[BenF]

 
Not exactly. But I do know that BenF likes them way more than the 500s. But BenF thinks these 'phones are the second coming of Jesus Christ and I wouldn't be too surprised if he'd tell you that they're better than the Stax SR-009, Sennheiser Orpheus, LCD-3, etc.

Second coming of Jesus Christ would result in a new World War, S680 is definitely better than WWIII would be.
Having said that, most 300$+ headphones would be even better.

 

[El3mental]

I was just hoping for an objective unbiased comparison since I really have nothing to go on beside people's reviews.

 

[BenF]

I was just hoping for an objective unbiased comparison since I really have nothing to go on beside people's reviews.

Simply due to larger pads S680 is immensely more comfortable.
Because of both larger pads and the presence of the dynamic port, the soundstage is mush larger.
S680 sound signature is less V-shaped then S500.

 

[andreamang]

Differences between 680 and 660? Between 680 and CAL??

 

[Aillas]

  Differences between 680 and 660? Between 680 and CAL??

I almost want to lend you my 680s just so you can see for yourself.

 

[andreamang]

Anyone who has had the opportunity to do a test between these headphones?
The 680 seems a bit strange, it requires a particular burn-in to play ... oh well ...

 

[K.T.]

So I put on my S400s yesterday after a long hiatus. I forgot how good they are. A screaming deal at the price.

Well, I don't know exactly where in the burn in process my S680s are at. I think something like 65 - 80 hours. Gotta say I'm thinking my S400s sound better. I was thinking the S680 before, but now that Ive been using the S400 again, it's currently the S400.

How so? Right now the S680 sound good, but compared to the S400, too warm and amorphous. Details are lost and an overall lack of clarity. Bass lacks in impact and quantity in comparison to S400.

Right now the S400 is more engaging and fun. There's a clarity, punchiness, tautness, and bounce in the sound, but still with a touch of warmth. S680 by comparison lacks focus, punch, and propulsiveness. Kind of warm and pleasant, but smeared and lacking in detail and conviction.

I hope this improves with more burn in. Comfort is better by far on the S680.

What do you think?

The S400 is really surprising me. Aside from the comfort issue, the S400 is an easy recommendation at ~$27.

Anybody else compare the two?

 

[BenF]

So I put on my S400s yesterday after a long hiatus. I forgot how good they are. A screaming deal at the price.

Well, I don't know exactly where in the burn in process my S680s are at. I think something like 65 - 80 hours. Gotta say I'm thinking my S400s sound better. I was thinking the S680 before, but now that Ive been using the S400 again, it's currently the S400.

How so? Right now the S680 sound good, but compared to the S400, too warm and amorphous. Details are lost and an overall lack of clarity. Bass lacks in impact and quantity in comparison to S400.

Right now the S400 is more engaging and fun. There's a clarity, punchiness, tautness, and bounce in the sound, but still with a touch of warmth. S680 by comparison lacks focus, punch, and propulsiveness. Kind of warm and pleasant, but smeared and lacking in detail and conviction.

I hope this improves with more burn in. Comfort is better by far on the S680.

What do you think?

The S400 is really surprising me. Aside from the comfort issue, the S400 is an easy recommendation at ~$27.

Anybody else compare the two?

If you think that S680's bass is lacking compared to S400, you definitely hasn't finished the burn-in yet.
S680 punches much harder than S400, it's not a subtle difference - I just A/B'd them again after reading your post.
 
Did you use the burn-in procedure from the first post?
If you did, may be you need to up the volume - if the volume is too low, basically nothing will happen.

 

[K.T.]

If you think that S680's bass is lacking compared to S400, you definitely hasn't finished the burn-in yet.
S680 punches much harder than S400, it's not a subtle difference - I just A/B'd them again after reading your post.

Did you use the burn-in procedure from the first post?
If you did, may be you need to up the volume - if the volume is too low, basically nothing will happen.

OK, I am glad to hear this. I do expect the S680 to be better than the S400, so maybe it has a ways to go. Hopefully the sound will clear up and gain some focus after further burn in, too?

I usually use the pink/white/brown noise track on repeat at a fairly high volume to burn in my phones. But somehow some component got deleted from my operating system, and iTunes won't start up.

So I've just been tuning to my local bass-heavy club mix station and pumping that through. Might not be the best solution, but does give the bass some exercise.

I'll keep at it.

 

[BenF]

OK, I am glad to hear this. I do expect the S680 to be better than the S400, so maybe it has a ways to go. Hopefully the sound will clear up and gain some focus after further burn in, too?

I usually use the pink/white/brown noise track on repeat at a fairly high volume to burn in my phones. But somehow some component got deleted from my operating system, and iTunes won't start up.

So I've just been tuning to my local bass-heavy club mix station and pumping that through. Might not be the best solution, but does give the bass some exercise.

I'll keep at it.

Yes, the sound will clear up in general too.

 

[Aillas]

So I put on my S400s yesterday after a long hiatus. I forgot how good they are. A screaming deal at the price.

Well, I don't know exactly where in the burn in process my S680s are at. I think something like 65 - 80 hours. Gotta say I'm thinking my S400s sound better. I was thinking the S680 before, but now that Ive been using the S400 again, it's currently the S400.

How so? Right now the S680 sound good, but compared to the S400, too warm and amorphous. Details are lost and an overall lack of clarity. Bass lacks in impact and quantity in comparison to S400.

Right now the S400 is more engaging and fun. There's a clarity, punchiness, tautness, and bounce in the sound, but still with a touch of warmth. S680 by comparison lacks focus, punch, and propulsiveness. Kind of warm and pleasant, but smeared and lacking in detail and conviction.

I hope this improves with more burn in. Comfort is better by far on the S680.

What do you think?

The S400 is really surprising me. Aside from the comfort issue, the S400 is an easy recommendation at ~$27.

Anybody else compare the two?

You're not alone: Takonin also prefers the sound quality of the S400 to the S680.

 

[BenF]

 
You're not alone: Takonin also prefers the sound quality of the S400 to the S680.

Takonin prefers a less V-shaped signature, his S680 was fully burned and the bass was hitting hard.
K.T. still hasn't heard a fully burned S680.
 
Also, Takonin used S680 with warm sources - FIIO E17 and AUNE T1.
S680 is already warm, it should be paired with neutral sources - anything Sabre based will do nicely.
ODAC + FIIO E12 or Dragonfly v1.2 sound great with it.
E17 really doesn't, the voices are seriously off.
Rockboxed Sansa Clip+ does work well quite with S680, despite being warm.

 

[ebrian]

Does it have to be connected to a source at all?  I don't have an amp, I plug directly into either my Nexus 7, 4 or PC.  I purchased a used pair from one of the head-fi members, waiting for it to arrive but by the sounds of it they've already been burned in using your method (50 hours), plus another 50 hours of his own use.

 

[BenF]

  Does it have to be connected to a source at all?  I don't have an amp, I plug directly into either my Nexus 7, 4 or PC.  I purchased a used pair from one of the head-fi members, waiting for it to arrive but by the sounds of it they've already been burned in using your method (50 hours), plus another 50 hours of his own use.

It all depends on the quality of the built-in DACs and amplifiers in these devices.
S680 is very transparent, will sound badly on bad source and good on a good source.
 
The cheapest ways to get a good sound are to buy Sansa Clip+ or the Hifimediy Sabre DAC - http://hifimediy.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=62&product_id=83
And of course, quality of the music files is crucial as well - use lossless well mastered files.

 

[musubi1000]

Ok I have both the S400 and S500. I will compare them against the 680s when they arrive. I really liked both the 400 and 500 for different reasons. The 400s for the mids and the 500s for the bass and better treble. The one area both the 400s and 500s lacked was in the stage. I can live with a 400 with better bass and stage. At under $60 these will still be an absolute steal. The JVC CNT headphones are some of the best values in HPs today. You can get a lot of quality sound for not much money.