[Tom22]

I went ahead and got the Monoprice 8323, just for the heck of it --- I mean, for $24 they're practically free, anyway, just like these JVC S400's. As others have noted above, they're not audiophile grade, and in many ways the S400 is superior in the mid-range... but I'd say the 8323 has a more enjoyable, "open" sound, it just has a more spacious sound, so the overall listening experience for me has more of a "wow" factor than the S400's. Most notably, the S400's have a somewhat harsh sound when pushed with tracks that have strong highs, or strong female vocal tracks, but the 8323's don't have that quality --- the sound stays smooth even at louder volumes. There's no question that the 8323's don't have the detail or wide soundstage of better headphones. However, they are, for me, more enjoyable than the S400's, less of a closed-in "boomy" sound, and pretty much what I was hoping for when I first got inexpensive headphones for a low budget audiophile experience with my ultra-cheap Hifiman portable DAC.

I tried the mods to the S400's noted earlier but perhaps I didn't do them correctly --- it doesn't seem to improve the sound all that much, to me.



Before I buy another pair of headphones I will want to hear them first. I went to a store that had a wall of headphones and tried a bunch of them, including the V-Moda and a number of others, but they really didn't impress me. Just goes to show that headphones everyone loves in reviews may not really live up to the hype. The AiAiAi TMA-1, however, was pretty kickass, just as I remember my friend's AiAiAi Capital is. I would have gotten a Capital if it were more comfortable to wear, it's $80 from some vendors and sounds quite spectacular.

I wonder if there's some place where I could actually try the Creative Aurvana Live.

Whic vmodas did u use? M80s m100? Lps? Anyway, i have not tried the sa400 but i have the 8323. For what they are their pretty good. Great features for that price(detachable cables, swivelling earcups, actually being on ear, decently sturdy headband. Replacable earpads, folds up, flat) but i moved on. And trying them again found the bass boomy, mids were nice and forward, highs were a bit harsh with okay extension. Soundstage is probably wider> sa400 but still closed.

Now u see im nitpicking a 20-30$ headphone, but being as good as they are, i have to nitpick. Otherwise i would not bother. Its really worth an expensive dinner meal, just sayin

 

[syntheticzero]

It was one of the V-Moda Crossfade models, but I'm not sure exactly which one. Probably the LP2. It was okay, but just didn't "wow" me --- I don't remember exactly what it was about them I didn't like, but I put them on with my Hifiman and it was just "meh". They also had a $300 pair of Sennheisers that were absolutely beautiful --- but, $300. I also loved the $80 Grado open headphones but I want to be able to wear these on a plane, in a cafe, etc., and I don't want headphones that blast music so they bother my neighbors, so Grado is out, nice as they sounded.
 
So far in the El Cheapo range the Creative Aurvana Live still sound promising, only $60 from some places. Maybe later I'll give those a try. Meanwhile, the 8323's are what I had hoped for in super cheap headphones.
 
I'll scan above and see if I can find the mod referenced above --- I think the one I tried didn't do much, but it sounds like there have been many different mods posted here.

 

[syntheticzero]

(By "sound promising" I mean in the reviews here and elsewhere. But, where to try them?)

 

[syntheticzero]

On second thought, the Aurvana Live reportedly have poor isolation, so they're not likely to work for my purpose... sigh.

 

[Tom22]

  On second thought, the Aurvana Live reportedly have poor isolation, so they're not likely to work for my purpose... sigh.

look up the martin logan mikros 90s
 
it was 300$ headphone made mostly genuine leather and metal now discontinued for 60$
 
it seems to fit your criteria
 
supposedly good isolation for an on ear, the earpads look pillowy soft and the sound is rather balenced and the earpads are made of memory foam and replaceable
 
supposedly its an on ear version of the now discontinued gr07 mk2 or gr07 be edition but with more spacious 3d soundstage and a smoother treble
 
the gr07 is a bit a legend here on head fi so the mikros definitely sound good (i own the gr07 be by far my favorite iem)
 
cables are replacable 3.5 standard
 
LEATHER!!!! lol 
 
heres a link to the headfi post
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/633514/martin-logan-mikros-90-on-ear-headphones
 
you can find them on newegg.com for 60.99 in usd
 
or 89.99 in newegg.ca in canadian
 
i was seriously about to buy it but it would seem repetitive to get something with the same sound again (even though the price is dirt cheap, for something made of leather and metal mostly see bowers and wilkins p5 or p7 both 300$+
 
i'm waiting for something else... much more expensive but been waiting for years

 

[charmerci]

Now u see im nitpicking a 20-30$ headphone, but being as good as they are, i have to nitpick. Otherwise i would not bother. Its really worth an expensive dinner meal, just sayin

 
For headphones under $50, my criteria is that they just don't make my ears bleed or feel like they're drilling holes in my head! 

 

[syntheticzero]

Another update. I picked up a pair of Creative Aurvana DJ (they seem to be the same as the old Creative Aurvana Live headphones, but with stainless steel backing and supposedly better isolation). Definitely good headphones but clearly inferior to the Monoprice 8323 in pretty much every way. More "harsh" sound than the Monoprice in the mid-highs, and you can hear a lot more detail with the 8323's as well. I'm hesitant about the Mikros 90 because of reports that the clamping is fairly strong and also they don't fold up like the others.

 

[gilbertasm]

There is very little info about Creative Aurvana DJ cans, but I think they are differnt from CAL.
 
Creative Aurvana Live! uses Foster 399317 driver.
 
CAL technical blurp reads like this:

1. Driver Units: 40mm Neodymium magnet with composite bio-cellulose diaphragm
2. Frequency Response: 10Hz-30kHz
3. Impedance: 32ohms
4. Sensitivity (1kHz): 103dB/mW

 
While Creative Aurvana DJ:
 

1. Product Type - Headphone
2. Localization - Eng/Fr
3. Response Bandwidth - 20 - 20 KHz
4. Impedance -- 32ohms
5. Sensitivity (1kHz) -- 105dB/mW
6. Powered by large acoustically-tuned Neodymium drivers with Copper-Clad Aluminium Wire (CCAW) voice coils, the Aurvana DJ produces clear and distinct audio blah blah blah

 
As you can see Creative Aurvana DJ doesn't mention bio-cellulose and specifications is different so I think it uses different driver.
 
So you should definetly check original CAL or CAL2 (also uses same Foster 399317) phones and see how you like their sound.

 

[dakanao]

How do these compare to the Creative Aurvana Live?
 
And how will they perform for rap/hiphop?

 

[enkoo]

  As my first post, I would like to say hi to the Head-Fi community!

 
  Also I would like to know how do the JVC HA-S400's compare in terms of sound quallity to atleast one of the following headphones:
-JVC HA-RX900
-JVC HA-RX700
-Philips SHL3300/00
  Any comparison would be much appreciated, thank you.

 

[dakanao]

I just ordered the black/gold edition which is the cheapest of the 3 colors (33 euro vs 42 euro for the white color, and 53 euro for the black color). Why is there such a big price difference between the 3 colors?

 

[BenF]

  I just ordered the black/gold edition which is the cheapest of the 3 colors (33 euro vs 42 euro for the white color, and 53 euro for the black color). Why is there such a big price difference between the 3 colors?

All the models except the red one are made in China. The red one is made in Japan.
You could've had it for 42$ shipped, your prices sound too high.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JVC-Victor-Stereo-headphone-HA-S400-R-/110944135582

 

[dakanao]

 
All the models except the red one are made in China. The red one is made in Japan.
You could've had it for 42$ shipped, your prices sound too high.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/JVC-Victor-Stereo-headphone-HA-S400-R-/110944135582

But they have all the same sound and comfort right? That's what I'm interested in.

 

[BenF]

  But they have all the same sound and comfort right? That's what I'm interested in.

The red one sounds better - due to better quality control in Japan.

 

[nehcrow]

 
The red one sounds better - due to better quality control in Japan.

Of course it sounds faster too