^^^ Yup, that's me. Thanks!
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Can someone please do a comparison between the PM-3s and either (or both) the B&O H6s + B&W P7s? I'm looking to buy one of these three and the ATH-M50x; one for a more airy, detailed experience, the other for general monitoring and DJ purposes.
The PM-3 and B&O H6 are in a close race for my favorite. Physically, H6 is significantly lighter, slimmer on the head, and has more color options. The H6's earpads are smaller, shallower, and firmer than the PM-3's, but the H6 is so much lighter with less clamping force that I still give it the overall edge in comfort, but it's a close call. Both are extremely comfortable. The H6 isolates decently, but the PM-3 isolates better, from both sound leaking inward and outward.
Sound-wise, they're both very good examples of two very different tones. The H6 has strong treble for a crisp, detailed sound, but is very light on the bass; the PM-3 has a nice amount of bass (good audiophile bass, not Beats bass), but with noticeably weaker treble for a less-detailed sound. Both have nice clear and present midranges.
I haven't tried the ATH-M50x, but compared to other studio monitor headphones I have (HD 280, HD 380, MDR-7506), both the H6 and PM-3 are good enough and close enough to neutral to serve that role, at least sound-wise (mechanically, your needs may differ). My inclination would be that the PM-3 might serve it better due to its better isolation and possibly better all-day comfort due to the larger, deeper pads.
I'm hoping I can get some impressions comparing these to the NVX XPT100 (my current headphones; same as Brainwavz HM5 and Fischer FA-003) and the NAD Viso HP50 (the headphones I was primarily considering before the PM-3 was announced). Specifically, I'm looking for a comparison of the soundstage. From this thread, it sounds like they're a winner in the isolation department. I'm worried I'd be losing too much in the soundstage to gain some portability and isolation. My XPT100s are pretty open-sounding.
If the HP50s are a good balance between the two, I'd probably save some money and get those instead. I love the look of the PM-3s, and everyone's comments sound amazing so far. I'm just worried about some comments about a smaller soundstage and hoping people saying that are just really used to open headphones
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I'm not familiar with your headphones, but I've compared the PM-3 back-to-back with the NAD HP50 and PSB M4U 1 (which sound nearly identical, with the M4U being the more comfortable of the two).
None of the three sound anything like open headphones — even old, inexpensive open headphones like the DT-880 sound better than all three. But bringing open headphones to a closed-headphone sound-quality comparison isn't fair.
The HP50/M4U both sound better than the PM-3 to me, overall. Also, none of these have great soundstages, but the HP50/M4U have wider soundstages than the PM-3. The PM-3 isolates better both ways, but the difference isn't massive.
But the HP50/M4U are much worse for portability. They barely fold, their smartphone clickers are terrible, and they're big, clunky, and ugly. If you'll be at a desk all day, the M4U 1 is probably the best one to get out of these, but if you plan to take it anywhere or use a smartphone cable, go with the PM-3.