OPPO PM-2 Is Available - Post Your Impressions Here
Nov 12, 2018 at 1:27 PM Post #663 of 743
Nov 12, 2018 at 5:00 PM Post #664 of 743
Last edited:
Nov 13, 2018 at 12:44 PM Post #665 of 743
Why? Because it made every other pair of headphones you owned sound bad? :wink:

Sadly no... I had a PM3 then which lacked in treble but had great bass. Everyone said back then how PM-2 was much better. When I got PM-2, I found that it sounded worse than PM-3 for me. The bass was lacking, the dynamics were worse... Treble was more extended but it was not spectacular either. I understand some people like it but PM-2 was just not for me.
 
Nov 13, 2018 at 12:52 PM Post #666 of 743
Sadly no... I had a PM3 then which lacked in treble but had great bass. Everyone said back then how PM-2 was much better. When I got PM-2, I found that it sounded worse than PM-3 for me. The bass was lacking, the dynamics were worse... Treble was more extended but it was not spectacular either. I understand some people like it but PM-2 was just not for me.
It’s a fact that the frequency response of the PM-2 is slightly curtailed in the extreme upper frequencies. It’s well known for that.
BUT I find it a great ‘tonic’ for my other ‘phones when I want/need a more laid-back presentation.
Yes, the PM-2 aren’t perfect. But neither are ANY set you can buy.
 
Nov 13, 2018 at 12:56 PM Post #667 of 743
It’s a fact that the frequency response of the PM-2 is slightly curtailed in the extreme upper frequencies. It’s well known for that.
BUT I find it a great ‘tonic’ for my other ‘phones when I want/need a more laid-back presentation.
Yes, the PM-2 aren’t perfect. But neither are ANY set you can buy.

True... There are just headphones that are closer to or further than our preferences.
 
Nov 14, 2018 at 7:07 PM Post #668 of 743
^^ Not to mention... The source, DAC, amp and cables you are using, your ears, your personal taste, etc.

But, I dare say, the PM-1/PM-2 are among the most consistent of headphones when moving them from one system to another - they are the antithesis of something like the HD800, which is hugely sensitive to changes in upstream components.

There's certainly no right or wrong to someone's taste, but unlike a lot of headphones, it's not as easy to question or blame a person's upstream gear if they don't like the PM-1/PM-2.

Still, I suspect most people who don't find the PM-1/PM-2 attractive, are accostomed to a sound that's overly energetic in the bass (LCD-2) or excessively bright (HD800) or more coarse in texture (DT880), etc. If the PM-1/PM-2 is found lacking, I submit that it's primarily due to it injecting no personality of its own. It's almost too transparent.

But if you give your brain a chance to detox from all the Head-Fi, HiFi and Car-Fi setups to which we are routinely exposed, the PM-1/PM-2 will grow on you and I really think it can help us to mature in our appreciation for "proper" tuning, that doesn't beat us over the head with a unique, "listen-to-me" signature. I find it can play just about any genre well, which none of my other headphones can do.

When I just want to listen to music for the fun of listening, without switching headphones to match the genre (or even switching between multiple desktop systems that I've mated to various heapdhones) - when I just want to ENJOY my music, without fatigue - and without skipping tracks in my playlist because they're not a good "fit" - I reach for the PM-1 - because it pretty much gaurantees I won't be disappointed.
 
Nov 14, 2018 at 9:08 PM Post #669 of 743
That's a very good post Mike. Even though my no. 1 fave set of cans is the HD800SD, I never disliked the PM-2. In fact, I think it is a good thing to have different sound signature headphones. As you said, when you just want to relax, the PM-2 is very good for that use. Although it is not as amp sensitive as my HD800SD, it does improve with different amp. For example I don't like pairing it with my OTL amp.
 
Last edited:
Nov 15, 2018 at 3:07 PM Post #670 of 743
Still, I suspect most people who don't find the PM-1/PM-2 attractive, are accustomed to a sound that's overly energetic in the bass (LCD-2) or excessively bright (HD800) or more coarse in texture (DT880), etc. If the PM-1/PM-2 is found lacking, I submit that it's primarily due to it injecting no personality of its own. It's almost too transparent. .
I think that's a very good point. I suppose we are all too often expecting to be "entertained" by a headphone rather than letting it be just the messenger.
 
Nov 16, 2018 at 6:57 PM Post #671 of 743
I got the PM-2 today. Nice to have them again. I sold my PM-1 about a year ago while going down the rabbit hole in the quest for the ultimate headphone that does not exist. I regretted it when the news came that OPPO was getting out of the business. So I'm glad to have the PM-2.
 
Nov 17, 2018 at 10:07 PM Post #672 of 743
I must say, for $499 these are a steal. From memory, I can't tell much of a difference from the PM1 I had. This is pretty much the same sound I had when using the second set of pads OPPO sent, the ones that let more treble in by discarding the damping.
 
Nov 20, 2018 at 11:49 AM Post #673 of 743
I got the PM-2 today. Nice to have them again. I sold my PM-1 about a year ago while going down the rabbit hole in the quest for the ultimate headphone that does not exist. I regretted it when the news came that OPPO was getting out of the business. So I'm glad to have the PM-2.
The PM-2’s are just supremely easy to listen to, without the ‘extremes’ of my other sets of cans.
They’re not perfect. But neither are other sets of cans either. They just play the music. And damn well too! And sometimes you just want to relax, rather than be enthralled.
 
Nov 20, 2018 at 5:08 PM Post #674 of 743
You're right. You will never have it all in one set of headphones. There's always trade-offs. You just have to pick the qualities which are most important to you. The PM2 seems to give a bit a of everything good but not all of everything good.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top