PadMate PaMu Scroll BT 5.0 wireless earbuds review

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REVIEW – With the increasing lack of headphone jacks on popular devices, wireless earbuds are appearing on the market with increasing rapidity. The latest I’ve been asked to review has just started their crowdfunding campaign and is from a company we’ve already seen good products from – PadMate. Their recent Indiegogo launch has already earned past their $20,000 goal. Why all the backers? Read on.

Note: Photos may be tapped or clicked for a larger image.

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A while back, I was sent the first iteration of PadMate’s wireless earbud line. They were great for sound and connectivity, but I was not a fan of the charging case design. The team has gone back to the drawing board and improved not only the case, but the size and connectivity of the product and launched it as the PaMu Scroll.

What is it?

The Scroll is a new type of case for wireless headphones. We’ve seen cases with removable lids, which can get lost or not seal, we’ve seen connected lids like the Apple AirPods, which can get sprung out, but also make opening and removing a bit more trouble. The Scroll is a flap of leather that is rolled over the opening, which holds the earbuds into their magnetic charging mounts, yet allows you to get your fingers around them in order to remove them for use. It’s securely sealed with two sets of magnets, yet releases with the flick of a finger.

Hardware specs

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(from the Company’s IndieGoGo campaign)

What’s in the box?

  • Earbuds
  • Charging case
  • 3 sizes of silicone tips
  • USB-A to microUSB charging cable (1’ long)

Design and features

The size of the PaMu Scroll buds is a bit smaller than the previous models, only .75” versus a full inch for the first model, but they are still a subtle oval with a hidden button on the face. The ear tips are a good bit smaller, and the whole unit fits more flush into your outer ear area, which makes them a bit less noticeable.

PaMuScroll 4 PaMuScroll 3

Still, however, there is that tell-tale blinking light, though. They now are sweat-resistant (IPx6), so they’re going to be better for sweaty sports. The Video on the website shows someone with them on in the shower. You do you.

PaMuScroll 2

The PaMu Scroll is sleek and stylish right out of the box. The earbuds are held separately from the charging holder, so that you can appreciate the beauty of both at first glance. Like the previous PaMu earbuds, the Scroll units are easily placed into the charging cradle, and due to the form fit and magnets, it is impossible to get them in the wrong space. They are also marked L and R to avoid any attempt at this. When you remove them from the charger, just like the previous model, they start trying to pair with themselves and any BlueTooth units in pairing mode. These, however, use the new BlueTooth 5.0 spec, so their pairing is more solid.

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I was sent a set in Sakura (rose gold) to test. They are also available in several darker shades: Rock ‘n’ Roll, Graphine, and Glory Edition. They look (sorta) black, bronze, and blue, I think. (Your vision may vary.) Each color also has a different pattern on the leather cover. The Sakura cover is a pebble grain.

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The interior is a natural suede finish, and there is very even decorative stitching along the outer edge. A metallic plastic piece on the end houses the magnetic catch that seals the cover onto the body of the case. There is a single magnet on each end of both the cover and the case for this purpose.

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On the left side of the cylindrical case is a microUSB charging port.

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On the right side there are 4 LEDs to indicate level of charge of the case itself.

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Like the earlier model, there is no on/off switch or other way to force the case to reveal available charge. This can only be done by removing and inserting one of the earbuds, or by plugging in the case for charging.
The case itself is 3.75” long and just under 1.5” in diameter. The two ends are indented with the center pulled back up into a center pedestal about .75” in diameter. There is a metallic accent around this center area that matches the metal accent on the earbuds. The plastic of the Sakura case and earbuds is white. On the others, it looks blackish, but I couldn’t really tell in the promo videos.

Setup

Pairing and moving between several devices is clean and easy. We’re still not to that “Do What I Mean” stage where earbuds will be able to know which device we’re listening from, but it’s no bother to turn off the PaMu Scroll in my iPad settings and click connect in the Bluetooth settings of my iPhone.

Performance

While the sound quality was still full and rich (better than my AirPods!), they’re still not able to give the same body-thumping sound of a good set of speakers, or the head jarring rattle of really large over-the-ear cans. But for walking around, listening to podcasts or some street tunes? They are fantastic!

What I Like

  • Great sound, especially at this price.
  • Pairs quickly and solidly (BlueTooth 5.0!)
  • Stylish look on earbuds and case
  • Case is substantial

What needs to be improved

  • None that I could find, really

Final thoughts

I was sent these by mistake, so I had no say in the color. Even though I’m not a fan of white and rose gold, I have still been wearing these almost daily since I got them. Every now and again, I’ll pull out the AirPods or the original PaMu’s, and there is always some reason that I go back to these at the next listening session. They really give a full depth, especially to podcast sounds, and that’s usually what I’m listening to when wearing earbuds.

Additional item

I was not able to test this add-on, but there is a microUSB to Qi wireless adapter available. The crowdfunding price is currently $10. It plugs directly into the charging base and looks like it’s part of the unit (well, except I have a white case and it’s black.) I don’t have a Qi charging pad yet.

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Price: $39 at super-early bird price. $49 at regular backer price. $149 retail after Indiegogo funding round.
Where to buy: IndieGogo
Source: The sample of this product was provided by PadMate.

14 thoughts on “PadMate PaMu Scroll BT 5.0 wireless earbuds review”




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  2. Just got my PaMu scroll. I ditto everything Smythe said in his review. Just did an indoor cycling sensation and was noting how stable and comfortable the earpods felt. No insecurity felt. Sounds great for earbuds. Comparing to a nice set of over the ear phones is apples to oranges. I really liked the Indiegogo price for these buds. The case is a lot smaller than what the pictures suggest which is nice. I wished there was a way to control volume. But can start/stop a song, skip to next song, or activate siri or phone assistant. Of course answer or ignore calls. Very happy and like the feature of water and sweat resistent. Haven’t tested battery life but claimed is 3.5 hours of continous music or 4 hours of phone. Charging case will charge the earbuds x 2.

  3. After you posted, I spent a little time today watching a TV episode from CBS Interactive with my iPhone 8 Plus over my house Wifi using the PaMu scroll earbuds. I paid special attention to the scenes when dialog was delivered with the speaker’s face on camera. I noticed no lag at all, which was a very happy discovery. Slower connections or Bluetooth (iPhone 8 Plus supports BlueTooth 5) may not be as closely synced.

  4. I must have received a bad pair because the audio quality is quite poor. Much worse than other Prime units, and no better than really cheap ones. Bass? What bass, not on the Pamu Scroll. Overall sound is tinni.

  5. i also use this one, but i found one serious problem. i really enjoy auto pairing function. when the charging case is used up its own battery, the earbuds are auto paired with ma phone though they are in the case. this is very annoying..!

  6. so i got my PaMu today.YEY!!! 1st impressions..the leather case (i got the graphene) is absolutely fantastic..and the earbuds themselves are not bad at all. Sound is great for the average listener with the enhanced bass. Connection is seamless! Only problem i have about this is the lack of touch controls for volume control and previous track. It is a definite disappointment since you’ll be popping out your phone every single time you need to adjust the volume or play the previous track again.

  7. I got them yesterday and they work great indoor. When I go outside, the pairing is not the best, left bud always disconnects which it is very annoying. I don’t know if there is something I could do to fix this issue.

  8. I just received my order of PaMu Scroll earbuds. Pairing was extremely easy and appears to be stable. The sound is clear and bass is good. Finding a comfortable fit or the right position to get a good seal with the silicon tips was somewhat difficult. I happen to have handy some Comply T200 foam tips I ordered from aliexpress, using these I noticed much improved bass and isolation, they also felt much more secure. I use red and blue tips on my other earphones, it makes it easy to identify right as red and left as blue. PadMate would be wise to include some in the package as they make a big improvement.

  9. I bought 4 PaMu earbuds from the indiegogo campaign, two of them have problems with the left bud not engaging, off or pairing all the time! And then shutting off!! Is very annoying when you’re trying to work out and only have sound in one ear and the other keeps turning on and off. I contacted them through the indiegogo campaign and still waiting for an answer to this problem. They were only $49 but are they worth it if only one bud works?! No.

    1. Hi Juliana,

      I’m having the exact same issue with my left earbud – 2 or 3 intermittent breaks in the sound – very irritating! PadMate replied to my email asking for support, I’ve tried their suggestion but doesn’t seem to be working. I’ll keep trying though. Here’s what they said:
      Hello,
      you may delete the pairing and then re-connect them. and then change a better environment where there’s no signal interference. if these solution don’t work, please take a video to us, bringing the earbuds close to the phone so that we will better check it. your understanding and patience are much appreciated!
      Thanks for backing!

  10. yo yo yo what’s up guys I have a question I just received Pamu scroll earbuds and don’t wanna make mistake. I wanna charge with the right charger so I mean with the right Amp. Can I use fast charger like 2.1 Amp or only 1.0 Amp regular? Thank you!
    If anybody can answer for this would be cool.
    Peace

  11. They also discharge very fast, don’t last very long, break easily and sound quality is by the worst of headphones I’ve ever owned. Complete fail. Don’t buy at all

  12. Had these for six months now and am quite happy with them. Initially I was frustrated that they were always nearly flat when I needed to use them despite them being in the case, however I soon realised that the connection pads are quite small and you need to make sure they are properly inserted and the red LED comes on. Once I figured that out I have had no issues. But the reason I am prompted to write this review is my delight to find that they still worked after being washed in the pocket of my shorts in the washing machine. Note I did put them in a jar of rice for a couple of days to dry them out first! Not many headphones would survive a full washing cycle.

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