Hi-Fi Choice - May

HEADPHONES
£220-£350
GROUPTEST
Oppo
PM-3 £349
The current champ in this price bracket faces some
stiff competition, but can it hang onto its crown?
DETAILS
PRODUCT
Oppo PM-3
ORIGIN
China
TYPE
Over-ear closedback
headphone
WEIGHT
320g
FEATURES
● 55mm planar
magnetic drivers
● Quoted sensitivity:
102dB/mW
● Detachable 1.2m
cable with 3.5mm
mini-jack; 2x 3m
cables with 3.5mm
and 6.35mm jacks
● Carry case
DISTRIBUTOR
Oppo Digital UK Ltd
TELEPHONE
0345 060 9395
WEBSITE
oppodigital.co.uk
F
ew headphones you can
buy for around £350 make
as convincing a case for
your money as the PM-3.
By any reasonable reckoning, it’s the
real deal, the complete package – an
assessment we haven’t been reticent
in expressing in these pages. Planar
magnetic drivers derived from the
PM-1 flagship, lavish build quality, a
comprehensive set of accessories
including three cables and a stylish
and sturdy denim travel case and
decidedly up-market sound quality
seem to close the argument on what’s
possible at this price. Affordable
high-end seems a fitting description.
The whole getting acquainted
experience exudes the kind of quality
vibe you might expect at twice the
price. It shouts luxury, from the
pampering softness of the earpads to
the lightweight precision engineering
of the framework to the ‘just right’
feeling when you don the headphone
for the first time. True, the Oppo isn’t
stylish in the way that the B&O,
Sennheiser or Meze are, but its
understated functionality is arguably
just as valid an aesthetic proposition.
Next to highly specialised electrostatic
tech, a planar magnetic driver –
essentially a diaphragm printed with a
conductor held between two magnets
– is theoretically the ideal solution for
headphone sound quality, delivering
greater accuracy and less colouration
than commonly used dynamic drivers.
What was once thought of as an
unacceptable weight penalty has been
mitigated by Oppo’s implementation,
Subtlety, speed and a
well-proportioned
bass are definite
strong suits
which tips the scales at just 320g.
On-the-go ease of drive, previously
a problem for this typically powerhungry
type of headphone, has also
been overcome, making the PM-3 fit
for use with a smartphone, a phone
and pocketable headphone amp/DAC
or the emerging breed of hi-res DAPs.
Oppo admits getting this right took
around a year to crack. The company
is nothing if not thorough.
Sound quality
A five minute audition won’t work
for the PM-3. Despite the elevated
expectations set up by its planar
drivers, you might well feel tempted
to walk away – especially if you’ve
just listened to some of the more
exuberantly voiced models here. The
reason is what seems initially to be a
mildly muted top end and closed-in
soundstage. After a session with the
Meze 99 Classics, the Oppo appears
a tad lacklustre and boring. But give
it a longer go, and subtlety, speed,
transparency and a powerful but
well-proportioned and controlled bass
are definite strong suits. The longer I
listen the more seductive and virtuous
these qualities become, and the less
obvious the restrained top end seems.
A GOOD PLANAR
Oppo was first to market with an
‘affordable’ and ‘easy to drive’ planar
magnetic design, no doubt
persuading Hifiman to get a move on.
When the company launched its own
flagship show-opener in 2014, the
PM-1, no one was greatly surprised
that such a large and luxurious
open-back design, intended purely
for home use, eschewed dynamic
drivers for planar tech. It cost £1,100
after all. A few eyebrows headed
north when, a few months later, Oppo
pulled off the same trick with the
built-down but considerably more
affordable PM-2 (HFC 402),
sacrificing little of the spacious,
balanced, ultra-low distortion sonic
performance that set the benchmark
at the £1k mark. The £350 PM-3 really
sets Felix among the featherweights,
though. Compact with over-ear
closed-back swivel-able cups, it hits
the spot combing planar magnetic
tech and high street wearability.
Indeed, once acclimatised to the
tonal balance, I find myself delving
instinctively deeper and deeper into
recordings that had perhaps seemed
superficially more impressive and
colourful on a few of the other models.
Overture from the Whiplash
soundtrack is a good example. This is
a fast and frenetic big band workout
with so many loud instruments and
constantly shifting dynamics pushing
the pace, the result can all too easily
sound overwrought and difficult to
follow. But the PM-3 does better. Not
only does it track every contribution
clearly, but it also presents a coherent,
tight and well-ordered ensemble
performance. Instrument pitch and
timbre are very well conveyed too
without tipping over into stridency or
sharpness. This is perhaps the most
natural-sounding headphone here, but
it takes a while to appreciate it ●
OUR VERDICT
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF DRIVE
OVERALL
LIKE: Solid, finely
nuanced and natural
sound; great bass;
build and comfort
DISLIKE: Muted high
frequencies; rather
confined soundstage
WE SAY: A lovely
product capable of
very fine results, but no
longer the very best
MAY 2016 33