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  • Introduction

  • Product Overview

  • Speakers

  • Sides

  • Back

  • Band

  • Cable

  • Additional Features

  • In the Box

  • Durability

  • Aesthetics

  • Frequency Response

  • Distortion

  • Tracking

  • Isolation

  • Leakage

  • Maximum Usable Volume

  • Short-Term Use

  • Extended Use

  • Customizability

  • Cable Connectivity

  • Portability

  • Maintenance

  • Other Features

  • Design

  • Frequency Response

  • Distortion

  • Tracking

  • Isolation

  • Comfort

  • Verdict

  • Design

  • Frequency Response

  • Distortion

  • Tracking

  • Isolation

  • Comfort

  • Verdict

  • Design

  • Frequency Response

  • Distortion

  • Tracking

  • Isolation

  • Comfort

  • Verdict

  • Design

  • Frequency Response

  • Distortion

  • Tracking

  • Isolation

  • Comfort

  • Verdict

  • Conclusion

  • Introduction
  • Product Overview
  • Speakers
  • Sides
  • Back
  • Band
  • Cable
  • Additional Features
  • In the Box
  • Durability
  • Aesthetics
  • Frequency Response
  • Distortion
  • Tracking
  • Isolation
  • Leakage
  • Maximum Usable Volume
  • Short-Term Use
  • Extended Use
  • Customizability
  • Cable Connectivity
  • Portability
  • Maintenance
  • Other Features
  • Design
  • Frequency Response
  • Distortion
  • Tracking
  • Isolation
  • Comfort
  • Verdict
  • Design
  • Frequency Response
  • Distortion
  • Tracking
  • Isolation
  • Comfort
  • Verdict
  • Design
  • Frequency Response
  • Distortion
  • Tracking
  • Isolation
  • Comfort
  • Verdict
  • Design
  • Frequency Response
  • Distortion
  • Tracking
  • Isolation
  • Comfort
  • Verdict
  • Conclusion

Introduction

Product Overview

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The Panasonic RP-HD1200s are a set of closed-back, over-ear headphones with a plastic design. They have soft, leather-printed padding on the band and ear cups.

Speakers

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The ear cups themselves will fold up and into the band area, to make the headphones easier to transport.

Sides

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Back

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Band

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Cable

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Additional Features

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The headphones' cable is removable. Rather than screwing in, the plug has two tabs on it: you simply insert the plug and twist it to lock it in place.

In the Box

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In the headphones' box, you'll find the headphones themselves, a 1/4-inch adapter, and a leather pouch for storage.

Durability

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The headphones seem to be pretty durable. They're very plasticky, but it isn't cheap plastic. While the headphones will probably show signs of wear and tear after a while, it's unlikely they'll break easily. The cord guards are robust and will keep the internal wires safe. Even if the cord was to somehow fray, you can simply detach and replace it. The only other durability concern is the folding ear cups. Although the feature is nice for storage, moving parts tend to break down faster than non-moving ones.

Aesthetics

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The Panasonic Technics RP-DH1200s aren't a great-looking set of headphones, but they aren't ugly either. They have some elements of design to them, and they'll look better than some schlubby set of cheap on-ears. What they lack, however, are the signs of good craftsmanship, like an exposed metal band: they look really plasticky.

Frequency Response

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The Panasonic Technics RP-DH1200 didn't have the best frequency response. The headphones start out fine-ish, with a bit more boost to their bass than average, but that's not necessarily uncommon. As the frequency increases, the response gradually falls to nominal levels, but then suddenly plummets down a non-insignificant amount. We can understand wanting your headphones to have a dynamic sound, but sudden 15dB drop can just lead to playback sounding a bit wonky. Basically, the headphones do a very poor job with the higher frequencies: they're underemphasized compared to the rest of the spectrum and the response curve is less consistent.

Click here for more information on our frequency response test.

Distortion

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Even though the headphones had a rocky frequency response, they were capable of some great, distortion-free playback. We have no complaints here.

Click here for more information on our frequency response test.

Tracking

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The headphones didn't have perfect tracking, but it wasn't horribly far off either. There's a bit of a wander from the right channel to the left, but we're not really dealing with significant numbers here. The only sudden shift is at 7kHz, but since there's a slight emphasis on the left side, it means the shift only results in a slight emphasis on the right: nothing you'd notice.

Click here for more information on our frequency response test.

Isolation

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The RP-DH1200s don't have the best isolation. They barely block out any lower frequencies and their high-frequency blockage is fairly insignificant. These aren't headphones for noisy environments.

Click here for more information on our isolation test.

Leakage

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The RP-DH1200s also aren't the quietest headphones. If you're listening to your music at an average volume, chances are the rest of the room is too. Granted, your playback won't be deafening, but it will definitely be audible. Even if you have the background noise of an office to mask your music, the people in the neighboring cubes will probably catch a whisper of your afternoon La Bouche marathon. Keep this in mind if you're heading to a library or quiet cafe.

Click here for more information on our leakage test.

Maximum Usable Volume

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This test is basically a battery of distortion tests, only each one happens at a higher volume than the last. The purpose of these tests is to find the highest volume the headphones are capable of outputting before their distortion level hits an annoyingly noticeable 3%. We found the Panasonic Technics RP-DH1200s' distortion topped out at 118.36dBSPL, which is a great volume. Anything at 120dB and higher will hurt your hearing over a time, so it's probably not wise to have headphones capable of those volumes. Regardless, 118dB is more than loud enough for normal use.

Click here for more on our maximum usable volume test

Short-Term Use

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The Panasonic Technics RP-DH1200 would have been comfortable headphones were they not so tight. We passed the headphones around the office and got mixed feedback, but the majority had some issue with the headphones being uncomfortable in some way or another. The main problem reported was they grip the sides of the user's head a bit too much for comfort. Additionally, they tend to not want to stay put, despite the squeeze: the band is a bit hefty, and if you tilt your head around, it'll feel like the headphones are going to fall off.

Extended Use

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The problems outlined above only get worse with time. The squeezing is annoying at first, but after a few hours we just really wanted to take the headphones off. Those with larger than average heads should probably steer clear of these cans.

Customizability

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There's unfortunately very little you can do to customize your RP-DH1200 experience. The band extends a bit and the cups rotate, but that won't do much to mitigate their weight or the force they exert on the sides of your skull.

Cable Connectivity

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The Panasonic Technics RP-DH1200 have a curly cable that can feasibly stretch out to just over 11.5 feet before you'll pull the plug out of whatever jack you're connected to. For a set of at-home headphones like these, a long cord is definitely preferable, and 11 feet will be more than enough to hook up to a speaker system across the room.

The RP-DH1200s also come with a 1/4-inch adapter, for plugging into the fanciest sound systems.

Portability

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The RP-DH1200s can fold up into themselves, which definitely helps make them more portable, but even folded up they'll displace a lot of volume. Additionally, their cord is just prohibitively long. The cord is detachable, though, so if you're dedicated, you could probably buy a shorter cord that makes these headphones slightly more viable as a portable option. We wouldn't recommend that, however, since these headphones really don't isolate well. Regardless, the headphones do come with a pouch to help keep everything contained.

Maintenance

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As long as you have a few screwdrivers, you can get at pretty much any part of these headphones. You can dismantle the band with a 1/16' Phillips, which is handy if something snaps internally. You can also remove the cup padding and three additional screws to get at the driver itself for cleaning or maintenance.

Other Features

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Battery

The RP-DH1200s don't require a battery. Since batteries are annoying to maintain, we award points to any hassle-free headphones we come across.

Design

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The PXC 250-IIs are probably less durable than the RP-DH1200s if only because they're more slender and will probably bend easier. The RP-DH1200s are more plasticky, have more mass, and are equipped with better cord guards, so they'll probably stand up a bit better to general wear and tear. If you're looking for portable or elegant, though, the PXC 250-IIs have it.

Frequency Response

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The PXC 250-IIs had a much more even frequency response than the RP-DH1200s. The curves are somewhat similar, but the RP-DH1200s are a significantly more exaggerated version of the PXC 250-IIs.

Distortion

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Neither set of headphones had any distortion worth fretting over, but the PXC 250-IIs had ever-so-slightly more low-end distortion than the RP-DH1200s.

Tracking

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The PXC 250-IIs had a moderately better tracking result.

Isolation

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The PXC 250-IIs have a moderate active cancellation effect, which makes it a better isolator than the RP-DH1200s.

Comfort

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The PXC 250-IIs are far more comfortable than the RP-DH1200s' deathgrip.

Verdict

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Since both headphones cost about the same price, this decision is going to come down to what features you value most. If you want portability or isolation, the PXC 250-IIs are the better set of headphones; likewise if you value aesthetics. The RP-DH1200s are more durable, but don't sound as nice and aren't as portable. They also aren't nearly as comfortable (in our humble opinion).

Design

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The RP-DH1200s are predominately plastic, which tends to weather wear and tear well. The DT 770s are probably a bit more durable, however, since they're band is made out of a thick strip of metal. Both sets of headphones have robust cables and cord guards. If we had to pick a prettier pair, however, we'd side with the DT 770s: they feature better materials in lieu of plastic.

Frequency Response

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The DT 770s have a more even keel to their frequency response. The RP-DH1200s just sort of fall off around the 5kHz mark.

Distortion

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Neither set of headphones have any distortion worth mentioning.

Tracking

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The DT 770s have a slightly more erratic high-end tracking, with a giant spike to the left channel close to the 7kHz range.

[It's important to note that the below graphs have different scales. The tracking graph falls outside our margin of error after the 7kHz range, but we used to include up to 20kHz to show the general trend.

Isolation

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The DT 770s isolate much better than the RP-DH1200s.

Comfort

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We found the DT 770s to be much more comfortable. This isn't even a contest.

Verdict

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The DT 770s are just a much more solid set of headphones. They're far more comfortable, have a better sound, and only cost about $40 more than the RP-DH1200s. We'd highly recommend just spending the extra cash.

Design

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The RP-DH1200 has better overall design than the Triqiis. The Triqiis seem to be made out of pretty cheap materials: the two ear cups didn't fit uniformly on our head because the band was warped.

Frequency Response

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The RP-DH1200s have a steep falloff around 5kHz. The Triqiis might not be perfect, but they are dynamic to the point where it's detrimental for audio quality.

Distortion

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The Triqiis have crazy insane bass distortion, due to their foam pads. Foam padding doesn't form any kind of seal with your head, which typically results in bass distortion, as seen in the graph below.

Tracking

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The Triqiis had a much more even tracking.

Isolation

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The Triqiis really don't isolate at all: foam padding is basically the wost material for creating a decent isolating seal.

Comfort

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The Triqiis' padding is a bit coarse, but nothing that should upset you. They're a lightweight set of headphones that stay put but don't squish your head. The RP-DH1200s are very, very tight.

Verdict

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The Triqiis have a lot of bass distortion, but they have a better overall frequency response. The Triqiis are definitely the better budget pair, but we're not sure the RP-DH1200s really fit the bill for the "this costs more and offers better quality" archetype. If you're interested in the RP-DH1200s, you probably don't mind a bit of a hit to audio quality. If that's the case, the Triqiis are just a better choice.

Design

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You can knock Bose for many things, but design isn't one of them: the QuietComfort 15s are a well-designed set of headphones. They look good, aren't very big, fold up to add to portability, and have a detachable cable if you just want to use them for active noise cancellation. The RP-DH1200s are bulky, fold up a bit, but since they're big, it doesn't help that much. Their cord is also detachable, but since the headphones don't have an active cancellation feature, it only helps with portability—and only slightly.

Frequency Response

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Neither set of headphones had a particularly impeccable frequency response. The RP-DH1200 has a huge drop in it around the 7kHz range, but otherwise

Distortion

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The QC15s have a lot more distortion than the RP-DH1200s, primarily because you can't shut off their active noise cancellation.

Tracking

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The Bose QC15s have an erratic tracking towards the high end, but are more even in the low end.

Isolation

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The QC15s isolate crazy well. They're some of the best active-cancellers we've reviewed. If you're going to be in a noisy environment, the QC15s are a great pick.

Comfort

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We thought the QC15s were far, far more comfortable. They weren't as tight, and since they didn't have so much weight in the band, it didn't slide around as much.

Verdict

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If you're looking for a cheap set of cans to wear around the house, you should probably go for the RP-DH1200s. If, on the other hand, you don't mind spending a bit more for a set of headphones you can comfortably wear on the morning train or bus commute, the QC15s fit the bill.

Conclusion

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The Panasonic Technics RP-DH1200s aren't the greatest pair of headphones we've ever reviewed, but they're not terrible either. On the good side, they had very low distortion, solid construction, and a long, replaceable cable. On the bad side, their frequency response really underemphasizes the high end and the overall consensus of the office was they weren't particularly comfortable. While we wouldn't recommend them, we feel it's only fair to point out that the two areas where they performed the most poorly are pretty subjective. This being said, these headphones really aren't good enough to compete at the $135 price point. If you're looking for a mid-range set of cans, any given set of Beyerdynamics will offer better audio quality for the same price. If you are looking for an inexpensive set of headphones, the Triqiis are a really, really good buy for their price.

Meet the tester

Mark Brezinski

Mark Brezinski

Senior Writer

@markbrezinski

Mark Brezinski works on the Home Team, reviewing refrigerators, minifridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and fans.

See all of Mark Brezinski's reviews

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