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New High-End Panasonic Indestructible In-Ear Headphones

Not as painfully expensive as we expected

Jan 21, 2009 01:21 GMT  ·  By
The Panasonic RP-HJE900 are made from Zirconia, a super-durable, scratch-proof and non-resonating oxide of Zirconium
   The Panasonic RP-HJE900 are made from Zirconia, a super-durable, scratch-proof and non-resonating oxide of Zirconium

When we heard the “Zirconia” name for the first time we went “wow, that's a neat one! A manufacturer that has skipped the gold/platinum cliches” but little did we know that behind this name we were about to find truly high-class technology. The new product from Panasonic is codenamed RP-HJE900 and we're dealing with some high-end in-ear headphones. It is rather neat to see Panasonic aiming for the top-drawer segment of the audio industry, especially after all these years when this brand has kept a rather low profile. Nevertheless, these new headphones come with a heap of first-class technology and have been designed in collaboration with audio experts from Technics.

 

What makes the Panasonic RP-HJE900 so special is their very construction. Unlike other somewhat similar headphones out there, which sport chambers made from either plastic or metal (aluminium), these ones come with Zirconia chambers.

 

Zirconia is a white crystalline powder that in chemical terminology is called Zirconium Dioxide (ZrO2); this compound is extremely durable and can withstand insane temperatures, being used in thermal barriers and coating around jet turbines and diesel engines. Making a headphone chamber from Zirconia resulted in a dramatic drop in unwanted resonance and vibrations, even at high SPL. Even more, the music lovers will surely enjoy their scratch-proof headphones that are bound to last more than a lifetime.

 

With headphones that enduring, it was obvious that wires would pass away long before the rest of the components did; that's why the Panasonic RP-HJE900 come with exchangeable wiring that's easy to replace when needed. The Zirconia headphones sport a 6 Hz-26 kHz frequency range, with 26 Ohm impedance, while their large, 12.5 mm drivers can put up a 100 dB sound pressure level. These one of a kind headphones will be available in May 2009, for around $229.99. And that's pretty decent for some virtually indestructible in-ear headphones.

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