[lossfizzle]

I've been sampling a lot of the low end of JVC's lineup lately and I really like the HA-RX500 at their price point-- they are passable, well-balanced phones for very limited outlay, if not the most exciting headphones I've ever heard. I haven't been able to try the 700s yet. Has anyone managed to compare the 500s and 700s directly and at length and can comment on the sonic distinctions?
 
It almost looks to me as if JVC uses more or less the same driver and enclosures throughout the 300 / 500 / 700 / 900 lineup with different tuning and trim details. The HA-RX300 is seemingly purposely repressed in the mids and highs in order to artificially appeal to bassheads. I've passed this phone around a bit and everyone agrees it sounds quite lousy. Both the 500s and the Flats destroy the 300s, at least in stock form. I half wonder if the 500 is similarly "inhibited" through mechanical / electrical means to keep it from being as good as the 700s... if there's any difference

 

[200poundsofamp]

Completely different driver between the RX700 and RX500 - I think you're out of luck.

 

[lossfizzle]

Nah, not "out of luck" - modding / prospective modding is not on the books nor why I asked. The remarkable similarity between the models in this lineup just made me wonder how much these might have in common. As I said, I haven't been able to hear the RX700s yet as my distributor's been out of stock for a while.
 
Thanks for the info... have you actually heard the 500s and 700s side by side? Can you offer any input on the sonic distinctions?

 

[lossfizzle]

Got my RX700s and figured I'd answer my own question for anyone thumbing through for this answer. The 700s absolutely destroy the 500s.
 
There's nothing wrong with the 500s, especially at their price. They're just a basic closed-ear phone that do the full spectrum quite respectably for a CA phone at their price, but for whatever reason I find them boring overall.
 
The 700 adds much deeper / harder-hitting bass and more audible detail in addition to a more "doctored" and compelling sound across the spectrum (if somewhat scooped here or there in the mids by comparison).
 
Both are quite comfy too. Overall, the 700s are significantly larger than the 500s in person-- something not made clear by JVC's marketing pics. (The 300s and 500s are nearly identical save for the outer cup color.)
 
Now I'm curious about the sonic difference between the 700s and 900s... here we go again.