So I am an Apple fanatic, have been for a long time, but starting to waiver due to their premium pricing strategy on products that are becoming less and less worth it. Point being, I have wondered for a long time why bluetooth headphones (even AirPods Pro) have sounded poor when connected to the iPhone but not any other Apple, Android, or Windows device. Long story short, I figured out it is because the iPhone is one of the only modern technological devices that refuses to include AptX support (again, Apple support wavering). So I got my Pandas and tried with my iPhone 12. Wasnāt impressed, but knew it was the iPhone. Tried them with my Mac and my SIM-less Android that I have been using with my THX portable amp/dac and was BLOWN AWAY. Keep in mind, I have owned Sendy Aivas, NDH20s, DT1990 Proās, and many other higher-end headphones considered to be excellent within the audiophile community and by Zeos. Not a couple hours later, I have all my headphones, dacs, amps, and everything else packed up and ready to go on eBay. These things literally broke my hi-fi audio collection. I had 13 pairs of headphones, 4 DACs, 4 amps, and they all count for nothing when I can get the same, or even better quality with the Pandas and a SIM-less Galaxy S9. What the hell. These are flipping fantastic.
Similar. I find myself increasingly thinking āhow much better does the listening experience need to get?ā Iām down to 3 setups for different needs:
At my desk: Marantz HD-DAC1 feeding Harmonicdyne Helios
Portable wired: LG G8X and its wonderful onboard DAC feeding Harmonicdyne Helios (used increasingly less since I got the Pandas)
Portable wireless: My Galaxy Zfold 2 and Pandas via LDAC
Everything else is going to be gone through in the new year and packed up for sale, and Iām going to look for a backup set of Pandas.
My biggest concerns about the Pandas as a long-term proposition:
- Available battery replacement
- Obtaining replacement pads
I contacted Drop about #2 and they said they hope to have something in place, but do not currently have a way to obtain additional or replacement pads.
A single Li-Po cell is always 3.7V nominal (4.2V at full charge, 3.6V is lowest safe voltage)
So unless Drop designed the place for the battery to be some impossible shape (or did the Apple way of glueing it shut), I guess replacement will be easy
Yeah replacement pads would be nice, I donāt really see myself wearing them out, but it would good to have the option. And I havenāt done much research on the battery but I have seen the concerns people have about replacement and the manual says not to replace yourself. But why is everyone talking about it? Is it that likely to go bad after a period of time? I donāt know much about it
Like smartphone batteries, I guess: Itās just better when itās easy to replace.
I just got my pandas (litteraly about 15 min ago). A couple interesting things
- When I first opened them they wouldnāt turn on at all. Figuring they were dead I plugged them in, but being impatient I left them on the charger for 5 min max. Up plug them and they start right up with 80% battery.
- The last fifth of the volume bar (on the low end) is distinctly touchy with massive changes in volume for small movements and overall it sounds quite flat in the area. Feels even more so than just not being correctly in that region, there is a stepped voltage/current drop off there where the amp isnāt happy. Above that, I donāt think the headphone sound super full until about 1/4 volume. They sound great there and there is still good responce between 1/5 and 1/4 volume, but that last 5th of the bar is where I kinda like to live while doing chores at home volume wise
.
Edit: also, on the battery discussion, donāt forget smartphones take way more of a battery beating than headphones do. Average duty cycles on cellphone batteries are litteraly harsher than the planned warrenty duty cycle on electric cars (an already fairly harsh assumption)
I ended up picking up a pair to try out, no expectations. I havenāt followed any of the discourse surrounding them since they were announced. My ears and brain are used to solely listening to the Focal Clears and to my ear the Pandas are pretty nicely tuned. Seems very Harmon Curve tuned, fairly neutral with slightly elevated bass, good extension. I think a lot of people would like these.
I wasnāt sure if I would keep them, but I think I definitely will.
Do want to point out that the hinge on my Panda headphones turned out to be loose and came apart very easily. Did not notice it at first. Had to have it replaced by Amazon and second pair was fine, but itās definitely worth keeping an eye out for.
Anyone with more experience mind giving the headphones/sound signature they think yhe panda is closest too? All I can realy find is comparisons to other BT headphones and not just talks about their sound as a whole. Iām pretty new so I donāt have a good frame of reference to figure out what (headphone wise) is and is not similar to them
I believe they were supposed to sound similar to the oppo pm3 cause it uses the same drivers and very similar chassis design
Honestly, im not having the best luck finding info on those either. Over all the pandas seem fairly neutral/flat but narrow sound stage? Imaging seems good, but I dont exactly have a lot of context. They dont go as massively low as my galaxybuds (though there seems to be a massive trough in the buds between sub-base and the lowest of low base), but I think thats a headphone vs iem thing. They feel realy fast and sharp on the notes and handle high treble like piccolos much better than my LCD-2Cs too.
I always use this song for good soul touching base to see just how low shit can go
Thatās a great song. Thanks!
I had 0 appreciation for it for a long ass time. Then I heard it with IEMs and felt the base go so low it felt like I was feeling it instead if hearing it and immediately fell in fucking love
Yo 
Not sure if this thread is the right place to ask, but my friend is looking to buy these headphones, to upgrade from his Beats wireless headphones heās used the shit out of for 4+ years.
If anyone is looking to sell a pair, that is either new or slightly used for under $399 USD, that would be rad.
Thanks!
Not the right thread. Check in the BST thread in off topic. That said, there are multiple pairs for sale on /r/avechange and head-fi currently so you can try looking there
Thanks for these!
Will do, thanks.
Another Chris Jones gem for bass 
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