[Ralox]

I wonder how close the performance of these cans are compared to the HA-S500 because they're only $20 apart.

 

[rickdohc]

I want to know how are the treble and the mids compared to the s500.

 

[Ghostfit]

Quote:

haha I'll try my best to understand and implement it. LoL  Need to use this method to burn my FX40s "to hell" as rickdohc would say.

 
OMG the white ones are so sexy!!! I'll getting them for sure, and thanks ghost for taking the dive into these S400s. I can't imagine how they can be EVEN more light/ comfortable than the feather-light S500s but I'll take your word for it.  Oh I wanna ask you how do the foam? pads on the headband in the S400s compare to the S500s comfort wise? Cuz the pleather ones on the S500s are so soft and nice, so I wouldn't think the foam ones on the S400s would be as good. 

 
The S500 has the more luxurious and softer pleather headband padding when you feel them by hand, the S400's bare foam feels a little firmer, however when worn on the head, I couldn't feel that they are more uncomfortable due to the lighter weight of the S400.

 

[Ghostfit]

Quote:

Thank you Ghostfit for the answer !
 
Part 2 of burn in cookbook style posted in appropriate thread.
 
"Fish" thing explained : Chinese have a saying that by giving a hungry person a fish is to feed that person for a day; by teaching that person how to catch fish is feeding that person for a lifetime.
 
I could easily start advertising headphone burn in and do it either pro bono or charge for my service = "giving you a fish", or in this case a single pair of properly burnt in phones. I chose to teach you all how you can do it by yourself instead , giving you the possibility to properly burn in all your present and future phones = "feeding you for a lifetime".
 
As always, enjoy your music !

 
Thanks you my friend, I will try and see if I can catch any fish then !

 

[Ghostfit]

Quote:

I wonder how close the performance of these cans are compared to the HA-S500 because they're only $20 apart.

Out of the box surprisingly, I would say they're pretty close, they have about 70% of the S500's bass and highs, 80% of the S500's mids, as for comparision between the 2, refer below.
 
Quote:

I want to know how are the treble and the mids compared to the s500.

I sneak a peek listen to the S400 at the 50hrs burn and have to report that the sound at this point is incoherent !!!   ...the bass has gone muddy, mids are like the singer is shouting and treble has almost disappeared.
 
So much for the pretty good sounds I heard on open box, but I know this is due to the carbon nano tubes flexing and orientating themselves as more burning takes place so that the final setting would be the SQ that CNT are know for.
 
Next sneak peek at the 100hrs mark.

 

[Ghostfit]

Listened to them again last nite and I must say I'm really liking them a whole lot !
 
The impressive SQ I heard on open box is back with a vengence. The mid bass has tamed down a little but the sub bass has gone deeper, Mids are much more mellower and the lower mids has distanced itself from the bass such that vocals are very distinct, highs and trebles now have better defination and a sparkle that's just below the level of the FXD80.
 
I love the sound signature of the S500 but I don't remember them to be as immersive as what I heard from the S400 last nite. I can't exactly put my finger on why it is that I am falling in love with this sound. I will do an A/B evaluation of the S400 and S500 tonight to try and figure this out.

 

[lmswjm]

From the S500 thread:
 
The S400’s sounded better to me than the S500 with no burn-in. Exceptional performance. The S400's have a wonderful neutral sound. The S500’s are a little artificially bright, significantly more so than the 400's. That doesn't mean that the 500's have anymore detail, because they don't. The 400's sound more realistic to me. I used my standard acoustic reference tracks on my home gear.
 
Bass seemed pretty much the same. I don't really hear the size difference. Hard to believe they are 30mm drivers. I didn’t really notice the brightness before, and didn’t want to be too critical at the S500’s price point, that was until today.
 
Lovin' the K81DJ pads at the moment, hatin' on the stock pads. More pads to come...

 

[Ghostfit]

Okay, did an A/B comparision between the S400 and it's elder brother the S500 last nite.
 
The S500 has been very good for me until the S400 came along, you might say the 100hrs odd burn in S400 showed where the minor flaws were in the S500, these were not apparent unless one was listening to the S500 and then switched over to the S400 listening to the same source material.
 
Coming from the S500 to the S400, it did not take 20min for me to adjust to the sound signature of the S400, the difference was almost immediate. The bass of the S500 was more prominant, sub-bass was about the same for both when it was called upon. I would not call either of them Bass-head levels, the S500 excels in reproducing explosion and canons bursts whereas the S400 are better at drums and percussion instruments, bass plucks have a very nice full body to them, for me, the S400 has the right amount of quality bass for music listening and the S500 are better for watching movies. 
 
The biggest difference was in the mids, althought the S500 has got decent enough mids, the S400 mids really stands out and makes the S500's mids seems strange, perhaps due to some missing freqs. Listening to the S400, I could almost swear I heard the saliva flying out of the singer's mouth on certain rock tracks. Notes separation on the mids are also prominant, I could clearly differentiate pianos and guitars. Males and females vocals sounds just about right to me whereas the S500 colouration can make some deep females vocals sound male, those of you with the FXD80 will know what I'm talking about when you compare them to the S500.
 
For the highs, S400 has got better spackles compared to the S500's which sounds flatter. Cymbals and snarl hits have a nice snap to them and somehow sounds cleaner.
I am hearing quite a fair bit of new details in the highs with the S400 which I have not heard before
 
Soundstage is where the S500 trumps the S400 but not by much, the S500 stage is much wider than the S400 but on certain tracks, the S400's stage seems deeper.
 
I'll definately go to the S400 now for music listerning, but for watching movies and gaming, the S500 are my preferred headphones.

 

[DannyBai]

dang ghost, I really didn't want to buy the S400's but since I mainly listen to music with my headphones, I might have to give these a shot.  Thanks for sharing all your impressions since I've been very curious about these for awhile.  

 

[Dsnuts]

I am wondering Ghost if you are using the stock pads on both headphones right? If so somehow I have a feeling the HAS400 would sound similar to using the ATH velours on the HA-S500. The velours opens up the sounds of the HA-S500 quite a bit. The mid bass is reduced to neutral levels and opens up the highs and mids more so than stock or the HD25 pads..From your description that is what I am hearing from just using my ATH velours on the HA-S500. It makes sense as the 30 mm drivers have much more clearance from the pads. The ATH velours I feel people should try out on the HA-S500. It gives a much higher end sound to the HA-S500. I have been listening to my music this way and it gives the best overall sound I have heard on the HA-S500. Not to mention the ATH velours are more circum aural vs on ear for medium sized ears.  I will get a pair of HA-S400 to try out and will compare but I have a feeling it will be very similar.
 
Another point of the ATH pads is the stage is also more open deeper and wider using them. $10 completely worth the money for the velours. I wonder what these velours will do for the HA-S400. Probably opens them up as well.

 

[DannyBai]

Good point Ds.  Maybe I'll wait on purchasing since I have the AT velours on the way.  Curious about the AT leatherette pads cute mentioned also.  

 

[sfwalcer]

Looks like the carbon nanotube hype train is revving up it engines all over again. Them white sexy S400s come to papa!!! Damn their lowish $50 price tag on ebay are so tempting, sigh.
 
Hey did anyone notice that JVC released 2 different packaged versions of these for Asia? The one selling/ shipping from Jpn are packaged like the S500/ S400s that Ghost has. But the ones from Hong Kong sellers are differently packaged, hope they are not knock offs since I am kinda suspect of anything shipping from China/ HK.  The seller seems legit though so.....
 

 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JVC-HA-S400-WHITE-Over-the-Head-Foldable-Headphones-Earphones-NEW-Free-Shipping-/230848226007?pt=US_Headphones&hash=item35bfa062d7

 

[Dsnuts]

Those leather ones should be somewhere between the HD25 and the ATH velours. If you think about it. It is all about the sound restriction on driver size. The stock pads and the HD25 will have the most bass. The ATH velours will open up the sounds completely. It will shock you how the bass goes to neutral levels and opens up the highs and mids..The sound transforms completely not a little but a complete transformation.

 

[sfwalcer]

Quote:

Those leather ones should be somewhere between the HD25 and the ATH velours. If you think about it. It is all about the sound restriction on driver size. The stock pads and the HD25 will have the most bass. The ATH velours will open up the sounds completely. It will shock you how the bass goes to neutral levels and opens up the highs and mids..The sound transforms completely not a little but a complete transformation.

LoL, along with the S400s, think I'm gonna have to buy all them pads as well. ha Soon................. damn these JVCs are crazy!
 
Ghost you have just justified my future purchase of the white S400s THANKS!

 

[cute]

Quote:

Good point Ds.  Maybe I'll wait on purchasing since I have the AT velours on the way.  Curious about the AT leatherette pads cute mentioned also.  

 
Just to make it clear.....the sellers Ebay auction I posted says "leather", not leatherette....I have since purchased two more pair, and really believe they offer a third sound, different from the ATH velour and the original pads!