[Cybernaut]

Quote:

I've had FXT90 and enjoyed their sound except for harsh treble on some tracks.
Seems like the 500 have similar sound signature?
How do the 500 compare with the 700?

I'm not sure since I don't have the 700's, but after reading a lot of threads here, seems like the 700's are pretty similar to the 500's and are equal or better for all genres of music. The bass extends a bit lower, and the mids are more pronounced, which is honestly the only major weakness on the 500's (voices sometimes tend to get lost a bit in the background).

 

[soozieq]

I had the FX500's for a short while, and apart from the recessed midrange I enjoyed them quite a bit and never found the treble harsh. For me, the biggest difference between those and the FX700's is that the 700's have a much more forward midrange in comparison. It's not forward compared to phones like the UM3X, but it is forward compared with the FX500's. They still have a lot of bass but the more forward midrange makes them sound more balanced overall.

 

[ianmedium]

There were a couple of things bugging me about these phones. I knew they are capable of going the extra mile just because of their musicality. One of the biggest issues was the bass and also isolation, or lack of.. I listen to my earphones in coffee shops, the ety's isolate superbly but the Victors are about as isolating as an open door.

So, I took the plunge and followed my intuition on these and did a couple of modifications. Firstly I took out the filters, the fabric covers over the tubes and the foam behind them. I then added a spare pair of comply T500 tips from my triple.fi 10s... My oh my! So now I can get a great seal and the ambient noise is reduced greatly. I have just the right amount of bass for it to be visceral but not overpowering but the best is that the mids have come forward and are beautiful.

I loved these in quiet conditions before the mods with the proviso's that I mentioned before but now I really feel confident in saying that these earphones truly punch above their weight.

A mention again about the bass. The individual notes and texture has gone up by a country mile with this modification, likewise the mids are now so present, treble is sweet and clean and engaging but not in the least harsh.

Now I truly love these headphones!

 

[zenpunk]

The 500 and 700 are extremely similar. The FX700 is a bit more controlled in the bass and treble, and slightly more detailed overall.

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

The 500 and 700 are extremely similar. The FX700 is a bit more controlled in the bass and treble, and slightly more detailed overall.

The FX500 vocals are a lot more recessed than the FX700, but aside from that, they share a similar 'house' sound.
 
 

 

[lee730]

Did you kill the sound stage though with this mod? Sounds like a good mod though. I modded my closed Denon 5000s into open-back and its a night and day difference after the mod.
Quote:

There were a couple of things bugging me about these phones. I knew they are capable of going the extra mile just because of their musicality. One of the biggest issues was the bass and also isolation, or lack of.. I listen to my earphones in coffee shops, the ety's isolate superbly but the Victors are about as isolating as an open door.
So, I took the plunge and followed my intuition on these and did a couple of modifications. Firstly I took out the filters, the fabric covers over the tubes and the foam behind them. I then added a spare pair of comply T500 tips from my triple.fi 10s... My oh my! So now I can get a great seal and the ambient noise is reduced greatly. I have just the right amount of bass for it to be visceral but not overpowering but the best is that the mids have come forward and are beautiful.
I loved these in quiet conditions before the mods with the proviso's that I mentioned before but now I really feel confident in saying that these earphones truly punch above their weight.
A mention again about the bass. The individual notes and texture has gone up by a country mile with this modification, likewise the mids are now so present, treble is sweet and clean and engaging but not in the least harsh.
Now I truly love these headphones!

 

 

[ianmedium]

Did you kill the sound stage though with this mod? Sounds like a good mod though. I modded my closed Denon 5000s into open-back and its a night and day difference after the mod.


 

Actually the opposite. The sound stage increased slightly and the sense of depth increased. However! This mod only works with using the comply's I find. With stock silicone tips the sound was very thin, almost no bass or substance. But seeing as I only use this type of phone when I am out and about I needed the extra sound isolation and the comply's the isolation from external noise is almost at ETY levels.

 

[lee730]

I'm almost tempted to try this mod on my FX700s. But I think I'm afraid of messing things up lol. I bet it must sound amazing. There's something to your mod I think. My Denon 5000s also share a similar characteristic to your FX500s which is the extra sub bass when compared to its mid bass (at least when compared to the Denon 2000 and 7000). This was a problem before I did my open back mod but now due to this extra sub bass, I get even more detailed and deeper bass. I find myself focusing on the bass lines and how deep it goes instead of being annoyed by flabbiness. Sound stage was increased greatly as well as treble detail and airiness. Mid range opened up significantly. I can't express how much I love this mod .
Quote:

Actually the opposite. The sound stage increased slightly and the sense of depth increased. However! This mod only works with using the comply's I find. With stock silicone tips the sound was very thin, almost no bass or substance. But seeing as I only use this type of phone when I am out and about I needed the extra sound isolation and the comply's the isolation from external noise is almost at ETY levels.

 

 

[ianmedium]

yeah, really be sure you want to do this as it is not reversible! Also, your restricted to the comply tips which is fine for me as i find them comfortable.
When I got these this week, as you can see from my review I really feel they offer high end sound for not a lot of money but the bass just was too much for me and not very refined, plus the total lack of isolation from external noise, well. I got them for a great price so i thought what the heck and I am glad I did as this mod really shows what this earphone is capable of I feel. They are like my beloved ER4S's now but with a little more warmth which is great on certain albums I have that are a bit thin sounding.

Also, these surpass the ETY's now on Opera or Classical, they feel more full sized to me now. So now I have my ETY's for acoustic and these for Classical and Jazz. Perfect!

 

[lee730]

Wonder if I could pick up a pair for a reasonable price to try out this mod of yours. Id love to hear it. Would you be able to give in-depth directions on how to do this mod? I'd have to buy comply as well. Never really got along with them after I broke my first pair of IE8s removing them lol. Just curious, are there fakes of these models on the market. It sure seems that way at some of these prices I'm seeing on them. Just seems too good to be true...
 
Quote:

yeah, really be sure you want to do this as it is not reversible! Also, your restricted to the comply tips which is fine for me as i find them comfortable.
When I got these this week, as you can see from my review I really feel they offer high end sound for not a lot of money but the bass just was too much for me and not very refined, plus the total lack of isolation from external noise, well. I got them for a great price so i thought what the heck and I am glad I did as this mod really shows what this earphone is capable of I feel. They are like my beloved ER4S's now but with a little more warmth which is great on certain albums I have that are a bit thin sounding.
Also, these surpass the ETY's now on Opera or Classical, they feel more full sized to me now. So now I have my ETY's for acoustic and these for Classical and Jazz. Perfect!

 

 

[ianmedium]

Its actually very simple. Use a pair of fine nosed tweezers to start to peel the edge of the fabric mesh away, just pull gently and it starts to peel away from the tube. The first one came away complete with the foam tube underneath it but I had to pull the foam tube away from the plastic tube on the second one by pulling with the tweezers. You don't have to worry about the driver as the foam is about 4-5mm in length so it is far enough away from the driver.

The one thing is I am not sure if there is another mesh filter further down to protect the driver. I have just ordered the TX500 comply's from my Canadian ebay supplier, these are the wax guard ones which will protect the now exposed tube. From what I have heard the guard is fairly transparent acoustically. Once they arrive I will let you know!
The 500's are a perfect fit for the Victors as the opening is the right size and once the foam is compressed it does not cover the tube.

 

[ianmedium]

Comply update.
Just got the TX500's which are the ones with the wax guards which will protect the open tube with the mod I did. If anyone wants to do this mod make sure you get these models, not only to protect the tube but for better sonic performance. Detail has gone up a notch and bass is a little more controlled over the non wax guard tips. These are now my second favourite in ear monitors after my Etymotic ER4S. The Etymotics will get more use simply as i love the sound and noise isolation but these will be used when away from home and I am in quieter environments and when I don't want to take my LCD's with me. Still cannot get over the sound quality for the price. Remember I am comparing these to almost thousand dollar full sized headphones and four hundred dollar in ear phones.

Marvellous value for money I feel and a true glimpse into higher end headphone sound I feel.

PS. What these excel at is simple music and acoustic instruments. Violin sounds wonderful with these, they really allow one to listen for long periods with no fatigue and the violin sounds creamy and vibrant and engaging. Piano has a wonderful tone, one just gets lost in the emotion and can really feel all that the pianist is putting into their performance!

 

[cpk]

ianmedium, thanks for the detailed info. I checked Comply;s website and did not see the FX 500 there and also no model for the HP FX 500. Can you provide the link to the ebay seller that you purchased from?
 
Thanks
Joe

 

[ianmedium]

Hi, it is e TX500's that you want, they are the ones for the ultimate ears triple.fi10's I find they fit perfectly!

Here is a link to the seller I use, great guy.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Comply-Tx500-Foam-Tips-TX-500-Ultimate-Ears-MEDIUM-3prs-/330453724760?pt=Other_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item4cf093ae58#ht_4118wt_813


I have had the victors burning in a bit and have found the bass to have tightened up considerably through burn in, it is still not quite what I want which is why I have ordered a pair of final audio design heaven S's but to be honest, at the price if I could only go as high as what these cost they would be my choice over anything else at this price point. I find them very engaging and now the bloated bass has been modified I can enjoy the details more. Treble is less grainy as well I find with burn in.

 

[tienbasse]

Ts-500 also fit those IEMs (and FX700) very nicely.
Easier to insert than T-500 or Tx-500 and the insertion is shallow enough to give the best sound.