Name: Panasonic RZ-S 500W
Brand: Panasonic

STEREO GUIDE Verdict

90%

90%

+ detailed, yet pleasant sound
+ deep bass and pronounced dynamics
+ excellent noise cancelling
+ practical app and very good handling
- Requires manual equalizer settings
- Not the best microphones for phone calls

Sound: Tonal Balance / Transparency
8.5
Sound: Bass / Dynamics
9
Ease-of-use / Connectivity
9
Price/Performance
9.5

The Panasonic RZ-S500W represents the Japanese company’s attempt to take use of a gap in a heavily competitive but somehow divided market. Its price tag for a pair of true wireless in-ear headphones is somewhat higher than the competitors from computer or smartphone brands but affordable compared to the renowned hifi brands.

On top, the Japanese manufacturer is promising to offer a leading noise-cancelling technology outperforming even the most expensive hifi in-ear phones. This broad statement is said to become reality by effect of of six microphones. Two of them are located in the sound channels, four on the outside. This enables the NC circuitry to accurately analyze exterior noise and use both digital and analogue filters to effectively cancel out distracting aircraft or road noise without side effects.

For travelers and commuters, the Ear Buds offer a voice-through mode and quite a lot of phone features, as well as voice control via Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility.

Functions and features

The Panasonic RZ-S500W, which are connected exclusively via Bluetooth (5.0) offering AAC and SBC codecs, are controlled basically at the touch of a finger. This is true to music playback, telephony and noise-cancelling mode. Further settings such as the sensitive adjustment of NC intensity and voice-through (announcement mode) as well as a equalizer are integrated in Panasonic’s own app. Since the left and right earpieces establish a separate Bluetooth connection, the stability of the connection is supposed to be high, even under non-optimal circumstances.

Field test and connectivity

The Panasonics are sufficiently light with 6.5 grams per piece. Thanks to five different sizes of rubber adapters, they hold very well even in smaller ears, despite the slightly larger diameter of the housing. Ergonomically, they sit excellently and were found to be comfortable by all test subjects. Sealing the ear canal was not an issue at all. At most, when placing the head on a pillow or when exposed to sudden head movements, such as during sports, the large case could be an obstacle or cause it to simply fall out the ear canal.

The manufacturer promises up to 6.5 hours of operation without recharging. Only then do the two have to be placed back into the flat, rounded plastic case, which is offering a recharging for two more listening cycles. Thus, up to 19.5 hours are theoretically possible, in the field test it was a good 15h.

To connect via Bluetooth, both Panasonic RZ-S500W must be set to pairing mode. For this, the quick start guide has to be consulted once, as it is not self-explanatory. Once connection and pairing with the Panasonic app are established, it works absolutely smoothly and the operation via finger touch is quite memorable. In general, the connection stability, operation and variety of features are exemplary, and the Panasonics did not show any weaknesses. However, it is not possible to connect multiple Devices; the connection must always be completely disconnected before connected a different smart device.

Very effective noise-cancellation

Even without playing any music, the Panasonics impressed the listeners with a very efficient and even cancellation of any noise. This conveys the pleasant feeling of being far away from all disturbances, may it be low-frequency aircraft noise, heavy wind or traffic noise. The RZ-S 500W offer the best NC performance in its class currently available. One might even prefer to activate the NC without listening to music during a flight, especially since they sit very comfortably in the ear. The voice-through mode can be activated via a longer touch of one finger, sounded rather tinny and showed some reverb, althugh it is essential for listening to announcements in airplanes, trains and stations with sufficient clarity for a short period of time.

Sound quality is convincing – after optimisation

Impressive when playing music of all genres is the deep, excellently timed and tight bass which never becomes fat. Since the Panasonic RZ-S500W also allow high SPLs and offer a very good timing, they meet the standards of much more expensive headphones by the means of dynamics.

In acoustic performances, a restraint in the fundamental range of voices as well as a certain emphasis on the sibilants is noticeable. This helped to enjoy impulses and didn’t tip over into annoying either. However, it led to a somewhat slim tonylity and the bass not always being optimally integrated. Sibilants and cymbals even showed a tendency to sound too brilliant and emphasised.

To prevent listening fatigue in the long run, it is easy to counteract taking use of the equalizer via app. The 300 and 3000 Hz frequency bands of the 5-band graphic EQ are two perfect matches for the aforementioned problems. If they are corrected accordingly, the Panasonics sound more balanced and warmer, also making very long flights a pleasant musical experience. The subjektive impression of dynamics and timing might be a hint slower then. At most, the subjective transparency is on a very high level but would in terms of resolution not rival more expensive and audiophile earphones.

Conclusion and alternatives to the Panasonic RZ-S500W

The Panasonic True Wireles Ear Buds in terms of audiophile virtues do not completely reach the level of the much more expensive Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2. On the other hand, for everyday listeners they are a perfect choice and offer an unrivaled level of noise-cancellation efficiency.

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Panasonic Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds, True Wireless Earbud & In-Ear Headphones with Charging Case, IPX4 Water Resistant and Compatible with Alexa – RZ-S500W (Light Grey)