Filip Brož The American brand OPPO is best known for its excellent Blu-ray players. More than two years ago, it also broke into the segment of portable headphones and amplifiers, and it must be said that its start in the new environment was very successful. Several awards for OPPO products from 2015 and their performance speak for themselves.
At Jablíčkář, we have not yet had experience with this company, until now we have tried the OPPO PM-3 headphones and the OPPO HA-2 portable headphone amplifier. And the reaction is unequivocal: I have never heard better sound from headphones. If you also use an amplifier, even ordinary EarPods play great. What is the magic of OPPO?
Headphones under the microscope
At first glance, the OPPO PM-3 headphones do not differ significantly from the competition. However, if you take a closer look, you can see that it belongs to the top with its processing and design. The closed magnetoplanar headphones please not only with their lifestyle design, but also with their weight (320 grams). Thanks to this, you practically do not feel the headphones on your ears, even during long-term wear.
I've always had the problem with most headphones that after an hour of listening I started to feel pressure on my sleep and my ears hurt. It will also be the fact that I wear glasses, so the headphones always press on my ear bones through the legs of the glasses. However, with the OPPO PM-3, I felt nothing even after several hours of listening, thanks to the ample padding.
The earcups are elongated, round and closed. The head bridge of the PM-3 headphones consists of a massive metal fork, which is wrapped in soft artificial leather in a padded case. At both ends there are positionable sliders that turn into a stainless steel joint mechanism. The headphones can thus be conveniently rotated and at the same time safely stored in a sturdy case made of impregnated denim. This is included in the package.
The oval hard polymer shells are elegantly brushed on the outside from anodized aluminum and are attached to the metal forks at two points. Inside you will find an oval seven-layer membrane, which is very thin and enclosed in a spiral between coiled aluminum strips. Thanks to this, the membrane reacts quickly and flexibly to the signal, i.e. changes in the magnetic field. OPPO uses a FEM magnetic system with strong neodymium magnets.
The technical parameters are more than respectable. The PM-3s have an impedance of only 26 ohms, a sensitivity of 102 decibels, operate in a frequency range of 10 to 50 Hz and can handle up to 000 watts of power, which represents incredible performance. Thanks to this, the sound is dense and realistic in all frequency bands, and at maximum volume (where there is already a risk of damage to the ear canal), the music is absolutely clear and you feel as if the band or musician is standing next to you.
The OPPO headphones also have a very high-quality bass performance, which can stand out much better thanks to the sibling amplifier. The midrange is crystal clear and the mids are very pleasant. I mainly used the PM-3 with my iPhone and streamed music from Apple Music, so it wasn't the best quality yet.
The performers included contemporary pop stars, rap, folk, jazz, as well as serious music and rock. The headphones can easily cope with any genre, and if you connect OPPO to quality equipment and use the lossless audio compression format, expect a literal treat for your ears.
The company supplies the headphones with a classic replacement cable with a 3,5 mm end on one end and a 3,5 mm end with a supplied screw reduction to 6,3 mm on the other end. However, it can also be replaced with the supplied cable with a microphone, both for iOS and Android.
An amplifier enters the scene
I never believed that a mobile headphone amplifier could do such wonders. However, the OPPO HA-2 amplifier will quickly improve the sound, even with any wired headphones. In addition to the PM-3 headphones, I tried Beats Solo HD 2, Koss PortaPro, UrBeats, Apple EarPods, AKG Y10 and Marshall Major II on the amplifier. With all mentioned headphones, I achieved not only greater performance and frequency range, but above all a denser and more realistic sound.
In addition, the OPPO HA-2 amplifier tries to act as a very stylish accessory and its dimensions are practically identical to the iPhone 6. The overall processing is also at a high level and thus not only fits Apple products, but at the same time reminds them a lot. On the body made of aluminum, partly wrapped in real leather, you will find, for example, a two-position switch, just like on the iPhone, where it is used to turn off sounds.
There are two of these switches on the HA-2. One serves to add bass, the other switches between low and high gain, in layman's terms, sound quality. However, I personally recommend leaving the switch in the Low position on most headphones unless you have really dull or soft headphones. If you set the quality to high, expect a very sharp sound, which is not entirely pleasant to me personally.
It's the same with basses. You'll definitely be fine with the traditional setup, unless you're a hardcore rap and hip hop fan. On the lower narrow edge you will also find a three-position active input switch and two connectors. You can charge devices using a classic USB connector, so the amplifier can also serve as a power bank. At the top are five LED indicators for battery status.
The rechargeable battery has a capacity of 3 mAh and can play for about seven hours. If the amplifier works only as a converter, i.e. only in the role of amplifier of the incoming analog signal, we get up to about fourteen hours of operation. Charging the HA-000 takes half an hour. OPPO has its own OPPO VOOC charging technology, where not only Apple could definitely be inspired. For this, of course, you need the OPPO charger, which is included in the package.
You can connect OPPO HA-2 to any device. You control everything using the aforementioned three-position amplifier, where mode A is used for connecting an iPhone, iPad, iPod or for charging. Position B is for connecting a PC, Mac or smartphone with USB OTG. This port is also used for charging the amplifier itself. Position C is then used to connect another playback device, for example to some Hi-Fi equipment and the like.
[gallery masterslider=”true” link=”file” autoplay=”false” loop=”true” caption=”false” ids=”102018,10201the amplifier can play both PCM and DSD signals. The electronic circuits have a working frequency range of an incredible 20 to 200 Hz, which is ten times more than in ordinary headphones. Thanks to this, you will achieve the highest harmony of sound with the amplifier. From a practical point of view, you will not even use a similar frequency range with the iPhone.
Personally, I liked that even listening to music from ordinary Apple EarPods was much more pleasant and realistic. It was similar with other tested headphones. The amplifier works like steroids for headphones, so you can always expect a higher quality and more realistic sound.
You won't find OPPO products in every store and they will certainly never be the cheapest. On the other hand, you can be sure that for your money you will get perfectly tuned players and headphones that were designed for true music lovers. Top quality is also associated with a higher price. OPPO PM-3 headphones it costs 14 crowns on AVHiFi.cz (white, red and blue colors are also available). Even the OPPO HA-2 amplifier is not one of the cheapest audio accessories, it costs 11 crowns.
If you then combine both products from OPPO, you can count on top-quality sound and musical performance. Personally, I got used to the quality sound very quickly. Working with the amplifier is very pleasant. The only thing that needs to be figured out is carrying the amplifier together with the iPhone, because it definitely won't fit in your pocket. On the other hand, it is perfect for home listening and I have yet to come across a better portable amplifier for headphones.
Is Oppo really an American brand??
I was also surprised.
A distinction must be made between OPPO Digital and OPPO Electronics. The latter is indeed from China, however OPPO Digital is an independent overseas (US) division sharing the same name.
So I don't know how to believe it, when even the basic information is not true ;-)
See below.
"If the amplifier works only as a converter, i.e. only in the role of amplifier of the incoming analog signal, we get up to about fourteen hours of operation."
That's a really weird sentence, technically ;-) Will it be a converter or an amplifier, right?