[Wes S]

I’ve not heard the Legacy 9 as was put off by reviews saying how bassy it was. The oh500 is quite a linear sound.

I’ve spent almost a week with the oh500 now and honestly astounded by it’s strong balance and clean tone. To my ears it’s a warm, smooth and mildly W-shaped sound. Timbre is extremely good. It’s a slightly mid focused signature which is expansive, open and very resolving of fine detail.

Bass is really impressive with a noticeable sub-bass emphasis that gives some serious impact and rumble when the track calls for it. Mid bass is linear with a slight reduction in upper bass. Overall the bass has excellent texture and definition. For my tastes it’s more than quick enough on complex tracks.

Mids sound very natural with a realistic timbre. They’re ever so slightly warmed but have excellent clarity. They are very resolving but invite you in rather throw it in your face. Vocals are forward but never get shouty. There’s no grain to be heard - the opposite - I find them very smooth and musical. I’d expect a signature like this sacrifice resolution but that’s absolutely not the case with the oh500. The mids are the star of the show here.

Rolled off highs are usually the catch with a signature like this... but the oh500 treble has real crispness and excellent detail presence. Shimmer and decay are very accurate. There’s not harshness or brightness yet detail retrieval is highly impressive. I keep looking for a catch... but if there is one, I haven’t found it yet. Treble is articulate, smooth and brilliantly balanced with mids and bass.

Sound stage seems very well-rounded with good width and excellent depth. Imaging is accurate and precise. Separation is extremely good despite the smoothness and warmth. I’ve tested them on my fastest and most complex tracks and not once have sounded chaotic or congested. Everything about the presentation is effortless.

The oh500 are extremely easy to drive and seem to be very source agnostic. I have to have them 10-20 volume steps lower than my other iems. They sound great out of my LG V30 phone but are really taken to the next level by my DX160.

Thanks for sharing! These sure sound a lot like how I would describe my Noble K10U.

 

[Wes S]

I am super interested in the OH500 after that last post, and now I am wondering if any OH500 owners have heard the Noble K10U or Savant II and could compare? I would love to have some frame of reference, going with a blind purchase. Thanks for your time!

 

[Nulliverse]

I am super interested in the OH500 after that last post, and now I am wondering if any OH500 owners have heard the Noble K10U or Savant II and could compare? I would love to have some frame of reference, going with a blind purchase. Thanks for your time!

I wish I could help you there but I’ve not heard either of the iems. The main competitor to the oh500 in this price range seems to be the DK-3001 pro. From what I’ve read that has a similarly smooth and natural signature but with less sub-bass emphasis and more mid bass emphasis. I’m not a bass head but do like a little boost at the very bottom. I need real rumble when the track demands it and the oh500 certainly accomplishes this.

I listen to a whole range of music and the oh500 is very versatile. It does any genre justice but I particularly like it for banging edm. The smoothness allows me to crank the volume up high where the bass becomes really weighty and impactful. It never congests the mids, though, and the treble remains really articulate without being fatiguing.

Preferences are so subjective and people used to a v shaped signature might find this signature boring. For me it’s very exciting, though. The mids are so resolving and amount of details offered up are anything but boring.

 

[Nulliverse]

I should add that tips change the signature drastically. Even the included tips. I’m using the black wide bores for the most balanced sound. I’ve tried spin fits and they turn the oh500 into a very warm and bassy iem.

 

[F700]

I wish I could help you there but I’ve not heard either of the iems. The main competitor to the oh500 in this price range seems to be the DK-3001 pro. From what I’ve read that has a similarly smooth and natural signature but with less sub-bass emphasis and more mid bass emphasis. I’m not a bass head but do like a little boost at the very bottom. I need real rumble when the track demands it and the oh500 certainly accomplishes this.

I listen to a whole range of music and the oh500 is very versatile. It does any genre justice but I particularly like it for banging edm. The smoothness allows me to crank the volume up high where the bass becomes really weighty and impactful. It never congests the mids, though, and the treble remains really articulate without being fatiguing.

Preferences are so subjective and people used to a v shaped signature might find this signature boring. For me it’s very exciting, though. The mids are so resolving and amount of details offered up are anything but boring.

Glad you like them

 

[buonassi]

I keep looking for a catch... but if there is one, I haven’t found it yet

well said - I agree - the closest I've come to a "catch" is if you try and boost the bass by more than 3 db - you will get some bleed and boom. I actually find the bass tightness up slightly if you shelve down the bass by 2.5 db at 150hz (centerpoint). But that's a preference thing. Without EQ they are not loose or slow. It's a good DD delivery even without EQ.

They sound great out of my LG V30 phone but are really taken to the next level by my DX160.

I have both V30 and DX160, and yup - agree here too!

I should add that tips change the signature drastically. Even the included tips. I’m using the black wide bores for the most balanced sound. I’ve tried spin fits and they turn the oh500 into a very warm and bassy iem.

I've mentioned before how these are one of the VERY few IEMs I've owned where I didn't need to EQ treble if using silicone tips. The treble is very linear with no perceived spikes (I don't care what the graph says - sine wave sweeps tell me the peaks/dips aren't nearly as emphasized as crin's graph would suggest - at least with spiral dots and my ear anatomy)

So I agree a third time on the wide bore tips (in my case spiral dots OG). They are the most balanced for FR and don't present any sibilance or etched treble in the slightest. and I'm very picky about lower treble being too hot.

@Nulliverse - I must say I've found your past few posts to be spot on with my experience. Glad you found these.

 

[Nulliverse]

Thanks @buonassi and thanks @F700 for giving me a great deal on these.

I totally agree on the treble, bounassi. I’m quite treble sensitive and can’t tolerate hotness or brightness. I also can’t stand roll of or lack of definition. The oh500’s subtle twin peaks at 6KHz and 8KHz make it sound very natural and linear to me. I too have played with sine waves and can’t detect any uncomfortable spikes or frustrating dips.

I’ve not tried Spiral Dots before. Is there any particular one that you recommend for the oh500?

 

[frix]

Yep I'm prefering spiral dots as well.
I have a cheap <$10 cable recommendation for anyone who dislikes the stock cable.
It's available in brown and a great color match for the oh500.
Has a right angled plug, no memory wire, perfect thickness and flexibility, doesn't tangle much,
and tight fitting mmcx connectors.

https://de.aliexpress.com/item/32953041901.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.6ae74c4dksP2fT

 

[Nulliverse]

Yep I'm prefering spiral dots as well.
I have a cheap <$10 cable recommendation for anyone who dislikes the stock cable.
It's available in brown and a great color match for the oh500.
Has a right angled plug, no memory wire, perfect thickness and flexibility, doesn't tangle much,
and tight fitting mmcx connectors.

https://de.aliexpress.com/item/32953041901.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.6ae74c4dksP2fT

Spiral does now ordered. Thanks.

That looks like a decent cable for an excellent price. I quite like the stock cable, actually. Stock cables have come a long way since I’ve been away from Head Fi. That said, I have a Black Widow on order I’m big fan of Toxic cables but had to sell my collection off some time ago. I think the Black Widow and OH500 will be a real nice pairing.

 

[buonassi]

I’ve not tried Spiral Dots before. Is there any particular one that you recommend for the oh500?

whichever ones fit your canals best. I haven't heard the 'plus' version, but I've always been happy with the original JVC Spiral Dots in medium or medium/large

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JSLXNOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xCn9EbNPD26XC

 

[Nulliverse]

whichever ones fit your canals best. I haven't heard the 'plus' version, but I've always been happy with the original JVC Spiral Dots in medium or medium/large

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JSLXNOC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xCn9EbNPD26XC

Thanks. I was unsure if there were different bore diameters but it looks like they’re all 4mm. I ordered the above ones from Amazon UK

 

[Nulliverse]

Dx160 users, have you experimented with low gain and high gain mode? What are your impressions? Low gain is more than enough to drive the oh500 (even a smart phone will have more than enough drive) but I’m interested in how it changes the signature. At equal volume high gain sounds more punchy and aggressive to me.

 

[buonassi]

^^^ interesting observation. I've noticed this with almost all DAPs and even my desktop amps. I'm not sure why this is, but it happens with most all of my IEMs and Cans too.

It could have something to do with gain and how it's 'biased'? But I'm no electrical engineer.

 

[Nulliverse]

I think you’re probably right buonassi.

My spiral dots arrived. They definitely take the oh500 to the next level in as far as I can hear. Spaciousness, separation and imaging are breathtaking. I’m astounded by the amount of information and details that are offered up. It’s actually quite disorientating coming from the E5000

 

[buonassi]

If any of you guys here use Neutron, try the EQ settings Toranku interpolated to match his target curve. They aren't huge changes, but a few DB here and there really bring just that much more balance to the OH500.

Full credit of the attached files goes to @toranku - aka 'corn' on audioDiscourse:

Here is the Post response:

Here are the setting that you plug into Neutron. I can't guarantee these will work with other PEQ programs because Q values aren't universal (but Neutron and REW are very close if not exactly the same)

Filter Settings file

Room EQ V5.20 Beta 49
Dated: 22 May, 2020 2:50:39 PM

Notes:

Equaliser: Generic
OH500 R
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20.00 Hz Gain 1.60 dB Q 0.710
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 90.00 Hz Gain -2.10 dB Q 1.000
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 200.0 Hz Gain -1.40 dB Q 1.671
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 557.0 Hz Gain 2.90 dB Q 1.000
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 1646 Hz Gain -4.40 dB Q 1.377
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 3010 Hz Gain 3.00 dB Q 2.831
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 4530 Hz Gain 1.90 dB Q 7.171
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 5317 Hz Gain 10.00 dB Q 2.861
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 5922 Hz Gain 3.30 dB Q 5.049
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 6371 Hz Gain -9.00 dB Q 5.000

I ended up completely omitting filters 8,9,10 and had better results. I used Spiral Dot medium tips with moderate (medium) insertion.