righty I promised this along time ago but have been so damn busy (women..ex ex, ex and current..bad combination).
So I got my FX500s at the beginning of August. Unfortunatley I had to pay £20 in customs charges, so I was hoping they were worth it. First impression..I didn't get an extension cable..lolwut? oh well the cable is long enough for me. Second impression - these are BEAUTIFUL. They feel so so expensive and well made I just like to hold them and feel their pretty woodiness (oo err). Seriously the RE0's felt like a cheap toy in comparison..full marks to Victor on the design.
Third impression - fit is perfect. Straight outta the box with medium silicone the fit is perfect, they feel comfortable and not out of place in my ears. I've since switched to the medium silicones from my FX66's coz they are softer but nevertheless the ones supplied are suitable.
Then I turned on my mp3 player - was using a 2GB Sandisk clip. I was extremely disappointed
They sounded ok but one thing I was extremely suprised and disappointed with was the lack of bass..literally there was naff all. I was like err wut? people have been touting these as having amazing bass response..I was having none of it. Fit was not an issue, seal was perfect. I EQ'd to give extra bass which helped but I was still very much disappointed. Did I get a faulty pair? well I perservered and it seems not so. There was obviously alot of pent up agression in these phones coz after a couple of days with some heavy techno and they BLATENTLY loosened up and all of a sudden ssssssssssssssshhhhBOOM oh hello Mr.Bass there you are. There was a marked change with burn in no doubt, and this was after about 5hours. I've probably used them now for about 15hours and the sound is improving all the time.
So...I left them EQ'd because I felt the Clip wasn't quite powerful enough for these. I got a Fuze on the weekend and its now much better - the sound is fuller, deeper and louder.
So, my thoughts now. Bass - oooh its so beautiful. I can only compare to my previous IEM's and they are all gone and I have a bad memory but the bass on these are 100x better than my previous (see sig). Its deep fo'shure but its also so warm and natural - I'm sorry I'm not oh fay with the technical terms but to me these phones have the best bass of any I've heard. Its almost like it pulls you into the music.
female voices are oh just incredible - Janet Jackson sounds like she's actually whispering in my ear and Keyshia Cole is standing in front of me serenading me. On the track 'She's My' by Bow Wow, the singing in the chorus is just unbelievable.
Currently to me the weakest area is the highs, but they are getting much better with burn-in, outta the box they sounded quite frankly horrible. Now they sound very nice indeedy.
Soundstage is very well done, the Nuforce's had a very good soundstage and I would say these compare easily. I was listening to them the other day walking through liverpool street and was almost amazed that other people weren't hearing the music because of the effect of the phones being so comfortable as to be almost invisible and the soundstage being wide I was almost under the impression that the music was being played throughout the station (or was that just lack of sleep?
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Isolation is poor. Ok maybe thats harsh but it isn't good tbh - when I crank the tunes up I can't hear the outside world but apparently the outside world can hear me, and with it low sound does leak in. I use these in and about London which as you can imagine is a noisy place. Its not a deal breaker as I do have my music usually quite loud but I'm considering some Custom 3's next month for commuting purposes.
Overall verdict..was the £20 custom charges worth it? errrr...YES!! now these have opened up I love them. Love love love them. I bought some Goldring GX200s today so when they are delivered I will be able to compare but I felt guilty towards my FX500s in buying them..I didn't want to hurt their feelings because without question they are the best IEM to have ever gone into my ear canals and I love them. And compared to the FX66's? no competition. The FX66's are a great budget IEM but they simply cannot compare - the step up is just far to great and well worth the extra price tag.
sorry this review is like...well....crap
P.S. > I bought some Koss PortaPro's today too..ooo stop me please!