Reviews: PaMu Unique Wireless Earphones from Padmate

Living up to the unique monicker, the PaMu earphones deliver quality sound and battery life, while allowing you the option to change the cover.

If given the option for a mulligan, I do not believe many people would turn this down for the year 2020. No matter if you are still working your job, or if you have taken another, or if you found yourself on unemployment, the Sars-COV-2 virus has not been friendly. The COVID-19 social distancing drastically affected our ability to interact with others and to live the life that we knew prior to 2020. My children have grown more involved with their iPads, with digital movies, with their Nintendo Switch, and with their Oculus Quest. Favoring the Ready Player One lifestyle, even their school went digital. With so much time spent in the digital world, we needed quality listening tech to enjoy the music, books, lectures, movies, etc. With so little free spending money available, we wanted an inexpensive option that would provide many of the bells and whistles, without breaking the bank. The PaMu Unique Bluetooth Headphones from padmate surpassed those requirements.

The PaMu Unique arrived in three separate boxes.  The smallest of the boxes was the white-colored PaMu Wireless Charging Receiver, which measured 2 1/16 inches square by 3/4 inches thick.  The cover provided the pamu title in silver font and “Wireless Charging Receiver” along the bottom. The top and bottom panels were left unadorned, while the left panel provided the website, Facebook page, and their address.  The right panel provided a paragraph describing wireless charging and the back panel listed the T6D model, 5V/2A input, 5V/1A output, and an SKU sticker.  The second black-colored package measured 4 inches wide by 5 inches tall by 7/8 inches thick.  The cover had the same pamu logo in silver font and had a colorful sticker along the top left.  The top, bottom, left and right panels were blank black panels, while the back panel provided a useful instructional panel recommending that you personalize your PaMu Unique prior to using the earphones.  I appreciated the masterful use of the contrasting silver font upon the black background.  Both informational and visually appealing, I believe the black packaging was my favorite of the two smaller boxes.  The larger, device-containing white box, measured 4 7/8 inches square by 2 3/4 inches thick.  The cover provided the PaMu Unique title along the top left and the pamu brand along the top right of the panel in the same silver-shimmering font.  Beneath the silver font, you will find an attractive image of the PaMu Unique device and charger, as well as the Qualcomm aptX logo.  The left panel provided a silver pamu logo, the left panel listed Qualcomm trademark information and the back panel provided a decalingual description of the product specifications: BT 5.0/dual microphone noise reduction, touch button, IPX5 waterproofing, 10-hour music playback.  Along the bottom, you will find two SKU labels, company contact information (same as the small white box), and many of the typical manufacturing labels. I removed the outer white slipcover and found the same silver font on the cover panel (PaMu Unique) and the right panel (pamu).  The remaining sides were solid black, with the top panel housing the plastic product hanging tab. 

Within the smaller box, I found a small square dual-language instruction manual and a black 1 9/16 inches diameter charging disk with USB-C attachment point atop a foam square with USB-C cutout.  The instruction manual showed the installation of the charging disk along the side of the wireless earphone case.  The black-colored medium-sized case contained three different magnetic case covers (4 3/4 inches tall by 3 3/4 inches wide) for the PaMu Unique device (Black hexagonal, black multi-colored, red multi-colored).  I gripped the main panel of the large box and opened the flaps to the left and to the right.  The inner surface of the left two-panel followed the same theme as the outer box with silver font upon a black background.  The panel recommended to place earphones into the charger, fully charge the case, and then to remove the left then right earphones.  The right panel showed an attractive male soccer player with the PaMu Unique earphones within his ear.  I tugged on the cloth pull tab and removed the earphone charging case, then removed each of the earbuds and added to them to the correct holes within the charging case.  I removed the black/colored wrap from the black box and wrapped it around the earphone charging case.  The included magnets ensured that the case remained affixed to the charging case. Beneath the molded foam earphone insert, you will find the included accessory case, which contained a 3 3/8 inches wide by 5 3/4 inches tall leather black drawstring bag, 14 1/2 inches long USB-A to USB-C cable, a bag with large/medium/small oval-shaped black ear tips, and small/large semi-opaque grey ear tips.  Additionally, you will find a grey ear sizing tips chart (S/M/L default sized tips as well as extra deep tips), and an instruction manual.

I added the earbuds into the case, placed the wireless charger receiver on the end of the charging case, and then placed it onto my Ventev wireless desktop charger.  While charging, you will see four LED indicator lights, representing 25% power each (0-25%, 25-50%, 50-75%, 75-100%).  The instruction manual promised 10hours of battery life and up to 2 additional charges from the 400mAh case.  When fully charged (1.5 hours), I removed the earbuds from the 37mm x 96mm charging case.  The earphones directly entered into pairing mode and were ready to pair with my iPhone 11 Pro Max.  I navigated to Settings, Bluetooth, and selected PaMu Unique from the list.  I placed the earbuds into my ears and rotated the devices into place.  Once connected, you will hear a female voice announce “Pairing Successful.”  Each of the devices had a touch button located along the back of the earbud.  If you tap either device once, you can play/pause music or answer a phone call.  If you double-tap either of the devices, you can decline a phone call (in call mode).  Beyond those options, the left/right earbuds will do different tasks.  By double-clicking the left device, I was able to activate Siri.  By double-clicking the right device, I was able to move the track forward. To increase the volume, long press the right ear button and to decrease the volume, long-press the left device. I typically do not like long press volume controls because they tend to be rather clunky.  Historically, I have preferred single press volume changes and long press function control. However, I was pleased with the volume control of the PaMu Unique and found that the volume was easily adjusted with the button presses.  The single tap, double-tap (Siri activation), and long press options worked flawlessly and the integration was quite well done.

To test the audio of the PaMu Unique earbuds, I turned to one of my favorite websites, audiocheck.net.  For my first test, I utilized the Low-Frequency Response and Subwoofer Audio Test (10-200 Hz).  I was able to hear the deep rumble of the bass starting at 20Hz but really felt the push around 30Hz, which was not unreasonable for the size of the earbuds.  I was pleased with the tap controls and found that I was able to play/pause the track with a single tap of either of the earbuds. Oddly, I was able to advance the track by double-tapping the right earbud, but there was no option to move to the previous track.  Holding the right earbud for a few seconds, the sound increased, and holding the left earbud for a few seconds the volume decreased.  I liked that it will continue to increase/decrease until it either maxes or minimizes.  For the second test, I turned to the High-Frequency Response and Hearing Audio Test (22-8 kHz).  This test is more user-specific than the Low-Frequency Response test because we tend to lose our upper range of hearing before our lower range.  I was able to hear the high pitched tones starting at 15kHz, which was on par with my current ability to hear.  After testing the frequency ranges, I used the Left/Right/Center test and found the programming to be correct.  To further show the quality of the speakers, I used my absolute favorite feature of the audiocheck.net website, the Stereo Perception and Sound Localization Test.  Using binaural recording and the sounds of knocking, the test makes you think that people are knocking behind you.  Even though they have used this test dozens of times, my children continue to jump.  Pleased with the tests, I listened to several 8D Audio options (Sound of Silence, Gladiator, In the Air Tonight, I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing).  As a favorite example, I encourage you to listen to “Sound Of Silence (3D Binaural Audio)- Simon and Garfunkel Cover-Jarvis Brothers (Ear to Ear).

The PaMu Unique wireless earbuds passed all of my tests and ranked at or near the top of the sub $100 earbuds that I have used.  Currently at $89, down from $199, the sound, the comfort, the accessories, and the ability to charge via USB-C or wirelessly were a steal.  The device lacked some of the features of higher-end headphones like active noise cancellation and pass through, but I did not really miss them.  I was pleased with the 8-10 hour battery life and enjoyed Amazon Prime Music, Pandora, Spotify, and Audible on a recent trip to Nashville to visit the doctor for my youngest daughter.  Even though active noise canceling was not present, the passive noise cancellation helped to eliminate most of the road noise.  To evaluate the bass, I love to use “Bright Lights Bigger City” by CeeLo Green, “Train Song” by Holly Cole,” “Far Over The Misty Mountains Cold” from The Hobbit, the Gladiator Soundtrack, and Dark Knight Rises Joker Theme “Why So Serious,” from 3:00-4:00.  I found the bass was clear and crisp and supported the mids/upper sounds.  The mid/upper sounds never got tinny or harsh and the balance remained strong throughout low to higher volumes.  To round-out my testing experience, I listened to several options by the Gospel Plowboys, Home Free, Pentatonix, and The Gaither Vocal Band.  I love to listen to Bob Marley and the Wailers “Turn Your Lights Down Low,” Radiohead “The National Anthem,” “Caribbean Blue” by Enya, and Yosi Horikawa “Bubbles” to show the sound-staging.  I feel that the PaMu Unique headphones did a fairly good job at placing the music within space and with balancing the sounds.  Recently, I have begun using “Check your Earphones/Headphone Sound Quality with 7D Virtual Experience 1 and Experience 2” to test my headphones.

I was pleased with the shape of the earbuds, with the weight of the earbuds, with the Bluetooth range, with the sound, and with the appearance.  The oval-shaped ear tips provided a comfortable listening experience and the microphone placement allowed for clear phone conversations when indoors or outdoors.  I was able to run/jog, jump rope, and to play with my kids outdoors while wearing the earbuds.  The IPX6 rating should have been noted to be sweatproof instead of waterproof, however.  These earbuds were not designed to be used for swimming, showers, or aquatic sports.  Watching movies/Television on Hulu, CBS All Access, Movies Anywhere, Amazon Prime Video, and VUDU provided a refreshing experience without any lag.  I was able to listen to the theatrical sounds, without disturbing my wife while sleeping or reading next to me.  Similar to many Bluetooth headphones/speakers, I did notice a significant lag while watching YouTube videos. I liked that they included USB-C charging and am on the fence about the USB-A to USB-C charging option.  The ability to charge wirelessly, with the added dongle, made a significant impact on the overall charging experience.  The ability to listen for >8 hours with only a few hours of charge may have been one of my favorite features.

Despite all of the positive aspects to the PaMu Unique earbuds, there were two features that I did not like.  With the trend to make devices smaller and more pocketable, they have started to acquire a characteristic long/flat shape.  The round cylindrical shape of the 3 3/4 inches long by 1 1/2 inches diameter case was not too comfortable in the pocket.  I loved the option to change the outer skin and that the website allows for several choices.  The second feature that I did not favor was the inability to reverse tracks with the earbuds.  Despite the negatives, the positive aspects to the earbuds far overshadowed them.  Overall, I would rate the PaMu Unique Earbuds at 9.5/10 for sound, 10/10 for comfort, 10/10 for battery life, 9.5/10 for accessories, and 10/10 for packaging.  For added information about the USB-C fast charging, (5 min for 1 hour), the quality audio, the consumer replaceable covers, and the accessories, navigate to the Padmate website.