[Mr.Tom]

thank you for including me Marc.

Will try to get a pic or two tomorrow.

Been using your PM3 for a few days with a note 3 on the way to/from work on the train.
with some EQ (-2db at 9k, plus lots of bass via DSP settings).

They do indeed look extremely eye pleasing and feel very solid with the metal and leather parts.
The only thing I slightly dislike is the sharp-ish metal corners. (Idk if I'd prefer a soft case with the hard shell ones as well).

I do like the comfort - comfortable. Ears just fit the cups me but YMMV. The isolation is good as well.
I can feel the weight but it's acceptable And much better fit than on1. However, they do get a bit warm in 15-20 degree weather.
Generally I can wear them comfortably at work for 3 hours before i feel them in my neck slightly .

Personally I fell they're neural bright with forward enough but slightly cold mids .
I need less treble at 9K and quite a bit more bass and sub bass (while the popular opinion is i'm bass crazy, these have good extension but the amount and the sub-bass prominence don't quite do it for me). Couldn't get that from EQ on jet audio (note 3), had to use magical DSP in the JetAudio android player.


I gotta say I probably like them more than Thinksound on1 . Which is rather high praise.
Same slight sound-stage qualm but otherwise after minor EQ to me they sound well balanced and really enjoyable with excellent detail retrieval (I probably also like them as much as H300)

I also found they pair really well with the Xduoo X2 (and the extra bass DBB setting) for my liking.

Haven't really tried them with the clip so not sure what bass boost I need in human terms and not in vendor specific EQ/DSP terms

I'm really tempted to buy a pair and sell my on1 s but $US400, 550 aud is a really quite expensive. That said I don't know if I'd necessarily treat them as portables - IMO they can make it as the 'one can set to do everything set'.

I do like the silver cable for portable as lot - flexible, looks durable and makes hardly any noise (aftermarket?) - it would be awesome if they sell it as a remote added version as well. (I suppose, worst case the stock remote cable is quite affordable http://www.oppodigital.com.au/products/oppo-pm-3-1-2m-cable-with-microphone-inline-remote )

We share ears, as I felt to get near perfect sound from my pm-3's, I needed to adjust the EQ on my Fiio. +2@62, +1@160 & -1@8k. 

 

[d marc0]

 
We share ears, as I felt to get near perfect sound from my pm-3's, I needed to adjust the EQ on my Fiio. +2@62, +1@160 & -1@8k. 

How do you listen to them? I like listening to them at low volume in quiet environments. Detail retrieval is excellent in that scenario...

 

[Loquah]

I've had these for a little while now, and while I'm not enamoured with them, I do think that they're a nice headphone. To me, they remind me of the (recent model) Mad Dogs I owned, but with sharper clarity in the treble and possibly slightly better space and imaging.
 
The things that prevent me from really loving these is that they have a slightly congested stage (a common symptom of closed headphones so they're no worse than the average) and the bass isn't quite as present and authoritative as I would like. Everything is clean and very linear, as is the trait of most planars I have tried, so that part of the sound is excellent, but the slightly treble-tilted signature and lack of stage size / depth hold them back from a place in my heart.
 
On aesthetics, these things are brilliant! They look and feel top notch with leather and metal everywhere that matters.
 
Finally, the extra cable that you sent @d marc0 is a nice upgrade I think. It seems to open the sound slightly and tame the treble or lift the mids somehow without taking anything away from the overall presentation. I tried it on my Thinksound On1s as well and it brought the mids way forward. Not sure I like it as much on the On1s because they don't lack mids to start with, but it is still a very good sound overall and confirms that the cable could bring excellent synergy with cans that need a little extra weight in the mid-range registers.
 
I was hoping to complete a full review of the PM-3s, but just won't have time so I'll leave it at this and forward them to @White Lotus on Monday. Thanks again for the opportunity, @d marc0. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

 

[d marc0]

I've had these for a little while now, and while I'm not enamoured with them, I do think that they're a nice headphone. To me, they remind me of the (recent model) Mad Dogs I owned, but with sharper clarity in the treble and possibly slightly better space and imaging.

The things that prevent me from really loving these is that they have a slightly congested stage (a common symptom of closed headphones so they're no worse than the average) and the bass isn't quite as present and authoritative as I would like. Everything is clean and very linear, as is the trait of most planars I have tried, so that part of the sound is excellent, but the slightly treble-tilted signature and lack of stage size / depth hold them back from a place in my heart.

On aesthetics, these things are brilliant! They look and feel top notch with leather and metal everywhere that matters.

Finally, the extra cable that you sent @d marc0
is a nice upgrade I think. It seems to open the sound slightly and tame the treble or lift the mids somehow without taking anything away from the overall presentation. I tried it on my Thinksound On1s as well and it brought the mids way forward. Not sure I like it as much on the On1s because they don't lack mids to start with, but it is still a very good sound overall and confirms that the cable could bring excellent synergy with cans that need a little extra weight in the mid-range registers.

I was hoping to complete a full review of the PM-3s, but just won't have time so I'll leave it at this and forward them to @White Lotus
on Monday. Thanks again for the opportunity, @d marc0
. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!

Thank you for joining the tour. Definitely agree with you on the cable, it brings more liveliness to the overall sound.

 

[DJScope]

Got these on Thursday, but haven't had a proper look at them till today. I've heard the PM-3 before at CanCon. The build quality is top notch on the PM-3s. Everything looks and feels premium and they look very appealing, not over the top  or flashy. The earpads are very plush, and very comfortable, though they're a little shallow and my ears do touch the foam over the driver; listening to these for extended periods does get a little tiring and hot on the ears. 
 
I was not fond of the sound signature of the PM-3s when I first heard them, and the feelings haven't changed. The signature is not suited for the music I regularly listen to, which is  mostly trance and house. But listening to jazz and rock works very well with the PM-3s. And it seems like they don't pair very well with the FiiO X5-II or the Audio-gd NFB15, but it seems to pair pretty well with the little wonder, the xDuoo X2. I won't jump into the details yet, as I've still got many more hours to evaluated the PM-3s properly. These are just my first impressions.

 

[d marc0]

  Got these on Thursday, but haven't had a proper look at them till today. I've heard the PM-3 before at CanCon. The build quality is top notch on the PM-3s. Everything looks and feels premium and they look very appealing, not over the top  or flashy. The earpads are very plush, and very comfortable, though they're a little shallow and my ears do touch the foam over the driver; listening to these for extended periods does get a little tiring and hot on the ears. 
 
I was not fond of the sound signature of the PM-3s when I first heard them, and the feelings haven't changed. The signature is not suited for the music I regularly listen to, which is  mostly trance and house. But listening to jazz and rock works very well with the PM-3s. And it seems like they don't pair very well with the FiiO X5-II or the Audio-gd NFB15, but it seems to pair pretty well with the little wonder, the xDuoo X2. I won't jump into the details yet, as I've still got many more hours to evaluated the PM-3s properly. These are just my first impressions.

Personally it took me almost a couple of hours auditioning the PM-3 before I got convinced. Yes, the sound signature is not for everyone. It's very neutral with sort of laid back treble energy. But I don't know... after an hour of listening I then recognised how well tuned and balanced the PM-3 is. 
 
Please note that this is coming from a guy who loves the sound signature of Noble 4, Inear StageDiver 2, and Brainwavz R3. So I kinda focus on the MIDs first, then the rest...

 

[d marc0]

The PM-3 is on it's way to WA!

fnkcow mate, let us know when you get them.

 

[fnkcow]

@d marc0 Will do mate, didn't arrive today so probably on Monday

 

[fnkcow]

I have the PM-3 with me now, and boy does it look gorgeous!

 

[DJScope]

Sorry I forgot to check in earlier.
 
The PM-3s are not that kind of sound I'm looking for in a headphone. They're very flat but very articulate and quite accurate in all fronts. It wasn't the first time I tried the PM-3s, the first time my reaction was the same, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt because my audition with them was very short lived. But having them for a few days, I can truly say that I'm not a fan of this kind of sound. By all means, they are not a bad headphone. They look amazing, and boy, the build is spectacular. But where they faltered me was the sound is just too flat and boring. The bass is very mellow and so is the treble, and actually now that I mention it, so are the mids. They make me want to fall asleep. If fact, it's probably the opposite that I look for sound signature.
 
One other thing that I didn't like was the ear pads were too shallow and the inner pads touched my ears. My ears tended to build a sore spot after about an hour. Which is fine because I was asleep by then anyway! HAHA! JK JK.. but yeah, it was a little unfortunate, but pads are replaceable. 
 
Where the PM-3s are best suited would be for music/sound production. They would be perfect for tuning, tweaking and playing around with recordings; they are a truly reference class headphone, without (too much) colouring going on. 
 
Much thanks to @d marc0 for sending them around, and I'll be looking forward to you next tour. I believe it's the Fidelio X2 next, if I'm not mistaken! Just a heads up, I wasn't too thrilled with them when I auditioned them on the same day I first heard the PM-3s. But I'd still be wanting to give them a proper go. =P
 
Cheers!!! 

 

[d marc0]

  I have the PM-3 with me now, and boy does it look gorgeous!

Looking forward to your impressions my friend.
 
 
Quote:

  Sorry I forgot to check in earlier.
 
The PM-3s are not that kind of sound I'm looking for in a headphone. They're very flat but very articulate and quite accurate in all fronts. It wasn't the first time I tried the PM-3s, the first time my reaction was the same, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt because my audition with them was very short lived. But having them for a few days, I can truly say that I'm not a fan of this kind of sound. By all means, they are not a bad headphone. They look amazing, and boy, the build is spectacular. But where they faltered me was the sound is just too flat and boring. The bass is very mellow and so is the treble, and actually now that I mention it, so are the mids. They make me want to fall asleep. If fact, it's probably the opposite that I look for sound signature.
 
One other thing that I didn't like was the ear pads were too shallow and the inner pads touched my ears. My ears tended to build a sore spot after about an hour. Which is fine because I was asleep by then anyway! HAHA! JK JK.. but yeah, it was a little unfortunate, but pads are replaceable. 
 
Where the PM-3s are best suited would be for music/sound production. They would be perfect for tuning, tweaking and playing around with recordings; they are a truly reference class headphone, without (too much) colouring going on. 
 
Much thanks to @d marc0 for sending them around, and I'll be looking forward to you next tour. I believe it's the Fidelio X2 next, if I'm not mistaken! Just a heads up, I wasn't too thrilled with them when I auditioned them on the same day I first heard the PM-3s. But I'd still be wanting to give them a proper go. =P
 
Cheers!!! 

 
Too bad the PM-3 is not your type of sound but I do agree that it's an excellent reference headphones.
Thanks for joining the tour mate... we'll see you again for the next one 

 

[DJScope]

 
Looking forward to your impressions my friend.
 
Too bad the PM-3 is not your type of sound but I do agree that it's an excellent reference headphones.
Thanks for joining the tour mate... we'll see you again for the next one 

 
Thanks for having me!

 

[d marc0]

Our good friend @fnkcow has posted his review!
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/oppo-pm-3/reviews/14121
 
 
Sound Impressions
 
Drive-ability: 
 
The PM-3 was easy enough to drive with my phone and Cayin N6, and it did sound a bit better feeding it with more power, but I wouldn't say that the addition of amps is compulsory to get good sound out of the PM-3.
 
Sound:
 
Overall the PM-3 has a pretty neutral sound signature that is laidback and easy to listen to for extended sessions. The bass is a bit of a surprise to me, as PM-3 being planar magnetic headphones, with a 55 mm diameter driver size at that, doesn’t exhibit the traits that planar magnetic headphones are supposedly known for, which is having great bass. It is very tight and accurate, and clean sounding, with good speed to keep up with the pace, but the sub-bass is lacking in extension, and could do with more bass impact and rumbling textures. I found myself wanting a bit more slam in some songs. Vocals sounded mellow, naturally-balanced, true to life, if a tad lean and could do with more weight and thickness. Stringed instruments are clear, detailed, and accurately represented. The highs are smooth, sweet and clear, but lacking in airiness and extension. I prefer a bit more sparkle on top in which I found the PM-3 lacking, but some may prefer it due to for extended listening sessions without feeling fatigued after a few hours. The soundstage though, is fairly unimpressive, sounding closed-in, with adequate height but quite narrow in width. Nonetheless, imaging and separation are quite good given the limited space with excellent transparency and layering.

 
Ratings & Conclusion
 
As Head-Fi shows overall ratings for the audio gear instead of my own, here is a snapshot of what I have rated:
 

 
The OPPO PM-3 is a beautifully designed, well-built pair of closed back planar headphones with a neutral sound signature that's easy to listen to without the need of extra amplification right out of a mobile phone or DAP. That said, there's room for improvement in that to me it lacked low and high end extension with a fairly small soundstage. If you've wanted the planar magnetic sound in portable form without compromising looks, the OPPO PM-3 is one to look into.

 

[fnkcow]

@d marc0 Thanks for letting me be a part of the tour! 

 

[ryanjsoo]

Hey, looking for a cable replacement, have you tried this cable personally? Does it fit well in the jack and sound close to stock?, How`s quality and suppleness? Thanks in advance.