Edit: JVC Victor HP-FX500 impression

[h1a8]

Edit: I've added a few things as noted by the Edit symbol.

They were $136 shipped from Japan and got to me in 3 days time (fast indeed). I ordered on Sunday and got them Wednesday (yesterday). But when I tried them out of the box they sounded so good I couldn't wait to write an initial impression on them. This may lead up to a full review though (when they fully burn in).

Right out of the box these things sound awesome. And this is coming from someone who has SE530s, HFI-780s (which are great), DT770 80hm, Sound Magic PL-30, etc. I will be using the SE530 as a reference though.

Bass (11/10)
These have an awesome bass. It is very punchy, fast, deep, and doesn't muddy up the rest of the frequency in the slightest. This is the best bass I ever heard (quantity and quality). Boy is it sweet. Edit: These things are making me sick. I thought I was a true basshead until hearing these things for awhile. These have way too much bass, which is a bad thing (even for a basshead). Trust me that have more bass than what a basshead would want (assuming one listen to them long enough). I'm selling these.

Midrange (4-5/10)
Not as good as the SE530's foward and smooth velvety mids but they are quite recessed and less detailed. Edit: The bass is too thick and messes up the overall midrange experience.

Treble (better than se530)
I'm no expert on Treble as I'm a basshead and midrange lover so I don't care for it too much to have studied it through listening. But they certainly have more treble than the se530. I have >192kbps mp3 files from good recordings so I didn't hear any siblance yet.

Soundstage (average)
I'll test this more when I get home tonight using Chesky Ultimate Destration tracks. But from what I'm listening to now it is definitely wider than the se530. Edit: The soundstage is about a little above average.

Edit:
In Summary:
I purchased these because I wanted to go to the dark side after using the se530 (some songs needed more bass). Well not only are these things the dark side they are Emperor Palpatine. I mean these phones are darker than the darkest night. I wanted a little more bass and not this much. These things are super bassy even with the bass reducer on the ipod touch. They are getting sold as they are now making me sick. My HFI-780 is a breath of fresh air.

[Bulone]

WOW! Is it sound THAT BASSY? I've already placed my order yesterday. Few weeks earlier, I was torn among Klipsch x10, Custom 3 and FX500. Then I stumbled upon headfi forum and after reading like 30 pages long thread on FX500, it won me over. Can you blame me for this? It has been said,many times, to be much better than $400 worth IEM, IE8. I'd even decided to stop bidding on custom 3 on ebay which was liked 94 bucks. I hope I can stand its ultra strong bass.

[flacvest]

Just because you can FEEL the bass as well as HEAR it doesn't mean it's defective. It just means MOST Headphones, especially Balanced Armature variety IEMs (this one is a Dynamic Driver variety) are Bass Shy.

Or at least a lot thinner than the HP-FX500...

If you like to crank up your subwoofer _at all_ you should enjoy these Headphones. It's like OH, neat, there's Bass after ALL, and its LaYeReD and s-e-p-e-r-a-t-e-d... that's different.

There are neutral to somewhat shy mids. And Excellent to elongated highs, depending on how much burn in they have. Mine have 500+ Hours now and sound excellent.

I hated the Victor tips that came with them, they slipped out of my ears...

My faves are the a tossup on mood, and the sound signature of these phones changes with the tip; you get different subtle attitudes. A GREAT attribute. So, I guess I should name the tips: Head-Direct/HiFiMAN RE's Series Silicone Bi-Flanges, lelong_auction (on ebay uk) silicone bi-flanges (four colors: black, grey, white, or translucent pink), or the KOSS KE29S Earcushions.

I'm working on evaluating the tips again, and will eventually be putting an HP-FX500 & Tip review on Head-Fi.org.

Sorry to threadjack, I simply _HAD_ to disagree, for these are the most emotive, and articulate, and highest resolution as well as harmonious and musical phones I've ever heard (from earbud, to IEM, to Can).

[crazycanuck332]

I know this is old but i have to agree with FLACvest. The only reason i purchased the fx500 was purely on FLACvest's recommendation and i couldnt be more happy. These are the best IEM i ever heard and ill be patiently waiting for its successor the FX700.

[AMW1011]

Originally Posted by h1a8

Edit: I've added a few things as noted by the Edit symbol.

They were $136 shipped from Japan and got to me in 3 days time (fast indeed). I ordered on Sunday and got them Wednesday (yesterday). But when I tried them out of the box they sounded so good I couldn't wait to write an initial impression on them. This may lead up to a full review though (when they fully burn in).

Right out of the box these things sound awesome. And this is coming from someone who has SE530s, HFI-780s (which are great), DT770 80hm, Sound Magic PL-30, etc. I will be using the SE530 as a reference though.

Bass (11/10)
These have an awesome bass. It is very punchy, fast, deep, and doesn't muddy up the rest of the frequency in the slightest. This is the best bass I ever heard (quantity and quality). Boy is it sweet. Edit: These things are making me sick. I thought I was a true basshead until hearing these things for awhile. These have way too much bass, which is a bad thing (even for a basshead). Trust me that have more bass than what a basshead would want (assuming one listen to them long enough). I'm selling these.

Midrange (4-5/10)
Not as good as the SE530's foward and smooth velvety mids but they are quite recessed and less detailed. Edit: The bass is too thick and messes up the overall midrange experience.

Treble (better than se530)
I'm no expert on Treble as I'm a basshead and midrange lover so I don't care for it too much to have studied it through listening. But they certainly have more treble than the se530. I have >192kbps mp3 files from good recordings so I didn't hear any siblance yet.

Soundstage (average)
I'll test this more when I get home tonight using Chesky Ultimate Destration tracks. But from what I'm listening to now it is definitely wider than the se530. Edit: The soundstage is about a little above average.

Edit:
In Summary:
I purchased these because I wanted to go to the dark side after using the se530 (some songs needed more bass). Well not only are these things the dark side they are Emperor Palpatine. I mean these phones are darker than the darkest night. I wanted a little more bass and not this much. These things are super bassy even with the bass reducer on the ipod touch. They are getting sold as they are now making me sick. My HFI-780 is a breath of fresh air.

Your kidding? These are great IEMs and the bass is FAR from too dark, even for non-bassheads. Yeah if you like a flat frequency range then they aren't the best, but they really are not very exaggerated. The bass is deep and punchy, but also has a very wooden texture and speaker-like reverberation. If you think these are really that dark then you should stay away from all bass. Regardless, tastes are subjective and I understand that.

The midrange is even MORE detailed than the SE530s. Your going from a large hump in the midrange, SE530s, to a slight recess in the midrange, FX500. Your listening to an entirely different flavor of midrange. This is completely wrong.

Now for the worst, the FX500s do not have a average soundstage, or even slightly above, their soundstage is simply unmatched by any but the very most expensive IEMs on the market.

My opinions are not just mine, but others as well. I researched the FX500s before I bought them and I very much know their stengths and weaknesses.

The only real weakness of the FX500s is that they are brutal with the highs. If something is sibilant or harsh in the recording, the FX500s will do absolutely nothing to blunt it. They are sickeningly detailed in the upper ranges and this can turn a lot of people off. Because of this, you must be pretty tolerant of harshness to enjoy these, but if you are tolerant then you will be rewarded with truly great IEMs that are NOT overly dark.