Panasonic RP-HF410B

The design of these on-ears is simple and features a flexible headband with tilting, swivelling and folding ear cups. This means that these Bluetooth headphones are space-saving, portable and offer a good fit to your head shape. Although there is no padding on the ear cup, the fit is not uncomfortable and does not cause any pressure problems, even during prolonged use. These headphones are primarily made of plastic and weigh only 132 grams, so you hardly notice that you are wearing them. However, the headphones are more suitable for medium to large heads and sit quite loosely on narrower head shapes, making them unsuitable for children. While they provide sufficient support for everyday use, these headphones can slip if you break into a run.

Despite their low weight, these on-ears are equipped with a long-lasting lithium polymer battery, which in practice offered a respectable battery life of a good 25 hours. If the capacity of 430 mAh is used up, the quick-charge function can be used to top up energy reserves with almost four more hours after fifteen minutes of charging. A full charge via the supplied USB cable takes almost exactly two and a half hours. Power-independent use via cable is not possible, however, as the headphones do not have an audio input.

Device control

Pairing these headphones, which support the Bluetooth standard 4.1, in combination with various Android and iOS devices, can achieve stable ranges of seven to eight metres. Holding down the power button switches the system on and puts it directly into pairing mode. If there is a wireless connection, the central remote button is used to control the start/stop function and to accept and end telephone calls. Pressing and holding the button also activates a voice assistant, while the plus and minus buttons provide volume control. To select a title you press and hold the plus button to jump forward or backwards and this device control works perfectly. However, speech intelligibility is limited when making telephone calls, as your own voice comes through quite quietly and is affected by background noise.

Sound

These Bluetooth headphones are advertised with the abbreviation “EBS”, which stands for “Extra Bass System”. A handsome bass setting that reaches deep down and a high output with reserves that can be used with very little distortion is also a feature. The powerful basses sound sufficiently defined to provide instant audio enjoyment with their direct, dynamic attack. Only a slight dullness is noticeable in the low frequencies, but this is well absorbed by the clear mid-range and treble. The overall sound is by no means one-dimensional, but harmonious and balanced, even if the mids seem somewhat more reserved. The treble, on the other hand, is present, does not drop off, and represents a successful counterweight. In this respect, these headphones can be used quite universally despite their bass-oriented tuning, especially since the sound quality is remarkably good in view of the price. The headphones sound powerful and detailed, mostly clear and lively. In my opinion, the only downer is a relatively unobtrusive background noise that can be perceived in a quiet atmosphere, but not when on the road.