[Lifted Andreas]

My opinion is gravity exists and the CNT drivers get better with burnin.

Saying this as the owner of every JVC CNT headphone/earphone out there since they first came out.

 
+1
 
CNT is the stiffest drivers ever, they need excessive low freq pounding to loosen up so the sound can improve!

 

[BenF]

   
+1
 
CNT is the stiffest drivers ever, they need excessive low freq pounding to loosen up so the sound can improve!

 
That's right, CNT is 25 times more rigid than steel, it takes a lot of effort to flex it.

 

[BenF]

...

Saying this as the owner of every JVC CNT headphone/earphone out there since they first came out.

 
Does this mean you got S680? If you are done with burn-in, please post your impressions in the S680 thread.

 

[Lifted Andreas]

   
That's right, CNT is 25 times more rigid than steel, it takes a lot of effort to flex it.

 
Yep, I had to really pound my S500 and FXT90s to get them sounding their best.

 

[gikigill]

   
Does this mean you got S680? If you are done with burn-in, please post your impressions in the S680 thread.

Its in the mail. Christmas is screwing up deliveries here so its taking almost a month to get it. In the meanwhile:
 

 

[BenF]

 
Its in the mail. Christmas is screwing up deliveries here so its taking almost a month to get it. In the meanwhile:
 

I'm especially interested in the comparison with SZ2000, given their 4x price difference.
SZ2000 only uses a 30mm driver for 95% of the frequencies, so it's not a clear winner.

 

[gikigill]

The SZ2000 uses the bigger driver for frequencies upto 250hz so technically it uses just 1.25% of our total frequency spectrum
 
but it would be incorrect to say whether its a winner or not. The bass can crack your skull out when properly amped.
 
If music worked like that, subwoofers would never be born.

 

[marone]

Duplicate post.

 

[marone]

In reality... They are $35 headphones, put them on your head and enjoy them. if you don't like the sound then sell them, or better yet give them to someone with earbuds, they will love you for it.

I get a kick out of people doing the "Audiophile" analysis of a cheap pair of cans, and for those people, I have heard they really come alive after 2000 to 3000 hours of burn-in with pink noise & frequency sweeps...

I get a kick out of those who post to Head-fi who use the same language that is used for "Audiophile' headphones and then back out of those adjectives when someone points out flaws.

The HA-S500 is mentioned as a great budget can on the par with others more expensive.

If that claim is made, then it gets scrutiny and if it cannot hold up to said claim then don't say it.

The OP uses these descriptions, all of which I conclude are false with my pair of S500 and 4 days of burn-in. Simply untrue statements.

Lows. Fans of bass rejoice and these have some of the best bass end for portables. (Bass is muddy with an upper bass bloom).
Mids. Oh lovely. (Ordinary and nothing special).
Highs. Articulate, detailed, extended oh so well. (Not extended at all. CAL! V1.0 is far more extended and its highs are muted compared to the SuperLux'es).

These are comparisons to sub-$100 cans, not a 770 or 880 or similar or above.

Seems what we have here are a bunch of people who *like* the sound of the S500. That is far, far different than stating 'It is a good headphone'.

Then again, your handle is TrollDragon so...

 

[TekeRugburn]

  http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/testing-audibility-break-effects
 
People that don't believe in burn-in, shouldn't be buying CNT headphones.
My S400 fully broke in after over 200 hours of burn-in at high volume. If you'll try to burn them by listening, it will take months and you'll go deaf.
They must be pounded really hard.

 
that test was a joke...19 times? seriously?  a sample size that small is funny at best.  A sample size in the hundreds wouldnt have a strong enough power to even be considered significant.  
 
not saying burn-in isnt real; but not saying it's real either.  you believe in it.... thats fine.  I do break my headphones in before even listening to them.  So I don't say things like "burn-in" exists.  What I don't get about that test.... he makes all these measurements.  Why didn't he measure a set prior to burn-in....then measure after burn-in?  

 

[RoMee]

 

[TrollDragon]

Then again, your handle is TrollDragon so...

Wrong pal, you're just a little late getting on the short bus...
Since you were not around when the handle explanation was given, here is the refresher...

 

[JusticeForAll28]

I don't see how anyone could argue that burn in isn't real. The change in sound has been pretty obvious in my headhones, most of all I would say on the pair of Turbines I bought years ago. The sound changed quite a bit after the first ten hours or so. Least of all was the gr07, because they took so long to burn in I guess. At first I wasn't impressed but months later I finally heard what the hype was about.
 
Anyways I'm still loving the s500's I've read a lot of this thread but I was wondering if someone would save me a little time and suggest to me a pair of replacement earpads that are more comfortable but that don't lose any of the bass. Thanks!

 

[marone]

So you believe in burn in.

Burn-in is real.

The main exception made is that listeners are just getting used to the sound of a can.

Great idea. Excellent possible flaw.

Except I have my cans on a separate solid state amp set up to treat 4 at a time as they burn in and I listen to them out of the box for 30 minutes and then put them on the burn-in circuit for several days. If they come with a case or a box, they stay in that whilst they are treated.

During that time I listen to a different pair of cans, so there is no 'getting used to' anything as I don't listen to the newer hps during the interim.

The change in sound for some hps is very obvious.

You listen to a set list of tunes when you unbox and make notes, you put it into the burn-in circuit and you make new notes listening to the same sources after burn-in. Some hps change. Some do not.

The usual issues are bass becomes tighter, cans with a midrange mid-fi or bass bloom have that lessen or disappear (S500 I hope), some have odd lobing of the FR or soundstage (668b) that 'integrates' over time. So on...

My S500's, 662bs, 681f's and Pro 80's are all in the loop right now.

My current listening is from the 681b's or 668b's. My other IEM's and hps are already burnt in.

Consider the possibility that some people can hear things that you cannot.

 

[RoMee]

Burn-in is real.

The main exception made is that listeners are just getting used to the sound of a can.

Great idea. Excellent possible flaw.

Except I have my cans on a separate solid state amp set up to treat 4 at a time as they burn in and I listen to them out of the box for 30 minutes and then put them on the burn-in circuit for several days. If they come with a case or a box, they stay in that whilst they are treated.

During that time I listen to a different pair of cans, so there is no 'getting used to' anything as I don't listen to the newer hps during the interim.

The change in sound for some hps is very obvious.

You listen to a set list of tunes when you unbox and make notes, you put it into the burn-in circuit and you make new notes listening to the same sources after burn-in. Some hps change. Some do not.

The usual issues are bass becomes tighter, cans with a midrange mid-fi or bass bloom have that lessen or disappear (S500 I hope), some have odd lobing of the FR or soundstage (668b) that 'integrates' over time. So on...

My S500's, 662bs, 681f's and Pro 80's are all in the loop right now.

My current listening is from the 681b's or 668b's. My other IEM's and hps are already burnt in.

Consider the possibility that some people can hear things that you cannot.

 
Good for you buddy. 
 

 
 

 
Learn to let things go, it's not healthy.