[moodyrn]

Great post, I think it gives an honest impression of what to expect from these.

 

[dduck]

+1

I know that we got a brief impression, but I would love some more...

 

[Lorspeaker]

thanks supersonicROCK from 64
hate to sell my 650....nothing will make me do that...
 
i wont...
 
i cant....
 
 
 
 
 
i might...

 

[HiFiAudio]

Originally Posted by ssrock64 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
As a lover of the HD650 for involved, relaxing listening sessions, I have to say that I believe the PM-1 is a notch above it in every sonic category, and does everything the aging Senns do, but better. Now that the industry has moved up in price and in development investment over the last ten years, I believe that the PM-1 is a worthy successor to the HD650 as a top-rung headphone for those who love for their music to speak for itself, and not have to listen to the harshness or peaks and valleys introduced by TOTL equipment. It's effortless, euphonic, and involving, with an intimate soundstage and outstanding instrument placement emerging from a black background. If somebody had told me that Sennheiser had introduced these as an alternative to the HD800 for lovers of the classic Sennheiser flagship sound, I would not have batted an eye.

Also think that was a great post.
 
I also had mine for last two days also, and agree listening to a variety of audio content does emphasis intimacy and instrument placement.   PM-1's just come across as extremely easy to listen to, and to wear for long extended periods with all the audio content I have, and discover online.

 

[xanlamin]

So do you think it's worth the money, considering that it is at least 2-3 times more expensive than a HD650?
Does it give you the wow feeling that "This is it! This is my end-game headphone!"?
Or do you still have the feeling that something is better out there, i.e. HE-560?

 

[HiFiAudio]

  So do you think it's worth the money, considering that it is at least 2-3 times more expensive than a HD650?
Does it give you the wow feeling that "This is it! This is my end-game headphone!"?
Or do you still have the feeling that something is better out there, i.e. HE-560?

Build quality, yep worth it, 2-3 times the price of a HD650, especially included kit quality.  Very clean bass without dominating, while just being a bit warm, listening to a ensemble, or a one person act, for example  listening to Jon Gomm - Everything, the percussion effects and other unique guitar sounds very clear and distinct.   Then there is the efficiency, not something that the HE-560 can quite match IMHO.   Not saying this PM-1 is going to please everyone, but do expect lots of back and forth thoughts & impressions  against PM-1 vs HE-560 here. 

 

 

[MattTCG]

ssrock64...nice post. My question for you would be have you spent any time with the 650 and the Crack amp? Most people who have owned and enjoy the 650, are pretty impressed with the ability of the 650 to scale and sound even better (much better IMO) with the crack. (ask Moodyrn)
 
So I wonder how wide the gap between the 650 and pm-1 would truly be when the 650 is tested on the crack?

 

[ssrock64]

  So do you think it's worth the money, considering that it is at least 2-3 times more expensive than a HD650?
Does it give you the wow feeling that "This is it! This is my end-game headphone!"?
Or do you still have the feeling that something is better out there, i.e. HE-560?

I don't often make purchases above the $1K mark anymore, but I might stretch my limits a little bit for a PM-1 if I were to sell off a couple other items first. However, I think from initial indications it's probably better to wait for the PM-2, which is probably the route I will be taking once I decide to purchase a unit for myself.
 
I wouldn't say it's endgame or the ultimate of anything; it just does everything very well and very smoothly. I'm the kind of person who keeps an analytical headphone, a casual listening headphone, and a bass-heavy guilty pleasure around to cover all of my sonic moods, so I can't say that it's the pinnacle of my listening. However, if I had to choose a single headphone, I would probably be deciding between the PM-1, ESP950 (which remains the most enduring and pleasing headphone I've ever owned), and an SR007MKII (which I haven't owned, but have been lent on occasion).
 
Wait for the PM-2, and you'll have steal if you like sound signature of the PM-1. If you need metal pieces and a wood box, or maybe if you're just impatient, I'd say its current MSRP is competitive, but not a "good price". Hopefully the PM-1 will come down in price once most of the demand swings over toward the PM-2 upon its release.
 

  ssrock64...nice post. My question for you would be have you spent any time with the 650 and the Crack amp? Most people who have owned and enjoy the 650, are pretty impressed with the ability of the 650 to scale and sound even better (much better IMO) with the crack. (ask Moodyrn)
 
So I wonder how wide the gap between the 650 and pm-1 would truly be when the 650 is tested on the crack?

I haven't owned a Crack, but I've spent a lot of time with two (one with Speedball and one without) when I visited Wisconsin in early 2013. That was before I had an HD650 of my own, so I didn't feel confident enough comparing the PM-1 to an HD650/Crack combo I heard almost two years ago. I'll have to let others chime in on that one, but I personally find that I enjoy my HD650 more out of my 1100 than I have out of a number of amps that are known to pair well with it.

 

[keanex]

 
Wait for the PM-2, and you'll have steal if you like sound signature of the PM-1. If you need metal pieces and a wood box, or maybe if you're just impatient, I'd say its current MSRP is competitive, but not a "good price". Hopefully the PM-1 will come down in price once most of the demand swings over toward the PM-2 upon its release.

 
I'm not sure how qualified anyone is to say these statements. Oppo has said that the PM-2 will sound like the PM-1, this is true, but we can not know for sure until it is officially released. No one can possibly comment on whether the price hike over the PM-2 is worth it until they have both in their hands.
 
Secondly, I'm confused as to how you could say that the PM-1 is not priced at a "good price" when you compare it to headphones that are more expensive and claim that it holds it's own. It just isn't a reasonable assessment to say unless you go on to say that you don't feel the LCD2 and etc are not a good price either.

 

[Beagle]

I was wondering the same thing.
 
And if the construction of the PM-2 is different, the sound will be as well.

 

[zxc]

Tyll's freq response curves agree with CNET's review: overall less highs than the LCD-2. Great for people who love darker cans (at least they're more comfortable than the Audeze's). But no good for people like me hoping for a more neutral and balanced sound. Hifiman HE-560 seems to be the best choice for me at the moment... 
 
I was a bit skeptic about the uniformly awesome comments of the "demo people" at the beginning or the tread, particularly in regards to the neutrality claims. Sad to hear that it really is not the case. 

 

[ssrock64]

   
I'm not sure how qualified anyone is to say these statements. Oppo has said that the PM-2 will sound like the PM-1, this is true, but we can not know for sure until it is officially released. No one can possibly comment on whether the price hike over the PM-2 is worth it until they have both in their hands.
 
Secondly, I'm confused as to how you could say that the PM-1 is not priced at a "good price" when you compare it to headphones that are more expensive and claim that it holds it's own. It just isn't a reasonable assessment to say unless you go on to say that you don't feel the LCD2 and etc are not a good price either.

I should clarify both of those points. The comments about the PM-2 are conjecture, based on all the information we have so far about them (that they'll employ the same drivers and shape, but different housing materials). If the PM-2 turns out to be significantly worse sonically than the PM-1, I would change my assessment.
 
What I meant about the PM-1's price is that it's definitely competitive, but it's no "deal" of any sort at MSRP. Oppo priced it exactly where they should have, and it's a good headphone for its price. It's just not priced low enough to disrupt the market in any way. It's no O2 or Mad Dog in terms of its price-to-performance ratio. The PM-2 might be disruptive, especially if it's a near sonic match to the PM-1, but only time will tell. So far, the PM-1 is a stellar middle ground between the HD800 or LCD-2, at a price that matches that realm.

 

[moodyrn]

I'm not sure how qualified anyone is to say these statements. Oppo has said that the PM-2 will sound like the PM-1, this is true, but we can not know for sure until it is officially released. No one can possibly comment on whether the price hike over the PM-2 is worth it until they have both in their hands.

Secondly, I'm confused as to how you could say that the PM-1 is not priced at a "good price" when you compare it to headphones that are more expensive and claim that it holds it's own. It just isn't a reasonable assessment to say unless you go on to say that you don't feel the LCD2 and etc are not a good price either.

I kind of agree with you about comparisons to the pm-2. Until people get to hear both side by side, we won't really know.(remember th600 was suppose to be nearly identical to the 900, how did that work out). But as far as you questioning his assessment on price, I disagree. What's worth it to you might not be worth it to someone else. And as far as his comparing them to cans in the same price range, let's remember the he-500 was also compared to cans above the 1000.00 mark too. And they came in at 899.00. If they would have cost the same as the others, it wouldn't have been the value king it was and still is. So I can see why he feels it may not be a great value for him. But that's his opinion. And he's justified to let it be known. To someone else, it may be an incredible value. And that's fine too. It's all about individual preference, and if someone assessment on value differs from yours, that doesn't make them wrong.

 

[rgs9200m]

I still have an old HD650 sitting around, and I don't think the PM1 sounds anything like it except that neither offers sizzling treble. The 650s have a sort of closed in, claustrophobic sound and many details are missing in action,
and it's not the last word in speed, and the bass is moderately opaque. The PM1 is none of the above; it has much more definition and insight.

 

[YtseJamer]

New review from Forbes : http://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffreymorrison/2014/04/21/oppo-pm-1-review/