[MaHawkma]

Received #4 loaner today.

 

[Asr]

Any chance that I could be added to the end of the list for either USA unit #1 or #2? Agree with the terms and conditions of course.

 

[FatBox360]

Just got Unit #5 from the post office.  Already enjoying them immensely.

 

[bimmer100]

I just ended up buying a pair of PM-3 and received them yesterday. My first impressions were very good. I was expecting to hear a super small sound stage that some people claim. No, not my impressions anyhow. Sure, it's not like my HE-560's with the open feeling. It's simply not possible since they are closed back. But for closed back, they achieved something really special. My fiance will love these headphones when I give them to her. I have listened to a lot of headphones and these PM-3's are excellent and surely worth every penny. I'm shocked to hear how well they are driven by my iphone even!  My HE-560's sound limp and boring on the iphone...(not surprised).  The PM-3's are not even max volume for rocking volumes on an iphone. I'm so surprised that a planar magnetic can be this efficient!  
 
Basically, when I got my HE-560's I was told they were super efficient and can be driven easily. yeah right. I was hesistant with the PM-3's as they claim the same thing. Yet they truly achieved efficiency worth talking about.
 
Oppo's fit and finish on this product is stellar. I could only have wished the ear pads were real leather. Although they are nearly impossible to tell the difference if you are not looking closely. The rest of the headphone is flagship quality. The ear openings are slightly smaller than I expected yet still fit over my ears just fine. The fitment takes a little time to get just right but is very comfortable for long sessions. 
 
Thank you Jiffy Squid for your help in answering all my questions and putting together this great loaner program. I hope everyone ends up buying their own pair of PM-3's. 

 

[Za Warudo]

I shipped off Unit 7 to Carlsan today.

 

[cityle]

I'm interested to sign-up to demo the PM-3 Canada Unit. Of course I agree to the terms and conditions of the program.

 

[deharrison]

Here are my impressions after one week of listening to the PM-3 loaner:
 
Beautiful visual and tactile presentation. No squeaks or rattles. My ears just fit inside the pads and I was able to wear them comfortably for hours. Even during a hot spell in SoCal, my ears were warm but never did sweat!
 
I've had open cans for years and wanted to try a closed set, so I bought an ATH-M50x last year and later installed velour ear pads. The PM-3 has much greater sound isolation and the treble is smoother. The deep bass is more extended and much more detailed, and is perhaps the most accurate bass reproduction I've heard in a headphone.
 
The sound stage is just as it was captured at the recording venue, with no sense of being artificially "closed in". I was able to simply enjoy every recording without noticing any area of deficiency. The overall balance and sense of reality with the PM-3 beats all my other cans, including HD-600 & 650.
 
Only when directly compared with my ESP-950 did I notice the lack of "air" above 10 kHz in the PM-3. The Koss, however, has little deep bass and sounds "thin" on some recordings, with an exaggerated sense of detail. So for most recordings, I prefer the more satisfying "weight" of the PM-3 sound.
 
The recordings I used for the PM-3 audition were mostly acoustic (unamplified) classical, jazz, bluegrass, and world music. I must mention that one of my pipe organ CDs has pedal tones down to 16 Hz and yes, these cans reproduce that frequency! I can feel it through bone conduction all the way down my spine.
 
First, I chose some CDs from my binaural collection. These have sometimes sounded "hollow" or otherwise artificial with my other headphones. With the PM-3, however, all of these binaural recordings (made with the Aachen or Neumann "head") sounded absolutely real, just like they are supposed to sound, as if my head were at the position of the microphones.
 
Next, I chose CDs and SACDs (from Aeolus and ma recordings) that were minimally miked and minimally mastered, using the neutral and well-extended DPA 4006 omni microphones. Once again, I was virtually transported to the recording venue. With my eyes closed, there was no sense of the sound being inside my head; the music was spread across the soundstage with a convincing sense of reality.
 
Finally, I watched some hi-def DVD-Audio and Blu-ray music videos (from AIX) and Blu-ray movies. The PM-3 also excels at these, with solid bass (or LFE) and no listener fatigue.
 
Quibbles: The small-diameter cable is undoubtedly good for portable use, but it transmits some mechanical noises to the earcup. At home I'd like to try some larger-gauge cables like the wonderful cloth-covered ones used on the other Oppo models. I also wish the PM-3 was built to use a balanced Y-cable.
 
Bottom line: I'd like to keep them!

 

[hakushondaimao]

PM-3 Canada Unit #1 is on its way to @waynes world. Have fun with it!

 

[Stillhart]

  Here are my impressions after one week of listening to the PM-3 loaner:
 
Beautiful visual and tactile presentation. No squeaks or rattles. My ears just fit inside the pads and I was able to wear them comfortably for hours. Even during a hot spell in SoCal, my ears were warm but never did sweat!
 
I've had open cans for years and wanted to try a closed set, so I bought an ATH-M50x last year and later installed velour ear pads. The PM-3 has much greater sound isolation and the treble is smoother. The deep bass is more extended and much more detailed, and is perhaps the most accurate bass reproduction I've heard in a headphone.
 
The sound stage is just as it was captured at the recording venue, with no sense of being artificially "closed in". I was able to simply enjoy every recording without noticing any area of deficiency. The overall balance and sense of reality with the PM-3 beats all my other cans, including HD-600 & 650.
 
Only when directly compared with my ESP-950 did I notice the lack of "air" above 10 kHz in the PM-3. The Koss, however, has little deep bass and sounds "thin" on some recordings, with an exaggerated sense of detail. So for most recordings, I prefer the more satisfying "weight" of the PM-3 sound.
 
The recordings I used for the PM-3 audition were mostly acoustic (unamplified) classical, jazz, bluegrass, and world music. I must mention that one of my pipe organ CDs has pedal tones down to 16 Hz and yes, these cans reproduce that frequency! I can feel it through bone conduction all the way down my spine.
 
First, I chose some CDs from my binaural collection. These have sometimes sounded "hollow" or otherwise artificial with my other headphones. With the PM-3, however, all of these binaural recordings (made with the Aachen or Neumann "head") sounded absolutely real, just like they are supposed to sound, as if my head were at the position of the microphones.
 
Next, I chose CDs and SACDs (from Aeolus and ma recordings) that were minimally miked and minimally mastered, using the neutral and well-extended DPA 4006 omni microphones. Once again, I was virtually transported to the recording venue. With my eyes closed, there was no sense of the sound being inside my head; the music was spread across the soundstage with a convincing sense of reality.
 
Finally, I watched some hi-def DVD-Audio and Blu-ray music videos (from AIX) and Blu-ray movies. The PM-3 also excels at these, with solid bass (or LFE) and no listener fatigue.
 
Quibbles: The small-diameter cable is undoubtedly good for portable use, but it transmits some mechanical noises to the earcup. At home I'd like to try some larger-gauge cables like the wonderful cloth-covered ones used on the other Oppo models. I also wish the PM-3 was built to use a balanced Y-cable.
 
Bottom line: I'd like to keep them!

 
Actually, the PM-3 is wired internally for balanced use, you just need an appropriate cable!

 

[deharrison]

Please give details! (The plugs that come on the PM-3 cables have only 3 conductors.)

 

[Stillhart]

 
Please give details! (The plugs that come on the PM-3 cables have only 3 conductors.)

 
The jacks are wired to work with a 4-conductor TRRS for balanced use.  If you search through the main PM-3 thread, you'll see that at least one person has had a cable built and uses it with his AK240.

 

[kenman345]

   
The jacks are wired to work with a 4-conductor TRRS for balanced use.  If you search through the main PM-3 thread, you'll see that at least one person has had a cable built and uses it with his AK240.

Moon Audio and Double Helix Cables make balanced cables for this headphone. I have been the one on the impression threads trying to find a cheaper option for those DIYers out there and have made a few strides in that effect. I will be keeping that thread updated on my progress and should have lots to report in the future. I was able to get a poorly made cable by me to work balanced last night. Definitely not the end of the story though, just need to make a better cable. Will try again tonight

 

[jim723]

Loaner unit #3 has been shipped on 6/4/2015, to @gsr108.
 
I truly enjoyed the time I had with PM-3. It's a wonderful headphones, especially the mid range, the vocals. I will try to give a little more feedback in the next couple of days.
 
Many thanks to Oppo for this great program.

 

[MaHawkma]

Unit #4 is being shipped to @Cotnijoe today.

 

[deharrison]

The jacks are wired to work with a 4-conductor TRRS for balanced use...  

Quote:

Moon Audio and Double Helix Cables make balanced cables for this headphone. I have been the one on the impression threads trying to find a cheaper option for those DIYers...

Thanks to both of you for the info!