a small list.

And yeah, I last posted on Head-Fi in 2011, long before it started monetising. (Anyone can search for my profile there)

Let’s hope ASR stays independent. Free of advertising or affiliate links or other ways of monetising from its increasingly large membership base.

Nobody said it was a significant headphone. A generous member of this forum took the time to drop ship the piece from his collection and Amir performed measurements I would imagine out of a mix of generosity and levity. I am one of several members on here who found the review amusing and informative—it’s just another addition to a vast number of reviews Amir has performed on here that have contributed greatly to my overall understanding of audio science.

You are perfectly entitled to just skip it for others to enjoy, instead of denigrating it along with Amir and others and grandstanding about what an audiophile forum legend you are compared to the rest of us plebes.

 

[USER]

As this conversation seems to still be going, I'll clarify: I sent Amir a box with different items to review as he wanted, including the Cambridge Duo Phono Preamplifier from a few days ago, which was the real item of interest. I figured I'm paying for shipping already, let's see if Amir is interested in anything else. The headphones I really wanted to see were a pair of Sony MDR-W08Ls I recently purchased NOS and that I loved as a kid (I never cared for these Panasonics), and which, sadly, likely don't fit in the fixture. In all honesty I added these Panasonic SL-S140s because they were there as I bought another NOS discman I once had as a kid. I'm a romantic these days, sue me. I know Amir appreciates these nostalgic items that many of us have in common --remember that Altoids Tin pocket amp? That was me too-- so it wasn't like I was pranking him as was lazily suggested. If someone wants to see something in particular reviewed I'd suggest stop complaining and offer it up for review. And just because the name doesn't show up on a simple forum search doesn't mean it didn't exist. These were ubiquitous and had both many different names and none at all since they came as a value add on with discmen and walkmen. How is this not obvious?? More, many people still use this type of headphone around the world as was mentioned. The EQ will be a game changer and allow people to have great audio quality or at least know where to begin adjusting. That's a wonderful gift! And how too is this not obvious and why bring ungenerous, unthoughtful negativity to that kind of thread??? Even without this it's great to have an example of this kind of headphone professionally measured and it led to a wonderful investigation of an interesting phenomenon. I just don't understand why someone would complain about a free review and another person's time and effort! Boggles the mind.