So I finally had a chance to compare the PM-2 from Oppo to the EL-8 from Audeze. Special thanks to Joe at Overture in Delaware (a dealer for both brands) for allowing me the time to compare today and to Oppo for their loaner program.
Background:
A little background before the impressions from today. I was very, very happy with the sound of my AKG K712 but was feeling discomfort after an album or so of listening in the area just below my earlobe. If it was not for this discomfort I might have lived with them happily ever after. Fed up with this issue the search began.
I paid a trip, K712s in hand, to Overture to hear the Oppo PM-1 with my current DAC/Amp the Oppo HA-1 which they also had on hand. I only got to listen to the PM-1 with the original lambskin pads and my impressions weren't that great over the hour-and-a-half I spent switching back and forth with the AKGs. Sources were my iPhone 5S with 16/44 AIFF CD rips and CDs/SACDs played on a Marantz PM8005 using it's DAC.
I felt the PM-1 had a significant tilt towards the bass that muddied the midrange and smeared the lower treble. They also gave me very little in the way of soundstaging and imaging but boy were they comfortable, though much heavier, than the K712. I asked if they'd be bringing in the PM-2 and they decided not to at that time.
Fortunately Oppo was kind enough to start a loaner program here and I hopped on and began waiting. In the meantime I sold the AKG K712s and picked up a pair of Sennheiser HD650. I had the HD580 years back that I'd added HD600 & HD650 parts to as a compliment to my then AKG K701 which, strangely enough never bothered me from a comfort standpoint. That somewhat tight clamp with those comfy velour ear pads were a delight to wear but the sound wasn't like what I remembered my HDmutt sounding like. Bass seemed improved but some detail in the highs went missing. I grabbed a balanced cable from Headroom but the improvement to me still was not enough. Out went the HD650s and in came a pair of HD700s.
The HD700 was the most comfortable headphone I'd ever worn at the time but there was something strange about its sound. The mids seemed hollow, like there was some sort of artificial soundstage being created that just didn't sound right. I decided to look back to AKG for a solution and swapped the HD700s out for a pair of AKG K812.
This is when I finally figured out that, as much as I appreciate Tyll's reviews and measurement efforts, he and I have opposite opinions of what we think sounds good. From the first moment I put a song on I was not only back to hearing that awesome sound but it was sounding better than I'd ever heard it before. I think I literally said "WOW" out loud.
So I became accustomed to the sound of the K812s while waiting anxiously for the PM-2 package and for Overture to get the EL-8s in stock. I'd always admired the looks of the Audezes but had worried about the weight and thought the price rather prohibitive for headphones as I prefer speakers ultimately.
Oppo PM-2
The Oppo PM-2s arrived last Wednesday and I used them every day, switching between the stock pleather pads, original PM-1 lambskins, and the velour. I primarily used them with my Oppo HA-1 fed by my Mac Mini running iTunes + BitPerfect but did try them with my iPhone and iPad Air.
My initial impressions of the PM-2 was that they were much more substantial (less plasticky) than I expected which was a pleasant surprise. I only have the HA-1 and a BDP-103D from Oppo but I've always been impressed by their quality and the PM-2 was no exception. The synthetic leather on the headband and ear pads is of very high quality and fit and finish of the headphones and cables was great. Even the denim case had a premium feel to it. I'd give them a 4.5/5.
Audeze EL-8 (Open & Closed)
Joe had been running them in for about 4 days non-stop by the time I had made it there today. I don't personally believe in burn-in but between that amount of time and Audeze's running in it should have been more than sufficient for the ever important first impression. Aesthetically they're what others have said, much better looking in person than the pictures I've seen. Still, the zebra wood veneer just looks fake, I feel due to the finish (or lack thereof) compared to my zebra wood headphone stand. The veneer aside, the overall design is quite handsome, like a modern, upscale evolution of the HD650. The synthetic leather wasn't up to the standard of the Oppo (or my AKGs) and could easily be differentiated from the real leather on the LCD cushions. The cable seemed rather chintzy and still too short for my liking and I hear that they don't come with much in the way of other accessories. The open-back version look MUCH better than the closed version - they should have done something with that big swath of brushed aluminum on the closed. Fit and finish was a mixed bag, primarily due to the things already mentioned and the connectors...I'd give them a 3/5.
Comfort
During my week+ with the PM-2 I found after the first day that by accepting a bit less snugness by cranking the headband up a notch on each side resulted in a much more comfortable fit. All three pads were equally comfortable but I found the opening on the pads too small to truly be considered circumaural making getting them to sit just right a bit annoying. Once set they remained comfortable. I'd give them 3.5/5.
While I only had about an hour with the EL-8, they were instantly more comfortable, mainly due to more of my ear fitting into the pad (though it still didn't completely surround it like the K812s do.) I found that I had to adjust the headband much further out than expected as it seems a little narrower in comparison. That said they felt a little heavier than the Oppo and with more clamping force. I'd give them a 4/5.
Sound
I listened only for about an hour, using the Oppo HA-1 as both a DAC and an amp, set to normal gain, with my iPhone 5S and the aforementioned CD rips and some needle drops providing the tunes connected with a Pangea Lightning->USB cable connected to the front iOS port on the HA-1. The soundtrack included:
Alabama Shakes - Hold On
Arcade Fire - Here Comes The Night Time
Arctic Monkeys - R U Mine?
Babyshambles - The Blinding
The Beatles - Yesterday (Anthology), Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Mono and Stereo)
Beck - Lost Cause
The Black Keys - Howlin' For You
Bob Dylan - Visions of Johanna
Brandi Carlile - The Story
Daft Punk - Get Lucky
Dexter Gordon - Three O'Clock In The Morning
The Districts - 4th and Roebling
Elbow - My Sad Captains, Lippy Kids, Starlings
Jerry Garcia, David Grisman & Tony Rice - Man Of Constant Sorrow
Kenny Burrell - Chittlins Con Carne
Laura Marling - Goodbye England (Covered In Snow)
Led Zeppelin - Black Dog
The Libertines - Can't Stand Me Now
Massive Attack - Angel
Muse - Stockholm Syndrome
Nirvana - Come As You Are
Noel Gallagher - If I Had A Gun
Pulp - Common People
Ray LaMontagne - Ojai
Royal Blood - Figure It Out
Ryan Adams - Dirty Rain, Strawberry Wine, Dear John, Easy Plateau
Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin'
Temples - Shelter Song
Yo-Yo Ma - Bach Cello Suite #1 in G
Yes, as you can see, not a bunch of audiophile-typical stuff but all songs I know and enjoy quite well.
I spent the initial couple of minutes with the K812 and then the PM-2 before putting on the EL-8 (open) for the first time. My time with the PM-2 had me reconsidering my feelings about the PM-1 from several weeks before, perhaps due to more time, perhaps due to the different pads. I found them more balanced than I remembered the PM-1. The EL-8 sounded very similar - still a bit weighted towards the bass than the AKGs but the mids seemed a tad more scooped than the PM-2. Both sounded very nice with the more simplistic recordings above. Both also seemed to contain the sound much more at-the-ears than the AKGs. This last attribute contributed to a bit of congestion with some of the more complex, layered recordings. I felt the Oppos nudged the Audezes out a little bit in this area as the EL-8 seemed a bit confused at times, but neither had the air/space around/between instruments that the AKGs offer up. From a sound stage and imaging standpoint I'd give the Oppos 3.5/5 and the Audezes 3/5.
In terms of tonal balance solely, both planers offered up much more weight in the bass than the AKGs. Bass seems the primary area where this type of driver excels, it was just effortless and well extended. That said, I did get the feeling that both seemed like they'd been tuned to boost this area, the EL-8 more so than the PM-2.
I mentioned the slightly scooped mids on the EL-8 but neither sounded bad at all really, with a midrange that you could quickly get used to and live with for quite some time. Still the PM-2 put them a little more forward in the mix and that's my preference since so much of the music is in those octaves.
Moving on to the treble, the AKGs - artificial or not, have it in spades and as a result details just jump out at you making some vocals that much more intelligible and adding a realistic sparkle to things like cymbals and brashness to brass instruments that they have in real life. Back to the two planers under consideration and it was a tough call. The Oppos, because they seemed more flat through the midrange, seemed like it had slightly better treble. The EL-8s seemed to again have just a tad of a boost, resulting in more of a "U" or "V" shaped response. When songs got hot, heavy and thick the treble just seemed to give the EL-8s a sound that lacked the necessary energy in those upper levels.
Wrapping Up
I gave a brief, 10-15 minutes, to the EL-8 closed. I don't need the isolation that closed headphones excel at so wasn't even going to listen to them at all but Joe had mentioned how different they sounded compared to the open version so I gave them a quick spin, bouncing back and forth with the open version. Honestly, I was shocked. The closed version sounded more balanced tonally and with better imaging compared to the open version. I wish I'd had more time because I left there feeling they bettered both the open version and the Oppo PM-2 from a sound standpoint. Enough to make me wonder what the Oppo PM-3 might sound like. But I was out of time today and left with only my loaner Oppos and the AKGs, telling Joe I'd likely be back at some point.
Regarding both Audezes and the PM-2, they all offer very nice sound that I could likely live with forever. From a sound standpoint while not exactly my preferred sound, they by no means sounded bad. The main thing I'd fault the Oppos with is the small ear pads. I'd love to see what they could do with a flared pad version similar to the pad on the PM-3. If they swallowed my ears I'd gladly have forked over half of what I paid for the AKGs. My main complaint with the Audezes (both versions) is the cable. It's just too short and the flimsy connectors on the ear cup end makes using most heavy extension cables nearly impossible as they'd pull the connectors out of the cups. Twice during my audition today I had the sound go out of one side because I simply turned my head. That's just unacceptable in a product at this price. Had they a more secure connection and longer cable length again, I'd gladly have spent $700 vs. $1500 (on the closed version).
For the time being however I think I will sit tight. Neither is quite right for me at this point, perhaps a V2 of each will address the issues I have. While I'm still struggling a bit with the cost of the AKGs they're just unbelievably comfortable and easy to listen to while still allowing you that microscopic listen into a recording to hear things you've never heard before.
Bill
