Oppo PM-2 Planar Headphone

I can tell you this:
1. Bare bones package with the phones, two cords (short with mini-plug, longer with phone plug), denim bag, manual.
2. No wood box, satin ribbons, multiple ear pads, marbles or scarves.
3. Just what I had hoped these would be after concluding that the PM-1s were too rich for my blood.
4. Comes only with what you need.
Oh yeah - they fit and sound great to me. Quality workmanship.

 

Agreed, I've no complaints with my PM-2 and new HA-1. My first high end experience is great so far.

 

Sorry no photos. I can't figure out how to post them.
Anyhow, these are sounding better and better as they break in.

 

Man, I wish they weren't constructed of lambskin. I'd be interested in a pair made of vinyl or some other synthetic material.

 

The pads that come with the PM-2 are not real leather, they are synthetic.

 

They have two different pads, one leather and one velour, I thought. But the headband is covered in lambskin.

Edit: I read somewhere that the headband is covered in lambskin, but can't find that source now, so maybe I'm wrong. Could someone confirm?

 

My mistake, looks like I was confusing the PM-1 with the PM-2.

 

I don't see any lamb on my PM-2s.

 

Yeah, I was mistaken. It was the spec section of the PM-1 page on Oppo's site where I had read that the headband was made of lambskin. Not the PM-2.

 

Baaaaaaa....

 

My advice is to avoid the Head-Fi threads on the PM-1 and PM-2. They are filled with misinformation and speculation by people who haven't heard either headphone, at least not for an appreciable length of time. I tried to clear up some of the misinformation but when I realized that thread participants weren't interested in the facts, just in their conspiracy theories, I dropped out of the threads. They got too ridiculous.

 

That's about par for the course on Headfi for several years now. I gave up as a regular about 2008.

 

They do have someone from Oppo on there answering questions though. You're right about most threads there...too much BS to weed through to get to the meaningful stuff.

 

FWIW, I sadly returned my PM-2s to Oppo per its generous 30 day return policy. As wonderful as they are, and they are, I did not think they bested my $90 Fostex T50RPs (also planar phones) to the tune of $700, particularly with September 9 approaching. Nevertheless, they're awfully nice, on a par with Oppo's other fine products.

 

Wow! Bested by a $100 pair of cans. I'd love to hear some comparisons to the AKG K7 series.

Thanks for the honest update...September 9th IS coming!

 

Not bested, but not $700 better, in my opinion.
YMMV.

 

The T50RP does punch way above its weight class. Not quite fair though to call it a $99 headphone. It requires careful modding. Which means time, materials cost, more time, fiddling, more fussing about, testing. I've got a T50RP that I've modded. It's still a work in process, and always will be. Very much a hobbyist headphone.

I also consider the T50RP modded headphones to have some sonic issues. Primarily in the treble. I've yet to hear a modded T50RP that had what I would consider a well integrated and coherent treble. Even the Mr. Speakers modded versions. The T50RP seems to have a characteristic somewhat like a 2 way speaker with a mismatched tweeter that doesn't integrate soundwise with the midrange driver. As good as the T50RP can be, there is room for other headphones to out perform it sonically. The question then becomes is the increased performance worth the additional cost. Consider that the Mr. Speakers modded T50RP headphones are in the $300 to $600 range. $700 for the PM-2 isn't that much more.

I'm seriously considering getting a PM-2. Also have the HiFiMan HE-560 on my list. I don't know which I'll get first.

 

I have the HifiMAN HE-400. Obviously not the same as an HE-560, but I imagine they can't be too far off sonically. The HE-400s are my least favorite 'phones. They are uncomfortable to me, and let in quite a bit more background noise than other headphones, even vs. the PM-1s.

 

They've changed the headband design for the HE-560 and their future headphones. Should be more comfortable. I've only tried them on at a meet. Haven't tried them on for a long listening session.

I don't like the sound of the HE-400. Midrange has too much mush in the sound. Obscuring sonic details. A T50RP does midrange details much better. And the HE-560 as well.

The PM-1 and PM-2 have been getting good reviews. The reviews have had positive things to say about things I consider important. So it's likely to be a headphone that would suit my sonic preferences and expectations. I just haven't been able to actually hear it yet. And I dislike buying headphones without hearing it first, even if there is a good return policy.

 

Ham, don't misunderstand me. I think the PM-2s are great, and am sure you will feel the same. But the only mod I did to the Fostex phones was to change the ear pads to ones the fit better on my ears. When I got them, I read up on the mods that people are doing to them but, in the end, concluded that I lacked the time and patience to start stuffing cotton into them, cut out pieces of them, etc. For me, it was very simple: I'd listen to something on the PM-2s, revel in the sound and then immediately replay it on the T50 RPs. My repeated conclusion was that the Oppo's were better, but the Fostex cans were fine for me. Got lots of other stuff to spend $700 on.
That said, I hope you love the Oppo's.

 

The T50RP are pretty neat. What they do well they do very well. A stock T50RP needs some EQing to make it suitable for me. But even a stock version with aftermarket pads does good things. Like midrange detail. One test is to listen to solo violin. So much midrange detail in the T50RP. Bow sounds, the effect of fingering as the fingers hit the strings, subtle note bends, etc. Then switch to a Sennheiser HD600. Those details are there to that degree, and in some cases not there at all. The HD600 becomes disappointing to listen to after that. And the HD600 is a pretty good headphone.

One test for me when I eventually get a PM-2 would be to listen to solo violin. Midrange details better be there or I'm not going to be a happy camper.

 

I have had a PM-2 loaner for a few weeks that I will have to sadly pass along shortly. At first I was a bit underwhelmed but have really come around on them. Will post more detailed impressions later. But I think these are a good choice for a transportable. Overall I like the Audeze better so don't think this would replace our LCD-2 at home that you already have. I have sadly determined that I cannot really go with Audeze due to fit/comfort issues. So unless I decide to go cheaper with an HD600, it looks like it will be PM-2 for me. And at that price and without the need for an an expensive amp I may just get he HD600 next time I see a deal on it.

 

I've still yet to actually hear a PM-2 or PM-1. I'd really prefer to hear one before I buy one.

I was planning on just jumping in and buying a PM-2 next month to coincide with my Pono Player that's supposed to get to me around late December. But then Oppo went and pre-announced the PM-3 during RMAF. A closed ortho headphone priced at $399. A closed headphone is more practical for portable use. And the price is more attractive too than the PM-2. So now I'm back to waiting. The PM-3 is supposed to be released around January or February. Wondering now if I should get the PM-2 or wait for the PM-3. Decisions. Decisions. I wouldn't necessarily be against having both. Oppo seems to be doing some good things with their headphones.

I'm fortunate in that I have no significant fit or comfort issues with Audeze headphones.

I'm still thinking about the HE-560 or HD800...

 

I recently had a loan of the PM-2 that came with the PM-1 Alt pads, rather than the stock PM-2 pads, and thought I would give some impressions. When the Oppos arrived, I unfortunately did not have access to my Marantz amp in my living room. So, I just plugged them into my Iphone in my bedroom and started running through my test tracks which consist mostly of rock (classic and "alternative"), jazz and other instrumental, but not too much electronica or classical. Ordinarily I would not pass any judgment on a headphone at this price point based on how it runs off of a portable, but since Oppo clearly markets these as being super-efficient and several people on Head-Fi have claimed they heard little or no difference on the PM-1 amped versus unamped, it did not seem unfair to start making some initial impressions, particularly since, in my case, one of the selling points was the purported efficiency of the PM-2 (in the same way that aside from sound quality, the Audeze LCD-X has more appeal to me than the LCD-2 or LCD-3 since in a pinch you can run them off of a portable and IMO get pretty decent sound).

Initially, I was a bit underwhelmed. At this price point I was looking for some "wow" factor and did not hear it. Nothing sounded bad per se, but nothing stood out. A lot of other TOTL/reference cans have some aspect of their sound signature that really stand out and grab you, at least upon an initial listen -- HD800 (soundstage and detail); Stax (clarity and naturalness); Audeze (deep bass extension and impact). (The flip side of "wow" factor is that you might over time realize something is out of balance or less than neutral or gimmicky or simply fatiguing.) With the PM-2, I couldn't find any particular faults, but I also initially could not find anything notable or exemplary. The soundstage had been so downplayed in what I had read and my expectations so lowered that I was somewhat pleasantly surprised that it was pretty decent and I absolutely feel that they sound like open cans and not closed as I have read elsewhere; just not the most open sounding cans. The bass extension was excellent but I felt it was lacking punch or slam (I always get those two confused, but there was not the sense of impact that I get from a well-amped Audeze). Given that the PM-2 seemed technically quite competent to me, I could not figure out why they seemed a little boring. Of course, it didn't help that I was also doing compare and contrast at that time with my treble-happy AKG and Grados there instead of just listening to music and trying to evaluate the PM-2 on its own for what it is.

The first day or so I was pretty disappointed since I wanted to like the PM-2 so much as they hit all the other marks for me in terms of looks, comfort (simply one of the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn notwithstanding that they are still significantly heavier than my AKG or a Senn HD600/650, for example). But I decided to take some more time with the PM-2 and just listen to albums and not run test tracks and do quick comparisons with other phones. And I found that I started really enjoying their sound. I still thought they could be a bit "soft", but I started enjoying their virtues -- they are reasonably detailed, it is just less apparent than on a treble-happy can; the bass extension obviously kills my AKG and IMO cans like the 600/650; signature is completely non-fatiguing; soundstage is good and realistic if not terribly wide; the timbre of instruments seemed really correct and natural to me. For example, I realized I loved the sound of drums on the PM-2. Yes, the Audeze had more impact, but to me the PM-2 presentation sounded much more like real drums. The best part is that I could get this good sound without being near my main rig, which necessitated running a long cable from my living room couch to my amp on the other side of the room. I could get it out of an Ipad or an Iphone in my bedroom and not need anything else. I could also walk around my apartment with this comfortably on my head or lounge on my side while reading the paper or my tablet. In contrast, I doubt I could do that with an Audeze. I am also really lazy. Even unpacking my AKG Q701 from its giant Casebuddi XXL case and attaching the 20 foot cable is sometimes too much work for me when I am tired and it is nearing midnight. And just not worth the effort to set up if I can only catch just 15-20 minutes of music before bedtime. But the ease of use of the Oppo meant that I found myself listening to them pretty much every night. I could set up and get good sound so quickly that there was never an excuse not to. If I was too lazy to set up my AKGs many a night, I suspect it would be even worse with something like a super-heavy Audeze. I know these factors may be completely inapplicable to some here, but they meant a lot to me.

While I did do a lot of listening simply through my phone, I also did finally spend some time using my amp. My humble Marantz integrated is decent but surely cannot compete with the likes of the amps typically discussed here. But I did find that while the PM-2 did not scale massively, the punch in the bass that I thought was lacking and perhaps making the PM-2s a bit boring at times, was there quite a bit more when driven by an amp. It may not have had quite the punch of an Audeze, but amping the PM-2, while not necessarily taking them to reference level, definitely improved them in the bass department and to some extent in terms of soundstage as well. Overall, I no longer felt that these were boring when amped, although they still maintained there overall laid-back sound signature.

Tyll has referred to the PM-1/PM-2 as quality lifestyle phones, but not necessarily reference level. This description in some ways was kind of a turn off for me. In my mind, I had been looking for more of a reference level sound and was hoping the PM-2 could perhaps provide that, but in a friendlier package. However, I realized that maybe these other factors were ultimately more important to me than achieving reference level sound (whatever that means), so long as I did, in fact, think the sound was very good. And ultimately that is the conclusion I came to. The PM-2 with PM-1 alt pads had very good sound, but not necessarily reference level, and were really easy to get along with. Before returning the loaner, I did get to a dealer to give one last listen to the LCD-2 and LCD-X with some of my music. I felt that both Audezes were probably a bit better than the PM-2, but not miles better when the PM-2 was amped (as opposed to unamped where it could sound too soft, whereas to me the LCD-X does not sound soft off of even my phone, just less refined in all respects). Moreover, I realized that the Audezes were just too painful given that they clamp on my TMJ and I suffer from TMJ pain. I have always gotten along OK with Audezes but never really listened to them for more than 10 minutes at a time. I strongly suspect that if I had bought them I could maybe suffer through 30 minutes before they became too uncomfortable. I believe that I could wear the PM-2 for hours at a time (not that I ever really listen to cans for such long periods).

I also considered the HD600 or 650 as cheaper alternatives. I actually find the PM-2 more comfortable than the 600/650, but it is close. IME, while the 600/650 can be driven off of portables, they are not nearly their best and really need/deserve to be amped. I really do like the ability to be able to drive the PM-2 off my phone, although I do intend to use an amp whenever possible. Also, I think the low bass quality is better on the PM-2 than the Senns. While, the PM-2 loses on soundstage to both Senns, I don't mind that tradeoff, particularly since I have my Q701 for when soundstage is important (when I am in the mood for classical, for example, those are what I will go to).

As it came time to return the PM-2, I already found myself missing them. So, as soon as I shipped them back I ordered my own pair. I did not order the PM-1 Alt pads. I figured I would see how I liked the stock pads, and to the extent that they are lacking either sonically or in terms of comfort I will then order the PM-1 Alt pads. Whether the PM-2 is the right can for someone I think will depend to some degree on how important some of these aforementioned "lifestyle" factors are compared to just getting the best sound for the money or the best sound regardless of cost. For me, they are an overall very attractive package. And I do believe they are a very good sounding can without any glaring faults.

 

Thanks for the review Colgin! And thanks particularly for the comparisons to your AKG Q701. I had K701s for years and upgraded to K712s and while the headband is more comfortable without the bumps and the bass bump makes them a little better balanced, they have a higher clamping force than my 701s did, making them hard to wear through an average album.

As a result I'm considering the PM-2 as a replacement. I like the portability/driveability of them as well. I could replace my K545s as well.

Bill