The JVC HA-S500.. Appreciation, fan thread. - Page 299

Quote:

Originally Posted by sofastreamer 

tried hd25 velours. still piercing. there is nother problem for me: these nicely build but crapy sounding headphones have zero soundstage, layering and imaging. even the already congested sounding k518 has better depth and layering. maybe it is just me, but i think i stumbled in the overhype trap again.

Interesting....you hear them differently than I do. I went back to stock pads because the HD25 velours muffled things to my ears. While I agree the soundstage isn't the biggest, I think the imaging is pretty good. 

They say everyone's ears are different, I guess we have another example of that here.

LoL, steamer dood you're asking for it, just jk.

To be fair these S500s for a closed, portable set of on-ear cans has adequate soundstage. Maybe you expected too much outta it. But these S500s do live up to their hype and then some, just go ask magicman. He seems to be diggin' it now. But hey if you dig it you dig it, if not oh well. I wish you live in the states so i can take these crappy S500s off of your hands. I'll be more than happy to do so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sofastreamer 

any mods to calm down the highs? man, these have piercing treble although burned in. exact same fatiguing soundsig as the aweful fxd40s. hope you have got some mods to make them less agressive and more relaxing.

I've been trying to figure this out for ages and I'm at a bit of a loss. I'm glad I'm not the only one with the problem because everyone else seems to be fine with them (apart from a few mentions of them being a bit aggressive, but nobody else seems to think that it's simply too much).

Do the velours really tame the treble? I would have thought it would be the opposite. Although it's also said that the HM5 pads do, too, and it's not enough for me at all.

I don't have a problem with the soundstage or instrument separation really. But then again, I like to feel like I'm "in" the band playing the music and not so much an audience member, so sound stage isn't an issue to me. And I also don't think I've ever owned headphones with amazing instrument separation, so I probably don't even know what it would sound like.

And how much burn-in have you done? 200 hrs seems to be the magic mark or something like that, but I've found the treble is still too much even after 300 hrs.

Oh, and I am burning the ELE dac in. I didn't realise it was something I should do for a week. Honestly, it's pretty awesome sound through the speakers, but the brightness of the dac combined with the brightness of the S500 is just too much for me. Hoorah for EQ.

Sofa and sandwich... would you mind posting links to some tunes where the treble is grating on you? I'd be interested in giving them a listen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sofastreamer 

velout did not affect the treble, but killed sub bass. i am back to stock pads and put the k518 foam pads over the driver grill. then i stuffed the pads with basotect foam. now highs are tolarable but still lightyears awy from smooth. soundstage issue becimes more annoying.

hey streamer, my bad was calling you steamer before. If all fails try stuffing the sucker. Use that paper towel stuffing mod and stuff the stock pads. It always gives me better highs/ soundstage when i do it on the headphones.

edit: you can try cotton stuffing, etc whichever floats your boat.

.

I think the biggest treble offender to me is Skunk Anansie's "Spit You Out", which is a song I adore. I don't usually find the sibilance an issue and I can accept that it might just be that the recordings are very sibilant (or the guest singer has particularly harsh "s" sounds). The whole album (Black Traffic), in fact, is a pretty aggressive Hard Rock album and I need to listen to it at lower volumes to enjoy. The album was produced by Chris Sheldon, so I don't think it can *really* be blamed on bad recording or mixing.  Not the only one I have issues with, but it sticks out the most since I've enjoyed the album so much that I listen to it almost every day.

Sorry, can't seem to find a link to the song - obviously removed from Youtube since I last checked. Here is a link to one of the songs that was released officially: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD6ub1vnrVY

It's got plenty of "s" sounds in it, so maybe you'll get a sense of the sibilance. Or else, well, my ears are just really hyper-sensitive to treble.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfwalcer 

Well then, i guess that mad moddster forgot to take his as well. Hold up let me eat my breakfast real quick! ............YUM!!! All better now, can finally think clearly.  Thanks for the reminder geko!

 

@steamer

I am not sure what to say about the harsh treble you are hearing on these S500s. The highs are extended but never harsh/ sibilant, esp when compared to the crazy treble of the FX40s. The only other person that has some problems with the S500s treble is sandwichman, but he has very sensitive hearing or something. When compared to the FX40s these S500s are real smooth. Well that's what i hear anyways...........

LOL!

You should be right back on track after that. 

Btw, I've gone back to ATH Pleathers again few days ago, Just couldn't do without that more open and airy sound signature.

Bass is still there, but just not as boomy or prominent.

Now just to save some dollar for the dsnuts recommended ATH ES700. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by geko95gek 

 

wje said ETE DAC about 10 times in his post above lmao 

 

The question is... are you off your meds again? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by sofastreamer 

any mods to calm down the highs? man, these have piercing treble although burned in. exact same fatiguing soundsig as the aweful fxd40s. hope you have got some mods to make them less agressive and more relaxing.

There might be a small "trick" that you could try and is relatively cheap.  If you have access to some felt, or craft felt, cut two small circles of it out - the size of the insides of the ear pads.  Then, insert them in the ear pad area, and against the baffle.  For the large part, the felt is acoustically transparent and may offer the relief you seek.  Outside of this option, or the use of the other recommended pads, there is the option to apply a bit of EQ if you can to cut the upper frequency down at the point where it is bothersome.   Best of luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by geko95gek 

 

wje said ETE DAC about 10 times in his post above lmao 

 

The question is... are you off your meds again? 

10 times?  Sheesh.  It was 1:00 a.m. for me.  I had been at work all day, then attended an evening meeting before I could finally find the time to be on the forum with the rest of you.  Then, after making it to bed at 1:30 a.m., I was up at 4:00 a.m., so I could assist with getting my daughter packed for her trip back to college.  Then, asleep at 5:30 a.m. only to awake at 8:00 a.m. to clean up, head to work for a full day and then another meeting tonight after work.  Whew!

However, I had a great lunch break at the Guitar Center.  Items to note:

• AKG K67 Tiesto.  I had the K167, but the upper frequencies were a bit harsh, but still detailed.  The K167's ear pads were a bit too shallow, so my ears would hit the baffle and cause pain after a week of use.  So, I returned them.  The K67 has what seems to be the same 40mm driver and are the on-ear design.  $84.00 + tax, because I had them price match B&H Photo on the Web.

• Audio Technica ATH-M45 (White Version):  I'm not sure how these compare against the famed ATH-M50 headphones.  But, they have an MSRP of $150.00 and normally sold at $99.99.  However, the Guitar Center is clearing them out at $59.99.  I did see some of the boxes of the white version labeled "Limited Edition" - so the sales of the special model might be happening to clear out the product.

• Mogami 2534 Gold Quad Neglex Cable: This 4-conductor, insulated cable is a favorite of many headphone cable builders, who like to build cables of a realistic price point.  Normally, I'd have to buy this from an on-line vendor by the linear foot, then pay for shipping and wait 4 days to receive it.  Now, the Guitar Center has this in bulk for $1.08 per linear foot.  I normally spend $1.29 per linear foot + shipping from one of the on-line suppliers of such a product at discounted prices.

That's all.  Over and out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatefulsandwich 

I think the biggest treble offender to me is Skunk Anansie's "Spit You Out", which is a song I adore. I don't usually find the sibilance an issue and I can accept that it might just be that the recordings are very sibilant (or the guest singer has particularly harsh "s" sounds). The whole album (Black Traffic), in fact, is a pretty aggressive Hard Rock album and I need to listen to it at lower volumes to enjoy. The album was produced by Chris Sheldon, so I don't think it can *really* be blamed on bad recording or mixing.  Not the only one I have issues with, but it sticks out the most since I've enjoyed the album so much that I listen to it almost every day.

Sorry, can't seem to find a link to the song - obviously removed from Youtube since I last checked. Here is a link to one of the songs that was released officially: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD6ub1vnrVY

It's got plenty of "s" sounds in it, so maybe you'll get a sense of the sibilance. Or else, well, my ears are just really hyper-sensitive to treble.

I found this version of it on soundcloud. What point(s) in the song?

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatefulsandwich 

Well, in general the 's' and 'sh' sounds are quite bothersome, but when the male singer becomes more prominent, the sibilance is like having a needle driven right through my ears. It actually gives me a sharp pain between the eyes.

Haha, if you didn't pick up on it, then I think it might just be that I am but ridiculously sensitive to treble. IIRC, when I EQed them, it felt waaay better when I pulled down... Mmm.. 8hz, I think. I'm in bed right now, so can't check the PC. I can have a look when I get up in the morning. I did find I could adjust the highest part of the spectrum without it bothering me at all, but just prior to that is a pain-fest.

I figured you were talking about when the singer starts belting out at around 45 seconds.

My observations of that 45 second area (with S500, HM5 pads over stock pads, no EQ'ing):

- Ele Dac: tolerable, but hitting the edge for me. Can't turn it up too loud.

- Ele Dac + Fiio E11 with EQ2 setting: much better.

- Samsung Galaxy 2: much better.

and for fun:

- Ele Dac + Uptowns: no problem. Could crank it.

So my conclusion is that the S500's have a fairly bright treble (or maybe there is a spike at or around that frequency?), and the Ele Dac brightens things up as well, so the combination can be problematic with music like that, and if you are sensitive to brightness.