Panasonic RP-HT21

Panasonic RP-HT21 review

In the past few months I've been on a minor mission to check out some budget headphones that cost less than $10. I started with Pansonic's sub-$10 ErgoFit RP-HJE120 earphones, and came away pleasantly surprised by their performance and fit. But what about something really cheap, like Panasonic's simple on-ear model, the RP-HT21, which I bought for $4.87 on Amazon, tax and shipping included thanks to my Prime membership? Could they be any good? Well, in the world of superbudget headphones, good is a relative word. For starters, this model isn't going to win any design awards. It's not totally devoid of aesthetic flare, but it's pretty generic-looking, and out of the box, my first thought was that it was something a flight attendant would hand me on a plane. OK, maybe it's a step up from that, but if it is, it's not a big step up. Indeed, the RP-HT21 is almost as basic as an on-ear model gets. But it is lightweight, comfortable enough, and has a seemingly durable L-shaped plug (alas, that plug may be problem for those with thicker "tough" cases on their phones). They don't fold up, there's no built-in microphone for making cell phone calls, or anything in the way of extra features.