OPPO PM-3 Closed Back Headphone Review

As the beneficiary of Oppo’s pursuit of planar magnetic excellence, the PM-3 is a unique and rare build. It’s lightweight at only 10-ounces and a truly portable, closed-back headphone. The good news is the PM-3 and its high-end pedigree, its predecessor is a $1K headphone, will only run you $399. So, no it’s not a budget headphone by any means but we’ll call it affordable luxury.

Does the portable planar-magnetic design really work?

Planar magnetic headphones live in a similar category as electrostatic – they’re an alternative design for headphones and speakers. Neither technology uses a traditional dynamic or moving-coil driver. Planar magnetic headphones tend to be bigger, heavier and pricier than the normal fare you see on the heads of kids these days boppin’ down the boulevard.

Planar magnetic headphones, like their electrostatic cousins, tend to be marketed to those who have the time and place to kick back and listen to an audiophile music collection.  All the while, our audiophile’s high-resolution sound will bleed from his pricey open-back earcups. Those around him will hear all of his music as if he was listening on tiny computer speakers. Large, open-back headphones are not the best choice for public places or quiet offices where you might enjoy music with your nose to the grindstone.

Of course, the PM-1 and PM-2 sound incredible!

But the PM-3 bucks the trend of most planar magnetic headphones with a price point that puts them on the higher side of the big box store’s headphone aisle.  They’re priced to compete directly with higher-end Beats, Denon’s mainstream collection and some of Sennheiser’s HD line – all of which use conventional dynamic driver technology. In other words, the PM-3 could be the best bargain in the history of planar magnetic headphones.

Once we got a look at the design and the PM-3’s $399 price, we could only conclude that this is Oppo’s foray into a higher-end of mainstream. Maybe Oppo wants to cash in on the popularity of bass-centric, consumer-grade headphones. For its effort, Oppo will get no criticism here… it’s a niche that deserves representation. Say what you will about the current headphone fashion trend – it has contributed to a kind-of headphone renaissance. We’ve seen some great cans in recent years! After extensive use of Oppo’s new design, I am pleased to announce that what we have here is no simple formula headphone, this is a unique product that deserves consideration from anyone who listens to headphones.

But one thing is for sure - these aren’t your father’s planar-magnetic headphones.

Reviewer’s Instinct

When you examine hi-fi equipment as much as any of us at Audioholics, you develop an instinct about a product and the market niche it’s designed to fill. Like a Terminator-style heads-up display (HUD) that kicks in whenever we so much as look at a new piece of audio gear or just read a press release.

Just like Arnold’s Terminator, our first impression of a product runs through our HUD as lines of text, displaying a list of possible impressions as we hone in on the most probable. Our first impressions are seldom wrong. But occasionally a product comes along that defies category and blows up our expectations like the climax of a Mad Max car chase scene… this is how I felt about the PM-3.

OPPO PM-3 Headphone Design & Fit and Finish

After unboxing the PM-3 one can only marvel at its build quality. Anyone who hefts these finely-balanced brushed aluminum phones in their hands can tell they’re built to be instruments of rare quality. Extending the headband yields a series of precise-clicks that exude a build-quality luxury as it secures the headband to the desired position.

The earpads and padding around the headband are made with high quality faux leather. The material feels soft and breathable enough for extended listening sessions. The brushed aluminum earcups, available in black or white are sturdy and really drive home the high quality look-and-feel.  When I first donned these cans the fit was overly tight. But that’s not surprising as I have a kind of big head, I’m used to it with headphones.  Thankfully, the headband is flexible and should eventually break in. Over time, with a little working into place, the headphones will fit the larger-headed among us although they remain a snug fit. The tightness pressing on the ear cushions augments the can’s passive acoustic isolation, so it’s really just part of the design of these cans.

Design Considerations

Although I had no doubt the Oppo PM-3 would be a very solid-sounding rendition of its design, my reviewer’s HUD display kicked in and provided me with certain expectations, or should I call them prejudices. The PM-3 is, after all, a closed-back design at a lower price-point than its predecessors. I expected the PM-3 would target the younger audience… you know, the Beats crowd. I expected overly-augmented bass at the expense of upper-midrange detail and, of course, a claustrophobic soundstage for anyone accustomed to an open design. I assumed the PM-3 would be Oppo’s rendition of nearly every headphone you see at the local big box store. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

We’re in the midst of a headphone golden age. A tsunami of mobile devices has created the demand as manufacturers compete with higher quality headphones for lower prices that we’ve ever thought possible. But to serve mobile devices these are mostly portable, lightweight, efficient designs.  They’re almost always closed-back and provide acoustic isolation so the kids can look like a wanna-be DJ.

Oppo would be remiss if it didn’t take a stab at that market.  Over the last couple of months I have listened to every detailed nuance of the PM-3 and I believe I understand what Oppo is really bringing to the table.  Yes, they’re a portable, closed-back design and as a consequence they have a narrower soundstage than you’d expect from their open-back counterparts, the PM-1 and PM-2.

But the frequency response from the PM-3 is much flatter than expected. Oppo seems to have built a headphone that plays to this mainstream headphone market while simultaneously elevating it through its distinctive planar magnetic acoustic signature.  These headphones could be the perfect gateway-cans to introduce a headphone-audiophile neophyte to the world of acoustic possibilities of high-end headphones.  Oh yes, these could be the cans that start a serious headphone addiction.

Entry-Level Audiophile

These headphones have been referred to as entry-level audiophile and that’s a perfect description. In the PM-3 you’ll get all the detail you’d expect from a PM driver. The soundstage is narrower, but that’s the price you pay for a headphone that you can use at work without sharing your music with everyone in your office.

But the acoustic isolation goes the other way too. You can use it on the streets without losing too much fidelity to background noise. Of course, these are not isolating headphones so you’ll be safe enough crossing the road to hear a car.

I was surprised that the bass response didn't seem exaggerated at all. I streamed one of my favorite online radio stations, Groove Salad by Soma FM for its …nicely chilled plate of ambient/down tempo beats and grooves. A little extra volume down low lends this station’s music an added hypnotic effect.

HA-2 Portable DAC/Amp

While testing the Oppo PM-3 I was also testing its portable headphone DAC/amp, the HA-2, which includes a bass boost switch that adds just the little kick you sometimes need.

I’ve used other headphone DAC/Amps in the past and they usually include a bass switch. Mostly they will bump up the mid-bass that is likely to translate across most headphones. But the HA-2’s bass boost goes much deeper than most. It sounds a bit like the frequency the HA-2 boosts is just below the audible range so you can practically feel an extra bit of “thump” in your head.

Boosting bass on a set of headphones when listening to certain music puts the lower frequencies under a microscope. There is no way for the headphones to fake it and that’s why most bass boosters only boost the mid-bass and not the deep bass.  The HA-2’s bass boost will be an unforgiving mistress to any truly economy headphones.  The HA-2 and its boost feature seems made for the PM-3. Oppo’s planar magnetic drivers lend all the detail and subtlety to the lower frequencies for a feeling of raw power.  Of course most music isn’t well-served with the bass boost on.  The majority of music sounds best when all of the midrange and middle-high detail is present and this is what the planar magnetic design is known for… and Oppo has done a masterful job.

OPPO PM-3 Headphone Sound Quality Tests

Here are some impressions on how the PM-3 performed with music that's been on my personal rotation lately.

The Art of McCartney
The voice of Corinne Bailey Rae in her breathy cover of “Bluebird” on The Art of McCartney might make you shiver for all of its detail and intimacy as she seems to whisper the song directly into your ear. The album The Art of McCartney is a must for any McCartney or Beatles fan interested in more contemporary takes on their familiar music. Many of McCartney’s songs have been covered many times over the years but you won’t hear familiar hits like G ‘n’ R doing “Live and Let Die”. That particular number gets a high-energy rework by Billy Joel. One of my new favorite hobbies with the Oppo’s pairing between the PM-3 and the HA-2 is taking long walks with my favorite music.  The PM-3's made my walks that much more enjoyable.

The BEST Portable Sound Experience
My cell phone has a memory card filled with uncompressed files. The USB out plugs into the USB input on the HA-2 and when I play back music using USB Audio Player PRO for Android I get a flat digital signal directly to the HA-2. This provides the best playback quality anybody, anywhere at any time have ever obtained while on a walk.

Portable Sound Combination:

• Oppo PM-3 headphones
• Oppo HA-2 DAC/Amp
• USB Audio Player PRO (Android)
  

If you have any suggestions for how this can be improved please leave them in the comments. How do you get your best portable sound?

John Carpenter Lost Themes
My latest guilty pleasure is John Carpenter’s Lost Themes. I suspect few people know that the famed horror film director John Carpenter was a great musical composer and created most of the soundtracks to his own films. Lost Themes is his 2015 album that features soundtrack music he composed that never made it into any of his movies.

Lost Themes is a horror-music classic with a golden-age-of-slasher-flick vibe. Listening to its music, reminiscent of the tones that accompanied Michael Meyers and Snake Plisskin will transform any walk in the park into a journey into mystery. But I suggest leaving the kitchen knife at home.

Summary

The Oppo PM-3 is the perfect balance between luxury and affordability. There is no denying that with today’s advances in technology, alternate headphone designs, such as planar magnetic, have been overdue for a more affordable re-work. Planar magnetic and electrostatic sound signatures share an uncanny accuracy, flat frequency response and unparalleled detail. It’s no wonder that fans of these headphone designs tend to become evangelical about their distinct sound signature.

In the PM-3 you get a solid-performing planar-magnetic headphone with all the best that it entails. Just because it’s not a thousand-dollar headphone doesn’t make it a compromise.

I can easily see someone who already owns the PM-1 or PM-2 picking up the PM-3 to pull portable duty and they would not be disappointed. Conversely, anyone who falls in love with the sound of the PM-3 is a sure candidate to try the surprisingly affordable PM-2 for home duty. The two are not directly comparable as they fill different roles but once you’re bitten by the planar magnetic bug there will be no turning back.  Highly recommended!