Oppo PM-3 : The Portable Planar - Impressions
Mar 21, 2016 at 12:41 PM Post #3,871 of 6,302
Hello i've just been reading reviews on the PM3 and am very interested in them but I also am very interested in the Philips Fidelio L2 and seeing that the price difference is huge im just wondering if its really worth getting the PM3 over the L2. I have listened to the PM3 at Jaben and I seriously did enjoy the sound as I used it on my Nexus 6p with my Cayin C5 using poweramp but I just want to know if I should just pull the trigger on the PM3 or if I should go for the L2, i'd mainly use the headphones for home listening in my backyard or when im at my local park just chilling and enjoy the fresh air. But yes I am ready to pull the trigger on pm3 but can anyone compare them to the Fidelio L2?
 
Mar 21, 2016 at 3:58 PM Post #3,872 of 6,302
I know there are a lot of Bose haters out there but for airplane travel I would go with the Bose or IEMs instead of PM-3s . pM3s have decent isolation but for me to drown out airplane noise i would have to crank those puppies louder that I am confortable with. Good look listening to some classical music. Sorry but when in airplane, noise isolation goes ahead of sq in my book. Obviously i try to find a balance between the two and the QC-25 have decent sq. just my two cents.
 
Mar 21, 2016 at 4:07 PM Post #3,874 of 6,302
Hello i've just been reading reviews on the PM3 and am very interested in them but I also am very interested in the Philips Fidelio L2 and seeing that the price difference is huge im just wondering if its really worth getting the PM3 over the L2. I have listened to the PM3 at Jaben and I seriously did enjoy the sound as I used it on my Nexus 6p with my Cayin C5 using poweramp but I just want to know if I should just pull the trigger on the PM3 or if I should go for the L2, i'd mainly use the headphones for home listening in my backyard or when im at my local park just chilling and enjoy the fresh air. But yes I am ready to pull the trigger on pm3 but can anyone compare them to the Fidelio L2?


I've never heard the L2, but I can highly recommend the PM3.  It is one of those diamond in the ruff type headphones.  You will not be disappointed with a PM3 purchase.
 
FYI, Oppo often has refurbished PM3s for sale on their website.  That is how I purchased mine after I heard them in the loaner program.  They are $319.00 refurbished.  http://www.oppodigital.com/products.asp?cat=39
 
Mar 21, 2016 at 4:13 PM Post #3,877 of 6,302
 
But there are many of us that hate CIEM and IEMs in general.  So Bose noise cancelling is the only way to go.

Count me among them. That is why I have a pair up that have very little usage, even if they sound very very good.
 
Mar 21, 2016 at 5:28 PM Post #3,878 of 6,302
Should I get a HA-2 for mostly desktop use? Bob Katz really recommends them for portable use, but I don't know if it would be a good idea for desktop.
 
Does Oppo still have that weird international shipping policy of having to fill a form, scan it and so on?
 
Any recommended short (1m-ish) cables? From what I recall people here reported the stock short cables aren't as good as the long ones.
 
Mar 21, 2016 at 5:32 PM Post #3,879 of 6,302
  Should I get a HA-2 for mostly desktop use? Bob Katz really recommends them for portable use, but I don't know if it would be a good idea for desktop.
 
Does Oppo still have that weird international shipping policy of having to fill a form, scan it and so on?
 
Any recommended short (1m-ish) cables? From what I recall people here reported the stock short cables aren't as good as the long ones.


I've not heard the HA-2 but heard good htings about it.  I usually don't like portable gear for my desk though.  Here are a few recommendations that are semi-portable:
 
1) ALO Pan Am with passport
2) Cavalli Liquid Carbon (if you can find one)
 
Not so portable
 
3) Woo Audio WA7
 
Mar 21, 2016 at 5:37 PM Post #3,880 of 6,302
It's not that I really want a portable dac/amp. The thing is I have yet to find a really recommended desktop pairing with the Oppos, that won't cost three times as much as the headphones.
 
At the same time, the HA-2's seem to be made to drive the PM-3's, and are the only one that I have seen so far that's been very much recommended for it.
 
Mar 21, 2016 at 5:38 PM Post #3,881 of 6,302
  Should I get a HA-2 for mostly desktop use? Bob Katz really recommends them for portable use, but I don't know if it would be a good idea for desktop.
 
Does Oppo still have that weird international shipping policy of having to fill a form, scan it and so on?
 
Any recommended short (1m-ish) cables? From what I recall people here reported the stock short cables aren't as good as the long ones.

I'm sure the HA-2 would be fine for desktop use. I used to use my Fiio E18 as a desktop unit all the time and it's the same kind of unit. It's nice having the versatility. I'd plug mine into my desktop at work and then plug it into my phone for the drive home in an irritating carpool. Worked very well.
 
As for cables, can't recommend Forza Audio Works. They have a bunch of lines, I have a Noir cable on the way, but they are spendy. The Claire and Color series have rave reviews from people as well. A lot of guys in the Forza thread are using the Claire cable with the PM-3. They are located in Poland. http://forzaaudioworks.com/en/category.php?id_category=36
 
Mar 21, 2016 at 5:44 PM Post #3,882 of 6,302
It's not that I really want a portable dac/amp. The thing is I have yet to find a really recommended desktop pairing with the Oppos, that won't cost three times as much as the headphones.

At the same time, the HA-2's seem to be made to drive the PM-3's, and are the only one that I have seen so far that's been very much recommended for it.


What's your budget?
 
Mar 21, 2016 at 5:47 PM Post #3,883 of 6,302
I tested both the Mojo and HA-2 with PM-3 and settled for Chord's minion DAC/AMP. That's not to say HA-2 is bad, but the Mojo has superior sound quality IMHO. However, the HA-2 drives the PM-3 very well is is the best looking portable DAC/AMP on the market by a mile.
 
Mar 21, 2016 at 5:51 PM Post #3,884 of 6,302
  It's not that I really want a portable dac/amp. The thing is I have yet to find a really recommended desktop pairing with the Oppos, that won't cost three times as much as the headphones.
 
At the same time, the HA-2's seem to be made to drive the PM-3's, and are the only one that I have seen so far that's been very much recommended for it.


The ALO Pan AM is an excellent amp/dac that goes very well with the PM3.  You can pick it up used for ~$350.  It will run a lot of other headphones too.  I recommend this if your budget is under $400.  This puts you in the same realm as what you paid for your PM3s.  Plus it is a tube amp so you can tweak the sound with tube rolling.
 
Mar 21, 2016 at 9:23 PM Post #3,885 of 6,302
I have the HA-2 and love it, but for desktop use I've been much happier with a Shiit Modi2 Uber and APPJ 1502A amp. Even with new JJ power Tubes and preamp tubes they can BOTH be had for under $400. The power isn't even comparable even with the low impedence of the PM-3s. I always felt the HA-2 was under powered, especially with my HD 700s and at times even with the PM-3s where I could stand max volume. But for portability I've been able to overlook that. Not so with desktop use. I want serious power with plenty in reserve and a Desktop DAC and AMP compared to the HA-2 is like comparing a Desktop computer to a Laptop computer. 
 
I'm not trying to say a Shiit DAC or Chinese tube amp is the way to go, but desktop equivalents with each component separated will smoke a 5"x3"x.5" DAC/AMP combo all day long.
 
My  Battle Station Preview
 



 

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