[sebaz]

I recently bought the JVC HA-RX500. I ended up returning them because the mids were too high for my taste. I kind of liked the effect for some music, but overall they sounded rather unnatural compared to all the headphones I ever heard and to my speakers. They had kind of a "cupped hands effect". However, they also had great bass and highs, far far better than my Sonys MDR-V150 (which are obviously a piece of crap). Now I'm kind of regretting sending them back because maybe I judged them without giving them any burn in time. But I've been reading about the bigger models and I'm considering those now.
 
So far what I got from reading on forums is that the 900s are ported and the 700s are closed. People seem to agree that the 900s have better bass, but one thing that worries me is that also many people are saying that the 900s don't have very good highs. Now, I don't know if those people mean that they don't have the crisp ear piercing highs that you get when you exaggerate the range between 4 and 8 Khz (which I have heard in quite a few expensive headphones at Best Buy), or if they have a falloff at around 8 Khz, which then I wouldn't like because while I hate the high frequencies I described above, I really like the ones from 8 to 20 Khz.
 
That said, the highs in the RX500 sounded great to me, so if the RX700 and RX900 have the same highs I'd be quite pleased with them. Did anybody here listen to all three models to tell the difference?
 
Also, a long time ago I had a pair of Grado SR60 which to me were like being in music heaven, they were the best headphones I ever had until one of the cans blew. Since back then I was overseas I couldn't do anything more than throwing them away. However, I'm also considering getting a pair of Grado SR80s. The only thing preventing me from getting them (besides the high price) is that I read quite a few reviews of people saying that theirs also blew, and that trying to get GradoLabs to honor the warranty had been a nightmare, if they even could get them on the phone. Being that my SR60s blew just three months after buying them, I'm a little reluctant to spend $100 on them.
 
So what I would like to ask is this:
 
1) do the RX700 and 900 have exaggerated mids? If so, which of these two have less exaggerated mids?
2) which one has better highs?
3) how much better is the bass in the RX900 compared to the RX700?
4) has anyone here heard the RX700, 900 and the Grado SR80, and if so, which one do you prefer?
 
Sorry for the long post and thanks for any replies.
 
Sebastian

 

[Graphicism]

The JVC RX700 are very good headphones, I don't think you'll be disappointed for 30-some bucks. I haven't heard both but do remember reading that the 700s were better for music and 900s for games. The mids on the 700s are slightly set back if anything, you mentioned Grado SR60 which are extremely forward. There are also a few easy mods you can do which open up these cans and increase the highs and bass if needs be.
 
Welcome to Head-Fi!

 

[sebaz]

One thing that is confusing me, I read in another thread that the RX700 is better than the RX900 for rock, which is mostly what I listen to, along with pop and some jazz. But what exactly would make the 700 better than the 900 for rock?

 

[Graphicism]

The 700s are more forward in the treble which you want for rock, the 900s will be set back a little which also creates a slightly better soundstage.

 

[Tacoboy]

If your planning on doing any modds to the JVC headphone, might as well get the cheaper one.
If your not planning on modds, go RX900.
I've only seen a few posts about the RX700s sound better then the RX900s.

 

[sebaz]

Well, until I started reading about all this, I didn't even know that headphones could be "modded", or even that there were dedicated headphones amps. I know that not only the headphones but also the receiver makes a huge difference in sound quality. Unfortunately my receiver has EQ only for speakers, but when the headphones are plugged in the only EQ available is basic Bass and Treble, which I haven't tested what frequencies it touches. One thing I can tell you is that Winamp with the Studio Sound FX output plugin will improve the sound quality by a lot compared to just plain. That is of course, as long as you listen to 320 kbps MP3s, or Flac, not 128 kbps mp3s.
 
Graphicism, I saw your thread on modding the RX700. The liner you used there, is that the regular liner you get at Walmart or similar stores? I'm asking because the one in your photos seems rather thin compared to the ones I've seen at stores. And about the liner, how much bass does it remove? I wouldn't mind modding them, as long as I lose very little bass or not at all preferably.

 

[sebaz]

I just received the RX700. These are the best headphones I've ever had, I think better than the Grado SR60. They are just perfect out of the box. If the 100 hours break in period everyone talks about are going to make them better that will be great, but I'm perfectly happy as they are. I don't even need to open them up to do any modding. I don't understand some people that say that the highs are not that great. I mean, I'm 40 so I don't have a great hearing when it comes to high frequencies, in fact I usually find the flat EQ settings of most receivers really lacking in them, but with these headphones I had to set the treble to -3 dB. I don't see the need to do any modding on them at all.
 
What makes me curious is the large difference in the sound signature between this model and the model right below it, the RX500. The RX500 has extremely boosted mids and sounds really artificial. The RX700 has the mids equalized perfectly, in fact this is what I call a flat curve. All the frequencies are at the perfect level, none stands out unless you equalize it that way.
 
I was at Best Buy the other day and I listened to the Bose that were from $150 to $300, and then those Dr. Dre, some of which were $400, and they were all inferior to the RX700.
 
One thing to keep in mind, though, these are really bulky and they tighten your head a little bit. They are also rather hot, no surprise there. For what I remember, the RX500 were more comfortable than these, but well, sound quality is the first priority for me, and these are fantastic for that. Can't believe I only paid $36 + shipping for them.