[cute]

Quote:

Do you tape mod it?

 
No I think the tape mod on both the S500 and S400 muddy up the sound and bloat the bass, I am a purist, and have the sound sig I prefer, why didn't JVC tape the ports, is what you need to ask yourself?

 

[gopanthersgo1]

No I think the tape mod on both the S500 and S400 muddy up the sound and bloat the bass, I am a purist, and have the sound sig I prefer, why didn't JVC tape the ports, is what you need to ask yourself?

It's cheaper to make a headphone because of the less plastic being used or they're trying to save the environment one headphone at a time.

 

[cute]

Quote:

I use the stock pads inside the HM5 pads. And this configuration sounds fantastic. I tried it without any pads underneath and I don't know if I was not doing it right but it sounded way too thin for me. Like something was missing. Once I put the stock pads back in there the fullness came out again. I just leave it like that. Sounds fantastic this way. The rings are a brilliant idea as there is no stitching needed or anything like that. Just put the HM5 pads over the rings and your good to go.

 
I think your gears will determine if anything is needed under the HM5 pads......I don't use any pads under.....but then my gears (amp and dac) are higher end than most, plus I only listen to computer based wav files with jRiver Media Center, with Audiophile settings.  My two HM5's sound better than my JVC FXZ200's overall, through the same gears.  I get the same sub bass/bass on my S500/HM5 pad, silver/copper hybrid cable mod, quality/quantity as the FXZ200, the 200's sound different than the S500......the S500 more of a full size headphone sound, more spacious, wider soundstage, bigger more airy presentation than the 200's.  The 200's are changing though, and I remember the S500 went throught the same thing, at around 400 to 500 hrs the S500 really opened up, but the cable change to silver/copper hybrid cable really put them over the top.  The silver/copper gave me more on the low end as well. 
 
My S500/HM5 pad, O ring combo with the DHC cable, or the Silver/Copper Hybrid cable do not sound thin.......each persons gears will make a difference, especially if listening to a portable source.  YMMV!
 
I probably have the most unique S500's out there!

 

[cute]

Quote:

It's cheaper to make a headphone because of the less plastic being used or they're trying to save the environment one headphone at a time.

 
Good answer......lol!  Happy New Year!

 

[Achmedisdead]

I even went back to the stock pads, because even though the HD25 velours kept my ears from sweating, they muffled the highs and lows a little bit....and now I have the sound I remembered as being just right, no EQ required.

 

[gopanthersgo1]

Good answer......lol!  Happy New Year!

Same to you!

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

 
I think your gears will determine if anything is needed under the HM5 pads......I don't use any pads under.....but then my gears (amp and dac) are higher end than most, plus I only listen to computer based wav files with jRiver Media Center, with Audiophile settings.  My two HM5's sound better than my JVC FXZ200's overall, through the same gears.  I get the same sub bass/bass on my S500/HM5 pad, silver/copper hybrid cable mod, quality/quantity as the FXZ200, the 200's sound different than the S500......the S500 more of a full size headphone sound, more spacious, wider soundstage, bigger more airy presentation than the 200's.  The 200's are changing though, and I remember the S500 went throught the same thing, at around 400 to 500 hrs the S500 really opened up, but the cable change to silver/copper hybrid cable really put them over the top.  The silver/copper gave me more on the low end as well. 
 
My S500/HM5 pad, O ring combo with the DHC cable, or the Silver/Copper Hybrid cable do not sound thin.......each persons gears will make a difference, especially if listening to a portable source.  YMMV!
 
I probably have the most unique S500's out there!

 
Thanks. Because I don't have the rings yet, I switched back to HM5 over ATH pleathers (with ports taped) because (a) the HM5 pads stay on and (b) my ears don't feel the ATH pads at all so it's really comfortable and (c) it sounds pretty darned good to me. But I will test out the variations again once I get the rings.

 

[cute]

Quote:

 
Thanks. Because I don't have the rings yet, I switched back to HM5 over ATH pleathers (with ports taped) because (a) the HM5 pads stay on and (b) my ears don't feel the ATH pads at all so it's really comfortable and (c) it sounds pretty darned good to me. But I will test out the variations again once I get the rings.

 
I tried the HM5 pads over the ATH pleathers, but without the ports taped.....I would rather use Parametric EQ on the low end than tape the ports.  I tried various combinations with taped ports, and just couldn't get it to sound natural.....I personally like the HM5 pads by themselves right away, but I did EQ 30hz up 2db to fill out the bass on the low end a little more.....then I devised the O rings to keep the HM5 pads on, still using +2db at 30hz.  I can remember the first weeks with the S500, and having EQ's down 4db at 30hz, 60hz, and 125hz to keep the bass from messing with the mids and highs.  That worked very well, but when burn in was complete, at about 400 - 500hrs the low end settled down and the rest of the spectrum opened up, eliminating the need for EQ.  I can switch the EQ at 30hz with one mouse click, and for some music albums, there is still a need depending on the mastering.  But when the album is mastered well, the bass can do what it wants without EQ, and I feel that I get a good balanced sound with single bass notes, no muddy booming, and clear/dynamic mids and highs.  I think bass affects the rest of the sound spectrum more than any other aspect, and I like full single bass notes mixed with the music as long it is not overdone.  I like my mids, and I don't care for the mids when bass gets too involved, and that happens when the midbass at 125hz gets too overpowing.  To me that affects the clarity in the mids, and looking at a lot of frequency graphs you will see the there is sometimes an abundance of bass right there.  Anyway my opionion, and each has there own preferences....this is just my take!

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

 
I tried the HM5 pads over the ATH pleathers, but without the ports taped.....I would rather use Parametric EQ on the low end than tape the ports.  I tried various combinations with taped ports, and just couldn't get it to sound natural.....I personally like the HM5 pads by themselves right away, but I did EQ 30hz up 2db to fill out the bass on the low end a little more.....then I devised the O rings to keep the HM5 pads on, still using +2db at 30hz.  I can remember the first weeks with the S500, and having EQ's down 4db at 30hz, 60hz, and 125hz to keep the bass from messing with the mids and highs.  That worked very well, but when burn in was complete, at about 400 - 500hrs the low end settled down and the rest of the spectrum opened up, eliminating the need for EQ.  I can switch the EQ at 30hz with one mouse click, and for some music albums, there is still a need depending on the mastering.  But when the album is mastered well, the bass can do what it wants without EQ, and I feel that I get a good balanced sound with single bass notes, no muddy booming, and clear/dynamic mids and highs.  I think bass affects the rest of the sound spectrum more than any other aspect, and I like full single bass notes mixed with the music as long it is not overdone.  I like my mids, and I don't care for the mids when bass gets too involved, and that happens when the midbass at 125hz gets too overpowing.  To me that affects the clarity in the mids, and looking at a lot of frequency graphs you will see the there is sometimes an abundance of bass right there.  Anyway my opionion, and each has there own preferences....this is just my take!

 
Thanks cute - I really appreciate the input!

 

[1ofamillion]

I finally gave in and decided to buy the s500's with the HM5 pads and rings mentioned by cute/Dsnuts. My bank account is not happy with Dsnuts right now, but I couldn't resist

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

I finally gave in and decided to buy the s500's with the HM5 pads and rings mentioned by cute/Dsnuts. My bank account is not happy with Dsnuts right now, but I couldn't resist

 
I long ago stopped complaining about dsnuts's effect on my bank account. Your bank account will simply have to learn to accept it lol!
 
Having said that, I guess we also owe our thanks to the man, because for a total investment of approx $95, you are getting headphones that might be the last that you will ever need - they sound that good. And with the HM5 pads, they will be very comfortable.

 

[1ofamillion]

Quote:

 
I long ago stopped complaining about dsnuts's effect on my bank account. Your bank account will simply have to learn to accept it lol!
 
Having said that, I guess we also owe our thanks to the man, because for a total investment of approx $95, you are getting headphones that might be the last that you will ever need - they sound that good. And with the HM5 pads, they will be very comfortable.

I agree

 

[cute]

Quote:

 
Thanks cute - I really appreciate the input!

 
I might add that anyone listening to PC based music library and not using jRiver Media Center should really give it a try....it is free for 30days, has very good support on their Interact Forum, and is built with the Audiophile in mind.......depending on your hardware it doesn't get any better for PC based users.  Another excellent device is the Musical Fidelity V-Link, which is basically a USB sound device that converts the USB output to SPDIF, either coax or optical, or both depending on your need.  The V-Link provides asychronous clocking and eliminates jitter, giving a clean/clear signal fed to you DAC or receiver.  The V-Link can be had for under $100, best money I have spent to improve on sound, along with jRiver Media Center.....worth looking into for the serious listener!

 

[7S Cameron]

Quote:

 
I might add that anyone listening to PC based music library and not using jRiver Media Center should really give it a try....it is free for 30days, has very good support on their Interact Forum, and is built with the Audiophile in mind.......depending on your hardware it doesn't get any better for PC based users.  Another excellent device is the Musical Fidelity V-Link, which is basically a USB sound device that converts the USB output to SPDIF, either coax or optical, or both depending on your need.  The V-Link provides asychronous clocking and eliminates jitter, giving a clean/clear signal fed to you DAC or receiver.  The V-Link can be had for under $100, best money I have spent to improve on sound, along with jRiver Media Center.....worth looking into for the serious listener!

I second this. I've been using jRiver for a while and no matter what other program I try I always come back.

 

[wje]

I received my HA-S500 headphones in the mail today from another user who had "gently" broken them in for me.  Up until today, I had been using a pair of HA-S400s that I had purchased locally at the end of last week.  I'm sorting through the differences between the two, but will give the nod to the HA-S500.  Being that the price is so close, a $15.00 difference is quite easy to absorb in going with the HA-S500.
 
I'll do some digging to see how the HM5 pad has been attached.  Hopefully, there are some pictures that have been posted to provide some overview of how it all looks together.  I'm in the process of sewing up a pair of velour pads at the moment with some fabric that I purchased earlier today.  The pads that I'm creating will use some black elastic string to hold the pads into the standard groove that the factor pads were placed into.  I'm trying to work on a modification that serves two purposes -  increased comfort, but one that doesn't kill the appearance either.  I'll get more information on the pads and mounting mechanism later (end of Tuesday?) if all goes well.
 
Meanwhile, I'll keep on enjoying these as the bass is taking me back to the AKG K167s that I had a few weeks earlier.  However, the JVC doesn't have the upper frequency level of detail that gets to the point of ear piercing.  The pad / fit issue is about the same as the K167s.   However, at about 1/4 the price, I'm more  inclined to make some custom mods for the JVCs to have them provide for a better level of comfort for hours of music enjoyment.