[chrisjepson]

I'm not sure who buys it though....if you're spending $1100 on a headphone you would do some research and IMHO even the HD650 from a decent amp is better sounding.

Thanks for the info about the PM-2, I did not know that it was dropped.

I find that strange and thought it would be the PM-1 that would be dropped. Why pay $400 more for a massive wooden box that is not portable and slightly more luxurious materials?

AFAIK they sound pretty much the same.

I hope for more from Oppo. Their build quality and pricing are very good and they have the resources to put out a better product than Hifiman or Audeze. I just hope they want to do it.

Is anyone at Oppo listening?

It isn't always the same sound if the housing around the cups are made of different material even if the drivers are the same. I agree, they're very similar but I bet they PM2s were selling bad at retail when you have to pay full MSRP and tax when applicable. It's obvious they want to keep a flagship headphone on board.

 

[Sound Eq]

did anyone try to replace the pads with audeze pads by modding the original pads using its frame and see what difference it makes

 

[fjhuerta]

What a disappointment. Is this how +1K headphones sound? My Ety ER-4S sound better. My HD-600 sound better.  My AKG 712Pro sound better. My HiFiMan 400i sound better. Every time I lilsten to these, I'm reminded of my stock Samsung Galaxy earphones. I wish I was kidding. No lows, no real highs, flat sounding, no real details. I've tried them with every amp I own, straight out of some devices (my LG V10), and I simply can't find anything that could justify the price tag. Nothing. Perhaps the build, and that's it. 
 
The sonic signature is all mids (I must admit, they are really smooth sounding). Bass is there, but is not especially defined or present; it's simply "there". Mid and upper highs are recessed, like a one way speaker. 
 
I haven't been able to find any specific strength in +10 hours of listening.
 
Good thing I didn't pay anything close to MSRP, or else I'd be really, really pissed. I'd say that at 1/6th (no joke) of their retail price, they aren't worth what I paid for them (again, no joke).

 

[Dobrescu George]

I should not had listened to PM1... Now I won't be able to sleep at night thinking how good they sound 

 
Some of the best headphones I ever heard! 

 

[Dobrescu George]

  What a disappointment. Is this how +1K headphones sound? My Ety ER-4S sound better. My HD-600 sound better.  My AKG 712Pro sound better. My HiFiMan 400i sound better. Every time I lilsten to these, I'm reminded of my stock Samsung Galaxy earphones. I wish I was kidding. No lows, no real highs, flat sounding, no real details. I've tried them with every amp I own, straight out of some devices (my LG V10), and I simply can't find anything that could justify the price tag. Nothing. Perhaps the build, and that's it. 
 
The sonic signature is all mids (I must admit, they are really smooth sounding). Bass is there, but is not especially defined or present; it's simply "there". Mid and upper highs are recessed, like a one way speaker. 
 
I haven't been able to find any specific strength in +10 hours of listening.
 
Good thing I didn't pay anything close to MSRP, or else I'd be really, really pissed. I'd say that at 1/6th (no joke) of their retail price, they aren't worth what I paid for them (again, no joke).

 
Do you want to sell them to me at 1/7 of their retail price? 

 

[fjhuerta]

   
Do you want to sell them to me at 1/7 of their retail price? 

 
I'm in a strange position here. I do own them, and I truly got them really cheap ($250). I'm selling them for $800 (somewhere else, not here).
 
I feel as if I can judge them based on their merits, and not the buyer's remorse I'd have if I had paid full price for them, so I suppose that puts me in a different position from all people who got them previously, for far higher prices.
 
And I have to say they'd be overpriced at what I paid for them. If I had to set a price point for these, I'd say about $120-$150 (if the materials were plastic, and if they hadn't all those luxury accesories).
 
I can't imagine how much of a fool I'd feel had I paid for these $1.4K or something like that! 
 
Don't feel that bad about the price, though. I'd say the Sennheiser HD-598 are far better sounding headphones than these. I can only imagine they are liked by people who paid full MSRP, and now have to justify them.

 

[ekrauss]

Sounds like the pair you bought might have been damaged or defective, based on your observations of how they sounded. In that case, perhaps the $250 you paid was a fair price!

 

[Sound Eq]

  What a disappointment. Is this how +1K headphones sound? My Ety ER-4S sound better. My HD-600 sound better.  My AKG 712Pro sound better. My HiFiMan 400i sound better. Every time I lilsten to these, I'm reminded of my stock Samsung Galaxy earphones. I wish I was kidding. No lows, no real highs, flat sounding, no real details. I've tried them with every amp I own, straight out of some devices (my LG V10), and I simply can't find anything that could justify the price tag. Nothing. Perhaps the build, and that's it. 
 
The sonic signature is all mids (I must admit, they are really smooth sounding). Bass is there, but is not especially defined or present; it's simply "there". Mid and upper highs are recessed, like a one way speaker. 
 
I haven't been able to find any specific strength in +10 hours of listening.
 
Good thing I didn't pay anything close to MSRP, or else I'd be really, really pissed. I'd say that at 1/6th (no joke) of their retail price, they aren't worth what I paid for them (again, no joke).

with all respect this is the feedback contrary to what i hear, this to me is one of the best headphones i ever heard
 
i wonder if your pair was damaged or something

 

[ekrauss]

did anyone try to replace the pads with audeze pads by modding the original pads using its frame and see what difference it makes

I don't think that would be possible given the size and shape differences between the PM-1 and the Audeze LCD series.

The PM-1's come with three different pads which change the sound quality to varying degrees. The velour pads give the sound more of a bass-heavy tilt, the alternative lambskin pads extend the top end a bit, while the standard lambskin pads are somewhere in between, but closer to the alternative lambskin pads.

 

[Sound Eq]

I don't think that would be possible given the size and shape differences between the PM-1 and the Audeze LCD series.

The PM-1's come with three different pads which change the sound quality to varying degrees. The velour pads give the sound more of a bass-heavy tilt, the alternative lambskin pads extend the top end a bit, while the standard lambskin pads are somewhere in between, but closer to the alternative lambskin pads.

did anyone try the modded pads by audio zenith without doing the whole mod thing

 

[Dobrescu George]

  with all respect this is the feedback contrary to what i hear, this to me is one of the best headphones i ever heard
 
i wonder if your pair was damaged or something

 

Sounds like the pair you bought might have been damaged or defective, based on your observations of how they sounded. In that case, perhaps the $250 you paid was a fair price!

 
 
Your statement about that pair being broken might be correct since the pair I heard today sounded quite good.
 
I really liked the way the music sounded natural and the mids especially were natural in their tonality. The bass was certainly there and there wasn't a lack of bass nor too much bass. With some EQ, it was just right.
 
The treble might be a bit less than what I like, but a bit of EQ and that was taken care of as well! 

 

[harpo1]

  did anyone try the modded pads by audio zenith without doing the whole mod thing

Alex doesn't sell them separately.  He builds/tunes them to each headphone he modifies.

 

[ekrauss]

Thanks for the info about the PM-2

The PM-2 has been discontinued in the US but appears to still be available elsewhere.

 

[ekrauss]

That might be correct since the pair I heard today souned quite good.

I really liked the way the music sounded natural and the mids especially were natural in their tonality. The bass was certainly there and there wasn't a lack of bass nor too much bass. With some EQ, it was just right.

The treble might be a bit less than what I like, but a bit of EQ and that was taken care of as well! 

I can understand someone not liking the sound of the PM-1, but if they report that their PM-1 sounds like the ear buds that came with their smartphone, there is obviously something very, very wrong with their PM-1 sample

 

[ekrauss]

Alex doesn't sell them separately.  He builds/tunes them to each headphone he modifies.

I think a part of it, too, is that the redesign makes the ear pads non-removable. The redesign is not *just* adding the new ear pads, but I imagine modifications are done to the driver and the damping in back if the driver. I think that perhaps as well it is a business decision not to sell the ear pads separately.