OPPO PM-1 / PM-2 Loaner Program
- Thread starter Jiffy Squid
- Start date
Sending the PM-1's out tomorrow; glad I got to try them out and hope the next person enjoys them!
Quick review:
Build/ Fit and finish 10/10
The PM-1's feel solid and reassuring the second you take them out of the case, very attractive modern finish that feels like a lot of effort was put into it. Even though this has been passed around Canada the headphone still looks and feels brand new.
Comfort 10/10
Very light! probably the same weight or less than the DT770's and significantly lighter than the HE-500's. I have never had a problem with clamping force and these continued that trend; all three included pads were comfortable lambskin being the best of the three.
Accessories 10/10
Carrying case, portable cable, 1/4 inch home cable, (optional) balanced cable, (optional) 3 earpads, what more could i want???
SOUND (the most important part)
I'm going to separate this into a few sub-sections to highlight what I look for in headphones.
Portability 5/5
I walked around downtown Vancouver listening to music in crowds at comfortable levels and rarely really heard the outside world! Only a siren was able to penetrate the music; I even took the bus and almost confused it for a closed-back but other people could hear my music so the drop was up. Also easily powered by my Galaxy S3, I got reasonable or loud sound fairly easily on most if not all songs, I was suitably impressed. The quality from my phone was less then that from my amp or dac but respectable.
Scaling 3.5/5
If you like a headphone that will sound close to their best out of your phone give this a 5; but if you want it to reach its peak with a desktop setup I would give it 3.5. It did sound better from my Beresford Caiman but not by eons, also it didn't seem to agree with my Darkvoice 3322.
Soundstage 1.5/5
It sounds closed more often then not and semi-open at best. Remember when I said I was fooled into thinking they were closed? Not (imo) a good thing for an open planar flagship.
Treble 4.5/5
Its not super extended or bright, definitely would say they are rolled off but I like that. No sibilance I could detect except for what was in the recording.
Mid 4.5/5
Very nice tone, punchy for rock music, great on vocals and added liveliness to drums and guitar.
Bass 2.5/5
Subpar for planar, maybe the HE-500's are to lofty a comparison (shouldn't be price wise) but this did not punch hard enough in sub-bass for my expectations, nor did the quality compare. It seemed the bass was only moderately better than my AKG K240.
Objective overall grade 7/10
For a first flagship this is better then decent, build feels flagship quality without a doubt and the sound is good, a little warm but not overly so.
Bass is good but could use a lot of improvement; then again some people will find it perfect, mid range is good and the treble is rolled off pleasantly. If you were looking for a closed/semi-open planar this would be a good bet.
Quick review:
Build/ Fit and finish 10/10
The PM-1's feel solid and reassuring the second you take them out of the case, very attractive modern finish that feels like a lot of effort was put into it. Even though this has been passed around Canada the headphone still looks and feels brand new.
Comfort 10/10
Very light! probably the same weight or less than the DT770's and significantly lighter than the HE-500's. I have never had a problem with clamping force and these continued that trend; all three included pads were comfortable lambskin being the best of the three.
Accessories 10/10
Carrying case, portable cable, 1/4 inch home cable, (optional) balanced cable, (optional) 3 earpads, what more could i want???
SOUND (the most important part)
I'm going to separate this into a few sub-sections to highlight what I look for in headphones.
Portability 5/5
I walked around downtown Vancouver listening to music in crowds at comfortable levels and rarely really heard the outside world! Only a siren was able to penetrate the music; I even took the bus and almost confused it for a closed-back but other people could hear my music so the drop was up. Also easily powered by my Galaxy S3, I got reasonable or loud sound fairly easily on most if not all songs, I was suitably impressed. The quality from my phone was less then that from my amp or dac but respectable.
Scaling 3.5/5
If you like a headphone that will sound close to their best out of your phone give this a 5; but if you want it to reach its peak with a desktop setup I would give it 3.5. It did sound better from my Beresford Caiman but not by eons, also it didn't seem to agree with my Darkvoice 3322.
Soundstage 1.5/5
It sounds closed more often then not and semi-open at best. Remember when I said I was fooled into thinking they were closed? Not (imo) a good thing for an open planar flagship.
Treble 4.5/5
Its not super extended or bright, definitely would say they are rolled off but I like that. No sibilance I could detect except for what was in the recording.
Mid 4.5/5
Very nice tone, punchy for rock music, great on vocals and added liveliness to drums and guitar.
Bass 2.5/5
Subpar for planar, maybe the HE-500's are to lofty a comparison (shouldn't be price wise) but this did not punch hard enough in sub-bass for my expectations, nor did the quality compare. It seemed the bass was only moderately better than my AKG K240.
Objective overall grade 7/10
For a first flagship this is better then decent, build feels flagship quality without a doubt and the sound is good, a little warm but not overly so.
Bass is good but could use a lot of improvement; then again some people will find it perfect, mid range is good and the treble is rolled off pleasantly. If you were looking for a closed/semi-open planar this would be a good bet.
Subjective overall grade 4.5/10
The problem is that I own other headphones and in this case the two that give these the most trouble are the AKG K240 and the Hifiman HE-500.
Tonally I feel like the AKG K240's have a far to similar sound quality to the PM-1's; the PM-1's undoubtably have a smoother treble, are clearer and cleaner across the spectrum with stronger bass; the problem is that it doesn't feel head and shoulders above in all these areas and it falls far short in soundstage and openness. For a flagship planar at this price point I want a thorough stomping across the grounds against my $135 K240's. Anything I would use the PM-1's for the K240's are good enough for.
The HE-500's are a different story though. Even though the treble sounded hotter on the HE-500's I liked the detail more, the mids are equal but the HE-500 bass purely slaughters the PM-1's. More power, and equal or greater quality throughout. There isn't really a point in mentioning the soundstage comparison because it wasn't a comparison. If the HE-500's compete with Audeze's and other flagships I feel the PM-1s should be in that ballpark as well but they aren't yet.
Comparatively speaking the PM-1 would be a solid buy at $450 (maybe up to $600 with tweaks to the bass) for the construction and the sound quality, but to me it doesn't sound to me like a $1,100 flagship.
The problem is that I own other headphones and in this case the two that give these the most trouble are the AKG K240 and the Hifiman HE-500.
Tonally I feel like the AKG K240's have a far to similar sound quality to the PM-1's; the PM-1's undoubtably have a smoother treble, are clearer and cleaner across the spectrum with stronger bass; the problem is that it doesn't feel head and shoulders above in all these areas and it falls far short in soundstage and openness. For a flagship planar at this price point I want a thorough stomping across the grounds against my $135 K240's. Anything I would use the PM-1's for the K240's are good enough for.
The HE-500's are a different story though. Even though the treble sounded hotter on the HE-500's I liked the detail more, the mids are equal but the HE-500 bass purely slaughters the PM-1's. More power, and equal or greater quality throughout. There isn't really a point in mentioning the soundstage comparison because it wasn't a comparison. If the HE-500's compete with Audeze's and other flagships I feel the PM-1s should be in that ballpark as well but they aren't yet.
Comparatively speaking the PM-1 would be a solid buy at $450 (maybe up to $600 with tweaks to the bass) for the construction and the sound quality, but to me it doesn't sound to me like a $1,100 flagship.
AudioBear
Headphoneus Supremus
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Kid Vic
I really appreciated hearing your personal impressions. It's useful to have a lot of different views. Without wanting to pick a fight I am curious how you can call your personal impressions OBJECTIVE. Realistic or honest could be better descriptors. I got the feeling you wanted to like these a lot but they just didn't do it for you. That's good to know.
You say:
"
Objective overall grade 7/10
For a first flagship this is better then decent, build feels flagship quality without a doubt and the sound is good, a little warm but not overly so.
Bass is good but could use a lot of improvement; then again some people will find it perfect, mid range is good and the treble is rolled off pleasantly. If you were looking for a closed/semi-open planar this would be a good bet."
This seems to me to be a very useful subjective evaluation of how the headphone struck you. I take objective to mean based on some measurement or physical characteristic, or at least a direct comparison.
Like I say, not wishing to detract from your contribution, just curious.
I really appreciated hearing your personal impressions. It's useful to have a lot of different views. Without wanting to pick a fight I am curious how you can call your personal impressions OBJECTIVE. Realistic or honest could be better descriptors. I got the feeling you wanted to like these a lot but they just didn't do it for you. That's good to know.
You say:
"
Objective overall grade 7/10
For a first flagship this is better then decent, build feels flagship quality without a doubt and the sound is good, a little warm but not overly so.
Bass is good but could use a lot of improvement; then again some people will find it perfect, mid range is good and the treble is rolled off pleasantly. If you were looking for a closed/semi-open planar this would be a good bet."
This seems to me to be a very useful subjective evaluation of how the headphone struck you. I take objective to mean based on some measurement or physical characteristic, or at least a direct comparison.
Like I say, not wishing to detract from your contribution, just curious.
superjawes
500+ Head-Fier
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All reviews like this are going to be subjective to a degree. Different strokes for different folks and all. He even acknowledges that the bass might be perfect for other users.
I actually really like how kid vic split his ratings. The 7/10 is more of a score to broadcast to others, letting them know whether or not the PM-1 is "worth it". On the other hand, the subjective score is just a measure of how much he personally liked (or disliked) the PM-1. I would love to see such ratings of media like movies or video games...
I actually really like how kid vic split his ratings. The 7/10 is more of a score to broadcast to others, letting them know whether or not the PM-1 is "worth it". On the other hand, the subjective score is just a measure of how much he personally liked (or disliked) the PM-1. I would love to see such ratings of media like movies or video games...
When I say "Objective" I meant the objective of the headphone being a strong debut as a companies flagship headphone.I assume that the objective of this loaner program was to spread the word and get feedback about there TOTL product; I pictured the "objective grade" as my overall view without bias based on what I own. Yes, that's a personal view but I assume that's why they choose to mail 3 $1,100 headphones and 2 $700 headphones around the head-fi community.
No fight was picked!
Judging by your location it should be you
there in the mail as of an hour agoThanks! I wanted to be honest and as accurate as I could imagine. I think its good to know the comparative value.
superjawes
500+ Head-Fier
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Definitely. Heck, I thought the PM-2 was a little lacking in the bass, too, but I've seen others love the bass ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
hakushondaimao
Headphoneus Supremus
Judging by your location it should be you
Initials E.P.?
hakushondaimao
Headphoneus Supremus
namhkim
Head-Fier
Even though I only had it for 3 days, I'll have to ship it out to the next person tomorrow since I'm going on a trip overseas. I am so sad... I am really tempted to buy it. PM3 and 1 came in the same day!, Both only 4 days b4 the trip! dang... what a luck, But I cannot take them with me. So they'll go out tomorrow.
Once again, so great thanks to Oppo sponsors (Jiffy Squid). Although some people say its not completely neutral, it was well Dmm perfect for me, I really loved its almost semi-open like sound. I think pairing with tube amps helped me to appreciate more. I'd give it 10/10 for sound, comfort, and overall quality. I am also wondering what it would be like if I try PM1 with balanced set up (balanced cable sells $120+. https://www.oppodigital.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BHC2)
Update 4/10/2015: Dropped it at local post office!
Once again, so great thanks to Oppo sponsors (Jiffy Squid). Although some people say its not completely neutral, it was well Dmm perfect for me, I really loved its almost semi-open like sound. I think pairing with tube amps helped me to appreciate more. I'd give it 10/10 for sound, comfort, and overall quality. I am also wondering what it would be like if I try PM1 with balanced set up (balanced cable sells $120+. https://www.oppodigital.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BHC2)
Update 4/10/2015: Dropped it at local post office!
messiach
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Is this still open to join?
I'm interested in trying these out and I agree to the terms and conditions.
I would be interested in trying both sets (PM-1 and PM-2).
Thanks!
I'm interested in trying these out and I agree to the terms and conditions.
I would be interested in trying both sets (PM-1 and PM-2).
Thanks!
aharitt
Head-Fier
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I received PM-1 unit #2 today from namhkim. Thanks namhkim for the nice packaging!
Unfortunately, I don't have headphone amp at home. They are all at the office. So I tried a headphone jack of my home theater receiver. Still I enjoyed the sound out of PM-1. I will update after I spend more time with it.
Unfortunately, I don't have headphone amp at home. They are all at the office. So I tried a headphone jack of my home theater receiver. Still I enjoyed the sound out of PM-1. I will update after I spend more time with it.
hakushondaimao
Headphoneus Supremus
Received PM-1 Canada Unit #1 from @kid vic today. A fun evening of tunes ensued. These things are craptastic!
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