OPPO PM-3 Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones (Black)

IntroductionOppo has comes out with another outstanding product with the PM-3, their latest planar magnetic headphones. This headphone has been reviewed as the best headphones in its class and price range by several sites.Oppo first ventured into headphones with their PM-1, their no holds barred $1200 planar magnetic headphones, unlike normal headphones which typically uses mylar dynamic drivers akin to regular speakers.How Dynamic Drivers WorkIf you don’t know what kind of driver your headphones use, they almost certainly have dynamic drivers. This is by far the most common style, and there’s no chance of that changing in the foreseeable future.They're also known as moving coil drivers, and are the headphone equivalent of the full-size drivers you probably have in your hi-fi speakers or portable speaker.In this kind of driver, the signal is sent through a coil of ultra-thin wire, creating a magnetic field that reacts with a magnet that it's set into. It’s an electromagnetic relationship, in physics terms.This causes the voice coil to rapidly move backward and forward, in turn moving the speaker diaphragm the coil is attached to. On a hi-fi speaker this is the cone-shaped part you tell the kids not to touch (but they inevitably do). But in headphones or one a small Bluetooth speaker it’ll generally be hidden behind a grille so you can't see it.This movement rapidly compresses and decompresses air, causing the sound waves that make up the audio you hear.How Planar Magnetic Drivers WorkPlanar magnetic headphones are much less common than the dynamic kind. In fact, you’ll probably only have heard of a few companies that make them. There are three important names in planar headphones right now: HiFiMAN, Audeze and Oppo.These headphones work on a similar principle to dynamic driver headphones: using the interaction of two magnetic fields to cause motion.However, instead of moving the voice coil, pulling the diaphragm in and out from one ring within the driver, here the charged part is spread across the driver, which is a thin, largely flat film.So instead of focusing the force on a small part, it’s spread across the diaphragm. This generally requires larger, or more, magnets than a dynamic driver array, and they're needed on both sides of a diaphragm, which is why a lot of planar magnetic headphones are quite big and heavy.The driver design of the planar style also results in very low-distortion sound and excellent transient response. Transient response is how fast the driver reacts to changes in the input signal and how quickly it cuts off those frequencies as they're cut out of the source, which is particularly important for bass notes.The main problem with planar magnetic headphones is that they are usually quite bulky and heavy due to the large magnets required for its use. Oppo was able to engineer the drivers with smaller drivers reducing the size and weight making this the smallest and lightest PM headphones by a considerable margin.Even with the smaller drivers, the Oppo does not give up much in terms of audio quality. The one caveat is the PM drivers are a bit more fragile than regular headphones. While it may be impervious to normal thumps and bumps, any sharp and sudden impact can knock the diaphragm out of position, so precautions should be heeded.In UseThe Oppo PM-3 looks like a normal headphones in size and feels a bit heavier in weight. The build and finish looks like it is a higher priced model than it actually is. The earcups are made of aluminum. The headband is covered with foam which in enclosed by protein (synthetic) leather. The earpads themselves are average size and also covered in protein leather. If you have ears that extend further from your head than normal, you might find that the ears may touch the inside of the driver assembly.You have the option of buying the PM-3 in all black, all white or white with blue trim. Note that the PM-3 is a sealed headphone; the PM-1 and PM-2 are somewhat open-backed.Protein leather has its advantages and disadvantages. It is a very durable material but it does not "breathe". As a result, the headphones can get uncomfortably warm and sweaty after prolonged use. On the other hand, Oppo has put some effort in making this headphone very comfortable to wear, feeling a lot lighter than what you would expect. While weighing in at 325 grams, the Oppo is heavier than regular headphones but considerably lighter than other planar magnetic headphones (it is still lighter than the Audioquest Nighthawk at 350 grams). Note that the Oppo cannot adjust the fit for larger than normal heads, the width is fixed, so some users may find the side pressure objectionable. The Oppo's isolates ambient noise pretty well, a little better than average.The Oppo headphones can fold flat when not in use. It comes with a hard denim carry case that includes a padded divider to prevent the earcups from scratching each other when folded flat. The headphone comes with a long three meter cable terminated with stereo miniplugs on both ends. It also has an adapter so it can be connected to a normal headphone jack. The Oppo also supplies you with one of three one meter choices: An Apple iPhone compatible cable; an Android compatible cable or a plain cable. The cable plugs into the bottom of the left earcup, unlike the previous Oppo headphones which uses a "Y" cable that connected to both earcups. The connector is a bit recessed so if you decide to opt for a different cable, you will have to take that into consideration. All the cables look adequate but not very strong. The joint between the plug and the cable appears to have no tension relief and long term use may be an issue with kinking.Sound QualityThe Oppo PM-3 sounds great. I don't see how any $400 headphone can compete with the sound. The clarity of the music is very palpable. Bass is tight and not boomy, nor is it emphasized. It just sounds right. Vocals come out sweet and clear. If there is any weakness in the sound, it is in the treble. Cymbals sound a tad subdued, with a "tssh" instead of a "tsss" sound.On the other hand, piano and drums sound fantastic. The transient response on the PM-3 is unbelievably sharp and quick. Brass sounds right with no coloration. The Oppo sounds very neutral with no coloration of sound. The soundstage sounds pretty wide to me (others have criticized the width). There is very little or no sense of depth in the sound.The drawback of the Oppo is its revealing nature. When listening to Hi-Res sources, the Oppo really shines. When listening to poorly recorded/mastered audio, the Oppo will blatantly shows all the flaws and defects in the recordings.ConclusionOppo has done it again, the Oppo PM-3 is a great headphone. It manages to get all the important aspects right. It will be hard to find another headphone that can match its sound. The Oppo PM-2 is a slightly better headphone but at a considerable increase in price. For $400, the PM-3 should be checked out by anyone considering a serious headphone purchase.Pros:• Fabulous sound• Comes with separate long/short length cables• Comfortable for most users• A great value for the priceCons:• Protein leather earpads can get hot and sweaty• Not adjustable for larger or smaller heads• Cables do not look very durable

The Oppo pm-3, if only i had found this headphone sooner, it would have saved me months of internet searching. I will go into a lot of detail and a Sennheiser momentum m2 comparison. Its been well over a year now with them so I feel ready to give my daily portable cans a proper review.Build quality- 9.5/10- Earcups, the back is made of aluminum, and the sides of the cup are made of a hard plastic, that is connected via a metal pivot to the headband. Very very well built, the ample use of metal is justified for the price tag. Momentum M2 comparison: the ear cups on the pm 3s are designed in a much better way that takes the weight off of the center of the ear cups, and places them on the pivots. (Which have shown no signs of popping off any time soon)-The headband, it is a covered in a soft textured faux leather. No complaints here, but what is inside the headband? I dont know, but ive come to the conclusion that is incredibly hard break through normal use. Not a single tear on faux leather, regardless of the rough treatment it has had. Comparison to M2: The Oppo pm3 headband is much more comfortable, due to the headband distributing the weight of the Pm 3s over the entire headband, compared to the Momentum M2s which rely on an open headband that places the weight on two separate pads.- The ear pads, the oppo pm3 has some of the most comfortable faux leather ear pads ive tried to date. Although they are not removable and need to be sent back to be changed, i dont see the need of changing them for new ones as they have shown no sign of wear or tear. Comparison to M2s: the Pm 3s completely destroy the m2s in ear pad comfort. Okay, Sennheiser tried adding memory form with leather ear pads to their product, but it was just a complete belly flop because it failed to maintain shape. My m2s came with a right ear pad that was flatter than usual on one part of it, because of how it was packaged. Ive verified with friends who also have a pair, and have had a similar problem with the pads. The Pm 3 pads may not be memory foam or real leather, but they are not susceptible to shipping “flattening” or heat and cold changes.- Inside the ear pads, the oppo pm3 has a very slight flaw. I have average sized ears, and the pads are just shallow enough that the tip of my ear touches the right driver. I have heard other people complain about it, and I can confirm that its true. It does not bother me, but if you have unusually large ears, it might be an issue. Comparison to the M2s: the m2 pads keep my ear from touching the pads because of their thickness, but only on the left side. The right side with its deformed ear pad has my ear touching the padding even more than the Pm 3s.- Cable. The oppo pm3 has a 3.5mm connector for the cable. Came with 2 wires, a short wire i picked for apple devices, and a long one with a 1/4 adapter. Perfect. Nothing more need to be said. Comparison to M2s: the m2s fail in this department again. They use a 2.5mm proprietary cable that is rececesed into the cup, so that only a special sennheiser m2 cable can fit into the plug. No wonder i cant find any replacement cables for it that aren’t directly from Sennheiser. Not to mention that the M2cable was kind of thin and flimsy, like they’d stretched out the wiring to make it as cheap as possible.Presentation (box opening)- 10/10- It ships in a gray cardboard box with an additional hard box inside with the headphones. Fairly nicely textured box that reminds me of my hd 600 box, but I wont be storing them in there. The headphones come with the cups flat in a special hard denim carrying case (which i still use to this day), with its cables. THANK YOU OPPO for not messing up the ear pads. Comparison to M2: The pm 3 case was genuinely easy to open, unlike the M2 case that came in a very tight outer box from the store. Inside the M2 box were the headphones, folded up with its cable in soft shell case. The folding aspect ruined the right pad, as it was squeezed against the metal side of the headband connector.Sound- 8.5/10Highs- this is where the oppo pm 3 takes the veiling a bit too far. I get why they would veil the highs, sibilance is by far the worse aspect of music in any sense. But they veiled the highs just a bit too far, which the m2s did not veil. Comparison to the M2s: even though the oppo pm 3 has rolled off highs, the highs are still more pleasant than the M2s. The M2s are outright sibilant, which means that the Ts and Ss sounds on certain songs are incredibly piercing and sharp to the point that it’s annoying. And this is the M2s fault entirely, because even the hd 600s dont have harsh highs.Mid Range- I give this to the PM-3’s with a smooth and refined mid range. This came as a suprise to me because sennheiser is known for their midrange centered headphones. The highs in the oppo Pm 3 do not take over the mid range,neither does the bass. Comparison to M2s: They are on par, but the pm 3 mid range is still more audible because the bass does not enter into the mid range.Bass- The oppo pm 3 takes this one, especially when paired to a HA-2se dac/amp. The bass is controlled, and in songs where there is bass present, it’ll be there in its fullest. And when bass i not present, it wont be. I even prefer the PM-3s bass to that of the Hd 600s. Comparison to M2s: the M2s had bass, but it was unusually muddy, and was either bass light on songs where it should not be, or the bass was not well controlled to the point that it was bleeding into the mid range.All in all, ill be enjoying using these for years to come. As an added side note, the PM-3s were made so that they could be run with a balanced 4 pin XLR. Ill be testing that later down the road.Edit: if you find that something is missing on the PM-3s, sound wise, try the ha-2se. They are made for each other. The bass boost on it adds a very well received boost in the lower region that doesn’t hurt the mid or highs.

I paid $400 for these headphones. One of the cords that comes with the headphones is broken and sound only comes out of 1 ear. I was not allowed to return these and they are broken!! Did you read what I just wrote? I paid $400 for a pair of headphones, they don't work and I was not allowed to return them. Oppo refused the return on a $400 defective product! I simply don't even know what to say about this.YOU DO NOT TREAT CUSTOMERS LIKE THIS. When I emailed Oppo about the problem the guy immediately said I must have done something wrong and blamed me. No, I took the $400 pair of headphones out of their box, plugged them in and 1 of the cords doesn't work. If you spend $400 on a product you EXPECT THE PRODUCT TO WORK. These did not work, I contacted the company and was not allowed to return them.I would not purchase these because if you do you are out-of-luck if anything happens like what happened to me.