[shigzeo]

there is a portable section now? had no idea at all. i think it may have not been in action when i originally published this in march.

i want to add to fureshi: the high are not as distinct as some other models but for me and fatigue, they are perfect. i actually removed the black filter paper from the nozzle and it helped but that was not why i removed it.

it was because it was getting wax that was hard to get rid of. without that filter (there is still filter below) they have a stronger treble presence.

 

[epithetless]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif there is a portable section now? had no idea at all. i think it may have not been in action when i originally published this in march.

Yeah, the forums were recently reorganized this way, and (most of) the relevant threads have been moved to the appropriate category.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif without that filter (there is still filter below) they have a stronger treble presence.

...but still no fatigue or sibilance? Do you prefer the sound without the black filter to it stock?

 

[shigzeo]

i prefer it without as it is a little lighter. they are not dark phones compared to m5 for instance and even without the filter, they don't fatigue like the um2 and e500 did for me (there are some here who find those fatiguing - i also find the hd600 somewhat fatiguing).

truth be told, i have not heard a single canal/iem that does not fatigue me somewhat. even m5 and this phone eventually fatigue. these fatigue me less though than m5. only their bass is less realistic than the m5, otherwise, i find the balance of treble, mids and bass quite hifi.

that is good and bad. if they were a little colder, they would be perfect for trance but they would also fatigue me way too much.

they are as perfect as i have tried of canals, but only up to the e500. i have not tried above in terms of price

 

[fureshi]

thanks shigzeo. the filter was one of the first things i noticed about these that i would eventually remove. i'm going to listen to them for a while until i remember their sound signature and then remove the filters. as they are with the eqing, they sound more than fine to my ears.

i've never found the e500 to be fatiguing and in fact felt that the highs were too veiled. they are very musical to be sure. i'm certain that a large part of the veil was due to my old ipod nano not having enough power to drive them properly. i'm curious how the e500 sound on my zune, which seems to have one of the best headphone outs that i've heard in a while.

 

[shigzeo]

the zune should not drive them any better than the ipod unless you mean for volume. they both suffer from roll off and stereo images that are not that large. but im surprised with my 3g nano whilst having normal bass roll off the stereo image even on iems is very very good. above average at least

 

[fureshi]

not really for volume but power of the headphone amp. my 1g zune easily drive my er4p and turning on the acoustic setting of the eq helps to improve the bass without any clipping. my 1g nano made the er4p sound a bit congested, which i've noticed from most of the ipods i've owned in the past. i think the most noticeable signature about the ipod eq or amp is that bass boost in any eq setting will clip lower bass notes. i've not noticed that with the zune eq.

 

[shigzeo]

okay i see. i don't use any boost or eq with ipod - ever. with the sony, i use reduce bass unless i use the er4s adapter then it really is not a problem at all.

ipod do not have a very good equalizer unless you pre medicate your tracks with aacgain or some such. without though, amazingly, the nano is really great other than bass roll off. surprising considering all the anti fan flack it gets here. the zune should naturally power it for volume better and since it has better eq, do better with er4 series but that series is a very hard phone to understand. it is quiet, non-hissy, somewhat detailed (or just treble tweaked) and fast but unemotional.

congestion i usually find occurs with players that have no stereo separation and the ipod is not one of those. but then, everyone's listening practices are different.

 

[adalyan]

Hello People,
I just got the FX500's a few days ago. They are by far the best IEM's that I have used. OK, they do not have the analytical approach as the Ety's (which was a bit too much for me) or the detail of LiveWires but as a complete package they are amazing.
Very very little listening fatigue, very comforable. They present the music as a whole instead of dissecting it. And that's what counts for me.

Just one question: There will come a time when the stock foam tip will wear out and I will need a replacement. Can you please recommend me a replacement tip.
Do the Shure Black Foam tips work or Comply Foams?

Many many Thanks..

Ahmet

 

[devilsadvocate]

These look perfect for my needs. I'm a basshead who wants more bass than my super.fi 5 pro but more detail and less sibilance than my super.fi 5 EB. I was considering the Atrio M5 before I saw this, but this seems to be an improvement. My only problem is that I can't find these anywhere (especially given that I need shipping to Russia).

 

[adalyan]

These are indeed very very nice phones. If you look on eBay Stores, there are couple of Japanese sellers who have the FX500's.. I think they should be allright with shipment to your part of the World.

 

[devilsadvocate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adalyan /img/forum/go_quote.gif These are indeed very very nice phones. If you look on eBay Stores, there are couple of Japanese sellers who have the FX500's.. I think they should be allright with shipment to your part of the World.

I was thinking about this, but I tend to be nervous about buying from sellers that don't have a lot of feedback / don't have a stellar rep. I see only two with low feedback.

I am thinking of pulling the trigger on this listing: JVC Victor HP-FX500 Inner Ear Wood Headphones - eBay (item 180259847757 end time Jul-10-08 04:29:19 PDT)

Thoughts anyone?

 

[fureshi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif okay i see. i don't use any boost or eq with ipod - ever. with the sony, i use reduce bass unless i use the er4s adapter then it really is not a problem at all. ipod do not have a very good equalizer unless you pre medicate your tracks with aacgain or some such. without though, amazingly, the nano is really great other than bass roll off. surprising considering all the anti fan flack it gets here. the zune should naturally power it for volume better and since it has better eq, do better with er4 series but that series is a very hard phone to understand. it is quiet, non-hissy, somewhat detailed (or just treble tweaked) and fast but unemotional. congestion i usually find occurs with players that have no stereo separation and the ipod is not one of those. but then, everyone's listening practices are different.

i eq based on the cans being used. on the fx500 thus far, i've found that boosting the treble is all that i need to do but i haven't tried removing the foam and screen yet. maybe that will give the cans just enough reach on the high end. i'd also prefer not to use eq but will do it if needed.

i'll have to give the nano another try if it's as you mention. it's been a while since i've last tried an ipod, which was the first generation nano and have avoided purchasing ipods lately because the latest offerings from other companies are getting really good. there's also the fact that other players have radio, which is great for those moments when i want to listen to npr.

 

[shigzeo]

yeah, if ipod had radio included, it would be much more attractive. i find the sound so comparable with most portables now as they use such similar hardware.

if the d2 had the separation the ipod does on iems, i would have kept it as it is a very similar sound. if the sony did not hiss so much, it would be great. but still...

the ipod is among a handful that can utilise gapless playback and flawless playback of aac and mp3 files.

i have been enjoying my sony a bit more lately when i want to take a player that i care not much if it is scratched as it is about as appealing looking as... hmm? haha.

 

[Akabeth]

Great review thanks

 

[momentary_lapse]

shigzeo.

Thanks for your replies to my pms' and the review.i pulled the trigger on these. im now having a tough time deciding between my atrios and these.

they seem so close though the atrios are definitely warmer sounding and have the bass definition and thump. but these are pretty close and yes the mid's and high's are better.

what should i choose based on? the better mid's and high's or just what sounds good?