Celest Pandamon 2 Review & Comparison

[@truthxbl]

First time stumbling onto your channel....you're going places This is how to do an unbiased, informative review.

[@donglemadness]

I appreciate that! 😸

[@hokagoteatimereviews]

They look so good!! Great review Andy 🙂

[@donglemadness]

Thanks! 😀

[@zygote8888]

Seems like a good iem for the price and easy to drive Planar not power demanding 👍🏼

[@donglemadness]

Indeed

[@colddish]

Congrats Andy for probably being the first to review this. But would you be able to compare it with Pandamon which share the very same driver? Speaking for the driver, going to sound like a teacher again but very sorry, SPD is not a magnetic planar, it’s really a DD, a flat DD and on this case a square one. The namesake planar in SPD refers to the flatness of the DD. This is why it is much easier to drive than a real planar and doesn’t have that typical planar zing.

[@donglemadness]

Thanks, If you watch the comparison section, I did compared it with the OG Pandamon and where it improved. And I know it is not a real planar, but that's how it is being mentioned and marketed, I simply use the SPD = Square Planar Driver moniker as how it was advertised. (Planar = Flat Surface)

[@colddish]

@@donglemadness thanks. Will view again as I only got to hear the comparison with the Gumiho.

[@northborneo]

I was just looking at this on Aliexpress. Its new so not much buyer reviews to get a good gauge at its performance. There is another planar thats been getting some hype and good buyers' reviews, the ARTTI T10. It'd be interesting to get your take on this planar iem.

[@donglemadness]

Yes I would be keen to try T10 myself

[@sumanthparakala2005]

@@donglemadnesshave you tried Artti 10, want to have brief comparison between this and that and make a decision to pick one

[@alexanderm.9566]

Ooh, precious! BTW Andy, have you tried ibasso CB19 USB cable splitter (power and data). Your insights would be very helpful.

[@donglemadness]

Thanks, no I haven't tried CB19 yet

[@thedude1249]

✨Has the shell been changed from the first version? There was some fitting issues with the shape. Thanks ❓❓

[@donglemadness]

It looked different and felt different to me, so yes it changed

[@nusu5331]

i own most planar iems up to Audeze LCD-i3. Besides the Audeze, the original Pandemon is my favorite because it has the best soundstage depth and the least fatiguing tuning to my ears. Subbass is a bit much tho. Specially all the popular V-shaped ones are not to my liking. Cant wait to hear this one. Thank you for the review!

[@donglemadness]

My pleasure. Enjoy your music! 😁

[@KskDd-dp8nu]

great review!! kinda off topic question but how to know if we are listening at safe volume(usually under 80dB)??

[@donglemadness]

Thanks. Safe volume levels? I don't do measurements so I really don't know the values considered as safe threshold. What I always do, try to train my ears to appreciate lower volumes and only crank it up when needed. I don't want to damage my eardrums by subjecting them to louder than "normal" listening level applicable to the individual sensitivity to sound

[@sTepDrumming]

Hy Andy, I'd like to ask, what is the widest soundstage IEM do you have? I am curious

[@donglemadness]

There's two, Hidiz MP145 and Final Audio A5000

[@user-ph6lk7eq5s]

Simgot Ea500ea 구매예정입니다 성향은 틀리겠지만 구매할 가치사 있을까여 둘중에 어느것을 추천하시나요? 한국에서 너무 잘보고 있습니디 항상 감사합니다❤

[@donglemadness]

Yes of course, either Pandamon 2 or EA500LM both I will highly recommend. Pandamon 2 if you want smooth relaxing sound and EA500LM if you want a bit more of energy and vibrancy

[@rildodemoch]

Ola. Você conhece o ARTTI T10? Pretende fazer um review dele?

[@donglemadness]

I don't have T10 yet and I don't know when I can get one. Thanks

[@MrGarkin]

Very intrigued by it too.

[@user-ph6lk7eq5s]

Nicehck f1 pro랑 fiio k11도 해주시면 좋을거 같아요 ❤

[@donglemadness]

Thanks I would like to try them too

[@fiddlix]

I might have to check this one out Andy, I would have bought the first one if the shell wasn’t so wonky and ugly on the OG lol 😂.

[@donglemadness]

LOL. I know what you mean 😅😁

[@wahid-lg1kk]

This one looks very good.. First one was, indeed, hideous

[@bestcocbaseswithlink5069]

How does this compare against better planars such as mp145, s12,s15?

[@donglemadness]

MP145 is the resident top performer for magnetic planar category and it offers the best resolution, imaging, soundstage, transient speed closely followed by DUNU Talos and Tangzu Heyday, in contrast Pandamon 2 is tuned and toned to be relaxed sounding compared against many other planars, for example it is intentionally tuned to be less energetic versus MP145 or S12, also as noted in my review here, rolled off in the upper region (safe tuned)

[@milanoreviera88]

Tq sifu utk info

[@donglemadness]

Sama sama

[@TheRebelLion13]

Sir, i believe Celest's Square Planar Driver, or a.k.a. a Flat-Panel Driver, still is pretty much a dynamic driver in a square configuration. It still behaves like a dynamic driver rather than a Planar Magnetic(hence, sounding more like a Dynamic Driver rather than a Planar Magnetic). People tend to confuse this with a Planar Magnetic(which it is not); Kinera(Celest) should have been more forthcoming about this. This also is not new tech, this flat-panel configuration was first used in car audio speakers. Square Pannel Drivers(a.k.a. Flat-Panel Drivers, a.k.a. "Square Planar Drivers") should not be compared with Planar Magnetic Drivers because it would still be like comparing a Dynamic Driver vs a Planar Magnetic Driver; ie, "apples to oranges". Kinera branding and marketing this as a "Square Planar Driver" has misled people into thinking that they are getting an affordable Planar Magnetic Driver(and expect the performance of a Magnetic Planar Driver), when really, it is just another iteration of a dynamic driver. As i have said earlier, Kinera, Celest's parent brand, should have been more forthcoming and honest about this from the beginning, and should have called this as "Square Panel Driver" or "Flat-Panel Driver", which is what these actually and technically are.

[@shrry2849]

where did this info came from?

[@TheRebelLion13]

​​ @shrry2849 Kinera's "SPD" is based on Flat-Panel Speaker technology, which has been used for decades, mostly in the car audio industry; and also in desktop computers. The first reviewer i've heard, to openly discuss this is ChiFi Audio Reviews. Kinera did not invent something new. All they did was modify a decades old existing audio tech and then patent it as their own. Flat-Panel Speakers work very much the same way as Dynamic Drivers; and that is the reason why the "SPD" sounds just like a DD. Unlike a true Planar Magnetic where the ribbon is sandwiched between two magnets to produce sound, the "SPD" still make use of an exciter, a voice coil, diaphragm, a frame, etc... Basically, it's a miniaturized Flat-Panel Driver- which, basically, is just another kind of Dynamic Driver. That is why Kinera has specifically branded it as a "SPD- Square Planar Driver". They're smart enough to know that if they refer to it as new kind of "Planar Magnetic Driver", they are going to be in a lot of serious legal trouble. Unfortunately, there were people who, when they saw/heard/read the words "Square" and "Planar", assumed that it was a Planar Magnetic Driver. But if one is to carefully analyze it, "Square" because it is obviously square in shape, and "Planar" because it is flat- a plane, hence "Planar". But Kinera made sure to not add or use the word "Magnetic" to it. The whole branding thing was still rather deceptive. And also, note that when the "SPD" debuted, it was already the middle of "Planar Wars 1", and Kinera at that time, had no Planar Magnetic iem to throw into the derby. I guess, given the price of Planar Magnetic iems at the time, Kinera recognized that there is this budget demographic that was untapped. Planar Magnetic iems were all the rage at that time, so they came out with a product that had the words "square"(given that it was already common knowledge at the time that Planars have this square shape to it), and "planar( or "flat") in its branding. And some people actually fell for it; they thought they were getting their hands on the cheapest "Planar Magnetic" on the market. Well, they did get something that's "planar", just that it isn't "Planar Magnetic". So, there was a bit controversy surrounding the whole naming thing, which turned off some people, and while others even dubbed it as the "poor man's Planar". And yes, i did get myself a set(i got the "Gumiho"), but i knew what i was getting into. Sound-wise, it was ok. Nothing really to brag about. Sounds just like a Dynamic Driver. But it has a tendency to sound tizzy and as well as sibilant.

[@shrry2849]

@@TheRebelLion13I see, thank you

[@TheRebelLion13]

@@shrry2849 You are most welcome👍😁👍

[@mTLpHfumfaomd]

Thank you for illuminating this. I have to admit i thought its Planar and one of the reason i got the first iteration as well. No wonder. Bad taste of marketing

[@bladecup]

Better than Tanchjim Zero, i dont think so, nice try Andy:)

[@donglemadness]

😂