OPPO Personal Audio Australian Launch
OPPO has become renowned world-wide for offering the highest quality products at affordable prices, and after taking the world by storm with their DVD and Bluray players, they're now taking on the growing Head-Fi and Personal Audio markets.
StereoNET and a handful of loyal readers were invited to attend the official launch of their new range, which includes two headphones, the PM-1 and PM-2, along with their HA-1 headphone amplifier.
The official launch took place at the Australian OPPO distributors' head office, Interdyn, in Richmond VIC on July 29th. Sam Encel, Commercial Manager for Interdyn gave an overview of the new products, and the OPPO brand's continuing dedication to producing class leading products that appeal to consumers and enthusiasts.
In a market saturated with entry to mid level 'street' style headphones, OPPO instead focused on delivering a high-end solution for discerning head-fi enthusiasts, yet portable and flexible enough to be taken with the listener for 'on-the-go' listening.
OPPO PM-2 is a planar magnetic headphone, the more affordable version of the PM-1, still including the same acoustic design principles and tuning techniques as the bigger brother but utilising different materials in construction to keep the pricing down. PM-2 will be available from September with a RRP of $1099.
OPPO PM-1 is the brands' flagship headphone. Characterised by its natural, dynamic and engaging sound quality with design emphasis on comfort and reduced weight, PM-1 is the result of many years' research and development by OPPO. Opting to investigate and develop their own product, rather than the far too common approach to brand an off-the-shelf design from another manufacturer, a number of technological breakthroughs were made with the PM-1, including a unique 7-layer diaphragm, double sided spiralling coils, and a FEM-optimised magnet design.
OPPO believe owning the PM-1 should be a luxury experience, and their choice of materials, accessories and packaging reflect this belief. PM-1 features latex ear cushions, lambskin headband and ear pads, OCC 6.35 and 3.5mm cables, protective carrying case, additional velour ear pads, all beautifully presented in a wooden display case.
OPPO PM-1 is available now with a RRP of $1699. Additional accessories are available including a headphone stand, and balanced headphone cables.
Drawing upon the proven technology realised with the success of their BDP-95 and BDP-105D Bluray Players, OPPO applied the same universal approach with the release of their HA-1 Headphone Amplifier. Not just an amp, HA-1 also features and asynchronous USB DAC (384 kHz PCM / DSD 256), stereo pre-amplifier, digital audio dock for mobile devices and Bluetooth audio transport.
With a fully balanced Class A amplifier on-board, HA-1 is capable of driving the most difficult of headphones, and features both balanced XLR and 6.35mm phono outputs.
OPPO's HA-1 Headphone Amplifier is available now for RRP $1799.00
The Audio-Visual market stood up and took notice when OPPO dominated the Bluray player category. All the signs are good for their entry into the Head-Fi and Personal Audio market in 2014, and with an imminent launch into the cellular phone market later this year, you'll be hearing a lot more from this brand.
For more information visit OPPO Digital Australia & New Zealand.
Marc Rushton
StereoNET’s Founder and Publisher was born in England and raised on British Hi-Fi before moving to Australia. He developed an early love of music and playing bass guitar before discovering the studio and the other side of the mixing desk. After a few years writing for audio magazines, Marc saw the future in digital publishing and founded the first version of StereoNET, known at the time as Planet Audio, in 1999.
Posted in: Headphones
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