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OPPO PM-3 Portable Planar Magnetic Headphones Loaner Program
Jun 22, 2015 at 4:32 PM Post #287 of 991
Unit #1 has been shipped.  Expected delivery is Wed, 6/24/2015.
 
The fact that I'm able to wear it all day in an office atmosphere (8am  - 5pm) using them to listen to music, training material on the PC, conference calls thru my desk and cell phones and then bring them home and have them on while listening to music, gaming, and watching movies without getting fatigued is wonderful.
 
I was a bit worried on how they would feel given the temps we've been having lately (95f - 110f).  Even with AC blasting you still know it's warm out.  But, these were comfortable and never got stifling or claustrophobic on / around the ears.
 
Others have, and will, describe the sound better than I'm able ... which is very similar to my wine tasting "mmm, that's good.  or, uck, I don't like that" :D  So, I'll leave it with I liked these a lot and will be looking at purchasing a set in the near future.  Additionally, I will say that I enjoyed it right out of my Note4, av receiver, and computer and laptops (mixture of O2 and Asus U7).
 
I am sad, very sad, to see them leave 
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Jun 26, 2015 at 2:52 PM Post #292 of 991
What's going on with unit #6? It's been 16 days since they've been received and I'm more than super excited to have my turn listening to these beauties!!! *insert anxiously waiting smiley*
 
Jun 26, 2015 at 3:08 PM Post #293 of 991
I need to be moved down the list to a later date because I will be out of the country for the entire month of August so a date later than say September 5th would be better for me. I was told I'd receive them in 4 weeks or so but that won't work for me. 
 
Jun 27, 2015 at 9:58 AM Post #296 of 991
It has been a month since I had the loaner PM-3. I have been trying to put my thoughts together and post some feedback here but never got the time to do it. I thought I can't push it back any more. If I don't do it now it will never get done. So here it goes.
 
When I first received the PM-3, I was immediately impressed by the nice packaging. It's not overly done but I can see a lot of thoughts have been put in there for the packaging design. I like the idea of including a semi-hard shell carrying case. Also I was very happy to see that Oppo included cables for both Apple and Android devices. 
 


 
I took PM-3 to office during the week I had the loaner. I also had a pair of Sony MDR-1A at the same time so I could do some comparison.
 



 
As we can see from the photos above, PM-3 is slightly smaller compared to MDR-1A. PM-3 also has much more clamping force. The ear cups of both headphones are about the same size. However the cushions on PM-3 are much thicker and were more comfortable. The cavity space inside of the ear cushion on the PM-3 is slightly roomier than 1A so my ears can completely fit inside of the ear cups.
 
Another nice design about PM-3 is that the ear cups can rotate 180 degrees. So it can be laid down flat with cups either facing up or facing down.
 
The headband extension mechanism and ear cup joint designs were different between the two headphones but the PM-3 operates as smoothly as the Sony's.
 
In terms of sound quality, PM-3 and MDR-1A were very different. MDR-1A is a nice sounding headphones. But when compared to PM-3 the 1A sounds muffled.
 
Soundstage and Separation
 
PM-3 doesn't have a huge soundstage, at least not artificially enhanced. It still sounds spacious. It doesn't have those claustrophobic feeling like many closed back headphones. The layers and depth were very impressive and are better than many more expensive headphones. The instrument separation is also the top notch.
 
Bass/Mids/Treble
 
Bass was the only one area that PM-3 got lower score. I am not looking for a big bass impact or slam, I mean bass extension. The lower bass or sub-bass rolled off a little too early. The cellos in some of my music were barely audible. 
 
The mid range of PM-3 however was the most amazing part. The human vocals were so vivid and clear. It feels like the singers were right there in the room with you. The mids was never hot or in-your-face. It's just done perfectly.
 
Treble was also done nicely. It could go all the way to the top without being shrill or harsh. The transition from mid range to treble was just seamlessly done. Very nice job Oppo.
 
In conclusion, PM-3 is a wonderful headphones. All the praises from other reviews are pretty much all true, they are not just hypes. However there are two things that would stop me from buying the PM-3.
1. The clamping force - I have a large head and PM-3 clamps so tight that I could only wear it for up to an hour. I had to take if off of my head so I can breath.
2. As mentioned earlier, the lower bass rolled off too early. 
 
I hope Oppo would be able to do address these two issues in the next revision. Then PM-3 will be a flawless product and will become a true giant killer.
 
Many thanks to Oppo for sponsoring this great loaner program. It was a wonderful experience with PM-3. For those members who are still on the waiting list. Please be patient. You will have your turn to enjoy this wonderful headphone.
 
Jim
 
Jun 28, 2015 at 6:31 AM Post #298 of 991
I agree to the terms and conditions. I would like to be added to the list.
Thank you Oppo!
 
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