PPO is one the most unusual manufacturers in audio industry (audio-video to be exact). A few years back, 2009 or 2010 they introduced their first multi-format player called BDP 83. They had started already in 2007 but their first product was a 169$ DVD Player – not so interesting from audiophile's point of view. The BDP 83 became interesting as it offered not only DVD and Blu-ray playback but also supposedly more than decent audio format playback including not only CD but also DVD-A and SACD and a potential user had to pay only 499 USD for all that functionality.

Oppo's approach to creating this product was also quite unusual as they sent out the first batch to a limited number of beta-users and then they actually used received feedback for making their product better. That's why when the final product was released it offered more functions than competitors and it actually worked really good despite its low price. Many people claimed that it could compete, soundwise, with many even more expensive CD Players and DVD-A, SACD and video discs Playback was a clear bonus. Nobody claimed it was a top quality, high-end device but it would be unrealistic to expect that from a 500$ product. There were some companies specializing in audio equipment modifications that realized vast potential of Oppo Player so shortly after it entered the market these companies had their modifications for it ready. One of these companies was ModWright, other was NuForce, and there were some more that I can't remember about right now. Modifications included mostly upgrade, or even replacement of an analogue stage responsible for stereo sound. Dan Wright, for example, used his own analogue stage (and he still does for the successors of BDP83). There were even two versions – a solid-state one and tube based one using famous 6SN7 tubes. This analogue stage used also an external, tube power supply. It didn't take long before OPPO Digital realized that audiophile market has also a nice potential so soon after they released a BDP83SE version, already improved to deliver even better stereo sound and in fact I own this model, with Modwright's tube modification, until today.

Oppo's Players were a huge success so this manufacturer has been releasing more advanced new models ever since like: BDP-93 and 95, and recently 103 and 105. Present models not only offer better sound and vision, but also everything that is required from a modern device of that kind – balanced output, streamer/files player function, new video processor, 3D and so on. Prices of Oppo devices today are still competitive and the quality of fit&finish very good which makes their device still very attractive for many customers sought for either good sound, good video quality, or both.

Last year Oppo decided to surprise everyone by releasing information that their next products would be headphones and DAC/headphone amp. On one hand it might have seen as Oppo was bit late to the party – headphone and DAC boom had happened few years earlier, but as the story of their Players showed they preferred to release refined, well tested products and that takes time. Anyway headphones and a device including D/A Converter plus headphone amplifier were released to the market this year.
I was very happy to hear that Oppo decided to make planar-magnetic cans, because same as many other people I really loved HiFiMAN and Audeze headphone and hoped for another great product. I think that the huge success of above mentioned companies on American market (and outside of it too) might have influenced Oppo's decision to chose this technology. Most of Readers probably know that but for those who don't it is worth mentioning that although OPPO manufactures its products in China, it actually is an American company. OPPO's being bit „late” to the headphone market gave them an advantage of knowing exactly what customers needed. Both HiFiMAN and Audeze entered market with not so easy to drive cans (HiFiMan offered even one of the most difficult ones - HE-6) for a home use. But in fact biggest part of the market is now in more „mobile” solutions – smaller, easier to drive headphones that could be used with DAPs or other portable players. Both Audeze and HiFiMan offer now cans that are much easier loading than their previous models but in fact these are still too big and too heavy for outdoor use. I guess that's exactly what guys from Oppo realized and decided to offer products that could feel the void in direct competitors ranges. The PM-1 model, Oppo's first one is smaller, lighter and and easier to drive despite being based on the same planar-magnetic technology. So, at least in theory, one could used them not only at home/office but also outdoor. Why „in theory”? Well, because these are open-back cans which is less than perfect for an outdoor use. Not only are these quite light and too big headphones but they are also beautifully made and finished which makes them one of the most elegant cans on the market and very comfortable too. They come in a beautiful wooden case, but one will find also a selvedge denim carrying case. PM-1 is equipped with the 6.35 mm terminated headphone cable featuring Ohno Continuous Casting (OCC) construction wrapped in a black fabric sleeve. Manufacturer also offers a balanced cable as an option, and a very nice looking headphone stand. OPPO PM-1’s ear cushions are made out of the highest quality natural latex, The headband and earpads are made of a high quality, delicate lambskin that provides both: luxurious look and feel.

When PM-1 the first model (now there is also a PM-2) was released manufacturer also informed about next product coming out soon – DAC and headphone amplifier combined into one unit. It seemed like a natural next step to complete Oppo's offer. The D/A Converter inside HA-1 is based on the everything Oppo learned when creating their successful universal Players. It's built around ESS 9018 Sabre DAC chip and almost identical output stage – if it worked for Players there was no need to reinvent the wheel, right? HA-1 sports a nice set of digital inputs including: Toslink, coax, AES/EBU, and asynchronous USB, that not only accepts hi-res PCM signal (up to 32/384), but also DSD, both 64, 128 and 256 (I can't confirm the latter as I have no such files). The headphone amp, working in class A without NFB offers balanced (4-pin XLR) and unbalanced output (6,3mm jack). HA-1 is a fully balanced device based on discrete elements. Impressive, right? Not enough? OK, lets add analogue inputs (RCA i XLR) and pre-out (also RCA and XLR), which adds a preamplifier functionality with enough gain to drive directly a power amplifier. Still not enough? OK, lets add a separate USB input for mobile devices (Apple compatible), and a Bluetooth connectivity using Apt-X codec for those who want to play music directly from their smartphone.

What about HA-1's look? I'd say quite a classic one with one but significant exception. Namely HA-1 sports a high quality 4,3 inch color display and while music is playing, the screen can show a classic VU meter, a modern spectrum display, or detailed technical information about the audio signal. A „vintage” fan like me will always chose a classic VU meter and what is so special about this display is that this VU meter looks like a real one, at least until one looks at it from up close. I must say that I love it! Fit and finish is really good and I personally really liked the design. There is a remote too. What else could anybody want? It looks like guys from Oppo figured that one out. How about headphone stand and a special, very elegant stands for HA-1? Both made of wood (or at least something that looks like wood) and acrylic, both look nice and make PM-1 and HA-1 look even better.

Recordings used during test (a selection)

• Joe Satriani, Time Machine, Sony B000002BWJ, CD/FLAC.
• Miles Davis, Tutu: Original Recording Remastered 2011 Deluxe Edition, Warner 081227976873, CD/FLAC.
• AC/DC, Live, EPIC E2 90553, LP.
• Georges Bizet, Carmen, RCA Red Seal 74321 39495 2, CD/FLAC.
• Rodrigo y Gabriela, 11:11, EMI Music Poland 5651702, CD/FLAC.
• Wycliff Gordon, Dreams of New Orleans, Chesky B0090PX4U4, CD/FLAC.
• The Ray Brown Trio, Summer Wind, Concord Jazz CCD-4426, CD/FLAC.
• TREME, soundtrack, Season 1, HBO 0602527508450, CD/FLAC.
• Lee Ritenour, Rhythm sessions, Concord Records CRE 33709-02, CD/FLAC.
• Kermit Ruffins, Livin' a Treme life, Basin Street B001T46TVU, CD/FLAC.
• Pink Floyd, Wish you were here, EMI/EMI Records Japan TOCP-53808, CD/FLAC.
• Dead Can Dance, Spiritchaser, 4AD/Mobile Fidelity MOFI 2-002, 180 g LP.
• Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain, Columbia PC8271, LP.
• Dire Straits, Communique, Vertigo 800 052-2, LP.
• Carlos Santana, Shaman, Arista 74321959382, CD/FLAC.
• John Lee Hooker, The best of friends, pointblank 7243 8 46424 26 VPBCD49, CD/FLAC.
• Buddy Guy, Blues singer, Silvertone 01241-41843-2, CD/FLAC.
• Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones, Live At The Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981, Eagle Rock Entertainment B0085KGHI6, CD/FLAC.

Japanese CD editions are available from

It so happened that I got Oppo set during holidays that I spent away from home. That's why my source have to my laptop with newest version of Jplay on board and I really conducted a review of a set as I had no other cans/DAC/amp laying around. This should not be a problem as it is safe to assume that people who designed PM-1 and HA-1 assured perfect cooperation of these two. I can't tell you for sure that this is exactly what they wanted to achieve but I can tell you that they achieved just that. How can I tell? Well, I had had a chance to listen to PM-1 driven by different amplifiers before. In my opinions they offered a coherent sound, with rich, palpable, slightly warm but resolving midrange, powerful but slightly rounded bass with extension that was not as good as the one delivered by Audeze, an on open, vibrant but gently rolled-off treble. Planar magnetic technology always offers very good spacing and imaging with a lot of air surrounding each instrument but in this case soundstage seemed bit closer to the ears and not as deep as offered delivered by LCD-3, or LCD-XC. Just let me remind you that these two pairs of Audeze cans are my personal references, which means I don't know any other better headphone and each reviewed one is compared to them.

I'd listened to OPPO PM-1 before with two great class A headphone amps: Sugden Masterclass HA-4 i M2Tech Marley. These two devices had offered rather slightly warm sound so PM-1 sounded differently than with Oppo's own amplifier. What I'd learned then was that these were good setups but that it might be a better idea to pair these cans with faster, more transparent, but as detailed and resolving system. I'd had some particular setups in mind like my TeddyDAC or Lumin A1 with Schiit Audio Mjolnir for example. Obviously it had been just a theory I'd had no chance to validate. But just a few weeks later I received a complete OPPO system and it seemed it might be what PM-1 needed to shine. Even before that I had a chance to listen to such setup in Munich during HighEnd Show. Listening to open back cans in the middle of crowded hall wasn't what I could call “perfect listening environment” but at least it gave me a hint of how this system sounded like, and it was promising. Now, after few days of listening to OPPO's setup I can tell for sure that these guys again did a great job and create a system that offers something more than just a sum of features of its elements.

To achieve required sound OPPO engineers decided to use Sabre DAC chips. It's features (soundwise) are well know and (mostly) appreciated. Also the headphone amp section bases on fast, detailed, transparent sound. So what the final sonic result of this combination? I started with Joe Satriani – his powerful, electric guitar. I must say that PM-1 with other systems (described above) didn't like this type of music that much. Bass was bit to slow and without proper extension and the treble also seemed somehow rounded on the edges. But when in a system with HA-1 OPPO's cans sounded different – faster, with more power, with tauter bass and there was even some “aggression” to the presentation that was a must to deliver hard guitar riffs in a proper way. Presentation seemed also more energetic, vivid and more open. Also treble seemed now more refined with better precision and some sparkling. Next recordings of similar kind by Lee Ritenour, Aerosmith and other confirmed this first observation. Setup with HA-1 caused PM-1 to rock! It introduced more powerful presentation, it conveyed more energy and it was simply more convincing. OPPO's headphones on the other hand took care of proper vocal/midrange presentation – smooth, rich, with texture. The whole setup didn't sound too bright or harsh even though rock recordings are full of such “surprises”.

Moving on to more “sophisticated” (one should read that as: better recorded) jazz music it was easy to spot right on how much attention PM-1 pay to properly convey midrange, and the amplifier did (I mean for a device with Sabre on board) quite a good job supporting them. These cans were smooth, rich and palpable and HA-1 added some speed, resolution and transparency that allowed acoustic instruments to shine. In fact they sounded natural and clean and music they played really powerful. The before mentioned „rock-like aggressiveness” came handy when I played some trumpets and trombones. These instruments needed to sound bit rough, that's how they often sound live, but PM-1 kept that feature at certain level so trombones sounded natural, clear rather than bright or too rough.
My next stop was, of course, double bass. PM-1 with other amplifiers did a pretty fair job but basses lacked some extension and speed. But when set u with HA-1 they conveyed double basses in a very (I mean for headphones) convincing way, and I finally could truly enjoy Ray Brown and some other brilliant bassists. It's worth mentioning that there was also a very good differentiation that allowed to present this fantastic instrument in its whole glory, with all colors and full spectrum. This presentation could not compare with what proper speakers with large woofers could do, but still as for headphones they did a really good job and I spent a lot of time listening to many recordings of double bass.

Last but not least I decided to listen to some wonderful, well known (to me, I mean) vocals. I'd already noticed, while listening to some rock albums, that vocals sounded quite rich and clear which helped me to understand more than usually of what these vocalist were actually singing about. I also had to admit that even those “rock” voices were presented in a sort of nice-for-ears fashion, and not in usual “screamy” one. But to learn more about human voices presentation I had to play some more “audiophile” recordings with distinct leading vocals.
PM-1 don't offer as dense, creamy. Liquid midrange as my personal favorites – Audeze cans, but that difference isn't that big at all. They might not sound as rich but sure very clean and transparent, and they are able to convey all the details, timbre, texture and so on. So vocals might not be as enchanting as they are with LCD-3 or LCD-XC, but OPPO gives a very good insight into each voice – one can study texture or timbre without much effort and that makes them one of my favorites when it comes to vocal recordings. It's a little more “audiophile” presentation with bigger focus on clarity, transparency and details but unlike many other “audiophile” systems this one still plays natural sounding music that includes not just every smallest sound detail but also emotions, ambiance and so on. OPPO systems renders all those small details and than uses them to create a beautiful, involving musical experience that is truly enjoyable.
That allowed me, while listening to wonderful Eva Cassidy, to lose myself in time and space, to absorb every little piece of emotions she sent my way, to experience them an to realize that album was over when the silence lasted much too long. It it was such a great experience that I wanted more and more of it. That's what makes any audio reproducing equipment worth my attention and not its brand, price tag or any other other irrelevant detail that doesn't participate in creating this sort of experience. With OPPO's PM-1 and HA-1 I observed this not so easy to find effect of synergy that resulted in a wonderful musical voyage. I'd like some more of these, please.

Summary

It doesn't happen often that first products of their kind even when coming from an experienced manufacturer are really good. Designers learn from their mistakes so usually there is a first product which might be good but the next one is often a better one. OPPO is one of few exceptions from this unwritten rule, simply because they use beta-testers which allows them to release products that are finished and refined.
That leads us to a simple statement – the OPPO's first headphones and DAC/headphone amplifiers set the bar really high. PM-1, in my opinion, do not offer the highest sound performance of top models of Audeze or HiFiMan, but they also don't fall far behind. On the other hand these products are surely better than the first ones released by HiFiMan and Audeze some years ago. PM-1 appeal to the people who like nice looking, “cool” stuff. They are also smaller and lighter than any product of above mentioned competitors and hence they might be used outdoor while competitors really can't. We will see if that's true but I might risk an assumption that the way OPPO's cans look might set a new standard for the market, at least for its portable part. And since that's a first product of that kind in OPPO's portfolio competitors should be scared of what will come next (I don't mean PM-2 model already released that is now an entry level for OPPO).

HA-1 on the other hand won't find many real competitors within its price range. One would rather have to look among some more expensive units. It a really well sounding device that offers hard to beat functionality (not only DAC and headphone amp in one body but also capable of playing all forms of hi-res audio in both PCM and DSD format, plus USB and Bluetooth connectivity). It seems to be future-proof – you won't find many DSD256 file around today. It's a fully balanced design, with balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs. I am sure HA-1 will be a very good partner for many different headphones, and PM-1 will be appreciated in many systems, but still I believe that the system that combines PM-1 and HA-1 can offer much more than anybody could expect on this price level. What you get is a complete system (any computer with USB port can be your source) that delivers great performance, wonderful musical experience and it looks really, really good. Give OPPO system a chance – it definitely deserves it.

PM-1 are representatives or planar magnetic headphones. What distinguishes them among competitors are smaller dimension, lesser weight (just 395 g), and modern, eye-catching design. They sport not so big, oval pads with latex ear-cushions, that are finished (same as headband) with a luxury lambskin (package includes also velour ones). This combination of perforated black leather and shining silver metal elements is what makes these headphones look so modern and so elegant at the same time. PM-1 sport two mini-jack (2,5 mm) sockets and a 3m long OCC cable terminated with a solid large jack (6,3mm) branded OPPO. Manufacturer offers also a dedicated stand and balanced cable (with 4-pin XLR plug) for these cans.

Clamping force of a headband seems to be very accurate – not to strong so it doesn't irritate user after a while, but also not to small so cans stay in place when put on head. I am not sure if the size of ear pads wouldn't be a problem for some people – these are oval and not very big as for circumaural cans so larger earlobe might not have enough space to “breathe”.
Manufacturer used an oval planar magnetic driver (85x69 mm) – which makes it quite a big one. Diaphragm has 7 layers of thin materials that, according to manufacturer, provide excellent performance, reliability, and longevity. The construction of the diaphragm ensures that it is very stable under thermal stress and vibration. The diaphragm utilizes a spiraling pattern of flat aluminum conductors on either side of the driver. The double-sided design allows twice as many conductors to be placed within the magnetic field, which leads to higher sensitivity, better damping, and even drive force. Neodymium magnets are used to maximize sensitivity and consistency of the applied force over the driver area. Not only headphones themselves prove to be a luxury design but also their packaging – a beautiful wooden box with glossy finish. For those convinced by a light weight and high sensitivity Manufacturer included also a denim carrying bag that allows to safely transport these cans on short distances.

HA-1 is a device that combines D/A Converter and headphone amplifier in one body. It can also act as a preamplifier driving a power amp. It is quite large, weighting around 6 kg device. It's build and finish are impressive. It sports a solid, rigid aluminum casing with a high quality 4,3 inch, color display. While music is playing, the screen can show a classic VU meter, a modern spectrum display, or detailed technical information about the audio signal. I personally really loved the VU meter. To the left of the display one will find an on/off switch, input selector knob (that, when pushed, allows user to navigate menu) and headphone outputs (for 6,3mm jack and 4-pin XLR). To the right there is a large volume control knob and USB port compatible with Apple devices. On the back-end side one will find analogue inputs both balanced and unbalanced, and RCA and XLR pre-outs below. On the right side there are four digital inputs: AES/EBU, coax, TOSLINK and USB, and a power socket below. There is also an additional small socket that can be used to install a Bluetooth antenna, which allows direct communication with other Bluetooth devices and that allows user to play music from such a device wirelessly. HA-1 sports a nice remote control.

The DAC section is based on solutions that worked so well for OPPO's universal players. It combines class A balanced output section with potential of ESS 9018 Sabre32 Reference chip. The analog audio section of the HA-1 is a fully balanced design with an emphasis on keeping the audio signal in the analog domain once it leaves the DAC. The HA-1 is anchored by a hefty toroidal power transformer, and linear power regulators and filters with custom made capacitors ensure that the headphone amplifier has a clean power source with plenty of reserve energy. The fully balanced Class A power amplification section uses hand-picked and paired discrete components to ensure symmetry, and a motor-driven precision volume control knob allows for both manual and remote control volume adjustment while keeping the audio in a pure analog audio path.