[megabigeye]

Hey guys.
I was falling in love with the planar technique since i was getting my Quad Era-1.
Now, i want to catch a closed back for travelling.

Is the PM-3 worth the money despite the eol state?
Its the comfort, the look while wearing them and, at least the sound signature, i'm interested in.
In that case, the T5p isn't suitable for me.
Got the T1 to compare with in size.

Your opinion is highly appreciated.
Thank you all.

Here are my experiences:

• Maybe not the best for travel/commuting if you wear glasses/sunglasses or a hat, but YMMV. I also prefer something more compact for putting in a bag.

• Pretty comfortable until the pads wear down, but replacements are available.

• Refined but handsome looks. Brainwavz replacement pads (especially the angled ones) are large and goofy looking.

• Dark but enjoyable sound, that responds well to EQ or tubes. I find the treble and detail get lost in the ambient noise on public transit.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Much appreciate.
Agree with the brainwavz. Got the hybrids on my Ultrasone 880.

Thanks for sharing, megabigeye.

 

[megabigeye]

You're welcome!
Don't take my words as gospel, though. There are plenty of people here with different experiences and opinions.

 

[wilsonlaidlaw]

I commented before I got the T5P phones with Impacto DAP to replace my stolen PM3 and HA2-SE, that I was concerned about the T5P phones sounding middle of the road and unexciting compared with the PM3s.Every post I read, told me that the T5Ps would sound brilliant and I need have no concerns. They were correct. Just maybe the upper end of the treble range is a tiny bit less bright but that is compensated for by the width of the sound stage (especially on binaural sources), the accuracy of the mid range and the depth of bass, without the "boom" of Beats or Bose phones. In a way, I feel the T5Ps have a very similar sound signature to the Acoustic Transducer Company (ATC) speakers I use both in France and the UK.

I must be getting better at buying audio equipment over the last few years, as I seem to have less "OMG why on earth did I buy that" moments. Maybe 50 years practice has worked.

Wilson

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Oh, no doubt that the T5p sounds great.
I think they're in the same line as the AK T1.

Never demo'd the AK T1, nor the T5p.
But i'm prefer the PM concept for my listening.

In our world there's nothing about experience.
Seems you got it done right. And its gonna be a great benefit for all of us.

Thanks for sharing that.

 

[iFi audio]

Is the PM-3 worth the money despite the eol state?

Many people would say they are. If you can get a pair in good condition, we won't stop you

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Haha.
I've decided to give it a shot.
Awaiting them tomorrow.
Head-fi's breaking my wallet. ^^

Nah, not really.
But there're so many wonderful things out there to discover.

Keep my eyes open, my ears covered with wonderful cans and my brain floated with music.

Thanks to all members of this amazing community.

 

[iFi audio]

Head-fi's breaking my wallet. ^^

That's the name of the game, "sorry about your wallet" and all that jazz

 

[q4x2]

Haha.
I've decided to give it a shot.
Awaiting them tomorrow.

I'd say there is nothing better on the market at $400 price point, but really depends on how much you've paid.
PM technology itself definitely worth attention, but I believe for $600 you can easily find better sounding dynamic cans on the market, so it again back to the price point.

 

[Charlie Norwood]

Haha.
I've decided to give it a shot.
Awaiting them tomorrow.
Head-fi's breaking my wallet. ^^

Nah, not really.
But there're so many wonderful things out there to discover.

Keep my eyes open, my ears covered with wonderful cans and my brain floated with music.

Thanks to all members of this amazing community.

Good move. Get an amp - they can take way more power than the numbers might suggest. Also, they EQ to whatever you want them to be: basshead, reference, harman, video games/movies.

 

[Slim1970]

Haha.
I've decided to give it a shot.
Awaiting them tomorrow.
Head-fi's breaking my wallet. ^^

Nah, not really.
But there're so many wonderful things out there to discover.

Keep my eyes open, my ears covered with wonderful cans and my brain floated with music.

Thanks to all members of this amazing community.

You’re going to love them. I like them better than the PM1’s and PM2’s that I use to own. Maybe because at the time I had so many headphones that did what they did but better. The PM3’s were different back then and they still standout today. These are my favorite portable headphones. They ooze musicality.

The mids on the PM3’s are so lush and creamy. They remind me of the mids on the LCD-3’s. The PM3’s have plenty of bass and they EQ very well if you want more. I have mine paired up with a Moon Audio Silver Dragon cable and it adds some nice treble to the mix. It’s a shame that these aren’t made anymore. I have a white pair and love them! I don’t have the Oppo HA-2se anymore. I use them with my Hugo 2 on occasion. I mainly pair them up with my DACportable with bass and treble boost which works very well with the PM3’s.

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Good points y'all mentioned above.
I'll try some different stuff in the near future .
1st on the list is the Abacus Cuffino, i think.
I could get a demo package of the prepino/ampino for about 40€ in germany, also.
Great little, sterile looking gear which focus on a different approach.

Hope this will reach my expectation with the pm-3 and Era-1.

Next step is the source.
Will heading for a nice dac at a reasonable price.
IMO, high-end dac's are a bit overprized these days, so i've to figur out a suitable one in an affordable price range.

Fingers crossed.

 

[wilsonlaidlaw]

I think DAC's are pretty similar to most things in life, in that until you reach stratospheric levels of ultra high end audio, you get the performance that you pay for. Right up at the ultra high end, things get a bit silly, with devices using wires made out of unobtainium rubbed with snake oil by virgins on the slopes of Mount Fuji under a new moon and Iridium plated knobs. There is a price level on DAC's above which the law of diminishing returns applies, which I feel is about £2000 but there are some DAC's which deliver more for their price than others.

I quite often read audio reviews and when I wanted to replace my somewhat disappointing Italian Aqua Acoustic DAC, which was built for me but wrongly, with an incorrect USB receiver limited to 48/16. I noticed that quite a number of reviewers when mentioning their own equipment that they used to review speakers, amps, digital sources often said they used Benchmark Media DAC's. I looked at their website and read some of their Blogs and what they said seemed to make sense and was backed up data, which was real not pseudo science (I have an MA in physical sciences).

About 4 years I therefore bought a Benchmark DAC2L for my UK main system, when my M-DAC was away for repair (then demoted to my bedroom/study system) and was delighted with it, so when I came to replace the Aqua in France, I went for a DAC3L. Don't be put off by their very plain Jane appearance and the interface is minimalistic to probably too great an extent; the money goes into the components. The DAC3L uses 8 of the ESS Sabre 32-9028 Pro DAC chips (4 for each channel) and IMHO is the least "digital" sounding DAC I have heard in its price range by some margin. Its noise floor is also so low as to be imperceptible. I have no connection with Benchmark Media other than being a very satisfied customer. For those wanting to connect headphones, they make models with a headphone outputs (HGC and DX models). As both my UK and French houses are rural with no near neighbours, headphones are not needed if I want high volumes.

Wilson

 

[Chris Kaoss]

I think DAC's are pretty similar to most things in life, in that until you reach stratospheric levels of ultra high end audio, you get the performance that you pay for. Right up at the ultra high end, things get a bit silly, with devices using wires made out of unobtainium rubbed with snake oil by virgins on the slopes of Mount Fuji under a new moon and Iridium plated knobs. There is a price level on DAC's above which the law of diminishing returns applies, which I feel is about £2000 but there are some DAC's which deliver more for their price than others.

Wilson

Ymmd.
Thanks 4 that.

 

[iFi audio]

PM technology itself definitely worth attention

Fully agreed and it's good it boomed in recent years. So many choices to pick from.