[GeneraI]

I'm a little saddened that most of the reviewers don't have other planers to compare with the new OPPO.

 

[conquerator2]

I feel like the soundstage might be it's weakness maybe. Not sure about the treble and air either from the impressions.
But again, we won't know till we have a similarly priced planar to compare...

 

[darinf]

I would buy one if it was cheaper than the HE-560 I already pre-ordered

The PM-2 is going to be $699, which is cheaper than the HE-560. Not sure if anyone knows if they will sound the same, but I think it was confirmed that the driver is the same as the PM-1.

 

[Ratheriian]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Haha this is a "shark tank"?
I didn't notice since I HAD TO SKIM OVER ALL PAGES to this last page!

Soooo much sound techno jargon ha.
I thought this was some audio school thread and not the Oppo thread..
Wew!
No ONTO IMPRESSIONS...


So my thoughts on the new Oppo PM-1, from the NY Headfi meet:

1- It is slightly overpriced..
2- It scales high
3- Very polished and quality feel, really excellent except for tiny plug in sockets for wire I thought too tiny..
4- very comfortable, excellent pads both leather and velour type. Just excellent..
5- very very nice size and looks
6- soundstage not very large for an open can.
Not like an HD800, but still very good.
Just slightly larger than an AlphaDog and older LCD models.
Air and soundstage was good..
7- Impact, detail, and bass were all there.(!)
No faults at all to nitpick...
AGAIN, NO FAULTS I CAN DETECT, THATS A HUGE PLUS..
8- Oppo efficiency was just marginally better than an Alpha Dog.. Not a huge jump.
The new LCDs X versions seemed slightly more efficient.
Still it was a noticeable improvement.

So to sum up and spill the beans,
Overall, the Oppo PM-1 had very good sound, superior to, say an AplhaDog or a HE500..
But not by much..
Not enough to justify that price.

So I really don't feel it was any better than say, an HE-6 optimally amped, or say an LCD..
To me, the best planar/or tho type at the meet was only the LCD X... And I listened to the LCD3, XC, Alpha, etc. some others...

Yet the Oppo is very close up there, and a very, very nice alternative..

I would buy one if it was cheaper,
Edit: or similar priced,
.. than the HE-560 I already pre-ordered

 
Does this include the LCD-2? I don't think the LCD-2 is on another level than the HE-500. I'd even prefer the HE-500 over the LCD-2.
 
Anyway. Thanks for you impressions. That really helped.

 

 

[Maxx134]

Another note to add more question to its capabilities, is that on the woo wa7 with that new power supply it did climb substantially higher in sound..
So I must assume with a good power it can get better..(!)

 

[Maxx134]

Does this include the LCD-2? I don't think the LCD-2 is on another level than the HE-500. I'd even prefer the HE-500 over the LCD-2.

Anyway. Thanks for you impressions. That really helped.  

I did not listen enough to lcd2 to make any distinction about that.

Actually I only was comparing the LCD X with the AphaDogs & my w3000anv with AlphaPads.
The LCD X and my w3000anv where a notch above the Alpha, as was the Oppo..

Bottom line is I think the Oppo is on par with other top cans, only when amped well.

The most noticeable difference is in the bass impact and extension.
From a portable source the signature remained clear and similar in all respects except the bass.
Edit:
Although it did play surprisingly satisfactory on low power overall.

With good amp the can bass was huge and bottomless.
And no I am not talking about amount of bass, just the impact, depth and impression.

So overall its a solid performer.
The only Achilles heel I see,
Is that I can get same or better level, not sure yet,
With the HE560..

 

[Headphoner]

The cups are built in layers like a sandwich. There might be other spots where it's open. It's hard to tell. The specs call it an open back design though.

With the phones on your head, and the music is turned off, how much reduction of environmental noise (air conditioning, traffic noise, someone talking, etc.) is there?

 

[meetoo1]

How does the PM-1 compare to the Beyerdynamic T1?

 

[Headphoner]

When you EQ by ear, you are applying the Fletcher Munson curve automatically.

Yes, exactly true.  That is why, when reproducing a frequency sweep of sine waves, a speaker must be nonflat to produce what sounds flat to your ears.  But, when reproducing music, and comparing it to your memory of live music, a speaker must be relatively flat to sound like live music (assuming that you have an experienced ear).

 

[Maxx134]

How does the PM-1 compare to the Beyerdynamic T1?

TI more trebly with more & air and delicacy. T1 More sounstage
PM-1 more realistic trebles.
Trebles are transparent, not accentuated like Beyers.
High clarity sound with more impact or dynamic range.

 

[Headphoner]

THIS
I feel that impressions from any/all that have heard it are fascinating though.
I'm less enthused re' the sound science debate drowning out actual impressions, but I still wouldn't insist that it's moved/removed or otherwise censored.

I am eager to hear impressions from any and all who have heard these phones.  Can you please provide impressions.

 

[Headphoner]

  FWIW, the comments that have been posted from the NY meet have hardly been glowing. While complimenting the PM-1 on build quality, people are reporting they sound very closed, making them think they are overpriced for their performance. 

Very interesting.
 
Can you provide a link?

 

[Beagle]

  The PM-2 is going to be $699, which is cheaper than the HE-560. Not sure if anyone knows if they will sound the same, but I think it was confirmed that the driver is the same as the PM-1.

 
Actually, two months worth of opinions/reviews on the PM-1 will serve us well by the time the PM-2 is released. At that point, the initial rush/demand for the PM-1 will have settled, we will have opinions on both, and we can dip out toes in or jump right into the deep end

 

[meetoo1]

TI more trebly with more & air and delicacy. T1 More sounstage
PM-1 more realistic trebles.
Trebles are transparent, not accentuated like Beyers.
High clarity sound with more impact or dynamic range.

More dynamic range than the T1s?  I feel the T1s have great range, clarity and soundstage... and yes I think the T1s do accent the trebles a little bit.  Are you saying you think the PM-1s sound better than the T1s in range and clarity?

 

[DoctaCosmos]

I apologize for me questioning what big shot was trying to tell us. I didn't mean to come off strong I just felt like it didn't fit in with what we needed to hear and it only took me a minute to realize he is a speaker guy and if you want to sell an avs speaker member a headphone you have to cope with what they know and that is balancing your system out. But this is headphone world so people were trying to explain that most of us already know that you can't balance a headphone perfectly flat. We had questions about that. But we were trying to get a feel for the headphones by means that he didn't seem to be able to cope with or want to mention. I personally apologize for ruining the thread. Wasn't expecting to read pages from a beta tester that all added up to the fact that because of him and his buddy the headphone is more balanced than it was. Thank you for taking the time to make it a better headphone for both us headphoners and us speaker guys.