awesome review!  thanks!    im very very excited about the new planar offerings in this price range.  from what ive heard the new HE400s is superb, however i really require closed.   that limits my current search (mid priced planars) to the two you discuss here.   The more i hear about PM3's the more i think they're the one for me.   Thanks again!!

Nice job on the review!  Just curious on your thoughts on the PM-3 vs ATH-MSR7 assuming weaker sources (i.e. LG G3 / Galaxy S4).  PM-3 looks to be better overall, but not sure I'd get the benefits without additional upgrades.  Thanks!

@mbosco : don't get me wrong, PM-3 will sound nice straight from the phone, but relative to additional amping it will sound better in terms of improvement in upper frequency clarity (based on my preference).  MSR7 is good from any source, but they are brighter and some people even say "harsher", though not from HO of a smartphone (smartphone output in general is "warmer" in nature).  If you are planning to use G3 or S4 as your source and you prefer a brighter and more analytical sound - MSR7 is a better choice.

@twister6 I think the internal DAC has an effect on the pairing  also. Thanks for the impedance data.

Having just purchased this, I was shopping for a portable amp as your review was posted. Your comments on Cayin C5 are intriguing me. I was considering a Fiio E12a to match my X3k player as they would be brand matched but now it's a toss up with the C5. Anything you can offer to make my decision easier?

@BudC : If beside PM-3 you don't have any other demanding headphones and use IEMs or efficient headphones, E12A should do the trick.  C5 is very powerful, might be an overkill for you.  Plus, E12A has double the battery life of C5, and also cheaper.  X3k has a darker sound, so you definitely wouldn't want to drive it directly with a more transparent amp.  HA-2 is awesome, but E12A will be whole lot cheaper as well.  I mean, you can always buy E12A from amazon and return is back

Excellent review as always. I almost pulled the trigger on a pair of these, except for me as a self professed bass head, there just wasnt quite enough bass impact.  I did find the bass quality and extension quite nice though to be clear.  I did however love the rest of the presentation.  I found the HA2 to be a fantastic match, in fact I would probably buy them as a pair if I were to bite the bullet.  With the HA2's bass boost enabled I found it to be enough bass for normal listening, however in the end decided not to buy a headphone where I personally would be restricting myself to one device to listen to it through.
I would however have no reservation in recommending them if someone asked me for a great sounding, VERY well made portable pair of cans.  In fact I may still buy a pair.  Dang your review bringing these back into my mind, I had managed to shelve the idea

@Wyd4 : hide your wallet and ignore the next sentence m8.  PM-3 sounds awesome with Aegis/Note4

You're a bad bad man!

lol i will hide my wallet

Great review! Been a satisfied pm-3 owner for awhile, couldn't recommend them enough.
 
@BudC - I like the c5 on high-gain with pm-3 because I think it adds some width to the soundstage and gives the bass great depth. And it's a warm sounding amp, so I think it matches the laid back pm-3 sound quite well.  The e12a is solid, and might be more versatile if you are generally an iem user, but the c5 is a lot of fun with the pm-3. 

Great read my friend, very informative.

Great review. I own a pair of Oppo Pm-3, and they are lovely. Blissful to listen. 

@twister6 your comparison PM3 vs MSR7 help me lot! Thanks! How duo you think about vs M50x comparison?

@Pokemonn : look into my profile for a link to index of my reviews, and look up msr7 and m70x reviews where I cover a lot of comparison between AT headphones. That should help

@twister6 Thank you very much!!!

A great review thanks

I have heard lot of good reviews of PM3 and about to get a pair but how do they pair with Fiio X5 Classic and iPhone 6 plus?

@singleended58 : you will need amp or usb dac to drive them to their full potential with iP6.  The same with X5C, its built in amp is blah. X5ii is much better.

A very informative review and terrific pictures as well.  I had the opportunity to have a listen to a couple of prototype versions at TAVES 2014.  The designer was interested in getting listener responses on the 3 tuning versions provided.  While all of them left me with a very positive recollection it sound like the slightly treble rolled off version was selected.  I have not yet heard this officially released version but hopefully Oppo will be back at TAVES 2015 for me to do so.  I treated these phones as a top notch portable set and as a result am not surprised that they have a more forward and intimate sound.  And that's okay by me because I don't look for a wide and airy phone when listening to music as I walk in a busy city environment.  My current portable headphone is the Beyerdynamic DT1350 which I really like.  I look forward to compare it against this Oppo offering.