[Sonic Defender]

I have to agree, given how important this community is to the future success of their offerings, and it will certainly be important, Oppo has failed miserably from a PR perspective in my opinion. A thread like this should certainly have had an Oppo representative (openly declared of course) following the thread and clarifying as much as possible. This is a wasted opportunity to have really connected with the really important first out the gate buyers some of whom have certainly  been posting in this thread. I just think it is bad marketing to not participate in this type of dialogue with customers. If I was involved with Oppo in such a capacity I would have made sure that a rep was here, and at all the major user/industry communities around the Internet to help manage the buzz.

 

[GoldfishX]

I'm just gonna say this...I hope they offer something that knocks Audeze and Hifiman down a notch or two in the Head-Fi community. Audeze headphones have been routinely criticized for their lack of comfort and they bring out two new near-$2000 headphones with the same flawed design. To me, THAT is not listening. And I just have to take a pass on Hifiman headphones overall, I'm tired of hearing how hard the HE-6 is to amp and I'm one that just can't get on board with the HE-500 because of the fit, despite it being a great value. And screw the Abyss overall, that thing looks like a $5500 torture device.
 
Oppo has a real chance to make a mark. I'll gladly sacrifice a bit of clarity or bass punch or whatever if they can make comfortable and reasonably cheap planars available. Hopefully they take advantage of their opportunity.

 

[Focker]

  I'm just gonna say this...I hope they offer something that knocks Audeze and Hifiman down a notch or two in the Head-Fi community. Audeze headphones have been routinely criticized for their lack of comfort and they bring out two new near-$2000 headphones with the same flawed design. To me, THAT is not listening. And I just have to take a pass on Hifiman headphones overall, I'm tired of hearing how hard the HE-6 is to amp and I'm one that just can't get on board with the HE-500 because of the fit, despite it being a great value. And screw the Abyss overall, that thing looks like a $5500 torture device.
 
Oppo has a real chance to make a mark. I'll gladly sacrifice a bit of clarity or bass punch or whatever if they can make comfortable and reasonably cheap planars available. Hopefully they take advantage of their opportunity.

 
 
I hear ya...I can't believe that these companies keep putting out these less-than-perfect headphones. Clearly they aren't paying attention to what anyone is saying, or else they'd quit messing around and just make them perfect already! It's almost as if they like how their products appeal to some people and not others, and they sit back and enjoy watching all of us debate back and forth the merits of their crap. Enough is enough...we all know it's not that hard to design the headphone that everyone will love, someone just needs to find their balls and do it. 

 

[GoldfishX]

I would just settle for an Audeze or Hifiman headphone that is more comfortable. The PM-1 looks super comfy and light.

 

[alota]

   The PM-1 looks super comfy and light.

this is a good news.
i sold my hifimans, that i love, for the weight.
for me, is impossible to listen with an headphones with 400-600 gr

 

[Z06_Pilot]

  I have to agree, given how important this community is to the future success of their offerings, and it will certainly be important, Oppo has failed miserably from a PR perspective in my opinion. A thread like this should certainly have had an Oppo representative (openly declared of course) following the thread and clarifying as much as possible. This is a wasted opportunity to have really connected with the really important first out the gate buyers some of whom have certainly  been posting in this thread. I just think it is bad marketing to not participate in this type of dialogue with customers. If I was involved with Oppo in such a capacity I would have made sure that a rep was here, and at all the major user/industry communities around the Internet to help manage the buzz.

I would disagree with this.  I have seen many circumstances where corporate resources insert themselves into a forum string trying to help and end up getting flamed due to the idiotic questions and accusations thrown at them for a product that is not even GA.  People start asking "well, why didn't you do it this way", and "so-and-so company built their's this way, and if you guys leave x feature out of yours, we will buy your competitor's product"....on and on it goes....I most recently saw this happen regarding the maker of my pre-amp/processor and a new product announced at CES but not GA yet...It started with the company providing information on features and functionality of the product to help folks out, and shortly thereafter, they were being grilled on all sides regarding why certain features weren't included or why they created at feature "that no one would ever, ever use"(a direct quote).  Those types of questions should be driven directly to the manufacturer's web site or private blog/forum, IMO...
 
I don't blame company reps for not joining public forums like this at all.  I wouldn't either... 

 

[sm31]

I think the primary mistake they made was pre-announcing without an MSRP.
 
They say it's because they're still designing the product and it's not finished, but I think not designing around an announced MSRP just frustrates people (certainly does me), since you have no idea (aside for those for whom price doesn't matter) whether you're part of the potential market.

 

[Greggo]

...
I don't blame company reps for not joining public forums like this at all.  I wouldn't either... 

 
Yeah, I hear you on this... there are many folks out there who don't appreciate nor provide any minimum degree of professional courtesy when interacting with others.  This is just life though.  Johnny can stay home and watch TV or play all alone in his room, or he can go outside and play catch, meet new friends, and maybe get a wedgie from a bully or have someone insult his mother.  It just comes with the territory.  I have heard people go off on someone at a trade booth, in a store, etc... and then of course, there is the entire culture of social media, where many companies play, and any number of folks get hurt, both company reps and even nice users who are on the wrong end of a stupid comment from a company rep.
 
There is no end to the possibilities of "negative" and I think this is OK, because being brave enough to expose yourself to these possibilities also opens up the realm of the positive.  The universe often insists there is a balance to be navigated.  Nothing ventured nothing gained.  Well thought out or not, every company/organization in the world will probably, at some point, grapples with what it means to be "social", to engage an online community, be it other business partners, suppliers, distributors, agents, customers, users, public in general, etc... The retail community is learning quickly that open comments/sharing/interaction, unless vulgar or abusive, are best left alone on their web sites, as it builds truth and authenticity, and in turn builds the strength of both the brand and the online community itself.  It is a brave new world.

 

[Karllin]

I have noticed a few posts criticizing OPPO for not getting involved and responding to questions on this board, with one person commenting it is a "miserable fail". OPPO is watching and listening to this and many other threads at Head-Fi. Sometimes listening is more appropriate at a given stage in a products development. If posters have specific questions, please give them a call. From my experience these guys are among the best in customer service and tech support, even when the product is several generations out of production. Trying to field questions on a forum at this point would be a waste of resources and likely unproductive. Too many spoons in the pot.

I truly hope the PM-1 turn out to be a great cans, and I am willing to wait for OPPO to get them perfected. I certainly don't want a rushed to market , compromised headphone.

I spoke with them earlier and they seem to be working very hard to get these to market this quarter. But they seem to have the experience to know they don't want to release until the PM-1 is nothing less than we expect from a fine company like OPPO.

 

[GoldfishX]

Actually, I do have a question for Oppo if they are reading...Will the PM-1 be available to regular Oppo dealers? I have one near me (Overture Audio) and that is where I learned about the BDP-105 (fine unit, just has too much on the inside for my liking). The chance to hear before buying is always a plus.

 

[zilch0md]

Consider this possibility:  If they haven't finalized development of the prototypes, I would think that most of the questions people would ask an OPPO representative (about sound quality, specifications, etc.), could only be answered with, "We don't know, yet - that's TBD."

 

[Karllin]

@GoldfishX

Try messaging them @http://www.oppodigital.com/ContactUs.aspx. Or call them at (650) 961-1118, a California number. I am sure they will let you know anything they have an answer for. Just realize the release date is not finalized, so they might not have answers to some questions. I would venture to say, if the dealer near you is a Hi-Fi store, they might get them, but it could be up to the store on whether they stock a certain item. I would talk with the store management and ask if they plan to inventory the PM-1. Maybe your asking will encourage them to get a demo set into their store. But, remember, no set date, yet. Might be a while.

 

[mangler]

...

Oppo has a real chance to make a mark. I'll gladly sacrifice a bit of clarity or bass punch or whatever if they can make comfortable and reasonably cheap planars available. Hopefully they take advantage of their opportunity.

I feel exactly the same way. I love how my lcd2 sounds, but the discomfort really does take away from the experience. If oppo is able to make a comfortable planar that has great mids, there is a very good chance I'll be putting my lcd2 in the for sale forum.

 

[Greggo]

I start with comfort as the first priority, and that is why I am following this thread and any other news about the PM-1 as I am hoping that Oppo manages to pull off the following:
 
1) As comfortable as anything from AKG, Beyerdynamic, or Senn... or at least very close to it.
2) As musical and technical as anything at its eventual price point or even 50% higher...
3) Bass and mids that showcase what planar magnetic designs are known for
4) Treble extension and spacial imaging that raise the bar for what planar magnetic designs are known for
5) Physically lighter and electronically more efficient and easier to drive than what most planar magnetic designs are known for
6) Distributed, priced, and supported in keeping with a globally respected brand that is able to leverage many economies of scale
 
Hope I am not asking for too much!
 
Since I am the guy that started pushing this thread with the "communication" issue, if I had to add a #7, it would be to make an official announcement every now and then at some place we are likely to hear about.  Still working on things and not sure when they will be on the shelve, that's cool, just say so.  So many variables still in play that you can't specify target MSRP, or even give a range, that's cool, just say so.  If you can't say anything at all, just say this:  "Appreciate everyone's interest in the upcoming PM-1, we are still working diligently to review feedback and finalize our design but not able to give a target release date or price point at this time.  Thank you for your patience."  Personally, I think that would be a bit lame, but better than nothing.

 

[alota]

personally i want one headphone that sound better compared to the stax sr-009 or the hifiman he-6 and costs 1.000 euros