[Ultramus]

Could I be mistaking tones and overtones for harmonics?

Yes, however overtones of many notes also extend to the upper register, here are some pretty cool spectrographs to show that most musical notes contain their harmonics and also overtones: http://nastechservices.com/Spectrograms
 
There is definitely a LOT of things that are difficult to measure that qualify SQ in transducers, in fact FR is to me more of a filter, if something has good frequency balance then you can get into other stuff like detail retrieval, transient response, et cetera. We don't have square wave response measurements on these either which would be nice. I really wish more people with the equipment would simply run various chords and tones of various instruments and compare the reproduced spectrograph with one recorded directly from the instrument, that would be really useful. Another thing I would like good measurements on would be response when multiple tones are present, it's easy to have a transducer that can deliver a balanced FR but not easy to have one deliver a balanced 5khz tone whilst simultaneously playing a 100hz tone, that's normally limited by how much control the driver has at the extremes of it's excursion. It's almost frustrating the sheer lack of empirical objectivity that should be present in audio, it's what always makes me skeptical first of praise for any speaker/headphone. Measurements don't lie, thought they can be interpreted different ways.

 

[zilch0md]

 
Source: http://www.freshbooks.com/blog/2013/07/02/sharpenyourbusinessinstinctsroundup/

 

[Creato938]

Well, it does look good, and by the quality of Oppo products, my guess is that it will sound nice too and will be expensive.

 

[bigshot]

  There is definitely a LOT of things that are difficult to measure that qualify SQ in transducers, in fact FR is to me more of a filter, if something has good frequency balance then you can get into other stuff like detail retrieval, transient response, et cetera.

 
You have to understand that the vast majority of the people reading here on Head-Fi haven't even taken a single step towards balancing their frequency response. For you, it may be a given, and all the details might build on that; but for most audiophiles an equalizer is something that "messes up sound" and "introduces unnecessary noise". Their responses are quite a ways from being balanced and they don't even realize it. In fact, they think that colored is better than flat, because flat sounds "lifeless and weak".

 

[tinyman392]

   
Here is an honest question... If there are things we can't measure, how is it that we would even be able to electronically reproduce them?
 
One more question... What is the point of worrying about the last 5% when most audiophiles haven't even dealt with the other 95% yet?
 
By the way, I don't own a laptop. My music server is Mac Mini based.

 
You've got no idea what's inside of a Mac Mini do you?  The Mac Mini uses the same parts as the MacBook line, but put into a small form factor without a monitor or input devices (like a desktop).  It is a laptop in a desktop form factor. 

 

[bigshot]

Well then, if there are no compromises for portability or operating on batteries, perhaps MacBooks are audibly transparent too. Like I say, I don't own a laptop. I just hear people on HeadFi complaining about their high noise floors.

 

[Currawong]

While they are interesting questions, you might want to start a new thread about them. For now, back to the PM-1 please. 

 

[anetode]

It's not that surprising that an ortho's response falls off in the top octave. That's a fairly common trait, along with a peak in the 9-12 khz area. FWIW I can discern a few db peak around 10khz as an added sharpness to the sound, I imagine that there's at least a possibility of noticing that 12.5khz peak as well. And the harmonic distortion rises to just audible levels in the low mids. But these defects aren't that important to casual listening, you'd have to strain to notice them (or I'd have to, anyway).
 
What I find more interesting is the compensation in the 1khz-6khz range as this varies by ear shape, personal taste and intended sense of diffusivity. If the Oppo is more on the laid back Audeze curve or the elevated lower treble tendencies of Hifiman, or a more balanced approach like some of the modded Fostex orthos.
 

   
I made my post before I moved the second round of measurement discussion to the main thread and re-opened it. No problem now. 

 

Sorry, I was unaware of and confused by the discrepancy.
 

All fine with me, but there is, imo, a difference between a good system (the basics being tonal accuracy) and something that really gives the shills

Thanks, I got a cheap laugh out of that quasi-Freudian slip

 

 

[vkalia]

By my measurements, the Oppo was flat out to 12.5kHz, not 9kHz. Whenever you get in that upper area, there is more chance of error in testing, and compensation curves for human hearing can make things complicated. I'm betting that the 9kHz rolloff measurements aren't accurate.

The first beta set of Oppos I got rolled off around 8 or 9. But they corrected that. I wonder if they were working with an older version of the cans?

Just because you can hear to 20kHz, it doesn't mean that those frequencies exist in music. Try the equalizer test I mentioned.

The difference between 10,000Hz and 15,000Hz is a half octave... four notes on the piano... the same range as from 20Hz to 30Hz. It really isn't a lot of data, and most musical instruments have harmonics below that. Look at the chart. You'll see.

Frequency extension is one of the least important aspects of sound quality in modern home audio components.

 
Actually, I'll buy this.   I am happy with a speaker system that is -3dB down at 35Hz or so, as that covers most music I listen to (unless it is a piece with an organ) and personally, I am ok with a response that rolls off the highs as well, as that not only reduces fatigue but serves up a sound palette that is closer to the live concert.

 

[VandyMan]

 Their responses are quite a ways from being balanced and they don't even realize it. In fact, they think that colored is better than flat, because flat sounds "lifeless and weak".

 
I agree. My initial reaction to the PM-1 was that it was lifeless. However, I've had that experience before with very flat systems, so I know it is just a matter of getting used to the sound signature before judging. I'm looking forward to giving it (or more likely the PM-2) an extended listen at some point soon.

 

[bigshot]

Try listening to music with life in it. That will help a lot.

 

[Jamey Warren]

For those interested in measurements we've posted ours:
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=4343&scale=30
 
For those of you that don't care about measurements, these headphones are freakin' awesome! Enough said.

 

[jerg]

  For those interested in measurements we've posted ours:
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=4343&scale=30
 
For those of you that don't care about measurements, these headphones are freakin' awesome! Enough said.

Thanks!
 
Here's the non-smoothed version of the same measurement (just change 4343 to 4342 in the url):
 

 

[Jamey Warren]

Hey Jerg,
 
Thanks to feedback from folks like you, you can now just choose the raw response on our build a graph tool:
http://www.headphone.com/learning-center/build-a-graph.php
 
No more fussing with the URL, and you can build comparisons of the raw data.
 
Thank You!

 

[jerg]

  Hey Jerg,
 
Thanks to feedback from folks like you, you can now just choose the raw response on our build a graph tool:
http://www.headphone.com/learning-center/build-a-graph.php
 
No more fussing with the URL, and you can build comparisons of the raw data.
 
Thank You!

Oh sweet, yeah that makes it much more intuitive haha.