Drop + THX Panda Wireless Headphone Discussions | Drop

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Drop + THX Panda Wireless Headphone

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Drop + THX Panda Wireless Headphone

Exergist

Sep 17, 2020

Any recommendations out there for solid USB Bluetooth dongles as well as add-on headband covers or cushions for the Pandas?

iWasimAbbas

Sep 18, 2020

ExergistIf you solely looking for a dongle, I personally not seen many with LDAC as it may be complicated to put a bigger chip in a USB dongle however for 2nd best codec (aptX-HD) on your Panda I would say try Avantree DG60 and its cheaper solution, I use with my Aria Pro and aptX-HD connection is solid. Also, may be worth looking at newly released xDuoo XD05 Basic as this gives access to all the high end Bluetooth codecs as well as a TRS connection for those stationary listening sessions.

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Pandalover1

119

Sep 18, 2020

ExergistI was trying to find a previous post that someone had put, they mentioned a sheepskin headband cover that looked very comfy, maybe someone can remind us of this if they know what I am referring to 😀

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g0ldl10n

121

Sep 18, 2020

Pandalover1ZMF Pilot Pad works very well with the Pandas - Not sure if this is the post that you're referring to https://drop.com/buy/drop-wireless-headphones/talk/2661298?utm_source=linkshare&referer=5W5PB3

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Pandalover1

119

Sep 18, 2020

g0ldl10nYes, that's the very ones I was referring to! Thanks 👍😀

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Exergist

Sep 18, 2020

g0ldl10nThank you for that! I may also try (https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Headband-Cover-Compatible-Headphones/dp/B07K85PFYM/ref=sr_1_22?dchild=1&keywords=LTYIVABHTTW&qid=1600433443&refinements=p_85%3A2470955011&rnid=2470954011&rps=1&sr=8-22). And since you mentioned "pilot pad" I also stumbled upon (https://www.amazon.com/Headpad-Aviation-Headsets-David-Clark/dp/B00COS91PQ/ref=pd_ybh_a_6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=X8ESCKMHQARQE4F43WAX) which looks promising. I have a small head, so my Pandas are currently at their lowest headband setting. So a little extra cushion will help with the comfort AND the fit for me.

(Edited)

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Exergist

Sep 18, 2020

iWasimAbbasI just ordered the Avantree DG60 as well as the 1Mii B10, and the Recbot B0310 may be another option. It looks like the XD-05 Basic (as well as the XD-05 Plus) also requires the XD-05BL Pro add-on to have bluetooth capabilities. Another option might be the XP-2Pro. One part I'm unsure about is whether it makes sense to find an adapter that also supports AptX Adaptive since I just realized that the Pandas do NOT support AptX Low Latency (though @Will did mention previously that Panda was/is in limbo due to Adaptive superseding Low Latency). I don't believe any of the products I mentioned above support AptX Adaptive. According to the AptX website, only the Qudelix-5K support AptX Adaptive (also the ifi Zen Blue, but that's only for wireless transmitting TO the DAC). I'm not sure if the 5K has two-way audio so that the PC could receive my voice from the Panda.

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g0ldl10n

121

Sep 18, 2020

ExergistI have that first one and it fits like a glove and provides a little more comfort, but nothing to write home about.

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Exergist

Sep 18, 2020

I'll report back on my experience with both the DG60 and B10. I'm also hoping to get a response about whether or not the Qudelix-5K can receive bluetooth microphone input and pass it along to the connected device via USB. So far the Panda sounds pretty good (grain of salt, I'm not super experienced with critical listening) with the junk Windows BT hardware, so I guess we can only go up from here.

(Edited)

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iWasimAbbas

Sep 18, 2020

ExergistI think you're right XD-05 Basic seem to required Bluetooth 5.0 Module Extension and there is no word on their Amazon listing for those BT codecs I mentioned before. You will need the XD-05BL Pro. As xDuoo recently released this XD-05 Basic, there may be a possibility they launch an updated XD-05 Plus version with built-in Bluetooth or something. But again no one can see in future and let us know if the 1Mii B10 has LDAC?

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Nofind

Sep 18, 2020

ExergistCan't speak for how it will work on the Panda since mine is still at least a month out from delivery, but the ZMF Pilot Pad is definitely worth the extra money in comfort on any headphone I've ever thrown it on. Zach has also released a new version called the Co-Pilot which I believe is intended to fit on a wider variety of bands but has less padding. I may pick that up as well and try it if my Pilot Pad is too bulky for the Panda. Lastly I've used Dekoni Nuggets before and they are a cushy option, but add a bit of height so you would need to be able to extend yokes to make them fit. This could be a problem if you're already close to maxing out the headphone's size.

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danieleastman

Sep 18, 2020

ExergistI've got a couple answers for people. The 1Mii B10 is what I'm using, it supports Aptx-HD, -LL (which the panda cannot connect to) and -Classic. It also supports Sbc I believe but it never goes to that when switching between modes while connected to the panda. No LDAC. It works great for now, make sure it's away from anything metallic though or else you'll get some nasty noises that'll jump scare you while listening. I have mine on a USB extender. I've been keeping my eyes out for an Aptx-Adaptive transmitter since before I got my unit in June. They just don't exist at the moment, my guess is on Qualcomm for it. The Qudelik-5k being mentioned looks to just be a receiver for iems and such, although if I'm wrong please let me know. As far as I can tell, the only devices that exist to connect to the panda via -Adaptive are the latest Android phones.

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madzikha

Sep 19, 2020

ExergistI'll suggest you to look at Shanling M0 or Q1. I own M0 and it could works as bluetooth transmitter.

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Exergist

Sep 19, 2020

madzikhaThanks for the suggestion! I'm actually just looking to use this at a PC, so it doesn't need to be hyper portable like the M0 or Q1. Plus it doesn't look like either of those options support LDAC or aptX (maybe I'm wrong?).

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madzikha

Sep 19, 2020

ExergistM0 support both codec.

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Exergist

Sep 19, 2020

madzikhaYou are right, the QO supports LDAC and AptX. The manufacturer web page has better info than Amazon. Though it's only BT 4.1 and doesn't say what type of aptX.

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Exergist

Sep 19, 2020

danieleastmanNope you are right. I got feedback that the 5K is meant to be a receiver of Bluetooth data (device BT sends info to 5K which is then connected to something via wire like IEMs). My BT USB dongles arrive today so I'll give them a try and report back. This is probably going to turn into a "settle for now without a low latency codec" situation, which is very frustrating.

(Edited)

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iWasimAbbas

Sep 19, 2020

ExergistDG60 is Low Latency as well as HD

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Exergist

Sep 19, 2020

iWasimAbbasYes but Pandas went for the newer AptX Adaptive (with seemingly no way currently to connect in that manner to PC) and dropped LL. But wired is still an option until Adaptive is more available and I'd rather my headphone investment be forward looking.

(Edited)

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danieleastman

Sep 19, 2020

ExergistAgreed, it's frustrating. Will has said that they'll refund anyone's pandas if they bought it for the LL function since it no longer has it, but I'm in the same boat as you--I like the headphones too much to make a big fuss about it, especially since it isn't entirely Drop's fault, and I'll live with the other codecs or wired in the meantime.

Exergist

Sep 21, 2020

ExergistOk so I've spent a bit of time with the DG60 and B10. I'm not an experienced listener, and my idiot ears couldn't discern differences in sound quality between the devices or even between codecs. So this will focus more on the experience of using the devices. Similarities:

Both are USB dongles that offer BT 5.0 with SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX LL, and Fast Stream.
Both were basically plug and play and had no issues for setup and connection to Pandas.
Both have a small LED for displaying state info (pairing in-process, active codec, etc.).
Wireless range for these (in aptX HD mode) seemed similar, with maybe the B10 being a bit better. I didn't test this very much though, but don't expect miracles when it comes to range and placing too much between your Pandas and the dongle.
Both sound good (again, grain of salt for my idiot ears) while the dongle is in "music" mode (shows up as "Drop Panda Stereo" in my Windows Sound Playback settings).
Both sound like garbage while in "talk" mode (shows up as "Drop Panda Hands-Free" in my Windows Sound Playback settings). This is a limitation of current Bluetooth when passing both ear and voice audio simultaneously and is not a fault of the dongles or the Panda.
Both allow manual switching between "talk" and "music" modes via their multi-function button.

Special note:

While in aptX HD mode and with both dongles pre-paired I encountered some issues with audio popping with both dongles shortly after the Panda connects and I hear audio. It almost seems like additional time is needed to allow the dongle-Panda connection to become stable (more on this below). When in aptX mode (which I could only try with the B10) I did not encounter this popping issue.

Differences:

DG60 has a big antennae, while the B10 looks like a more traditional dongle
DG60 has a sliding switch for changing between "for music" (aptX HD) and "for gaming" (aptx LL). B10 switches audio modes via its multi-function button.
With everything pre-paired and set to aptX HD, the time between the start of pressing the Panda ON button and hearing audio from the DG60 was about 13 total seconds with about 25 total seconds before the audio popping stopped (see special note below). With the B10 plugged into the same port, this same process time was about 10 seconds to hear audio and about 25 total seconds before audio popping stopped (see special note above).
DG60 multi-function button is for pairing action, reconnecting, and manually switching between "talk" and "music" modes (more on that later). B10 multi-function button handles aptX mode switching as well as paring actions.
DG60 seems to have few LED colors (only blue and white?) while the B10 offers a variety of colors. This makes discerning the device state easier with the B10. Also the DG60 has a couple of LED states that involve blinking every few seconds (like in aptX codec mode).
While using the Panda the DG60 always showed a white LED (indicating aptX HD mode) regardless of the codec position. Makes me think the DG60 defaults to what it thinks is the appropriate codec (since it also has SBC and aptX) depending on the sliding switch position and the headphone capabilities. I could not figure out a way to manually switch to SBC or aptX mode with the DG60. The B10 did allow me to switch to aptX mode via its multi-function button, but I couldn't get to SBC mode with it either.
DG60 seemed to want to auto-switch the "talk" and "music" mode depending on what I was doing with the PC. A bad example of this (regardless of whether or not the DG60 was set as the Windows Recording device) is simply switching tabs on the Windows Sound panel from "Playback" to "Recording" would cause the mode to switch from "music" to "talk." For that example, this is highly undesired, and the only way to kill this behavior was to disable the DG60 as a recording device. If folks really are trying to use the Pandas (or any BT headset for that matter) in "talk" mode on a PC perhaps this auto-switching is desirable, though I didn't go hunting for "good" examples where this would be beneficial for me. B10 did not seem to auto-switch between "talk" and "music" modes, and seemingly the only way to perform the switch is to double-tap the multi-function button on the B10 dongle.
FWIW the B10 manual was easier to read.

Other thoughts:

I performed my testing with both dongles plugged into a USB extension cable to try and eliminate issues with nearby interference with my other PC equipment.
I tried the B10 first, and when I went to plug in the DG60 I noticed that the Windows (playback and recording) device names didn't change. It seems like Windows thought I was plugging in the same device. Makes me think these two dongles share very similar hardware.
Switching between "talk" and "music" modes on the dongles occasionally resulted in high audio output for me. I didn't explore this further, but just be careful about switching (maybe really lower the system volume temporarily?) until you have a chance to poke around for yourself.
I'm struggling to find a reason why anyone would use the Panda mics with a PC via Bluetooth, especially for non-call/communications related activities. The sacrifice to audio quality (to your ears) is huge.

Conclusion:

Based on my PC "seeing" both the DG60 and B10 as the same device name, I'd wager they have similar (nearly identical?) internals and you should focus more on the differentiating features each offers.
Biggest differences are how each dongle handles "talk" and "music" mode switching, LED behavior for showing state info, and method for changing codecs.
If you plan on using the Panda's Bluetooth mic with your PC then the "talk"/"music" auto-switching feature of the DG60 may be good, but I'd bet on it souring your experience.
If you don't give a rip about using the Panda's Bluetooth mic with your PC, then I'd go with the B10. I didn't really notice any range differences between it and the DG60 (which makes me feel like the big antennae on the DG60 isn't needed [again, YMMV]). Plus the additional colored LED states on the B10 make it easier to understand what it's doing and check your codec at a glance. Also the B10 is currently about $17 cheaper than the DG60 on Amazon.

TLDR: If you are looking for an inexpensive yet decent way to connect your Pandas to your PC via Bluetooth 5.0 and want to use aptX HD (while you bide your time for USB dongles with aptX Adaptive to be available), then get the 1Mii B10.

(Edited)

iWasimAbbas

Sep 22, 2020

ExergistMay be try this to see if LDAC change things? https://tinyurl.com/yy7lbwkc

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danieleastman

Sep 22, 2020

iWasimAbbasThat looks to be a receiver with digital out based on the other listings of it

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stfronk

Dec 14, 2020

ExergistJust got mine. My goal was to have audio via bluetooth all while plugging in the boom mic plugged in for PC audio / streaming / capturing. For the life of me I can't get both working at the same time. From the moment I plug in my boom mic, it kills my audio source regardless of type (3.5mm jack, bluetooth or USB-C).