dudlew

1000+ Head-Fier
Pros: Natural and cohesive sounding; Well made; well thought of accessories
Cons: Just a little bit less bass than I would like; Treble not uber extended; Non user replaceable pads
The OPPO PM3, what’s there to say about it? Quite a lot actually. But I am going to try and cram everything into my... journey with this wonderful headphone.
 
 
First about me:
 
I am a music lover. I love music in general, and love listening. It doesn’t have to be the best gear for me to listen to music, but it must sound good to me, or I have trouble listening.
I live ‘out of circulation’ so to speak, in a small island nation, so I am not in a position to try anything much.
 
I also am not looking for open cans.I like the isolation that closed backs give me, and I don’t want massively large headphones. I listen at home, at work, and sometimes on the go. Home is a noisy environment, so open phones are out. And I have fit issues with iems and want to stay away from the trouble of maintaining them. So as you see my choice of headphones boil down to at most semi portable closed back headphones.
 
My gear list :
 
Amps:         Fiio E11K, Burson Audio Soloist SL
 
Sources:    Mac Mini running VOX and iTunes, IPod Touch 3rd gen. 64gb with Sendstation LOD, Schiit Modi 2 uber
 
Headphones:    Beyerdynamic DT235, Sony MDR-7520, OPPO PM3
 
Cables:    Blue Jeans LC1, Ecosse Conductor, Van Den Hul D102 MKIII, Surf Cables RCA interconnect and PM3 single ended headphone cable, Generic USB Cable
 
So as you can see, I don’t have that much…. I have more cables than gear 
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I listen to a wide variety of music, which includes classical, rock, reggae, electronic, jazz, pop, alternative, soca, soul, R&B, disco and some others. I am not much of a country fan.
 
Remember all that I am writing is my opinion and just that.
 
 
Introduction:
 
With that out of the way, I first started hearing about the PM3 on this site obviously. I was following MacedonianHero’s thread on his quest for his ultimate portable headset. And saw his update as to when he considered the PM3 the king of his hill. I read his views and thoughts and came to the conclusion I needed to check this headphone out. I did more research and saw threads about it and it being compared to the Audeze EL8 and I read a lot of reviews. I must admit I got a bit conflicted after hearing one person saying these are rolled off in the treble, then someone else saying they were bright, but I kept reading, PMed a few people on their thoughts compared to different phones and decided…. What the hey?? Why not? 
Then I had trouble getting them, no store in the US would ship outside of the US, and I had to contact OPPO directly and do it over the phone.  I wouldn’t lie at the end of it all I paid US$650 for this headphone.
 
 
 
Packaging, build, comfort and isolation:
 
They were finally in my country and then I went to get them and pay the duties
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. The Customs lady said open the box. So I did. In that box was another box sealed in plastic wrap and protected by packing and a much smaller white box that held the short cable. So I opened the big box. In that box was a white cloth like bag that held a denim case. I was then told to open that case. In that case were the headphones, the long cable in a draw string bag and the ¼” adaptor. The Customs Lady looked at all of this with an awestruck and exasperated look on her face at the same time. She could not believe the amount of packing and packaging of this thing. I was in awe myself and wished I had a camera to capture the look on her face. 
 
pp-601.jpg
 
 
Left Customs and headed back to work
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. Yeah I had to do the work thing, but had the phones out and setup in no time. Took my time and examined it. The best built headphone I had ever seen. Previously that fell to the 7520, which has creaking issues. The PM3 felt just as solid and better put together. Everything was precise. The clicking of the headband adjustment, the buttery smooth spinning of the cups, the nice fake leather that felt really soft nice. I had to admire them. It didn’t have the locking cable attachment, but the cable still clicks firmly into place after almost two months of ownership and unplugging and plugging back in the cable almost every day. Nicely done. That it came with the hard denim case and had all of the nice little touches just made my owning it feel really sweet.
 
pp-595.jpgpp-597.jpg
 
 
 
 
Put it on, and It is comfortable. Not as comfortable as the Sony MDR-1R, but comfortable none the less. I can understand some people’s complaints about fit and comfort and even the clamping pressure, but for me it is good enough. It was heavier than I was accustomed to, clamped stronger than any other headphone I had maybe except the Senn HD497 that I had to stretch out, but it was not uncomfortable and I have worn it for a couple of hours straight and no real issues. I have also not have any seal issues and the sound does not change much with the turn of the head as it does with the 7520. Isolation wise, it’s on par with the 7520, maybe just a smidge better. Needless to say, once music plays, it’s all good.
 
pp-596.jpg
 
 
Sound:
 
Where do I start? As a whole, the PM3 is my best sounding headphone. I enjoy it the most. Everything just goes well together, I do not think there is any real stand out part of the sonic spectrum or any real deficiency to talk of. So with that out of the way, let me break it down a bit.
 
Bass:
After being accustomed to the 7520, these sounded bass light. I was a touch disappointed in this area, and I love my bass. It did not lack extension, quality, articulation, or any of those things. What it lacked was volume. And as I said, coming from the 7520, it was obvious. But truth be told, I modded my 7520 to reduce the bass. It had too much boom. But deep down I am a closet bass head. So it always left a smile on my face there. The more I listened to the PM3 however, the more I began to appreciate the bass. It was a bit truer to the recording than the 7520. If the song was bass light, it was painfully obvious. If the song was bass heavy, it let you know that as well. Many times I was listening to some music and found myself checking to see if the bass boost on the E11k was on. Other times I would reach for the switch and put it on. I would be lying if I said I did not wish for more bass, but at the end I can say I am satisfied. I do realize that the bass presentation of a pair of speakers with even 8 inch drivers with room reinforcement is going to be more visceral and much fuller sounding than most if not all headphones ever will be and I have learned to accept that. There are tracks whose bass will wow you on speakers, and leave you wanting more on headphones.
 
Mids:
I love these things here. Smooth, clear, rich, refined, natural. I don’t have a phone that sounds any better. I cant think of any better way to describe it than to do a comparison. I was listening recently to some Sting; The Soul Cages album. I had on the PM3 and was just enjoying the music. I was listening to flac via VOX, the M2U and the Soloist. When I switched to the 7520, the mids sounded a bit unnatural, not as full, clean or clear. Also the feeling realness I got with the PM3 was not there. In the mids, to me it was no contest. The difference was not night and day, but it was quite noticeable. I can still enjoy the 7520, and even though it has the PM3 beat in the bass department, it clock gets cleaned in the mids. Where there might be a little variation is in the male vocal range where it might be ever so slightly bumped, but I think that adds to the mids clarity and makes vocals sound great.
 
Treble:
Well I guess I have sensitivity to highs. I find absolutely nothing wrong with the highs of the PM3. Again they are clean and clear. No grain. They are cleaner than the 7520 highs and also extend a bit more. This is where there are a few slight short comings in my view. I do feel that there is a small hole in the transition from mids to highs and I do feel that at some times there is a slight emphasis to the middle part of the treble that can sound a touch harsh when pushed. Both issues do not really bother me and I guess I am now accustomed to them. Is the trebles rolled off? A bit, yes. It does not seem to extend as much as say the Shure 440 that I had the pleasure of sampling a while back. Lacking that last bit of sparkle maybe. But I am pleased with it. No complaints.
 
I do find that it has a naturalness about it that I just love. All the parts form a nice cohesive unit and that translates to me to give a nice sense of ambience, and presents a nice 3d sounding signature. I have no open cans to compare to, or even great speakers, but the soundstage does not sound all that wide. What you do get though is good instrument placement and a sense of layers in the music both vertically and front to back. The soundstage does not really leave your head and expand beyond the walls though, but it is the closest to speaker hifi in terms of soundstage and instrument placement that I have gotten out of a headphone. You feel like you are in an acoustic space all be it a small one.
 
Compared to the 7520, the PM3 just sounds better. The detail retrieval is not better, there is less bass in terms of quantity, it is heavier..... But..... it is more cohesive and natural and gives a realism that the 7520 just cannot match. They are both good headphones, but overall the PM3 is just better. If you really like your bass very hard hitting and visceral, the 7520 would be a better bet, although I am not sure how hard hitting even that is compared to some bass cannons out there. If you are after a more natural and better put together sound, of the two the PM3 wins hands down.
 
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Conclusion:
 
Am I happy? Yep. No complaints from me. Except for maybe the AKG K81 DJ and in the end the Sony MDR-1R, I think I did pretty well with my blind headphone buys, and at the end did enjoy all of my headphone purchases that I have made over the years.
This one is my favorite though. Is it the best value? I would not think so. I do realize that there is most likely a premium being paid for the technology, the accessories and the build. I am sure there is great sound to be had for less. But in the end, I feel like it is worth the price and am happy that I own such a wonderful pair of headphones. It’s the total package, not just the sound quality, that makes this a wonderful product.
 
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L
lltfdaniel
I also agree that the pm-3 sounds great as i also own them.
DadRanger
DadRanger
Nice review. Just wonder how much is the sound different with amp and without amp. I use iPhone to listen music most of the time. Does PM3 sound the same driven by iPhone?
dudlew
dudlew
@DadRanger I do notice a bit of scaling.. It sounds good out of my ipod touch, but better with the E11K attached and better still through my Burson.... but its not something huge per say. I still think the sound is good out of my ipod and the characteristics of the headphone hold true in my opinion.. the differences to me come about in refinement and dynamics.. the better you feed it, there will be increases in dynamics and refinement. the bass becomes tighter and hits a bit harder, the sound gets a bit more focused, sounds clearer. But these are not huge leaps for me, but noticeable

dudlew

1000+ Head-Fier
Pros: Bass, Detail, Smooth, revealing
Cons: Detail, can sound a bit conjested at times, finicky fit.
A bit about me. I am an average guy that loves music. I listen to a wide variety of music but of late listen to alternative, rock, hip hop, rap, dance and jazz. I generally am not a fan of country music but some songs reach out to me. I got turned on to hifi at a young age as my dad had a decent setup and then my brothers as well. Have heard, B&W, Mission, Dynaudio, NHT, Bose, Mordant Short, KEF and a few other speakers in various setups, but nothing outrageous, like $20,000 setups. So I think I can appreciate good music. I was a musician, (haven't practiced in years) learning the piano.
 
I have realized that this is a journey for me. Where I live, I cant try before I buy, They only sell the cheap crap here and anything decent costs an arm and a leg. I saw an M-audio Q 40 in a shop here once for about US$300 when they were selling in the US for less than half that. and that was a rare find, so my journey starts with this community and their reviews and opinions of which I give a big thank you to, even if you are decimating my wallet. So with that out of the way, I begin.
 
 
This is a review of the Sony MDR 7520, which I will compare to my Sony MDR 1R.
 
Looks
 
Well no contest, if you are going in for a beauty contest, the 1R wins hands down. It is just a wonderful looking headphone compared to the 7520. Which is just utilitarian in design. Think Audi R8 (1R) vs Nissan GTR (7520) the Audi just from the looks exudes class and luxury and beauty. The GTR is Utilitarian. You know what it is built for... its not ugly by any means, but it is definitely function over form.
 
Build, design, comfort
 
They are both well built. The 7520 is the more solid feeling of the two though. The 7520 also feels heavier. I like the locking cable and the jack itself seems to offer more resistance and ability to hold the headphone jack than the 1R. The 1R beats it in design though. With its swiveling cups and fold flat design it as the design edge.
 
As far as comfort goes, I think that because of the design, the 1R ends up being more comfortable. It is lighter, better padded on the headband and is more tolerant to shifts than the 7520. Sit in a chair and lie back with the 7520 and the sound sig changes. turn your head to look at someone and the sound changes. It can get annoying and may dissuade you from getting them for portable use. Also as the pads are firmer than those of the 1R and it clamps more, it is not as comfortable as the 1R
 
One issue that has greatly reduced over my use of both headphones is creaking. I had to lubricate them both and that stll took about a week to fully take effect. They both creak very little now and that factor has been all but eliminated.
 
Accesories
 
No brainer here. 1R comes with two cables. 7520 comes with one that can be cumbersome, though I dont mind the coiled cable.
 
Sound
 
Well my setup is in my sig, but just to repeat it here: Ipod Touch 3rd gen with sendstation LOD and PA2v2 as an amp. At present using a monster cable cable from LOD to PA2v2 and the 7520 cable as my stock cable.
 
My Music of choice were
 
Coldplay: Dont Panic
Radiohead; High and Dry
Alanis Morisette; That I Would be Good from MTV Unplugged
Splender; I think God can Explain
Daft Punk; Contact
Bruno Mars; Locked Out of Heaven
David Gray; White Ladder
Busta Rhymes; Gimme Some More, This Means War
C&C Music Factory; Just a touch of Love
 
and others
 
So on to the sound.
 
Bass:  Clear winner in my book goes to the 7520. The bass just goes deeper, is more articulate and hits harder. It reminds me more of a speaker setup than another phones I have heard. I haven't had much anyway, but of the six cans I have owned, this is the first one where I can say I 'feel' the bass. The 1R in comparison just sounds bass light and even boxy depending on the track. It did sound like this on the Radiohead and Splender tracks. These recordings are not bass heavy by any means and can sound boxy, but the 7520 differentiated between a natural sounding un miked kick drum and just a thud, which is what the 1R sounded like. On the other tracks where the bass has more body in general, the 7520 just showed its authority. And even though, it was very rare to say that the bass was too much. Thing is, I put that down to the recordings being bass heavy. esp in the rap and hip hop genres.
 
Mids:  This is a toss up. My preference goes to the 7520 here. It is more even and natural sounding over the mid frequencies while still maintaining the detail. The 1R is more forward and upfront in the mids and also seem to have a little frequency hike in the upper mids. This gives the impression of aggressive and harsh sounding mids and depending on the song this can be good or bad. On Alanis Morisette, even though the 1R introduced some nasality, I still enjoyed the more forward presentation of the mids on that song, nut on songs that already have harsh sounding instruments and synths, this sticks out like a sore thumbs and can get irritating. Caracter wise the 1R has a generally smoother sound but for the spike, and I heard a little more rasp in the lead singer for Splender voice with the 7520. The 1R Also seem to have a better sense of atmosphere than the 7520 because of this midrange in my opinion.
 
Treble:  Well i initially thought that the 1R had better extension, but burning in the 7529 shows otherwise. The treble on the 7520 is now more extended and a bit smoother and realistic. A bit more full bodied and rich. If the recording has harsh treble as in the C&C Music Factory, you will hear it for sure. So not much details here from me. Treble is just better on the 7520
 
 
Overall
 
Overall, I have fallen for the 7520. A great sounding phone in my opinion, let down by its lack in comfort and adjustability to fit to your head properly. the sound is enough to allow me to soldier on though, and I plan on getting the Shure SRH 840 pads as recommended by Starfly. I would describe the balance as the most neutral and speaker like headphones I have heard. If I were to add any criticisms,,,, it would be that because of the lack of harshness in the mids, they can sound a bit boring at times and also that they seem to lack that 'there' feeling some other phones may have.
 
 
So there you have it. My Sony MDR 7520 review, Hope it was helpful to you.
 
Dudlew
Savant
Savant
Well writen, thoughtful review, thank you. BTW, you may care to edit a Typo in the "MIDS" paragraph, where you wrote "NUT on songs..." ;-)

dudlew

1000+ Head-Fier
Pros: Good overall sound. Clear mids and clean treble with the Blu Tack mod
Cons: Bass has a little upper bass bump and lacks some extension, Mids are a bit forward, Hinge and wind noise issues are present on the go.
So here is my review of the MDR-1R.
 
Looks:  
 
Its a good looking headphone. nothing to complain about. It is by far my best looking headphone, but that is easy to do :)
 
Build:
 
The build is good, solid feeling and not a flimsy feeling piece of plastic. There are a few issues though:
 
First the jack on the headphone to accept the cable has no means of locking the cable in or preventing it from getting slack, So make sure that you don't change the cable constantly, or you will have a loose jack and the plug can rattle. For me so far, this is a minor issue, rarely hearing the rattle if ever at all.
 
Second is the hinge creaking. This is more annoying as simple things like clenching your jaw causes the creaking and it is very audible. I will have to find a way to lubricate it. remember reading in a thread what to do but will have to find it again.
 
Besides these issues, I do wish it could fold into something smaller, but then that leaves more areas for it to fail I guess.
 
Another issue that I guess goes down to build is the port. It is very susceptible to wind noise, I don't know if there may have been a way to counteract it, but it is there and can decrease your enjoyment of on the go listening if you are in a windy environment.
 
Comfort:
 
Well seeing that this is my first circum-aural can, it is also the most comfortable. I have had the HD497, DT235, K81DJ JBL Reference 410, and the Sony are easily the most comfortable. I must say that the pads are nice and soft,but I live on a little island in the Caribbean with an average temperature of 29 degrees Celsius and high humidity so my ears sweat with these.
 
Accessories:
 
It comes with two cables, one with Iphone/Ipod controls and a plane one. My one complaint here is that the plain cable is too short. I would prefer I have one long cable that I can use at home and move about a bit more freely without worrying about the short cable. Because the cable is replaceable and basically generic, its easy to work around this by just buying a longer cable.
 
There is a cloth carrying case as well that is nice, but would have been better with a little padding and maybe a better closing mechanism than the draw string. This is nit picking though. The bag is sturdy feeling and looks like it can take abuse.
 
Test gear and music:
 
For testing, my gear is rather simple: I am using a 64gb Ipod Touch 3rd gen loaded with 320 Kbps mp3 songs converted with lame using foobar, a Sendstation LOD, A Fiio L8 cable connecting to a PA2v2 amp. Driving them is easy and the ipod easily drives them loud enough, but the sound is improved by the LOD and the amp and is subtle, but definitely noticeable in clarity and control. A better amp may do an even better job......
 
Before I forget, I have modded mine with Blu Tack and a small bit of cotton wool in each chamber. 
 
MDR-1RMod-1.jpg
 
For Music I used Giorgio Moroder from Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, Nat Kings Cole's  Straighten up and Fly Right  and Mona Lisa from The Nat King Cole Story Disc 1, Simpy Reds Wave the Old World Goodbye from Love and the Russian Winter.
 
Sound:
 
Well I wont split this into bass mids and treble. I'll just roll all into one. The sound signature is more mid centric than I am accustomed to. The mids are more forward, detailed and open than on any other headphone that I have, but it also more natural in most cases. Instruments dont sound as veiled as the do on the DT235 and hence the overall effect is that you have a cleaner sound. The treble is also a bit more extended.
 
The area where it comes up a bit short is in the bass. At first there was a lack of bass but that has passed. Now the bass is present and is nice and full, BUT, it lacks extension. The DT235 and by extension the K81dj extend deeper than the MDR-1R. The Sony has better definition and more detail in the bass, hits a bit harder than the DT235 because of what appears to be a little upper bass bump, but does not go as deep. I do enjoy the sound though and it handles different genres well.
 
Music like Skrillex though can be a painful experience to me because of the synths they use in the upper mids and lower treble which are very dominant and can overpower the rest of the mix. So because of the forward mids, this can be an issue with the Sony. also I think the Sony reveals the compression of the mix and the over driving of certain recordings more than my other two head phones. On the same Skrillex songs that I have listened to, they have been recorded into distortion as far as the bass is concerned and you hear it easier than on the DT235. Same for Daft punk, when the mix starts to get complex and full, like close to the end of Giorgio Moroder or Contact where when the recording is pushed dynamically you here the distortion as the limits of the recording is pushed to accommodate everything.
 
Conclusion:
 
Anyway, all in all, a nice headphone with te mod I did. Clear mids, clean treble, and a full bass if only lacking a bit in extension. I have not heard much else because of my location, but I think it is a nice headphone and is for sure the best that I have overall.
 
Edit:
 
Added these pics
 
MDR-1RMod-7.jpg
MDR-1RMod-2.jpg
MDR-1RMod-3.jpg
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MDR-1RMod-5.jpg
MDR-1RMod-6.jpg
 
Cheers
bananus
bananus
would you recommend this product over for example the m50x, bearing in mind that the sony's go for 140 euro's and the m50x for 165 in my country (the Netherlands)

dudlew

1000+ Head-Fier
Pros: good sound, comfortable, well built
Cons: lack of isolation
I have had these headphones for a few months now and have used it almost exclusively over my other phones. Granted, these are not the best headphones around, but they are the best headphones I have heard.
 
Comfort:
 
These are the most comfortable headphones I have ever used. They are light and fit me well. They don't move around a lot and the fabric pads cause no irritation or discomfort. bear in mind I have used these in 30+ degree celsius temps in a very humid environment.
 
The problem with them though is that this comfort seems to come at a price of lack of isolation. They dont block much at all.
 
Sound:
 
Sound wise, after burn in, they are very well balanced. The bass is actually quite heavy, but not slow or overpowering. You don't notice this until you get a song with some nice deep bass and then you get a nice surprise. The bass is not very impactful, Don't expect this to hit as hard as the AKG K81dj.
 
The mids are clear and refined. not held back or recessed in any way compared to the rest of the spectrum.
 
The highs are clear and and crisp. Since burn in, I find the highs smooth as silk. At first they had some sting to it, but with burn in and amplification, the highs are no longer a tad harsh or overly bright.
 
All in all a perfect blend for me.
 
Test Equipment:
 
Source: Apple Ipod Touch 3g
Cable: Compicat LOD
Amp: Electric Avenues PA2v2
 
Music: MP3 ripped from cd at 192 kbps- 320kbps
Genres: Reggae, Alternative, Rock, R&B, Acid, Rap, Hip Hop, Pop, Jazz, Gospel.
Artists: Micheal Jackson, Seal, Coldplay, Radiohead, Jamie Cullum, John Mayer, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Tarrus Riley, Third World, Madonna, Alanis Morisette, Audioslave, The Streets, Eminem, Will Smith etc.
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