the victor hp-fx500 the world's first wooden canalphone. it has a wooden driver and housing with some extra vibration dampening stuff on the inside.
i have them near my desk right now. quite happy. if you care, i wrote a review
here as well.
most reviews i have read pretty much agree with what i have heard: the bass is huge but a little more laid back than the denon. the highs are a bit darker (for me it is not a bad thing, most people tend to like the highs) and the mids engaging and like the denon very well placed.
the denon are better i feel in stage, but at the same time have a strange feeling to the stage. i get most of the sound at the sides of my head with very little passover to the front or on the y axis (up and down). the victor have great stage, but it is smaller. however like the kenwood c711 (another great phone that has no presence here at headfi for some reason - it is like a tame denon c700 with laid back lows).
overall, i would consider the new victor to be a more relaxed sound than the denon but with bigger and more detailed base. the cable however is leagues better (much less microphonic) but short... which i do not like. the ear pieces for some reason seem to fit better but that could be just that they are angled on the nozzle unlike other canalphones.
for reference, i think i will keep these. these and atrio seem to be my future.
their webpage is
here. sorry, i don't know any american links for you.
the price in japan is the same as the denon in major stores but a little more expensive on the street. they can be found as much as about usd 200$ or much cheaper. but most prices just like the denon are right at 150$ usd.
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