[tinyman392]

What I actually meant by original recording, was the audio that is on a disc or file or stream.
It would be literally be impossible to reproduce the exact master tapes that aren't even there, lol.

The warm feeling that some people describe, is what I feel does sound natural and neutral.
To me they are the same thing, so I guess I am not understanding what you perceive to be different between them.
Yes audiophiles prefer that sound, because that is how the media sounds.
To alter the sound for a preferred "sound signature" is altering how the recording artists intended for it to sound,
and if any given listener wants that, it can easily be accomplished with an EQ.

(Now, I know that whole how the recording artists intended comment is a big can of worms,
since we have to deal with sub par mastering of media and just can't always get the quality we want out of the media that is available,
but for arguments sake, we can use the example of an optical disc, and then say that whatever is on the disc should be reproduced without alteration.)

 
I wasn't referring to the tapes...  I was referring to the mastering that was done on the final recording that is released... 

 

[Smarty-pants]

I wasn't referring to the tapes...  I was referring to the mastering that was done on the final recording that is released... 

So you are saying that the PM-1 doesn't even come close to accurately reproducing the audio that it's being fed?
I think most PM-1 owners, and even most who have heard the PM-1 would disagree with that. At least I hope so... I certainly do.

 

[musicman59]

I friend of mine who plays guitar and bass in a band was here yesterday and listen to the PM-1, HD800 and AD with my WA5-LE and MHA100 for a while. To his ears he preferred the PM-1 over the other two. At least to my ears the PM-1 (like others have commented here) does not lack bass neither detail and/or airiness at the treble level. 

 

[pataburd]

For me, the PM-1 resolve high frequency, midrange and low frequency detail extremely well, while keeping detail--tonal, dynamic and "mechanical"--very well sorted out and synergized.  
 
It is their balance that took me awhile to get used to, because the Oppos are not particularly pronounced in the treble and/or bass like other headphones I have listened to.  Compared to what I have been used to in the past, the PM-1 may come across as "midrange prominent", but the more time I spend with them, the more I come to appreciate their relative equity across the frequency bands.  
 
The PM-1 tend ultimately to lean [IMHO] more toward refinement, less toward a bold, in-your-face presentation, and I would tend to characterize them as laid back, but neither "dark" nor "rolled off". They retrieve/resolve treble detail very well while avoiding brightness.  They also manage to retrieve/resolve bass detail very well while avoiding bassiness or boominess.   
 
While I have owned/enjoyed bright headphones [e.g. Sony MDR SA-5000, Grado SR-325i, etc.], bassy headphones [e.g. Denon AH-Ds and Ultrasones] and midrangey headphones [e.g. of the Audio-Technica lines], I have heard few, if any, headphones with the equilibrium of the PM-1.  Their balance and ease make them consistently enjoyable [and for me consistently surprising].

 

[tinyman392]

So you are saying that the PM-1 doesn't even come close to accurately reproducing the audio that it's being fed?
I think most PM-1 owners, and even most who have heard the PM-1 would disagree with that. At least I hope so... I certainly do.

 
It reproduces in a way that is easier to listen with a warmer signature and more subdued treble.  It helps out a lot of modern tracks that would sound harsh otherwise with a pair of neutral headphones. It's not a bad thing, but it's not an A in, A out...  It's an A in, warmer A out...  The Oppo follow the OW curve pretty nicely, which is why a lot of people, myself included, enjoyed listening to them.  The OW curve isn't a neutral curve though. 

 

[Maxvla]

So you are saying that the PM-1 doesn't even come close to accurately reproducing the audio that it's being fed?
I think most PM-1 owners, and even most who have heard the PM-1 would disagree with that. At least I hope so... I certainly do.

I don't think they reproduce accurately either, but that didn't keep me from liking them.

 

[Smarty-pants]

So you are saying that the PM-1 doesn't even come close to accurately reproducing the audio that it's being fed?

I think most PM-1 owners, and even most who have heard the PM-1 would disagree with that. At least I hope so... I certainly do.

It reproduces in a way that is easier to listen with a warmer signature and more subdued treble.  It helps out a lot of modern tracks that would sound harsh otherwise with a pair of neutral headphones. It's not a bad thing, but it's not an A in, A out...  It's an A in, warmer A out...  The Oppo follow the OW curve pretty nicely, which is why a lot of people, myself included, enjoyed listening to them.  The OW curve isn't a neutral curve though. 

So you are saying that the PM-1 doesn't even come close to accurately reproducing the audio that it's being fed?
I think most PM-1 owners, and even most who have heard the PM-1 would disagree with that. At least I hope so... I certainly do.

I don't think they reproduce accurately either, but that didn't keep me from liking them.

I think you guys are used to headphones that produce curved response rather than a flat/neutral/natural sound, and that may be why you feel the PM-1 is off. I mean I don't want to make assumptions, that's not really fair, and you are entitled to that opinion. I really do feel they are very accurate to the source. The treble may be laid back just a little, but I wouldn't ever complain about that since I find forward treble to be harsh and fatiguing. I guess all ears are different though. To each their own.

 

[tinyman392]

I think you guys are used to headphones that produce curved response rather than a flat/neutral/natural sound, and that may be why you feel the PM-1 is off. I mean I don't want to make assumptions, that's not really fair, and you are entitled to that opinion. I really do feel they are very accurate to the source. The treble may be laid back just a little, but I wouldn't ever complain about that since I find forward treble to be harsh and fatiguing. I guess all ears are different though. To each their own.

 
The treble is only forward on a neutral/flat pair of cans because it is in the recording...  You just stated that the treble is laid back a little, which means they aren't neutral.  They sound neutral because the PM-1 compensates for the lack of flatness, loss of warmth, and excessive treble that is put into modern tracks.  That's why it sounds more right, cause it should...  I'm not saying any of this is bad, they sound great, but saying they are neutral is a little off. It's a warmer sound that sounds great and very inviting.  I'll also agree that it is a natural sounding headphone, but neutral/flat headphones rarely are natural anymore...  

 

[Smarty-pants]

I think you guys are used to headphones that produce curved response rather than a flat/neutral/natural sound, and that may be why you feel the PM-1 is off. I mean I don't want to make assumptions, that's not really fair, and you are entitled to that opinion. I really do feel they are very accurate to the source. The treble may be laid back just a little, but I wouldn't ever complain about that since I find forward treble to be harsh and fatiguing. I guess all ears are different though. To each their own.

The treble is only forward on a neutral/flat pair of cans because it is in the recording...  You just stated that the treble is laid back a little, which means they aren't neutral.  They sound neutral because the PM-1 compensates for the lack of flatness, loss of warmth, and excessive treble that is put into modern tracks.  That's why it sounds more right, cause it should...  I'm not saying any of this is bad, they sound great, but saying they are neutral is a little off. 

Well ya, hard core neutral wouldn't be accurate for any pair of cans since it's basically impossible.
I don't mean to claim perfection, just the pure enjoyment of their natural sound.
They are still neutral in the fact that they do not add effects to the sound like other cans do.
A slight attenuation doesn't change the integrity of the audio, but I suppose it could be classified as a sound signature. I hate to even say that because some people take such comments and run with them and exaggerate that when it is only so slight that it's barely detectable to human ears.
Anyway, I still feel they are very accurate and closer to neutral than most any others anyway.
Even more so when fed the very best high res audio that will show off what they can really do.

 

[tinyman392]

Well ya, hard core neutral wouldn't be accurate for any pair of cans since it's basically impossible.
I don't mean to claim perfection, just the pure enjoyment of their natural sound.
They are still neutral in the fact that they do not add effects to the sound like other cans do.
A slight attenuation doesn't change the integrity of the audio, but I suppose it could be classified as a sound signature. I hate to even say that because some people take such comments and run with them and exaggerate that when it is only so slight that it's barely detectable to human ears.
Anyway, I still feel they are very accurate and closer to neutral than most any others anyway.
Even more so when fed the very best high res audio that will show off what they can really do.

 
I just made a claim that they did add effects (or remove them)...  They take a harsh recording and make it not as harsh...  That's what the controlled treble does.  It's a good thing in many ways.  I'll agree they sound natural, they are not neutral.  If they were neutral, a harsh recording would sound harsh... This, BTW, is why neutral headphones are often referred to as unforgiving. 

 

[jazzman7]

Hay anyone compared these to the HE-500? Seems like they have very similar sound signatures from what I gathered from impressions.

   
I understand that it's not a popular type of advices around here... But consider comparing graphs of both headphones using InnerFidelity's data sheets, it could help you (along with written impressions from people).

 
I wanted to raise this question asked earlier -- has anyone done a head-to-head listening comparison between the HE-500 and the PM-1?  I think this point of the two being similar-sounding is an interesting one, especially given their frequency response curves.  The HE-500 with a bit of treble rolloff (5dB or so) looks like it would match the signature of the PM-1 pretty well (ignore the baby blue as it is covered over by the red).  
 

 
 
Also, if the forthcoming HE-400i is tuned to be like the HE-500, and the PM-2 is a PM-1 with a lower-cost structural build, the real battle will be between the HE-400i and the PM-2.

 

[tinyman392]

   
I wanted to raise this question asked earlier -- has anyone done a head-to-head listening comparison between the HE-500 and the PM-1?  I think this point of the two being similar-sounding is an interesting one, especially given their frequency response curves.  The HE-500 with a bit of treble rolloff (5dB or so) looks like it would match the signature of the PM-1 pretty well (ignore the baby blue as it is covered over by the red).  
 

 
 
Also, if the forthcoming HE-400i is tuned to be like the HE-500, and the PM-2 is a PM-1 with a lower-cost structural build, the real battle will be between the HE-400i and the PM-2.

 
Oh wow, these do  look extremely similar.  I'm curious now too to how they compare...  The PM-2 is supposed to use the same drivers as the PM-1, however, it didn't sound the same to my ears, It sounded like the bass rolled off earlier than the PM1 and it had more treble energy. 

 

[Smarty-pants]

Well ya, hard core neutral wouldn't be accurate for any pair of cans since it's basically impossible.

I don't mean to claim perfection, just the pure enjoyment of their natural sound.
They are still neutral in the fact that they do not add effects to the sound like other cans do.

A slight attenuation doesn't change the integrity of the audio, but I suppose it could be classified as a sound signature. I hate to even say that because some people take such comments and run with them and exaggerate that when it is only so slight that it's barely detectable to human ears.

Anyway, I still feel they are very accurate and closer to neutral than most any others anyway.

Even more so when fed the very best high res audio that will show off what they can really do.

I just made a claim that they did add effects (or remove them)...  They take a harsh recording and make it not as harsh...  That's what the controlled treble does.  It's a good thing in many ways.  I'll agree they sound natural, they are not neutral.  If they were neutral, a harsh recording would sound harsh... This, BTW, is why neutral headphones are often referred to as unforgiving. 

I hear what you are trying to say now, but I don't necessarily agree.
I don't think they add any effects, and I don't see how it's possible for a headphone to remove things from recordings other than through attenuation.
If a sound signature accentuates frequencies and adds enhancements, then that is also going to make certain recordings sound harsh.
Again I think maybe you are comparing them to what other phones have offered for so long with extreme sound signatures,
that it may be difficult to hear something that is close to neutral and so natural. Even though the audio is pleasant, they sound masked to you since you may be used to artificial enhancements.
Take that sound signature of another phone and get rid of the enhancements and flatten the curve, and suddenly it becomes natural and the harshness is almost gone.

 

[mike7898]

I was curious is anyone using Astell & kern ak240 with their PM-1?,Portable for me is ipod5,And bdp-105 Home use,If so I would love to here the ak240 combo,Beside that looking forward to the HA-1 to come back out..

 

[som4ew]

I have had it for a week now, so far PM-1 match very well with AK240. To my surprise it sound stage is smaller and less precise than my well burn-in ciem FitEar 335 may be it will get improved on this department after 100+ hours of use.
What it is excell is gorgeous lurk warm midrange very addictive especially with '240.