[Ghostfit]

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Hi guys, I am new to head fi and I was recently eyeing the jvc ha s500.. However they're not available for retail in my country and I didn't have a chance to demo them. I went down to the local Jaben today and tried out ath m50s. I LOVED its signature and clarity/ neutral response. So that made me hesitate to pull the trigger on these guys. I know a lot of you think that this outshines the m50s, but can any of you enlighten me as to what's their specific differences(between stock m50s and s500s with the popular ath pleathers)? If this can outshines it in detail, clarity and soundstage, I will gladly pull the trigger wo hesitation.

 
There's Japen and Stereo where I live but definately no JVC presences anywhere, if you're living in the same country as me, we could meet up and I'll gladly let you audit my S400 and S500

 

[waynes world]

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They work quite well for both, actually.

 
+1. I use them to watch movies and tv and the voice, dubstep, progressive, rock, whatever. They sound great. Jeez, I'm starting to sound like a fanboy

 

[Spider fan]

+1. I use them to watch movies and tv and the voice, dubstep, progressive, rock, whatever. They sound great. Jeez, I'm starting to sound like a fanboy

lol I love watching the voice with my s500 or s400s. Tried watching it the other day with my MH1Cs and it wasnt the same. Also, movies with them on are so awesome.

 

[sfwalcer]

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+1. I use them to watch movies and tv and the voice, dubstep, progressive, rock, whatever. They sound great. Jeez, I'm starting to sound like a fanboy

LoL, it's hard not to be one when they are this awesomesauce. 

Both my S400s and S500s are still freaking me out, never have i heard all of my music this amazingly presented.
 
Truly jacks-of-all trades that masterfully renders everything beautifully.  T^T 
 
@ spider fan
I love the MH1Cs but they can be toooo smooth to a fault, it get boring sometimes when everything is so unoffensive. If you know what I mean. They are an amazing find for sure, but my JVCs still can hold more than their own. I still like JVCs house sound a lot more than sonys MH1C.

 

[Spider fan]

LoL, it's hard not to be one when they are this awesomesauce.  Both my S400s and S500s are still freaking me out, never have i heard all of my music this amazingly presented.

Truly jacks-of-all trades that masterfully renders everything beautifully.  T^T 

@ spider fan
I love the MH1Cs but they can be toooo smooth to a fault, it get boring sometimes when everything is so unoffensive. If you know what I mean. They are an amazing find for sure, but my JVCs still can hold more than their own. I still like JVCs house sound a lot more than sonys MH1C.

agreed like them alot but definitely dont hear the overwhelming bass some people talk about in the MH1C. I love the mids and highs(think im alittle sensitive to treble) but often feel i need more bass with them.

 

[imusorka]

There are some contradicting opinions on rock reproduction. Does it really sound great on modded S500s? I'm also wondering why shouldn't I go for S400s instead.

 

[HamilcarBarca]

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There are some contradicting opinions on rock reproduction. Does it really sound great on modded S500s? I'm also wondering why shouldn't I go for S400s instead.

 
The Grado SR80i (and its predecessor, the SR80) has been around for many years. While many reviewers think it's great for rock, some don't. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder.
 
Personally, I don't think rock music causes the stock S500 any problems. I haven't heard any mods.

 

[penmarker]

I'm pairing the S500 with a tubeamp currently. They don't pair really well, the decay and highs aren't as sparkly as I liked.
After pairing it with a Goldring DR150 with Vero 150 cable, they sound superior. But we're talking about a pair of modded headphones a little more than twice the price of the S500.

 

[sfwalcer]

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agreed like them alot but definitely dont hear the overwhelming bass some people talk about in the MH1C. I love the mids and highs(think im alittle sensitive to treble) but often feel i need more bass with them.

Yeah the bass on them was crazy big the 1st couple of days while burning them in, but it has settled down a lot since then. It has become much more balanced, nonetheless I would not call them bass lite, these are pretty bassy iems, almost on par with the FX101s, just not in the sub bass department. For me personally the bass is perfect on them and I love my bass. Maybe I have became weak sauced. haha 

 

[waynes world]

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There are some contradicting opinions on rock reproduction. Does it really sound great on modded S500s? I'm also wondering why shouldn't I go for S400s instead.

 
Have any preferred rock tunes that I could test out with my S500's (and compare to my other phones and iem's)?

 

[imusorka]

Wayne, try Clapton for me please. Blues tunes too. By the way, how do these fare against PX100-II that you also have? Perhaps, you heard PX200-II as well?

 

[waynes world]

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Wayne, try Clapton for me please. Blues tunes too. By the way, how do these fare against PX100-II that you also have? Perhaps, you heard PX200-II as well?

 
I don't have much in the way of blues, so if you could provide me with a specific blues tune, I'll find it somewhere.
 
Regarding Clapton and the S500 (with ath pleathers) versus PX100-II, I'm throwing on "Cocaine" and "Layla" mp3 files (approx 280 kbps) for a listen on my Clip Zip. I am using the "flat" EQ setting. I use the flat EQ setting all the time for my S500, but with the PX100-II, I normally EQ it to  deal with the mid-bass hump. But to keep the comparison on an even scale, I'm using "flat" for both...
 
PX100-II impressions: Bassy. Bass bloats into the mids somewhat. More of a mid-bass hump. Enjoyable, warm, fun, laid back sound. More distant sound. No fears of sibilance. Not too detailed (really noticable in the mids and treble).
 
S500 impressions: Wider soundstage. More depth and instrument separation. Bass more well controlled, tighter and more detailed, but still with plenty of sub-bass. Mids (vocals, guiter) more detailed, layered and forward (don't seem distant or recessed like with the PX100-II's). Treble way more detailed. Overall way more engaging to me.
 
Note: I am somewhat sensitive to bright sounds. Some of the guitar at the beginning of Layla is pretty bright. With the PX100-II, not bright at all. With the S500 and ath pleathers, it was bright enough. I suspect that it would have sounded a tad bit to bright for me with the S500 and stock pads.
 
I haven't listened to the PX200-II. Hope this helps!

 

[CashNotCredit]

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who claimed that they "demolish" the M50?
 

Me. And I stand by it. 

(Cue Western film score and lone tumbleweed.)

The M50s don't really cut it for me. Thin mids, piercing treble, lack of soundstage, creaky build, I could go on and on. They're not bad, but they're definitely not all that great to me. 

JVC HA-S500s vs. Brainwavs HM5? Fair fight. I give the JVC's the advantage. 

JVC HA-S500s vs AKG K240M? OK, that's closer. Still give the lead to the JVCs. 

HA-S500s vs Pioneer Pro Monitor 10s? Ehh...it's a wash, to me at least.

HA-S500s vs. M50s? Hah. Yeah. That's a joke.

Disclaimer: All represented opinions are those of CashNotCredit and do not necessarily represent those of Head-Fi.org.

 

[Doc-holliday]

Well i finally got the brainwavz pads in. But I don't think I am allowed to post here so....

 

[sfwalcer]

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Me. And I stand by it. 

(Cue Western film score and lone tumbleweed.)

The M50s don't really cut it for me. Thin mids, piercing treble, lack of soundstage, creaky build, I could go on and on. They're not bad, but they're definitely not all that great to me. 

JVC HA-S500s vs. Brainwavs HM5? Fair fight. I give the JVC's the advantage. 

JVC HA-S500s vs AKG K240M? OK, that's closer. Still give the lead to the JVCs. 

HA-S500s vs Pioneer Pro Monitor 10s? Ehh...it's a wash, to me at least.

HA-S500s vs. M50s? Hah. Yeah. That's a joke.

Disclaimer: All represented opinions are those of CashNotCredit and do not necessarily represent those of Head-Fi.org.

^ And with this the hype train is officially back on track. LoL
 
Hey Cash I noticed that you have some interesting phones in your inventory, care to give me some insights/ pics of what you did to your modded superlux HD681s? I have the HD681F as well and lots of people do crazy modding on these it seems. LoL Oh and care to give me a quick compario between those HD681 with and without the mod against your AKG K240s? Many say that those HD681s and superluxes in general sound very similar to AKGs cough *desgin* cough. 
 
Thanks in advance!
 
edit: LoL doc, yeah go talk/ post to yourself!!! Do tell us how they are/ go with your S500s and I want to see some of your skillful sewing work on those pads.