[Gamerlingual]

Drop finally released their patch for the EQ. It's changed the sound for the better! Wow!

https://drop.com/talk/77511/drop-sonarworks-panda-release

 

[tinyman392]

Drop finally released their patch for the EQ. It's changed the sound for the better! Wow!

https://drop.com/talk/77511/drop-sonarworks-panda-release

Yup, it's a little finicky. I kind of like to EQ live while I'm listening to music which this doesn't offer which is kind of unfortunate; you're stuck testing your EQ on their demo tracks before uploading them to the headphone and testing. It takes like a minute to upload the EQ. The flat EQ does actually sound flat though, so I'll give them that.

 

[Gamerlingual]

Didn't have any troubles myself. Doesn't feel finicky at all.

 

[Mightygrey]

I heard some users saying that the Drop Panda wouldn't charge if you used a 3rd party cable at one point. Might be worth a shot using the included cable. Also update the headphone's firmware and see if that helps; I'm not sure what all was in the firmware.

Thanks mate, I'll give it a go. I have no idea which one it is from my top-drawer collection of USB-C cables, however. Ought to be fun!

 

[Gamerlingual]

There is a huge difference now with the SoundID app. All the customization you can do with the sound is amazing, plus they managed to expand the sound stage and imaging. REALLY well done. These and my XM4's will be my daily drivers while my AirPods Max will used a couple of times a week. Might as well all my wireless options I have available. A great time to be an audio fan, indeed!

 

[tinyman392]

Thanks mate, I'll give it a go. I have no idea which one it is from my top-drawer collection of USB-C cables, however. Ought to be fun!

If you didn’t remove the cable tie from it, the Velcro cable tie that came on mine is drop branded. I leave mine in the case though since there was a pouch area just for it.

 

[itchyears]

Thanks mate, I'll give it a go. I have no idea which one it is from my top-drawer collection of USB-C cables, however. Ought to be fun!

This is a pic of what the usb c cable looks like, its very different to most other usb c cables I have seen quite long on the end of the tip:

 

[jsmiller58]

This is a pic of what the usb c cable looks like, its very different to most other usb c cables I have seen quite long on the end of the tip:

While I am not saying the original USB-C cable will not make difference, I will say that in my experience these cables make no difference to functionality, and basically I use all of my usb-c cables interchangeably. But that is just my experience. I hope that @itchyears will have more luck with the original cable, though!

 

[Mightygrey]

While I am not saying the original USB-C cable will not make difference, I will say that in my experience these cables make no difference to functionality, and basically I use all of my usb-c cables interchangeably. But that is just my experience. I hope that @itchyears will have more luck with the original cable, though!

I must have tried charging it from about five different cables, via laptops, phone chargers, and power banks - all with no success.

I finally found the original supplied cable (thanks for the helpful pointer above!) and it actually works!

 

[tinyman392]

I must have tried charging it from about five different cables, via laptops, phone chargers, and power banks - all with no success.

I finally found the original supplied cable (thanks for the helpful pointer above!) and it actually works!

Glad you were able to find the original cable. There were some people commenting on Drop about this. I think I tested this for myself (since I had a hard time believing it) too when I read it and found it to be true if my memory isn't messing with me. Some comments were asking what was special about Drop's cable, but never got an actual answer.

 

[heavyharmonies]

SoundID Android app is useless. Cannot login with Google, only new email signup. App crashes repeatedly during setup tests. Cannot log into their website with the credentials I set up; times out. Using a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, so not exactly an ancient or low-end phone. So much for an EQ app for the Panda. #annoyed

 

[jsmiller58]

I must have tried charging it from about five different cables, via laptops, phone chargers, and power banks - all with no success.

I finally found the original supplied cable (thanks for the helpful pointer above!) and it actually works!

That is awesome and I am really glad! In my case I use whatever cable is handy without any problem, but as I mentioned that is just my experience

 

[MRSallee]

I just gave my review of this earpad collection on YouTube, and also took the opportunity to talk about the Sonarworks app + Panda integration.



Some high-level notes on the earpads:

• The stock pads have nice L & R indicators inside them, while the replacement pads do not. It's a small bummer, the pads are symmetrical so it doesn't really matter, but the headphone is also kinda symmetrical so I do like the reminder the labels in the stock pads provide.
• The exterior dimensions of the replacement pads are a bit larger than the stock pads, but interior dimensions are just about identical. I measured with calipers, and all pads seem to have an inner height of ~60mm, and width that varies between 40mm (stock) and 44mm (sheepskin). Depth appears to be the same, though the replacement pads all have a firmer foam which compresses less and may provide a smidge more room. On the head, they all felt about the same for me.
• I really dislike the mounting mechanism. It seems simple enough, but it's really difficult. Removing the pads requires enough force that I worry I'm going to tear the seams (I haven't), and re-fitting the pads into the clips similarly requires way more force than you think. Swapping pads takes me ~10 minutes per set.

And now some notes on each pad. I'll focus primarily on how they affect the sound, as IMO the sound change from pads is the most significant factor in choosing pads. For reference, I like the stock Panda, but do find it pretty thick in the lower midrange, with some mid-bass bloat, and too-relaxed vocals. I hoped to find a pad that would address one or more of these issues.

Sheepskin pads

• Material feels nice, not too different from the stock pads. I've felt some other sheepskin pads that can feel a bit (oddly) plasticky, but these feel pretty solid.
• The primary sound effect these have is that they increase the bass. If you want a Panda with more bass, here's your pad.
• I personally don't like the additional bass, I feel it closes in the sound stage a bit and ultimately is not what I wanted out of the pads. But these are pretty listenable.

Fenestrated pads

• These are really handsome. I wanted to love this pad, as I think fenestrated pads are a great look generally, and even specifically on the Panda.
• IMO they are quite brutal to the sound. They erase the bass, and elevate the treble. Treble becomes a "jangly" mess.
• Overall this is a very thin-sounding pad that spoils my favorite part of the Pandas (their treble). Do not recommend.

Velour pads

• The velour is a pretty nice velour, softer than some. Not scratchy like Fidelio X2 pads. Like other velour pads, these will pick up lint, which is annoying, but again these pads are better than the X2 pads and don't pick up nearly as much lint as those.
• Sound changes are pretty similar to the fenestrated pads. Maybe the treble is less jangly, but the bass reduction and brightness increase is real here, too.
• Sounds thin and, IMO, unpleasant. Do not recommend.

Hybrid velour pads

• The velour material appears to be the same as the all-velour pads. The sides are done in what seems to be a protein leather. I would guess these are vegan, but I cannot confirm.
• These are probably my favorite of the bunch for sound, but I still don't love what they do. They reduce the lower bass considerably, but don't do much to clean up the midrange. And again, the treble gets a bit brighter and less controlled.
• I think these are a better balance than the fenestrated and all-velour pads -- the bass reduction is not as strong here, and treble not as much a mess. Listenable.

Overall, I like the stock pads best on the Panda. The sheepskin and the hybrid pads are not unlistenable, but the fenestrated and all-velour pads probably deserve that distinction.

My notes on the app are a lot of particular UI complaints, which I detailed in the video, will be hard to replicate in text. But one significant frustration worth airing is how long it takes to load EQ changes onto the headphone. I timed it during the video, over 2 minutes to load the EQ onto the headphone, which kinda makes trial and erroring your way to a good EQ unbearable. Even worse, I the PEQ filter settings I found that worked well in Qudelix sound drastically when loaded via the Sonarworks app. So unfortunately they're not portable into the app, based on my experience. I imagine the same goes for Oratory's EQ settings.

 

[Mark Up]

Interesting about the new pad varieties. Try to get this to the developers via Head-Fi or Drop, maybe drop a line to Dekoni as well. I'm sure a better alt pad can be built.

 

[JDar2M]

For the Android users here, what works better for you Sound ID or Wavelet?