Design and features:This portable bone conduction model's non-isolating design doesn't muffle outside sounds, so you'll be able to hear external sounds, such as a doorbell or car horn, when you are wearing them. The earphones have very low sensitivity, so they don't provide satisfying volume levels with typical mobile devices--decent volume levels are achieved only with home audio equipment or high-powered portable audio devices run at high volume settings. The headphones have reflective strips on back and sides of neckband, and the manufacturer claims that this model is water- and sweat-resistant.
Sound quality: The RP-HGS10 delivers only fair overall sound with a warm character. This model only provides upper bass; deep bass is completely lacking. What little bass there is has so-so definition, and very little impact. Midrange is somewhat muffled, congested, and gritty, and treble is recessed and very rolled off. These headphones do not recover ambience-- a sense of the acoustic space in which the recording was made--well, which lends it a closed-in sound, with so-so dynamics. We found the overall sound to be telephone-like, with a tendency to distort when driven to moderate volume levels.
Comfort: We found that these headphones produce a slight sense of pressure in front of the ears, and that they fit securely and stay in place even with vigorous head movement. They must be positioned right up against the tragus (the nub in front of the ear) for the best sound quality and the highest volume. When the RP-HGS10 is played at moderate or higher volume levels, vibrations from the bone conduction drivers can be felt.
