[fnkcow]

Welcome back to the club!

 


Cheers denis! Loving it!

 

[Dominus]

I've just got some IE80's, but will try the M200 out next month. Till there... have a nice month

 

[PeterDLai]

  My M200 replacement is here and few hours of using them later there's a noticeable difference between this and my original pair:
- The clicky driver flex is much less present on this than my original pair using stock tips even when I moved my jaw a lot
- It actually sounds decent now at max volume out of my laptop without amp/DAC. It still scales well with an amp/DAC. Previously my original pair sounded like crap on its own. My other IEMs sounded fine straight out of my laptop on their own.
 
Hopefully my original pair was faulty to begin with, not killed by driver flex

 
Was your M200 replaced directly by KEF themselves, or by your dealer? It's interesting to hear that your new pair is so different.

 

[fnkcow]

   
Was your M200 replaced directly by KEF themselves, or by your dealer? It's interesting to hear that your new pair is so different.

 
It's by Amazon US. I didn't know that they accept international shipping at first as it said domestic only but I checked out anyway and was surprised they actually do international shipping for this.
I was pleased too in a way to learn that my new pair is better in terms of the aforementioned. I checked the serial number it seems as though it's a bit earlier than my original pair so that's inconclusive.
SQ wise I'd say they sounded the same to me. It's been couple of weeks in between so take it with a bucket of salt.
Hopefully it's just my original pair being faulty not driver flex that killed it.

 

[LCfiner]

Well, I sold my Sennheiser IE800 and decided to use the M200 full-time while at work and outside. They’re not quite as mellow and effortless with vocals (particularly harmonies) but I actually prefer the way the M200 render cymbals and other high pitched instruments - they sound heavier and more “there”. they sounded a little crispy and thin on the IE800.
 
I’ve gotten used to their size in my ears. They don’t need a particularly deep fit so it’s just a matter of a light twist to get them situated. I still find myself incredibly impressed at the sound of these for $200. They’re very detailed and spacious, have awesome bass, and have a slight warm tilt that is very much to my taste. I think they hold up after listening to them for around a month now.

 

[PeterDLai]

  I checked the serial number it seems as though it's a bit earlier than my original pair so that's inconclusive.

 
Ah, I probably should have written down my original serial number as well to see if there was any correlation. Oh well, my replacement is coming next Tuesday.
 
Did your first pair flex equally on both sides or was it worse on one side?
 
Do report back if your new pair ever develops more significant driver flex; I'm wondering if it's something that progressively gets worse over time or if it's an actual defect from the factory.

 

[fnkcow]

   
Ah, I probably should have written down my original serial number as well to see if there was any correlation. Oh well, my replacement is coming next Tuesday.
 
Did your first pair flex equally on both sides or was it worse on one side?
 
Do report back if your new pair ever develops more significant driver flex; I'm wondering if it's something that progressively gets worse over time or if it's an actual defect from the factory.

 
The flex on original pair was about the same
 
Yeah I'll surely report back if my replacement died on me too

 

[subseasniper]

Guys,
 
very interesting thread and some valid comments. I would like to throw in my tuppence worth.
 
For a first effort at ear/headphones KEF has done an amzing job.
 
I didn't get on with the M200's due to fit issues so I won't comment much on them.
 
The M500's have been a revelation to me, my previous go-to portable cans were the Momentums, pretty much the benchmark in this sector, I initially found the M500's pretty flat and lifeless. As they burnt-in I realised that they were unflavoured in the EQ department, they present all areas equally well. The detail retrieval is very impressive. Right now I am A-B'ing with the Momentums, listening to Computer Love by Kraftwerk and the level of detail retrieval and imaging present with the M500's is noticeably better.
 
The M500's are very well made, the brushed aluminum is particularly impressive.
 
These have more-or-less become my go-to can when looking for a bit of portable listening, they can sound almost flat sometimes, as someone mentioned they are probably more true-to-life than other cans, but a slight volume tweak seems to immerse you right in the sound. The soundstage is as very respectful for such a small can.
 
Impressive can, very interesting thread.

 

[Lan647]

  Guys,
 
very interesting thread and some valid comments. I would like to throw in my tuppence worth.
 
For a first effort at ear/headphones KEF has done an amzing job.
 
I didn't get on with the M200's due to fit issues so I won't comment much on them.
 
The M500's have been a revelation to me, my previous go-to portable cans were the Momentums, pretty much the benchmark in this sector, I initially found the M500's pretty flat and lifeless. As they burnt-in I realised that they were unflavoured in the EQ department, they present all areas equally well. The detail retrieval is very impressive. Right now I am A-B'ing with the Momentums, listening to Computer Love by Kraftwerk and the level of detail retrieval and imaging present with the M500's is noticeably better.
 
The M500's are very well made, the brushed aluminum is particularly impressive.
 
These have more-or-less become my go-to can when looking for a bit of portable listening, they can sound almost flat sometimes, as someone mentioned they are probably more true-to-life than other cans, but a slight volume tweak seems to immerse you right in the sound. The soundstage is as very respectful for such a small can.
 
Impressive can, very interesting thread.

 
Glad you're enjoying these spectacular headphones! 

 

[PeterDLai]

Got my replacement M200 today from KEF. Driver flex is about the same as the original pair, hopefully it wasn't the actual cause of the first pair's failure.
 
I had been listening to my NuForce NE-700X while waiting because out of my current IEMs, it's the closest sounding to the M200 in sound signature. It was still a breath of fresh air putting these back in my ears. The NE-700X actually has more midbass emphasis than the M200 so the contrast in bass isn't as stark as when I first heard my original pair after using the HiFiMAN RE-400 for a while (which has very nice mids but is a bit lean in the bass for my preferences now).

 

[subseasniper]

A-B'ing the 500s through my rockboxed ipod with flac files, fiio amp, against my venerable Sennheisers HD595s.

The KEFs definitely win out, much higher resolution, richer sound and more refined.

The Sennys sound a little muddy by comparison.

The more I listen to the 500s the more I get this flat frequency response. It is very alluring and non-fatiguing to listen to for extended sessions.

 

[waynes world]

A-B'ing the 500s through my rockboxed ipod with flac files, fiio amp, against my venerable Sennheisers HD595s.

The KEFs definitely win out, much higher resolution, richer sound and more refined.

The Sennys sound a little muddy by comparison.

The more I listen to the 500s the more I get this flat frequency response. It is very alluring and non-fatiguing to listen to for extended sessions.

 
Amen to that. Gorgeous sound imo. And incredibly comfortable. Love'em.

 

[Lan647]

Needs more reviews!! 

 

[subseasniper]

Jaw hitting the floor here. Listening to Otto Kemplers Wagner recordings, the Siegfred Idyll. I can hear seats creak and the pages of the musical scores being turned. Impressive.

 

[quartertone]

Nothing like a good creaking seat to amplify one's listening enjoyment, is there.