[bigshot]

Very nice presentation, packaging, the wooden box and the headphones. You just don't feel like taking them out, I would be careful not to scratch them.

A couple of notes... The box is made of plastic, not wood. But it's very shiny. During the beta test period, I kept the cans plugged into my comp at all times. They got jostled around on my desk. No problem with that. They are rugged and don't scratch.

 

[Jodet]

So what's the skinny on availability?   It says 'register to be informed' .... anyone been informed yet? 

 

[bigshot]

They told me that the first shipment of retail copies had just arrived, so I would think they would go on sale in a week or two by mail order.

 

[ssrock64]

When I saw the photo of the PM-2, I actually thought it was the PM-1 on first glance. If there's no glaring design flaw or SQ downgrade from the PM-1, I'll be quite pleased to try a pair out.

 

[musicheaven]

A couple of notes... The box is made of plastic, not wood. But it's very shiny. During the beta test period, I kept the cans plugged into my comp at all times. They got jostled around on my desk. No problem with that. They are rugged and don't scratch.

Thanks for pointing that out, still a nice looking box. Nice to know they are rugged and don't easily scratch, they might get dented though. It does not matter, I am pretty careful handling my cans so won't be a problem. It's so tempting, the first thing that attracted me to those was the shape, very attractive, modern looking.

 

[bigshot]

I can't imagine denting them. They upgraded the grills behind the earcups during beta testing. It would take quite a bit of force to dent them

 

[GeneraI]

The hype is getting to me, but I don't have the money to but the PM-1.

 

[John D.]

The hype is getting to me, but I don't have the money to but the PM-1.

 
Your not the only one feeling this way.

 

[HasturTheYellow]

Originally Posted by zxc /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
But I must say that the environmental consciousness shown off by the recycled jean material of the portable carrying case is in stark contrast with the carbon emissions required to make that super fancy yet rather useless wooden box.

The carrying case is actually selvedge denim, not salvaged (recycled) denim. It was a mistake in the unboxing video.

 

[n3rdling]

Heard the prototype version a while back.  They were pretty good.  Their tone was quite accurate but they lacked detail big time.  Soundstage was small and compressed.  Unless they improved the final version I have no desire to get them.

 

[HasturTheYellow]

This depends on what prototype you listened to. The first prototype was incredibly bassy, but lacked all the fine detail that the second revision had. The final product is nothing like the original prototype unit that was heard at Rocky Mountain or in Japan.

 

[bigshot]

The first beta version I heard had good bass and midrange, but a very atenuated treble. It sounded like the audiophile concept of "warm". I liked those for vocals, but for orchestral music, they seemed muffled. The second beta I heard fixed the problem and added in the high end well with just a little bump up of 1 or 2dB at 3kHz. The third beta I ran test tones on... it had 3-4 dB too much at 3kHz and 6kHz. It was just a tiny bit too bright, but could be easily EQed to correct. The production copy I have now is absolutely perfect, with a remarkably balanced response across the full range from around 28Hz to the upper limits of human hearing.

I'm betting you heard the first beta. That was the one mentioned in Jude's first report months back. Since then, the response has been fine tuned considerably. I wouldn't judge these cans based on the beta versions. There was some parallel parking going on in the response of the various versions.

The designer, Igor told us in the beta group that his goal for the production copies was a response that didn't deviate more than 1dB. Most headphone brands allow a 3dB drift from copy to copy. I'm guessing that Oppo's tolerances are extremely tight, because the retail version I'm listening to now totally nails the perfect frequency response. Some people might prefer more colored sound; but starting with a completely even response is fantastic, because it means that these headphones can be EQed into sounding any way a person might want.

These headphones are exactly what I've been looking for since I started out as a hifi nut... a balanced response where no frequencies jump out in front and block other frequencies. The complete lack of frequency masking makes these the most transparent and clear headphones I've ever heard.

 

[swspiers]

The first beta version I heard had good bass and midrange, but a very atenuated treble. It sounded like the audiophile concept of "warm". I liked those for vocals, but for orchestral music, they seemed muffled. The second beta I heard fixed the problem and added in the high end well with just a little bump up of 1 or 2dB at 3kHz. The third beta I ran test tones on... it had 3-4 dB too much at 3kHz and 6kHz. It was just a tiny bit too bright, but could be easily EQed to correct. The production copy I have now is absolutely perfect, with a remarkably balanced response across the full range from around 28Hz to the upper limits of human hearing.

I'm betting you heard the first beta. That was the one mentioned in Jude's first report months back. Since then, the response has been fine tuned considerably. I wouldn't judge these cans based on the beta versions. There was some parallel parking going on in the response of the various versions.

The designer, Igor told us in the beta group that his goal for the production copies was a response that didn't deviate more than 1dB. Most headphone brands allow a 3dB drift from copy to copy. I'm guessing that Oppo's tolerances are extremely tight, because the retail version I'm listening to now totally nails the perfect frequency response. Some people might prefer more colored sound; but starting with a completely even response is fantastic, because it means that these headphones can be EQed into sounding any way a person might want.

These headphones are exactly what I've been looking for since I started out as a hifi nut... a balanced response where no frequencies jump out in front and block other frequencies. The complete lack of frequency masking makes these the most transparent and clear headphones I've ever heard.

Hey Bigshot,
Would you mind giving us a brief rundown of the other phones you have heard?  What are you comparing the transparency and clarity to?

 

[Beagle]

  They look semi-closed/open if anything. The grills are very dense.

 
Maybe some of the testers can chime in on the isolation and leakage factors?
 
 

  I made a screencapture from Hifiguy's video:
 

 
It's out of focus though. Someone with the PM1 on hand needs to take some high resolution photos of the drivers with the earpad off.

 
Those look like dynamic driver covers

 

[bigshot]

I'm not a headphones guy. I'm a speakers guy. I've never found any headphones that came close to a speaker setup with a carefully equalized response and good room acoustics. I was kind of surprised Oppo chose me for their beta group, but after I started working with them, I figured out why they chose me.

I work in the entertainment business, and I've supervised recording sessions and sound mixes as part of my duties. I always admired the quality of sound I heard in first class recording studios and mixing stages, and wanted to recreate that in my home. I would ask the head engineers at the studios questions to find out what it would take to achieve that and filed the info away in my head for when I got a house where I could build a first class listening room.

I recently got that opportunity when I moved into a new house that had a room that was absolutely perfect for a screening room/listening room. I assembled a first class set of speakers and spent about four months carefully EQing and balancing the levels by ear using acoustic music. The goal was accuracy and realism... a stone flat frequency response. I've developed a very good ear for knowing where certain sounds sit in the range. I can hear an instrument in a song and know pretty closely where it sits in Hz and kHz. As I was balancing my system, I got so I could hear imbalances of as little as 1 or 2dB and could place them precisely in the frequency range. I'd parallel park the response curve using different recordings until the response was absolutely perfect all the way across the range of human hearing.

When Oppo sent me beta copies of the cans to evaluate, I went straight to an equalizer and started working with the response curve the same way I had done with my speakers. I would report back to Oppo in the beta test forum with specific EQ settings that made the cans more accurate. When the next beta copy was sent to me, it would be incorporating my suggestions. When I noted that they were really interested in what I was suggesting, I called up a sound engineer friend and invited him to come over with his test equipment to check the cans out. We reported back to Oppo with a precise curve charting every audible octave. Oppo listened and incorporated it into their next set of headphones they sent me. I was amazed that they cared so much about what we were saying in the beta test group, but I wasn't the only one. The other folks were making great suggestions about comfort and design, and every time, the suggestions were incorporated.

To answer your question, I can't compare these to other high end headphones because that isn't my area of expertise. I can only compare them to real sound... accuracy. I've spent thirty years developing a speaker system that sounds REAL. When I put on a good jazz recording, it sounds like the band is in the room with me. Headphones can never match speakers when it comes to soundstage and the sound pressure of bass resonating in your chest, but they can match the clarity of a speaker system with a totally balanced response. These headphones do that. They are as close to accurate and real sound as I could possibly hope for.

If I had to point to one thing that was unique about these cans, I would have to say the way it handles bass. The bass extension is almost as good as the subwoofer in my speaker system, and it is totally flat, so the sound of the bass is clear, not muddled. Other headphones I've heard have a midbass bump that makes up for missing sub bass, but makes the bass sound muddy. These don't have that. The bass is full ranging and balanced. It never sounds bloated or boomy, no matter how big the bass in the recording gets.