[analogsurviver]

Quote:

I only have one complaint about the S500. It's the same complaint I had about the FX40s. 
 
If you don't have a well mastered source, you hear every flaw and problem. 

Listening to files of songs I had no problem with in the past I find myself suddenly saying "boy, listen to the artifacts in the high-hat and cymbals on that".

It's a double edged sword. I've heard defects in ultra respected audiophille recordings that previously left unnoticed. For casual listening when you want just to chill out and relax, having HA-S500 as sole headphone would be a (sado-) masochistic choice indeed. When everything upstream in the system is OK - WOW !
 
Problem is that condition is seldom, if ever, met in real life on music one likes best. We strive for perfection, but when something this close to it comes along, yada yadaing about defects in recordings of one's beloved music can be distracting, to say the least.
 
When time pressure eases itself a bit, I am more than one bit concerned just what JVC HA-S500 might unearth on my treasured LPs.  Hopefully more good than bad !

 

[bobeau]

Quote:

 
I think the same too, the S500 has the hardest hitting, deepest bass of all my JVC audio stuffs.
But I can understand where Cute and Bob is coming from, with certain tracks the FXD80's bass are at a different higher level than the S500.
 
I think it is meaningless to say which has more bass if we are listerning to them with different sources and recordings.

 
It's actually Beau   This is universal to my ears - the FXD80 just has a bass boost relative to the S500 seemingly along the entire lower end, but perhaps the S500 reaches a bit lower or the FXD80 has a tad more mid-bass relatively to sub-bass?  It's definitely more impactful/textured though.

 

[rickdohc]

Those Snare Drums with efects from 80`s rock and pop, sound horrible

What where they thinking?
 

 

[4sound]

I got HD25 velour pads on them.  Sound is a touch more balanced.  I've been burning them in for the last week and they sound detailed and neutral now.  I wish the soundstage was a little wider.
 
As far as comfort goes, the velour is better but because they sit on the ear, they start to get uncomfortable after an hour or two. 

 

[bjaardker]

I'm in project hell with over 80 hours in for the week and i'm starting to fade.
 
Can someone send me links to some uplifting, productivity boosting music for me to enjoy my S500s with?

 

[DaBomb77766]

Quote:

I'm in project hell with over 80 hours in for the week and i'm starting to fade.
 
Can someone send me links to some uplifting, productivity boosting music for me to enjoy my S500s with?

 
Here you go!

 

[lmswjm]

Just arrived....Needs burn-in.  Using pink noise currently. Would bass frequencies yield a better result? Planning on a 4 day burn-in. HD-25 velours should be here by then.
 
Recommendations to get the best out of these?

 

[marald]

Quote:

 
Here you go!

MrSuicideSheep *_* He has the best music channel on youtube, really love his taste!
 
BTW, i would like to try these S500 but buying them from Japan to Italy I would probably pay half their prices in custom taxes
Does anyone know if they are going to be released in Europe sooner or later?

 

[sfwalcer]

Quote:

I only have one complaint about the S500. It's the same complaint I had about the FX40s. 
 
If you don't have a well mastered source, you hear every flaw and problem. 

Listening to files of songs I had no problem with in the past I find myself suddenly saying "boy, listen to the artifacts in the high-hat and cymbals on that".

WoW, for me it is the opposite with these S500s. I have both the FX40s and the FXD70s and they are wayyy more revealing than these S500s.  The FX40s are not forgiving whatsoever, and on poorly mastered music they will let you know with vengeance. Hence the FX40s have the habit of picking up sibilance and harsh highs. The FXD70s are a lot more refined and more forgiving than the FX40s, but you'll still hear the flaws in your music if they are poorly mastered.  These S500s for me are something else, like I said before they even make crappy mixtapes sound nice to the ears. They basically pick up only the good aspects of the recording and presents them to you in amazing nanotube fashion.    
 
I dunno, but that is what I am hearing from my S500s, but everyone hears differently so......

 

[rickdohc]

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.

 
 
 
Hi Skian, any updates on the mids? 

 

[Sweden]

If anyone is interested in improving the comfort I suggest washing the stock pads (with some fabric softener). This make them substantially softer and more comfortable.
To put the finishing touch on the sound I'm using TB EZQ with J River which improves the clarity.
 

 

[analogsurviver]

As promised, I posted Part 1 of my method for quick burn in with predictable results. It is here: 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/625840/controlled-burn-in-with-predictable-results-for-headphones
 
As always, enjoy your music ! 

 

[sacrifice13]

My S-400's arrived today and they are so pretty! The out of the box sound is pretty impressive. There is no veil at all, but also no brightness or harshness. Right now the bass is a bit flabby but I'm expecting this to tighten with burn-in. The sound is much bigger than i expected out of little portables. The vocals are impressive on this thing, very rich. The only downside at the moment is that there isn't as much detail as I would like. They may become more present once the bass has settled down but if they don't I'm not too worried. The fact that I paid $40 for these is crazy! I really want the S-500's now, but I should wait till I have the money to spend on yet another pair of headphones. At the moment I'm extremely happy with this purchase, so anyone looking for yet a cheaper alternative to the already cheap S-500's don't hesitate to pick up the S-400's, they are still awesome!

 

[dnullify]

Hey all,
 
 
So I've got about 150+ hours of burn in on my S500s so far. The sound is spectacular, i'll say that much. They are in detailed, clear, very intimate, bassy, and sparkly.
 
I still can't use them for more than a few songs in a row though - all's fine when i'm listening to the music, but when i take them off my ears are ringing and burning. Very similar to the Grado sr225i, i used to own.
 
I'm hoping some more burn-in would loosen these up, but i'm fairly certain that they're just energetic in character.

 

[Ghostfit]

Quote:

 
It's actually Beau   This is universal to my ears - the FXD80 just has a bass boost relative to the S500 seemingly along the entire lower end, but perhaps the S500 reaches a bit lower or the FXD80 has a tad more mid-bass relatively to sub-bass?  It's definitely more impactful/textured though.

 
My humble apologies, Beau

 
I would rate all my JVC headphone/iems as follows:
 
In terms of Sub-bass extension = S500>FX40>FX101>FXD80>FX1X
 
in terms of Mid-bass quality = FXD80>S500>FX40>FX101>FX101
 
In terms of Mid-bass quantity = FX1X>FX101>S500>FX40>FXD80