Review: PaMu Waterproof Wireless Earphones $79
It’s fair to say that wireless headphones and earphones didn’t used to be that great. Sound quality was generally poor, often very hissy, and range wasn’t all that good either. How things have changed.
We’ve been using these latest PaMu wireless earphones for a little while and so far we’re extremely impressed. We first saw them on crowdfunding website Indiegogo where they raised nearly $1 million in funding ($938,245 to be precise) and were sent a pair from the US (they arrived in about a couple of days, quicker than I get most first class mail in the UK!)
They were available to pre-order via Indiegogo, but they are now available from here for $79.
Incorporating Bluetooth Version 4.2 technology, the PaMu earphones look like large black cufflinks inside a presentation box that doubles as a very snazzy charging case. Simply press a button on the side and watch the top of the case rise up, then turn the lid to the left or right to reveal the ear buds themselves.
Charging is via a micro USB to USB cable which you can either hook up to your computer (as in the picture at the top of the page) or directly to a USB plug. On the front of the charging case is a set of four blue lights which indicate how much the earbuds have charged.
PaMu claims these wireless earphones offer 3.5 hours of music or 4.5 hours of talking time if you are using them as a Bluetooth headset for driving etc (in which case it’s best to wear the left earpiece only as they are quite good at blocking out external sound).
Splashproof design
The outside of each earpiece also serves as a multi-function button. Tap once to play or pause a track and twice to fast forward. If you want to answer a call all you have to do is press the outside once. A microphone is provided on the bottom of each earbud so people shouldn’t have any problems hearing you.
Usually I struggle with earphones because they tend to fall out of my ears when I’m wearing them, so I much prefer large headphones. However this wasn’t the case with this Pamu wireless design. This is because they feature a little hook to hold them in place on your ear – see picture above. However, if you are still struggling, PaMu does include different sized earbuds in the box.
Synchronising the wireless headphones to your smartphone/iPad etc is relatively straightforward using Bluetooth. However, the left earpiece is the master earpiece so this tends to sync first and on a couple of occasions I had to wait for sound for the right channel to come in (this didn’t take more than a few seconds though). Alternatively you can use them as two separate mono headsets, but I haven’t tried this yet.
In terms of performance, I am really impressed with this PaMu design. Sound is crisp, hiss free and quite bassy. Bluetooth only has a range of about 10 metres (30 feet) but I was able to listen to music throughout the house using the PaMu earphones even with my smartphone left in my office on the second floor.
Finally, if you like to listen to music down the gym or when you’re out running then you will appreciate the splash proof and sweat proof design (IPX5). And while they’re not suitable for use in the swimming pool unfortunately (for that you will need a dedicated waterproof MP3 player), they are perfect for everyday use on land!
Highly recommended.
See our YouTube video showing the cool looking carrying case below:
Pros
Lovely ergonomic charging case
Simple design which stays in your ear
Splash and sweat proof (IPX5)
Cons
Black earpieces aren’t the most attractive
Drain smartphone battery quite quickly
Can’t be used underwater
PaMu Waterproof Wireless Earphones – Key features
Bluetooth version – Bluetooth 4.2
Radio frequency – 2.4GHz
Music time – approx. 3.5 hours
Talk time – approx. 4.5 hours
Distance – 10m from device
Product weight – 6.5g
Dimensions (cradle): 25.9 x 22.5 x 27mm
You can buy the PaMu wireless earphones from here for $79.
