[gopanthersgo1]

I don't feel the bass you guys talk about. It's just enough punch for me...

Is it because I listen to music at 5% volume on my PC?

Yeah... You cant have good sound if there's none to begin with!

 

[xkonfuzed]

damn that makes me want to buy them to try them.

does the sub bass go as low as.. say an DT770?

I don't know about the DT770 but it extends just as deep as my Dt880 and ever lower than my M50's.

 

[esmBOS]

  damn that makes me want to buy them to try them.
 
does the sub bass go as low as.. say an DT770?

I wouldn't say it hits those sub 30Hz as hard as an EQ'd DT770 does, but I do get good audible response down to at least 25Hz (testing using onlinetonegenerator).

 

[TobyM5]

  So, one SE-A1 "surfaced" at last !
 
I am not only green, but traffic light colour with envy - because SE-A1 must be exceptional in every way and probably still is the best power amp in existance.
 
So, how does it sound, compared to something good but "widespread" enough to be reasonably accesible to hard core audio nut ?
 
I hope SE-A1 is more reliable than SE-A3, which can be divided in two categories: the ones which did blow their output transistors and the ones that still have to do it - but you can rest assured they will. When up and running, still awesome amp.
I use SU-V8 integrated as power amp, because it is the same circuit as SE-A5 power amp minus those "sexy" meters and plus two separate power transformers, not just separate secondary windings as in SE-A5. Perhaps any experience with any of the mentioned amps ?
 
iPod etc - heavens forbid, but it is reality these days. I find it appalling good mastering engineers now are forced to learn how to in fact mangle good recordings in order for them to sound acceptable as MP3s. Try to send your friend a tune attached to your mail in anything with better resolution than MP3 and you will quickly learn why this is so. Standard limit per single attachment is 25MB of data and that is roughly one minute of 44-1 kHz/16 bit CD resolution. Whole CD with approx 80 min is 700MB and is mission impossible as attachment to email. There are ways around it, but you generally have to use services of others if you want to send bigger files over internet.
 
Sad but true - really good audio equipment is too expensive and too low in numbers to be really interesting to manufacturers anymore. iPods and similar gizmos outsell serious stuff by mind boggling percentage, despite late Steven Jobs being an avid analog vinyl user and collector. It is hard for the iPod generation to accept older technologies were ultimately better - but they were not portable, they could not store one's entire library in a pocket sized device, etc,etc - life style and priorities have changed, and although I can accept it in this thread, all allarms start to sound when people on head-fi start talking about sound quality of 1k$ phones with MP3s - THAT is too much. The same as comparing Ferraris on dirt non asphalted road.
 
BTW, JVC HA-S500s would not be totally out of place besides your SE-A1 - they have at least some of the qualities to be possible to mention them in such exclusive company, regardless of their modest cost.

Just noticed this, sorry for the slow reply....not sure if there are others as this thread is huge!
 
Yes I am one very lucky owner and I'm hoping to have found another! Such is my quest to find out more about these...I should really develop a website for them as they really are so rare but there is literally no info on them at all. Certainly no circuit diagrams which is unfortunate as I have my current one needing a repair on one channel and another I'm hoping to buy with a similar problem! They haven't done bad given they were designed and built 35 years ago!
http://www.thevintageknob.org/TECHNICS/SUA2/SUA2.html
 
You ask about the sound, its simply incredible...you think something of that age and technology would be well overtaken by now....not so! The crisp detail from this is spookily clear...it has a real control over the music like I've never heard before, you can run music directly from an I-Phone into its input sockets and it still sounds awesome. At the moment I stream through a Cambridge Audio DAC Magic but am trying to find another piece of Hi-Fi history...the Gale GT2101 turntable which my great uncle and his design company were involved in, back in the 70's.
 
I had a broken SE-A3, the output transistors pop because the voltage swing can peak higher than their rating suggests, a bit of an oversight by Technics but there is a fix: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/solid-state/443-replaycing-old-transistor.html it will take some work but the OP still has the unit working after 10 years.
 
I've also had an SE-A100 with SU-A200 which was a fantastically well made amp that Technics then carried on with for 20 years! They changed the casing but the guts were exactly the same, speaks volumes for the design. They are nearly as hard to find though, I sold mine for £1750.00.
 
I will check out the JVC HA-S500's, need some new headphones!

 

[Orel]

So what do you say guys, are these worth it for rock and metal?
Regarding my preferred signature, I don't like piercing highs and I do like smooth and a little front mids. From what I read I got nothing to worry about the bass lol. I recently got a chance to listen to S400 I think and the SQ was pretty good only it sounded a little "tinny", as in the treble was a little harsh. Maybe they lack burn in or something?

 

[7S Cameron]

So what do you say guys, are these worth it for rock and metal?

Regarding my preferred signature, I don't like piercing highs and I do like smooth and a little front mids. From what I read I got nothing to worry about the bass lol. I recently got a chance to listen to S400 I think and the SQ was pretty good only it sounded a little "tinny", as in the treble was a little harsh. Maybe they lack burn in or something?

In my opinion the S500s are on an entirely different level when compared to the S400s. My main gripe with the S400s was the highs, the S500s do a much better job of it. A lot of people were disappointed on open box, but they blew my mind right away. 1000 hours of burn in does wonders 

 
 
They are still some of my favorite headphones of all time and I primarily listen to metal.

 

[Orel]

  In my opinion the S500s are on an entirely different level when compared to the S400s. My main gripe with the S400s was the highs, the S500s do a much better job of it. A lot of people were disappointed on open box, but they blew my mind right away. 1000 hours of burn in does wonders 

 
 
They are still some of my favorite headphones of all time and I primarily listen to metal.

Awesome that's great to hear
Did you get a chance to compare these to the K518? I'm pretty familiar with those

 

[RoMee]

I have both the K518 and S500 and the S500 is easily the better headphone. The K518 has bigger bass but it's slower and the mids and highs are not as good as the S500.
If you mod the K518 the gap between the two won't be as big but the S500 will still come out on top.

 

[greenwoodwoo]

Just got my S500's in the mail this morning. I wanted a pair of portable phones that I could take with me around the city, and didn't cost a whole lot so I wouldn't feel too badly should anything happen to them. I should note that while i ordered the black, the model i got was the very dark gunmetal shade that is in the first post here. I couldn't care less, and i actually think these look prettier.
 
First impressions:
 
Punch, clarity, and presence. I've been using my sennheiser hd280s almost exclusively for the past 6 months (not by choice) and they have a very neutral sound. In comparison, the S500s have much more punch, clarity, and presence. As supraaurals they can't really be compared with the circumaural hd280s which have amazing seal and isolation. Will have to see how they do on the metro. I have a big head so they are a little uncomfortable if I don't set them properly, but if this persists i'll consider getting those larger pads  recommended here to get a better seal and more comfort.
 
I tested them with my ipod classic (thick 80gb model), no dac or amp. All lossless files.
 
These Foolish Things by Ella Fitzgerald: I was immediately struck by how clear and forward her voice was. no comparison with the hd280 - this song is much more fun and involving to listen to on the s500s.
 
Solitude/Night and Day by Billie Holiday: I found  Holiday's voice to be much less forward than ella's in the previous track. I would conjecture that this is due to the supposedly "V" profile to the s500's sound that i've read about, but I will return to this point momentarily. The S500s did really well with both tracks  otherwise and i was very impressed.
 
Nightmares by Clipse: Did not like the way the snare stick sounded on this track. It sounded nasally and out of place. Everything else sounded like what i would come to expect by now from my brief time iwth the s500 - punchy, clear, and engaging. Vocals were good, bass was good, no complaints except with that damn snare stick.
 
At this point I went to the ipod's eq setting and found an eq that had an inverse V shape. Spoken Word and Lounge were the two that fit this bill. Either one of them made a huge difference in the sound. The sound was even more engaging without being louder. Also, that nagging snare stick was ameliorated, although it still felt a little out of place. Relistened to all four of the previous tracks and found the experience to be even more enjoyable than before. I should add that the Spoken Word setting makes Holiday sing, but because the frequencies are raised relatively more than the lounge setting, it tends to distort when she hits higher registers.
 
My premature conclusion at this point? The s500s are keepers. They are fun, portable phones to listen to. I haven't even burned them in yet for anywhere close to the recommended amount but I'm still enjoying them as they are. The cable seems a little short but i don't have an equitable baseline for comparison.
 
I'd write more but i'd rather go enjoy my new headphones
 
edit: On the track Late by Kanye West the bassline sounds a bit flabby and all over. Also, I just wanted to add that that the cable seems really durable and i'm glad that JVC took the extra steps to do this.

 

[Orel]

Sounding great so far!
Is there any difference in build and alike between the black and gunmetal version?

 

[kova4a]

Sounding great so far!
Is there any difference in build and alike between the black and gunmetal version?

Yeah, the gunmetal's way cooler. 

Some people have reported the black paint on the black version peeling and scratching off easily while the gunmetal is always pretty and doesn't have that problem.

 

[Orel]

Yeah, the gunmetal's way cooler. 
Some people have reported the black paint on the black version peeling and scratching off easily while the gunmetal is always pretty and doesn't have that problem.

Alright, thanks a lot for all the help

 

[xkonfuzed]

Yeah, the gunmetal's way cooler. 
Some people have reported the black paint on the black version peeling and scratching off easily while the gunmetal is always pretty and doesn't have that problem.

Oh hell no. Black is much sexier but the gunmetal is shinier though

 

[TrollDragon]

Oh hell no. Black is not sexier but the gunmetal is amazing though

FTFY

 

[gopanthersgo1]

FTFY

Never mind, gun metal is the best!