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Showing 1 of 1320 conversations about:
Drop + THX Panda Wireless Headphone
RichardBroder
15
Feb 21, 2020
Seeing that the batteries don't seem to be replaceable , I have some questions regarding battery longevity of the unit. Knowing that Li-Ion batteries will lose 20% of usable capacity per year if you leave them sitting at a full charge (but will only lose around 4% if you store them at 50% charge), I always keep all my Li-Ion devices at below 70% of charge (that significantly increases battery longevity). In the reviews I saw, the interface of the Panda seems to be very minimal and I couldn't see if there is any possible way to check the current battery charge of the Panda (like you can on the Sony XM3's, for example). Does the Panda have any sort of battery level indicator, or is it limited to just the "low battery beeps"?
I also noticed you can't use the 3.5mm jack to signal the internal THX amps, so you have to use either BT or a USB C-to-C (which my PC offers) for that. However, if I use the USB-C port, the batteries will charge until they are eventually 100% full, and I believe there is no way around that (other than not using USB-C), correct? One tip of advice is to offer the possibility to interrupt the charging at 70-80% (without having to disconnect the cable) to preserve battery longevity. I know that it is very unlikely to see this in the Panda given it's very minimal interface, but that is a very welcoming feature, not to mention it is environmentally responsible (that allows users to not have to replace their Li-Ion units so often), so I would strongly suggest you consider the feature for future versions of the Panda. With such high battery life, I can't imagine anyone who would actually need a full 100% charge. With a "toggle" allowing me to limit the charge to 70-80%, I would much rather just use that and have the battery healthy for 5+ years than charge it to 100% and have the battery becoming "bad" after just 2 or 3 years. Either way, for gaming I will probably just run it straight from the 3.5mm and my PC's crappy internal amp, I'm hopeful they will be enough to drive these phones for gaming. For music sessions I will either have to get myself a BT module (so that I don't have to force full charges on the battery by using USB-C audio) or get a Magni Heresy to drive them (I hope that's a good match).
(Edited)
Anzial
1494
Feb 21, 2020
RichardBroderYour phone may be able to report battery charge on the headphones
RichardBroder
15
Feb 21, 2020
AnzialThat's useful, thank you!
Dati
3
Feb 29, 2020
RichardBroderThis comment exemplifies my concern. I don't want the headphones charged anywhere above 50%, that's all I'd ever need, but I'd prefer usb-c input at the computer since I do not have an amplifier of my own. I really wish the industry standard for devices with lithium-ion batteries was user control over the amount charged, It'd reduce a lot of e-waste and increase the lifespan of devices.
RichardBroder
15
Feb 29, 2020
DatiUnfortunately this standard only exists in e-vehicles and some laptopts. I really push hard on the "don't fully charge your battery" as that is the single biggest reason Li-Ion batteries will go bad. For the industry, in general, pushing this standard would be negative as it would allow users to keep their devices for much longer. I find it amusing that absolutely no "prestigious" youtuber picks up this point, instead being worried about useless crap like high refresh rate screens or 100+ MP cameras on phones. Companies might brag about wanting to save the world as much as they can for mkt purposes, in the end of the day the shareholders are worried about profits, and to go profitable you have to go over the environment (can't do both, apparently). The biggest reason people replace modern portable devices is because the battery has reached end of life, despite the device itself still remaining perfectly capable. Even devices with user replaceable batteries tend to be replaced. That's because a original certified battery tends to be expensive (and hard to find), and the market is overflood with counterfeit and used batteries (sold as new). If the battery is non user-replaceable, things get worse.
A device like the Panda, for me, is not something one should replace every 2 years. And, yes, I could just keep using it as a regular wired headphone once the battery is bad, but I actually enjoy the idea that, if I want to, I can use it wireless (that's the main selling point of this product, isn't it? The best wireless headphone in the world, take out the wireless capability and it's no longer the best). Not the end of the world, though, I'll just manually control the charge and have to avoid listening to music through usb-C (so it's either BT or 3.5mm with external amp).
OriginalHayze
8
Mar 9, 2020
RichardBroderThey said on the indigogo page you can take the right ear apart and replace the battery with a off the shelf one if you wanted too. If your that concerned with it. That being said however your numbers are best practice not necessarily always correct, battery quality is a big part of deterioration, and cycle numbers.
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