Want to see some suspiciously decent headphones for £30? You'll have to be prepared to accept you'll look like a right nerd wearing them. These hot pink new ladycans are from Panasonic, they're called the RP-HTX7s, and they'll cost you about £30 any time from now.
We must admit we were sceptical when we opened the (frankly awful) packaging -- they're bright pink, sport a fake leather headband and look like miniature kettles from World War II. Yet they're pretty comfy and -- seriously, now -- they sound pretty good for a pair of 30-quidders. They have a response range from 7Hz-22KHz, resulting in clear highs, powerful mids and acceptable bass.
Whether or not you're going to want to encase your skull in these on a stage at Ibiza is up to you and your comfort with your own sexuality; blokes may attract more guffaws than bubbly blondes. But for girls perhaps? We decided to annoy the feminists and ask a few of our CNET ladies whether or not they'd wear them on stage or out and about. Shannon, our k-rad ladysub, said, "Maybe..." while both of SmartPlanet's feminine Fair Traders said, "Oh hella to the yes!" (street lingo inserted).
But a definitive, "No, not a chance," was heard from CNETTV.co.uk's Kate Macefield, leading us to the radical conclusion that it's all a matter of taste. If you dig pink and fancy decent cans in the £30 region, these could be the retro 'phones for you. Expect our full review in the coming days, with mention of the fact that they also come in blue for boys. -Nancy Lanxon