$25 for Audiophile Earbuds? Meet Panasonic’s New USB-C Wired Buds

Back in 2012, I wrote a review of the Panasonic’s ErgoFit RP-HJE120 wired earbuds, they cost me $6 at the time (now they’re $9), and I was impressed by how decent they sounded for how cheap they were. They didn’t have a lot of bass, but they were well-balanced and provided enough detail and clarity, making them very affordable audiophile-friendly earbuds. While the rise of the company ErgoFit RP-TCM125 the earbuds didn’t sound that great for some reason, they had an in-line remote and microphone, an important feature if you plan to use your buds with a phone.

In those days, phones were equipped with 3.5mm earphone jacks (and so were once-popular digital music players like the iPod Mini). Now, many phones leave them, which is the new Panasonic 2026 ErgoFit RP-TCM325 USB-C he enters. A spiritual successor to those two previous wired models with 3.5mm plugs, the RP-TCM325 instead plugs into the USB-C port of your phone, tablet or computer to deliver a wired digital connection. For $25, the sound is hard to beat, and their voice acting is great, too, which is why I gave them a CNET Editors’ Choice award.

Panasonic ErgoFit USB-C design

One of the issues with the ErgoFit RP-HJE120 is that although they had a sturdy L-shaped plug, their cable was thin and had a tendency to tangle when you put the earbuds in a pocket. The ErgoFit RP-TCM325, however, has a thick, shock-resistant cable that runs about two-thirds of its length before it splits into two thin cables that lead to a hidden, seemingly larger cable than the RP-HJE120’s smaller buds; they are bigger and have more weight to them. The way they are shaped allows them to sit comfortably in your ears, even though the cord is a little heavy on them.

On the cable going up to the right bar, you’ll find an in-line remote that lets you raise and lower the volume as well as forward and backward tracks and answer/end calls.

The only design issue I had was with the included silicone eartips. While most people should be able to get a decent fit for one of the three sizes of included tips, the oversized tip didn’t give me a comfortable fit, so I had to switch to larger earbuds from one of the many earbuds I tested (they were the extra-large tips from the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2). But at least these buds don’t need proprietary earbuds like Apple AirPods Pro 3 or Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro; They have a regular post that takes a lot of tips.

Impressive sound quality

The sound quality is surprisingly good for $25 earbuds. Marketing highlights for the buds describe themselves as having “a balanced tone with cool highs and deep low notes, as well as a wide frequency response and pleasing sound quality.” That pretty much sums it up, though I would add that the key here, beyond the balanced sound, is that there is a natural, intuitive quality to that sound. Also, while the bass is deep, it is controlled and does not overwhelm the mids and highs, which have a nice shine to them (highs). I also experienced slight distortion, which is unusual for inexpensive earbuds.

One big caveat is that to get the sound quality I’m talking about, you have to get a solid seal on one of the included earbuds or the tips that get them. Without a strong signal, you lose a lot of bass, and you will probably come away thinking that the buds sound tinny and average. If you are experiencing noise, try pressing both buds to your ears to create a good seal and see if the sound level changes.

There is plenty sub-$25 USB-C earbuds out there. I have tested several of them, including Sony IER-EX15C buds, selling for just under $20. Those Sony buds also sound good for the money, but the ErgoFit USB-C is a cut above in sound and build quality (the Panasonic buds deliver richer sound with more bass). The Sony buds look and feel cheap, and I’ve had one pair where there was a sound in one of the buds, so I had to throw them away.

The ANC is not sensitive to noise but it is not there

While wired earbuds are back in fashion (my teenage daughter has taken to wearing Apple cables EarPods USB-C with his iPhone), I can’t say that I really like wearing wired earbuds when I travel. If you get a solid seal, you get passive noise isolation on the tips, but no active noise cancellation, although the buds draw less power from the USB-C connection. (USB-C earbuds often have their own built-in Digital-to-Analog Converter or DAC.)

I’m used to getting dressed wireless earbuds with excellent noise cancellation that it’s hard for me to walk without noise canceling, especially in noisy places like the subway. I enjoyed using and listening to the earbuds more when I was standing in a quiet place (sitting at my desk or couch). That said, not everyone likes or cares about active noise cancellation.

Better voice calling performance than I expected

I hadn’t used wired earbuds for a long time to make phone calls and was surprised when callers said they could hear any background noise from the noisy New York streets and that my voice sounded clear and natural. I tested the earbuds and the phone at the same time I was testing Anker’s Soundcore Space 2 headphones ($130), and the two callers I spoke to both said the ErgoFit RP-TCM325 is an easy winner. I got Space 2 a B for voice acting. I’ll give these an A-minus, the only potential issue involving wind noise (don’t expect stellar vocal performance in wind).

Final thoughts on the Panasonic ErgoFit RP-TCM325

There are plenty of cheap USB-C earbuds out there, but Panasonic has built on the legendary ErgoFit legacy to deliver a set of USB-C buds that stand out from the pack for sound quality and offer great voice calling performance. If you get a solid seal, they sound as good or better than earbuds and headphones costing over $100.