They May Look Bulky but They're 5.1: Panasonic RP-WF5500

Indeed, the newly announced headset from Panasonic is an idea for life, as the company slogan says: the RP-WF5500 is a headset that seems to pack in everything needed by the demanding listener and even more. In an age of wireless connectivity and extreme mobility, such a piece of tech was somehow expected... and it finally came out.

Even if the new gadget has been announced for Japan only and there are no certain words on releasing it outside the Japanese markets, as well as absolutely no rumor on pricing, the Panasonic RP-WF5500 is worth mentioning as it boasts a lot of interesting technology and represents one important milestone in the audio industry.

First of all, we're dealing with wireless phones: a 100-feet listening radius should be quite enough for any customer. No detectable signal loss over this distance, so you'll be able to freely work in the back garden and enjoy your fav tunes. The 6 hours operating time also makes sure you won't be disturbed as you trim your plants, just to have this headset recharged. Then, it's about comfort: weighing 250 grams only, the Panasonic RP-WF5500 is one pair of headphones that will not give you neck pains after a couple of hours of constantly wearing them.

The Panasonic RP-WF5500 runs in the 2,4GHz domain and speaking of the frequencies, they are truly full-range, with their response spanning between 20 and 20,000Hz; in case you're not that over-demanding audiophile who wants absolutely everything conceivable in the audio industry in one headset, such performance specs should most likely do.

Finally, one very cool thing is that the Panasonic RP-WF5500 supports the 5.1 channel Dolby surround standard and this should make you quite interested... because we're dealing with the real thing and no "emulation technology" any longer. As mentioned above, no hint on pricing yet; we just know that the Panasonic RP-WF5500 will come in two "flavors": black and white. As seen from the pics made available by Panasonic, the RP-WF5500 looks a bit bulky...but until they're hands-on tested, I'll stop here. Shipping starts November 20th in Japan.

We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is .