Quote:
Originally Posted by
gametime 
Hey I have a question on the JVC HA-RX700 vs the Samson SR850. I've seen posts on here saying that these are pretty much the best budget headphones, even against more expensive ones. I was wondering if anyone had both or listened to both and could tell me which they liked better. Thanks.
I listen to a lot of electronic music if that would make a difference.
I assume you've read my impressions seeing as I started the main SR850 thread on head-fi, so yea, I do handily prefer the SR850s and think they are the better headphone overall, at least in terms of sound quality. However, I still love the JVCs, and can see how some might prefer them. I might do some direct A/Bing for clearer impressions, but everything I said in my review of the SR850 stands. The SR850 are more neutral, the JVCs are smoother and warmer/bassier.
Also important to note, mods can GREATLY affect the sound signature of both. Partially felt modding the RX700s will clear up their sound alot(fully felt modding perhaps too much), as well as foam modding(stuffing the pads with foam underneath) them, to an extent. From memory, foam modding the RX700s pushd the mids very slightly more back while decreasing bass muddiness/increasing muddines.
Oddly, foam modding the SR850s has the opposite effect in the bass, increasing it hugely. Or at least, while they have RX700 pads. I changed my SR850 pads to the RX700 ones because I had an unfortunate incident that slashed a hole in the former's pads. It does noticeably recess the mids though, although it may be useful if you dislike the upper mids peak.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ourfpshero build quality- jvc by a little
comfort- jvc wins- the vinyl pads on the samson get hot and sticky
bass- jvc wins- bigger and smoother
mids- samson. the jvc mids are slightly recessed
highs- tie- the jvcs have a mid high bump, the samsons highs are more prominent but much more shrill
i guess it depends on what you want it for. the samosn would lean toward critical listening, the jvc leans toward fun listening
having had both i like the jvc more, mainly because it just feels like a more expensive headphone, while the samson still feels like a budget headphone
I agree with most said here, except I'd like to point out some of those as being a preference. The Samsons are more comfortable for me because they are lighter. I think the highs are way better on the samson because I prefer bright treble. The SR850 for me actually have a perfect balance of smoothness and brightness in the treble. My HJE900s and Denon D11000 have substantially harsher treble while being less detailed. But I can totally see how someone could prefer the RX700s treble.
Agree that the Samsons are more "critical" the JVCs more "fun". The JVCs are definitely better built, but the SR850s are good for the price too, just the JVC feels noticeably sturdier. Better than any full size sennheiser I've tried the 600 series lol. The plastic is quite thick and surprisingly hard to scratch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
gametime How much less is the bass on the SR850?
Not much; I find the RX700 to have more quantity, but mildly less visceral impact. The 700s are definitely smoother though. Texturing and overal detail are two factors I haven't really compared. In terms of bass, if you prefer smooth the RX700 wins. If you prefer punchy, then the SR850s win.
Again though, adding foam under the SR850s pads adds a lottt of bass while maintaining most of the clarity, but noticeably recesses mids. You might like that though, as electronic music tends to do well with V-shaped signatures.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
FearSC549 Sound:
The JVC has a weird sound signature that I don't really prefer. The bass sounds a bit weird(I am not sure why), despite being more in quantity, the mids is slightly recessed and the highs aren't perfect. Also, the lack of soundstage doesn't do it for me. This is purely my opinion, some others might find the JVC enjoyable but I simply didn't really like them for sound.
The SR850 has a linear bass frequency response, great mids(a bit forward in the upper mids) and decent highs(you need to adjust the headphone placement on your head to get the right amount of treble because the cans are pretty big). The soundstage is decent for a semi open can. These are more analytical than the RX700, which some might find boring for music, however I like them.
Build quality : JVC wins. The heavy plastic and giant tank build makes it feel sturdy. The SR850 uses lightweight plastic with a plastic headband and cheap pleather earpads; they seem more prone to breaking.
Confort: Tie. The JVC feels pretty comfortable but it weighs more than a typical headphone, which might cause discomfort after long term wearing. SR850's clamping force might be strong to bigger heads and the cheap pleather earpads just don't feel comfortable IMO.
Isolation: JVC wins. They're closed cans while the Samson is semi-open(which is also pretty decent)
Agree with everything here. The betterness of the SR850 at soundstage and imaging is really what seals the deal for me. The RX700s just don't have a particularly special soundstage or imaging. It is not very wide, although foam modding helps, and it does have nice height and depth to it. The SR850s, while not being the widest headphone ever, are decent in terms of soundstage size, are way better at positioning things around me imo, which I notice in particular when I'm gaming.
RX700s = Smoother, SR850s = Cleaner.
