OPPO To Reveal PM-3 Planar Magnetic Headphones and HA-2 Portable Headphone Amplifier at RMAF
Oct 9, 2014 at 5:53 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 1,240
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OPPO Digital, Inc. plans to reveal two new products still under development at the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. The PM-3 is a lightweight, closed-back planar magnetic headphone that provides excellent sound quality and portability, and the HA-2 is a portable headphone amplifier with built-in rechargeable battery designed to pair with mobile phones and portable music players.
 
Following the successful launch of the PM-1 and PM-2 planar magnetic headphones, OPPO continues to develop their planar magnetic driver technology. Technological breakthroughs achieved during the PM-1’s development, such as the 7-layer double-side voice coil diaphragm design and FEM-optimized neodymium magnet system, have enabled OPPO to further reduce the weight of the planar magnetic drivers while maintaining excellent sound quality and high sensitivity. As a result, the new drivers are even more suitable for a portable product and can be easily driven with any smartphone or portable music player. New to the PM-3 is its closed back design, which will allow consumers to enjoy their favorite music anywhere while being isolated from outside noise.
 
For users who need more power and better performance than a typical smartphone or portable music player can offer, the HA-2 portable headphone amplifier will be an excellent choice. Featuring a hybrid class AB amplifier and a USB DAC supporting 384 kHz PCM and DSD256, the HA-2 offers high performance digital-to-analog conversion for both Apple’s iPhone/iPod and many Android devices. A 3.5 mm input works with the remaining portable music players that do not have a USB-compatible digital output. Convenience features such as 30-minute rapid charging and a mobile device power bank make the HA-2 a true companion for music on the go.
 
OPPO will demonstrate the PM-3 and HA-2 for the first time in the Cam Jam section of the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. Also on display will be OPPO’s award-winning PM-1 and PM-2 headphones, HA-1 desktop headphone amplifier, and BDP-105 universal Blu-ray player. Igor Levitsky, the chief acoustic designer for OPPO headphones, will be on site to answer questions. Mr. Levitsky will also be a panelist on the "High-End & Headphones: Translating High Fidelity Experience to Personal Audio Excellence" seminar to be held on Sunday from 1:30 to 2:30pm.
 
OPPO HA-2 Portable Headphone Amplifier/DAC
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
OPPO PM-3 Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones
 
 
 
 
 
Edit: Added some images of the HA-2 and PM-3
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Edit 2: miceblue has also made a post with some shots of the HA-3 in the Wilds of Beta Testing.
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Edit 2: I happy to announce that the tentative pricing for the HA-2 portable headphone amplifier and DAC will be $299.00 and the PM-3 portable planar magnetic headphones will be $399.00. I say "tentative" since the pricing is always subject to final production cost analysis, but I strongly suspect these will be the final MSRPs.
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Edit 3: HA-2 was released for $299.00 on February 21st, and the PM-3 was released for $399.00 for pre-order on February 27th, with expected shipments occurring on March 5th.
 
Oct 9, 2014 at 6:22 PM Post #2 of 1,240
That sounds great.  PM-1 might as well have been a closed headphone due to how damped it was, and it wasn't really a portable headphone due to sound leakage.  Having a closed PM-X makes a lot of sense.  I hope it doesn't have the resonances and colorations of a closed-back that Audeze failed to fully control with their LCD-XC.
 
Oct 9, 2014 at 6:26 PM Post #3 of 1,240
It will not be identical to the PM-1/2. We are using a different driver which is allowing us to get the smaller size and closed back design that we wanted for a more portable (and hopefully less expensive) planar magnetic headphone. What we will be showing is a working protype, so there will still be a lot of tuning going on before the PM-3 is actually released.
 
Oct 9, 2014 at 7:10 PM Post #5 of 1,240
Can't wait to see these.  I'm not in the market for a portable DAC\AMP unless it's a stand-alone DAP but I will be sure to check out the PM-3s based on the success of the first two.
 
 Hastur, please post some links to images when they become available.
 
Oct 9, 2014 at 7:14 PM Post #6 of 1,240
It is a DAC\AMP. We are not looking into making a DAP since most customers already have a cellphone/tablet which already serves as a good DAP. It is about maximizing the DAC and amplification of these devices. This is why we are working tirelessly on the HA-2.
 
As for images, we do not have anything official since these are working prototypes and beta units. I will see if I can get the guys on the ground a CamJam to take some images so I can post them here, or steal some images from other posters.
 
Oct 10, 2014 at 1:30 PM Post #8 of 1,240
Hmm, I guess I can talk a bit about the HA-2 now that it's been announced, right? Just not sure how much I want to say in case the final products are noticeably different than the beta units.
 
Oct 10, 2014 at 2:02 PM Post #10 of 1,240
  Hmm, I guess I can talk a bit about the HA-2 now that it's been announced, right? Just not sure how much I want to say in case the final products are noticeably different than the beta units.

If you made any kind of verbal agreement not to discuss it, or actually signed a non-disclosure agreement, then no. Otherwise, I don't see why there should be a problem. If OPPO was really concerned about it, the company wouldn't make the beta units as easily accessible.
 
Oct 10, 2014 at 2:14 PM Post #11 of 1,240
I was told early on beta testers were free to discuss it publicly after it was announced and displayed at RMAF. I'm still going to hold my thoughts until I have some sort of idea what may or may not be changed with the final product. Don't want to confuse anyone with impressions that may or may not apply to the final thing, you know?
 
Oct 10, 2014 at 2:18 PM Post #12 of 1,240
I was told early on beta testers were free to discuss it publicly after it was announced and displayed at RMAF. I'm still going to hold my thoughts until I have some sort of idea what may or may not be changed with the final product. Don't want to confuse anyone with impressions that may or may not apply to the final thing, you know?


Oh ok, that's nice of Oppo to let you do that.
So then what's the scoop? You can't come in and say that and then leave us hanging, lol. How about a few pictures?
 
Oct 10, 2014 at 2:57 PM Post #14 of 1,240
Don't hassle hans030390 too much yet. I have the Beta Testers in a holding pattern until I can confirm a couple of things with my colleagues about the NDA. Once those are cleared, the Beta Testers can jockey for prime landing space and start discussing the HA-2.
 

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