[BenF]

  Japanese sites are a nightmare to navigate

Not the ones in English:
https://www.buysmartjapan.com/index.php/en-us/product-index-K0000579832-f27b3c0a8003b3d890c1f7ee2e50986c.html
 
60-65$ shipped worldwide.

 

[michaelgordon]

I live in the UK. Best shot at avoiding customs charges?

 


Not sure if there is anything specifically you can do, me and Lifted both ordered from Kakaku withing a couple of days and he got charged and i didnt.

 

[andreamang]

Why not ebay???

 

[Aillas]

Why not ebay???

More expensive ATM. Last time I looked most eBay sellers were selling 'em for about $80 (which, by the way, is twice the retail price of these 'phones); on that Japanese site you can get 'em for as little as $65 (including shipping and taxes).
 
That Japanese site seems like the cheapest option for most people right now.

 

[andreamang]

Bah I tried to see the ship in Italy and costs about 50€ ... 58€ on ebay ...

 

[AnarchistFish]

  Not the ones in English:
https://www.buysmartjapan.com/index.php/en-us/product-index-K0000579832-f27b3c0a8003b3d890c1f7ee2e50986c.html
 
60-65$ shipped worldwide.

thanks I was trying to work out how to get onto that
 
seems to cost the same as the amazon sellers when it's all added up but the cheaper ones don't ship here

 

[Ji-L87]

So,
I received my 680s yesterday, and I realize it's a bit early too write much about them because I haven't burned them in that much, but my initial thoughts are as follows:

Comfort: They're bigger than I thought they were going to be. In fact, they're a bit too big for my head - so comfort is still an issue, opposite of the S500, they clamp more onto the back of man jaw instead of the top of my ears. The headband is also a tad too wide.

Music: I prefer S500 for music - especially outside. Right now, the 680 doesn't make me feel the music as much as the S500 does. A lot of people have complained about the bass, but I find it actually a bit lacking in that department. Does that make me a bass head? 

I'm not sure exactly what I miss in the bass right now, but I'm not getting the same ear massage from the 680s. Also, the S500s are quite up front while these feel a bit further away. Not just as engaging and hard-hitting. Vocals do come out very nicely however.

Gaming: They're very nice for gaming. Just tried some FFXIV and they had a better sense of space and placement. Very immersive. This point have been mentioned before, but I agree here.

They're not bad, but I don't find them super great either. Even if the sound gets different through burn-in, it won't solve the comfort issue.
I'll probably hold on to them for a little more though. I did give them to dad for a comparison and he clearly preferred the 680 before the 500, hm.

They're a step up from the S400 tho' - had the S400 sounded like these, I probably wouldn't felt the need to upgrade to the S500. So uh, not trying to derail the hype-train - just wanted to share my opinion so far.

 

[BenF]

  So,
I received my 680s yesterday, and I realize it's a bit early too write much about them because I haven't burned them in that much, but my initial thoughts are as follows:

Comfort: They're bigger than I thought they were going to be. In fact, they're a bit too big for my head - so comfort is still an issue, opposite of the S500, they clamp more onto the back of man jaw instead of the top of my ears. The headband is also a tad too wide.

Music: I prefer S500 for music - especially outside. Right now, the 680 doesn't make me feel the music as much as the S500 does. A lot of people have complained about the bass, but I find it actually a bit lacking in that department. Does that make me a bass head? 

I'm not sure exactly what I miss in the bass right now, but I'm not getting the same ear massage from the 680s. Also, the S500s are quite up front while these feel a bit further away. Not just as engaging and hard-hitting. Vocals do come out very nicely however.

Gaming: They're very nice for gaming. Just tried some FFXIV and they had a better sense of space and placement. Very immersive. This point have been mentioned before, but I agree here.

They're not bad, but I don't find them super great either. Even if the sound gets different through burn-in, it won't solve the comfort issue.
I'll probably hold on to them for a little more though. I did give them to dad for a comparison and he clearly preferred the 680 before the 500, hm.

They're a step up from the S400 tho' - had the S400 sounded like these, I probably wouldn't felt the need to upgrade to the S500. So uh, not trying to derail the hype-train - just wanted to share my opinion so far.

 
If you consider S500 an upgrade over S400, that means you prefer more of a V-like signature.
S680 may end up being a disappointment for you, because it's more balanced. Your dad may love them even more though

 
The bass will improve greatly with burn-in, and vocals will improve further too.
Don't forget to give time for both burn-ins- the physical and mental one.

 

[AnarchistFish]

Interesting. I never had the S400s but loved the S500s beefy sound so I'm still not entirely committed to taking the risk when I could pay a little less for headphones I know I'll love.

 

[iano]

If you consider S500 an upgrade over S400, that means you prefer more of a V-like signature.
S680 may end up being a disappointment for you, because it's more balanced. Your dad may love them even more though

+1

I have also just taken delivery of a pair, and of course not burned in yet, but I really like these phones precisely because of the balanced nature of the sound (balanced but with a emphasis in the bass to my ears, but not basshead level certainly). I also have a pair of the S500's coming so I will listen out for this comparison when they arrive.

BTW - this thread has been great in pushing me to get a pair of the 680's really enjoying he music currently as I write this. Thank you everyone Ian

 

[andreamang]

500 is a bass-head headphone, 680 is not a bass-head??
I've sold 500 so uncomfortable ... but he had a few great low medium and high standard ...

 

[BenF]

  500 is a bass-head headphone, 680 is not a bass-head??
I've sold 500 so uncomfortable ... but he had a few great low medium and high standard ...

S680 has a great bass, but a more balanced signature overall

 

[Aillas]

  500 is a bass-head headphone, 680 is not a bass-head??
I've sold 500 so uncomfortable ... but he had a few great low medium and high standard ...

The 680 most definitely is a basshead can. Anyone who tells you otherwise probably isn't used to listening to more neutral cans. With these there's a profound, far-from-subtle emphasis on bass.
 
It's obvious from listening to these that they were made with bass-heavy music in mind.
 
—
 
Does anyone else here own the 680 in white? The pads on my white ones look less thick than the pads of the black and red ones I've seen online.

 

[Lifted Andreas]

 
S680 has a great bass, but a more balanced signature overall

 
It's def not a full on basshead can.
 
Althought once burned in the bass presence is plentiful with loads of control and impact. Not wobbly bass at all, unlike some other headphones.

 

[michaelgordon]

Im now not sure on the bass of these headphones at first i would have said they are not as without EQ i found there was a little and what was there was good but not as much as i wanted after EQing i have them vibrating and shaking which i really like but its not distorted just nice and having listened to my friends AKG 452s they seemed to have no bass at all and sounded really quiet need to do something with the EQ now for the vocals just to emphasise them a little more as they are being drowned a little by my other settings