[Katun]

Just a word of warning, if you are thinking about picking up a pair of RX700, you better do it quick! Looks like they have stopped being manufactured.
 
There seems to be only a FEW dealers left that carry them, and they are quickly disappearing. Everywhere else says they are unavailable from manufacturer.
 
Also, they now sell for slightly more, $40 instead of the $30 they were before. If you want a pair, now is the time, before they can't be bought at all.

 

[Xombie11]

Ugh, I noticed this too. I really don't want to spend $40 on a pair... But I might have to.

 

[Xombie11]

FYI I just got off the phone with JVC, on whose website they are OOS. Apparently they are widespread on backorder, and this customer service representative sugested that a new generation was on it's way to replace them, but noted that while he's typically given advance warning of future product offerings, he does not know of any new full-size headphones on the horizon. We could be waiting months for a successor, and there's no guarantee it'll be as good as these.

 

[Katun]

Thanks a lot for the info. It's good to hear 'directly' from the company to confirm the validity of this issue.
 
A new generation you say? Hmm, that sounds really interesting. I really hope if they do 'create' a new generation of these, they will be as good, or better than the original. And hopefully, they can keep the price somewhere near the incredible value of the RX700's.
 
I think I'm going to have to get me a pair. But I'm also curious to see if they really do release a new generation of these in the future.

 

[Xombie11]

What really annoys me though, is that I could have picked these up for something like $30.37 shipped (no tax) from Amazon just last week. Now I'll have to spend $50 after S&H and tax if I choose to buy from the 'egg, which appears to be the only reasonably-priced, legitimate website left with these in stock...

For $50 I could step up to a greater range of headphones...

A700s are looking more and more appealing.

...

Also, the RX700s are a 2008 model. It seems strange that JVC would be replacing these so soon, seeing as headphones are seldom replaced for 5+ years at a time. Also, take what the customer rep said with a grain of salt--he didn't recognize the model range off the top if his head (when I first mentioned them to him), assured me that if they were replaced re successor would be "of better quality," and did not seem particularly well-informed.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

What really annoys me though, is that I could have picked these up for something like $30.37 shipped (no tax) from Amazon just last week. Now I'll have to spend $50 after S&H and tax if I choose to buy from the 'egg, which appears to be the only reasonably-priced, legitimate website left with these in stock...
 

 
Yes, exactly. I was about to pick them up last week from Amazon as well. I was quite excited about the price...last week.
Yup, Newegg seems to be the 'last of the last' which is really unfortunate. Dang, I should have ordered upon impression!
 
Quote:

Also, the RX700s are a 2008 model. It seems strange that JVC would be replacing these so soon, seeing as headphones are seldom replaced for 5+ years at a time. Also, take what the customer rep said with a grain of salt--he didn't recognize the model range off the top if his head (when I first mentioned them to him), assured me that if they were replaced re successor would be "of better quality," and did not seem particularly well-informed.

Yeah, that does seem strange. 2 years really isn't enough time for a headphone. Maybe there is no replacement in the future at all. Oh dear.
 
Point taken about the rep. But still, I am quite curious (and a bit worried) about what is going to happen in the future with 'this' headphone and the possible 'future' ones.

 

[Xombie11]

Well, another possibility is that manufacturing was simply halted for a short time. One of the mom n' pop store websites (I forget which one; it may have been on Google products), listed these as on backorder and mentioned that an initial small shipment of 10 was due Aug 3rd, followed by a larger shipment Aug 19th. If this is true, perhaps the large online retailers may have these back in stock in just a couple weeks! (At least we can hope.)

 

[Katun]

I really hope! But as I recall, the RX700's past leads me to thinking it may just disappear. In past, I mean the very small amount of 'reputable dealers' that actually carried these headphones. For the past year, or maybe more, it seemed as if there were only a few websites that sold them. From my memory: Amazon, Newegg, and Buy.com seemed to be some of the few that actually had them in stock.
 
Hmm, I just don't know.

 

[Xombie11]

I'm considering ordering the RX900s from Amazon, seeing as they are $55 shipped--only slightly more than the RX700s from Newegg. Plus you can do all the mods you would with the RX700s and get the more comfy leather ear pads... My only worry is that, unlike the RX700s which are rather definitively considered "closed," the RX900s are considered "open." I'll be using these in a college dorm room setting, in the library, etc. and obviously do not want any sound leakage.
 
What are your thoughts?

 

[Katun]

Although I haven't had any experience with either of the two, I do know a couple things about the two that I've read about here on Head-Fi.
 
The pads on the RX700 and RX900 are two different materials, if you look HERE, as are the headbands different material.
 
The 'ring' around the RX900 is the only place it would leak sound. I'm not sure the extent of sound leakage, but I'm sure it's not much. Although, the RX700 will isolate outside noise a bit better as well as keep the sound in a bit better. Once again, I'm not sure to the extend of how much it leaks, but I'm sure you could get that answer from someone on the thread linked above.
 
Hmm, you bring a valid point, a good one too. Since the RX700's are about $45 now, maybe I should stretch an extra $10 for the RX900...

 

[Xombie11]

Yes, there are a number of differences between the two.
 
From what I've garnered, the 900s have soft, leather ear pads that are significantly more comfortable than the 700s'. They also have a more durable headband made of a more expensive (and also softer) material. As they are "semi-open," the sound stage is a lot bigger--which is helpful if you're gaming, as it is easier to pinpoint enemy movements. A wider sound stage also helps in certain genres of music, e.g. classical where instruments are being played all over the place. The bass from the 900s is slightly 'improved' from the 700s, although it's also slightly more "boomy"--not realy a good thing--however this can be rectified by mods.
 
After further research, the sound leakage of the 900s isn't that much worse than the 700s--and it isn't all that bad. I think I'll be ordering a pair today, before they go OOS as well.
 
Also, you might find this interesting: http://www.overclock.net/sound-cards-computer-audio/791034-jvc-rx900-sound-leakage.html#post10208097
 
Quote:

The RX700 isn't discontinued. They just sell out a few times a year and it takes time for the shipments to arrive.

 
And this is coming from someone who has owned them for years. True or not, we basically have to make the choice on whether to wait until they're back in stock and selling for $30, buy them now for $45, or buy RX900s for $55 now (and perhaps buy the 700s down the road--hey, they're just $30!).

 

[Katun]

Thanks for the link, as well as the post. You are convincing me to get them as well! (I was originally going to get the RX700, as you may already knew)
 
I think $10 can easily justify the differences between the two. Especially since I listen to Instrumental / Soundtracks more than anything.
 
Thanks for the help Xombie11, I think I may have to order some RX900's soon as well. (Maybe even today!)

 

[Warner]

Tell me about it!  I placed an order on Amazon for the 700's on July 18th at a cost of $33.95 (with free supersaver shipping) and they STILL haven't shipped yet.  The estimated shipping date is between August 2 - August 16th.  Hopefully I WILL get them eventually.  I have been really wanting to get them, so I did a search around for vendors who might actually have them in stock....when I also noticed the price increase everywhere.   I guess I'll just suck it up and wait for my Amazon order....
 
 
                              Warner

 

[Katun]

^ I'm sorry to hear. But I know exactly what you are talking about!
 
The RX700's are still available at Amazon for $40. But here is the catch. Underneath the price of the headphone it says: Usually ships in 1 to 2 months!
 
I'm just going to get the RX900's then...

 

[Xombie11]

Haha yeah, I asked an Amazon sales rep about whether that "1-2 months" was a mistake and was told that they would, in fact, take 1-2 months to ship. She said I'd receive them between August 24th and September 24th. What an amazing deal! /sarcasm



So now I'm pretty dead set on the RX900s. The only things keeping me from ordering them are (1) the length of the cord--is it 11/13' feet with an extension or is that hardwired? that's a lot of cable to lug around--and (2) now that I'm spending $60, why not double that and perhaps buy a pair of Audio-Technica's A700, which are truly closed and overall a slight improvement over the RX900s in terms of form and function.