[Norml]

I transplanted the s500 drivers into the s600 housings last night.

 

Sound wise the bass was more prominent until I taped over one of the two open vents on the back of the drivers. I think finding some velour pads or making some cloth pads will help also. Comfort is night and day from the s500's on ear design and is visually lower profile. So far I'm very happy with the results.

 

[draven5494]

That looks really good actually.  Very clean.  

 

[cute]

Quote:

I transplanted the s500 drivers into the s600 housings last night.
 
 
 
Sound wise the bass was more prominent until I taped over one of the two open vents on the back of the drivers. I think finding some velour pads or making some cloth pads will help also. Comfort is night and day from the s500's on ear design and is visually lower profile. So far I'm very happy with the results.

 
I have that in mind as well......how did you remove the drivers?   I was thinking of using the Shure SRH940 velour pads......could you measure the height and width of the cups and post?
 
Was the soundstage/imaging change?  Any other changes in sound other than bass?

 

[analogsurviver]

Quote:

I transplanted the s500 drivers into the s600 housings last night.

 

Sound wise the bass was more prominent until I taped over one of the two open vents on the back of the drivers. I think finding some velour pads or making some cloth pads will help also. Comfort is night and day from the s500's on ear design and is visually lower profile. So far I'm very happy with the results.

Very interesting. Do the drivers dimensions for S 500 match exactly to those of S600 ? The oval housing of S600 has the potential to have less or at least less prominent resonances than the round design of S500. Please comment on soundstage differences - I expect S600 housing to sound better. You can use any of the Zappa's YCDTOSA tracks to comment on the difference. Prospect of having better soundstage with over ear comfort sounds very Zoot Allures to me ! 

 

[Norml]

Quote:

 
I have that in mind as well......how did you remove the drivers?   I was thinking of using the Shure SRH940 velour pads......could you measure the height and width of the cups and post?
 
Was the soundstage/imaging change?  Any other changes in sound other than bass?

I used the smallest flat head screwdriver from a eyeglass repair set and very slowly wedged it between the driver and the housing. Then afer I did that about 2/3 of the way around, I carefully used the screwdriver to pry one side up until I could pull it out with my fingers. I'll measure the cup size after work unless some one beats me to it. As for other sound changes, I'm not sure yet. I've only listened to the modded S600 for less than twenty minutes. I'll post more this evening.

 

[Norml]

Quote:

Very interesting. Do the drivers dimensions for S 500 match exactly to those of S600 ? 

Yes. They popped right in. I didn't even use any adhesive. 

 

[rickdohc]

Recived my S500

 
 
Proceded to open the box, conected them to my "burning station"... i will report back September 6, i am not gonna listem to them until the "Burn in Hell" process is over.
In the meantime, i am enyoing my FX40 (aproching 500 hours of burn in) .. man this things ROCK!   they are simply amazing for the price.  Hopping my  S500 has the same mids, highs the Fx40 has,  with more bass and soundstage .
 
 

 

 

[analogsurviver]

Quote:

Yes. They popped right in. I didn't even use any adhesive. 

Thanks! You can use Humbrol Maskol :
 
http://www.humbrol.com/search/?searchguid=2012823164732
 
to attach the driver securely with hermetical seal, yet it is easily removable should you ever need to reverse the mod. Self explanatory description how to use it is in this plastic modelling link:
 
http://www.scalespot.com/onthebench/p400/p400_build.htm
 
Basically it is water solution of latex and you can control the viscosity by diluting with appropriate amount of water. Really easy once you try it. It is transparent light purple when wet and darkens as it dries. The new version should smell less "fatally" than old stock I still have. Although reccomended officially to be applied by brush, I found for jobs like driver securing a wooden toothpick with properly diluted Maskol works better. If you do not clean the brush with generous amount of water every 5 minutes, it will gum up beyond repair by reasonable/cost effective means. Wooden toothpick also has the advantage of keeping a firm shape allowing for greater precision than brush.  Humbrol products are available at toy/RC/modelling shops.

 

[Norml]

Quote:

 
 I was thinking of using the Shure SRH940 velour pads......could you measure the height and width of the cups and post?
 
 

3 9/16 by 2 7/8. Let me know if you think they will fit.

 

[cute]

Quote:

3 9/16 by 2 7/8. Let me know if you think they will fit.

 
Thanks!

 

[Skian64]

Quote:

[size=10pt]Does any of you have JVC  HA-S650?[/size][size=10pt][/size]

[size=10pt]From many impressions in this thread it seems that S500 sounds very similar to S650, which is a good thing.[/size][size=10pt][/size]

 
I'll start this off with the HA-S650's and why I love them so much.
One word: Mids. 
There's something utterly addictive about the midrange. 
It's like french fries. 
You know there's better food out there.  Healthier, tastier, more filling.  But darn it all, you can't stop eating those freaking fries.
The veiled sound of the 650's is gentle, rather than muffled.  But there's this delightful edge to the sound due to (I suspect) the titanium drivers. 
They 650's are also supremely comfortable and are extremely portable as long as you leave them around your neck (which is relatively comfortable).
They have a very unique sound signature which I like very much, and they preform best as-is, without any amplification. 
In essence, the HA-S650's are the perfect grab-n-go, zero-fuss headphones. 
 
Now.  On to the HA-S500's.  Keep in mind that these have literally no burn-in. 
...
Wow. 
Just...
Wow.
Crystal clear detail retrieval and phenomenal speed in the upper regions of the sound.
These are rightfully labeled "HD"
Bass extension is excellent.  The only other headphone I have that can effortlessly reach as low as these are the XB500's. 
Highs sparkle, mids sing, bass punches.  The out-of-box sound on these is pretty amazing.
 
It has some downsides though.  
Bass is tight, controlled, and it punches beautifully; but it lacks some of the speed and clarity of the upper regions.  I wouldn't go so far as to call it flabby or slow, but it certainly isn't as refined as the rest of the sound signature. 
That being said,
from what I've read, burn-in clears it right up.  so I'm not worried about it. 
 
The only thing I'm really worried about is the fatigue.  Which is odd as I haven't seen anyone else on here complain about that.  But atm, there seems to be too much sparkle in the highs.  We'll see how that pans out.
 
The main differences.  
The 500's are faster and more detailed.  They have a cleaner, clearer sound, but they're also fatiguing to a point.  They're more comfortable around the neck and are more suited for heavy traveling due to their sturdier design and their ability to fold up for storage (I'm usually pretty reluctant to put the 650's in my backpack when flying.
 
The 650's are veiled, but not in a bad way.  They're more comfortable on the head and there's something elusively succulent about their midrange that the 500's don't quite get.
Soundstage is wider and more detailed on the 500's and instrument separation is definitely superior.
The 500's are the clear winner in sound quality.  They're nearly as comfortable, they travel better, and they respond positively to amplification, but they preform brilliantly without it (amplification only damages the 650's sound). 
And yet...  I'm absolutely planning on keeping the 650's.  I bought the 500's hoping for a upgraded HA-S650 sound.  Instead I got something different and better.  But I still love the sound of the 650's.
 
I'll chime back in soon with some direct comparisons on some select songs.

 

[Zaroff]

Just received mine from Ace. These things have no right to sound that good right out of the box. As far as I'm concerned, it's unheard of quality for the price. Bass is just a tad boomy but burn in will tame that. Joy.

 

[stozzer123]

Quote:

 
I'll start this off with the HA-S650's and why I love them so much.
One word: Mids. 
There's something utterly addictive about the midrange. 
It's like french fries. 
You know there's better food out there.  Healthier, tastier, more filling.  But darn it all, you can't stop eating those freaking fries.
The veiled sound of the 650's is gentle, rather than muffled.  But there's this delightful edge to the sound due to (I suspect) the titanium drivers. 
They 650's are also supremely comfortable and are extremely portable as long as you leave them around your neck (which is relatively comfortable).
They have a very unique sound signature which I like very much, and they preform best as-is, without any amplification. 
In essence, the HA-S650's are the perfect grab-n-go, zero-fuss headphones. 
 
Now.  On to the HA-S500's.  Keep in mind that these have literally no burn-in. 
...
Wow. 
Just...
Wow.
Crystal clear detail retrieval and phenomenal speed in the upper regions of the sound.
These are rightfully labeled "HD"
Bass extension is excellent.  The only other headphone I have that can effortlessly reach as low as these are the XB500's. 
Highs sparkle, mids sing, bass punches.  The out-of-box sound on these is pretty amazing.
 
It has some downsides though.  
Bass is tight, controlled, and it punches beautifully; but it lacks some of the speed and clarity of the upper regions.  I wouldn't go so far as to call it flabby or slow, but it certainly isn't as refined as the rest of the sound signature. 
That being said,
from what I've read, burn-in clears it right up.  so I'm not worried about it. 
 
The only thing I'm really worried about is the fatigue.  Which is odd as I haven't seen anyone else on here complain about that.  But atm, there seems to be too much sparkle in the highs.  We'll see how that pans out.
 
The main differences.  
The 500's are faster and more detailed.  They have a cleaner, clearer sound, but they're also fatiguing to a point.  They're more comfortable around the neck and are more suited for heavy traveling due to their sturdier design and their ability to fold up for storage (I'm usually pretty reluctant to put the 650's in my backpack when flying.
 
The 650's are veiled, but not in a bad way.  They're more comfortable on the head and there's something elusively succulent about their midrange that the 500's don't quite get.
Soundstage is wider and more detailed on the 500's and instrument separation is definitely superior.
The 500's are the clear winner in sound quality.  They're nearly as comfortable, they travel better, and they respond positively to amplification, but they preform brilliantly without it (amplification only damages the 650's sound). 
And yet...  I'm absolutely planning on keeping the 650's.  I bought the 500's hoping for a upgraded HA-S650 sound.  Instead I got something different and better.  But I still love the sound of the 650's.
 
I'll chime back in soon with some direct comparisons on some select songs.

I used to have the ha-750 and i loved the hell out of them!  Im on the fence on the s500's for now but my interest is growing.   Now the s500 drivers in the 750 housing.......carbon on carbon hmmmmm

 

[kiteki]

 
@ Everbody: Out of the box, this is the most dissapointing headphone I have ever had the privilege to audition. It is 30+ years I bought new headphone in shop ( AKG K 240 ), no such thing as online back then. If those AKG cans would be sounding anything like JVC HA-S out of the box, I would still have that money. Others were bought used/burnt in, also known before purchase - with the exception of my recent IEMs.
 
So, here it goes : bass is bloated, and there definitely is a resonance that is very audible, everything sounds like "one note samba" bass. Soundstage is extremely cramped, mids are recessed and together with treble quite subdued relative to overpoweing bass. Below that bass resonance there is a steep rollof resulting in near zero low bass response.
 
There is also a veil over everything, like few have reported.
 
As it is, I would not have paid a dime for such sound.
 
HOWEVER - after said 90 minutes things did start improving a bit. I intentionally stopped listening or burn in, as I want to check a few things before I proceed. As everyone is saying, these need well above average burn in to settle to anything like final SQ. I have never heard a loudspeasker or headphone to start its audio life at such low and false key, and yet impressions from users with longest experience suggest there is a prospect of getting a beautiful swan from this out of box ugly duckling.
 

 
Pretty close to the direction of my first impressions, let us know what happens with your burn-in,
 
 
 

 
All kidding aside, your description above is pretty accurate from my 1st impressions of these S500s as well.  And kiteki was right that these are not impressive on open box at all.  There is definitely a veil effect which makes the sound kinda hollow/ underwater, the bass is flappy and the overall sound is kinda slow/ mellow compared to the other nanotube IEMs. Since I have had a decent amount of experience with nanotube drivers I know these needs to be cooked, but I just chose continue to listen to them to see how fast they would tighten up.    
 
After a couple of hours of flipping through my music library to check for harsh highs/ sibilance with certain tracks, which these S500s has none whatsoever I can hear the potential abilities of the nanotube driver lurking in the background.  The veil was still there but the familiar characteristics of nanotube drivers (amazing instrument separation, imagery, speed, lush bass) were slowly coming through.  The genius of JVC's nanotube drivers are literally creeping forward the more you listen to them.  It's asking for a good beat down to set it free. LoL

 
hmm...

 

[kiteki]

LoL, panda man got jokes. 

You need to hop on this gravy train since kiteki said the S500s are preferred over the M-80s. It's a official go go go no? ha

 
To be fair I listened to the M-80's for 20 seconds so that was a vague comment.  If you want a solid comment these are better than the Koss PortaPro's for sure!!
 
I was hoping these would sound like the SRH-940 or ATH-ES10, my flame of hope was lit like kerosene in the desert and the wine cellar concrete wall echo bass shot a saline dagger into my silicon heart.