[imusorka]

Would S400 be a better choice than S500 for a person who is not a basshead but rather prefers smooth, laid back sound with good instrument separation and (if at all possible in this price range) wide soundstage? What are S400 like in terms of comfort? Is a pad mod essential for long listening sessions and which one is the best?

 

[hershey22]

Quote:

Would S400 be a better choice than S500 for a person who is not a basshead but rather prefers smooth, laid back sound with good instrument separation and (if at all possible in this price range) wide soundstage? What are S400 like in terms of comfort? Is a pad mod essential for long listening sessions and which one is the best?

...I continue to rave about the ha-s400 without hesitation...I know SF likes the pad mods in conjunction with the tape mod but I didn't find it to be to my liking...I'm still sticking with the theory on how long and how aggressive I broke these in ...I think they sound great as is...stk pads and all...of course everyone hears differently and has different sources and eq settings etc...my euphoria is straight from a sansa clip + with eac/lame mp3 with eq set to jazz...yes I changed it after all this time having it set to flat normal and I just think it sounds more real...for 24 bucks or so don't sweat it as they are a slam dunk no brainer and they look great too!!!...get the white!!!...

 

[rickdohc]

Quote:

...I continue to rave about the ha-s400 without hesitation...I know SF likes the pad mods in conjunction with the tape mod but I didn't find it to be to my liking...I'm still sticking with the theory on how long and how aggressive I broke these in ...I think they sound great as is...stk pads and all...of course everyone hears differently and has different sources and eq settings etc...my euphoria is straight from a sansa clip + with eac/lame mp3 with eq set to jazz...yes I changed it after all this time having it set to flat normal and I just think it sounds more real...for 24 bucks or so don't sweat it as they are a slam dunk no brainer and they look great too!!!...get the white!!!...

 
 
 
yea... they sound better than this:
 

 
 
 
 
You live,  you learn.
A Cheap sub $30 buck JVC that sounds better than a $180 "Dr Phone"

 

[imusorka]

Thanks guys! Please comment on comfort too. Does the antonline Amazon seller have the real deal? There are fakes knocking about...

 

[rickdohc]

Quote:

Thanks guys! Please comment on comfort too. Does the antonline Amazon seller have the real deal? There are fakes knocking about...

 
 
buy them directly from amazon, here.. they got 2 in stock,, dont worry about fakes, these are new phones and are not Beats
 
 
http://www.amazon.com/JVC-HAS400W-Nanotube-Headband-Headphones/dp/B008P8EXJI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352841949&sr=8-1&keywords=jvc+ha+s400
 
 
 
Comfort wise,  they are light and relative small, they are not the most comfortable but not bad at all, more comfortable than the S500.

 

[Maxx134]

There have not been as much comparisons on these s400 to other models like on the s500 thread.
This will sound extreme, but I feel these headphones are true underdogs and when moded, can hold up to higher models.
I will be posting future comparisons to the :
ath esw9 (sold)
ath m50LE
vmoda m100 (already preordered)
moda LP
s500 (ordered)
For now I am enjoying the newfound bass(moded) & the mids with a slight EQ boost for the highs.
Sounds so dam good

 

[Leonchan]

Quote:

There have not been as much comparisons on these s400 to other models like on the s500 thread.
This will sound extreme, but I feel these headphones are true underdogs and when moded, can hold up to higher models.
I will be posting future comparisons to the :
ath esw9 (sold)
ath m50LE
vmoda m100 (already preordered)
moda LP
s500 (ordered)
For now I am enjoying the newfound bass(moded) & the mids with a slight EQ boost for the highs.
Sounds so dam good

 
Awesome! Can't wait.
My is on it's way

 

[hershey22]

Quote:

 
 
 
yea... they sound better than this:
 

 
 
 
 
You live,  you learn.
A Cheap sub $30 buck JVC that sounds better than a $180 "Dr Phone"

 
....you'd never get people to admit it Rick...we are so locked into trends that it is sickening...I see a trend I go the opposite direction...I have no problem shelling out good money if it is worth it...those are not...period!!...have heard em multiple times and I was so glad it wasn't my money that disappeared...my backside would have hurt after paying that kind of money for those...the JVC's are truly impressive regardless of price...but they are really astounding for $30!!!

 

[Robius]

So, for female vocals which one should i prefer s500 or s400? I read like 20 pages from both but i'm still confused 

 
thanks

 

[andkoppel]

After 20+ hours of burn in and I find the highs fabulous (I like them better than the M-80's). Bass is fun, tight and goes quiet deep. Mids, on the other hand, have me worried. I find them a little bit recessed (not a great problem) and lacking detail (big problem). Voices sound kind of weird, tonally correct but flat and two dimensional. Hopefully some more detail will come out with further burn-in and some eq.  The soundscape is kind of smallish and that makes the HA400 sound congested when the music gets loud and complicated (lots of instruments). SQ wise so far I find them to be a great bargain. Construction wise they are as good as they cost.

 

[Dsnuts]

The sound goes through several changes when you burn them in. You are no where near done burn in wise. You haven't even loosened them up @ 20 hours. They start to get loose @ 200 and need much more burn in from there. People that think a standard 50-100 hours of burn in will do these headphones just don't know. Carbon nanotubes 20X stronger than steel. Means you are gonna have to really drive them drivers to fully loosen them up.
 
My headphones the way they sound now. Sound like an upgrade to the stock HA-S400. Sure I did a few easy mods but believe me these do and will change for the better. If you want better clarity in the mids. Try out the ATH pleathers or the AKG pads. and keep them on the burn in.

 

[andkoppel]

What I am doing is burning them in at night playing Stereophile burn-in noise. Every day a little bit louder. During the day, if I have the time,  I use them with my portable rig because they are really enjoyable as they are.
 
Dsnut thx for spreading the nanotube fever. I am  waiting for my S500 to arrive from Japan and considering the FRD80Z that have showed up at JVC Europe web page:
 
http://jsp.jvc-europe.com/product.php?id=HA-FRD80-Z-E&catid=100128
 

 

[Dsnuts]

Oh nice. That looks like the FXD80 with a mic. That is new to me. The one I am eagerly waiting for is the FXZ100, FXZ200. Those earphones just can't come out soon enough.

 

[andkoppel]

Quote:

Oh nice. That looks like the FXD80 with a mic. That is new to me. The one I am eagerly waiting for is the FXZ100, FXZ200. Those earphones just can't come out soon enough.

Good catch the mic. Even better. And yes the FXZ100/200 are looking impresive.

 

[Maxx134]

For me during the burn in process the first thig to change was the bass gettig more cotroled and after the treble it seemed more there. and during whole process the midrange became more involving and real. I did not use noise I used heavy bass music I feel that stretchs drivers without faster than noise but could be wrong.