The JVC HA-S500.. Appreciation, fan thread. - Page 162

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobeau 

 

Well, the FX-700s were what, about $300?  And then there were the $1000 or so DX1000. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe those started off the interest in JVC coming to head-fi and were pretty well lauded, and then subsequently they came out with more value priced models.  To much of the world they might be Just Very Crappy (ha)... but inside Japan they might be considered to be a brand that produces quality stuff... is there anyone from Japan who can comment?  The rest of us it seems have to import the good stuff.  

 

It's also not too far-fetched considering that VSonic's GR08 will be priced about the same and quite a few people are eagerly awaiting their release, including myself.  This adds another entry to the list of new IEMs in the $400-500 range, also including the 4.ai and UE900.  Hopefully a few head-fiers will pick up one and we can have some shootouts between the bunch :)   JVC and UE probably have the advantage as far as engineering resources and R&D budgets are concerned.

 

Have to say that the idea of a multi-driver dynamic is pretty insane.  Not sure how well that will fly, but I'm curious to find out...

To me JVC has always been a cheap brand that make cheap electronic for walmart. It might be a very good IEM, but @ $467 it's a pass. Right now I don't have enough faith in JVC to commit to a $467 product from them.

The only reason why I bought the S400 and S500 is because it's dirt cheap. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoMee 

To me JVC has always been a cheap brand that make cheap electronic for walmart. It might be a very good IEM, but @ $467 it's a pass. Right now I don't have enough faith in JVC to commit to a $467 product from them.

The only reason why I bought the S400 and S500 is because it's dirt cheap. 

Yeah, I get that.  Did nothing I write above make any sense? 

EDIT: Let's be real here.  The only reason why most people even looked at the S500 is because of this thread blowing up.  $80 for what looks like a pretty junky consumer headphone seems a lot to me.  If this new mid-fi priced entry causes even half this hysteria it will surely be competing well with the others in its price class.  At least in this head-fi bubble.

I mean look at UM.  A complete China based custom IEM shop, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and for awhile there they were all the rage and head-fiers were willing to open their pocketbooks and pay $1000+ for their upper tier models. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc-holliday 


I always called it Junk Very Cheap.
Even this article posted yesterday on carbon nanotubes shows that the REAL cnt technology is still a ways down the pipeline of development and will involve no magnet or coil. Completely different technology. So in essence to some degree the whole use of cnt is intended to be marketing ploy by a huge company with big recourses. It makes it look like they are the first to make a true cnt driver of any type.
HOWEVER i don't care if these diaphragms are made of used toilet paper, they sure so sound nice for the price. They certainly did something right, marketing or no marketing.

I can't find that article now, but if it's the same one that I saw the other day, I think that it was from 2008 (correct me if I am wrong).

Quote:

Originally Posted by dweaver 

If your uncomfortable definitely don't buy their high end stuff, at least not until they are reviewed. The good news is others have more faith in JVC so they will buy the IEM's on release.
I have bought the Sony MDR-1R so will likely not have the funds for one of these new JVC's plus I have not kept the FXD80 or FXT90 (even when I got the FXT90 on sale for $50) so I want to read reviews first. But I do not have any concerns about the JVC quality as they have been well made in my opinion.

The best way for me to describe it is for exmple, if beats release a really good headphone most audiophile will not drop $400 on a beats headphone on principles or because of their reputation among audiophile. That's kinda how it is for me and JVC.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoMee 

$467!  No thanks. I now have a little more faith in just very crappy because of the S400 and S500, but no way am I gonna spend that kind of money on a JVC product. 

That will not be the original price once officially released. That's ebay price is a con job. It will be more like $250 is what I've been getting from creditable sources. That price doesn't even make any sense since JVC has been traveling route of giving more bang for the buck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoMee 

The best way for me to describe it is for exmple, if beats release a really good headphone most audiophile will not drop $400 on a beats headphone on principles or because of their reputation among audiophile. That's kinda how it is for me and JVC.

Monster, the company who brought us Beats and has pissed off the audio world in general through their scammy cable operation, has gotten a nice following on Head-fi with a series of IEMs in the $150-400 price range.   Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but they've earned enough respect that few people are dismissing them as overpriced junk.

And it goes both ways.  Denon was once was one of the most respected brands on head-fi.  Their newly released series has made them a bit of a joke.

Again, JVC entered head-fi on the high end, first with a $1000 headphone about 3-4 years ago, then a $300+ IEM early last year.   Many head-fiers aren't quite seeing things how you're seeing them.

Also to be said this is probably just a pre-order price + they're imported.  Once the dust settles they likely be quite a bit cheaper, probably in the FX 700 bracket (~$300).

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoMee 

The best way for me to describe it is for exmple, if beats release a really good headphone most audiophile will not drop $400 on a beats headphone on principles or because of their reputation among audiophile. That's kinda how it is for me and JVC.

WoW had no idea JVC got suck a bad rep in the States. But I think in Asia it is a pretty respected name brand, on par with sony me thinks.

edit: What doc you're not gonna play our CNT BUY IT ALL game? Mad disappoint. :(  Yeah think you have to judge each piece of gear on its own merits, forget about that brandname BS, so do lots of research and read others impressions before you buy is the best route to take. Like bob said Denon just made a big fool of themselves with the prices they are asking for the lackluster gear they are putting out. But for $200 something these new frankenCNT JVCs are NOT that outrages of a sum if you take into account what many here on head-fi pay for their gear. I hope it will punch wayyyy higher than it's price point as with all their releases this year but I ain't dropping $200 something for no IEMs haha, that's just me though. I am more than content with all the inexpensive JVC gear I own as of now.    

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfwalcer 

WoW had no idea JVC got suck a bad rep in the States. But I think in Asia it is a pretty respected name brand, on par with sony me thinks.

I'm 36 years old and I can't remember a time when JVC was not synonymous with cheap consumer electronics in big box stores.   Sony is definitely much better regarded... the common consumer would not necessarily equate them with anything audiophile, but they definitely are toward the top of the consumer electrics food chain.

This highlights the point - you have no idea what a company is actually capable of based on regional merit.  A large multi-national will go after different markets and choose what products to release to cater to a certain brand image.  Long ago JVC decided that attacking the low end in the western world was the most profitable choice.  

In America Mercedes is known as pure luxury.  In Germany they do everything - economy vehicles, taxis, commercial vehicles, they cover all facets of the market.  I believe it's the same with BMW.  Both these companies tried to make a foray into the economy segment in the 90s and but ditched that effort because brand dilution was not worth increasing their market share.

JVC, or Victor as it's still known in Japan, is a well known company in Japan. I've got a Victor MP3 player, Alneo XA-HD500, which was sold around 2005-2006. It has got a simple and very user friendly UI and excellent SQ. Too bad it's only 6GB, otherwise it might have become my favorite. Victor released some updated versions of the Alneo line of MP3 players, but after they merged with Kenwood, the Victor line of MP3 players was discontinued.

I've heard older portable JVC headphones while in Japan and frankly I wasn't too impressed. But I'm looking forward to trying the HA-S400 and S500 out the next time I go there.

Has anyone tried the AKG K81 pads on these?