Excellent premium noise reduction headphones choice

This is my 4th pair of noise "canceling" headphones, which obviously shows I believe in the value proposition in general.

As an introduction, let me point out they are all misnamed: the proper terminology given what they do with varying degrees of success would be "noise reducing headphones". And anyone looking at noise canceling headphones should also look and consider earbuds that close the earchannel with optimum fit rubber tips - the Shure is my preferred travel and gym set. Not my preferred office set, though - I prefer all-over my ear headphone designs I can take on and off with less drama than tight fitting earbuds.

I like to use noise reduction headphones when I am in front of the computer for a long period of time and the going-ons around my office distract me. Concentration is important to me, and I'll often listen to relaxing mellow New Age music while reading or writing for extended periods of time (in fact I am listening to "Healing from the Harp" by Sally Fletcher as I write this), wearing the Panasonics, and feel blissfully cocooned while the high tech world spins around me.

Long intro, let us talk about the Panasonic RP-HC300. They present themselves in a big package, so they should be easy to spot on the shelf if you're looking for them. The package contains the headphones, the cable, plane jack adapters (although most planes I have been in now use standard headphone jacks), the required AAA battery, a manual, and a nice (but large) travel case in faux black leather. It's nice to know I could travel with them, but given their bulk (the case is the size of a large volume textbook) they probably would not be a preferred choice. But given their other merits, I may be tempted to enjoy them.

Minimal assembly is required, of course: put the AAA battery into the right headphone, connect the very nimble cable, and hook it into your computer.

Build quality is excellent. They have a premium product feel about them -only very well designed and lavishly soft materials are in contact with your head and ears, fit is great, construction very clean. They look and feel the premium product part.

But you didn't buy these to look at them. Hence, turn the headphone's switch to "on", because unlike other NR headphones this will not work without a battery. No battery - no sound. I have not been able to ascertain how long the AAA battery makes it, but it's quite long. I'd venture it is anywhere from 18 to over 30 hour (the manual says up to 36). Still, I would not forget them on. I am doing the environmentally responsible thing and got rechargables, given the headphone's cost it seems justified. If I were to travel with the Panasonics I'd make sure to pack additional batteries, because, again - no battery, no sound whatsoever.

These are bulky and large "monitor" style enclosed headphones, but they are light and extremely comfortable. I have sensitive ears, and it's rare I find large headphones I can wear for hours and hours. The Panasonics are very nicely designed from an ergonomic point of view. Adding to the comfort is the cable - light and flexible, unlike many other headphones cables it does not tend to tangle up at all. It is rather short, though, so if you need more than 6ft of cable, watch out.

The noise reduction effect is the best I have experienced. Quite effective. It filters out low frequency and constant noises very effectively. White noise -which all NR headphones introduce - can barely be heard. Human voices are still hearable (which is good, you want to know if someone is standing behind you and talks to you) but they fade into a non-intrusive distance, and their edge is gone. The music sounds very sharp, and I am a bit of an audiophile. I enjoy listening the music, I can play classical or jazz and enjoy the very lively performance with good resolution and sharpness.

So these headphones deliver top performance all around: excellent noise reduction, very comfy fit, and great sound for the music aficionado.

They go circles around the Aiwas and Sonys I have reviewed elsewhere. They are bulkier, but the performance gains justify it entirely. I had the reference Bose that always get top reviews - they got stolen right away when I left them unattended on my desk overnight- and the Panasonics are just as good, really. Only you can get the Panasonics at $140, while good luck at getting the Bose under $299 - Bose seems to watch their distribution channel like hawks so the premium brand image doesn't suffer. But Panasonic knows how to build premium audio products, and the Bose no longer are on my Xmas shopping list. I am getting Sennheiser PXC 250 this week, and shall review them as well.