[dweaver]

OK my pair arrived today
 
So far I love how they look and how well made they are. Unfortunately they are very slippery and loose on my head (they slide off if I bend down to tie my shoes). This issue is also affecting how they sound. My initial impression was wow are these ever bass anemic, thin sounding and brittle! If I press in the pads the sound improves substantially but this is not an ideal solution and there does not appear to be any way to tighten their grip. What's weird is I have also owned the K550 and had no issues getting a good seal. As these stand right now I think the K550 and SRH-940 are substantially better sound wise. I have plugged these in to cook over night to see if they change sonically and I am going to see if I can tighten their grip. Hopefully they improve. Otherwise these may have a very short life in my home.

 

[navii]

Yah, they also fall off my head if I bend over too. But I dont have any issues with the bass.

 

[sofastreamer]

As these stand right now I think the K550 and SRH-940 are substantially better sound wise. I have plugged these in to cook over night to see if they change sonically and I am going to see if I can tighten their grip. Hopefully they improve. Otherwise these may have a very short life in my home.

 
could you please be more precise in which way soundquality of the shure and k550 is better?

 

[dweaver]

Let me do some A/B testing between the 940 and these. For the K550 I will have to go from memory.

 

[gelocks]

Quote:

Let me do some A/B testing between the 940 and these.

 
+1
 

 

[dweaver]

I think part of my challenge is that I have been using a pair of Monster Trumpet IEM's which are a bit less energetic treble wise and while not bass heavy are a bit tilted towards the bass. So I will need to spend a few days A/B testing and just letting my brain adjust to the signature.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

I think part of my challenge is that I have been using a pair of Monster Trumpet IEM's which are a bit less energetic treble wise and while not bass heavy are a bit tilted towards the bass. So I will need to spend a few days A/B testing and just letting my brain adjust to the signature.

 
Most headphones sound odd after you have been used to listening to something else. Deprogram yourself from the others, get into the M500 world and enjoy!

 

[paddycrow]

I think the review that said people with a narrow head will have trouble was spot on. The only adjustment is up/down, they get wider as you adjust them down. I believe my melon is pretty average, I don't have an issue with them falling off. I can walk around the house, empty the washer and dryer, and have even prepared food while listening to them. I can't do anything that involves quick movements of my head, though, or they will move off my ears.

 

[robm321]

Dweaver,
 
These are much more balanced than the 940s which I sold. I liked them - especially their detail level, but they had a thin sound with a very subdued mid-bass. Also, the treble was all over the place at times. The K550s were worse than the 940s in general. The M500s are very flat and all frequencies are represented equally. They don't have that "thin" sound of the 940s. Just more polished and natural overall, and MUCH better looking.
 
Oddly enough, I have a narrow head and the K550's didn't get me the best seal but these do. They don't clamp hard at all and the bass comes through. You should be hearing weighty but neutral bass, much more than the thin sounding 940s put out.
 
I don't want to give the impression that I didn't like the 940s. Aside from the M500s, the 940s were my best option for closed phones. I really like them, but these are simply better all around IMHO.
 
Give them some time. I'm just hoping you didn't get a bad pair or something.

 

[gordo13]

I am interested to know about the noise canceling with the M500. I don't fly often but am looking for headphones for use on airplanes for the long range flights I take once a year.

 

[robm321]

They isolate OK. Somehow outside noise doesn't bother me when I'm listening to these like it does with other closed phones. I am surprised how effective they are considering their design.

To set your expectation properly, however, they don't block out sound like IEMS or the DT1350's do. You still hear what's going on around you.

 

[gordo13]

Thank you, I came across these forums a few weeks ago and have been learning a lot. I appreciate your response to my first post. Looks like these are worth trying for my overall use.

 

[dweaver]

I have not tried these on the c-train yet but my walk around the block does not give me alot of hope they will be isolating enough for transit use. But they good enough for situations where you need a bit of awareness or in quiet locations and office environments.

to be fair though I don't find most headphones good enough for transit and prefer IEM's for that purpose.

 

[blueangel2323]

Quote:

Thank you, I came across these forums a few weeks ago and have been learning a lot. I appreciate your response to my first post. Looks like these are worth trying for my overall use.

They are definitely worth trying for general use, especially if you like neutral sound. For flights, you'd need at least an over-ear can, but can't do better than a custom IEM. Yes the process is a hassle but the results are worth it. The BA2 from Cosmic Ears is a great choice for very little money (compared to other custom IEMs).

 

[astroid]

Portable headphones that fall off when bending is a major issue , especially when they are soooo pretty , imagine gouging a scar out of that powdered finish !