New Pamu buds have ANC and more

I'm heading out soon for another summer evening's walk with my two regular companions: a 10-year-old weimaraner and a pair of Bluetooth ear buds. I love my dog, but he's not much for conversation so I'll be listening to a podcast, an audiobook or maybe an Apple Music playlist.

The only thing different about this walk is the ear buds. For the past few days, I've been wearing the Pamu Slide 2 buds, the latest product from Padmate, a company that scored well on Indiegogo with funding campaigns for earlier buds that featured noise cancellation and wireless charging.

The new Slide 2 improves on those models. They're smaller with a more stylish profile. And they have several new features including voice enhancement, transparency mode, active noise cancellation, app-based controls, and a low-latency gaming mode.    

The Pamu buds arrived nestled in a tray inside an attractive charging case. The case is a bit too large to fit comfortably in pants pockets, but it has other welcome attributes. Using the case to recharge the buds can extend their play time from 6.5 hours to 26 hours. The case has a nice line of LED lights to show its battery storage level and it can be recharged in 90 minutes using a Type-C plug or two hours with a wireless platform.   

I got my Pamu buds rolling after a couple of minor hiccups. First, I wasn't quite sure how to position the buds in my ears. The buds did not come with instructions or illustrations. It turned out that a slight twist forward locks the buds in place where they felt comfortable and secure. The buds come with an extra set of tips in four sizes for users who my not the the perfect fit right from he box.

Then, it took me two tries to get them registered on the Pamu app. The process requires a verification code sent by email and my first code expired before I could enter it. I'm glad I persevered because the app allows users to make a lot of custom settings that I'll talk about in a minute. 

Once those problems were solved, I was off and running. Or, rather, walking. The buds were very easy to pair with my iPhone and they now connect smoothly every time I insert them in my ears.

When I launched a podcast, I was immediately struck by the clarity of the audio. As someone who has minor hearing issues, I put a high value on clean and crisp speech. The Pamu buds also performed well on music tracks. They didn't sacrifice clarity for the sake of a thumping bass line. 

Like some other high-end earbuds, the Slide 2 responds to fingertip touches to the surface of a  pill-shaped protrusion. Single, double or triple taps can change audio tracks, answer and end phone calls, summon Siri and activate wind noise reduction or background noise cancellation. Volume is controlled by sliding your finger up or down the surface.  

Users who want even more control can consult the Pamu app for access to more than 20 different custom settings including EQ sound effects and Vocal enhancement, available in "low gear" and high grade."

I'm not yet ready to dive that deeply into the customizing pool but it's good to know that those options are available when I want them. For now, I'm just happy that the Slide 2 delivers smooth tunes, clear phone calls and plays nice with my iPhone.  

The Slide 2 is available for $79 on Pamu's funding page on Indiegogo. More information is also available in the video below and on Facebook and Instagram or @PadmateAudio on Twitter and @padmate on TikTok. 

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Written by Ric Manning

Follow me on Twitter @ricmanning and read my technology columns at My Well Being.