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The JVC HA-S500.. Appreciation, fan thread. - Page 133

post #1981 of 6451
10/3/12 at 8:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by penmarker View Post

I knew my DAC is good, but I wasn't aware of such comparison made.

 

I'm feeling a bit happier now. smily_headphones1.gif Curious as to how much improvement I would get from the Phoenix too. Too bad the UD100 has no volume control, I had to get the E11 later for that. Worth every cent however. A new question would be, am I willing to spend money to get that Phoenix for comparison? lol.

 

A DAC is just a digital to analog converter. It's not supposed to have a volume control. That's what a headphone amp is for, to take the signal from the DAC and reduce and/or amplify it louder with more power. The Phoenix is just a DAC and headphone amp rolled into one. 

 

Since the UD100 is apparently a pretty good DAC, then it's probably the SQ of the headphone amp for the Phoenix vs the E11 that would be the major difference, if any. 

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post #1982 of 6451
10/3/12 at 8:13pm
Okay time to beat the ear pad horse some more deadhorse.gif

I got in my ESW9 after market pleather pads or the "ATH Leathers" as they have been referred to in this thread. I like them better than any pad I have tried other than the HD25 pleather pads and I wanted to put my immediate impressions/comparrison.

HD25 Pleather Pads vs. ESW9 Pleather

Comfort: ESW9 wins by a long shot. Softer, larger circumfrence, better seal without wiggling them around to find the right fit.

Bass: My first thought was wow these have been made into bass canons. But after listening more closely the ESW9 pads have more bass impact by a decent margin but the bass also extends better. In comparrison the HD25 get's a bit "one note'y" if you will and doesn't hit the low bass extension the ESW9 gets. I think the quantiy of the HD25 is more desireable and not as overpowering. For certain bass critical songs the ESW9 pads are a lot more fun to listen to and hit all the notes better.

Mids: The HD25 win this race by a long shot. While listening to Hotel California live and Layla by EC I had to strain to hear the details I was used to hearing in the very up front sounding acoustic guitars while using the HD25 pads. EC's voice had gone way to the back of the "room" with the ESW9 while with the HD25 he was right there up front. The ESW9 really makes the mids and lower mids sound distant in comparrison.

Highs: Again the highs with the ESW9 sound more that of what you would expect of a true V shaped phone. Lots of detail but more distant. The highs are more upfront with the 25's but very slightly "veiled" in comparrison.

Soundstage: The ESW9 by far have a wider and deeper soundstage yet at the sacrafice of the feeling that aspects of the music are "distant" as described above.

My conclusion is that the ESW9 pads would be most desireable for those looking for lower bass extension and impact while the HD25 would accomodate those who want a more forward midrange and vocals that pop better. Personally I do prefer the 25's still but I can see myself actually switching to get a change of pace with different music to the ESW9's whereas with the other pads that I have tried, I don't see me putting them on again.

That's just my initial impressions and are subject to change. If anyone cares at this point smily_headphones1.gif
Edited by Doc-holliday - 10/3/12 at 8:38pm
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post #1983 of 6451
10/3/12 at 8:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145 View Post

 

A DAC is just a digital to analog converter. It's not supposed to have a volume control. That's what a headphone amp is for, to take the signal from the DAC and reduce and/or amplify it louder with more power. The Phoenix is just a DAC and headphone amp rolled into one. 

 

Since the UD100 is apparently a pretty good DAC, then it's probably the SQ of the headphone amp for the Phoenix vs the E11 that would be the major difference, if any. 

I haven't got the chance to properly test other amps, I had tried the Graham Slee Solo, Hippo CriCri, and the HippoBox+. I cannot properly compare sonic changes without A/B, though I must say I can't 'feel' significant differences between them.

 

Also, after how many hours will the headphone stop changing sonically? Mine could be over 40-50 hours of burning in and a week plus of normal listening.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rickdohc View Post

The phoenix is calling you man...

Don't taze tempt me bro.

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post #1984 of 6451
10/3/12 at 9:29pm
Mdr-1, new fx1x, fx3x,ws77, ws99,cks99,cks1000 are all on pre-order frown.gif
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post #1985 of 6451
10/3/12 at 9:38pm

I feel giddy. 2 pairs of ATH velours on the way. S500 and S400 on the way too.

Should receive the headphones early next week. As for the velours I'm guessing it will be a long wait.

 

The ATH pleathers you guys were talking about... is the following link the correct one?

http://www.ebay.com.my/itm/Ear-Pads-Audio-Technica-ATH-SJ5-DJ-Style-Headphones-Black-/251160088897?pt=US_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item3a7a4ed141

 

If yes I might pick up 2 pairs too.

 

Anyways, anyone had a chance to try the Noontec Zoro? They seem quite close to the S500s with slightly larger stage.

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post #1986 of 6451
10/3/12 at 9:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cyloh View Post
I feel giddy. 2 pairs of ATH velours on the way. S500 and S400 on the way too.

Should receive the headphones early next week. As for the velours I'm guessing it will be a long wait.

The ATH pleathers you guys were talking about... is the following link the correct one?

http://www.ebay.com.my/itm/Ear-Pads-Audio-Technica-ATH-SJ5-DJ-Style-Headphones-Black-/251160088897?pt=US_Replacement_Parts_Tools&hash=item3a7a4ed141

If yes I might pick up 2 pairs too.

Anyways, anyone had a chance to try the Noontec Zoro? They seem quite close to the S500s with slightly larger stage.

Those are the pads recommend to me for my HA-S500-Z (only two weeks left until they arrive).

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post #1987 of 6451
10/3/12 at 11:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc-holliday View Post

That's just my initial impressions and are subject to change. If anyone cares at this point smily_headphones1.gif

 

I for one care Doc :)  Thanks for the impressions!

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post #1988 of 6451
10/4/12 at 12:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc-holliday View Post


That's just my initial impressions and are subject to change. If anyone cares at this point smily_headphones1.gif

 

 

i ordered mine a week or so ago, just waiting for them to come. You forgot one critical point.....the HD25 pleathers in adidas blue look way cool enough to excuse any problems :D :D

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post #1989 of 6451
10/4/12 at 1:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc-holliday View Post

Okay time to beat the ear pad horse some more deadhorse.gif
I got in my ESW9 after market pleather pads or the "ATH Leathers" as they have been referred to in this thread. I like them better than any pad I have tried other than the HD25 pleather pads and I wanted to put my immediate impressions/comparrison.
HD25 Pleather Pads vs. ESW9 Pleather
Comfort: ESW9 wins by a long shot. Softer, larger circumfrence, better seal without wiggling them around to find the right fit.
Bass: My first thought was wow these have been made into bass canons. But after listening more closely the ESW9 pads have more bass impact by a decent margin but the bass also extends better. In comparrison the HD25 get's a bit "one note'y" if you will and doesn't hit the low bass extension the ESW9 gets. I think the quantiy of the HD25 is more desireable and not as overpowering. For certain bass critical songs the ESW9 pads are a lot more fun to listen to and hit all the notes better.
Mids: The HD25 win this race by a long shot. While listening to Hotel California live and Layla by EC I had to strain to hear the details I was used to hearing in the very up front sounding acoustic guitars while using the HD25 pads. EC's voice had gone way to the back of the "room" with the ESW9 while with the HD25 he was right there up front. The ESW9 really makes the mids and lower mids sound distant in comparrison.
Highs: Again the highs with the ESW9 sound more that of what you would expect of a true V shaped phone. Lots of detail but more distant. The highs are more upfront with the 25's but very slightly "veiled" in comparrison.
Soundstage: The ESW9 by far have a wider and deeper soundstage yet at the sacrafice of the feeling that aspects of the music are "distant" as described above.
My conclusion is that the ESW9 pads would be most desireable for those looking for lower bass extension and impact while the HD25 would accomodate those who want a more forward midrange and vocals that pop better. Personally I do prefer the 25's still but I can see myself actually switching to get a change of pace with different music to the ESW9's whereas with the other pads that I have tried, I don't see me putting them on again.
That's just my initial impressions and are subject to change. If anyone cares at this point smily_headphones1.gif

Would you mind doing a comparison like this to the stock pads and/or the HD25 Velours vs the ATH Leathers? I'm curious to hear your opinion.


Edited by 7S Cameron - 10/4/12 at 2:03am
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post #1990 of 6451
10/4/12 at 8:27am
Thanks guys. Glad it is of use. @s7cameron sure but i dont know if i can do it today. There are also several other people who have posted on those that you can check although i dont know how many direct comparrisons.

And yes rg-tom the hd25 pads do have the added benefit of coming in a most bitchen electric blue! smily_headphones1.gif
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post #1991 of 6451
10/4/12 at 9:10am

the Earpad're hurting me ... where do you recommend buying? one that is comfortable ...

I'm thinking of using my razer piranha that is more comfortable

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post #1992 of 6451
10/4/12 at 11:25am
Thread Starter 

Try out the ATH pleathers. I think they have a great combo of sound and comfort. I like the cushioning material in them much better. Softer as well as a bit wider. I am a fan of this configuration. I hope someone at JVC reads this thread. They need to get a proper pad on that. I would pay extra for a proper pad config on the HA-S500.  If you have medium to smaller ears will be semi circumaural. They sound great on the HAS-500. Velours are another option. 

 

Appreciate JupiterKnight for getting the HA-S500 to Tyll. Good looking out for certain.

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post #1993 of 6451
10/4/12 at 11:27am

Greetings fellow headfi's, I have been following this thread for a while now since I have been searching for a good portable headphone. I mentioned this model to a friend of mine in Tokyo and he was nice enough to buy me a pair as a gift and send them to me! I have been braking them in for a week now. Very very fun headphone. The low end extension is really impressive. They absolutely require brake-in though. The mids and high end is pretty nice after a 150+ hours. I find I am using a little EQ for the first time to cut the low end a tad so I can enjoy the mids better. I wish the bass extended this deep on my HD650's!


I am thinking of getting HD25 Velour's to improve comfort and hopefully open up the sound stage a bit. I wouldn't mind losing a little low end (quantity not depth). I also would be interested in a comparison with the stock pads before I order the Sennheiser velour’s.

 

A BIG thank you to everyone for all your posts and for introducing me to these fantastic little headphones!


 

Arthur

 

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post #1994 of 6451
10/4/12 at 11:41am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ArthurPower View Post

Greetings fellow headfi's, I have been following this thread for a while now since I have been searching for a good portable headphone. I mentioned this model to a friend of mine in Tokyo and he was nice enough to buy me a pair as a gift and send them to me! I have been braking them in for a week now. Very very fun headphone. The low end extension is really impressive. They absolutely require brake-in though. The mids and high end is pretty nice after a 150+ hours. I find I am using a little EQ for the first time to cut the low end a tad so I can enjoy the mids better. I wish the bass extended this deep on my HD650's!


I am thinking of getting HD25 Velour's to improve comfort and hopefully open up the sound stage a bit. I wouldn't mind losing a little low end (quantity not depth). I also would be interested in a comparison with the stock pads before I order the Sennheiser velour’s.

 

A BIG thank you to everyone for all your posts and for introducing me to these fantastic little headphones!


 

Arthur

 

Lol. I thought you was a new member Lol. Hope you can join us for the first Nanoclip party. Play with our nanoclip night. Maybe for Halloween. People have new monster avatar.

 

Anyone game?  Get the ATh pleathers..It will surprise you how it will sound with them. The velours are so comfy and sound good too. I like em all for one reason or another.  But the pleathers still tops for sound and while not as comfy as velours they are much more comfy than stock pads and wider.


Edited by Dsnuts - 10/4/12 at 11:56am
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post #1995 of 6451
10/4/12 at 1:26pm

I've not done the headband mod yet as it's slightly destructive and i might yet get a pair of gunmetal ones, undecided!

 

Here's some better photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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