CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Lobby => Headphone, IEM, and Other Audio Related Discussion => Topic started by: ridedontslide on March 03, 2015, 03:14:23 PM
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I know that it hasn't been released yet, but with pre-orders going out this week (and perhaps some beta testers here) I was hoping to get some ideas.
A few questions I have...
1. Comfort compared to the PM-2/1? The PM-2 is one of the few headphones I feel I can wear forever without discomfort.
2. Sound quality comparisons? I really love the PM-2 sound, but I'm limited in where I can use them. I am traveling more this year so was thinking the PM-3 would get more use in airports, on flights, and most importantly in the office. I'm not sure I can muster a significant drop in sound quality though.
Thanks!
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I am also really interested as I am looking for a closed can to use at work. I like a darker signature with very clean mids/treble.
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I never found the PM1 all that comfortable. It was light enough, and didn't clamp hard, but the earpads could have been a smidgen larger. The PM3 is alright for comfort, at least for short-term comfort. It starts annoying me after about 30 minutes, because my ears feel cramped and warm. It's definitely not a headphone you'll stay at home working in front of the computer for hours on end with-- as I do. Likewise for work I wouldn't consider it ideal for comfort. My cheap RE-400 earbuds isolate better and are way more comfortable.
I don't know about the PM2 sound, and I only have vague but negative memories of the PM1's sound. I like the PM3, especially for its price. The production unit should be a middle-ground between the two versions of the beta units being thrown around, so it should be a fairly smooth sound that's not too far off from relatively balanced and neutral. It's still warm-tilted though. From vague memory of the PM1, the PM3 will have more mid-bass and bass punch in general, a less emphasized midrange, and slightly more treble. Its sound is more to my liking than the mid-centric PM1. It suffers from a lack of soundstage and air due to its closed back design. So did the PM1 though so maybe that's an Oppo thing. Anyways the tone and timbre is good, but the realism and tangibility is lacking.
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I have a pair of the betas and find them very comfortable. BUT my ears don't touch the sides or ear side of the driver and I have a small enough head to only drop 2 clicks on the side band , so it doesn't clamp on me.
They do not isolate as much as some closed cans and no where near iems. They isolate enough for use on the go but not sure about keeping airplane rumble at bay.
Sound - I think I prefer them over PM1 , I know this sounds crazy but they are much more lively and have a decent sound projection. The very top end is a little smoothed off but still pleasant and good enough to articulate detail in most music.
As an orthohead, this is the phone Walt had dreamed would revive orthodynamics - a relatively cheap portable planar that would appeal to the masses.
..dB
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Still waiting on a production pair myself before I say one way or the other, but the beta units certainly were more lively than the PM-1/2.
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Thanks for the impressions Raven. There are a couple of others who've been able to listen to the production version and have said about the same. One guy on HF said that the pm-2 "destroyed" the pm-3 across the spectrum. Take that with a grain of salt as I had never seen the guy post anything before. Anyway, barring some stellar impressions/reviews by those I trust I've pulled my pre-order for this one.
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I find it hard to trust anybody that uses the term 'destroys' when comparing headphones or especially amps and dacs in this hobby. Everything is an issue of subtlety, and the only huge differences are most likely preferences for different sound signatures. I guess that guy likes the more mid-centric sound, but I seriously doubt it 'destroys' the PM3 'across the spectrum.'
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Still won't say anything definitive until I hear the final PM-3, but I sense at least a tiny bit of "moar money, moar better sound." PM-3 actually has potential to beat out PM-1/2 in some regards. Or it could fall flat with final tuning. We'll see.
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My PM-3's showed up today. I'm not going to claim to be anywhere close to an expert so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I think the PM-3 is going to be better for me than my PM-2's are. I'm going to do some dedicated listening to be certain, but some quick thoughts...
1. I was concerned about comfort and while the larger pads / leather pads of the PM-2 are definitely more comfortable, I think the PM-3 is still quite comfortable and hopefully gets a bit better with longterm use. Oppos are still more comfortable to me than pretty much every other headphone than I've tried.
2. For those with larger heads, I think the PM-3 can handle a larger head better than the PM-1/2. I was 2 clicks form the end with the PM-2, and I am 4 clicks away with the PM-3.
3. Whoever does the packaging and industrial design and Oppo deserves a raise. I've tried a lot of different headphones and the Oppo's continue to be the headphone I'd feel the least goofy about on my giant noggin in public. The packaging and headphone design is top notch, and while I realize nobody probably cares on an audio board I am the type of person that appreciates details so I mention it for others like me.
4. They fixed the cable! The portable cable for PM-2 was so annoying in how it always had "curled up" memory. I tried everything to straighten that out. The new Apple-compatible cable feels like it has a soft touch silicon based coating and has no memory from what I can tell.
5. Based on some informal tests with my wife someone would have to be right on top of me in the office to hear what I'm listening to. Given I am traveling and spending a lot more time in the office this year than I have in the past, the PM-3's ability to go with me (along with my IEM in the Oppo case) is going to be pretty nice.
Ok. I realize I haven't told you much about what I think about audio. I really want to compare closely against the PM-2 before I go too far, but the PM-2 "destroying" the PM-3 comment the other poster made seems like an exaggeration to me. My initial feeling is "wow the highs are clearer." I listen to a lot of rock and so far I'm really feeling like these are a bit better for my taste/music, but it's just initial emotional reaction. As for the low end, I don't think it's bad, but I think the PM-2 has more bass. However I also thought the PM-2 got better with time and perhaps the PM-3 will too. I don't know if break-in is a myth or not, but it certainly seemed to be the case for the PM-2 to me.
Hope this input helps and doesn't hurt. Have patience with the rookie. :)
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My PM-3's showed up today. I'm not going to claim to be anywhere close to an expert so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I think the PM-3 is going to be better for me than my PM-2's are. I'm going to do some dedicated listening to be certain, but some quick thoughts...
1. I was concerned about comfort and while the larger pads / leather pads of the PM-2 are definitely more comfortable, I think the PM-3 is still quite comfortable and hopefully gets a bit better with longterm use. Oppos are still more comfortable to me than pretty much every other headphone than I've tried.
2. For those with larger heads, I think the PM-3 can handle a larger head better than the PM-1/2. I was 2 clicks form the end with the PM-2, and I am 4 clicks away with the PM-3.
3. Whoever does the packaging and industrial design and Oppo deserves a raise. I've tried a lot of different headphones and the Oppo's continue to be the headphone I'd feel the least goofy about on my giant noggin in public. The packaging and headphone design is top notch, and while I realize nobody probably cares on an audio board I am the type of person that appreciates details so I mention it for others like me.
4. They fixed the cable! The portable cable for PM-2 was so annoying in how it always had "curled up" memory. I tried everything to straighten that out. The new Apple-compatible cable feels like it has a soft touch silicon based coating and has no memory from what I can tell.
5. Based on some informal tests with my wife someone would have to be right on top of me in the office to hear what I'm listening to. Given I am traveling and spending a lot more time in the office this year than I have in the past, the PM-3's ability to go with me (along with my IEM in the Oppo case) is going to be pretty nice.
Ok. I realize I haven't told you much about what I think about audio. I really want to compare closely against the PM-2 before I go too far, but the PM-2 "destroying" the PM-3 comment the other poster made seems like an exaggeration to me. My initial feeling is "wow the highs are clearer." I listen to a lot of rock and so far I'm really feeling like these are a bit better for my taste/music, but it's just initial emotional reaction. As for the low end, I don't think it's bad, but I think the PM-2 has more bass. However I also thought the PM-2 got better with time and perhaps the PM-3 will too. I don't know if break-in is a myth or not, but it certainly seemed to be the case for the PM-2 to me.
Hope this input helps and doesn't hurt. Have patience with the rookie. :)
Nice impressions. I have the PM-2. The Pm-1 and PM-2 are correctly regarded as fairly closed sounding for open cans. While I agree they still sound open to me but just on the narrower side of open. How does the closed PM-3 compare in terms of openness/soundstage.
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It has no soundstage at all-- which means it is probably equal with PM1 and PM2.
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I dunno, PM3 might be less suffocating sounding than a PM1 with velour pads. Maybe. :P
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Nice impressions. I have the PM-2. The Pm-1 and PM-2 are correctly regarded as fairly closed sounding for open cans. While I agree they still sound open to me but just on the narrower side of open. How does the closed PM-3 compare in terms of openness/soundstage.
TMRaven hit the nail on the head in post #3 when comparing against the PM-1/2. Lacks the low bass of the PM-2, but has the mid bass punch. Slightly more treble. Fairly smooth with nice tone/timbre. Realism, just like the PM-2, is lacking. I just don't think either has a very wide soundstage.
I am enjoying the PM-3 quite a bit, and especially at $400. I listen to a little of just about everything from soft rock to hard rock, but I spend most of my time in that "indie rock" zone. Nick Cave is one my favorite artists, and his catalog is more enjoyable to me on the PM-3 than the PM-2. The intricate/subtle layers have a bit more separation, the pianos and vocals are bit more forward, and while it doesn't have the low bass of the PM-2 it does still have that nice mid punch.
I actually am interested in trying the HA-2 a bit more now simply because a little analog bass boost might help me get a bit more of the PM-2 feel out of the PM-3 when I'm listening to the rock and roll side of my catalog.
To touch on comfort again, I do differ from TMRaven here, but of course this is going to depend on the head. The PM-2's are about as comfortable as it gets for me, and now that the PM-3's pads have softened up a bit they aren't far behind. If I were to give the PM-2's a 10/10 for comfort I think the PM-3's would be a 8.5-9/10. Oppo headphones just fit my head so nicely.
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PM3 sucks. There's no nice way to put this.
It has more treble presence than PM1 and PM2, but that's not a challenge. In that respect, it's actually OK, but then it lacks PM1's glowing mids.
Comfort sucks. It touches every part of the ear. In an over ear, that's an automatic failure. Add to that strong clamping.
Soundstage verges on non-existent. No depth whatsoever: about the thickness of a hockey puck. Very, very closed.
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It has no soundstage at all-- which means it is probably equal with PM1 and PM2.
Do you mean it's imagining ability? If it has no soundstage/separation it'll sound all mono-ish, like everything slapped in the middle. Is it like that?
I liked the pm2 a good deal so it would be a shame that the pm3 just gotten worse and went downhill in the wrong direction.
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I think the imaging is coherent enough. That seems to have been the case for every planar I've tried so far, and the PM3 is no exception. The soundstage size is just tiny though for the PM3.
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Is the PM-3 jack a TRS or TRRS? (ie: can I chop up the stock cable and put a 4-pin XLR on it?)
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From the OPPO sponsor on HF: "It is socketed for 4 conductor, so we could make a balanced solution if we wanted to."
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Thanks. Do you happen to know the pinout?
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I just picked up a TRRS extension cable on Amazon, removed the metal cover on one end and it fits perfectly in the PM-3 and seems to work fine with HIFIMAN balanced gear and via balanced adapters to A&K and Pono.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PLTXJIU
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I'm really starting to like the PM-3 with the following EQ setting :
35hz: +0
80hz: +0.5
190: -0.75
800: +0.5
2,800: -1.0
5,900: +0.3
14,500: +3.75