[money4me247]

  Planning to buy the PM-3; will be my 1st set of planars. Hope the overall sound (highs, soundstage, etc.) is great and that they're comfortable.
 
In general, I've read that planars handle the lows better but there aren't many closed planars out there. Can anyone chime in about what to expect from these type of cans compared to regular open/closed headphones?

 
Hard to say what the PM-3s will sound like as they haven't been released yet. Planar dynamics in general have great linear bass extension, but in terms of sound signature, they can be very different. Hifiman & Audeze are the two biggest planar magnetic headphone manufacturers currently & many of their headphones sound quite different.
 
Oppo recently got into the orthodynamic game with their previous pm1/pm2. Those headphones were tuned to be generally neutral, but a bit on the warmer side. Their "house sound" (so far) is very forgiving, lush, rich, and smooth (though not quite as micro-detailed & sharp with a slightly smaller sound stage compared to some of the other flagships). Still great sound though. Their pricing on their PM-1s seem a bit expensive for just the sound quality, but you are paying for the premium build quality as well (as their PM-1 definitely has one of the best build quality of flagship headphones). I was able to demo the PM-1s for a week and I really enjoyed them.
 
For closed planars on the market right now, the only other ones I am aware of are the modded t50rp such as Mr. Speaker's mad dog/alpha dog/alpha dog primes & Paradox Slants & ZMF Vibro. All not truly portable due to size & amping requirements (imo).
 
Closed headphones in general sacrifice sound stage (compared to open headphones), but can have better bass (depending on your preferences) due to the reverb from the closed design. However, this is more a rule of thumb as there are closed headphones with poor bass quality and closed headphones with great sound stage (people cite the Fostex TH900 & Mr. Speaker's line-up as examples of closed headphones with great sound stage comparable to the open headphones. in my own personal experience, I have found the closed akg k550 to have quite amazing sound stage).
 
Hope this information is helpful.

 

[pataburd]

Anybody out there with LCD-XC experience?

 

[gr8soundz]

Thanks for the info money4.

 

[kawaivpc1]

So, has anyone heard Oppo's HA-2?
How does it sound?
Can anyone compare this to PHA-3, Geek Out, etc?

 

[Kojaku]

  We are still hoping for a release within the first quarter. So between now and March.

Agh! First January, now first quarter! The HA-2 is precisely what many of us here have been waiting to hear! So hard to wait!
 
Kojaku

 

[x RELIC x]

 

[IAMBLEST]

i want both the HA2 and PM3 right now.  I want to upgrade my portable rig but i know if i buy anything other than oppo im going to regret it once these come out. 

 

[kawaivpc1]

  i want both the HA2 and PM3 right now.  I want to upgrade my portable rig but i know if i buy anything other than oppo im going to regret it once these come out. 

What matters is HA-2's sound quality. Do guys think it will be better than Geek Out, Hugo, PHA-3?
I like how it looks. It looks like an advanced version of Fiio amp. 
32bit 386kHz PCM and DSD support are perfect for my need. I want to pair this up with an upcoming HTC M9 Hima android phone!
As long as it sounds better than Sony's PHA-3 and as good as Oppo HA-1, I will buy it.

 

[IAMBLEST]

  What matters is HA-2's sound quality. Do guys think it will be better than Geek Out, Hugo, PHA-3?
I like how it looks. It looks like an advanced version of Fiio amp. 
32bit 386kHz PCM and DSD support are perfect for my need. I want to pair this up with an upcoming HTC M9 Hima android phone!
As long as it sounds better than Sony's PHA-3 and as good as Oppo HA-1, I will buy it.

I think asking for it to be as good as a Hugo or an HA-1 would be overestimating as it is a lot cheaper and smaller than both.
 
I will be using mine with my colorfly C4

 

[gerelmx1986]

+1

 i was patient until sony mexico restocked the walkman A17, i inmediately clicked BUY NOW

 

[zilch0md]

+1  i was patient until sony mexico restocked the walkman A17, i inmediately clicked BUY NOW

You're still on the right path, in my opinion. Enjoy the Sony NWZ-A17 for now, with efficient IEMs. If you get the OPPO HA-2 later, it will fix the only weaknesses of the Sony NWZ-A17 - its mediocre proprietary DAC and its ridiculously weak amp.

Sony's WMport-to-USB cable will allow you to enjoy the friendly, feature-rich, bug-free UI of the A17, with its long battery life and light weight, small size, and microSDXC card reader, going digital out to take advantage of the HA-2's ESS9018M2 DAC and a much more powerful amp.

Mike

 

[gerelmx1986]

 

+1

 i was patient until sony mexico restocked the walkman A17, i inmediately clicked BUY NOW

You're still on the right path, in my opinion. Enjoy the Sony NWZ-A17 for now, with efficient IEMs. If you get the OPPO HA-2 later, it will fix the only weaknesses of the Sony NWZ-A17 - its mediocre proprietary DAC and its ridiculously weak amp.

Sony's WMport-to-USB cable will allow you to enjoy the friendly, feature-rich, bug-free UI of the A17, with its long battery life and light weight, small size, and microSDXC card reader, going digital out to take advantage of the HA-2's ESS9018M2 DAC and a much more powerful amp.

Mike

yeahh that's why now i have the patience for the  HA-2

 
 
They leaked a photo of the rumored NWZ-ZX2... but meh!, if it has android well i have an iphone for that, and my (still waiting to arrive) A17 for music

 

[Vacheron]

 
I think asking for it to be as good as a Hugo or an HA-1 would be overestimating as it is a lot cheaper and smaller than both.
 
I will be using mine with my colorfly C4

Is this a serious question? You think the HA 2 would be as good as the HA 1? That makes absolutely no sense. 

 

[kawaivpc1]

  Is this a serious question? You think the HA 2 would be as good as the HA 1? That makes absolutely no sense. 

No one knows.

 

[IAMBLEST]

Is this a serious question? You think the HA 2 would be as good as the HA 1? That makes absolutely no sense. 

I said the opposite.