Final E4000 vs Panasonic RP-TCM125 ErgoFit

The audiophile universe is governed by the laws of diminishing returns. You could spend thousands of dollars on all sorts of ‘end-game’ toys for your ears and still yearn for something better. Or worse, that headphone you bought for 3000 dollars two months ago is now on sale for half that price. An so it goes

Being so cheap, I also don't have to fret too much if the Janitor decides to steal this pair also. JVC "Flats": These are on ear headphones, so probably not fair to compare to ear buds. Still they were part of my purchase, so I am including for contrast. At only 12 dollars, I was very surprised how crisp and clean these sounded

I find its soundstage to be not as good as my kz-as10, but it is leaps and bounds better than something like a 1moretripple driver. --- Buy it for its comfort level, especially if you have small ears like me. For its price tag, the sound quality is up there. They beat out all the $100 ranged earbuds I've ever owned

However if you want more info than that you can read on, but keep in mind this is not an in depth review on how these buds are technically. I could get into frequency range before and after break in with pink noise and all kinds of other crazy crap, but I'm not going to bore you with that. You might be able to find that type of review in one of the other 1900 five star reviews. I'm just going to give you, what I hear, aside from the voices

I have an E4000 (which I love very much as an all-rounder), and don't mind at all a comfortable, decently-tuned pair that I can enjoy for long listens. Both the A3000 and the E4000 seem to have an 'average/inoffensive' C+ ratings, but for me that aspect can be a plus.

In that sense, they're more in line with the $7 JVC Gumy Plus I also reviewed. That budget earphone also wasn't a clean sounding as the RP-HJE120s. Like other Panasonic ErgoFit headphones, this model offers a comfortable fit. Sarah Tew/CNET On the plus side, I made a few calls with the RP-TCM125s and while call quality wasn't great, it was decent enough -- about on par with what you get from Apple's EarPods

I just cleaned this new pair and surprise the right earbud gets significantly low. Luckily I had the other good earbud from the first pair I bought so I had to switch it. I do like these earbuds but the fact the durability to liquids is so pathetic I can't see myself buying from this company again . Which is a shame

But as far as I can tell, they are very similar and seem to work fine for now. In conclusion? Great durability on the first set and OK on the second. Customer service took some time and prodding to get back to me, but ultimately replaced the failed product which is exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks Panasonic, I'll be coming back again in (hopefully) a few more years

The question I'm wrestling with is whether these are worth roughly 3x the price of the E3000's, which are terrific in their own right with maybe a touch less bass but a brighter top end. To my aging ears, a boosted top end is a little more useful than a boosted bottom, so I'm not sure. These are good phones in their own right. The barrel size is a hair larger than the E3000, and the stiff wire connector means the fit is a bit different

The Panasonic RP-HJE120-K ErgoFit are very basic in-ear headphones with no additional features. They have a decent sound and barely leak, even at high volumes. However, they have a typical in-ear fit, which may be uncomfortable for some. They're not very stable and cannot block the ambient noise of a moderately busy office

These would be what I would look at and I can honestly tell you that the Chus, quarks, or CRAs do not provide a competitive option when offerings like those I mentioned are within your price range. Don't skimp by spending $20 when you can afford VASTLY superior IEMs within your stated budget. If you do, you will undoubtedly find yourself severely disappointed and will likely just end up quickly buying a better pair, thus spending more money anyways. Just food for thought

[*UPDATE* at the end] ~ [original review]: Here's the thing: I really did not wish to be in the market for a set of earphones/earbuds or whatever these things are being called these days – but given the fact that I'd grown tired of barely being able to hear spoken-word audio through my smartphone speaker, whether it was during phone conversations, trying to listen to online programs, or hearing GPS directions while motorcycle riding, I decided it was time to invest in a "workable" set of something that could be plugged directly into my ear canal. Given that I'd had no interest in investing in audiophile-grade equipment at the requisite audiophile-grade prices, my main concern was finding something somewhere within that delicate balance of "Quality-enough" at just "Cheap-enough," and it seemed to me at the time that these just MIGHT have fit that bill: they did have the "Panasonic" name going for them, after all. But even I, who actually WAS trying to "cheap-out," was impressed with the crispness and clarity, as well as the unexpected comfort, of these buds. Again, they are not anything to go for if you're looking for Top-of-the-Line type quality or heavy-duty performance

With the Comply rounded foam tips I get a great seal and it blocks out the majority of the intrusive sounds that busy NYC throws my way. Highly recommend!

- The ability of these to passively block ambient noise is average and acceptable. - They have a warmish midtone that is probably pleasing depending on the device these are coupled with. I do wonder if my setup had a bit more power available than these were designed for. Sometimes a good clean audio setup leads one to crank the volume higher than they otherwise would do

These are great until they’re not. My first pair failed after 6 months of use, and to Final Audio’s credit they did honor the warranty and replace them. Unfortunately the replacement pair just began failing 6 months after I received them. While the sound quality on these is great, and the company is very good is responding to warranty claims, when you spend $150 on a pair of IEMs you expect them to last at least for a couple years, and dealing with warranty claims is frustrating and time consuming

The first ones lasted over three years before the glue that kept the actual speaker/ear piece connected to base of the ear bud gave way. Glad to have that spare then and have since purchased another spare so I won't ever have to go without. Good 'insurance policy' to help keep those expensive ones from being lost (try mowing the lawn) or damaged (try being caught in the rain on a walk).

I started to be interested in final earphones due to this Final E4000's sound. So I purchased a ZE3000 Bluetooth earphone after E4000. And I just have ordered a E3000, too.

So the search began looking for a set of earbuds that hopefully could solve my previous use of two different sets of earbuds to handle music while working out as well as being able to use it for phone calls. I am cheap when it comes to earbuds since I tend to lose or destroy them on a somewhat regular basis, so I try to spend under $30. I have a similar rule for sunglasses for the same reason. To note, my preference is for bass heavy sound