[bloodhawk]

Well....im stuck in a weird dilemma...

First let me describe what all im going to use them with :

Cowon D2 8GB
FiiO E5
and a ASUS Xonar (on PC)

i already have the PL30's ....had some cash to blow and thought why not give the CX500's a try since i had heard quite a lot about them .....

PL30's i feel lack a little in the bass department .... and shine really well in the rest (considering the retail price point)....

So guys help this poor newbie out!

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UPDATE 1: Im using em without the E5 for now..only the Cowon D2 with the EQ flat and BBE settings at : 2-4-3-2-(check)-0

Initial Impressions :

Right Out of package : WTH! no bass??

30 Mins Later : Walao!!! Im all shakin (Joking) ... these are opening up pretty fast...but still there is plenty of room for improvement...

2 Hours later :

The highs are very sharp..not the irritating or piercing sharp but yes sharp and clear...there is plenty of room for them to settle down...and that is happening with each song i play...The guitar sounds beautiful..
The best part is now i actually can make out when the drum sticks hit the membrane...there is a slight punch to it

. Im wondering if this is the right now ,then where is a 50-60 Hr burn in going to take these...i simply cant wait..
Mids are right there....you just cannot escape them...but kinda into the face..maybe they'll settle down within a day or 2 ..
Same goes for the lows, very clear and have a very deep punch to them.Beautiful reverberations

They fit beautifully in my ears with the small tips...have ordered the Comply Tx400's though just to try em out

Except for the first 30 mins...i find these IEM's to performing almost opposite of what most of the reviews here tend to state...exactly the way i wan them to.

Im waiting for them to complete the burn in after which ill see what difference the E5 makes

The cord is kinda short yes..and excessively long using the extender..So i just coiled up a part of the extension cable...to attain my favorable length

More updates tomorrow...

Also will be posting impressions with the AMP3 soon...

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UPDATE 2 : After about 50 hours of use.... i have only one word : AWESOME!

Only complain i have right now is that the soundstage is not that great...maybe it will improve with a amp (waiting for the AMP3 for now)

The Comply Tx400's also arrived yesterday ... they improved the soundstage quite a bit...with the Bass being much cleared and punchy...

I read somewhere that these need a optimal burn in of about 150 Hrs + for best performance...so doing that right now....

But seriosly anyone who plans on getting these...should order a pack of Comply Tx400's or T400's atleast....for best isolation and Bass

More updates asa i complete the Burn in

btw . again i fail to observe why other reviewers tend to find these to be sharp :S

 

[sebhuber]

Hi vikid,

before giving you any suggestions, I would advise you to elaborate on the following:
genres? budget?

Maybe then head-fi could give you more accurate suggestions fitting your needs..

 

[HorvaTT]

If you considering Senn's and want tu real upgrade from PL30 (which I have had) better try IEx series..

 

[CENTRAL]

The CX500 is quite colored and lacks detail in the mids (voices) and higher frequencies. In my opinion they are quite poor earphones.

Do yourself a favor and buy something else!

 

[bloodhawk]

@sebhuber genres i basically listen to are : Heavy metal, Little bit of rock and pop ..., Some Hip hop...but again basically its for classical and heavy metal....

Budget is a max of around 100$'s ....

@HorvaTT Kinda ya i feel like upgrading

@CENTRAL So what would you suggest....in the sub 100 $ category?? main thing is most of the major brands are not available here in India....So i thought ill try out the Senns. ..

If people feel that the sennheisers are not much of an upgrade over the PL30's then i might just stick to my existing ones and get something else.....

 

[CENTRAL]

I really think that you should try the AKG K330. It has worked wonders for me and several friends of mine have really enjoyed them too. They are quite cheaper htan your maximum budget as well.

I would also suggest the Shure SE115 (without having heard them)

 

[Judge Buff]

PL30s for classical...

S4s for everything else. Best $80 IEMs for everyday listening after they are cooked for a while.

 

[bloodhawk]

Hmmm...well im getting the Sennheisers for around 40$ ...is it a good deal at this price??

Also how is the build quality of Shure 115's?

I need something sturdy ...something which does not go kaput if my D2 dangles under it....one more reason is since ill be getting em from somewhere abroad ...warranty might be an issue...

 

[ljokerl]

PL21. They're so cheap they're almost disposable, but they absolutely kill the PL30's in bass response, fullness, and liveliness. Otherwise, check out the Nuforce Ne-6 or Maximo Im-590.

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljokerl /img/forum/go_quote.gif PL21. They're so cheap they're almost disposable, but they absolutely kill the PL30's in bass response, fullness, and liveliness. Otherwise, check out the Nuforce Ne-6 or Maximo Im-590.

if you're looking for 'so cheap they're almost disposable' phones J&R currently is selling cx300s for $17 shipped (for contact info see this thread http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/g...-cx300-447004/). i doubt they're vastly inferior to the cx500s and at these prices can be handy for times when you don't need high resolution or don't want to risk your good phones.

 

[bloodhawk]

Guys i already have the CX300 .....my main point is i really wanna try out the CX500's ...i just wanted to know are they really worth the price?? Specially the build quality?

OT: Nice sig Dave!

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ViKiD™ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Guys i already have the CX300 .....my main point is i really wanna try out the CX500's ...i just wanted to know are they really worth the price?? Specially the build quality? OT: Nice sig Dave!

I don't expect the CX500s to be a huge improvement on the 300's. My point was that you can do much better than either of those for less. The PL21s and PL50s sound better for the same money. The PL21 is miles ahead of the CX300. Alternatively, with that budget you could be looking at the Nuforce Ne-6, Maximo Im-590, Klipsch S4, Denon Ah-C710/751, etc. The Maximos are awesomely built and come with a lifetime warranty IIRC.

 

[bloodhawk]

Hmmm.....what about the Shure Se115's??

 

[ljokerl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ViKiD™ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm.....what about the Shure Se115's??

Not my cup of tea. Too boomy on the low end and I don't like the fit.

 

[Firefighter]

As an avid user of CX500s for about a year now, I am quite pleased with them. But no matter what you do, they sound microphonic. So, my advice would be to upgrade to IEx series, as I will be replacing mine with IE8 this week. Yeah the price difference is huge...but if you are new to the IEM territory CX500 is a good start.

Aha I see that you already own CX300s, no point in going to CX500s from 300s. Put some money aside and go for the IEx series if you are happy with the sound signature of Sennheiser....