[sofastreamer]

that would be the same signature as the hifiman re400

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Sounds a lot like how you described the PSB M4U...but you mentioned these KEF sound like a combo of the MDR-1R & Momentum. How would you say they compare to the PSB (this is what I was hoping you'd A/B with)?
 

 
More air on the top and bass is a bit more defined. But M400 is physically smaller and has a smaller footprint....like a smaller screen TV. Smaller almost always seems to be tighter and move faster.
 
Quote:

that would be the same signature as the hifiman re400

 
Haven't heard those...in-ear, right?

 

[sofastreamer]

Quote:

 
More air on the top and bass is a bit more defined. But M400 is physically smaller and has a smaller footprint....like a smaller screen TV. Smaller almost always seems to be tighter and move faster.
 
Haven't heard those...in-ear, right?

yes

 

[alpha10]

Wow, sounds good. how about isolation? Do they isolate well from outside noise and vice versa ?

Thanks

Limited listening due to family health issues, but I am really liking the M500. The sound is spacious but upfront at the same time. Extremely well balanced and detailed but not bright sounding in the least. Sonic signature is recording-dependent.....you seem to get what's there. Sometimes bass is thin, sometimes thicker and warm....Bright recordings will be bright but well recorded stuff seems to have almost electrostat-like treble. You get wonderful midrange detail while keeping timbres correct and natural. Midrange to treble is seamless. Bass does go deep when necessary and stays relatively tight, but again, depends on the recording. If a had to make a comparison (which everyone always wants/needs) I am almost tempted to say that the M500 sounds like a combination of the sonics of the Momentum and the MDR-1R, but that was more of an immediate reaction. I will need more listening time. But I do seem to hear the midrange clarity of the 1R with the smoothness and detail of the Momentum....thus far. But I am loathe to say that because to me the M500 sounds like the recording, the other two do not....thus far.

What I like the most is the airy, unfettered, uncompressed quality to the whole sound.....music just floats nautrally ..not shaped and colored like with many closed headphones. And the comfort is top-notch...think of the feeling of two marshmallows pressing gently on your ears.

 

[Beagle]

Isolation is fair, better than the B&W P3, but not near the Momentum's ability to block out the world. I don't notice any sound leaking out at moderate volume levels.
 
Every day I am more impressed by the M500. This is the first on-ear headphone I've used that can show up the individual sonic character of recordings. Most on-ears (because of their smaller size and lack of breathing room) shape and editorialize the sound, and all music sounds filtered through that headphone's sound. I was listening to the HDCD of Roxy Music "Flesh and Blood" and hearing different levels of bass from track to track. And I was convinced that the M500 did not do the lower registers of bass because I was not hearing much down there. But when low bass notes are present, they are reproduced cleanly and without exaggeration or overhang. This keeps the midrange area clear of murk and fog and detail is never smudged.

 

[alpha10]

Sounds good Beagle, did you try them unamped? Are they efficent enough for an iPod?

 

[Beagle]

I didn't try them unamped yet, but they would work fine with an iPhone....the box has the "made for iPad iPhone iPod" sticker on it.
 
Midrange clarity is amazing, even with busy mixes.

 

[paddycrow]

I've been a big KEF fan since I bought a pair of 104/2 speakers about 25 years ago. I was sad to see them go bankrupt, but they seem to have come through it OK. These headphones are definitely on my list. Thanks for the review. Now if I could just find a retail outlet where I could try them out...

 

[Trunks159]

Oh these just seem so good. I'm trying to choose between these and the sz1000/2000

 

[bourdieu]

Quote:

Limited listening due to family health issues, but I am really liking the M500. The sound is spacious but upfront at the same time. Extremely well balanced and detailed but not bright sounding in the least. Sonic signature is recording-dependent.....you seem to get what's there. Sometimes bass is thin, sometimes thicker and warm....Bright recordings will be bright but well recorded stuff seems to have almost electrostat-like treble. You get wonderful midrange detail while keeping timbres correct and natural. Midrange to treble is seamless. Bass does go deep when necessary and stays relatively tight, but again, depends on the recording. If a had to make a comparison (which everyone always wants/needs) I am almost tempted to say that the M500 sounds like a combination of the sonics of the Momentum and the MDR-1R, but that was more of an immediate reaction. I will need more listening time. But I do seem to hear the midrange clarity of the 1R with the smoothness and detail of the Momentum....thus far. But I am loathe to say that because to me the M500 sounds like the recording, the other two do not....thus far.
 
What I like the most is the airy, unfettered, uncompressed quality to the whole sound.....music just floats nautrally ..not shaped and colored like with many closed headphones. And the comfort is top-notch...think of the feeling of two marshmallows pressing gently on your ears.

Thanks for the detail impression.
 
I have also ordered a pair which should be arriving soon. I can't wait to try them on.

 

[Beagle]

I cannot stress how important the light clamping force is. If I press the earpieces into my ears (to simulate a tighter clamp), the magic disappears, the sound becomes muddy. So these will be fine for sitting at your computer or workstation, or listening in bed at night, or walking. If you jog or use the gym, they will move around and probably fall off. If I shake my head or look down, they do fall off.
 
Sorry for using "if" so many times..

 

[alpha10]

Beagle, can you show some pictures of the headphones?

Does an iPod Touch fit in the case with the headphones, can you check that for me?

Thanks

 

[Beagle]

Here is an unboxing video that might help..

 

[Schonen]

<comment on someone's sig in this thread>
 
'You Are Not So Smart': Why We Can't Tell Good Wine From Bad"
 
"The Misconception: Wine is a complicated elixir, full of subtle flavors only an expert can truly distinguish, and experienced tasters are impervious to deception."
 
Bollocks. When a wine taste more like what goes on me fish and chips than what I drink it is plain old bad.
 
</end comment>
 
Headphones are great!

 

[sofastreamer]