I do not know about the pads being removable. I have been wondering the same thing. I guess there is always a way to do it, but hopefully they can just be unclipped easily.
The pads are removable, held in with six plastic clips around the perimeter. Takes a bit of a tug but they came off just fine. They are a bit of a pain to get the pads clipped all the way back in but none the less I got them back on just fine. Iām thinking of designing a 3D printed adapter for other pads. Not sure if there would be any interest.
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Adapter for other pads? So are they glued onto the clips?
Anyone have a suggestion for a USB adapter I can connect to my PC that supports AptX LL and AptX HD or LDAC and that allows me to switch between them? I havenāt yet been able to find anything that seems to allow this. Not sure if Iām an outlier here any most all other users are just planning to stream from mobile devices but Iād like to also be able to use them with my computer.
If your PC has a spdif out, then you could get a Bluetooth transmitter with all the codecs, with the exception of LDAC, for fairly cheap on Amazon.
Thatās a good thought. I had been thinking a USB bluetooth device of some kind. I double checked and due indeed have a SPIDF output. How fussed should I be about the lack of LDAC?
Theyāre talking about something to connect to their pc via USB to send bluetooth audio, not connecting the pandas to the pc via usb directly.
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Thereās this oneā¦ Avantree DG60 (Aptx-HD but no LDAC)
Bluetooth Version - V5.0
Audio codec support - aptX-HD, aptX-LL, aptX, FS, SBC
Bluetooth Profiles - HSP , HFP, A2DP, AVRCP
Operation Range - 50 meters without obstruction
https://avantree.com/dg60-bluetooth-usb-audio-transmitter
Also related (copy-paste from the Sonyās community forumā¦)
Currently, only Android devices and a few specialized devices can transmit LDAC. So, though Sony markets LDAC as a selling-point for their headphones, Windows, Linux, and Apple computer users, as well as iPhone users are not able to actually use LDAC. A USB dongle would allow at least the PC, Linux, and Apple computer users to then use LDAC without buying an exorbitantly expensive Sony network audio player.
My bad, didnāt understand what he asked. I deleted the post.
Also, from my experience with the BTR5, LDAC is better then Aptx, but not by that much. I think is fine for everyday use.
I have used the one below and it works well. Z has it too. I have another thatās not listed anymore. They all seem to be the same model thatās just re-branded, so you may be able to find them for cheaper.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NQ87RVT/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Concerning LDAC. It is better than APTX but APTX HD is really close. If you look it up, they all have their pros and cons. If you are using your PC for gaming though, make sure it has APTX LL.
I ordered the DG60, should be here tomorrow. After I test it out Iāll report back.
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So, Iāve had my Pandas for a few days, and have gotten to spend a little time with them. Some impressions:
First, the good stuff:
Sound quality is as excellent as I remembered. I do think theyāre benefiting some from burn-in. Iām probably closing in on 30 hours now.
Bass is good with decent articulation and body. Theyāre a little light on slam, but generally do well enough to do justice to most tracks. Treble is a little dialed back, but theyāre decently detailed. Sound signature leans dark with excellent mids. Staging is not big, but imaging is really good. I have not yet tried Pandas for gaming, but I feel like theyād do well, probably leaning more toward an immersive style.
Battery life and ease of use are outstanding, as advertised. They charge super fast and run for, literally, days. After letting them go all evening my phone reported 70% battery when connecting them the next day. After another day of heavy use they were at about half power.
I remain impressed that you can simply power down the Pandas and run them off of any source with a line-in cable. I played a few tracks through the V280 for fun. Sound quality through wireless is amazingly similar to that of a good source chain. Really impressive.
Now into the so-so:
Comfort is by no means bad, but it remains a weaker point. There were some complaints about the headband from early reviewers and Drop added more padding (supposedly), but now that Iāve used my Pandas for extended periods, I think they missed the mark a little. The real problem seems to be the headband shape, which is too flat and broad. As a result, the weight of the headphones is concentrated on a narrow section at the center of the headband instead of distributed along it.
Iāve attached a couple pics I took of the Pandas and 6xx on one a headphone stand with a sharp curve to it to emphasize how much more rounded the 6xx are:
This comfort thing is by no means a deal-breaker, but it is noticeable, especially after listening for a while. Repositioning the Pandas helps. A bit.
The earpads are neither good nor bad. They seem very small, but nevertheless work fine as over-ears. Theyāre about the minimum possible solution that works. Good enough.
Finally, a few rough edges:
I tried the Pandas for a work meeting todayāone to which I needed to simply dial in and listen. Unfortunately, Pandas disconnect every 10-15 minutes or soāapparently they were unaware they were in use, so an auto-shutdown feature powers them down. I donāt know if thereās any way to disable that or fix it so that any sound playing will keep them awake, but it has been suggested to me that this might be an OS thing. And, I discovered, the Windows 10 support for BT features sucks. But thatās another topic.
I also discovered that there doesnāt seem to be a way to mute the built-in mics from the headphone controls?! This seems like an a fairly serious oversightāat least itās a massive inconvenience for my model of calling into team meetings and wandering about until someone asks me a question, at which point I unmute to answer. There may not be a wire, but if Iām tethered to my app controls to toggle mute then I may as well be.
Otherwise, Iām happy to report that the mic and BT range are both decent. The mic does have a bit of a boxy tone to it, but I used it to dial into a Teams test call, and my voice played back clear and detailed, if not as natural-sounding as a good mic would be. So I feel the Panda built-in mic is perfectly good for calls and game chat and whatnot.
ā
In any case, I have been thoroughly enjoying the Pandas. Theyāre very easy to listen to, and I find them generally worth their asking price. Whether theyāre a good buy at their price point probably depends on to what extent youāll take advantage of their wireless feature. Theyād make an excellent travel or commute headphone, and Iām really appreciating the ability to stream audio from my phone or work laptop (I can be connected to both at the same time!) and go grab a drink without pausing the tunes. If I can sort out the SNAFUs with mute and unwanted powerdowns, I could see these becoming a regular fixture at the office.
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Another interesting Panda phenomenon: after pairing my Pandas with my work laptop, I discovered that they will pair with both my laptop and phone at the same time!
At first this seemed like unexpected awesome, since I can pause music on one device and play on the other and it just kind of worked. However, after trying to take advantage of this for a couple days, I experienced some nasty, crackly stutters and dropouts while listening to the Tidal app on my laptop. I immediately fixed the problem by disabling Bluetooth on my phone. I suspect that my phone was attempting to play notification sounds while music was going and both devices were fighting over control of the Pandas. So I guess Iām not doing that anymore. 
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Yep, pads are glued to the clips. I was successful in designing an adapter for other oval shaped pads. Iām currently using a set of brainwavz hybrid pads and I have to say the results are pretty nice. I suggest trying them out if you have a 3D printer. Here is the link to the adapter. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4590890
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Where are you getting the beautiful headphone stands?
Thereās a shop on Etsy; theyāre made in the Ukraine. Shipping took almost 6 weeks (the seller sent it right away, but it got hung up in transit with over a month with no updates). Packing was excellent, the stands are excellent, and the result was totally worth the wait in the end, but thought Iād extend a warning so if you do buy you can set expectations for a slow arrival.
So funny! I actually have one from the same woodworker, just a different style, lol.
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I eventually got mine last week - as someone who ordered in January for June delivery. Three months late. They actually used US Postal Service basic shipping for international customers, which is frankly a disgrace for a $400 product.
Mine had a constant, if very quiet, noise in the left ear from bluetooth (obviously only in bluetooth mode). If you check the comments on Drop or Indiegogo, there are many many other people reporting this problem, and as soon as I mentioned it to support they said it was a known issue and sent an RMA. It definitely seems like there was an issue with the bluetooth shielding on early units. Iām really hoping the replacement they send is better, but Iād be wary if I was considering ordering some right now. I mean, apart from that I was thrilled with the product, but still.
Also, factoring in customs as well the lack of good international shipping options, Iād find these hard to recommend to anyone outside the US.
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Iām glad you mentioned the noise you were hearing, I wasnāt sure if that was just in my head or not. Looks like Iāll need to get an RMA going as well. Did you contact Drop directly for it?