Oppo PM-3 : The Portable Planar - Impressions

[lukeap69]

Alright, placed my order but I know others may receive their unit first. 
 
Post your impressions here!
 
http://oppodigital.com/headphones-pm-3/
 

Oppo PM-3 with the titanic Ragnarok!
 
Notable reviews, previews and hands-on added below
 
Headfonia review
http://www.headfonia.com/oppo-pm-3-opus/
 
Enjoy the music preview
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0315/OPPO_PM_3_HA_2.htm
 
Digital Trends Hands On
http://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/oppo-pm3-hands-on/
 
Reference Home Theatre review
http://referencehometheater.com/review/oppo-pm-3-headphones-review/
 
Forbes Life preview
http://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffreymorrison/2015/03/11/oppo-pm-3-preview-closed-back-budget-planar-magnetic-headphones/
 
money4me247 review
http://www.head-fi.org/products/oppo-pm-3/reviews/12713
 
hans030390 review
http://www.head-fi.org/products/oppo-pm-3/reviews/12893
 
Stillhart review
http://www.head-fi.org/products/oppo-pm-3/reviews/12890
 
NZheadcase review
http://www.head-fi.org/products/oppo-pm-3/reviews/12777
 
Soundsgoodtome review
http://www.head-fi.org/products/oppo-pm-3/reviews/12950
 
DirtySnackage review
http://www.head-fi.org/products/oppo-pm-3/reviews/12749
 
HarleyZK review
http://www.head-fi.org/products/oppo-pm-3/reviews/12836
 
Unicorn review (Youtube)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icbRpPBFe0E
 
Bob Katz review (Innerfidelity)
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/katzs-corner-episode-10-mid-priced-sealed-headphone-survey-oppo-pm3#7CZyhgixaTtzoV4u.97

 

[wgb113]

Curious as to how they stack up to the PM-1/PM-2 and how well they isolate from outside noise.

Bill

 

[lukeap69]

I have the PM-2 so perhaps I can do a comparison when I received my PM-3.

 

[aamefford]

Curious as to how they stack up to the PM-1/PM-2 and how well they isolate from outside noise.

Bill

Kind of a similar house sound, but closed headphones built for portable use, so definitely different from the PM-1/2 based on last beta round. They isolate pretty well. Not the same level of isolation as the Mr. Speakers offerings, or the HD25's, much better than the dearly departed Denon D2,5,7000's.

 

[SNSDluv]

Kind of a similar house sound, but closed headphones built for portable use, so definitely different from the PM-1/2 based on last beta round. They isolate pretty well. Not the same level of isolation as the Mr. Speakers offerings, or the HD25's, much better than the dearly departed Denon D2,5,7000's.

Could you do a comparison between PM-3 and the Mr.Speakers Alpha Dog?

 

[Allanmarcus]

I think we all want comparisons between every other closed flagship!

 

[malla1ml]

I have the PM-3 on preorder and while also having the TH900 and Alpha Dogs, in addition to my slew of open cans.  I'm not a great reviewer but I can take a shot at giving some impressions once I've had a little time with them.

 

[lukeap69]

That would be nice! Thanks.

 

[crazydeep]

Greetings,
 
This is my first Head-Fi post - so apologize in advance if it doesn't meet the high standards of this wonderful forum
 
I have had the PM-2 for a while now ... and today, I got to audition the PM-3's. I was quite excited when I heard that our local headphone store has demo units in store and are taking pre-orders. 
 
I spent around 2 hrs listening to these cans using the Centrance Hi-Fi M8 plugged into my iPhone 6 running Spotify & Tidal. Without any direct comparison, they sounded amazing, crystal clear with good overall balance. They sounded to have a bit better highs compared to the PM-2 (going my memory at this point) as the PM-2's are known to have trailing highs, but less defined and powerful bass when compared to the PM-2's.
 
So overall, I was quite impressed with the closed version of the Oppo headphones, and the iPhone controls seemed like a nice addition.
 
Then I requested for a pair of PM-2's so that I could compare them directly to the $300 less expensive PM-3's. I played a few of the rock classics I usually listen to while auditioning headphones; Hey You & Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd, Sultans of Swing & Telegraph Road - Dire Straits; Soldier of Fortune - Deep Purple, Bravado - Rush. Alone - Heart etc.; and a few more moderns songs such as Pompeii, Get Lucky, Chandelier etc.
 
The difference was stark - to put it bluntly, the PM-2's were quite a few notches better in every area ... well, except for maybe the highs, which I would say was a tie. The PM-2 bass response just killed the PM-3's bass and the famous PM-2 mid range was missing in the PM-3's.
 
Don't get me wrong - the PM-3's are a very good set and really competitively priced at $399 (though it was being sold at over $500 pre-order where I auditioned them!), but when compared to the PM-2's they fall quite a bit short.
 
In conclusion - the PM-3's look amazing and perform very very well. They have a slightly different sound signature than the PM-2. And I would go so far to say that they will compete very well with other headphones in this prices range. It's a bit unfair to compare these with the PM-2's even though I have to say I did think that they would be relatively similar given how good the PM-2's sound vs. the PM-1's. Of course, this is just my opinion, so please do take this with a pinch of salt Thanks!!

 

[lukeap69]

Thanks for the impression and more importantly the comparison with PM-2. I have the PM-2 so the direct comparison is very much appreciated.

Is the PM-3 highs more extended compared with the PM-2? I could live with lesser bass impact but I hope the mids are not very far off. To me, that is the strength of the Oppo phones.

How about the soundstage? Is it the same as PM-2, better or worse?

 

[maricius]

Nice. First official impressions. I'm assuming this means the overall balance is "slightly warmer than neutral?"

 

[crazydeep]

Hi Arnold - I wish I could articulately respond to those questions, but as a fairly newbie to the premium headphone world, my response might not be too accurate 

 I did find the sound stage to be smaller than the PM-2, but cannot say for sure if that was a placebo effect. Mids were not as fluid when compared directly with the PM-2 in my opinion.
 
I found the Oppo PM-3's great to listen to on it's own, but felt that they fell quite a bit short when compared to the PM-2's in most departments (which wasn't the case with the PM-2 vs. PM-1 comparison)
 
Since you've pre-ordered the PM-3's, and as an owner of the PM-2's, hope to get a great comparative review from you soon 

 

[money4me247]

  Nice. First official impressions. I'm assuming this means the overall balance is "slightly warmer than neutral?"

just speculating, but most likely. oppo's pm1/pm2 was definitely had a very warm sound (a warm interpretation of neutral), so I expect the pm3 to have a similar sound signature.
 
i will be receiving the pm3s soon & can compare them against the lcd-x, he-560, and k7xx if anyone is interested.

 

[SNSDluv]

  just speculating, but most likely. oppo's pm1/pm2 was definitely had a very warm sound (a warm interpretation of neutral), so I expect the pm3 to have a similar sound signature.
 
i will be receiving the pm3s soon & can compare them against the lcd-x, he-560, and k7xx if anyone is interested.

Absolutely!

 

[lukeap69]

Hi Arnold - I wish I could articulately respond to those questions, but as a fairly newbie to the premium headphone world, my response might not be too accurate   I did find the sound stage to be smaller than the PM-2, but cannot say for sure if that was a placebo effect. Mids were not as fluid when compared directly with the PM-2 in my opinion.

I found the Oppo PM-3's great to listen to on it's own, but felt that they fell quite a bit short when compared to the PM-2's in most departments (which wasn't the case with the PM-2 vs. PM-1 comparison)

Since you've pre-ordered the PM-3's, and as an owner of the PM-2's, hope to get a great comparative review from you soon 

Thanks CD. PM-2 has smaller soundstage so if the PM-3 is still smaller, then... hmmmm. I was hoping when I replaced my Vmoda M100 with the PM-3, I won't regret it. The M100 has served me well but a part of me would like to have a portable planar hp. Fingers crossed!