Quote:
Originally Posted by
cute 
Your profile has listed the S500......can you compare them to the S500, as I have two pair modded. Would like to hear your impressions with these two!
Despite cute's malicious and insensitive harassment, I will fulfill this request. xD
So, when I do comparisons, I like to listen to take notes on both sets.
My Notes: For People who are Interested in That Sort of Thing (Click to show)
Bitch Bad- Lupe Fiasco
JVC HA-S500:
Low Eb (40Hz?) not present
Middle synth hidden
Hi-hats super-obvious, but not sibilant
Especially great with snare/hi-hat rolls
Somic EFi-82 MT
Low Eb present, but faint.
Middle synth still hidden, but louder.
Vocal layering in chorus jumps out in a pleasant way.
Background snare rolls obvious, but not "sparkly".
Levels- Avicii
JVC-HAS500:
Kick drum at :34 dominating
Hi-hats inside of synth obviousLead synth gets nasally
Loud reverbs until 22 seconds.
Kick Drum has very heavy sub-bass presence.
EFi-82 MT
Lead at forefront in intro.
Hi-hat inside of synth hidden.
Lead synth gets slightly nasally.
Reverbs sound more atmospheric.
Kick not sub-bassy at all, bass is at head of low-end.
Adorn- Miguel
JVC HA-S500
Kick drum has no mid/treble presence.
Bass about 40 degrees. (use the top line of numbers on a protractor to find the positioning)
Vocals sound veiled.
Bass nice and punchy.
Falsetto gets piercing.
Somic EFi-82 MT:
Kick has a slight treble presence.
Bass at about 30 degrees.
Vocals clear, but hard clipping.
Bass sort of messy.
No awkward falsetto issues.
Fort Knox-Goldfish
JVC:
Bass, 30 degrees.
Vocals sound recessed on first chorus.
Snares are AWESOME. Nice and crisp.
Hi-hats are noticeably bright.
Main vocal line and higher harmony in second chorus equal volume.
Speaking vocals at the end about 160 degrees.
Somic:
Bass, 20 degrees.
Vocals at the forefront in verse and chorus.
Snares are dark sounding and nondescript.
Hi-hats are present, but utilitarian. In and out.
Low part is louder than high part in chorus.
Drum roll/speaking at end about 170.
Gold on the Ceiling- Black Keys:
JVC:
Static noticeable on the guitar in the intro
Guitar distortion a bit grating.
Great with the acoustic guitar.
Somic:
Static? What static?
Guitar distortion is A-OK. Sounds good.
Acoustic guitar very quiet, but timbre is spot-on.
Vocals recessed, as per the recording.
Cinnamon Tree- Esperanza Spalding
JVC:
Vocals at forefront
Bass timbre is "off", too bloated
Strings/piano are right about where they should be
Somic:
Vocals at forefront.
Bass somewhat bloated, but punchy.
Guitar at about 170 degrees.
Strings and piano are a bit quiet.
Here's the relative soundstage of the two sets. I thought that this would be a decent way to show it. This is all subjective, mind you. I didn't actually measure it with anything but my fingers and a protractor on the screen.
To my ears, the JVC was more of a fun, consumer signature, while the Somic was, while definitely engaging, more of a neutral set. The JVC has deep bass and a bright treble, but often fails to represent vocals well for this reason. Also, with the overtone series being a thing (TL;DR: the timbre/tone of voices and instruments is created by very quiet frequencies, usually in the mids and treble.), a lot of instruments just sound..off. Basses get bloaty, drums get sparkly. Still, for electronic music and a fist-pumping portable (at $70, nonetheless), it's a great deal.
The Somic EFi-82 MT, on the other hand, is much more balanced and mellow. Instruments are right where they should be, tone wise, due to a fairly neutral (if slightly dark) frequency response. Soundstage, like the diagram mentions, is superb. Additionally, the Somic's excel with vocals and have a certain "airiness", for lack of a better term, on well mastered tracks. The treble is very utilitarian. It gets in, gets out, doesn't sparkle, shine or do too much. The upper mids, however, get a bit bright, but are never fatiguing.
The EFi-82 MT has a longer cable (without extensions), but the JVC-HAS500 has a very nice L-jack. At this point, it's just nit-picking, but the JVC HA-S500 does feel a bit better. I dropped my Somic once and it made a very nerve-wracking sound. Fortunately, it's OK, but I will definitely baby them in the future.
Feel free to ask questions.
Thanks,
Will.
Subbed!
