Panasonic RZ-S500W
As you might expect from a product by a major consumer electronics brand, Panasonic’s RZ-S500W specification sheet is pretty comprehensive. Dual Hybrid Noise Cancelling Technology through the use of feedback coupled to analogue and digital processing; an Ambient Mode to amplify surrounding noise when needed; twin beamforming mics to increase the clarity of voices and reduce noise during calls; and a total of 19.5 hours of playtime with noise-cancelling activated (6.5 hours from the buds, 13 from the charging case).
Ergonomic design
Inside each earpiece is an 8mm Neodymium driver, and the housings feature metallic accents around the circular top surface of each unit. At 21mm across and 31mm long, the housings are on the larger side, protruding a little from the ears when worn. The neck of each is angled ergonomically, but it is also fairly long – a consideration for those who aren’t used to more intrusive in-ears.
Five sizes of good-quality ear tips are supplied and easy to switch. However, even after downsizing from the standard size, the RZ-S500W aren’t the most secure pair of in-ears – a brisk walk can be enough to knock one of the earpieces loose. Not getting a good seal will affect the sound presentation for dynamics, bass and detail, too, so it’s worth spending the time to get the fit right.
The Panasonic Audio Connect app doesn’t look particularly slick, but it functions well and is stable during testing. Here you can view the remaining battery life in each earpiece and adjust the noise cancelling and ambient sound levels. Under the ‘Sound Enhancement’ tab we find ‘Bass Enhancer’ and ‘Clear Voice’ sound profile presets, an ‘Equaliser’ tab with five sliders to tweak the sound, and an ‘Off’ toggle to listen at neutral.
The twin beamforming mics ensure clear calls throughout our tests. The Bluetooth 5.0 connection is solid, though the superior aptx and aptx HD Bluetooth codecs aren’t supported.
The touch-capacitive panels on each bud are possibly the most responsive and intuitive we’ve tested within an in-ear design. They never fail to respond to our touch, but they also seem to realise when we’re simply adjusting them in our ears rather than pressing for a response.
Play, pause and volume are controlled with the left bud, track skipping with the right. Touching the right earpiece for two seconds scrolls between the three main noise cancelling profiles (ambient sound, noise cancelling and off), but these can be further customised in the app. It’s refreshing to find on-device controls so reliable and user-friendly. The noise cancelling is exceptionally good. Set to max, we feel a little disorientated near a busy road. It’s a sure sign that consistent external sounds, especially at lower levels, are being largely eliminated.
Extra ounce of detail
Setting all sound enhancements to neutral, we stream Eric Clapton’s Cocaine. Slowhand’s bassy guitar riffs have ample space to shine within the spacious and cohesive mix. This track always makes us think that Clapton didn’t want his vocal to take centre stage, and the RZ-S500W pay his lyrics enough attention to resonate without any hint of muddying the guitar. Before You Accuse Me is a greater test of the Panasonics’ treble frequencies and it’s a clear, agile and sparkling performance.
Switching to DJ Snake’s Taki Taki (a Tidal Master), we find agility through the low end and textured vocals across the frequencies. In direct comparison, even the Award-winning Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 suffer marginally for detail. The reggaeton track starts off quietly, as if played in a tunnel, and the Panasonics easily match the Cambridge Audios for the nuanced build through the intro.
The Panasonics continue to time well through Daddy Yankee and Snow’s Con
Calma. If we’re really nitpicking, they might err on the side of subtlety over fun – but it never underplays our music’s meatiness and excitement.
With Handel’s Lascia Ch’io Pianga, the piano feels nicely three dimensional beside a clear bass with plenty of depth. When the emotive build of the keys comes in we hear that marginal cautiousness in terms of dynamic build. Again, at this price, it feels almost churlish to mention it.
As we move on to Fractals (Truth 4) by Jessica Moss, the snaking, skulking build of the strings is as impactful as it can be at this level. We sample the same track through the more affordable, also Award-winning, Earfun Air, and while the Earfuns present a zealous sound with plenty of snap, the Panasonics offer an extra ounce of detail and transparency. At this level, spending just a little more can pay dividends, as is certainly the case here.
The sound here is as detailed, accurate and transparent as any true wireless design, while the Panasonics’ noisecancelling, touch-capacitive controls, in-app features and build quality are nothing short of superb for the money. Just make sure they suit your ears.