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

Back in 2012, I wrote a review of Panasonic’s ErgoFit RP-HJE120 wired earbuds, which cost me $6 at the time (now they’re $9), and I was impressed by how decent they sounded for how little they cost. They didn’t have a ton of bass, but they were well-balanced and offered an ample amount of detail and clarity, making them arguably the cheapest audiophile-friendly earbuds. While the company’s step-up ErgoFit RP-TCM125 earbuds didn’t sound quite as good for some reason, they did have an inline remote and microphone, a key feature if you plan on using your buds with a phone.

In those days, phones were equipped with 3.5mm headphone jacks (and so were once-popular digital music players such as the iPod Mini). Now, most phones leave them off, which is where Panasonic’s new-for-2026 ErgoFit RP-TCM325 USB-C comes in. The spiritual successor to those two earlier wired models with 3.5mm plugs, the RP-TCM325 instead connects to the USB-C port of your phone, tablet or computer to deliver an all-digital wired connection. For $25, the sound is hard to beat, and their voice calling performance is also good, which is why I’ve awarded them a CNET Editors’ Choice award. 

Panasonic ErgoFit USB-C design  

One of the drawbacks of the ErgoFit RP-HJE120 was that while they had a sturdy L-shaped plug, their cord was thin and had a tendency to become tangled if you stuffed the earbuds in a pocket. The ErgoFit RP-TCM325, however, has a thicker, tangle-resistant cord for about two-thirds of its length before splitting into two thinner cords that lead into the buds, which seem more substantial than the tiny RP-HJE120 buds; they’re larger and have more weight to them. The way they’re shaped does allow them to nestle nicely in your ears, even with the cord weighing down on them a bit.

In the cord leading up to the right bud, you’ll find an inline remote that allows you to raise and lower the volume as well as advance tracks forward and back 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 from one of the three sizes of included tips, the largest tip didn’t quite give me a snug fit, so I had to swap in larger eartips from one of the many earbuds I’ve tested (they happened to be extra-large tips from the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2). But at least these buds don’t require proprietary eartips such as the Apple AirPods Pro 3 or Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro; they have a standard post that accommodates many tips.

Impressive sound quality 

The sound quality is remarkably good for $25 earbuds. The buds’ marketing material describes them as having “tonally balanced audio with crisp highs and deep low notes, plus wider frequency response and lively sound quality.” That pretty much sums them up, though I’d add that the key here, beyond the balanced sound, is that there’s a natural, accurate quality to that sound. Also, while the bass goes deep, it’s controlled and doesn’t overwhelm the mids and highs, which have some nice sparkle to them (the highs). I also encountered minimal distortion, which is unusual for inexpensive earbuds. 

The one big caveat is that in order to get the quality of sound I’m talking about, you do have to get a tight seal from one of the included eartips or find some tips that get you that tight seal. Without a tight seal, you lose a lot of bass, and you’ll likely come away thinking the buds sound tinny and mediocre. If you’re underwhelmed by the sound, try pressing both buds into your ears to create a good seal and see if the sound quality changes.

There are plenty of sub-$25 USB-C earbuds out there. I’ve tested a few of them, including Sony’s IER-EX15C buds, which retail for just under $20. Those Sony buds also sound good for the money, but the ErgoFit USB-C are a cut above for sound and build quality (the Panasonic buds deliver richer sound with more bass). The Sony buds look and feel a little cheaper, and I had one pair where the sound cut out on one of the buds, so I had to toss them.  

Passive noise isolation but no ANC 

While wired earbuds are back in fashion (my teenage daughter has taken to wearing Apple’s wired EarPods USB-C with her iPhone), I can’t say I’m all too fond of wearing wired earbuds on the go. If you do get a tight seal, you get some passive noise isolation from the tips, but there’s no active noise canceling, though the buds do draw a bit of power from the USB-C connection. (USB-C earbuds tend to have their own built-in Digital-to-Analog Converter or DAC.)

I’ve gotten so used to wearing true-wireless earbuds with very good noise canceling that it’s a little hard for me to go without noise canceling, especially in noisy environments like the subway. I enjoyed using and listening to the earbuds most when I was stationary in a quieter environment (seated at my desk or on a couch). That said, not everybody likes or cares about active noise canceling.

Better voice calling performance than I expected

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

Panasonic ErgoFit RP-TCM325 final thoughts

There are plenty of inexpensive USB-C earbuds out there, but Panasonic has built on the legacy of its earlier ErgoFit buds to deliver a set of USB-C buds that stand out from the pack for sound quality and also serve up good voice calling performance. If you get a tight seal, they sound as good or better than wireless earbuds and headphones that cost more than $100.