[omegaorgun]

They're looking like my 9€ PM-3 replacement pads, I've bought 2 weeks ago.
But they're better than the oem pads of my PM-3. ^^

Do you know if a suede pad exists? Might be a job for Dekoni! they did a nice wh-1000xm2 set. @DekoniAudio

 

[mmazzotta99]

I see that the panda has far surpassed its indigogo target of $50,000 and is now one of the best indigogos ever. I wanted to hear what people thought when Neil Youngs Pono player came out with all the hype and where it is now. I find these moments interesting when there is a huge buzz about something new like this.

 

[megabigeye]

I would say bass is maybe on par or better than the HD 6XX but harder hitting on the Pandas..but something about the Panda’s bass just doesn’t feel right to me.
I haven’t had owned a DT1990pro in a couple years, but I remember those headphones being very detailed and accurate.

Okay, this is making some sense to me. I haven't done a side-by-side with the HD 650 and PM-3 in a long time, but from what I remember the bass are about of similar quantity, and overall quality, but the presentation is a bit different. From your description, it sounds like bass may be similar to the PM-3. I don't consider the PM-3 or HD 650 to be bass light, so I have a feeling I'll feel the same way about the Panda.

Thanks for the input.

 

[Mark Up]

Looks interesting. The measurements look good and are surprisingly flat through the mids.

 

[SilverEars]

I for one would like to never add any ANC to any true audiophile level product.

ANC is something we definitely don't need outside of you constantly getting on a plane or train, etc. If you want ANC, get a headphone purely focused on that.

Just....no. Keep it away. Passive noise isolation is enough. ANC makes me sick, really.

As for ability to swap pads, the Panda has mounted pads that snap on, but you can definitely remove them and try and find pads that have a large enough lip to go over. I tried with the Shure 1540 Alcantara pad, and they fit well enough. Didn't sound great unfortunately. I don't wanna cut out the inner screen of those pads just to see if it makes it better, either.

Maybe for the niche audiophile market, but no ANC are a dealbreaker as it serves a large practical application for commuters and trevelers. Hence, the big market for them.

As an audiphile, I have a home rig for critical listening and then have an on the go wireless with good enough sound for practical purposes and ANC is a must feature.

So, I wished for a high performance ANC on these.

So, something I imagine is a good passive wireless with good ANC. Panda is missing the ANC.

Okay, this is making some sense to me. I haven't done a side-by-side with the HD 650 and PM-3 in a long time, but from what I remember the bass are about of similar quantity, and overall quality, but the presentation is a bit different. From your description, it sounds like bass may be similar to the PM-3. I don't consider the PM-3 or HD 650 to be bass light, so I have a feeling I'll feel the same way about the Panda.

Thanks for the input.

Should have somes differences in bass extension.

 

[NWLierly]

After testing at the listening party, I buy Will's explanation that he A/B tested against the XM3 while commuting and preferred the Panda - it provided the stage I want, regardless of surroundings.

The passive noise reduction is more effective and attractive for me, however I am one of the people who can feel the ANC click on and don't really enjoy the sensation.

 

[SilverEars]

After testing at the listening party, I buy Will's explanation that he A/B tested against the XM3 while commuting and preferred the Panda - it provided the stage I want, regardless of surroundings.

The passive noise reduction is more effective and attractive for me, however I am one of the people who can feel the ANC click on and don't really enjoy the sensation.

I've been on various transprtations with good amount of cyclic noise and noise will ruin fidelity of so called 'audiophile' grade sound as sounds are masked by noise. In these scenarios, despite the DSP involved ANC will provide better fidelity due to the reduction of masking, as it results in higher coherency of sounds.

 

[PopZeus]

It's been a long time since I owned the PM-3 but if I recall correctly, the bass response was fairly seal-dependent. It improved noticeably when I wasn't wearing glasses, and my frames are about average in thickness. That might be different for the Panda, as it seems like the clamp force is stronger than with the Oppo, but the fact that I'm a glasses wearer probably lessened my enjoyment of the PM-3 over time.

 

[megabigeye]

Should have somes differences in bass extension.

Differences compared to the PM-3 or HD 650? Comparing the measurements for the Panda and InnerFidelity's measurements for the PM-3, it looks like they should have pretty similar extension. Both look pretty flat down to 20Hz. Compared to the HD 650, you're probably right. Though, to be honest, I've never found the HD 650 to be particularly wanting at the lowest octave. I know others feel differently, though.

 

[-HaVoC-Tzu-]

I’m personally not buying the Panda’s because it doesn’t fit my purpose. (Although at $320 they are tempting)
In an office environment I prefer strong ANC with very low volume music (so that I can concentrate at work), this also means I don’t need the highest audiophile quality since I’m listening at very quiet levels.
Bose QC35/700 and Apple AirPod Pros, are better for my purpose.
When I am off work I primarily listen to loud music/games on HD800/Martin Logan estat speakers.

If I was looking for one pair of headphones that could do everything fairly well, Panda is not a bad choice.
The original purpose of headphones was so that only you hear the music and the people around you couldn’t. The Panda does that extremely well.

 

[project86]

I'd say those wanting/needing ANC should probably look elsewhere - assuming that's a fairly important feature, the passive isolation of the Panda (though it is quite good) may not be enough. Certainly those using them for long flights or frequent subway rides will want some Bose or similar.

For most other people I feel the Panda is a better choice. ANC isn't necessary in many situations and personally it always sounds weird to me anyway. If you are mostly concerned about SQ, but need a decent amount of isolation and zero sound leakage, Panda is the way to go.

Btw I've got a large head and while the clamping force is formidable at first, it gets more comfy with time. Kind of like a fresh HD650. The pads don't fully surround my ears but neither are they "on-ear" so it's kind of in between. Much like the old VMODA M100 when using the original pads (not the later XL pads), if that reference helps at all. Panda is not as comfy as an Elex or K7XX etc but I can still comfortably log hours on them without much trouble. I don't wear glasses so can't comment on that aspect, sorry.

 

[Hamlap]

I am looking for a new closed back, since the DT990Pro that I use at the office can be heard by my colleagues kinda quick. These are on the list !

 

[joshuachew]

They're looking like my 9€ PM-3 replacement pads, I've bought 2 weeks ago.
But they're better than the oem pads of my PM-3. ^^

Hey bro may I know where you got the PM3 replacement pads from?

 

[tuckers]

Hey Will, thanks a lot for announcing this drop and helping bring back the PM-3 sound. As a long-time PM-3 owner, I was very sad to see Oppo make that business decision to exit the personal audio space and discontinue all lines. I am very happy to hear they sold off the technology and someone else can attempt it. I think your headphones will be a huge hit.

But in the above bolded part, I personally got out of handheld amps and DACs because once I entered a noisier environment, I found 80% of the benefits I was getting from my bootstrapped kit were being washed out.

For sure, the sound quality was better, and for sure my Sony XM3s aren't technically any match for my PM-3s or IE-8s, and certainly not when fed via a handheld DAC+amp. But when I turn on the noise-cancelling on my XM3s, I can actually hear the music and turn the volume down. There's less outside interference. And there's something to be said for that.

Are there any plans to release a Panda with advanced ANC, so that we can get the best of both worlds?

You've hit the nail on the head Benny-x, I have a lot of high end phones and a few amps, but the Sony XM3s are my daily driver because if there is even a moderate amount of background noise, it drowns out the higher end aspects of sound, and the Sony's let the subtlety/entirety of the music through better. Also, the Sony's like the Pandas have had the amp and the drivers designed together to be synergistically superior to many aftermarket pairings. And I do trust the designers behind them (both companies) to understand this and design a better product.

 

[tuckers]

I for one would like to never add any ANC to any true audiophile level product.

ANC is something we definitely don't need outside of you constantly getting on a plane or train, etc. If you want ANC, get a headphone purely focused on that.

Just....no. Keep it away. Passive noise isolation is enough. ANC makes me sick, really.

As for ability to swap pads, the Panda has mounted pads that snap on, but you can definitely remove them and try and find pads that have a large enough lip to go over. I tried with the Shure 1540 Alcantara pad, and they fit well enough. Didn't sound great unfortunately. I don't wanna cut out the inner screen of those pads just to see if it makes it better, either.

Well, you DO know that you can turn off ANC, and only use it when you are in a noisy environment? The mark of a well designed product is one that works well in many different scenarios, same as an amp that can drive a wide variety of headphones is generally more desirable than one that only works with high or low impedance headphones.