I want to defend myself before there are anymore attacks against me for not giving the JVC's a proper break-in period. I decided not to give them a break in because of the fact that break-in doesn't get rid of the "canned" sensation of closed headphones. Either it isn't there in the beginning or it will be there forever. And these were pretty canned. And they sounded so lifeless and just plain not of the sonic character that I wanted that I knew that it would take an act of God to make them sound like what I expected them to sound like. I was expecting something better than a Sennheiser HD590. They were supposedly rated higher. That person must have been on LSD when he wrote the review, there is no way these things sound like $150-$200 headphones! And I don't appreciate people attacking me just because I happened to change my mind about a headphone. If it seems like the winds are changing swiftly over here, it's because I'm in a transition period of headphones and I am in a disadvantage because I have no way to listen to most of the headphones. The best headphone in my area is the Grado SR-325. There are no Sennheisers higher than the HD570, no Beyerdynamics, no Etys, no Stax, nothing. I'm in Headphone Hell. So all I have to go on is what I read. And if what I read doesn't turn out to be true, I'm PISSED OFF MAJORLY. So, for that reason I try my best to always give my honest opinion using my best assets, my own ears. My ears are picky. What other people think are great headphones, sometimes I think are crap. A headphone that would describe my tastes well is the HD590. Not accurate, but more musical and exciting. If you want accurate and laid back, you don't want my opinion. The 497 also fits my tastes, although it needs a little more refinement. The HD280 would be a fairly accurate headphone that sounds good to me. Some times my tastes go with the crowd, but other times they do not. For example: I think the Grado SR-80 is an overpriced piece of ****. While the bass is good, the lower midrange is muddy and the treble has this cloud that smears the detail and just adds instead of a sensation of "air" it gives a sensation of a heavy "fog". It's a weird sound. Plus the soundstage is almost nonexistant. I think they should take the place of the SR-40's. I'm not that much of a fan of the SR-60 either, but at least it doesn't have that L.A. smog going on. If you think I am harsh on my ex-headphones, I am. It's the way I hear. When I hear a better headphone, I can't stand to even listen to the lesser sounding one, so my opinion of it goes down a lot. I am attempting to be fair with the 497, because it is a great headphone, but I am so displeased with it's poor build. I just can't recommend it anymore. When your headphones are so shoddily built that you can't even use the detachable cord feature that is so touted by Sennheiser and you paid a fair amount of money for them, it's just unacceptable. They would have to sound like the HD600 for me to recommend them the way they are built. I can't stand behind a product that is made to break. And that is what Sennheiser did. They realized that they could hook you in with their good sound, and keep you buying them up to replace them when they break. I'll recommend the HD280, because it will last long after the 2 year warranty period, but the HD497 barely has a chance for 6 months. I included my receipt in the box that I sent to chych with the 497's he bought from me because I was so convinced that they would fail before the 2 year period was up. I'm sorry if I've offended anyone, but please do not be afraid to trust my opinion. I've not lost it, I'm actually learning from my mistakes in the past. And if somebody has a problem with me personally, please PM me so I can have a chance to defend myself before you embarrass me in front of the whole Head-Fi community.
