Beagle
His body's not a canvas, and he wasn't raised by apes.
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2001
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Glad I didn't go by the reviews then. Best $499 I ever spent on a headphone. Thanks to @Rodmunch for alerting us to the refurb sale.
The PM-2 is no ‘match’ for the HD800.Received mine today, brand new untouched.
Compared with Sennheiser 800S
Better soundstage - HD800S
Better bass - OPPO
Tamed highs on the OPPO, though not always a positive
Fit is subjective. If you have big ears then OPPO is not for you.
Much lower sound outside the cans for OPPO, that's if you have a spouse that hates noise coming out of your headset.
Would I choose OPPO over HD800S? No way. While the OPPO is good, the Sennheiser is brilliant. For $399 the OPPO has it's use
For both I used Silver Dragon cables, Vioelectric V200, Schiit Modi multibit, Kimber interconnects and Cardas clear High Speed USB
No, it's better..The PM-2 is no ‘match’ for the HD800.
BUT it’s MUCH more versatile IMO, and is much better with rock & pop than the HD800.
At the current price, the PM-2 is a STEAL IMO.
Can anyone compare the PM-1 / PM-2 with the B&W P9? Thanks!
Just read that thread... Obviously everybody’s ears are different, but it sounded like perhaps your P9’s needed some more burning in. Mine had that boomy, overwhelming bass thing at first too. But they change DRAMATICALLY... In fact, the P9 presented perhaps the most dramatic burn-in change I’ve ever experienced in a headphone. My initial impression was of a headphone with absolutely world-class treble, superb soundstage, excellent bass and sub-bass extension... Marred by a massive, booming, deal-breaking mid-bass bump that very often ended up completely wrecking many tracks for me. I’m so glad I stuck it out, though. After 20-30 hours the mid-bass bump has disappeared, and the can exhibits terrific restraint in that department... The bass no longer forces it’s way into tracks that do not call for it. But when a track does call for it, look out. It’s the only headphones I’ve heard that can reproduce Ludacris’ How Low... Which is, frankly, bonkers. Not that I listen to that kind of music very much... My tastes are pretty eclectic, but I’m definitely not a bass-head. Anyway, the P9 has become my current favorite closed can, believe it or not... Even beating out my Sony Z1R, which retails for roughly 3x the cost...https://www.head-fi.org/threads/adv...-head-first-into-the-head-fi-deep-end.824351/
I did that comparison a couple years ago. I really wanted to like the P9's but they fell short for me. At the time, I ended up with the Audio Zenith PM-X2's (heavily modded PM-2's) and the Sennheiser HD-800's (SR mod)
I'm quite certain that if you compared a new P9 with your burned-in ones, you'd notice little difference. I like the richness and power of the bass but it pretty much stays the same through use, and it's a matter of taste whether one likes it or not. IMO there is no real logical reason for any headphone to change "dramatically" from use, unless it becomes defective. Another example was the Audioquest Nighthawks which were said to change dramatically after break-in. I was able to compare a new and an old and noticed little if any difference. It's usually a matter of adjusting to the sound signature and accepting it (or not) and pads softening from use, or headband grip loosening up a bit.Just read that thread... Obviously everybody’s ears are different, but it sounded like perhaps your P9’s needed some more burning in. Mine had that boomy, overwhelming bass thing at first too. But they change DRAMATICALLY... In fact, the P9 presented perhaps the most dramatic burn-in change I’ve ever experienced in a headphone. My initial impression was of a headphone with absolutely world-class treble, superb soundstage, excellent bass and sub-bass extension... Marred by a massive, booming, deal-breaking mid-bass bump that very often ended up completely wrecking many tracks for me. I’m so glad I stuck it out, though. After 20-30 hours the mid-bass bump has disappeared, and the can exhibits terrific restraint in that department....