[shigzeo]

I actually have that song in ALAC and in VBR AAC - indeed, it is a benchmark song if I have ever seen one!

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Mids come out and the highs are less harsh with Koss silicone tips. That said, try this song out for bass texture, the unlikely song it is but: Daft Punk - Television Rules the Nation First half of the song, gees, in a quiet room, you can definitely feel your eardrums shaking. It's the best quality bass out of any song I've heard, synthetic or natural bass. Daft Punk, particularly the 'Human After All' album, is extremely complex in nature. Tbh, 320 kbps isn't enough in some songs. e.g. the complexity of the songs in this album = if you encode to VBR -v2 or above mp3, it will max out 320kbps most of the time and with other encoders e.g. Ogg Vorbis, I set the nominal bitrate at 246.1 kbps, the average bitrate of some songs in this album = well over 330 kbps (+90 kbps = crazy, most songs are usually below the nominal bitrate). This song, as well as the album, I'm definitely adding to my 'reference list', which has everything. My philosophy = you should test out sound equipment with a variety of genres.

 

[Ojsinnerz]

Well, I just got these. I sent an email to Seyo-shop about two weeks ago, and they said that they send all their products as a "gift" which would make it so that it wouldn't be hit with any taxes when entering Canada. With that, I ordered it just 7 days ago, and arrived in 6 days. For something that was being shipped from so far, it's quite impressive.

Anyway, these IEMs are my first phones into the "audiophile world", and honestly these really sound fantastic! Every time I hear some songs from my library, it just puts a smile on my face. I just love them!

 

[iponderous]

Phew! Finally got to the end of this thread. Is this really any way for a man to spend a Saturday night? Anyway, my overall impression of the impressions of the JVC Victor HP FX500's is visceral bass, recessed mids and extended highs that border on harsh, all enclosed in a very attractive birch shell. Hmm, call me sceptical but I do wonder how a birch shell that appears smaller than an acorn could impart any sound quality to such a teensy weensy driver.

So is this a phone for bassheads or not? I'm not a basshead. I like bass but I like other instruments too. Bass is great but if there was only bass, then I'd be forced to endure more of Sting's self-important musical ponderation. I'm looking for a different flavoured phone to my SE530's. I'm after something with more treble extension that enlivens the music rather than sedates it but I don't want my ear membranes seared on both sides. Some sparkle would be nice though.

The consensus in this thread appears to be that these phones do well with acoustic instruments. As I mainly listen to acoustic jazz, these little wine barrels have me licking my claret stained lips. I have been contemplating "investing" in either the Triple.Fi 10 Pro or the IE8 but given the considerably lower price point of these birch bullets, they shouldn't be ignored.

So is there anyone here who has owned the Trips, the IE8's and the Victors (and they don't even hail from eastern Europe) prepared to point me any direction (other than the exit)?

Ta in advance.

 

[midoo1990]

well,i have the ie8 and victors and i prefer overall the fx500.the ie8 is a superb phone for trance,house,electronica and metal,their huge soundstage helps greatly in identifying where every instrument is placed and the seperation and details are great and surpasses the fx500 by not a small margin.the bass on the fx500 is superb and reverbation is eargasmic and sound so natural and exteneds so deep,the ie8 cant compete in this area as its bass sound artificial and plasticky in comparison.as for the sound of instruments on the ie8 there is a veil and they sound thick like they are covered by something that make them sound dull.on the fx500 they sound superb and so natural.vocals on the ie8 are better than fx500 and they are in your face kind of presentation,while on the fx500 there can be sibilance on female vocals but the presentation is similar to the ie8,overall vocals are better on the ie8.if you like recessed mids and laid back presentation,then this is the ie8,fun little dark phone,if you want a bright phone with much better treble and can sometimes be harsh and fatiguing then the fx500.best genres for ie8are metal,trance,house,electronica.best genres for the fx500 are country,hiphop,jazz,rock,new age and punk rock and r&b.hope that help you.and by the way the fx500 mids are not receesed or forward,they are sweet(in the middle)

 

[CaptHowie]

Can anyone compare the Victors to the IE8's sibling, the IE7? Ive heard the IE7 is a completely different beast with a soundstage that is a little bit smaller, but great mids and highs. I'm trying to decide if I should get the IE7's or the Victors, and at the moment I'm looking at the IE7's...

-CaptHowie

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iponderous /img/forum/go_quote.gif Phew! Finally got to the end of this thread. Is this really any way for a man to spend a Saturday night? Anyway, my overall impression of the impressions of the JVC Victor HP FX500's is visceral bass, recessed mids and extended highs that border on harsh, all enclosed in a very attractive birch shell. Hmm, call me sceptical but I do wonder how a birch shell that appears smaller than an acorn could impart any sound quality to such a teensy weensy driver. So is this a phone for bassheads or not? I'm not a basshead. I like bass but I like other instruments too. Bass is great but if there was only bass, then I'd be forced to endure more of Sting's self-important musical ponderation. I'm looking for a different flavoured phone to my SE530's. I'm after something with more treble extension that enlivens the music rather than sedates it but I don't want my ear membranes seared on both sides. Some sparkle would be nice though. The consensus in this thread appears to be that these phones do well with acoustic instruments. As I mainly listen to acoustic jazz, these little wine barrels have me licking my claret stained lips. I have been contemplating "investing" in either the Triple.Fi Pro 10 or the IE8 but given the considerably lower price point of these birch bullets, they shouldn't be ignored. So is there anyone here who has owned the Trips, the IE8's and the Victors (and they don't even hail from eastern Europe) prepared to point me any direction (other than the exit)? Ta in advance.

Hey there-
These definitely still warrant consideration even if you're not a basshead. The amount of bass they communicate is quite staggering at times, as mentioned a couple posts ago. But the beauty of these is how the bass doesn't blur into the rest of the range... it's just 'there' when the music contains it.

As for the highs, I do find them at times borderline harsh. This softened with burn in however, to the point that it's really only 'borderline'. It's pretty acceptable really, and I am the kind of person who has usually preferred a rather laid back treble presentation. The level of treble detail and resolution is something I have never heard in a dynamic driver earphone, until this one.

While I wouldn't feel comfortable saying 'yes, you need to get these', I can say that I find them a remarkable value for the sound they present. I find them more enjoyable than my Sennheiser IE8's. Those unfortunately have been sitting idle for months now that I have the FX500's, and most recently the Denon C710's (which is a very similar set of phones, but that's a whole other matter....). Something good is up with dynamic driver development these days it seems.

 

[MadDog]

Just for the bass, I still think fx500 is the bass king among all universial IEMs. Is it better than the bass of jh13? Not quite but very close...Just think about it..$150 IEM having comparable bass...that's something.

 

[shigzeo]

I also have the JH13Pro which reigns at the top for overall sound, though it is much harder for a portable player to drive. despite the 16ohm of the victor, it exhibits few issues with low end portables and amps. in fact, driving even from the relatively feeble Fireye 1, it sustains a low distortion level when compared to the JH13Pro.

Where the Victor shines is in timbre and texture of instruments. I am not saying the Victor is better than the JH13Pro (for many reasons), but you will not feel the strings or brass in the same way on the JH13Pro. The victor's timbre is perfect. Just yesterday, I was wishing that its driver and housing could safely be put into a custom shell which would retain the sound if not bring the mids a bit more forward.

simply phenomenal engineering by victor.

 

[Neeley]

I still can't bring myself to buying a pair of these, the reported harshness in the top end worries me that I'll find them too fatiguing after a short period.

 

[midoo1990]

Its not that bad in harshness,but I am different a little from the others because I am sensitive to high notes and treble,but for any normal user i don't think they are fatiguing at all maybe just a hint of sibilance on some songs,pull the triger you won't regret it.

 

[iponderous]

Hey yourself cn11 and thanks for your reply. Speaking of that "whole other matter", do you have a preference between the FX500 and the C710? I did check the C710 thread out a couple of night's ago but I'm a little hazy on the details having read this thread since.

 

[iponderous]

Hi shigzeo. Any favourable comparison between this phone and the JH/13 PRO is high praise indeed. On a slightly different tact, how do the FX500's compare to the CK10's in your opinion? I see from your signature that you have those as well.

 

[shigzeo]

That is a religious war. Both are favourites of mine. The CK10 is overall, the best universal I have used, though suffers when compared to the Westone UM3X, 3, UM2, 1, UM1, etc., and the Earsonics' SM2 for cable build quality. The CK10 is an interesting earphone in that it is ultra linear - to the embarrassment of the ER4S and smoother than the Etymotic in the high frequencies.

It is the best-built earphone in any price range until you reach its little brother, the titanium CK100 which has better 'stress relief' and features a right-angle plug.

Soundwise, the Victor and the CK10 are very different. The CK10 is utterly smooth, but not at all rolled off in high frequencies, but its bass is linear whereas the FX500 is big and visceral.

Do I love them both? Yes. If I had a choice of which to keep, it would be the CK10 simply because it is built better, will undoubtedly be a long-term investment, and can be used in a variety of situations such as sports, whereas the FX500 merely sounds great and is made well for the price.

If the CK10 high frequencies and smooth midrange could be ported to the FX500, it would be perfect, but then, it would still lack all the natural sound which the FX500 brings to strings, wooden instruments and drums.

 

[Scott_Tarlow]

The CK100 is the CK10's little brother??? I thought the CK100 was the triple driver and the CK10 was way cheaper.

 

[jj94]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cn11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif While I wouldn't feel comfortable saying 'yes, you need to get these', I can say that I find them a remarkable value for the sound they present. I find them more enjoyable than my Sennheiser IE8's. Those unfortunately have been sitting idle for months now that I have the FX500's, and most recently the Denon C710's (which is a very similar set of phones, but that's a whole other matter....). Something good is up with dynamic driver development these days it seems.

Hmm. Do you think the difference between the FX500 and the C710's is large enough that it would be worth getting the FX500 too? I love the C710's, but have been very curious about these too. I just don't know if the FX500's advantages over the C710 are worth another $150.