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
Just looking at the small aperture opening for the driver and ear pads, I was concerned about the soundstage and airiness being compromised. I guess my concerns are perhaps valid. compressing the soundstage with that design seems wasteful, as having a huge driver like that would give you a large soundstage and airiness practically for free. Perhaps it was to minimize distortion? I'm wondering if the cover with the small circular opening for the driver were removed how it would sound?