Some PM-1 impressions from a few hours listening last night. (These are the aspects that stand out to me.)
1. They deal very well with digital glare, not totally eliminating it but making is listenable and unpainful to me (no digital "ringing" in the lower treble). (Maybe it's expected from a company formally called Oppo Digital.)
2. They have a feeling of natural ambience in the lowest of the midrange that is tight and fast and transparent (that is what makes it sound natural to me).
3. There is speed and rhythm, and multiple drum taps are heard distinctly with good pacing.
4. The overall impression is more of a stat phone than a planar. I am very much reminded of my former Stax 007 Mark 1s (I had them for 7 years). These similarities include the simultaneous felt-like silkiness and continuousness
in vocals and sustained notes, along with very nice detail that is not hyped up at all.
5. Continuing on the stat-like sound, The Oppos keep reminding me of an SR009 signature (I own these now). They are not quite there of course, but they are the closest thing yet to their sound signature.
Again, after a direct comparison on the same source and music, the quick separation of notes like in percussion with a quick series of taps or a guitar strumming is very fine. While it's stunning and awesome on the 009,
it is musical, believable, and very very good on the Oppos. I could easily believe the PM-1 was in the SR009 family. I would say this SR007 < PM1 < SR009. If this was a Stax model in here I would believe it.
The big but firm natural bass of the PM1 beat the SR007 to me.
6. The upper highs do seem not to reach to the sky, but I find this to be a blessing so often that helps with digital nasties that it may even be a positive. These phones are like candy, and I just listened for about 3 hours and
they won my heart over and I just wanted more. It is definitely a heart over head thing.
7. I think what I like about good Stax sound when it's done right is that combination of sweetness, detail, and speed, and these are the three qualities I feel best describe in the Oppo PM-1.
[System: EMM XDS1 cdp, Oppo 105D for DVD, Apex Pinnacle amp, cables from Stealth and Cardas, Shunyata Power cables and line conditioner.]