What we purchased: Why I nonetheless use a $15 pair of wired Panasonic earbuds every single day | Engadget

My greatest headphones aren’t at all times one of the best headphones for each state of affairs. When I’m settling in to work for just a few hours, then yeah, I’ll seize my previous Oppo PM-3s or trusty Koss KSC75s to make streaming music extra of a pleasure. When I’ve bought an extended airplane or practice trip forward of me, I’ll carry the AirPods Max to dam out the world extra comfortably. (I personal too many headphones, to be clear.) But not each occasion requires one thing good – or, within the KSC75’s case, fragile – and I don’t need to run the gear I’ve paid good cash for into the bottom once I can keep away from it.

That’s once I flip to Panasonic’s ErgoFit earphones (or, “RP-PCM125 ErgoFit,” to make use of their correct identify.) This is a fundamental, $15 pair of earphones that’s been round for the higher a part of a decade however continues to offer an unobtrusive match, sturdy design and agreeable-enough sound.

Put one other approach, they’re my most popular set of beater headphones. Even if you do not know that time period, you possibly can most likely guess what it means. These are the headphones you employ when placing in your “good” pair is extra bother than it’s value. When you must make a fast run to the shop however solely have a couple of minutes left in your podcast, you carry the beaters and end it up. When you see an amusing video on-line however you aren’t certain if it’ll be applicable to blare over your audio system, you employ the beaters to be protected. If, like me, you must hearken to one thing in mattress earlier than drifting to sleep, the beaters are the headphones that gained’t get in the best way however will survive your tossing and turning in case you cross out with them nonetheless on. And in the event that they don’t, who cares? They’re simply your beaters.

There are 1,000,000 totally different headphones that would make for good beaters, however when most individuals speak about them, they consider in-ear headphones which can be low cost and sturdy. You can toss them in a bag or (bigger) pocket and know they’re more likely to survive. You by no means need to be delicate or deliberate with them the best way you’ll with a superb set of over-ears. You don’t need to unintentionally step on them or depart them on the practice, nevertheless it gained’t break your day in case you do, as a result of shopping for a brand new pair will not chew a gap in your paycheck. They don’t sound as good as your good headphones, however when you possibly can’t sit and pay attention for an extended stretch or really savor a recording’s particulars, they’re there, they usually work.

The ErgoFit earphones match this description kind of precisely. Everyone takes to in-ear headphones in a different way, however the ErgoFit’s earpieces are small and noticeably light-weight, with smooth silicone ear ideas that, for me, don’t grate over time. Panasonic consists of three totally different sizes of ideas within the field, and with the suitable match they seal an honest if not wonderful quantity of noise. (Voices are nonetheless more likely to get by in the event that they’re loud sufficient, although.) They are available quite a lot of colours, if that issues to you. And whereas there’s a little bit of cable noise after they rustle in opposition to your chest — which may be irritating — I’ve by no means needed to fear about them coming unfastened, both. 

Unlike many earphones on this worth vary, there’s additionally an in-line distant and mic for pausing tracks and taking calls. The high quality of that mic isn’t something higher than “usable,” however that it’s even there’s a plus at this worth. (If you don’t want a mic, Panasonic sells a variant without one for $10.) 

These are easy wired earphones made at a time when 3.5mm jacks had been nonetheless frequent, so that you want a dongle to make use of them with most telephones and tablets right now. That is annoying, however for “beater” functions, I’ll take the trade-off of not worrying about battery life (and degradation) or having to take a beat to make sure all the pieces’s paired first. When my AirPods died on an eight-hour flight to Europe earlier this yr, the ErgoFit slotted proper in as backup. 

Most importantly, they’ve lasted. I’ve carried these earphones on my individual always over the previous four-ish years and straight up fallen asleep on them extra occasions than I can depend, however in that span I’ve solely needed to outright substitute them as soon as as a result of a frayed wire. The plastic-heavy design seems to be and feels low cost, nevertheless it’s been sufficient to outlive.

These issues are nonetheless previous and $15, so I can’t say they sound implausible. You gained’t hear the kind of element or treble sparkle which you could get from better-sounding earphones within the $30 to $50 vary, and the sound profile is perhaps a bit too boosted within the mid- and upper-bass vary for some. This isn’t a Koss KSC75 deal the place the ErgoFit outperforms earphones 5 occasions their worth. 

Still, what’s right here is not dangerous. The low-end is emphasised however not overly boomy, and higher-frequency sounds aren’t piercing. The profile misses finer particulars, nevertheless it’s often easy. With much less intricate hip-hop and rock tracks, it’s wonderful. For $15 beater earphones, it’s good.

Really, any low cost set of headphones you want might work nearly as good set of beaters. The basic sound high quality of cheap earphones has risen through the years, with sub-$40 pairs just like the Moondrop Chu and BLON BL-03 incomes praise from reviewers as of late. But in case you sometimes end up not wanting to place your good headphones in danger, the ErgoFit earphones have given me peace of thoughts as a reliable, snug, and hard-to-kill backup plan. They’re something however fashionable, however their utility is timeless.