OPPO PM-3 Planar Magnetic Wired Headphones (Red / White) $369 Delivered @ Minidisc.com.au

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thebadmachine on 26/09/2019 - 16:03 minidisc.com.au (410 clicks)
Last edited 27/09/2019 - 09:49 by 1 other user

$369 for Red & White colours only (select colour in link - Black colour is $429).
This is the cheapest so far, with previous best price being $399.

Notes: The OPPO PM-3 headphones are known as the “Portable Planar Magnetic’s” since they can be powered from a phone’s headphone jack.
Feedback says they do still benefit from amping.
Some have experienced brand-new pairs having slight distortion in the sound especially when bass hits, this has been reported to go away after extended use.

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Headphone Specifications

Acoustic Principle: Closed back
Ear Coupling: Circumaural
Nominal Impedance: 26 Ohm
Sensitivity: 102 dB in 1 mW
Clamping Pressure: 5N
Cables: 3 m detachable cable (3.5 mm with 6.35 mm adapter)
1.2 m detachable cable (3.5 mm)
Cable Connectors: Output: 3.5 mm stereo jack
Input: 6.35 mm stereo jack, 3.5 mm stereo jack
Weight (without cable): 320 g (Black/White), 310 g (Cherry Red/Steel Blue)
Included Accessories: Carrying Case, User Manual.

Driver Specifications

Driver Type: Planar Magnetic
Driver Size (Round): 55 mm diameter
Magnet System: Symmetric push-pull neodymium
Frequency Response In Free-Field: 10 - 50,000 Hz
Long-Term Max Input Power: 500 mW according to IEC 60268-7
Pulse Max Input Power: 2 W

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Minidisc Australia

• 

  [Deactivated] on 26/09/2019 - 16:32

  What exactly are Planar Magnetic’s?
  I mean industry level test results if possible.

  • 

    thebadmachine on 26/09/2019 - 17:41

    +4

    To my limited understanding, Planar-Magnetic drivers are a thin film with electric current passing through it sandwiched between a grill of thin magnet strips, the thin film gives it more uniformity when in motion compared to Dynamic drivers which are fixed on the outer edges (like speaker cones) which limits its uniformity when in motion making it more likely for distortion to be present in the sound.

    Another apparent benefit to Planar-Magnetic is the low-mass of the thin film enables is to react / move (stop / start) much more quickly which allows it to produce sound with improved speed & accuracy over a Dynamic driver.

    Of course this is some of what it is ‘technically’ capable of, and a lot can depend on build-quality & implementation.
    I am sure there are some headphones with Dynamic drivers which out-perform some headphones with Planar-Magnetic drivers & vice versa.

    • 

      Store RepMinidisc @ Minidisc Australia on 27/09/2019 - 17:42

      This is a great explanation, and exactly how we would describe the theoretical advantages of planar magnetic drivers. The downsides are that the magnetic array tends to make the headphone heavier, and they tend to be less sensitive compared to comparable dynamic drivers!

      • 

        thebadmachine on 27/09/2019 - 18:50

        Thanks MiniDisc Store Rep.

        While the weight of the more expensive open-back Planar-Magnetic headphones like the Audeze LCD series are around 500g-700g,
        I think the OPPO PM-3 is quite reasonable @ 310g-320g, which is only 80g-90g heavier than my current B&O H6 (1st gen) which feels light as a feather @ 230g.
        A few more slightly heavier Planar off the top-of-my-head would be the Audeze Mobius @ 350g with its internal battery & Fostex T60RP @ 380g.

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 26/09/2019 - 22:06

    Don’t know why the downvotes.

    Fair question. And I appreciate the answers people have given.

• 

  HocToTheP on 26/09/2019 - 17:00

  +1

  Read this: https://www.howtogeek.com/327846/what-are-planar-magnetic-he…

  They rate the these OPPOs well too.

• 

  dynaflow on 26/09/2019 - 17:31

  Stax pioneered Electrostatic Speakers and Headphones and still are the Gold Standard for many audiophiles.The Oppo's represent good value in this technology IMHO.

  • 

    2loud2old on 26/09/2019 - 18:14

    +2

    Electrostatic is a different technology to planar magnetic

  • 

    jasswolf on 26/09/2019 - 18:15

    Planar magnetic and electrostatic aren't quite exactly the same technology though, are they?

    The value for money electrostatic option is supposedly this: https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-koss-esp-95x-electrostatic-s…

    Note to anyone reading this that I'm not suggesting the ESP/950 they are based on, but this particular remake.

    • 

      lesterfreamon on 26/09/2019 - 18:18

      Those Koss are glorious.

    • 

      thebadmachine on 26/09/2019 - 18:52

      They are apparently both technically “Planar-Magnetic”, with the Electro-Static design using an even thinner film-membrane with a much higher voltage running through it, which gives it the Electro-Static name I presume (snap - shock - ouch).

      Edit: the concept of having ‘high voltage current’ so close on either side on your head does get me slightly paranoid though.

      • 

        jasswolf on 26/09/2019 - 19:05

        They're both planar, and the best way to separate the nature of them is buy their original names: electrostatic vs orthodynamic.

        Electrostatic has electrical fields either side of the planar surface, feeding a constant charge but varying the voltage.

        Orthodynamic uses magnets either side to vibrate the planar by modulating the current.

        Electrostatic tends to be the closest you can get to perfect in many ways, but it also represents a potentially huge safety issue (the voltages required, and the proximity of that to your head), hence why some might prefer planar magnetic.

        All three typical headphone/speaker techs have their strengths and weaknesses though, but dynamics tend to be much cheaper.

        • 

          thebadmachine on 26/09/2019 - 21:48

          @jasswolf: Thanks for the info.
          Seems like Electrostatic is much more difficult to engineer, implement and make.
          Going by the ‘only be able to tell the differences if you try them’ line of thought I will happily stick with dynamic-driver headphones.

          • 

            jasswolf on 26/09/2019 - 22:04

            @thebadmachine: I think that Koss might be worth it, but otherwise yeah, a nice dynamic (or a small suite for different genres) would satisfy almost every enthusiast.

• 

  lesterfreamon on 26/09/2019 - 18:12

  I have a pair of PM-1's running off the Oppo HA-1 for the rare moments I get some time for uninterrupted musical enjoyment and they are an absolute delight.

  These PM-3's are an excellent pair of headphones that will run beautifully from a phone or iPod and sound fantastic on a headphone amp. Oppo Digital pulled out of the AV market some time ago, so they will no longer be producing any more.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 26/09/2019 - 22:09

  Apart from their very good sound they feel very comfortable.

  YMMV.

  • 

    thebadmachine on 26/09/2019 - 22:10

    Yes I also read that in user feedback. Thanks for sharing.

• 

  usbc activist on 27/09/2019 - 16:44

  I heard the Audio division of Oppo no longer exists. If we buy this should we be worried about the warranty?

  • 

    thebadmachine on 27/09/2019 - 17:01

    If any issue the store should replace the entire unit.
    That being said usually if there are QC (quality control) issues there would be a thread about it somewhere online.

    As I noted in the post description, some have reported odd sounds (like distortion) in a brand-new pair, which went away after continuing using them.

  • 

    Store RepMinidisc @ Minidisc Australia on 27/09/2019 - 17:40

    Minidisc here! These units are sold with full warranty support, and we and the Australian supplier will support them as per Australian consumer law :)