[Dobrescu George]

Listening straight out of my iPod 160. Can't believe how good this sounds. I find the HD650 unlistenable the same way. Not sure which one I like better out of an amp yet, but on random covering Little Caesar (vinyl source to digital?), Depeche Mode, Metallica, Rihanna, Verdi, I want for nothing!

Straight out of an iPod, I'm not sure what I would think about HD650, but I am a considerably bigger fan of HD600 and I actually felt like HD600 and PM-1 have a similar sound somehow, both having a good extension and being well detailed in my experience!

Given the price difference though, HD600 makes a considerably spicier deal if you can use an open-back headphone!

 

[Discman634]

I probably should have checked out the 600, but having the 650 I wanted a different manufacturer. I have not regretted my decision.

 

[zilch0md]

^ They do have a similar frequency response, but in my opinion, the HD600 rapidly loses any competitiveness with the PM-1 as the quality of everything upstream is improved.

 

[Dobrescu George]

^ They do have a similar frequency response, but in my opinion, the HD600 rapidly loses any competitiveness with the PM-1 as the quality of everything upstream is improved.

I don't know what to say about an HD600 vs PM-1 comparison since I never had them absolutely side-by-side, but HD600 is less than 1/3 to 1/4 of the price of PM-1. In this aspect, PM-1 could have been a bit more comfy, I don't know why they decided to go with square pads since human ears don't have that shape, but this is just nitpicking.

 

[zilch0md]

^ The HD600/650 are indeed more comfortable than the PM-1/PM-2. I think the latter are most uncomfortable for people with wide heads. I wear a ridiculously large hat size, but my head is narrow and long - not quite as bad as Ridley Scott's "Alien," but enough so to make the PM-1 comfortable for long listening.

As to the price difference, I hear you. It's not a fair comparison to contrast the PM-1 against the HD600, but this is the PM-1 thread, where it's a lot more reasonable to say, "I know of a much less expensive headphone that sounds almost as good," than it would be for someone to go to the HD600 thread and say, "I know of a much more expensive headphone that sounds better."

In other words, I would agree that the HD600 is a better value, offering more bang for the buck, but I am also compelled to reiterate that the HD600 and PM-1 sound less and less alike, as you improve all the upstream components. The PM-1 pulls way ahead of the HD600 - in terms of SQ. Plug them both into a laptop's soundcard and the PM-1 will offer very little over the HD600.

 

[Kramer01]

Has someone upgraded to a balanced cable on the PM-1???
Any improvements?? What amp and dac was used??

 

[zilch0md]

Yes. It helps to use the balanced output of portable amps vs. the less powerful, single-ended output of the same amp, but most single-ended desktop amps have plenty of power for the PM-1.

https://www.head-fi.org/f/threads/ignorance-cure-needed-balanced-vs-unbalanced.260346/#post_11558111

 

[intlsubband]

Last year I was able to get a beautiful pair of PM-1 for a very low price. As the PM-3 have been my go-to portables for about a year, I thought the PM-1 as a home headphone would be a nice addition.

After I got it, I listened to it a number of times, both directly out of my AK240 and out of the Corda Classic amp. It was definitely a good headphone, but didn't sound like a real upgrade over the PM-3, and out of the Corda Classic it struggled to compare with my veteran HE-500. I've put the PM-1 for sale and it was stored away in its display box for the last few months, as I was waiting for the right sale.

A few days ago however I upgraded my home amp to the Auralic Taurus MKii. After years using the Corda Classic almost exclusively, this was a bit of a revelation. After listening to my main headphones (HE-500, PM-3, Aeon, HD-650), I decided to take the PM-1 out of its storage box, and plug it to the amp via the balanced connection.

WOW!

All I can say is that it's a match made in heaven. Out of the Taurus, the PM-1 outshone all other headphones I had around. I seriously didn't expect the PM-1 to scale up so dramatically, especially because it already sounds very good out of the AK240, however out of the Taurus it is a whole other level. Especially for rock/soul, it suddenly has so much slam, so much details, and such a beautifully crisp sound. I really didn't know the PM-1 can upscale so dramatically out of the right amp.

At the moment I think I might hang on to the PM-1 a bit longer... If anyone has a chance to listen to the PM-1 out of the balanced output of the Taurus, I cannot recommend this enough.

 

[zilch0md]

^ I really enjoyed reading your post, Intlsubband! I hear you!

It cracks me up when people say the PM-1 doesn't scale well. The easiest way to experience its "scalability" is to compare how it sounds when plugged into something like a Sony Walkman player (10mw per channel) or an iPhone (that has an analog jack), then go to just about any decent headphone amp that offers about 150 to 250mW or more per channel into 32 Ohms. You can't help but notice an improvement in dynamic range, bass extension and energy, and speed across the whole spectrum, specially in the lower frequencies, but even up into the high mids. Everything tightens up. Say bye-bye sloppiness.

Once you've experienced that difference, just imagine doing it again, by latching onto 500 to 2000 mW rms into 32-Ohms, as with the HA-1 (single-ended or balanced output, respectively.) In my experience, the PM-1 can't really exploit a whole lot more than the 500 mW rms into 32 Ohms that's available with HA-1's 6.3mm jack, but if you've got a balanced cable, why not go for 2000mW? Yeah boyeee! Still, I LOVE the way the PM-1 sounds with "as little" as 500 mW rms per channel into 32-Ohms. If you dig into the specs of various amps, you'll find that's a pretty tall figure. I'm talking rms, not peak mW per channel.

You can get plenty of SPL out of the PM-1 with low power - it's sensitivity is rated at 102 dB on 1mW - but as is the case with all planar magnetics, if you get into a lot more power (at or >500 mW rms into 32-Ohm) the PM-1 really starts to blow away the competition.

I've said it before, but the PM-1 has become my favorite headphone for when I want to just enjoy listening to music.

Mike

 

[Soundwave76]

I auditioned both the PM-1 and PM-3 yesterday. The choice was very easy - I bought the PM-3 right from the spot!

Regarding above comparisons to HD-600 - I own them as well and I find the PM-3 and HD600 overall sound pretty similar. HD600 also beats the PM-1 easily in my opinion. True classics!

 

[wood1030]

That's a bold statement! I'm curious what your power/source was when auditioning.
I own the PM-1, PM-3 and the Senn HD6xx. To me the PM-1 is the best of the 3 (as it should be for the price) and the Senn's just barely besting out the PM-3's when powered with my HA-2, but the PM-3 sounds best right out of my iPhone, un-amped. However, my PM-1's easily sound best out of my HA-1 balanced and the Senn's balanced out of the HA-1 sound great (as does the PM-3 single ended) but the power requirements are evident with the Senn's. It takes much more output to come close to the PM-1, but the dynamic range, bass, mid's and soundstage is levels above with my PM-1.
Now if you were gonna tell me that 'FOR THE PRICE', the HD 600 is the best then I'd agree with you, but taking price out of the equation, to me, the HD6** is no match to the PM-1. However, comparing the HD6** with the PM-3 is a tougher call. Obviously, open vs. closed design, planar vs. dynamic driver, I'd pick the one that suits my listening style...indoor vs. on the go, amped or no amp, etc, etc.

 

[Soundwave76]

I am a bold guy. It was Tidal + Sennheiser HDVD 800. These are matters of taste. I liked PM-3 more and thus also bought them. If PM-1 would have sounded better to my ears, I would have left the store with them instead.

 

[wood1030]

Fair enough. There is no bad decision here, only good options. I can't argue with your reasoning. We all have our preferences. They both definately have their strengths AND weaknesses but to me, for at home listening, the PM-1's get 95% of my play time. Outside the house though is a different story. The PM-3's are a fantastic overall choice that play nice with no caveats.

 

[zilch0md]

An individual's subjective taste, combined with his ears, his source, DAC, amp (and cables and power supplies) can allow one headphone to sound ridiculously better than another, for that individual, but I still believe that, even though individual opinions are, in the end, indisputably valid, there are headphones that simply cannot compete across a consensus of opinion, using a potpourri of upstream gear.

The HD 600 and 650, for example, are venerable milestones that continue to satisfy many users, but they aren't even in the same league as the PM-3, much less the PM-1, when it comes to the consensus expressed by the Head-Fi community - with many pairs of ears, many different tastes and many different solutions for upstream hardware.

That's about all we can count on when reading reviews of gear - looking for a consensus of opinion, if it can be found at all. Individual reviews, alone, can't be trusted. There are just too many variables and, so often, reviewers neglect to describe the rest of the chain - which helps a little bit, but does nothing for describing their personal tastes or known hearing impairments - another missing ingredient in most reviews, including my own.

In the end, we have to buy it and try it. If we like what we hear, everybody else's opinion is meaningless.

 

[xDaveyJ]

As someone who owns the PM-1 along with the HD650, LCD-3, Utopia I can say the PM-1 is the weakest.

I don't have the HD600 but the HD650 is quite a step up from the PM-1. The PM-1 sounds slow and compressed and kind of dull while the HD650 is more dynamic, micro detailed and resolving. Using both withy Gumby, and my many amps like the Elise, Moj 2, Raggy, Jot and many more it's clear the HD650 is the better headphone.

The PM-1 doesn't scale too Well, obviously from a phone to any high end up but from mod ranged amps like the Asgard 2, it's pretty much the performance you're going to get. I do like my PM-1 it's a good night time listen and being kind of slow and not dynamic allows me to relax although there's a weirdness in the treble.

I think the PM-3 is oppose best product so far, it's tonal balance is better than the PM-1 and PM-2 while being only a little less resolving.

Working on engineering I use my own tracks to test headphones and I've found that the HD650 resolving inner details I've made superior to the PM-1.