🔷 Drop THX Panda

all named points above are a pro - in my humble opinion

I hate touch controls

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another Drop to compare would be the BD 177x Go

Can’t see the Dan Clark Audio AOC2 or the Elegia been hurt by the Panda… who knows

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That’s what I was thinking in terms of sound, but overall package/features the panda might be more compelling for the price

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absolutely- as second pure BT closed back hf for on the go while commuting

The Elegia is out in this regard
the DCA Aeon 2C… is so cool- though 2x the Panda budget

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If the pandas can get close to the A2C then that’s a win I would think. With bt and wire options.

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For sure, I am just wondering if they can

Probably not haha. But we’ll see what they pull off. The thx tech is super quiet and efficient. Not to hype it up lol.

what is the A2C?

Aeon 2 closed, I believe

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yep, I scrolled up and saw the full reference, not the acronym, :stuck_out_tongue:

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I personally have my doubts about the Panda, and it does bother me a bit that they have to crowdfund it before even putting it into production, where things could end up changing pretty drastically based on their tooling and supply chain, they may end having to make compromises somewhere.

They could very well end up being the best sounding bluetooth closed back, but it’s not like they have much competition in that regard.

I look forward to seeing how other people feel they compare to other closed backs once the hype wears off.

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I’d trust drop more in that regard than most manufacturers, they do a fair amount of coordination and limited run manufacturing, so they have a much better idea what to expect from suppliers than most people jumping into crowd funding.
Pandas don’t really interest me, I just don’t need a closed back wireless headphone without ANC.

Ha! Finally getting to listen to Josh’s full review, and feeling a little validation of my observations (linked below, starting @ 11:03)

“Midrange is excellent… Each sound that you listen to in the midrange has incredibly distinct characteristics–they’re just so well-separated. And one of the really standout areas here was actually binaural vocals…”

That’s exactly what I was attempting to convey; cool that the same characteristic stood out to him as well.

I also really like what Josh has to say about the treble being soft, yet detailed. It’s a thing I’ve struggled to find the language to describe, but I think he did it very well.

I am still a bit unclear which other cans in the $400-ish range compete with Panda on sound quality. I only heard Josh mention “Fostex.” I have the TR-X00 Ebonies and Purplehearts, although they’re not in my regular rotation, mostly because I prefer a more neutral signature and have a nice selection of better closed-backs. Perhaps it’s that same preference for neutral, but I wouldn’t hesitate to take Pandas over the TR-X00s, even for exclusively wired listening. It’s not even a question for me.

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I guess I would feel better about it if they would state exactly why they decided to go with indiegogo. Right now they are just saying “So more people get a chance to experience these headphones!”…
ohh okay. So charitable of you, Drop. Lol

It’s probably just they need to get more orders to cover the initial tooling costs than they are likely to get on just drop.
It’s a substantially more complex undertaking than pretty much anything they’ve done with partners previously.

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Yeah, but I think they still need to say that themselves.
It’s fine to market and everything, but when you’re a bigger and established and still relying on indiegogo, then say why. Be straightforward and honest about it.
That’s just my opinion though.

I agree. From a reference stack like my Topping D90 + Monoprice 887 amp I have no doubt that Elegias would win out overall. However, Pandas do enough things well that I think it would still be interesting to compare the nitpicky details of each. There are some presentation / stylistic differences between the Panda planar ribbon and Focal’s dynamic house sound that could feed into personal preferences. Personally, I find the Elegias to sound more open and more refined / consistent overall, but the margin of improvement over the Pandas is small even without accounting for cost difference.

In that context, the portability of the Pandas becomes a pivotal factor: if wireless / portability is not particularly important then there’s a lot to be said for a desktop rig that can drive any headphones (and Elegias are no less awesome today). However, if portability is do-or-die, then you’re probably not looking at Elegias, anyway. And if you’re a committed hobbyist with an ample budget then each has enough to offer that it’s not unreasonable to own both. :grin:

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Very true, unless you really love carrying the focal purse around with you

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I do hide it in a militarian kinda backback

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You don’t proudly display your focal woman’s handbag?

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