I am not an audiophile but got sucked into a search for good headphones after making an impulse purchase of the Bowers & Wilkins P7s on Cyber Monday and not being quite satisfied. Then, after lots of research, proceeded to try the NAD Viso HP50 and the Bang & Olufsen H6 before settling on the Oppo PM-3s.
From a non-audiophile perspective, these are simply amazing. B&O H6 are far lighter, and the B&W P7s look cooler. But these are close to perfection in terms of comfort, quality of construction and looks. Most importantly, the sound is by far the best to my ears. Among the ones I tried, these had the most natural clarity and detail, without drowning the music with brightness or sound tinny. Beautiful spaciousness that with the right music sounds like you're listening in a concert hall and makes you forget you're wearing headphones. Vocals and instruments jump out. Bass response is terrific, but without sounding artificial and boomy.
If you're comparing to the ones I've tried, here are my thoughts...
NAD HP50 -- Amazing sound as well. I LOVED the bass response and low-end on these, even more than the Oppos -- they sound like high quality speakers, more thud than boom. Overall, just a very pleasant, high quality sound you could listen to all day long. Missing some clarity that you hear in the Oppo PM-3s, but otherwise I liked the sound almost as much. Would have kept these if not for the fact that build quality was poor on my set. I couldn't get a good seal on the right side. More than the lack of seal, the asymmetry in fit bugged me. It also was not particularly comfortable, which would be true even if the seal were good. By far the worst in terms of looks (not a big deal to me), with an odd headband that jut out inches from your head on the sides, for no reason I could understand.
B&W P7 -- Gorgeous set. Not very comfortable as weight distribution on the headband is poor, with all the weight at the center. Sound was ok to me. For my tastes, too much boomy bass. Also an appreciable dip in the mids, which really makes the music sound hollow on certain songs. All in, music sounded dynamic and exciting but like something was lost. Not a bad alternative for those looking for more bass and perhaps a more exciting sound.
B&O H6 -- These were my least favorite. With the other headphones, if you close your eyes you can be transported into the music. That quality was lacking for me with these. I didn't get much sense of space, and never felt like I was doing anything other than listening to headphones. Boomy bass that sound artificial, and too much emphasis in the highs that makes it sound like you have the EQ settings skewed that way. Lots of detail because of the treble emphasis, but to my ears music was not pleasant compared to the other sets. Redeeming quality is that these are the lightest of the bunch, and not bad looking (though I think the B&W P7 and Oppos look nicer). These might be good for those who care mostly about treble and detail, or that need a lightweight set.
All in, Oppo PM-3s were the most comfortable (though substantially heavier than the B&O H6) and nearly as good looking as the B&W P7s. For build quality, these feel super premium, like the B&W P7s but not the others. Soundwise, far superior to all but the NAD HP50s, which suffer from poor build quality.
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