[EventVista]

Will Do, Thanks for the advice

 

[Ghostfit]

Quote:

 
Where things stand now I put the S500 ahead of the FXD80 on sonics alone.  

 
I concur with your statement.
 
Out of the box, I found the S500 to be behind my 200+ hrs FXD80 in all depts, it's not bad in any way but I could not listen to them for more than 15 minutes.
 
At the 50-80 hrs mark    ....OMG!   ...the bass !   ....my ears !

 
100 - 150 hrs   ...bass has tone down, tighter, more controlled and impactful, the upper mids has appeared and is forward, lower mids still a little shy on bassy tracks.
At this point Bass and Mids have overtaken the FXD80.
 
150 hrs +   ...the trebres and highs are on par with the FXD80, however on certain tracks, the FXD80 displays it's "space" and sparkles in the highs which the S500 do not match.
 
Overall the S500 are slightly ahead IMO with a more involving and encompassing sound, I will not call it a Basshead headphone, but on tracks which calls for it, they certainly deliver on the rumbles !    ...mids and vocal are really smooth with a nice warm which I prefer over the cold mids of the FXD80.
Highs are nice and at a proper level although it does not have the uniqueness of the FXD80.

 

[J.Pocalypse]

Is there an authorized dealer that'll sell these to the US? 

 

[sygyzy]

Quote:

 
Where things stand now I put the S500 ahead of the FXD80 on sonics alone.  

 
Why would the S500 beat the FXD80? They should be extremely close, right? I was under the impression that the FX80 was basically the IEM version of the S500's.

 

[sygyzy]

Quote:

Does anybody know what the latest info is on when the JVC HA-S500 will be released in the United States? Feel like I have been waiting a month and still no word... if it's around christmas time I don't think I can wait that long and will have to settle for something else.

 
There are at least a dozen of us, many of which live in the US, that are listening to these headphones now. What's the problem with buying from Amazon or eBay? I assure you, the Japanese sellers are legitimate. Is there something I am missing here?

 

[sygyzy]

Quote:

This thread is extremely helpful in regards to a decision I am trying to make....Please help send me in the right direction.
 
So to cut to the chase, after recently reading this and other threads, I am on the fence about where to go next?  Since I have already shelled out $150, I am fine with this general price range, but I am contemplating upgrading to these HA-S500's, V-Moda M-80's or the ATH-M50s. 
 
Knowing that I "trying" to upgrade from Monoprice 8323 which I thoroughly enjoy, which one of these three the logical next step for me?  I was hoping to get some expert insight and I appreciate the help.  Thx

 
I would recommend the M-80's over this but they cost $100 more. If you are willing to forgo some of the mid and higher frequencies, then go with the S500's. I've never listened to the M50's but understand they are pretty neutral which I take to mean they don't emphasize any particular frequency. You're kind of all over the place with the cheap 8323 to the S500's to the $150 M-80's and ATH-M50's. I can't tell how much you are willing to spend. Maybe buy a used pair of the S500's and if you don't like it, you can get a different headphone. At the end of the day, for the price, it's worth keeping around. It's like owning a used Civic at the same time as your dream car - a BMW 3 series. The Civic still has some good uses. It's a beater, grocery getter, great gas mileage, not a bad car for that segment. That's what the S500 is. I don't feel it destroys higher end headphones like many here say. I WILL say it's better than the $50 it costs. It's maybe a $100 headphone in my book.

 

[kiteki]

 

 
Why would the S500 beat the FXD80?

 
If you're a basshead, or prefer full-size sound - but the FXD80 is a rarer bird, most of the S500 sound you can definitely find in other headphones, however for the sound it offers JVC have priced it very low, other companies I speculate would easily charge $150 for it.

 

[sygyzy]

Quote:

 
If you're a basshead, or prefer full-size sound - but the FXD80 is a rarer bird, most of the S500 sound you can definitely find in other headphones, however for the sound it offers JVC have priced it very low, other companies I speculate would easily charge $150 for it.

 
I am genuinely interested in the FXD series but didn't pull the trigger thinking I'd just get the S500 sound in IEM form. Can you describe the FXD80 sound? Which FXD is less bass aggressive?

 

[EventVista]

Quote:

 
I would recommend the M-80's over this but they cost $100 more. I.. ....You're kind of all over the place with the cheap 8323 to the S500's to the $150 M-80's and ATH-M50's. I can't tell how much you are willing to spend. Maybe buy a used pair of the S500's and if you don't like it, you can get a different headphone. At the end of the day, for the price, it's worth keeping around. It's like owning a used Civic at the same time as your dream car - a BMW 3 series. The Civic still has some good uses. It's a beater, grocery getter, great gas mileage, not a bad car for that segment. That's what the S500 is. I don't feel it destroys higher end headphones like many here say. I WILL say it's better than the $50 it costs. It's maybe a $100 headphone in my book.

 
Thanks, appreciate you following up.
 
Did not mean to be "all over the place", but as I stated, I have already purchased the Grados so I am already north of the $150 price point so its no big deal.   The Monoprice to the Grado was the path I chose and I am ready to be absolved of my sins...
 
I have been in higher end stereo equipment for years and I am just getting back into the headphone scene so I started out with the 8323 which are in my opinion "cheep" in terms of price, but their sound quality is pretty damn impressive.  (definitely under-rated because of their cheap price)   If you have not yet sampled them, I would recommend giving them a try.
 
Regardless, It sounds like the M-80 would be something to seriously consider.  As of today, I am finding the M50's for $124US and the M-80's for about $153US so are not going to set me back any more cash.    I honestly think I will give the M80s a try.  Definitely welcome the feedback.  

 

[aedloc]

Quote:

 
There are at least a dozen of us, many of which live in the US, that are listening to these headphones now. What's the problem with buying from Amazon or eBay? I assure you, the Japanese sellers are legitimate. Is there something I am missing here?

 
Because out of principle I don't want to pay $74.36 for a headphone which will likely be in the 50 dollar range when it retails in the US.
 
Also, even if JapanImport, or Aoyama & Co or MadeInJapan are reputable sellers on Amazon (which they seem to be except for possibly JapanImport which has no customer ratings), I don't want to have to deal with the return process to Japan when I get at pair D.O.A as I have with other JVC models in the past (JVC HARX-700 which when replaced were phenomenal for the price ~35$).

 

[kiteki]

I only picked up the FXD80, you can ask in the FXD thread which model of the three has the least bass.
 
A vital difference is the presentation, the FXD series have a micro-driver in the tip of the IEM, when used correctly they have a unique soundspace which makes them stand out. 
 
Combine that immersion with a fairly tight and extended bass, unique shimmery highs and precise imaging and you have a rare bird of Hi-Fi IEM's.  The S500 has slightly slacker (like Denon D5000) or more dissonant bass, and less air, but it shares the unique black levels of the FXD80 and unique combination of shimmery detailed highs and thug-like bass impact at a lower price point.

 

[kiteki]

btw my S500 sounds better than the M-80 I think, and AIAIAI, and all the junk you get for under $150 at normal retail stores, I'm just being picky with it and was expecting higher quality bass and more air etc.  I didn't like the D5000 bass either, bass is something Audio Technica and Sony seems to get right IME.

 

[Dsnuts]

Lol. This thread has blown up. The sound signature is similar to the HA-S500 and I think where the FXD80 shines is their imagery. The HA-S500 does not fall too behind here but I still find the imagery tops on the FXD80 being in ears using micro hd Carbon nanotubes.. Less bass yes.. Much like the HA-S500 they do have a smaller mid bass at first but ends up smoothing out and has a tame bass presence vs the HA-S500.  Not only is the bass bigger on the HA-S500 over the FXD80 but so does everything else. Sparkle is another factor of the FX80 that excels one of the best traits about micro hd drivers. The difference for me though is the thickness of note on the HA-S500 being greater. Bigger deeper sounding version of the FXD80. If there was an open back version of the HA-S500 with dampening, I suppose this is what the FXD80 would sound like.
 
@Kiteki..Bloaty bass on open box yes. After burn in not so much...Burn em in Fire!!  

 

[kiteki]

An open-air S500 would sound nicer yes, for open-air the Sony SA3000 is easily the best price/performance I've heard, it's pretty much on the same level as the Audio Technica AD1000.
 
Makes sense since it's a driver partner of the Qualia 010 and SA-5000.

 

[draven5494]

My has500s are sounding better and better. They are on a constant burn-in cycle now but every 8 hours or so I give them a listen. I have one song I listen to each time. It is "What are you asking me?" from the The Village score by James Newton Howard (great score btw).

When I took the headphones out of The box and listened to this track, I could hear loud resonance-type notes. These notes would nearly overpower everything else, they would ring so loud I had to turn down the volume. I imagine it's similar to what kiteki is reporting.

However, after about 30+ hours of burn-in and putting on the velour pads I was amazed last night when I listened to that song again. The loud reverb-like notes were gone. I could still hear the notes but they fell in line with the rest of the music. This is definitely not a placebo effect here. The combination of burn-in and velours are transforming these headphones for me.