[Katun]

Anyone have any experience with these two?
I would use it for soundtracks and games.
Which has better soundstage, bass, comfort, etc.
General recommendation please.

Thanks for any input!

 

[1Time]

I have not heard either one.

FWIR...

I would buy the RX700 and mod it.

The porta pro stands a better chance of being a preferred choice if sensitive to heat build up inside closed ear cups (sweating) and/or if wanting more emphasis on the high frequencies.

 

[Graphicism]

The RX700 has terrific soundstage, comfort is decent when modded and overall sound is comparable to the Denon D2000.

 

[GaryPham]

i have not heard the RX700, but I do have a pair of portapros that I love very much. I find them to be very comfortable and would describe the bass as someone else before me had mentioned as "syrupy smooth". Soundstage is decent, and I find them very comfortable. I also really like the fact that they're portable and are very easily driven so they sound great without an amp. If I were to rank all the headphones that I've owned before/currently own. I would rank them in the following order

AD700 > Yuin PK3 > Portapros > HD485 > Grado SR60 > KSC75 > Panasonic RTX7

 

[Katun]

Thanks for all the input!

I already had the PortaPros for about 4 months, but I am probably going to upgrade them to the RX700.
(sell the portapros to my sister) I need something to hold me until my Christmas AD700s.

Besides, I'm sick of the PortaPros "rest on the ear pads" (guess I wouldn't like Grado

)

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katun /img/forum/go_quote.gif I need something to hold me until my Christmas AD700s.

I'd put the RX700 above the AD700 in terms of SQ and detail, perhaps on par or above AD900. What source/amp/DAC will you be using them with... perhaps that should be your Christmas upgrade.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphicism /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd put the RX700 above the AD700 in terms of SQ and detail, perhaps on par or above AD900. What source/amp/DAC will you be using them with... perhaps that should be your Christmas upgrade.

Wow do I have a lot of questions now...

1 - If the RX700 is so good, why in the heck does JVC market it so low?!
2 - Does the RX700 do soundtracks better than the AD700? I already know it can't beat it's soundstage.
3 - The RX700 needs an amp?! (if so, what kind)
4 - I've heard the DX1/DX3 is a whole lot better than the RX700/RX900. If the RX700 competes with AD900,
where does this place the DX series?!

(No, I'm not yelling. This is my "surprised" tone)

I mostly listen to soundtracks, thus I'm getting the AD700 as my "top of the line phone"

Wow, I'm confused...

 

[THAY BRAN]

Love the portapro
#

 

[Graphicism]

1 - No idea. I don't think a headphone should be undermined simply because of it's price tag. After comparing the RX700 and the much more expensive $300 Denon D2000 to my surprise I preferred the JVCs.

2 - Soundtracks is extremely broad and covers an entire genre of music, you could be talking about something slow like 'Walk The Line' soundtrack with music from Jonny Cash or fast like 'The Dark Knight', either way the RX700 is a better all rounder. Perhaps it would be better to say what genre of music you like and/or what you want the cans to excel with.

3 - All headphones benefit from an amp and a decent DAC. If you currently use an ipod or say a computer soundcard then you'd benefit from amp/DAC. I use a Zero which sounds excellent with the RX700s, costs $120-$150 used with opamp upgrades.

4 - Depends who you ask, I know those of whom prefer the RX700 to the DX3, calling the DX series bass lacking and shrill.

 

[RallyMaster]

Whoa whoa whoa. I will definitely disagree with the RX700 having better SQ than the AD700. I'll admit that the AD700 isn't the clearest can and makes some vocals sound a bit scratchy (Taylor Swift sounds like a 40 year old smoker) but the RX700 resonates and makes everything sound muddy from my experience.

1. I will have to argue that the RX700 is indeed priced a bit too low for the type of sound that comes out of it but the cheap, squeaky ball bearing joints and the fact that it looks unrefined and bulky makes me feel like the $33 price tag is about right for an entry level headphone.
2. The RX700 does bass-heavy stuff better than the AD700 but the AD700 does everything else (anything with real instruments) better and certainly sounds better with movie/game soundtracks. For soundtracks, however, I would recommend looking at the Sennheiser HD555.
3. The RX700 doesn't need an amp but it can benefit from one.
4. The DX3 is extremely analytical compared to my RX700 and RX900 and even compared to my Sennheiser HD595. It's the type of headphone you get for critical listening to every single detail in the music. It's fatiguing if you listen to it for too long, in my experience but the HD595 is mellow in comparison and causes me to go to sleep easily. I have not had any experience with the DX1 to tell you how they sound but I'm sure ourfpshero knows a bit about that. The DX3 is a punch-you-in-the-face with details type of headphone and you'll constantly be listening for that bit of detail you never heard before in songs you swore you've heard 80 times before.

Don't worry about being confused. Getting into a new hobby is like walking into an engineering lecture. You never know what you're going to learn and sometimes what you learn just doesn't make sense. That's why you take a related lab that will make you go, "Aha!" Audiophilia is like that. You can read a bunch of posts about folks with different headphones but that's like reading a textbook and trying to visualize how the concepts are applied. Start off by buying a headphone. Go around and try a few and get a feel for what you like. Gosh, I swear that sentence requires a mandatory "Sorry about your wallet."

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RallyMaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif Whoa whoa whoa. I will definitely disagree with the RX700 having better SQ than the AD700. I'll admit that the AD700 isn't the clearest can and makes some vocals sound a bit scratchy (Taylor Swift sounds like a 40 year old smoker) but the RX700 resonates and makes everything sound muddy from my experience.

The RX700 doesn't discolor vocals or sound scratchy at all, in fact it's one of my favorite headphones to listen to the likes of Jack Johnson and similar acoustic music. Sennheiser HD580 running a PPX3 SLAM is my all time favorite, the Yuin PK3 are up there too. They don't resonate at all, and most certainly don't sound muddy from a decent source. Did you modify them and did you use a decent source?

Quote:

Originally Posted by RallyMaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif 2. The RX700 does bass-heavy stuff better than the AD700 but the AD700 does everything else (anything with real instruments) better and certainly sounds better with movie/game soundtracks. For soundtracks, however, I would recommend looking at the Sennheiser HD555. ...

While everyone is entitled to their own opinion you have see how fabricated this sentence is; as I said previously movie/game soundtracks include every genre known to the music world, how can you say a particular headphones excels with this?

Example of the mod, just add dampening material to speaker cup and driver. The other mod being to stuff foam under the cushion to add sound stage and correct the 'boominess'.

 

[Katun]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RallyMaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif Whoa whoa whoa. I will definitely disagree with the RX700 having better SQ than the AD700. I'll admit that the AD700 isn't the clearest can and makes some vocals sound a bit scratchy (Taylor Swift sounds like a 40 year old smoker) but the RX700 resonates and makes everything sound muddy from my experience. 1. I will have to argue that the RX700 is indeed priced a bit too low for the type of sound that comes out of it but the cheap, squeaky ball bearing joints and the fact that it looks unrefined and bulky makes me feel like the $33 price tag is about right for an entry level headphone. 2. The RX700 does bass-heavy stuff better than the AD700 but the AD700 does everything else (anything with real instruments) better and certainly sounds better with movie/game soundtracks. For soundtracks, however, I would recommend looking at the Sennheiser HD555. 3. The RX700 doesn't need an amp but it can benefit from one. 4. The DX3 is extremely analytical compared to my RX700 and RX900 and even compared to my Sennheiser HD595. It's the type of headphone you get for critical listening to every single detail in the music. It's fatiguing if you listen to it for too long, in my experience but the HD595 is mellow in comparison and causes me to go to sleep easily. I have not had any experience with the DX1 to tell you how they sound but I'm sure ourfpshero knows a bit about that. The DX3 is a punch-you-in-the-face with details type of headphone and you'll constantly be listening for that bit of detail you never heard before in songs you swore you've heard 80 times before. Don't worry about being confused. Getting into a new hobby is like walking into an engineering lecture. You never know what you're going to learn and sometimes what you learn just doesn't make sense. That's why you take a related lab that will make you go, "Aha!" Audiophilia is like that. You can read a bunch of posts about folks with different headphones but that's like reading a textbook and trying to visualize how the concepts are applied. Start off by buying a headphone. Go around and try a few and get a feel for what you like. Gosh, I swear that sentence requires a mandatory "Sorry about your wallet."

Wow, thanks for all that

Yeah, I'm gonna have to try multiple models to see the kind of "sound" I like. I'll most likely get the RX700s now,
(to replace PortaPros) and still get the AD700 for Christmas (of course!)

(Yes, later on I will upgrade from those too! Baby steps...)

Oh, and about soundtracks... I don't have any with vocals. Just the winds, brass, and strings in all their glory.

 

[Zombie_X]

I'm interested in a RX700 as well. I do own a PortaPro and like them a lot, but and intrigued by the RX700 since many claim it sound phenomenal.

 

[RallyMaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphicism /img/forum/go_quote.gif The RX700 doesn't discolor vocals or sound scratchy at all, in fact it's one of my favorite headphones to listen to the likes of Jack Johnson and similar acoustic music. Sennheiser HD580 running a PPX3 SLAM is my all time favorite, the Yuin PK3 are up there too. They don't resonate at all, and most certainly don't sound muddy from a decent source. Did you modify them and did you use a decent source? While everyone is entitled to their own opinion you have see how fabricated this sentence is; as I said previously movie/game soundtracks include every genre known to the music world, how can you say a particular headphones excels with this? Example of the mod, just add dampening material to speaker cup and driver. The other mod being to stuff foam under the cushion to add sound stage and correct the 'boominess'.

No, I have not modded the RX700 (and I've given it away, so I can't now). I have, however, modded the RX900 by removing the mentioned felt which is supposed to make the biggest difference but in the end, I still went back to my DX3/HD595 because I'm just not getting the feeling that those cans suit me. I ran the RX700+RX900 from my X-Fi and the RX700 from both the X-Fi and my laptop. The HD595 sounded much more refined out of my laptop than the RX700 did, which is why I left the RX700 in China with my cousin. Different strokes for different folks I guess. I'm not too interested in modding my headphones because I feel like headphones should sound good (after x-hours of burn in) and not after extensive modding.

 

[Graphicism]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RallyMaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif No, I have not modded the RX700 (and I've given it away, so I can't now). I have, however, modded the RX900 by removing the mentioned felt which is supposed to make the biggest difference but in the end, I still went back to my DX3/HD595 because I'm just not getting the feeling that those cans suit me. I ran the RX700+RX900 from my X-Fi and the RX700 from both the X-Fi and my laptop. The HD595 sounded much more refined out of my laptop than the RX700 did, which is why I left the RX700 in China with my cousin. Different strokes for different folks I guess. I'm not too interested in modding my headphones because I feel like headphones should sound good (after x-hours of burn in) and not after extensive modding.

The felt removal mod makes a very minor difference if any, the additional ear padding made the biggest difference I've ever heard in a headphone mod which is likely to do with setting the driver back. The dampening mod simple got rid of any resonating tones. I too have never modded a headphone before now but at $33 shipped I figured I haven't got anything to lose and was more than pleased with the outcome, the result was almost a different headphone.

As far running a headphone directly from a laptop you are going to get mixed results which won't be shared across the board, I've found soundcards to sound somewhat lifeless compared to a separate amp/DAC. You're probably only hearing about 50% of what they have to offer.