KEF new headphones!
Jul 3, 2013 at 9:12 PM Post #301 of 685
I haven't heard the hp-100 either. I had thoughts about ordering a pair at some point until I read about some people preferring other phones that I didn't think were very good at all.
 
Jul 6, 2013 at 10:36 AM Post #303 of 685
Us guys in the UK are pretty lucky regarding the M500. They are trading in any old headphones you have for 50 pounds off the m500, making them just 200 pounds!

http://www.custom-cable.co.uk/kef-m500-headphones.html
 
Jul 7, 2013 at 3:37 PM Post #304 of 685
Quote:
Us guys in the UK are pretty lucky regarding the M500. They are trading in any old headphones you have for 50 pounds off the m500, making them just 200 pounds!

http://www.custom-cable.co.uk/kef-m500-headphones.html

 
Hahaha That's excellent.
 
Any other impressions?!? Did Asr received his already? :p
 
Jul 9, 2013 at 3:56 PM Post #306 of 685
I got a pair yesterday from Razordog. FYI, the $50 off coupon is not good on KEF, so the price of $299 is the same as anyone that is selling them in the States, but they do have free delivery and shipped quickly via Priority mail. My main reference is the Etyomic ER4P/S as I've had my pair for years. I lean towards flat response so obviously the reviews earlier in this thread got my attention, as well as the original picture that appeared on the front page. First the look and feel - nice, quality finish, not as heavy as they look, but definitely well put together. Pressure for my head is just right, quick movements might dislodge them but for normal movements and comfort the clamp is just right to me. Enough to offer some solitude from outside noise but I believe loose enough for extended wearing. Time will tell as I've only worn them an hour here and there. Too many meetings today to wear non stop. Sound - First impressions are more bass than the ER4P, voices stand out more and are very clear, and overall the music seems more alive and more energetic. I agee with the other reviews that talk about the voices seem to be right in the room with you. Hard for me to describe in technical terms. Live music is more fun to listen to on these as well. Pianos sound right, female voices are what I expect, sound stage is smaller than full size headphones but on par or bigger than IEMs. These compare very well to the ER4S which I do feel is a step above the ER4P. Other comparisons - T1 - smaller sound stage, a little more bass, clarity about the same, more edge/punch, less "Refined" sound, but definitely much closer than $300 to $1300 headphones should be. The T1 is the better headphone but not $1000 better. Momentum - If you like the Momentum you probably aren't going to like these. Less bass, mids to me are more clear, highs are a little more pronounced, and comfort is much better. My ears didn't fit the Momentum at all. It comes down to clarity vs. the Senn sound to me. AKG K702 anniversary edition - More bass but pretty close across the spectrum. Smaller sound stage. The anniversary edition, with no bumps in the headband, are hands down the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn. HE-500 - much more comfortable, a tad brighter but the overall sound is pretty close. Disclaimer, it's been a while since I had the He-500 so going from memory here. HE-500 sounded more full/smooth where the M500 has a little more edge/sparkle. W3000anv - Again , it's been a while since I had these but the M500 isn't as colorful as the W3000, more edge/aggressive and not as delicate/muscial, comfort is a tie, the wing approach on the W3000 worked for me, others maybe not. The W3000 had a more refined sound as well. This is one man's opinion and I sure don't have golden ears, I just know what I like. Hope this helps someone else decide if the M500 is for you.
 
Jul 9, 2013 at 4:10 PM Post #308 of 685
I got a pair yesterday from Razordog. FYI, the $50 off coupon is not good on KEF, so the price of $299 is the same as anyone that is selling them in the States, but they do have free delivery and shipped quickly via Priority mail. My main reference is the Etyomic ER4P/S as I've had my pair for years. I lean towards flat response so obviously the reviews earlier in this thread got my attention, as well as the original picture that appeared on the front page. First the look and feel - nice, quality finish, not as heavy as they look, but definitely well put together. Pressure for my head is just right, quick movements might dislodge them but for normal movements and comfort the clamp is just right to me. Enough to offer some solitude from outside noise but I believe loose enough for extended wearing. Time will tell as I've only worn them an hour here and there. Too many meetings today to wear non stop. Sound - First impressions are more bass than the ER4P, voices stand out more and are very clear, and overall the music seems more alive and more energetic. I agee with the other reviews that talk about the voices seem to be right in the room with you. Hard for me to describe in technical terms. Live music is more fun to listen to on these as well. Pianos sound right, female voices are what I expect, sound stage is smaller than full size headphones but on par or bigger than IEMs. These compare very well to the ER4S which I do feel is a step above the ER4P. Other comparisons - T1 - smaller sound stage, a little more bass, clarity about the same, more edge/punch, less "Refined" sound, but definitely much closer than $300 to $1300 headphones should be. The T1 is the better headphone but not $1000 better. Momentum - If you like the Momentum you probably aren't going to like these. Less bass, mids to me are more clear, highs are a little more pronounced, and comfort is much better. My ears didn't fit the Momentum at all. It comes down to clarity vs. the Senn sound to me. AKG K702 anniversary edition - More bass but pretty close across the spectrum. Smaller sound stage. The anniversary edition, with no bumps in the headband, are hands down the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn. HE-500 - much more comfortable, a tad brighter but the overall sound is pretty close. Disclaimer, it's been a while since I had the He-500 so going from memory here. HE-500 sounded more full/smooth where the M500 has a little more edge/sparkle. W3000anv - Again , it's been a while since I had these but the M500 isn't as colorful as the W3000, more edge/aggressive and not as delicate/muscial, comfort is a tie, the wing approach on the W3000 worked for me, others maybe not. The W3000 had a more refined sound as well. This is one man's opinion and I sure don't have golden ears, I just know what I like. Hope this helps someone else decide if the M500 is for you.


The code worked for me last week..after someone post about the deal here. I guess is no longer valid.
 
Jul 9, 2013 at 4:34 PM Post #309 of 685
It would have been nice to take advantage of the coupon while it worked. From their site, note the last line: "2. The instant rebate offer seems too good to be true! What’s the catch? At RazorDog! Audio our goal is to give you the lowest prices. So there’s no catch, other than some Sennheiser models are excluded from this offer: Amperior, CXC 700, HD 280, HD 518, HD 558, HD 598, HD 600, HD 650, HD 700, HD 800, IE 80, IE 800, MOMENTUM, MM 100, MM 450-X, MM 500-X, MM 550 and (X), PXC 250-ii, PXC 450, RS 160, RS 170, RS 180, and RS 220. Also excluded is the KEF M500."
 
Jul 9, 2013 at 5:08 PM Post #310 of 685
I got a pair yesterday from Razordog. FYI, the $50 off coupon is not good on KEF, so the price of $299 is the same as anyone that is selling them in the States, but they do have free delivery and shipped quickly via Priority mail. My main reference is the Etyomic ER4P/S as I've had my pair for years. I lean towards flat response so obviously the reviews earlier in this thread got my attention, as well as the original picture that appeared on the front page. First the look and feel - nice, quality finish, not as heavy as they look, but definitely well put together. Pressure for my head is just right, quick movements might dislodge them but for normal movements and comfort the clamp is just right to me. Enough to offer some solitude from outside noise but I believe loose enough for extended wearing. Time will tell as I've only worn them an hour here and there. Too many meetings today to wear non stop. Sound - First impressions are more bass than the ER4P, voices stand out more and are very clear, and overall the music seems more alive and more energetic. I agee with the other reviews that talk about the voices seem to be right in the room with you. Hard for me to describe in technical terms. Live music is more fun to listen to on these as well. Pianos sound right, female voices are what I expect, sound stage is smaller than full size headphones but on par or bigger than IEMs. These compare very well to the ER4S which I do feel is a step above the ER4P. Other comparisons - T1 - smaller sound stage, a little more bass, clarity about the same, more edge/punch, less "Refined" sound, but definitely much closer than $300 to $1300 headphones should be. The T1 is the better headphone but not $1000 better. Momentum - If you like the Momentum you probably aren't going to like these. Less bass, mids to me are more clear, highs are a little more pronounced, and comfort is much better. My ears didn't fit the Momentum at all. It comes down to clarity vs. the Senn sound to me. AKG K702 anniversary edition - More bass but pretty close across the spectrum. Smaller sound stage. The anniversary edition, with no bumps in the headband, are hands down the most comfortable headphone I've ever worn. HE-500 - much more comfortable, a tad brighter but the overall sound is pretty close. Disclaimer, it's been a while since I had the He-500 so going from memory here. HE-500 sounded more full/smooth where the M500 has a little more edge/sparkle. W3000anv - Again , it's been a while since I had these but the M500 isn't as colorful as the W3000, more edge/aggressive and not as delicate/muscial, comfort is a tie, the wing approach on the W3000 worked for me, others maybe not. The W3000 had a more refined sound as well. This is one man's opinion and I sure don't have golden ears, I just know what I like. Hope this helps someone else decide if the M500 is for you.

Thanks, very helpful comparison against some of the most revered headphones on Head-Fi. To be honest I think that some of the most well-regarded references for "neutral" sound, like the ER4S and K702, aren't actually neutral in that they have slightly less bass than what would be purely accurate. M500 on the other hand has a very slight emphasis in the mid-bass, so completely neutral should probably be somewhere in between.
 
Jul 9, 2013 at 6:23 PM Post #311 of 685
I guess I got lucky with the code as well. My pair cleared customs in Ontario today so I suspect they might be here Friday but more likely Monday or Tuesday.

Mlee's impressions make me even more excited about these :)
 
Jul 9, 2013 at 6:34 PM Post #312 of 685
Quote:
Mlee's impressions make me even more excited about these
smily_headphones1.gif

 
Not me!!! I hate his impressions!!!
(cause now I want to really try them!! LOL)
 
Jul 9, 2013 at 6:47 PM Post #313 of 685
The code for these is RAZORDOG20, which prices them at $239.99. I'm (oddly enough) teetering between these and the HD600. Anyone have both? Knowing me, I'll actually end up with both...
 
Jul 9, 2013 at 6:57 PM Post #314 of 685
Quote:
The code for these is RAZORDOG20, which prices them at $239.99. I'm (oddly enough) teetering between these and the HD600. Anyone have both? Knowing me, I'll actually end up with both...

I will have both by the end of the week!  The real question is whether you are going amped vs unamped and whether you need open vs closed. 
 
Jul 9, 2013 at 7:13 PM Post #315 of 685
Yeah common sense tells me to go with the HD600 because I'll have both an amp and a closed compliment (a pair of modded Beats Pros in all likelihood...getting them some time this week. They're said to be pretty good according to the person who modded them), but the fact that the portability of these would allow me to gift the Beats to my sister (I owe her big time for a ton of things) and allow me to kind of justify getting a nicer bassy headphone, like the DX700, is tempting.
 
I mostly care about which has better vocals because the SA5000 doesn't do vocals as well as I'd like, but I just love its speed.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top