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Oppo PM-3 : The Portable Planar - Impressions
May 1, 2015 at 6:01 PM Post #1,441 of 6,302
audiobot said:
 
Is the EL-8's sound worth the +$300 over the Oppo PM-3? From impressions, it doesn't seem so. Maybe the 560 at +$400 is worth it over the Oppo's, but then again, it's an open back.
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It really depends on what genres you listen to.
If you listen mostly to bass heavy music then no, I don't think the EL-8 sounds that much better.
I noticed the biggest difference when listening to music that doesn't have vocals. Or limited vocals. Like Daft Punk or orchestral soundtracks. In that regard I'd say the EL-8 outshines the PM-3 by about the price difference. But that's all subjective. The main reason I went for the EL-8 is the build and comfort. The EL-8 feels so impressive in the hand and are very comfortable, albeit a bit heavy. I know many people here prefer the PM-3 to the EL-8 though, so I suggest you try both before deciding for yourself. The PM-3 is definitely warmer and less fatiguing.
 
May 1, 2015 at 6:01 PM Post #1,442 of 6,302
daphen said:
  I prefer the EL-8 to the PM-3's actually. And yes, I've heard both and I would say the M2 is a bass head phone all the way. I found it very bloated. I returned it after 4 days.
It's not just because the PM-3 is a planar. It's just that I think it's better at everything. There's no area that I would say the M2's do better in. And I say this with quite the margin.
Tyll sure does like his bass though.
I find myself disagreeing with him more often than not now adays. I was a bit of a bass junkie myself for a while and then I praised him like a god amongst men, since we shared our opinions pretty precisely. :)
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I see. Some additional bass is needed for outside use because noise decreases bass impact a lot. If I bought PM-3 though, I'd use it in quiet environments, I prefer IEMs for outside.
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May 1, 2015 at 6:03 PM Post #1,443 of 6,302
obsidyen said:
   
I see. Some additional bass is needed for outside use because noise decreases bass impact a lot. If I bought PM-3 though, I'd use it in quiet environments, I prefer IEMs for outside.
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Yes, I use IEM's when commuting and need closed backs for when I work, I sit in an office all day and it's basically dead quiet. The M2's were way too bassy for that kind of listening in my opinion. :)
 
May 1, 2015 at 6:07 PM Post #1,446 of 6,302
miceblue said:
XD
I personally thought the EL-8 closed sounded terrible, to be quite frank. Sure, the bass seemed tighter than that of the PM-3 and the soundstage was much more expansive, but the bass seemed lean to me and it was extremely bright and harsh to me.
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I can totally see people having that opinion. 
I'm the guy who'd describe the HD700 as a warm and bassy headphone, so brightness isn't really an issue for me. 
k701smile.gif

 
May 1, 2015 at 6:08 PM Post #1,447 of 6,302
axelcloris said:
  At the $700 asking price I feel that there are better headphones to consider over the EL-8. I'd say buy a used LCD2 for about the same or spend the little extra on a new pair. If you need closed back there are several I'd take over the closed EL-8, the PM-3 among them.
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+1. good advice. I personally agree with this.
 
May 1, 2015 at 6:08 PM Post #1,448 of 6,302
axelcloris said:
  At the $700 asking price I feel that there are better headphones to consider over the EL-8. I'd say buy a used LCD2 for about the same or spend the little extra on a new pair. If you need closed back there are several I'd take over the closed EL-8, the PM-3 among them.
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Feel free to share which closed backs you'd take over the EL-8. I'd love to hear it. 
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Edit: The LCD-2's cost twice as much as the EL-8 in my country, but even so, open backs were not an option for me. I very much prefer my HD700 to the open back EL-8 and as a matter of fact the LCD-2 as well.
 
May 1, 2015 at 6:17 PM Post #1,449 of 6,302
daphen said:
  Feel free to share which closed backs you'd take over the EL-8. I'd love to hear it. 
smile.gif
 
Edit: The LCD-2's cost twice as much as the EL-8 in my country, but even so, open backs were not an option for me. I very much prefer my HD700 to the open back EL-8 and as a matter of fact the LCD-2 as well.
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Well my recommendations would be for the US pricing market since I don't know varying costs in other countries. But off the top of my head on a $700 USD budget you could get the Alpha Dog, Mad Dog Pro, PM-3, ZMF Vibro, TH600, D2000.... the list is quite long.
 
May 1, 2015 at 6:20 PM Post #1,450 of 6,302
axelcloris said:
   
Well my recommendations would be for the US pricing market since I don't know varying costs in other countries. But off the top of my head on a $700 USD budget you could get the Alpha Dog, Mad Dog Pro, PM-3, ZMF Vibro, TH600, D2000.... the list is quite long.
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None of those are available here besides the PM-3 and like I mentioned before I prefer the EL-8 between the two.
However, I think the D2000 and TH600 are bad in comparison to both the PM-3 and the EL-8.
Alpha Dog would be really fun to try out sometime but it's not worth buying them based on others preferences just to see if I even like them.
I obviously want to audition before buying.
 
May 1, 2015 at 6:25 PM Post #1,451 of 6,302
daphen said:
I can totally see people having that opinion. 
I'm the guy who'd describe the HD700 as a warm and bassy headphone, so brightness isn't really an issue for me. :k701smile:
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Well the HD700 is warm per se, more so than the AKG K 701, it just has a really nasty spike in the upper-mids and another in the 9-10 kHz region.
 
May 1, 2015 at 7:03 PM Post #1,453 of 6,302
daphen said:
Feel free to share which closed backs you'd take over the EL-8. I'd love to hear it. :smile:  
Edit: The LCD-2's cost twice as much as the EL-8 in my country, but even so, open backs were not an option for me. I very much prefer my HD700 to the open back EL-8 and as a matter of fact the LCD-2 as well.
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Alpha Dogs deserve a strong look.
 
May 1, 2015 at 7:44 PM Post #1,455 of 6,302
daphen said:
  Yes, not sure how I'd be able to get a look though.
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since you already had a chance to demo the el-8 and decided to purchase them, I honestly wouldn't worry too much about other market options. there are a ton of really good and unique headphones out there & not many everyone has the opportunity to try them all. as long as you found something you like, that's really all that matters :)
 
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