KEF M500/M200 Impressions Thread
May 20, 2015 at 7:02 PM Post #1,097 of 1,358
New Kef headphones

http://www.whathifi.com/news/kef-launches-m400-ear-and-m100-in-ear-headphones


Looks like they are going backwards instead of forwards in more ways than one...
 
May 20, 2015 at 8:02 PM Post #1,098 of 1,358
New Kef headphones

http://www.whathifi.com/news/kef-launches-m400-ear-and-m100-in-ear-headphones


Woah, new KEF headphones announced! Looks like I came back to this thread just in time.
Sucks to see that the M400 is basically M500 in Beats colors. Nice rendering of how a black M500 would look like, pretty slick (the blue one is horrid).
Also looks like the audio jack is at the bottom of the earcup, which of course makes way more sense. The earpads look slightly thicker in that rendering, but who knows.
Maybe this is the slightly improved M500 I've been looking for. Not that I'll be spending that MSRP (300$ again? lol good luck guys)
 
edit: and lol at the marketing material on their website. everything about this headphone screams "hipster".
 
May 21, 2015 at 11:22 AM Post #1,099 of 1,358
I'm not sure if people are reading this thread any longer but I felt that I needed to say more about the M500.
 
First, in my long and frustrating quest to find the right headphones, I have had an extended trial of (or own) VModa M80, VModa LP2, Beats Executive, Bose QC1 and Kef M500. I have also spent a fair bit of time in the Bose store listening to the QC25 and Soundtrue over ear phones.
 
In the real work, sound quality is subjective. We have different taste in music, different environments, different priorities, different sources and, most importantly, different hearing. In my case, I may have damaged my hearing with some gaming headphones. My hearing is certainly not as good as it was a couple of years ago.
 
Over Christmas I had access to all of the above sans the Kef for a full month. When comparing them, I could hear a difference but I could not definitively say that one sounded better than the other. That statement may bother some people but you must understand that in MY UNIQUE WORLD, quality was roughly equal.
 
All of that changed with the M500. The M500 is clearly and distinctly better. I lack the audiophile vocabulary to properly explain but it was like going from mono to stereo. It was that much better, After listening to the M500s for an hour, I put the QC1s on and thought, for the first time "oh my, that doesn't sound good at all". Terms like "richer, fuller, grander, more alive" come to mind. It wasn't louder but it seemed louder, if that makes any sense. I felt the music with the Kefs rather than just hearing the music with the rest.
 
I thought it was important to express just how good the Kef phones are. I absolutely hate sending them back, especially since I managed to get such a good deal (relatively) on them but the two problems are untenable. I mentioned the loose fit initially but the pounding sound when my foot strikes the ground while walking is also a big negative.
 
If, however, my problems are not problems for you, then I recommend the M500s without reservation.
 
At this time, I'm leaning toward the new Bose. They are expensive and the sound quality is not up to the Kef but they are very, very comfortable for longer sessions and that is a major concern. They also remain securely planted. I may try the ATH-M40x or ATH-M50x first but they are much heavier and probably not as comfortable for the long walks.
 
May 21, 2015 at 11:59 AM Post #1,100 of 1,358
 
I'm not sure if people are reading this thread any longer but I felt that I needed to say more about the M500.
 
First, in my long and frustrating quest to find the right headphones, I have had an extended trial of (or own) VModa M80, VModa LP2, Beats Executive, Bose QC1 and Kef M500. I have also spent a fair bit of time in the Bose store listening to the QC25 and Soundtrue over ear phones.
 
In the real work, sound quality is subjective. We have different taste in music, different environments, different priorities, different sources and, most importantly, different hearing. In my case, I may have damaged my hearing with some gaming headphones. My hearing is certainly not as good as it was a couple of years ago.
 
Over Christmas I had access to all of the above sans the Kef for a full month. When comparing them, I could hear a difference but I could not definitively say that one sounded better than the other. That statement may bother some people but you must understand that in MY UNIQUE WORLD, quality was roughly equal.
 
All of that changed with the M500. The M500 is clearly and distinctly better. I lack the audiophile vocabulary to properly explain but it was like going from mono to stereo. It was that much better, After listening to the M500s for an hour, I put the QC1s on and thought, for the first time "oh my, that doesn't sound good at all". Terms like "richer, fuller, grander, more alive" come to mind. It wasn't louder but it seemed louder, if that makes any sense. I felt the music with the Kefs rather than just hearing the music with the rest.
 
I thought it was important to express just how good the Kef phones are. I absolutely hate sending them back, especially since I managed to get such a good deal (relatively) on them but the two problems are untenable. I mentioned the loose fit initially but the pounding sound when my foot strikes the ground while walking is also a big negative.
 
If, however, my problems are not problems for you, then I recommend the M500s without reservation.
 
At this time, I'm leaning toward the new Bose. They are expensive and the sound quality is not up to the Kef but they are very, very comfortable for longer sessions and that is a major concern. They also remain securely planted. I may try the ATH-M40x or ATH-M50x first but they are much heavier and probably not as comfortable for the long walks.
 

 
Good post and interesting impressions! I've had my M500's for a while, and although they don't get as much airplay as they used to (you know, one set of ears and too much gears), whenever I put them on, I'm impressed with the SQ. One thing I really love about them is the bass, which is one of the things that makes them "richer, fuller, grander, more alive" for me. I also love the comfort for on ears. My only real quibble is the looseness on the head.
 
Jun 24, 2015 at 8:39 AM Post #1,102 of 1,358
Well, I noticed what I believe to be a defect with the M200s today. The right ear piece makes a faint rattling noise in the background on some tracks. It's not constant. Also, it can't be heard on some tracks. I've tried different sources and headphones and the noise is only on the right ear piece of the Kef. Anyone else have a similar experience? Guess I'll contact Newegg tomorrow about getting a replacement. Oh, it's much louder on phone calls. Sad day today.


I'm wondering if I've heard this a few times.
[VIDEO]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jY0-gPvYKMA[/VIDEO]

I hear it in the bass line in the left earpiece, as an example, at 40 through 55 seconds in. Sounds like rattling in the earphone, and only seems noticeable when I crank the volume. Can anyone else hear it?

So which tips ended up working for you?


I've since switched tips lol. The struggle is real. :p
 
Jul 16, 2015 at 5:41 PM Post #1,104 of 1,358

 
Well I finally did it, I cut off those gumby ear arms. Hack saw blade surgery.  Man what a difference!  Now they do not pop loose every time I smile. These are now my favorite out of my entire inventory.  Glorious sounding phones that now stay put. If I ever get a dremel I will smooth them out more, but they are really not bad filed with the leatherman file.
 
Jul 16, 2015 at 5:51 PM Post #1,105 of 1,358
 
 
Well I finally did it, I cut off those gumby ear arms. Hack saw blade surgery.  Man what a difference!  Now they do not pop loose every time I smile. These are now my favorite out of my entire inventory.  Glorious sounding phones that now stay put. If I ever get a dremel I will smooth them out more, but they are really not bad filed with the leatherman file.

 
Crap.  I just sold mine...
 
Jul 16, 2015 at 8:33 PM Post #1,106 of 1,358
   

 
Well I finally did it, I cut off those gumby ear arms. Hack saw blade surgery.  Man what a difference!  Now they do not pop loose every time I smile. These are now my favorite out of my entire inventory.  Glorious sounding phones that now stay put. If I ever get a dremel I will smooth them out more, but they are really not bad filed with the leatherman file.

 
Cool! Thanks for being the maverick - I may very well do the same thing with mine now, because the only thing that really holds me back from using them are the clunky earhooks. You're the man!
 
Jul 16, 2015 at 11:57 PM Post #1,107 of 1,358
 
 
Well I finally did it, I cut off those gumby ear arms. Hack saw blade surgery.  Man what a difference!  Now they do not pop loose every time I smile. These are now my favorite out of my entire inventory.  Glorious sounding phones that now stay put. If I ever get a dremel I will smooth them out more, but they are really not bad filed with the leatherman file.

I was considering to do this all the time but... You are brave!
gs1000.gif

 
Jul 17, 2015 at 9:16 AM Post #1,108 of 1,358
Like many here I aways thought these were excellent sounding phones hampered by poor fit, so they languished in my collection mostly unused. So I started to experiment with ear clip positions and came to the conclusion that swinging them completely out of the way so they make no contact provided most secure fit. It seems that because of they long barrel with the clip attached to the back of barrel providing much leverage plus having two contact points that do not move in unison (ie. ear canal and ear cartilage), any slight movement of jaw will break seal. Now with only one contact point (ear canal) the phone is allowed to float with no lever to break seal. Of course leaving the hooks on still added useless mass that only got in the way and since I only had 50 bucks into them ( if I paid full price I would not have been so brave), I first got out the tin snips and cut the hooks off at the base of the aluminum arm. Of course the steel core inside the rubber prove to be quite tough. FYI if you attempt this mod be sure to protect drivers from the metal fillings by covering all holes with Saran wrap to prevent them from attracting metal dust. That worked well except there was still useless weight. So I decided to get out the hacksaw and carefully sawed the aluminum arms off as close to housing as I could. Note in the picture that the rubber and metal core are still visible at the scar, providing evidence of robust build. Anyway i would suggest that you try swinging the arms away first before cutting them off to be sure your personal experience matches mine, knowing that if you notice improvement it will only get better as you remove mass. These are quite light in the ear and I am amazed at how secure the fit is now. And despite the barrel length I can even sleep with them in relative comfort. And now they are no longer languishing on my stand but are getting most of my ear time.
 
Jul 20, 2015 at 1:01 PM Post #1,109 of 1,358
Selling my M200.  PM if interested.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/775166/kef-m200-philips-fidelio-s2-zero-audio-carbo-singolo
 
Aug 3, 2015 at 8:48 AM Post #1,110 of 1,358
  Selling my M200.  PM if interested.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/775166/kef-m200-philips-fidelio-s2-zero-audio-carbo-singolo

I'm dropping the price every Monday until it sells.
 

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