In 2018, I reviewed several sets of PaMu true wireless earbuds from (then) relative newcomer Padmate. Those were a big crowdfunding success. The company has expanded considerably since then. I count at least a dozen PaMu earbud and headphone offerings these days. I just wrapped up testing on the company’s latest, the $129 PaMu Z1 true wireless earbuds with ANC.
Unboxing and Setup
The PaMu Z1s arrived nice boxed and well packaged. Inside, the earbuds arrive packed inside their charge case. Also included are a carrying pouch, a USB-C cable, and additional sets of silicone ear tips.
I was surprised to see these earbuds have gone with the flattened, elongated outer shell design. They have more than a passing visual resemblance to the UE FITS earbuds I reviewed last summer. If you don't like the look of AirPods, here’s an alternative. My review units were in the Gray color, which is actually a mix of gray and white. They are quite attractive earbuds, and they fit quite comfortably. They offer IPX4 water resistance, which means they should be able to withstand water splashes from any direction. I’ve been wearing them while out shovelling snow and they had no issue with exposure to the elements.
Basic setup is the straightforward Bluetooth pairing process (they use Bluetooth 5.2). No problems there, the connection to my iPhone has been solid and they reconnect reliably. The iPhone connects to both earbuds, so there’s no fussing with having one bud drop off and having to get them back in sync.
PaMu offers an app-based EQ of sorts (six presets, really), but to get that you have to create an account. There’s no charge for the app, but the whole account process is something that a lot of people can’t be bothered with. If that’s you, don't worry, the earbuds are perfectly usable without the app.
These buds use touch controls for controlling features like music playback and ANC. I found the touch worked well, likely aided by that flat surface. You can program the taps to suit your preferences using the app, but the presets will probably work for most people.
Audio Performance and ANC
How did the PaMu Z1 earbuds sound?
Padmate says they are equipped with 10mm dynamic drivers with PEN+ Titanium composite diaphragms. The results is energetic music with very decent bass performance and a reasonably crisp upper end. At least until I started pushing the volume. All was good until I hit about 70% volume, then I started hearing real distortion in the midrange. Guitars got buzzy, that sort of thing. That limitation wouldn’t bother me — I seldom listen to headphones at volumes over the halfway mark — but if you like it loud, these are probably not the earbuds for you.
Generally speaking, these would be perfectly fine for casually listening to music or to provide music/video audio playback during a workout. They’re not ideal for serious music listening sessions, though. That’s not a knock considering their price point.
Like many earbuds that include ANC, having the feature active added more muscle to the Z1’s low end. And if you want to tweak the audio, you do have limited control through the app presets.
These earbuds include hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC). The feature takes advantages of the earbud microphones to cancel out lower and mid-frequency sound. This works pretty well against annoying background sound like traffic noise. Not so great with dogs barking and kids yelling, for those of you who are working from home. There is a also a passthrough mode that uses the mics to pipe in ambient noise so you are more aware of your surroundings. In between is the passive noise cancellation which you get from a snug fit.
Battery Life
Padmate rates the PaMu Z1 earbud battery life at about 6.5 hours. That’s not bad for wireless earbuds these days. In testing I found the number was accurate, although if you keep ANC on it shaves that down by an hour or so. If you want to really stretch out battery life or want to be especially aware of your surroundings, you can use either earbud independently.
Each Z1 earbud is equipped with an LED battery/pairing indicator.
Fully charging the buds takes about 1.5 hours and there is no fast charge. So although you have a total of 24 hours of play time with the charge case included, you’ll need to deal with downtime to charge the buds. If you leave the buds in the charger for 20 minutes, that should get you roughly two hours of playback time.
An Interesting Charge Case
This is the third set of earbuds from PaMu that I’ve reviewed — and the third set that features a unique take on a charge case. When all true wireless earbuds start to look alike, the case is one way to make a visual difference
With the X13 earbuds, it was a circular case with lid that rotated to open. The PaMu Scroll buds had a cylindrical charge case with a leather flap for a lid.
How did the company choose to stand out with the Z1 charge case? It adopts a more traditional form factor, and incorporates USB-C and Qi wireless charging. There are four different colors available. The flexible, branded “belt” that wraps the case in a contrasting color can be removed and replaced with one of a different color for an element of customization. You do have to pay extra for those replacement belts, though. The MSRP on a three-pack is $15.
The feature I found most interesting, though, was the LED charge indicator light. Instead of the usual pinpoint LED, there is a small, clear tab sticking out of one end of the case. It’s made of a flexible plastic and embossed with the PaMu logo. Stick the case on a wireless charger and the entire tab glows with a white light, pulsing to show it is charging. When fully charged, it’s a solid white. Oddly, this feature does not seem to work when charging by USB-C.
The case holds roughly three full charges, taking the buds to a total of 24 hours of play time. On my Qi wireless charger, a full charge took about two hours.
The case is quite top-heavy and has a curved bottom. It will stand upright, but is very wobbly. Open the lid and it immediately topples over. The USB-C charge port is on the bottom, and Q1 wireless charging requires the case to be on its back.
Recommendation
The PaMu Z1 true wireless earbuds are decent enough performers, they look good, and they were comfortable to wear. ANC is useful. Their charge case adds a bit of a cool element to the equation. However, the competition in the $100 - $150 range for earbuds is pretty fierce.
I’m going to say that at the $129 MSRP, I can’t recommend the Z1s as being a standout choice. However, at the current discounted price of $69 (at time of publication), the PaMu Z1 true wireless earbuds are definitely worth checking out. If that sounds familiar, I said the exact same thing two years ago about PaMu’s Scroll earbuds...
Disclosure: PadMate provided a PaMu Z1 earbuds for evaluation but had no input into this review.
