Introduction:
I read plenty of divergent views on the Panas. Some like it, some love it and some don’t like them at all. After a lot of hesitation, I pulled the trigger on these a month ago and have them for a week now. Usually, my “impressions†come out quickly after heavy listening in a week-end (10-12 hrs). This review has taken me more time to write. It’s as if when I had an answer, Panas had already changed the question. It took me a long time to find the right set of tips that actually worked. I also wanted to do a more detailed review, but couldn’t do it this time.
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Photos:
From Left to Right: The Packing, IEM Views 1 & 2, Detached driver, The Cable
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[/FONT] Specifications:
The Outside – Looks, Packing, External factors
Accessories & Packing: Accessories include 3 sizes of single flange, a threaded pouch in a very simple packing. “Hi-Fidelity for Audiophiles†in gold letters on the packing leaves no room for argument about the target market
Build Quality: Among the IEMs I currently own, these have the best build quality. Compared to the pathetic build quality of some of the higher priced IEMs, Panas seem to be from another planet. The Zirconias look nicer on the eyes and actually feel very solid. I am not going to run a car over them to test the durability. But, I guess they may pass that test. The nice sound the shells make on collision always brings a smile. Suffice to say, I don’t have an issue handling them normally or even forcefully compared to RE-252.
I know their MRP was $220. But for the going price of $80-90, they provide detachable cable, which probably only Sleek Audio provides. The cable is thicker and feels nice. It is shorter at 1m, which works if you keep Clip+ / S9 in shirt pocket or arm band; but not when you keep your player in the pant pocket and/or try to wear them over the ears. One could always get a Sleek Audio SA1 / SA6 replacement cable. The cable costs $25 at Sleek Audio’s online store and adding a $15 international shipment, it is not cheap. But, it’s the cheaper option as Pana’s original replacement cable seems to be restricted to Japan.
My filters survived numerous tip changes for a week. Just before posting this review, the right mesh filter came off when I wanted to test the PFE tips (which I need to stretch because width is smaller than the nozzle). The cord cinch did not seem to work at first, but just a bit of a twist makes it stay in place (Thanks to dfkt, abi review thread).
Fit & Comfort: Since these are normal IEMs (unlike RE-252 – don’t get me started on those again!), I had no issues with fit or comfort. These are slightly heavier, so I feel some pressure over long hours of usage.
Isolation: Isolation is very tip dependent. These isolated well with the Phonak PFE tips, but not so much with the better sounding V-Moda tips or the UE compatible tips from Lostearbuds.
Microphonics: I did not have an issue either wearing down (less bothersome) or over the ears (none at all).
The Sound
In a slight departure from my previous ‘impressions’, I cannot condense my review into shorter notes. This is because my view of Panas had changed from “over-rated†to “Slightly better than Tier-2†to accepting the fact that these are good IEMs. I’ll try to keep them as short as I can. I do have a slight disappointment though – I wanted to write a negative review and put these down initially, but now I can’t. I’ll have to seek that pleasure elsewhere, and I’ve already found one candidate <delivish_grin>.
The only IEM I can compare to HJE900 in terms of how I perceived them would be RE0. Both of them frustrated me no end out of the box, what with rave reviews and my personal views not matching. It took me a lot of attitude adjustment to tune myself into their sound when I realized they won’t change for me. Kind of reminds me of this dialogue from “Shawshank Redemption†– “These walls are funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on themâ€.
Out of the box with the stock tips, Panas sounded like crap. The bass reminded me of EP-630, no less. The sound stage was like a narrow road across my head with instruments sounding like lamp posts on the way. I am not a great believer in burn-in. But, I am a believer in tips. So, I changed several tips and tried hard, but they won’t change in the first few hours. I thought these were clearly FOTM and I had just sunk my hard earned money into a shit hole of no return.
Then, I tried to “burn-inâ€. I let Fuze shuffle through the entire library for about 12 hours and ‘magic’ happened. These actually started to sound like an IEM. I repeated the 12 hour procedure for two more days. But on subsequent days, I observed no change, at least not what my ears could detect. I guess I have to at least agree that there’s a driver settling time for some IEMs.
Review (36 hours of burn-in, approx 25 hrs of actual usage)
For the Panas, I tried various tips mentioned in the reviews and posts. I tried M11+ Double flange, M9 Balanced flange, Monster gel tip (small), Phonak PFE Medium flange, Ultimate Ears compatible tips from Lostearbuds and V-Moda compatible tips from Lostearbuds. Of these, only the last two do justice to the Panas. Other tips either make the sound stage smaller / compressed or lose the bass. Any tip with a wider opening will do well with the Panas. The rest of the review is done with the V-Moda compatible tips.
The sound stage with Monster tips is more wide than deep. With the stock tips, it’s the reverse – It was too deep and narrow. With the PFE tips, the sound stage is a bit narrower than normal, but deep. With the UE and V-Moda tips, the sound stage is both wide as well as deep. Separation and placement are excellent. You can pin point instruments easily in the 2-D space.
Compared to BA phones, I generally find dynamics to do better in the bass department due to the longer decay and it is no different here. The bass on Panas is extended and has solid punch. This too is dependent on the tip. With the Monster gel tips, it loses the quantity and sounds cleaner like the PFE. With the UE/V-Moda tips, bass becomes cleaner, punchier, extended and detailed. I’d call the bass just about right with these tips.
While drums on rock tracks sound natural, you can easily switch to something like Massive Attack and enjoy it as well. There’s more mid-bass than sub-bass in contrast to something like a Hippo VB. But there’s no mid-bass hump like RE0, which just sounds unnatural to my ears. These do have significantly better quantity than RE0, RE252, DBA-02, but still lesser than Xears TD-100-I. More importantly, the bass adds the string weight in some of the tracks, which adds to the fun.
The mids are recessed and slightly warmer. I generally am used to forward mids of late. So, I had copious amounts of mental burn-in to adapt to the V-shaped signature.
The treble is fast and was closer to a BA than a dynamic. At odd times, treble does lives on the edge.
For those of you worrying about sibilance, yes! There is sibilance and you could try the foam mod if you want to tame them. I can forgive sibilance more than many and hence found no need to do it. However, sibilance comes off as troublesome only with wider opening tips like V-Moda / UE. There was none when I used the PFE tips. With PFE tips, Panas are ‘buttery smooth’ – if I can even use that term for sibilance. To compare, Hippo VB is like being cut by a trained Samurai.
Presentation: For me, Panas exactly followed the pattern of RE0 – unimpressive for the first 25 hours, adjustment for the next 25 hrs and appreciation thereafter. Until I switched to V-Moda tips, I really did not see anything special in them. But, it does take time to see past the obvious things like Sound stage and frequency response and start appreciating an IEM.
The overall sound is certainly not neutral. It is a bit colored with a hearty lower end, warm mids and a sparkling, on the edge treble. The words ‘thin’, ‘dry’ have no relation whatsoever to the Panas’ sound. It's a pleasure to listen to guitars on this one, especially with the imaging which positions band members very neatly. Compared to my more analytical IEMs, I'd say Panas sound musical to a large extent.
Panas display good balance, dynamics, speed and timbre. I found their dynamic range to be less than RE-252, but it was still better than something like a DDM. Instruments sound natural and engaging, especially electric guitars. With vocals, I don’t find them lacking in the details department, but they still are not clear to me like IEMs which have forward mids and/or neutral sounding. In general, you may find that RE0 / PFE have slightly better clarity over the Panas.
I tested them with a few lower bit-rate files and was not very impressed. I’m not sure if ‘noises’ was due to the bad rip or those actually were compression artifacts. But, Panas scale up better with FLAC files and 320kbps MP3s.
They seem to do better with S9 than Clip+ and likewise at higher volumes than lower volumes. I have more FLACs in S9 and 320kbps files in Clip+. Not sure if this has anything to do with it. Low volume listening can be done if these are used for background listening (Rockboxed Clip+ at -28dB). But I like them better with more volume (like -22/-25dB).
Value for Money
With detachable cable and great build quality overall, Panas look solidly built compared to RE0. So, for that feature alone, I can add a $15-20 to their price of $80. I’d say they are very good value for money for anything less than $100. But then, there are plenty of choices around this $50-80 range.
Conclusion
Unlike my last three IEMs (DDM, DBA-02, RE-252), I did not like the Panas out of the box. At least for me, they were not tuned to “Wow†out of the box. They are not good because they do something very special, but they do many things right and only a few things wrong.
It may take some time to like them if you’ve heard better or equivalent IEMs. If you are upgrading from a lower range, they could sound great out of the box. They are none the less a very polarizing IEM – you either get “it†or you don’t. Would these be my “go to†IEMs? I am not sure. They may not be the best ever IEM I've heard so far, but they certainly stand their ground and give a worthy fight to most of my "top" and "near-top" tier IEMs.
Ranking in my list
Initially, I could not decide if they are Tier-1A (RE0, PFE) or Tier-2 (Hippo VB, Xears TD100). After a lot of A-B-ing with Xears, VB, 252 later, I am placing them in Tier-1A.
Is it for ME?
I like crystal clear vocals; I want to hear every whisper, breath – Go for RE-252
I like forward mids / I like a bassy IEM / I faint at the hint of sibilance and don’t do mods - Skip it!
I like timbre / I don’t mind recessed mids / I hate thin notes & dryness of RE0 / I don’t mind if treble lives on the edge / I usually give time for an IEM to settle in - Panas can be a good choice for you.
I read plenty of divergent views on the Panas. Some like it, some love it and some don’t like them at all. After a lot of hesitation, I pulled the trigger on these a month ago and have them for a week now. Usually, my “impressions†come out quickly after heavy listening in a week-end (10-12 hrs). This review has taken me more time to write. It’s as if when I had an answer, Panas had already changed the question. It took me a long time to find the right set of tips that actually worked. I also wanted to do a more detailed review, but couldn’t do it this time.
[FONT="]
Photos:
From Left to Right: The Packing, IEM Views 1 & 2, Detached driver, The Cable
[/FONT][FONT="]
[/FONT][FONT="]
[/FONT][FONT="] 
[/FONT][FONT="]
[/FONT][FONT="] 
[/FONT] Specifications:
- Driver Diameter: 12.5mm
- Impedance: 26 Ohm
- Sensitivity: 100 db/ mw
- Frequency Response: 6 Hz to 26kHz
The Outside – Looks, Packing, External factors
Accessories & Packing: Accessories include 3 sizes of single flange, a threaded pouch in a very simple packing. “Hi-Fidelity for Audiophiles†in gold letters on the packing leaves no room for argument about the target market
Build Quality: Among the IEMs I currently own, these have the best build quality. Compared to the pathetic build quality of some of the higher priced IEMs, Panas seem to be from another planet. The Zirconias look nicer on the eyes and actually feel very solid. I am not going to run a car over them to test the durability. But, I guess they may pass that test. The nice sound the shells make on collision always brings a smile. Suffice to say, I don’t have an issue handling them normally or even forcefully compared to RE-252.
I know their MRP was $220. But for the going price of $80-90, they provide detachable cable, which probably only Sleek Audio provides. The cable is thicker and feels nice. It is shorter at 1m, which works if you keep Clip+ / S9 in shirt pocket or arm band; but not when you keep your player in the pant pocket and/or try to wear them over the ears. One could always get a Sleek Audio SA1 / SA6 replacement cable. The cable costs $25 at Sleek Audio’s online store and adding a $15 international shipment, it is not cheap. But, it’s the cheaper option as Pana’s original replacement cable seems to be restricted to Japan.
My filters survived numerous tip changes for a week. Just before posting this review, the right mesh filter came off when I wanted to test the PFE tips (which I need to stretch because width is smaller than the nozzle). The cord cinch did not seem to work at first, but just a bit of a twist makes it stay in place (Thanks to dfkt, abi review thread).
Fit & Comfort: Since these are normal IEMs (unlike RE-252 – don’t get me started on those again!), I had no issues with fit or comfort. These are slightly heavier, so I feel some pressure over long hours of usage.
Isolation: Isolation is very tip dependent. These isolated well with the Phonak PFE tips, but not so much with the better sounding V-Moda tips or the UE compatible tips from Lostearbuds.
Microphonics: I did not have an issue either wearing down (less bothersome) or over the ears (none at all).
The Sound
In a slight departure from my previous ‘impressions’, I cannot condense my review into shorter notes. This is because my view of Panas had changed from “over-rated†to “Slightly better than Tier-2†to accepting the fact that these are good IEMs. I’ll try to keep them as short as I can. I do have a slight disappointment though – I wanted to write a negative review and put these down initially, but now I can’t. I’ll have to seek that pleasure elsewhere, and I’ve already found one candidate <delivish_grin>.
The only IEM I can compare to HJE900 in terms of how I perceived them would be RE0. Both of them frustrated me no end out of the box, what with rave reviews and my personal views not matching. It took me a lot of attitude adjustment to tune myself into their sound when I realized they won’t change for me. Kind of reminds me of this dialogue from “Shawshank Redemption†– “These walls are funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on themâ€.
Out of the box with the stock tips, Panas sounded like crap. The bass reminded me of EP-630, no less. The sound stage was like a narrow road across my head with instruments sounding like lamp posts on the way. I am not a great believer in burn-in. But, I am a believer in tips. So, I changed several tips and tried hard, but they won’t change in the first few hours. I thought these were clearly FOTM and I had just sunk my hard earned money into a shit hole of no return.
Then, I tried to “burn-inâ€. I let Fuze shuffle through the entire library for about 12 hours and ‘magic’ happened. These actually started to sound like an IEM. I repeated the 12 hour procedure for two more days. But on subsequent days, I observed no change, at least not what my ears could detect. I guess I have to at least agree that there’s a driver settling time for some IEMs.
Review (36 hours of burn-in, approx 25 hrs of actual usage)
For the Panas, I tried various tips mentioned in the reviews and posts. I tried M11+ Double flange, M9 Balanced flange, Monster gel tip (small), Phonak PFE Medium flange, Ultimate Ears compatible tips from Lostearbuds and V-Moda compatible tips from Lostearbuds. Of these, only the last two do justice to the Panas. Other tips either make the sound stage smaller / compressed or lose the bass. Any tip with a wider opening will do well with the Panas. The rest of the review is done with the V-Moda compatible tips.
The sound stage with Monster tips is more wide than deep. With the stock tips, it’s the reverse – It was too deep and narrow. With the PFE tips, the sound stage is a bit narrower than normal, but deep. With the UE and V-Moda tips, the sound stage is both wide as well as deep. Separation and placement are excellent. You can pin point instruments easily in the 2-D space.
Compared to BA phones, I generally find dynamics to do better in the bass department due to the longer decay and it is no different here. The bass on Panas is extended and has solid punch. This too is dependent on the tip. With the Monster gel tips, it loses the quantity and sounds cleaner like the PFE. With the UE/V-Moda tips, bass becomes cleaner, punchier, extended and detailed. I’d call the bass just about right with these tips.
While drums on rock tracks sound natural, you can easily switch to something like Massive Attack and enjoy it as well. There’s more mid-bass than sub-bass in contrast to something like a Hippo VB. But there’s no mid-bass hump like RE0, which just sounds unnatural to my ears. These do have significantly better quantity than RE0, RE252, DBA-02, but still lesser than Xears TD-100-I. More importantly, the bass adds the string weight in some of the tracks, which adds to the fun.
The mids are recessed and slightly warmer. I generally am used to forward mids of late. So, I had copious amounts of mental burn-in to adapt to the V-shaped signature.
The treble is fast and was closer to a BA than a dynamic. At odd times, treble does lives on the edge.
For those of you worrying about sibilance, yes! There is sibilance and you could try the foam mod if you want to tame them. I can forgive sibilance more than many and hence found no need to do it. However, sibilance comes off as troublesome only with wider opening tips like V-Moda / UE. There was none when I used the PFE tips. With PFE tips, Panas are ‘buttery smooth’ – if I can even use that term for sibilance. To compare, Hippo VB is like being cut by a trained Samurai.
Presentation: For me, Panas exactly followed the pattern of RE0 – unimpressive for the first 25 hours, adjustment for the next 25 hrs and appreciation thereafter. Until I switched to V-Moda tips, I really did not see anything special in them. But, it does take time to see past the obvious things like Sound stage and frequency response and start appreciating an IEM.
The overall sound is certainly not neutral. It is a bit colored with a hearty lower end, warm mids and a sparkling, on the edge treble. The words ‘thin’, ‘dry’ have no relation whatsoever to the Panas’ sound. It's a pleasure to listen to guitars on this one, especially with the imaging which positions band members very neatly. Compared to my more analytical IEMs, I'd say Panas sound musical to a large extent.
Panas display good balance, dynamics, speed and timbre. I found their dynamic range to be less than RE-252, but it was still better than something like a DDM. Instruments sound natural and engaging, especially electric guitars. With vocals, I don’t find them lacking in the details department, but they still are not clear to me like IEMs which have forward mids and/or neutral sounding. In general, you may find that RE0 / PFE have slightly better clarity over the Panas.
I tested them with a few lower bit-rate files and was not very impressed. I’m not sure if ‘noises’ was due to the bad rip or those actually were compression artifacts. But, Panas scale up better with FLAC files and 320kbps MP3s.
They seem to do better with S9 than Clip+ and likewise at higher volumes than lower volumes. I have more FLACs in S9 and 320kbps files in Clip+. Not sure if this has anything to do with it. Low volume listening can be done if these are used for background listening (Rockboxed Clip+ at -28dB). But I like them better with more volume (like -22/-25dB).
Value for Money
With detachable cable and great build quality overall, Panas look solidly built compared to RE0. So, for that feature alone, I can add a $15-20 to their price of $80. I’d say they are very good value for money for anything less than $100. But then, there are plenty of choices around this $50-80 range.
Conclusion
Unlike my last three IEMs (DDM, DBA-02, RE-252), I did not like the Panas out of the box. At least for me, they were not tuned to “Wow†out of the box. They are not good because they do something very special, but they do many things right and only a few things wrong.
It may take some time to like them if you’ve heard better or equivalent IEMs. If you are upgrading from a lower range, they could sound great out of the box. They are none the less a very polarizing IEM – you either get “it†or you don’t. Would these be my “go to†IEMs? I am not sure. They may not be the best ever IEM I've heard so far, but they certainly stand their ground and give a worthy fight to most of my "top" and "near-top" tier IEMs.
Ranking in my list
Initially, I could not decide if they are Tier-1A (RE0, PFE) or Tier-2 (Hippo VB, Xears TD100). After a lot of A-B-ing with Xears, VB, 252 later, I am placing them in Tier-1A.
Is it for ME?
I like crystal clear vocals; I want to hear every whisper, breath – Go for RE-252
I like forward mids / I like a bassy IEM / I faint at the hint of sibilance and don’t do mods - Skip it!
I like timbre / I don’t mind recessed mids / I hate thin notes & dryness of RE0 / I don’t mind if treble lives on the edge / I usually give time for an IEM to settle in - Panas can be a good choice for you.
I just love the way you write . Looking forward to more reviews. If you wish to try out the Brainwavz M series lineup ,I can send it to you for comparison in the coming few months.Would love to know how the Panas would fair against the upcoming Brainwavz M3.
