Panasonic ErgoFit In-Ears vs Plantronics BackBeat FIT 300 (2017)

The Panasonic ErgoFit RP-HJE120 (2013) is a great Canal Earphone for its $11 asking price.

The Plantronics BackBeat FIT 300 (2017), on the other hand, is not worth its $59 price tag and should be avoided by most people. We strongly suggest that you take a look at some better alternatives if you're considering spending around $50 on a Canal Earphone.

The Panasonic ErgoFit RP-HJE120 (2013) has done great in a couple of roundups conducted by highly trusted sources that perform objective in-depth testing, like CNET, Rtings, SoundGuys, and Tom's Guide - it earned the "Best wired earbuds under $10" title from CNET, "Cheapest Earbuds With Decent Performance" from Rtings, and "Bang for your Buck" from SoundGuys. Any product that's held in high regard by such reliable sources should be considered by anyone that's looking for a Canal Earphone at this price point.

Taking a look at the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 300 (2017), it got featured in roundups from two reliable sources that conduct their own testing - CNET and Wirecutter (NYTimes) - but it fell short of earning a top spot in either.

When we thoroughly analyzed their review scores, we learned that all of the sources that tested both Canal Earphones, including CNET, preferred the Panasonic ErgoFit RP-HJE120 (2013) over the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 300 (2017).

We also took a look at which sources they managed to impress the most. The Panasonic ErgoFit RP-HJE120 (2013) was liked best by CNET, which gave it a score of 8, while the Plantronics BackBeat FIT 300 (2017) got its highest, 8.8, score from Runnerclick.

Lastly, in order to better compare them to the rest of their competition, we averaged out their review scores. The Plantronics BackBeat FIT 300 (2017) managed to get 8.0 out of 10 - considerably better than the 7.4 review average of Canal Earphones in general - whereas the Panasonic ErgoFit RP-HJE120 (2013) earned 7.2 points.

It should be said that doing a direct Panasonic ErgoFit RP-HJE120 (2013) vs. Plantronics BackBeat FIT 300 (2017) comparison might not be entirely fair due to the difference in their prices - some sources don't put much weight on value for money and thus tend to give better review scores to more expensive products.