JAPAN: Panasonic brings a feminine touch to the sutereoinsaidohon

On sale in a couple of weeks in Japan are Panasonic's first in-ear headphones designed for women by women.

The new Moon Jewel RP-HJF5 model is the result of work by an all-female team within the Osaka giant, from the product planning and design right the way through to the marketing and advertising.

The headphones come in a range of 12 colours – one for each birth-month – and they're finished with three cubic zirconia gems on each earpiece.

But the feminisation is more than just cosmetic: the earpieces are made smaller and contoured to fit the anatomy of the female ear, and also designed so they don't get tangled up with earrings, whether they be clip-on or pierced-ear fittings.

Medium, small and extra-small inserts are supplied, and the headphones weigh just 3g without their 1.2m cable, or 12g with.

Panasonic expects to sell around 30,000 pairs a month, at around Y2500, or about £15, a set.

Oh, and 'sutereoinsaidohon'? It's the Japanese for in-ear heaphones!

Andrew has written about audio and video products for the past 20+ years, and been a consumer journalist for more than 30 years, starting his career on camera magazines. Andrew has contributed to titles including What Hi-Fi?, GramophoneJazzwise and Hi-Fi CriticHi-Fi News & Record Review and Hi-Fi Choice. I’ve also written for a number of non-specialist and overseas magazines.