[zerolight]

The lower treble+upper mids on the PM-3 is a bit more prominent than neutral actually. But yes these are a lot more laid back than Grado cans that is for sure, most Grados are very prominent in the upper mids and treble, and they have a rather thin bass, especially compared to the PM-3. 

Will listen to Appetite for Destruction for you a bit later with my Grado Bushmill and PS500e, verses the PM-3 to give you an impression. I know they are not the RS1 though, its the closest I'll be able to offer up for information on them though.

Cheers. I don't mind the treble being less aggressive than the Grado as they can be a bit Spikey at times. So long as there is enough to give guitars bite and a little fizz, sparkle. I really don't like the round bass that sounds a bit like being next door to a party with your head under water. That dull thud. I like bass to be crisp.

Edit: the Grado could have a touch more bass. But I don't want anything like the Momentum.

 

[chailee80]

Thanks guys. Can you tell me how Appetite For destruction by Guns n Roses sounds. That's a bright album. Duffs bass is not boomy at all, more spanky with a trebly edge, especially on Nightrain. Sounds great on the RS1 but sounded boomy and dull on the Momentums like someone wound back the tone control to roll off the highs. Cheers.

Have not listened to this album in a long time, i had almost forgottan about it! I streamed a flac quality version of it via tidal and compared the pm-3 to my grado ps500e using the oppo ha-2. Naturally its no contest as the ps500e sounds much better overall. The pm-3 does a pretty good job with axl's vocals, instrument seperation and soundstage but lacks the energy in the mids and treble to really bring the music to life. Once you've had the pm-3s on for a while and get accustomed to it you don't notice the differences so much, but putting them on immediately after your grados and there is a stark difference. If you just want to sit back, relax and listen to GnR for a good period of time then the pm-3 will let you do this as they're comfortable and non fatiguing. If you want to really rock out and feel the energy and emotion in the music like you can with the grado then you'll have to look else where for a comparable closed back. Perhaps something from audio technica or akg.

 

[RolisB]

Hi everybody 

 
@zerolight Jep, that's the reason I today bought my Oppo PM-3 

Was in business trip this week and took with me my Momentum 2 Wireless - I was totally disappointed with the SQ and HP in general.
I bought them (Momentum's) to use them specifically in my trips (plains, trains, walking around, just enjoying some music at the hotel and so one...). But it turned out that they are good only on airplanes and in public transport (ANC mode) and that's it! I even didn't used the Wireless mode due to the constant drop outs and stuttering... Total disappointment... 

 Yes the only good thing is the ANC mode - they are 100% better then Bose QC25 (SQ + ANC mode) BUT I did not like how they sounded... And that's it!
 
So I contacted my local HP store and they had PM3 on site... Juhuuu, went there today, tested them for about 30min. and I found them far better then Momentum's. Even the sound isolation is pretty good, OK not a ANC, but still good. Will see how they will show them in trips (will be one in a week or so), then maybe I will have something more to say.
 
RolisB

 

[HarleyZK]

Cheers. I don't mind the treble being less aggressive than the Grado as they can be a bit Spikey at times. So long as there is enough to give guitars bite and a little fizz, sparkle. I really don't like the round bass that sounds a bit like being next door to a party with your head under water. That dull thud. I like bass to be crisp.

Edit: the Grado could have a touch more bass. But I don't want anything like the Momentum.

 
Hmm, I agree with the above post, also using the PS500e vs the PM-3 right now for Appetite. The PS500e is more energetic and "rocks harder", I think the PM-3 sounds a tiny bit relaxed compared - can imagine the RS1 is even more energetic than the PS500e by comparison so these might be a bit too laid back for you. I will say though these do have nice crunch to the guitars, nothing like a HE500 or LCD2 in this department. The bass on the PM-3 is actually quite pronounced - a more fun signature, by comparison the Grado lacks extension and sounds quite weak - even though it does not lack bass overall. The RS1 has less bass than the PS500e as well, so the PM-3 is going to be much much more bassy in comparison - but I didn't hear the bass as being muffled, every note was heard clearly on most tracks, but I did start to struggle to hear it perfectly on Nightrain. I will say from what I've heard of the momentum, the bass on these is much better - clearer.

 

[MattTCG]

What is the cost of ear pad replacement by Oppo?

 

[chailee80]

   
Hmm, I agree with the above post, also using the PS500e vs the PM-3 right now for Appetite. The PS500e is more energetic and "rocks harder", I think the PM-3 sounds a tiny bit relaxed compared - can imagine the RS1 is even more energetic than the PS500e by comparison so these might be a bit too laid back for you. I will say though these do have nice crunch to the guitars, nothing like a HE500 or LCD2 in this department. The bass on the PM-3 is actually quite pronounced - a more fun signature, by comparison the Grado lacks extension and sounds quite weak - even though it does not lack bass overall. The RS1 has less bass than the PS500e as well, so the PM-3 is going to be much much more bassy in comparison - but I didn't hear the bass as being muffled, every note was heard clearly on most tracks, but I did start to struggle to hear it perfectly on Nightrain. I will say from what I've heard of the momentum, the bass on these is much better - clearer.

Yeh the GnR album was pretty much spot on with the ps500e when it comes to upper mid and treble energy. The rs1 would be much too bright with it for my tastes but I think the pm-3 was a bit too neutral in those same areas to really make the recording fully come to life. I guess it really comes down to prefereces as their are those among us who value neutrality and then others like me who prefer a bit of coloration to the music. If someone is solely into rock and metal then i would have to say the pm-3 is probably a bad choice.

 

[zerolight]

Can't try the PM3 locally. Am in store currently listening to the Shure 1540. Whilst it has much more bass than my RS1s it still has a good treble. Perhaps a bit too Spikey like the Grado at times. But it sounds great with everything I've tried so far, Norah Jones, Periphery, Guns n Roses, Mark Ronson. The bass is clear and defined. Punchy. Not like the Momentums. How do these compare to the PM3?

I'm not exclusively Rock and Metal. About 70%. But I like to have mellow stuff at work when I zone out.

I think, as nice as the Shure are, they are a bit big to be portable.

 

[money4me247]

Can't try the PM3 locally. Am in store currently listening to the Shure 1540. Whilst it has much more bass than my RS1s it still has a good treble. Perhaps a bit too Spikey like the Grado at times. But it sounds great with everything I've tried so far, Norah Jones, Periphery, Guns n Roses, Mark Ronson. The bass is clear and defined. Punchy. Not like the Momentums. How do these compare to the PM3?

I'm not exclusively Rock and Metal. About 70%. But I like to have mellow stuff at work when I zone out.

I think, as nice as the Shure are, they are a bit big to be portable.

oppo has a pretty generous return policy without any restocking fee and there is an oppo pm3 demo tour ongoing (may be a bit of a wait list though): http://www.head-fi.org/t/760203/oppo-pm-3-portable-planar-magnetic-headphones-loaner-program

 

[zerolight]

I'm in the UK its a dealer only thing here.

 

[chailee80]

Can't try the PM3 locally. Am in store currently listening to the Shure 1540. Whilst it has much more bass than my RS1s it still has a good treble. Perhaps a bit too Spikey like the Grado at times. But it sounds great with everything I've tried so far, Norah Jones, Periphery, Guns n Roses, Mark Ronson. The bass is clear and defined. Punchy. Not like the Momentums. How do these compare to the PM3?

I'm not exclusively Rock and Metal. About 70%. But I like to have mellow stuff at work when I zone out.

I think, as nice as the Shure are, they are a bit big to be portable.

PM-3 has a more linear bass, more sub bass and less mid bass, mids are more forward, treble is similar with some roll off but is a bit more neutral sounding. The 1540 probably sounds a bit better with rock music and sounds more open and spacious due to its bigger cups and they both image quite well. They are both good sounding headphones but the pm-3 is definitely more portable. I would pick the 1540 for gnr as they sound a little more exciting but i'd pick the pm-3 for norah jones due to how well it handles vocals.

 

[zerolight]

Thanks. I might just try the Oppo and if it's not for me I can return it and grab the Shure. When folk talk mid bass here, is that around the 150hz level? I'm not up on the HeadFi lingo yet.

 

[gr8soundz]

I would agree with your revised statement. There is better separation in the mids and treble though it still definately sounds like a closed can. No wide open soundstage here

 
I think the separation makes up for it most times though, especially with a good amp. Plus the PM-3 doesn't leak much.
 

 
PM-3 has a more linear bass, more sub bass and less mid bass, mids are more forward, treble is similar with some roll off but is a bit more neutral sounding. The 1540 probably sounds a bit better with rock music and sounds more open and spacious due to its bigger cups and they both image quite well. They are both good sounding headphones but the pm-3 is definitely more portable. I would pick the 1540 for gnr as they sound a little more exciting but i'd pick the pm-3 for norah jones due to how well it handles vocals.

 
Haven't heard the 1540 but I have to agree that different headphones work better depending on the music being played.
 
Used to think I'd find that 1 perfect headphone for all music but now realize that (just like shoes and weather) its best to use each pair for certain albums, genres, etc.

 

[RRod]

I would agree with your revised statement. There is better separation in the mids and treble though it still definately sounds like a closed can. No wide open soundstage here

 
I find the sound/head-stage is enough that even with crossfeed I still great stereo localization. I was listening to symphony earlier and you could plainly here the slight left-to-right shift as the tune went from the trumpets to trombones to tuba, and with the crossfeed on I could basically point to where I predicted the sound would "come from" and there it came. More and more happy with these cans as I listen to them.

 

[chailee80]

I think the separation makes up for it most times though, especially with a good amp. Plus the PM-3 doesn't leak much.


Haven't heard the 1540 but I have to agree that different headphones work better depending on the music being played.

Used to think I'd find that 1 perfect headphone for all music but now realize that (just like shoes and weather) its best to use each pair for certain albums, genres, etc.

Yeh I've been through many pairs of headphones looking for that one headphone to do it all but now I'm thinking that I'm going to need at least 2 or more to be able to satisfy me with all the genres I like.

 

[gr8soundz]

   
I find the sound/head-stage is enough that even with crossfeed I still great stereo localization. I was listening to symphony earlier and you could plainly here the slight left-to-right shift as the tune went from the trumpets to trombones to tuba, and with the crossfeed on I could basically point to where I predicted the sound would "come from" and there it came. More and more happy with these cans as I listen to them.

 
Surprised me too that a pair of "stereo" headphones could produce that kind of placement effect.
 
Until now, I thought that was reserved for those virtual headphone surround DSPs (which, to me, make the music sound terrible but may be ok with some movies).