[bigshot]

I wear glasses. A little tricky taking the cans off with glasses on, but listening with glasses is no problem.
 
During the beta testing period, most of the improvements involved comfort. Every version was more comfortable than the last. The retail version feels great, especially with the velour pads. No difference in sound signature with the two sets of pads either. Other folks in the beta group had the impression that the velour pads sounded more "warm".  But I did a frequency response check both ways and they came out exactly the same. Not surprising since the drivers point straight into your ear canal.

 

[YtseJamer]

Interview with Jason Liao: http://www.examiner.com/article/oppo-digital-upping-its-own-ante-with-new-products

 

[AnakChan]

  I wear glasses. A little tricky taking the cans off with glasses on, but listening with glasses is no problem.
 
During the beta testing period, most of the improvements involved comfort. Every version was more comfortable than the last. The retail version feels great, especially with the velour pads. No difference in sound signature with the two sets of pads either. Other folks in the beta group had the impression that the velour pads sounded more "warm".  But I did a frequency response check both ways and they came out exactly the same. Not surprising since the drivers point straight into your ear canal.

 
I had the early PM-1 prototype back last year. How different is the current one from the one last year?  The ones I tried were extremely comfortable and no problems with glasses at all.
 

 

[takato14]

  I wear glasses. A little tricky taking the cans off with glasses on, but listening with glasses is no problem.
 
During the beta testing period, most of the improvements involved comfort. Every version was more comfortable than the last. The retail version feels great, especially with the velour pads. No difference in sound signature with the two sets of pads either. Other folks in the beta group had the impression that the velour pads sounded more "warm".  But I did a frequency response check both ways and they came out exactly the same. Not surprising since the drivers point straight into your ear canal.

Good to know.
 
How is the "solidity" of the unit? I don't know, this is sort of hard to explain, but even though my TH600 is all metal, it feels sort of hollow in the hands and I can hear a "tokhh" noise when I tap the cups. My DR-Z7, is solid as a ****ing rock and makes a very high pitched "tick" sound when the cups are tapped. The Z7 feels a lot nicer in the hands despite both headphones being 100% constructed of metal and having similar weights.
 
My main concern when it comes to headphone build is solidity, not weight or strength, and I find that very very few modern headphones actually feel solid in the hands. I don't abuse my gear by any means, but when something doesn't feel solid in the hands it takes away from the luxury factor imo.

 

[bigshot]

The first prototype they sent us in late November/early December was the same basic idea, but the clamping pressure caused quite a bit of discomfort around the bottoms of my ears over time. The pad at the top of the band pressed on my head too- not uncomfortable, just a little too noticeable. I wasn't the only one who noticed it. Most of the beta testers suggested that be improved.
 
Oppo's engineers modified the clamping pressure and padding, and added the velour ear pads over the next two betas. This final retail version changes the overall size of the band, changing the angle of the clamp, so it clamps flat, not poking into the bottoms of the ears. MUCH MUCH MUCH more comfortable than the first prototype.
 
If you liked the first prototype, you'll love the final retail one. There has been a significant improvement in the high end since you heard them too. Much clearer in the highs- not so muffled sounding.

 

[bigshot]

  How is the "solidity" of the unit?

 
They feel nice and solid even though they aren't terribly heavy. I'm rough on equipment- I play with my toys. The PM-1s have been bouncing around next to my iMac for the past few months... no case, no babying... stuff stacked up on them... tossed in the corner as I take them off... no problems at all. They are very rugged and still look brand new. The cups feel like one solid chunk. The pivots on the cups are super smooth and strong. The cable is thick, cloth covered with rugged connectors... a little over the line into overkill actually. I can see these lasting many, many years without any problems at all.

 

[purrin]

Has the sound of these changed since the beta as of a few months ago?

 

[bigshot]

Depends on which beta version you heard. The first beta I head back in November was a bit lacking in high end. The two betas after that were much improved- just about perfect- and basically the same as each other. The retail version may be a little bit more improved, but it's hard to tell because I haven't had time to run tone sweeps on them, and the difference is extremely small. So small it might just be sample variation.

 

[purrin]

The one I heard earlier this year seemed to lack sparkle and openness, although the rest of the FR was really good, almost ideal. Maybe slightly too of much downward slope for my tastes, a little muddy and slow, but I'm just being nitpicky. It's not like any of the recent $1499+ disasters disappointments I've heard.

 

[bigshot]

That sounds like the first one. It's been improved since then. You'll like the final retail version better. It still has that nice bass and stone flat midrange and adds a little bit of sparkle that the first version was missing.

 

[purrin]

Hmm, this definitely sounds interesting.

 

[Harris]

Hi,
 
This is what I wrote in response to a question from Headphoner on the Oppo HA-1 thread about the sound of the PM-1. Guess I should stick to this one.
 
Anyway...
 
Harris
 
------------
 
Hello Headphoner!
 
So, I'd like to clear up something that is bothering me. A few folks on these threads said the box the Oppo's come in is plastic, and it is not plastic. It is wood veneer, over MDF, then finished to a high degree.
 
I know it wasn't your question, but I thought I'd set the record straight.
 
I do think the Oppo's sound very open and airy. I have a set of some old, classic Sony DDR-Z6 headphones, which are very accurate, but I always thought.. hey, the music sounds like it's coming from the headphones, which is to say I always thought I could hear the distance from my ears to the drivers, which wasn't very far. So, while accurate, I never could really fall in love with them. 
 
The opposite is true for the Oppo's which feel are very open, with little sense that the music is coming from a inch or so from your ears. That is one thing that I was excited about, was that sense of openness. I have been listening to some of the new Audio-Technica headphones, and even though I was comparing very expensive, closed back limited edition wood models, I somehow found the sound of their less expensive open ear designs more airy, not just because of the design, but I think that for whatever reason the sound was less physically placed to the actual drivers.
 
The Oppo's are like this as well, but to a higher degree. One thing I do find myself noticing about the Oppo's is the transient response, jeez.. they are fast. Subtle cymbal crashes, fast decays, guitar strings, all of those have a wonderful delicacy about them on the Oppo's. 
 
Isolation, ok. that is one I hadn't been concentrating on. But, yes, when I was on the couch, with my wife and family near me listening to TV, they could hear what I was listening to, but not as much as the AT's for example. With them on, but with no music playing, I could easily hear the TV, room, etc. so I don't think they block out that much ambient noise, but with their design, I don't think I ever expected that from an open-ear design.
 
You know I've always thought that headphones and earphones are always in constant battle with ambient noise. I was in college when I heard the first decent open-air headphones for the first time that sounded good, and yes, they were German with bright yellow earpads. I had a set of Koss Pro-4AA's, complete with the little knob to attach a microphone, and they were heavy, gave me a headache, but sounded great given the right electronics, but the sound was always inside me, and those fluffy yellow units, amazed me.. simply astounding at the time. And yes, the bass wasn't as dynamic, as rich, but they were pretty darn close, and the highs and mid-tones were open, so, I was clued in pretty quickly as to the compromises between a closed design with its presumption of better bass, and the more open sound of open-ear models. I've heard some legendary headphones in the years since then, but I can honestly say that the Opoo PM-1 gives them more than a run for the money. I think they are probably the best headphones I've heard, that are actually (ok, not for many folks, but compared to some...) affordable, and I'm curious to hear what the PM-2s will sound like.
 
I did read some cynical comments concerning the new HA-1 that I don't think are justified. There are lots of great headphone amps out there, from inexpensive to crazy, and after spending time with Oppo talking about the motivation for the new amp, I think they wouldn't have done it had they not had something new to bring to the table, and I think they have. The unit isn't competing with the Sony's that have lots of signal processing, hard drives, and more. This is a amp and DAC, that still needs a computer to run, is very flexible, it will work with any software you can think of, and is a no-compromise solution, so I'm as excited as anyone to try it out, and I'm not sure if it was "tuned" to respond best to the Oppo PM-1s, but my hunch is that was developed as its own product. 
 
I hope this answers your question.
 
Harris
 
P.S. I too wear glasses and have no problems with them, they are very comfortable. Also, if you have used the AT designs with the wings, on me those phones slip down a bit, I guess my head is a bit narrow, but with the PM-1 models, they fit perfectly, and both sets of pads are very soft, just the right degree of firmness, but not fatiguing. If only my pillows felt that good! I'd never get out of bed!
 

 

[bigshot]

I was the one who thought the box was plastic... It's very strange wood, but it's wood.

 

[zilch0md]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bigshot]

Nice pictures!