Panasonic RP-TCM125 ErgoFit vs Shure SE112

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

I am puzzled, though, after reading so many positive reviews of these SE112s at professional/amateur audiophile web sites. In my opinion, they are middle-of-the-line in the sub-50$ segment and you can definitely do better. I am not an audio professional, but have been playing musical instruments as a hobby for over 20 years and have a trained ear. I certainly see myself using these earphones in noisy environments, but not with a DAC or when relaxing - their sound signature is not what I was looking for

- 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

Yes, I know there's different sleeves, none seem "just right." I cannot get a good fit, so the noise cancellation aspect fails.

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

The sound that comes out of these doesn't sound that great to me, the headphones that came with my iPod sound much better as do the $15 dollar pair of sport headphones i've got. I wasn't expecting anything great, but i didn't think it'd sound worse than the cheap headphones i've already got. The instructions say that if there seems to be a lack of low frequency bass to try another tip, i've gone back and forth between all 3 several times and tried positioning the headphones in different positions but the bass always sounds muffled. But that's not really why i bought these and even if the sound wasn't perfect i could live with that

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

After about 4 months of regular use one of the channels started to buzz a bit, and I've been in the unenviable position of having to twist the cable and position it 'just so' to avoid crackling and cutting in and out on the right channel. I could forgive the comfort issues due to the sound quality and isolation, but it just was a constant struggle to find the balance between ear pressure comfort with the seal and getting them into 'just the right position' for it not to be uncomfortable, even trying different tips nothing felt as comfortable. The cord seemed very heavy duty, but obviously it has it's issues as after only 4 months one side is beginning to fray. Wouldn't recommend unless you can try in person and will be using these in a very mild, non-active fashion and isolation is a must

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

I waited to write a review for the earphones as I wanted to see the performance over a longer period. It's been 11 months since I bought them .i bought two pairs, one for a friend. Both of us experienced the same issue

[*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

I'm a pro audio guy thats tried probably 30 IEM's/Chifi headphones over the last few months. I didn't test these critically so I'm not sure if they best the cheap market there, however, in terms of fit and sound they are not worth the money. If you're limited to this level of spending, you might try the 'chifi' market, like a CCA C10 or go for something like the Sennheiser IE 4 instead, which is surprisingly good but bass heavy. I wouldn't recommend these, the fit was painful, the accessories were OK, the isolation wasn't special and the sound was pretty poor - sort of that old-gen dynamic sound pushed to its limits - dark, bass heavy, and muddy in the mids