[XERO1]

Why is this thread in the Portable Headphone forum?
 
I would consider the PM-3's to be full-sized.

 

[Maelob]

They are supposed to be portable. smaller in size and easy to drive.

 

[miceblue]

Why is this thread in the Portable Headphone forum?

I would consider the PM-3's to be full-sized.

The PM-3 is advertised to be portable. I'd say they're more portable than my V-MODA M-100 which is also advertised to be portable simply because they fold flat in my backpack and just lie against my books and whatnot compared to a big fat ball that drops to the bottom of my bag and takes up a bunch of space.

And as Maelob said, they're easy to drive. They sound just fine and dandy out of an iPhone.

 

[c1umsyb3ar]

Hey everyone, I wanted to give a little update. The crackling/distortion came back last night and I brought them into Oppo earlier today. I was helped out by Chris and Jason, a couple of engineers from Oppo, who were really nice and helpful about the whole thing. 
 
I brought my PM-3s along with my setup (Schiit Magni/Modi). We used Hans Zimmer - Mountains to test everything out. They brought out their own laptop and components to see what was going on. After replacing everything, we determined that the fault was actually from the USB/DAC combo but that wasn't all! They brought out their own pair of production PM-3s and a pair of prototypes that produced the same distorted/crackling sound. They then let me test out my PM-3s with one of their HA-2 and my headphones had no problems whatsoever and produced a clean luscious sound.
 
I told them that my other headphones didn't exhibit the same behavior though and found that their PM-1s and a pair of HE-560s got really clean sound out of the Schiit stack. They also took voltage measurements from the DAC and AMP and we saw really clean signals coming from both. 
 
Stumped, they told me they're going to talk to Schiit about this and see if they can isolate what was going on. So after a whole night of worrying, I'm glad to see what it wasn't my particular pair that was faulty. Note that my Schiit stack is the Magni 1 and Modi 1. I'm sitting at home right now and using an old Fiio X10 to power them and everything sounds fine. For whatever reason, it seems like there's a problem with a Magni/Modi stack powering the PM-3s. 
 
Now the HA-2s look more attractive to me than ever... 

 

[Smarty-pants]

I was helped out by Chris and Jason, a couple of engineers from Oppo, who were really nice and helpful about the whole thing. 

You mean these dudes? Yeah, they're pretty cool.

 

[goldendarko]

Where they there to help or just there for the tunes?

 

[ghebert]

I'm happy with my V-Moda Crossfade M-100 headphones but was intrigued about Oppo's planar magnetic headphones. The first ones were not a possibility for me because of the open-back design (use them at work) but now with a closed back version, my interest is piqued again. I'm wondering if the closed-back design will limit the full potential of the planar magnetic driver or if the only difference from open-back will be stronger bass and noise isolation? Also those who have compared either the PM-1 or PM-2 with the PM-3 do you feel the smaller driver size impacts the sound quality any?
 
Edit: @c1umsyb3ar, reading some of impressions you've posted, what are some of the drawbacks of the PM-3 vs M-100 in regards to rock music? Any specifics would be helpful since I mostly listen to rock/metal with maybe 15-20% progressive trance thrown in there for good measure.
 
Thanks.

 

[mrscotchguy]

Would those who own the PM-3 say that these are more of a warm sound or more flat?

 

[5thumbs]

I have the VModa Crossfade M-100.   I went into Oppo to listen to the PM-1 and PM-2's a few months ago.  They blew my socks off when hooked up to their HA-1 amp, truly a breath taking experience!  The combination price of the two and the size of the amp were a bit intimidating so I walked out with no purchase.   I went back this week to listen to the PM-3 and HA-2.    This time I brought in my own music, the VModa's and an audio engine DA Amp I have been using.   I preferred the HA-2 amp to the audio engine (plus it is more portable) and I preferred the PM-3 to the VModa.   To me the soundstage was more open, midrange and highs were more distinct and isolated.   I was ready to purchase, but then plugged in the PM-2 into the HA-2 amp and I preferred that sound to the PM-3, I also felt the PM-2 was more comfortable (I have a really big head).  I purchased the PM2 and HA2 after consulting with my wife to get the OK that the external sound from the PM-2 would be acceptable to her.   I would have been happy with the PM-3, but felt that the PM-2 would leave room for me to explore other amps in the future.   
 
If you ever get a chance to go into Oppo in Mountain View, CA to listen, you should go.    They have all their gear set up and they left me alone in a cube for over 2 hours to play with all the combinations.   They have a small but nice collection of CD's and about 10 other high end headphones for you to compare.   

 

[lukeap69]

  I have the VModa Crossfade M-100.   I went into Oppo to listen to the PM-1 and PM-2's a few months ago.  They blew my socks off when hooked up to their HA-1 amp, truly a breath taking experience!  The combination price of the two and the size of the amp were a bit intimidating so I walked out with no purchase.   I went back this week to listen to the PM-3 and HA-2.    This time I brought in my own music, the VModa's and an audio engine DA Amp I have been using.   I preferred the HA-2 amp to the audio engine (plus it is more portable) and I preferred the PM-3 to the VModa.   To me the soundstage was more open, midrange and highs were more distinct and isolated.   I was ready to purchase, but then plugged in the PM-2 into the HA-2 amp and I preferred that sound to the PM-3, I also felt the PM-2 was more comfortable (I have a really big head).  I purchased the PM2 and HA2 after consulting with my wife to get the OK that the external sound from the PM-2 would be acceptable to her.   I would have been happy with the PM-3, but felt that the PM-2 would leave room for me to explore other amps in the future.   
 
If you ever get a chance to go into Oppo in Mountain View, CA to listen, you should go.    They have all their gear set up and they left me alone in a cube for over 2 hours to play with all the combinations.   They have a small but nice collection of CD's and about 10 other high end headphones for you to compare.   

Nice choice. Now head over to the PM-2 Impressions thread and post your, well, impressions... 

 

[Gnawbert]

I'm extremely curious how they compare to the T5Ps.  Those are my go-to headphones when I'm not using my SE846s.

 

[Lookin4Treble]

I, too, am trying to get a sense for the overall sound signature. It seems not to be v-shaped; is it more neutral/balanced or is it mid-centric?

Would those who own the PM-3 say that these are more of a warm sound or more flat?

 
Granted, this particular alias hasn't established much of an online presence at Head-Fi, but my one sentence description of the PM-3's sound signature would not include the words "warm", "dark", "V-shaped" or even "U-shaped".  The bass goes deep and the treble is smooth and satisfying, yes...yet.....there is noticeable energy in the mid-to-upper mid area.  The overall presentation is somewhat forward and exciting - definitely not laid-back.  Since the PM-3 was just the type of HP what I was looking for, I think Oppo did a great job with them!

 

[nick n]

  Hey everyone, I wanted to give a little update. The crackling/distortion came back last night and I brought them into Oppo earlier today. I was helped out by Chris and Jason, a couple of engineers from Oppo, who were really nice and helpful about the whole thing. 
 
I brought my PM-3s along with my setup (Schiit Magni/Modi). We used Hans Zimmer - Mountains to test everything out. They brought out their own laptop and components to see what was going on. After replacing everything, we determined that the fault was actually from the USB/DAC combo but that wasn't all! They brought out their own pair of production PM-3s and a pair of prototypes that produced the same distorted/crackling sound. They then let me test out my PM-3s with one of their HA-2 and my headphones had no problems whatsoever and produced a clean luscious sound.
 
I told them that my other headphones didn't exhibit the same behavior though and found that their PM-1s and a pair of HE-560s got really clean sound out of the Schiit stack. They also took voltage measurements from the DAC and AMP and we saw really clean signals coming from both. 
 
Stumped, they told me they're going to talk to Schiit about this and see if they can isolate what was going on. So after a whole night of worrying, I'm glad to see what it wasn't my particular pair that was faulty. Note that my Schiit stack is the Magni 1 and Modi 1. I'm sitting at home right now and using an old Fiio X10 to power them and everything sounds fine. For whatever reason, it seems like there's a problem with a Magni/Modi stack powering the PM-3s. 
 
Now the HA-2s look more attractive to me than ever... 

is it a "green" power management throttling on a particular usb port perhaps, that is affecting the Modi. Maybe invest in the Wyrd to provide proper constant power.

 

[c1umsyb3ar]

is it a "green" power management throttling on a particular usb port perhaps, that is affecting the Modi. Maybe invest in the Wyrd to provide proper constant power.

That was one of the first things they tested for. Voltage measurements were great and very consistent. The combo powered every other headphones fine including their own PM-1s. My Fiio X10 which are arguably a little weaker and more portable power it just fine as well.

 

[aamefford]

Two guesses:
1). PM-3's are extremely efficient. I drop my iPhone volume to 60% or so when using the HA-2 with the PM-3's. The M&M stack is just over driving them.

2). Never mind, I guess I only have one guess. Wait - faulty 1/8" to 1/4" adapter when using the M&M stack?

That's all I've got....