OPPO PM-3 By Jesse Young, Tue May 5 22:45:39 2015

Photo credit: Jesse Young

I recently visited the Apple store inside the Westfarms mall in Farmington, CT. It’s been awhile since the last time I was inside one (I live in the middle of nowhere), so I was surprised to see an entire table, on the main floor, dedicated solely to headphones. From what I remember, headphones used to be relegated to the perimeter of the store, like a second-class citizen to Apple’s own first-class offerings. Maybe buying Beats had something to do with the change.

Being a slow Tuesday evening, only a few people occupied the store, which gave me plenty of time to demo the headphones. There were selections from B&W, Marshall, Alpine, Harman Kardon, Beats, and a few others. They were all close-backed, mainly over-ears, and very cool-looking, an obvious nod to the fashion-conscious mobile music lover. I spent half an hour auditioning them, and my takeaway was that they mostly, um, sucked.

Which leads me to this review of the PM-3, notably missing from that line-up. The PM-3 is the third in a series of planar magnetic headphones by OPPO Digital. It differs from its siblings, the PM-1 and PM-2, in that it has a close-back design and uses a round 55 mm driver instead of one that is oval-shaped. The PM-3 costs $300 and $800 less than the PM-2 and PM-1, respectively, making it the most affordable of the three at $399.

OPPO Digital was nice enough to loan me a pair of white PM-3’s (they also come in black) for this review. Since they are marketed as portable audiophile-quality headphones, I made sure to use them in various locations. With regards to sound isolation, they performed superbly by keeping noise out and music in, probably as good as it gets for non-active noise cancellation. Their snug fit can be attributed to the strong clamp force, listed at 5 newtons. For comparison, Sennheiser’s HD 600 and HD 650 are half that at 2.5 N. So if you have largish ears or a wide head, like me, you may find the ear cups to be on the smaller side and the overall fit to be tight. Before each wear, I had to spend a few seconds adjusting the PM-3 to find the comfort sweet spot. But I ran into the same problem with all but the Alpines at the Apple store. Either portable headphones run small these days or my head is expanding.

The drivers in the PM-3 are sensitive enough to be driven from a mobile device without any external amplification. Through my laptop, tablet, and phone, the volume level was more than adequate. I listened to the PM-3 through an amp and could not hear a significant difference in sound quality. In fact, I kept having to lower the volume knob on my O2 amp every time I paired the two. How far planar magnetic driver design has come.

Perhaps the best way to describe the sound is by first talking about the store headphones. From my time briefly auditioning each pair, I found that most had a certain sound signature: heavy on the bass and light everywhere else. What I expected to be a V-shaped frequency response, which at least makes it fun, turned out to be non-existent in the latter half. They basically sounded boomy and claustrophobic, like what I’d imagine being trapped inside a submarine would be like. The PM-3 does not sound like this. It’s far more balanced while retaining some warmth. The bass has a satisfying punch, and the mids are respectable and competent. Some genres, like hip-hop and electronica, sound great while others, like live acoustic performances, sound just OK. The PM-3 is by no means analytical or especially detailed, which is suitable enough for modern popular music. The sound characteristics, it seems, was tuned for millennials.

As one would expect from $400 headphones, the PM-3 is well built with quality materials. It’s made from a combination of plastic, metal, and butter-soft synthetic leather that encases the top of the headband and over the ear pads. Although its design is for portable use, the PM-3 is rather heavy to wear. For comparison, the ATH-M50x weighs 285 grams and DT 990 PRO is 250 grams, while the PM-3 clocks in at 320 grams without the cable. On the plus side, the heaviness adds a durable quality that inspires confidence for everyday use.

Additionally, the PM-3 ships with two cables, a 3-meter straight cable and a shorter version with mic/volume/track controls. Both cables are well made, and the portable cable, which comes in either Android or iOS flavors, worked as expected without any problems. Being able to swap cables for different situations is a convenient feature that I wish more manufacturers would build into their headphones. Kudos to OPPO Digital for this.

Overall, the PM-3 is a thoughtfully designed set of portable headphones for anyone who needs noise isolation and appreciates high-quality sound. The price tag is competitive and far less expensive than what other planar magnetics go for. But the PM-3's planar magnetic-ness doesn't really sound all that planar magnetic-y; it's like a dynamic headphone more than anything else. You should get it for its sound quality rather than its driver type. For $399, you could do a lot worse, like buying any of the other headphones at the Apple store.

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