My Oppo PM-3 headphone impressions
Jun 23, 2015 22:09:01 GMT -5
LCSeminole, pop, and 2 more like this
Post by geebo on Jun 23, 2015 22:09:01 GMT -5
First I must mention that I have never been a big headphone aficionado and greatly preferred to listen to my speakers over cans. Sure, back in the day I had the obligatory Koss Pro4AA followed by some Pro4AAA, added a pair of HV-1As, briefly tried some Bose QC-15 noise cancelling phones and finally a pair of AKG K240 Studios. I primarily used the earlier models for recording vinyl records to open reel tape and later, cassettes. But I never really just put on a pair of cans to just listen to music unless to do so while the wife was watching TV. So I am no headphone expert by any means. Enter the Oppo PM-3s. These are a closed back (unlike the open backed and more expensive PM-1 and PM-2) low impedance (26 ohms) planar magnetic headphones with a 102dB/mW sensitivity and advertised to be an easy, purely resistive load for even an iPod or iPhone. I bought them to hopefully get some real quality sound from my Asus laptop computer and I wasn't disappointed. In comparison to anything else I've tried (which isn't a lot) they exhibited a pretty smooth bass with decent punch when called for, a midrange that I cannot fault and neutral high end that may be considered by some to be just a bit rolled off but I found great for extended listening. I was a happy camper and decided they were keepers. They exhibited considerably better bass response than my AKGs and a little more efficient allowing me to get them a little louder.
Then I decided to try them with my XMC headphone output. The AKGs definitely sounded better using the XMC so I was anxious to try them out. Well, improve they did. But this improvement was a much greater one than I got with the K240s. First of all, they easily played as loud as I would ever want at around -10 on the volume display. The bass showed the best improvement with a nice solid yet smooth extended response and an increase in clarity and detail in the upper end of the spectrum. What about the midrange? Well, the midrange is simply very, very pleasing to listen to. That was the first night owning the PM-3s and two hours had flown by before I knew it and I reluctantly put them away for the evening. The next time I pulled them out was the following Saturday evening and I stayed up listening to everything I could till about 3:00 a.m. before once again reluctantly calling it a night.
So my next venture will be to try an Emotiva Ego as soon as they become available in hopes of getting something close to the performance of my XMC/PM-3 combo with my laptop. I don't expect the EGO to be the equal of the XMC headphone amp but anything close would be really sweet. And who knows, maybe a Schiit headphone amp some day.
The PM-3s are a bit smaller than I had expected but they fit just fine, seal well, and are comfortable to wear for as long as I've cared to listen.
By the way, listening with my iPad Mini was a disappointment and I don't think I'll be doing that any time soon. Not enough volume and a too loose and weak bass response with not much detail up high. My Sony earbuds actually sound better with the iPad. But the 3s are more than acceptable with my laptop and very good with the XMC and XDA-2
I still very much like my ERT 8.3s and I can't see a pair of headphones ever replacing them but by the same token for the first time in my life I find myself looking forward to putting some headphones on to just drift away for awhile. I guess I'm hooked.
Then I decided to try them with my XMC headphone output. The AKGs definitely sounded better using the XMC so I was anxious to try them out. Well, improve they did. But this improvement was a much greater one than I got with the K240s. First of all, they easily played as loud as I would ever want at around -10 on the volume display. The bass showed the best improvement with a nice solid yet smooth extended response and an increase in clarity and detail in the upper end of the spectrum. What about the midrange? Well, the midrange is simply very, very pleasing to listen to. That was the first night owning the PM-3s and two hours had flown by before I knew it and I reluctantly put them away for the evening. The next time I pulled them out was the following Saturday evening and I stayed up listening to everything I could till about 3:00 a.m. before once again reluctantly calling it a night.
So my next venture will be to try an Emotiva Ego as soon as they become available in hopes of getting something close to the performance of my XMC/PM-3 combo with my laptop. I don't expect the EGO to be the equal of the XMC headphone amp but anything close would be really sweet. And who knows, maybe a Schiit headphone amp some day.
The PM-3s are a bit smaller than I had expected but they fit just fine, seal well, and are comfortable to wear for as long as I've cared to listen.
By the way, listening with my iPad Mini was a disappointment and I don't think I'll be doing that any time soon. Not enough volume and a too loose and weak bass response with not much detail up high. My Sony earbuds actually sound better with the iPad. But the 3s are more than acceptable with my laptop and very good with the XMC and XDA-2
I still very much like my ERT 8.3s and I can't see a pair of headphones ever replacing them but by the same token for the first time in my life I find myself looking forward to putting some headphones on to just drift away for awhile. I guess I'm hooked.
