[jerick70]

I have no idea how any rational person could ever describe the PM3 as bass light at all. Anymore bass and it would border on too much with some material.

I have to agree. My PM3s have plenty of bass. I wonder if they are not driving the headphones properly? That would definitely make them bass light.

 

[Bullishbear]

  I like the pairing of the PM-3 with the Cambridge DacMagic XS being fed from my Galaxy Note 3. I just installed a 128GB MicroSD for the music for it as well.

 

 
Hi, I don't know that Dacmagic xs can be paired with Note 3, is Dacmagic xs works perfectly fine with Note3? Can I use Poweramp with Dacmagic xs?
 
If you have to choose Fiio E17K or Dacmagic xs which one do you prefer?
Thanks

 

[ryanjsoo]

The variable bass performance may be linked to the earpads as I previously posted. Got in contact with interdyn, the Australian importer for Oppo and three days later a new set of earpads arrived!
 

 
Very impressed with the customer service and despite Oppo saying that the earpads are non-buyer remove-able, they were actually really easy to replace, you just grap the plastic lip under the leather and they unclip. The new pads are definitely different, they are not as stretched out so the opening is larger and thus much more comfortable for me, it might be placebo, but I`ve noticed a richness to the sound that I never noticed before, the bass is plentiful even compared to my Westone W30`s and Sennheiser ie800`s, both bass emphasized earphones.

 

[WayTooCrazy]

   
Hi, I don't know that Dacmagic xs can be paired with Note 3, is Dacmagic xs works perfectly fine with Note3? Can I use Poweramp with Dacmagic xs?
 
If you have to choose Fiio E17K or Dacmagic xs which one do you prefer?
Thanks

I've not tried the Fiio. Though, it looks nice with accepting a SPIDF signal and has a battery. They both support 24/192. The DacMagic XS will use the battery from your phone (as it doesn't have its own). I say, purchase both from Amazon and keep the one you prefer.

 

[WayTooCrazy]

Very impressed with the customer service and despite Oppo saying that the earpads are non-buyer remove-able, they were actually really easy to replace, you just grap the plastic lip under the leather and they unclip.

What is the Part #: on the new pads you received? Can you make a quick vid of how you removed the pads?

 

[McClelland]

First read about these in Katz's Corner review of PM-3/HA-2 combo after having bought pair of used LCD-Xs for listening at home.  Had thought about smaller step into HE400i phones, but decided to jump further into the planar world.  I keep reminding myself that life is short, I can always trade, and waiting just gives my hearing more time to decline. (I may come up with an acronym for those factors- LISCAT is a start but I need something for the hearing decline, maybe a LISCAT equation.)  Have been delighted with LCD-Xs and have started looking for a used portable system with HA-2 or Chord Mojo and Shure se846's or Noble 6s, but the compactness of the PM-3s makes me wonder.  I would be staying in the planar world and their portability isn't nearly the same, but still . . . I wouldn't be exercising with either of them.

 

[disastermouse]

  First read about these in Katz's Corner review of PM-3/HA-2 combo after having bought pair of used LCD-Xs for listening at home.  Had thought about smaller step into HE400i phones, but decided to jump further into the planar world.  I keep reminding myself that life is short, I can always trade, and waiting just gives my hearing more time to decline. (I may come up with an acronym for those factors- LISCAT is a start but I need something for the hearing decline, maybe a LISCAT equation.)  Have been delighted with LCD-Xs and have started looking for a used portable system with HA-2 or Chord Mojo and Shure se846's or Noble 6s, but the compactness of the PM-3s makes me wonder.  I would be staying in the planar world and their portability isn't nearly the same, but still . . . I wouldn't be exercising with either of them.

I use mine almost exclusively for exercise.

 

[McClelland]

Good to know, and if that's your pix you are putting out a lot more watts than I am these days. How do they compare to IEMs/buds you've tried?

 

[520RanchBro]

  First read about these in Katz's Corner review of PM-3/HA-2 combo after having bought pair of used LCD-Xs for listening at home.  Had thought about smaller step into HE400i phones, but decided to jump further into the planar world.  I keep reminding myself that life is short, I can always trade, and waiting just gives my hearing more time to decline. (I may come up with an acronym for those factors- LISCAT is a start but I need something for the hearing decline, maybe a LISCAT equation.)  Have been delighted with LCD-Xs and have started looking for a used portable system with HA-2 or Chord Mojo and Shure se846's or Noble 6s, but the compactness of the PM-3s makes me wonder.  I would be staying in the planar world and their portability isn't nearly the same, but still . . . I wouldn't be exercising with either of them.

I got tired of IEMs and bought the PM-3s for walking to work and for travel and have had no gripes about them at all.

 

[McClelland]

The more I think about it, I realize my closing idea isn't accurate and I would be using them when being active: working in the studio, spinning, projects/chores around the house, sometimes on my daily hike.  I'll be looking for a way to demo them against an IEM.  Thanks for the perspective.

 

[brent75]

  The more I think about it, I realize my closing idea isn't accurate and I would be using them when being active: working in the studio, spinning, projects/chores around the house, sometimes on my daily hike.  I'll be looking for a way to demo them against an IEM.  Thanks for the perspective.

I think I did a nearly identical thing to what you're considering. I too bought the PM-3/HA-2 combo based largely on Katz's Korner (plus other reviews). And also, I too have separate IEMs -- the Westone W30s. Here's how they break out for me:
 
-I use the W30s exclusively at the gym/exercise, and sometimes at home mowing the lawn (but usually a cheaper pair of IEMs for that). I used to use them on the plane and they're great at cutting out noise, but I got tired of the feeling in my ears during pressure changes and I hated taking them in/out for quick conversations -- too inconvenient.
 
-I started a search for new/nice headphones and originally had a vision of one open pair and one closed pair, but kept coming back to the PM-3 and wondering if it could simply be "the one" pair (for my uses). I loved everything I read about the sound signature and whatnot. The Katz's Korner article sent me over the edge and I ordered the headphone plus the HA-2, and even got the Onkyo HF player as they describe. I use it nightly when I take my dogs out for a walk, plus any couch-time listening I want to do.
 
For me, it's worth it to have the PM-3 + an IEM for the reasons I stated above. I would never want to sweat and run in my OPPOs.

 

[McClelland]

Thanks so much for this info.  It helps a lot in focusing in on how I'm really going to be using a portable system.

 

[ryanjsoo]

  What is the Part #: on the new pads you received? Can you make a quick vid of how you removed the pads?

 
There was no part number on either the shpping bag or the box unfortunately, you might need to get into contact with Oppo. I made a very quick video (apologies for the quality) of the removal process, it`s pretty simple, the steps are in the description, hope it helps.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWLGPl_TGq0

 

[WayTooCrazy]

   
There was no part number on either the shpping bag or the box unfortunately, you might need to get into contact with Oppo. I made a very quick video (apologies for the quality) of the removal process, it`s pretty simple, the steps are in the description, hope it helps.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWLGPl_TGq0

Thanks for the vid! Quality is good. This will help everyone who got the shallower pads and want to swap them out.

 

[sabloke]

Thanks for the video! Looks pretty easy to replace the pads. I have popped out one side of a pad to try, works a treat.
How much do replacement pads cost?