[lukeap69]

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.

That would be awesome.

 

[Maelob]

also if somebody could compare them to other portable closed headphones such a sBeyerdynamic T-51, momentums, or vmoda 100 or xs. thanks

 

[goldendarko]

Thanks for the impressions. Curious as to how these stack up against alpha dogs

 

[aamefford]

Thanks for the impressions. Curious as to how these stack up against alpha dogs

I have the latest beta version of the PM-3 and the Alpha Primes (same physical headphone as the Alpha Dogs, retuned drivers and voicing).  They stack up well given the $600 price differential.  Both are good to great headphones in their respective price classes.  The PM-3's are lighter, portable, easily driven (seriously - I also have the HA-2 amp, and seldom use it with these headphones, I go straight out of the iPhone) and much more compact.  They also have an excellent build quality.  The Alphas win hands down on isolation, they are not portable (unless you are the type that takes 2 carry-ons and 2 checked bags for a weekend trip), they are bigger, heavier.  The build quality is constrained by the T50RP parts that remain, but is excellent still.  I'll leave voicing comparisons to others who are more eloquent.  Note that voicing comparisons are not accurate until the retail version is released, as the tuning has changed a bit from the beta units I have.
 
TL;DR
PM-3 = Beautiful, efficient, portable, nice sound, ok isolation (beta units) ~$400
Alpha Prime = Beautiful in a functional way, not portable, wonderful sound (imho...) excellent isolation ~$1000

 

[Raptor34]

 
 
 
 
PM-3 = Beautiful, efficient, portable, nice sound, ok isolation (beta units) ~$400
 

I am very interested in how well they isolate from say traffic noise or other city noises.   I bought some sony mdr-1r for outdoor use and love their sound and comfort BUT they don't isolate at all and even throw in wind noise to boot.   Hopefully the pm 3 will do a much better job in the noise abatement department.   Keeping my fingers crossed. 

 

[crazydeep]

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!

 
Please don't go by my comment - like I said, I'm a newbie ... try them out when they're available at your local audio store (or when you receive them). I'm very much in the learning mode right now!! ha!ha!
 
Though one thing for sure, I absolutely love the PM-2 sound, despite the small sound stage, colored sound, and trailed off highs. I cannot take it off when I put it on ...
 
My next headphone will be the T1 or the EL-8 (both are surprising priced at the same cost here in Singapore). I spent a lot of time comparing the T1 to the PM-2 (and the PM-3) and I have to say that despite the brilliant performance of the T1, I still love the PM-2 sound. Very difficult to compare those 2, but I still love my OPPO's.
 
I did compare the PM-3 with the Beyerdynamic T51p and found that I liked the Beyer sound a bit more than the PM-3. But that's just my personal preference.

 

[lukeap69]

Please don't go by my comment - like I said, I'm a newbie ... try them out when they're available at your local audio store (or when you receive them). I'm very much in the learning mode right now!! ha!ha!

Though one thing for sure, I absolutely love the PM-2 sound, despite the small sound stage, colored sound, and trailed off highs. I cannot take it off when I put it on ...

My next headphone will be the T1 or the EL-8 (both are surprising priced at the same cost here in Singapore). I spent a lot of time comparing the T1 to the PM-2 (and the PM-3) and I have to say that despite the brilliant performance of the T1, I still love the PM-2 sound. Very difficult to compare those 2, but I still love my OPPO's.

I did compare the PM-3 with the Beyerdynamic T51p and found that I liked the Beyer sound a bit more than the PM-3. But that's just my personal preference.

Thanks. Your impression is as valid as everyone else's. T1 and PM-2 have very different signature just as the HD800 and PM-2 do. I like both. So you may end up with one each (T1 & PM-2)

 

[crazydeep]

I like both. So you may end up with one each (T1 & PM-2)

Totally agree!!

 

[wgb113]

From an isolation standpoint I'm curious to see how well they isolate compared to Sennheiser HD380/280
Pro or a pair of Etymotic HF3 for travel use on an airplane. Not a big fan of noise-canceling headphones.

Bill

 

[marcoarment]

From an isolation standpoint I'm curious to see how well they isolate compared to Sennheiser HD380/280
Pro or a pair of Etymotic HF3 for travel use on an airplane. Not a big fan of noise-canceling headphones.

 
Me too. The world has lots of great planar headphones already, but almost none that isolate well, very few under $500, and absolutely none that can reasonably be used on a plane. This is my primary interest in the PM-3 — it's breaking new ground, and so far, is the only one.
 
I just hope it's good. My current favorite portable-closed-airplane headphone is the B&O H6, which is excellent, but can't bring the detail level of planars. I'm hoping that the PM-3 is as good or better. Early impressions here are promising but inconclusive, especially since it's unclear whether anyone outside Oppo has actually heard the final shipping version.

 

[lukeap69]

Received an email saying my PM-3 had been shipped.

 

[malla1ml]

Mine has shipped as well.  Unfortunately, I'm in Boston and paid for ground shipping.  It'll be here next Wednesday oh well, still excited

 

[c1umsyb3ar]

Hey everyone,

I've been a long time lurker and wanted to start contributing to the forums.

I picked up my PM-3s earlier today and had a chance to sit down for a bit at work to give them a listen. A bit about me for reference:

I listen to a wide variety of music. From classical to rock to EDM to hip-hop to movie/video game soundtracks, I love it all! I don't consider myself a huge basshead but I do love me some bass emphasis in my headphones. My current collection include:

HE-400
V-Moda M100
DT-770 pro 80
T-Peos Altone 200
Xiaomi Pistons
And now the Oppo PM-3!

They're pretty comfortable, well built, and look great. The headband/ear cup are really soft and nice. The ear pads themselves may be a little bit shallow for some. I don't have the biggest ears but I can feel contact on parts of my ears when I had them on. I haven't had them long enough to notice any discomfort yet. I'll definitely put them to the test tonight when I can just listen to them for a few hours.

I'm not sure if I should get too into depth with what I heard since they're brand new. But I listened to Zedd's Hourglass, Childish Gambino's 3005, and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto no. 3 for the short amount of time that I had them on. There was a slight lack of soundstage but it has a very warm sound. My ears are very used to the V sound signature that I really like but hearing to these made me realize there's a bit that I've been missing out. I want to say that the bass, mids, and highs were all equally present but again, I couldn't really focus on the songs as my Co workers were moving around me. That said though, even though they were rattling around with metal parts, I couldn't hear them. I'll be wearing them around tomorrow for further isolation testing.

I'm typing this on my phone right before I head home. I'm really excited to be able to have a nice, portable, and affordable closed Planar Magnetic headphone and I can't wait to test them out further. I'll be sure to come back and give more details as soon as I can.

 

[goldendarko]

Sweet glad to see some impressions rolling in Thanks for the pics too

 

[lukeap69]

Hey everyone,

I've been a long time lurker and wanted to start contributing to the forums.

I picked up my PM-3s earlier today and had a chance to sit down for a bit at work to give them a listen. A bit about me for reference:

I listen to a wide variety of music. From classical to rock to EDM to hip-hop to movie/video game soundtracks, I love it all! I don't consider myself a huge basshead but I do love me some bass emphasis in my headphones. My current collection include:

HE-400
V-Moda M100
DT-770 pro 80
T-Peos Altone 200
Xiaomi Pistons
And now the Oppo PM-3!

They're pretty comfortable, well built, and look great. The headband/ear cup are really soft and nice. The ear pads themselves may be a little bit shallow for some. I don't have the biggest ears but I can feel contact on parts of my ears when I had them on. I haven't had them long enough to notice any discomfort yet. I'll definitely put them to the test tonight when I can just listen to them for a few hours.

I'm not sure if I should get too into depth with what I heard since they're brand new. But I listened to Zedd's Hourglass, Childish Gambino's 3005, and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto no. 3 for the short amount of time that I had them on. There was a slight lack of soundstage but it has a very warm sound. My ears are very used to the V sound signature that I really like but hearing to these made me realize there's a bit that I've been missing out. I want to say that the bass, mids, and highs were all equally present but again, I couldn't really focus on the songs as my Co workers were moving around me. That said though, even though they were rattling around with metal parts, I couldn't hear them. I'll be wearing them around tomorrow for further isolation testing.

I'm typing this on my phone right before I head home. I'm really excited to be able to have a nice, portable, and affordable closed Planar Magnetic headphone and I can't wait to test them out further. I'll be sure to come back and give more details as soon as I can.

Very nice. Thanks for the pics and early impressions. I got the feeling that the soundstage wouldn't be great as mentioned by crazydeep. It'll be great if you compare the PM-3 with your M100 as this is what PM-3 will be replacing in my arsenal...