Panasonic RP-HC56  Headphones Review

Reviewed Feb 26, 2016 at 12:00am
Test bench update Aug 10, 2017 at 11:33am
Tested using Methodology v1.0 
Panasonic RP-HC56

Track

0.0
Mixed Usage 
0.0
Critical Listening 
0.0
Commute/Travel 
0.0
Sports/Fitness 
0.0
Office 
0.0
Home Theater 

Track

 0
The Panasonic RP-HC56 are above-average noise cancelling earbuds. Their noise isolation is excellent and the audio profile is relatively balanced and woks well for most music genres. Unfortunately, they distort audio easily at higher volumes and the in-ear fit might not be the most comfortable.

Our Verdict

0.0
Mixed Usage 

They perform moderately well in most use cases and environments, which make for decent everyday headphones.

Pros
  • Great noise isolation performance.
  • Good audio reproduction.
Cons
  • Uncomfortable "in ear" fit.
  • High distortion.
  • Thin cabling with no adequate audio controls.
0.0
Critical Listening 

Mediocre for critical listening. Decent audio reproduction but the closed back in-ear design lacks a little openness to create a spacious and natural sounding soundstage.

0.0
Commute/Travel 

Suitable for commuting. They're small, portable and have a strong noise isolation performance. They will reduce a decent amount on a busy commute.

0.0
Sports/Fitness 

Average for sports use. They have a typical in-ear fit that's moderately stable, and they're also small enough to carry around on your person everywhere you go.

0.0
Office 

Above-average for office use. They will block the chatter of a busy office and also don't leak much even at high volumes, but the in-ear fit isn't always comfortable for long listening sessions.

0.0
Home Theater 

Decent for home theater use. If you typically watch your movies on a PC or tablet than the relatively short cable and low latency of a wired connection should be good enough. However, the cable is short and lacks range, so they won't be ideal if you do not have an extension cord.

  • 0.0
    Mixed Usage
  • 0.0
    Critical Listening
  • 0.0
    Commute/Travel
  • 0.0
    Sports/Fitness
  • 0.0
    Office
  • 0.0
    Home Theater
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.0.
    2.  Updated Feb 26, 2016: Review published.

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    Test Results

    Sort:
    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Design
    Style
    TypeLockedIn-ear
    EnclosureLockedClosed-Back
    WirelessLockedNo
    TransducerLockedDynamic
    MicLockedNo

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    0.0
    Comfort
    WeightLockedLock lbs
    Clamping Force
    LockedLock lbs

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    0.0
    Controls
    Ease of useLockedLocked
    FeedbackLockedLocked
    Call/Music ControlLockedLocked
    Volume ControlLockedLocked
    Noise Canceling ControlLockedLocked
    Talk-ThroughLockedLocked
    Additional ButtonsLockedLocked

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    0.0
    Stability

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    0.0
    Portability
    LLockedLock"
    WLockedLock"
    HLockedLock"
    VolumeLockedLock in³
    Stand requiredLockedN/A

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    0.0
    Case
    TypeLockedLocked

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    0.0
    Build Quality

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    0.0
    Breathability
    Avg.Temp.DifferenceLockedLock °C
    Cable
    DetachableLockedLocked
    LengthLockedLock ft
    ConnectionLockedLocked
    Front
    Angled
    Side
    Rear
    Top
    In The Box

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    Sound
    0.0
    Bass
    Std. Err.
    LockedLock dB
    Low-Frequency Extension
    LockedLock Hz
    Low-Bass
    LockedLock dB
    Bass
    LockedLock dB
    High-Bass
    LockedLock dB
    0.0
    Mid
    Std. Err.
    LockedLock dB
    Low-Mid
    LockedLock dB
    Mid
    LockedLock dB
    High-Mid
    LockedLock dB
    0.0
    Treble
    Std. Err.
    LockedLock dB
    Low-Treble
    LockedLock dB
    Treble
    LockedLock dB
    High-Treble
    LockedLock dB
    0.0
    Frequency Response Consistency
    Avg. Std. Deviation
    LockedLock dB
    0.0
    Soundstage
    PRTF Error
    LockedLock dB
    Openness
    Locked
    0.0
    Acoustic Space Excitation
    Locked
    0.0
    Correlated Crosstalk
    LockedLock dB
    0.0
    Imaging
    Phase Error
    LockedLock°
    Driver Mismatch (Amplitude)
    LockedLock dB
    Driver Mismatch (Frequency)
    LockedLock dB
    Driver Mismatch (Phase)
    LockedLock°
    0.0
    Total Harmonic Distortion
    Weighted THD @ 90
    LockedLock
    Weighted THD @ 100
    LockedLock
    Isolation
    0.0
    Noise Isolation
    Overall Attenuation
    LockedLock dB
    Noise-CancellingLockedYes
    Bass
    LockedLock dB
    Mid
    LockedLock dB
    Treble
    LockedLock dB
    Self-Noise
    LockedLock dB

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    0.0
    Leakage
    Overall Leakage @ 1ft
    LockedLock dB

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    Active Features
    0.0
    Wireless
    Type
    LockedN/A
    Obstructed Range
    LockedN/A
    Line of Sight Range
    LockedN/A
    NFC
    LockedLocked
    0.0
    Latency
    Base Latency
    LockedLock ms
    aptX Latency
    LockedN/A
    aptX(LL) Latency
    LockedN/A
    0.0
    Battery
    Battery Type
    LockedLocked
    Battery Life
    LockedLock hrs
    Charge Time
    LockedN/A
    Auto-off
    LockedLocked
    Audio while charging
    LockedN/A
    Passive Playback
    LockedLocked

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    0.0
    App Support

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