[jamie090]

   
Well, I think they are really cracking down on imports now. Before a year or so ago I never got charged once, even using EMS shipping... and I gotta tell ya I have imported lots of stuff back in the days.
 
To be honest, I would stay away from EMS if at all possible as that usually comes into ParcelForce UK and they are absolute bastards when it comes to customs tax charges and their fees.
 
I'd advise everyone to ask for UPS, DHL or FedEx shipping from any non-EU seller!

Thanks for the advice. I will bare it in mind when I inevitaly buy the S680s in the new year!

 

[RoMee]

 
You're kidding me! There is a newer pair!?!? Those look fantastic! I will look forward to your review but they might find their way onto my birthday list in April if they are as good as the first reviews suggest. I'm now more confused about burn in though as people on the s680 page say one advantage is they burn in in 48 hours rather than the 200 hours it takes the s500! If that is true I better get started!

 

 
Thanks for the advice. I will bare it in mind when I inevitaly buy the S680s in the new year!

 
You might want to wait for a more reliable opinion, the S680 is hyped by one person who thinks the S400 is better than the ES700, and he compares it to headphones he never heard.
JVC never said it's a new version or better version of the carbon nanotube, those are just his hyped words, at this point it's simply a different variant. 

 

[jamie090]

   
 
You might want to wait for a more reliable opinion, the S680 is hyped by one person who thinks the S400 is better than the ES700. 
JVC never said it's a new version or better version of the carbon nanotube, those are just his hyped words, at this point it's simply a different variant. 

Ah ok thanks. Having only recently bought my S500s I won't be rushing out for another pair anytime soon. Especially if I've got to burn them in for 200 hours before I hear them properly! I will follow their thread with interest though.

 

[RoMee]

I'm hoping he's right because I would love a new carbon nanotube headphone that's on par or better than the S500, but his opinion just isn't reliable at this point.

 

[Lifted Andreas]

 
Thanks for the advice. I will bare it in mind when I inevitaly buy the S680s in the new year!

 
Yeah mate, best to do of course is to buy them from an EU seller but the S680 are Japan only!
 
Second best thing to do is look for a seller on eBay that has entered into a MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) agreement with EU customs, that way you pay all the charges at the time of purchase.

 

[jamie090]

  I'm hoping he's right because I would love a new carbon nanotube headphone that's on par or better than the S500, but his opinion just isn't reliable at this point.

Very true. Fingers crossed! Can I ask about your experience with burn in with the s500s? Ive been told they dont need it and that they definitely do for anything up to 200 hours. I'm a bit lost as to what to do.

 

[RoMee]

 
Very true. Fingers crossed! Can I ask about your experience with burn in with the s500s? Ive been told they dont need it and that they definitely do for anything up to 200 hours. I'm a bit lost as to what to do.

 
I'm not a person who believes in burn in, to me it's just placebo, but my advice is listen to it, if there's areas in the frequency you don't like or want improved, than let it burn. 
When I got my S500 I just listened to, that's my burn in.

 

[jamie090]

   
I'm not a person who believes in burn in, to me it's just placebo, but my advice is listen to it, if there's areas in the frequency you don't like or want improved, than let it burn. 
When I got my S500 I just listened to, that's my burn in.

Thanks for you're advice. I like the way they sound at the moment so I think I will leave them as is for the mean time.

 

[money4me247]

  Very true. Fingers crossed! Can I ask about your experience with burn in with the s500s? Ive been told they dont need it and that they definitely do for anything up to 200 hours. I'm a bit lost as to what to do.

burn-in is most likely a myth for normal headphones. the concept is that the movement of the drivers over time change the sound. however, if that was true, there is no reason that sort of mechanism would always result in a positive change of sound... but users always report a positive change in sound after "burn-in." More likely it is simply your brain becoming more accustomed to the headphones sound signature. We like what we are familiar with. I wouldn't worry about burn-in at all. If you like the sound when you get it, keep it. If you don't like the sound on first listen, try the headphones for 2 weeks & if you still don't like it, return it. Simple as that. Normal listening would hypothetically burn-in just fine, so no need to play white noise on your headphones while you sleep lol
 
On the super-high-end headphones that are so detailed you can hear the slightly distortion, perhaps burn-in may be real. I only say that because I recently got the HE400 & some of the silibance I noticed to be very irritating & sharp on first-listen definitely has disappeared. the silibance was definitely not something I could just get used to. however, I am still a pretty firm skeptic of burn-in. I've done blind A/B tests on 2 pairs of M100s for burn in and found absolutely no change in sound between the headphones at all.

 

[TrollDragon]

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... LOL Too much funny all in one sitting...

 

[Lifted Andreas]

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... LOL Too much funny all in one sitting...

 
+1
 
No one has to get stuck with headphones they dont enjoy. This is exactly why we have a marketplace section at Head-Fi.

 

[BenF]

   
 
You might want to wait for a more reliable opinion, the S680 is hyped by one person who thinks the S400 is better than the ES700, and he compares it to headphones he never heard.
JVC never said it's a new version or better version of the carbon nanotube, those are just his hyped words, at this point it's simply a different variant. 

 
 
You never owned ES700 - so why do you take issue with me saying that S400 is better than ES700?
Also, your white S400 is made in China, while my red S400 is made in Japan - so they may sound different.
 
S680 came out a year and a half after S400/500, so I guess it is a new version.
It's not like they changed the nanotubes themselves, they probably just found a better dosage - a lower one.

 

[BenF]

   
I'm not a person who believes in burn in, to me it's just placebo, but my advice is listen to it, if there's areas in the frequency you don't like or want improved, than let it burn. 
When I got my S500 I just listened to, that's my burn in.

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.

 

[RoMee]

   
 
You never owned ES700 - so why do you take issue with me saying that S400 is better than ES700? When did I express any issue with your opinion on the S400/ES700? I just don't agree with it. And I guess I should update my profile one of these days. I need the world to know I now have one of them there Westoney.
Also, your white S400 is made in China, while my red S400 is made in Japan - so they may sound different. Is that your best guesstimate?
 
S680 came out a year and a half after S400/500, so I guess it is a new version. Guesstimate part 2?
It's not like they changed the nanotubes themselves, they probably just found a better dosage - a lower one. Source or it didn't happen.

 
Lol, another misinformed assumption. 
 

  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.

 
So you believe in burn in. What's that got to do with me?
I don't believe in bigfoot, are you going to get mad and show me a picture of bigfoot and demand I never go into the woods? 
People who can't differentiate between opinion and fact shouldn't be giving out advice.
 
I don't know why I'm even responding to this.
 

 

[gikigill]

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.