First Impressions: Changing the Headphone Game

Jan 17, 202024469 VIEWS

First impressions are coming in and we couldn’t be happier with the response! Take a look at what the community and the press is saying about our latest collaboration: the world’s first wireless headphone with full-system sound. Community

Jude, Founder Head-Fi - "The DROP + THX Panda is an audiophile-class wireless (and wired) planar ribbon headphone with a rich tonal balance and excellent detail. I love that the Panda was tuned acoustically (no DSP), supports high-resolution Bluetooth with aptX HD and LDAC, and has an integrated THX AAA amplifier. I measured the DROP + THX Panda in Head-Fi's measurement lab, and its frequency response and extraordinarily low THD were essentially identical in both wireless and wired modes!"

Marv Chen, SBAF - "In comes Drop to resurrect the PM-3 as the Panda, but their style, has added their flourishes: revised tuning, a THX AAA amp with feedforward distortion correction, and wireless Bluetooth functionality. How 'bout that? How many of you guys were wishing there was a wireless PM3? Well you guys got your wish." Linus Tech Tips: "Wireless headphones for the people who actually care about audio quality - who would have thunk it, right? You've got to try them. I think these are a game changer" Mad Lust Envy, Gaming Headphone Reviewer: "For the everyday Joe looking to get just one serious pair of headphones for every purpose wether at home, on the go, or at work, the Panda is hell of an option" El Jefe Reviews: "Top dogs as far as sound quality goes these are gonna be the way to roll. And there's some tough competition out there, you've got the Sony XM3s, Bose 700s, these are going to be the king in Bluetooth headphones." BadSeedTech, Audiophile & Product Reviewer: "Bold statement time: The Panda is the best-sounding commuter Bluetooth headphone out there. Better than Bose, Sony, and Beyerdynamic." Press

9To5Toys - “Overall, Panda is a great package for the $399 MSRP. The combination of planar drivers, THX-AAA amp, and the promise of Sony LDAC make it a fully featured pair of headphones with 30 hours of battery life for audiophiles who want the convenience of wireless audio. The sound that comes out is very neutral and packs plenty of power.”

CES's 2020 Editorial picks award - "What you'll actually want to buy this year: They sound stunning, especially for the incredibly reasonable $399 price point."

HiFiTrends - "These Extraordinary Drop + THX‌ Panda Planar Magnetic Wireless Headphones Have Some Sensational Tech!"

Headphonist - "It's been a while since we've seen a true wireless headphone aimed at audio enthusiasts and not just being developed to butt-heads over best ANC on the market (Looking at you, Sony WH-1000XM3)."

Samma3a - "Lately, Drop has been teaming up with the likes of THX to release some very interesting and well-regarded headphone amplifiers. But now, they’ve gone ahead and teamed up with THX once again to release something brand new: a set of wireless headphones. They’re called the Panda headphones and they seem to offer quite a lot of value on paper.”

MorningStar and Forex TV - "THX Showcases Innovation at CES with launch of new THX Certified Game Mode and partner products featuring THX Certification and Technologies"

Sound & Vision Reporter - "Panda Audiophile Wireless Headphones Get THX Badge"

Android Central and CordCutters.com - "Drop is debuting Panda, a pair of ultra-high-quality headphones for $399. These headphones utilize THX's new AAA technology to not only deliver better audio quality than ever, but also better battery life than you could imagine."

Engadget - "I got to try a quick demo of spatial audio on the ZMBIZI smartphone using the just-announced Panda headphones from Drop and THX. Blasting Pink Floyd's ‘Money’ through the Pandas sounded great no matter what setting was activated, but it actually sounded best on the THX-enhanced stereo setting to me."

Stay tuned for our official launch on IndieGoGo on January 27th. Thanks so much for your support. We can’t wait to deliver these groundbreaking wireless headphones to the community.

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Feb 25, 2020

So awesome. Nice one, can’t wait for these to DROP! Well done to the team; nice collaboration, nice resurrection, nice price, nice product. I said “Nice one bruv’va”!

Feb 25, 2020

ricamz

Feb 5, 2020

Well .. if it happens the same with the DT 177X GO, where the test units sounded different from the production units... these "First Impressions" means nothing to me. I am waiting for the reviews of the production units

Feb 5, 2020

Anonyneko

Jan 31, 2020

How fragile is the headband? I want to buy this but I'm worried, Momentums are about the only headphones I can take outside and trust to not break within a few months. Also, what delivery service are you going to use? It can be important because they can have different ways to pay import tax for different countries and I'd like to know if I should order to Russia or to EU, which entirely depends on the delivery service that's used (DHL, UPS, snail mail, etc).

Jan 31, 2020

Dunkeroni

Feb 17, 2020

Anonyneko

The joints and moving pieces were all cast aluminum specifically to strengthen the connection. The band should be plastic, but who knows what type and how thick it may be.

Feb 17, 2020

scottlu

213

Jan 30, 2020

I dont trust it can beat sony 1000xm3

Jan 30, 2020

TomTheBomb

Jan 31, 2020

scottlu

I'm not sure it's fully meant to. It looks like it's being marketed toward a more enthusiast audience so far.

Jan 31, 2020

Whitedragem

104

Feb 25, 2020

scottlu

hahaha (it will seriously flog them) I’m not sure why the Sonys get such high accolades. They are cheap(ish) 45mm driver headphones with ‘small’ sound. The digital wizardry inside them is cool (six microphones are put to use well, so long as you don’t firmware update them and have four of the microphones confused as to what their roles are/totally wrecking havoc with the Active Noise Cancellation); The Sony do do a great job of reducing ambient noise. That is their strong point. I bought a set and couldn’t see what the fuss was about. (yes even after a long break in period/LDAC and wired from high end sources etc) If one needs ANC then sure; the Sonys’ do a great job. Sony also have nice design and comfort generally. But they truly dropped the ball on the 1000m3 with a firmware update that wrecks them and are arguing with the entire community telling them so. Instead of pulling the firmware update (clearly written for earlier models with less microphones), users have top tier noise cancelling destroyed by Sony themselves. Sony service just isn’t (service). This is based on four plus decades of owning their kit. Very hard to take them seriously, and their customer service is literally the worst I have ever experienced (OK Microsoft and Telstra (and Australian phone telco) are equally dire). If a user wants a great set of cans for listening to music these Panda’s are it. (based on previews from audioheads I trust). For the money most considering a start into hifi sound essentially are getting their DAC, their AMP and their speakers all rolled together in a portable package for peanuts price point. When factored the cost savings and the lack of ‘upgrade-itis’, this is a bargain and/or MUST BUY.

Feb 25, 2020

amey.kanade

Product Marketing

Jan 23, 2020

Winners of the Panda Listening Day Giveaway are @iamlilysdad , @Amateur-Audiophile and @djfluffkins Congratulations! We'll be in touch in the next 1-2 weeks with more details! Thanks to everyone who participated and attended the Panda listening event! It was great to meet you all in person.

(Edited)

Jan 23, 2020

Amateur-Audiophile

Jan 24, 2020

amey.kanade

Holy crap!!! I’ve never won anything this cool in my life!!! Thank you!!!

Jan 24, 2020

iamlilysdad

Jan 25, 2020

amey.kanade

I’m super excited for these! Thank you!

Jan 25, 2020

Motorrad

2467

Jan 23, 2020

Comment hidden

Will

6708

Chief Product Officer

Jan 23, 2020

Couple measurements posted in the main discussion, thanks for all your impressions! https://drop.com/buy/drop-wireless-headphones/talk/2566753?utm_source=linkshare&referer=R6FTNP

Jan 23, 2020

iamlilysdad

Jan 22, 2020

I attended the listening event and was very excited to hear these headphones. There were multiple listening stations setup, most with iPads connected to Panda's over BT. I know some are going to decry this setup as "not audiophile", but really this is very close to the primary use case for these headphones. Sound (most of the time I listen to Senn 6xx's driven by a SoundBlaster X7 and Audeze iSine 10's with cipher cable) I spent the vast majority of my time listening to the Panda's in the above scenario. They sounded incredible. Far better than other $400 BT headphones (most of which have ANC, which tends to detract from the sound quality IMO). I'm not good at describing sound, but I'll give it a try. These are very clear and offer an enjoyable sound. They don't sound ruler flat, and they don't seem to muck up any of the sound, either. Bass is fantastic and goes super low, but it's not boomy and overpowering. Mids seems very, VERY SLIGHTLY recessed, and treble is nice and pleasant. Not harsh or bright, also not missing. It's definitely there. Nothing about the sound was fatiguing to me either. I also spent a little time with the Panda's being driven by the THX amp with a turntable as the source. No bluetooth this time. My album of choice was Nevermind by Nirvana, something I am very familiar with and have listened to many times on different equipment. This removed any doubt I had about the sound quality of the Panda's. Nevermind sounded fantastic. The sound signature was the same as it was over BT, but it was definitely clearer and more resolving. Same great bass, same VERY VERY slightly recessed mids, and same great but not harsh treble. Just MORE resolution and clarity. Compared to the 6xx's (from memory, since I didn't bring them with) the Panda's have deeper and better controlled bass, mids are more recessed, and the treble extends a bit further and might have slightly better resolution. The 6xx's sound more open...because they are open. :) Comfort I purposely spent as much time with them on my head uninterrupted as possible to get a decent idea of comfort level. At first I had them on with most of the weight on the top of my head. This was not comfortable, and the headband has a barely pliable rubber material on the underside. These were not designed to be worn this way. I opened them up a few clicks and let the clamping force do the work of holding them in place. This was much more comfortable. The clamping force was just right for me. After some time I did notice that my ears were a little warm. Not unbearably so, I have had much worse, but it's something to note. The 6xx's are far more comfortable. Isolation There is no ANC. These are audiophile headphones first and foremost, and ANC would take away from that. There are plenty of good ANC headphones, and I would say go that direction if you're traveling frequently. That being said, passive isolation on the Panda's was very good. As an example, I was sitting in a chair getting lost in music and browsing the Tidal catalog...when I looked up and noticed that someone was up speaking in a PA system. I did not hear them at all over the music! (volume level on the iPad was 1/2-2/3 of the way up, so not cranked)

Jan 22, 2020

Lowrrz

Jan 21, 2020

Great headphone with superb sound. Very detailed and while they do not use anc they block out most sound.

Jan 21, 2020

Cholly

Jan 19, 2020

I was very interested in what these were going to sound like, so I attended the listening party at Drop. I tested the headphones with a few different sources, but I spent the most time with the Panda connected to the Chord Mojo. I'll reference the DT 1990 and DT 177X GO throughout this video because those are the two headphones that I practically use every day right now, and I think the DT 177X GO is in line with what these should be competing with. Comfort: The pads are very soft, likely some sort of memory foam. I would say they were a little softer than Dakoni's material. The pads have a slight taper from the base to ends that touch your head creating a sizable ear cavity. I felt that these were a bit on the shallow side though, maybe a little less deep than the DT 1990. I also felt my ears warming up pretty quickly, so you might want to be aware of that if that's something you are sensitive to. Overall I didn't feel any negative pressure points on my head but they weren't the most comfortable pair of headphones I've tried. Sound: I'll keep it brief because I probably only tested them for 30 minutes in total in a fairly noisy environment. I felt the sound signature was dark, with a slight bump in the sub and mid bass, some weird things in the upper bass and low mids, and then general flatness through the rest of the sound. The sub bass was amazing, thank you planar drivers 🙏. Really a classic example of what planar technology can do. The next notable point is the upper bass and low mids, I personally felt that something wasn't tuned quite right. It felt bloated at this point. Unfortunately, it just sounded muddy enough that I don't think a good EQ would completely be able to tune this out. I'm hoping it's just in my head but this was the worst part of the sound for me. The mids are good but not mind blowing. I was personally hoping the vocals would stand out a little more. Instruments sounded fine but a little veiled, but take that with a grain of salt, there is a lot of detail throughout the mids and if you're not using these for critical listening you won't miss much. The highs felt a little recessed, almost as if these headphones were too careful not to offend any listener. I felt there was a lack of sparkle with symbols that I'm used to having with my DT 1990s at home. I also wouldn't read too into this, in a loud external environment I find it extremely hard to properly assess the highs, however I did feel like I was missing some detail here which was a little disappointing. Overall Sound: Are these the best bluetooth headphones I've ever used? Yes. That is an easy win, but there isn't that much competition in this exact space. I have not heard the Beyer Amiron Wireless but those seem like some of the only headphones competing in the wireless high-fi space. From my impression, the sound is dark with lots of bass extension. Other Notes: There was an active decision not to include ANC. While I agree that I want to be able to turn it completely off, I don't know if not having it entirely makes them better. I just cannot see these making good travel headphones for a lot of users out there. Personally, I travel with Airpod Pros and a set of IEMs, and I don't see myself replacing those with the Pandas. In my office I use the DT 177X GO, and I think these are a really competitive offering for that usage, but I still prefer the sound of my DT 177X GO (with pad swap) more. Summary: Ok, big question, who are these for? If you work in an office or like using bluetooth in medium noise environments and want a really good sounding headphone, these are perfect, there isn't much direct competition and these are solid overall headphones. Then there is the suggested price of $400. If these headphones are not going to be your daily drivers, I have a hard time recommending them. If you already have a nice wired setup and don't mind the wires, I don't think you should get these; if you are looking for a great closed back around this price I would point you to the DT 177X Go then. If you've never owned nice sounding headphones before, this is a great pair to get started with, and these will not disappoint. Essentially, these are a fantastic all in one, but still come with all in one trade offs. Putting everything together, it is a great value, but it's not like you can pull out the amp/dac module inside the headphone and use it on a different set. I will hang on to my ES100 for the time being instead of getting the Pandas.

Jan 19, 2020

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