JVC harx700 - a poor mans ath-a900!!

Just wanted to pop in and say that I ended up opting for the HAR-X700 rather than the 900... I know the 900 might've been better for online gaming due to the wider soundstage but from all accounts the 700 seem to put out a more balanced sound signature and I'll probably keep gaming online w/my headset unless I become enamored with these... I'll be using them mainly to game by myself or listen to music late at night while working, so the HAR-X700 seemed a fine choice (though I've got another pair of cans for music as well, bass was lacking in games).

Looks like I ordered 'em just in the nick of time too, since yesterday when I ordered 'em two more reviews went up on Newegg and now they're outta stock! Buy.com probably still has 'em tho, I think I read they're priced similarly there ($7 more at Amazon for the 700). Unfortunately I might not get to listen to them for a few weeks if I do end up leaving for Europe at the end of this week... :( Will report back once I've broken them in and given them a good listen tho!
 
Blah, Newegg's free 3-day shipping turned into 4 days.... Not like I was gonna be able to listen to them before leaving for Europe on Saturday either way (as I had them sent to my uncle's place in Denver for free and he'll re-ship 'em to me). Since I ordered 'em on Sunday or Monday it looks like Newegg had 'em in stock again and now they're out once again. :eek:
 
I think my 700s have completed the break in. I was listening and the sound suddenly got much darker and the bass was more defined.
 
I got the 900 paired with this auzentech forte card and the sound is absolutely amazing.
 
I'm planning on snagging the JVC 900's very soon, the price is nice and from what I've read here, on Head-fi, and all over the web they're well worth the investment. Right now I'm running on a set of Turtle Beach HPA2 5.1's for my primary use (apartment), they've been great. In fact they're so good, my fiance keeps taking them whenever she can...which has prompted me to consider some upgrade options. I won't get into that, but I've looked at a ton of headests, headphones, 2 channel, 5.1 channel, usb, 3.5mm or usb, etc. One thing I wanted for sure was an upgrade in sound. The TB's are pretty good running thru my x-fi at least to my ears, I'm no audiophile, but I like my bass, mids and hi's to be audible and distinguishable...just how I was raised.

Now that brings me to this thread, searching google, and beyond...I am considering a couple of options, either getting the 900's with the Zalman MC-1 clip-on mic, or taking the mic off the HPA2's and mod them to the 900's, I have enough extension cable to get the job done in that aspect, that'd save me some money and I do like how the HPA2 mic records, it's not even too bad to replace (around $18 shipped from Turtle Beach http://www.turtlebeach.com/products/efhpa2/replacementparts.aspx ). I'm thinking a mod that attatches to the LH can, just not bottom mounted like the HPA2...but it would be cool to have it plug in to the bottom of the LH can like the HPA2's.

First question is, has anyone gone from the TBA 2's to the 700's or 900's? I really would like to hear some comparisons...now I use my headset for gaming, music and movies, in that order generally. My primary genres are rock, hard rock, metal, but I do occasionally listen to a wider variety. So I wanted something that was an improvement in all of the above...going from 5.1 to 2ch does not bother me one bit. At this point, I could just get another set of HPA2's for around 60-70 bucks, but I really want to try something different, new and flat out better, even if it includes modding. I'm actually interested in modding them using the thread on head-fi's forums, and performing a unique mod with a decent mic I wouldn't have to pay for because she wouldn't use it.

Both mic's are omni-directional, I can find specs on the Zalman, but can't seem to find specs on TB's mic...but from experience it records very clear, though in Vista record gain is at 100%, no boost and I do have to speak a tad louder than normal if it's beyond 5-6" away.. But there is always background noise, so I don't want a mic too sensetive at the same time. If I went with the zalman, odds are I'd have a more sensetive mic that clipped on the cable with no mods, but if I went free with the HPA2 mic, I would have to creat some sort of mod, and would already be adjusted to it's current sensetivity.

Alright beyond that, I also would like to have some sort of in-line volume adjustment, comes in very handy and something I've been used to for years running with gaming headsets from logitech, ltb, plantronics and turtle beach...so it's a feature I want to bring with me...I've seen in-line ones fairly cheap, but I don't want to totally degrade my sound to a point that it's worse than what I had...I'd consider an external unit, but the one I truly want is out of reach (Astro A40 mixamp...might be worth the money, but I don't have it to spend on top of the headset atm). I run an X-Fi Xtreme Music card, have for years, it's a solid card for my needs, I like the CMMS-3d for 2ch headphones/sets, I don't need 5.1, and if I don't want a battery only powered amp that has a 3.5 input...if I could find a USB powered amp w/3.5 input w/manual volume control, I would be very happy, even better if it has a mic input. If it was good enough to equal my X-fi I may consider a usb only setup to run the 900's.

Sorry for the long post, if any of you frequent Techpowerup, I do this often even when giving suggestions. I just wanted to make sure I covered all bases..like I said I'm not a serious audiophile, I like my sound the way I want it to be heard. I've done a lot of research on what I want for conveying the sound to my ears, and the JVC's are in my budget and it seems like they'd blow anything out of the water that I can afford atm...I do plan on modding them, but may not right away aside from a possible mic mod. And suggestions on in-line volume controls would be appreciated, as I said if it's amplified, cool...but usb powered and 3.5 input appreciated at a price that is no more than the headphones (may be a delayed purchase if that much), or if there's a usb setup that compares to my x-fi that has volume control, decent output and mic capabilities I may be interested too. Again sorry for the long post and hopefully I can get some good suggestions on what to go with, I've got a list of stuff to sort through via reviews and consumer experiences, and I hope to gain some more from here too. Thanks for taking the time to read this!
 
Just ordered the 900's (the 700's were out of stock at NewEgg). Should get them Monday, can't wait to hear them!
 
Nice, I ordered a set of 700's from Buy.com, should be here monday...I hope it's worth the wait! I'm thinking of snagging an Auzentech X-Fi Forte 7.1 for use with these down the road and giving my X-Fi Xtreme Music to my fiance to drive the HPA2's. I hear the Forte has a decent headphone amp built in, and I want to keep the gaming support of the X-Fi to an extent. But for now, I'll just run with what I have atm.
 
I like kursah have just received my RX700's today and I must say wow. I do like that how nice these sounds but I need some help configuring these, such as sound card settings and what not. I have a x-fi xtrememusic. I took some suggestions from one guy in my headset woes thread by putting it to headphones instead of 2.0/2.1. Is there a major difference besides the obvious that headphones mode maybe better for these. Also I am used to having a volume nob thing like on my old Razer Barracuda HP-1 headset where I would leave that low, but have all software volume max in windows. It is like learning to walk again, trying to find the right balance of sound level because at max settings people on ventrilo sound like they are Godzilla and King Kong screaming(One thing people sound a bit muffled but not 100% clear). I have my eq settings a bit weird and I currently have audio sound level at about 68%. Any help with some generic settings for windows volume plus the creative audio panel would be of great help, I will mostly be gaming(such as COD4 and CSS, and TF2). Also I normally use winamp for music but that doesn't seem to be the popular choice on head-fi or here. I think most liked foobar or something like media monkey(MM for short). Do any of these two programs have a distinct advantage over winamp?

Here is a pic of creative audio panel: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v344/ZeusKOTG/?action=view&current=creative.jpg
 
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to set the x-fi for those games.
(in x-fi control panel)
set speakers to headphones
do NOT sync with windows control panel
cmss3d ON (off for music, on for games)
wave volume no higher than 60%
main volume no higher than 45% -headphones plugged directly into soundcard. use keyboard to adjust volume
play with eq to taste- try a shallow V shaped setting

(in windows audio settings)
set to 5.1 speakers

(in game)
set to 5.1 speakers
turn on eax/openal/hardware acceleration if an option

cmss3d takes the 5.1 stream from games and turns it into surround sound 2 speaker (same as dolby headphone)
the reason for not setting the volumes at max is for no software clipping of the bass
 
Where do you have it NOT sync with the windows control panel? Or do you just set them independantly? I'm so used to just setting everything to 5.1 anymore...but I think we're good. I have set to something similar as above now, looking forward to trying out some games, but I just can't get away from the music at this point! I've been re-listening to my entire collection! :D

I also turn on EAX when I can, many games have let me, yet I don't have Alchemy installed...I hate that software.

But so far I'm very, very impressed with these. And after burning-in overnight, they have cleared up a bit in the hi's and mids, sweet. :D
 
Alright well a solid day and a half worth of break-in, and I am still using +5db of bass boost at 50hz for tunes, I'm sure I'm a bass head though. But even without this set sounds very good and has opened up A LOT. I am probably gonna order another set of these and maybe a set of RX900's or DX3's to play with, along with that I'm strongly considering paying too much for the Auzen Forte sound card at this point. I don't need perfect sound, I don't need "audiophile" sound, but if I can do better at attaining the sound I have and spread the wealth I will. Cheers!
 
after break in and with proper amplification i think there is no need for bass boost with the RX700.
after a day your's should be broken in already and the X-Fi Xtreme Music isn't a bad card.
IMO you should look for a headphone amp, that will improve bass reproduction.
 
Just did the felt mod, man that was pretty damn painless. I listened to NiN - 10 Miles High before and after...and I must admit the felt mod really let these things open up, the mids and hi's came alive. The bass seems a little more rounded to me, still running the +5db @ 50hz boost, but even without there's more bass than I remember. So far I'm pretty damn content, tried the HPA2's on again just for reference...definately night and day.

I'll consider a headphone amp, but it seems to get one truly worth my time and money would cost more than the Auzen Forte, while it might not have the best amp, it'd be a lot easier to deal with overall imo. Though I wouldn't mind the volume control of a portable/desktop amp...and it seems amps are tough to find unless you go to the mfg site or find one used. At the same time I can't justify more than $100 into a headphone amp, and really in that price range, I don't know what's truly worthy. Seems amp prices have gone up than what I have read in the forums here and away.
 
Great headphones, but after listening to my MS-1i, I must retire them lol.

Would definitely still use them for techno and very bass heavy songs though.
 
Just got these in about an hour ago. I'm impressed. They may be a little "oomphy" on the low end right now, we'll see how they burn in. They definitely expose the quality of the music you put through them though. Every time one of my older mp3's comes on, I cringe a little.
 
These are currently $33 shipped on Buy.com and at that price I'm very tempted.

My brother has a pair of ATH-AD700's and he let me use them for a week and I really loved them, both the sound quality and the comfort. How do these compare to those in that regard? These are more than 50% cheaper and if the quality is comparable I may just go with these.
 
Just ordered my RX700. Should be here Tuesday next week. Can someone elaborate on the quantity/quality of bass with these cans?
 
ManCannon said:
These are currently $33 shipped on Buy.com and at that price I'm very tempted.

My brother has a pair of ATH-AD700's and he let me use them for a week and I really loved them, both the sound quality and the comfort. How do these compare to those in that regard? These are more than 50% cheaper and if the quality is comparable I may just go with these.
Click to expand...

I paid that price a couple weeks ago, and I love mine. I haven't tried any ATH open backs...so these will sound different and not as wide of a soundstage from what I read due to the JVC's being a closed back style. They might be slightly vented, but not enough to consider calling it an open backed can.

The quality is actually pretty decent for the price, they're pretty tough, feel solid, no rattles or creeks yet. I just installed an X-Fi Forte tonight, and wow...it really opened these headphones up in the mids and hi's...plus the hefty bass is still there but much cleaner in comparison to my X-Fi Xtreme Music which ran the card quite well...but wow I'm impressed overall. Great headphones for sure.

Ladic said:
where can we buy JVC HA-RX900
Click to expand...

http://www.google.com/products?clie...a=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4

Cheers. :D
 
The Harx700 isnt in the same class as the ATH-AD700. However for $33 you may well be happy with them. I was one of the first to get the Harx700 and sold it to my roommate since it just did not compare to my ATH-AD700 and A900. Excellent bang for the buck though.
 
I modded both the 700 and 900 - took felt off, put dynamat extreme in the cup and driver, and a bit around the inner ring of the opposite cup. I tried acoustic stuffing in both but could not tell a difference. Both cans seemed to improve on clarity and tighten the bass.

The Harx700 sound a lot more clear to me while the 900 sound sort of muffled, not sure how to describe it but the 700 seems to have more treble or clarity on the mids/highs, it also has better/more impactful bass. The 900 might be a tiny bit more on low end bass, I couldn't tell much of a difference b/t them when listening to rap but in rock the 700 has more bass. I don't understand people saying that the 900's bass is strong and will shake your head, because that's definitely not what I'm hearing, unless I turn the equalizer up or something. Maybe I got a defective pair?
 
J87X said:
I modded both the 700 and 900 - took felt off, put dynamat extreme in the cup and driver, and a bit around the inner ring of the opposite cup. I tried acoustic stuffing in both but could not tell a difference. Both cans seemed to improve on clarity and tighten the bass.

The Harx700 sound a lot more clear to me while the 900 sound sort of muffled, not sure how to describe it but the 700 seems to have more treble or clarity on the mids/highs, it also has better/more impactful bass. The 900 might be a tiny bit more on low end bass, I couldn't tell much of a difference b/t them when listening to rap but in rock the 700 has more bass. I don't understand people saying that the 900's bass is strong and will shake your head, because that's definitely not what I'm hearing, unless I turn the equalizer up or something. Maybe I got a defective pair?
Click to expand...


u heard it right. the 900 has more bass from a lower power source. add power and the 700 comes very close. the 700 has better highs/mids as well
 
So I just got these today and I'm pretty happy with them so far.

However, I was wondering just exactly how I should set things up in my X-Fi Platinum to ensure these are performing at top quality, especially in games. I read in another thread on here that for games it's best to set the X-Fi and the game to 5.1 and turn on the CMSS 3D feature. Is that a good call?

I'm using Foobar for music, what settings should I use for that?

Also, I hear that I should plug them into the back of my X-Fi as opposed to the front panel. Is that really important to get the best sound? Currently I have my surround sound plugged in there, wouldn't I have to unplug that to plug these in?
 
ManCannon said:
However, I was wondering just exactly how I should set things up in my X-Fi Platinum to ensure these are performing at top quality, especially in games. I read in another thread on here that for games it's best to set the X-Fi and the game to 5.1 and turn on the CMSS 3D feature. Is that a good call?
Click to expand...

For games, set X-Fi to headphone in Game mode, turn on CMSS 3D, and uncheck "synch with windows". Set windows and game to 5.1.

ManCannon said:
I'm using Foobar for music, what settings should I use for that?
Click to expand...

For music, set X-Fi to Audio Creation mode. You can set the X-Fi to either headphone or 2.0 mode depending on your preference. I have seen arguments for either. I usually use headphone in Audio Creation mode.

ManCannon said:
Also, I hear that I should plug them into the back of my X-Fi as opposed to the front panel. Is that really important to get the best sound? Currently I have my surround sound plugged in there, wouldn't I have to unplug that to plug these in?
Click to expand...

For best audio quality, plug the headphones directly into the back of the card. The breakout box has it's own circuitry, which I have heard isn't all that great. I could be wrong here though (might just apply to modded cards with aftermarket opamps).
 
Thanks for the info.

Just tried the Audio Creation mode while listening to music, for some reason 2.0/2.1 sounds waaay better than Headphone mode to me. Weird.

Where do I disable sync with Windows? I don't see it in the settings.

EDIT: I've found that the process to sync is ctxfireg.exe. I've read that if I delete that it will disable the sync. Is that safe?
 
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ManCannon said:
Where do I disable sync with Windows? I don't see it in the settings.
Click to expand...

Go to the X-Fi control panel. In game mode, there should be a check box that says "synch with windows". I don't recall of the top of my head, but it may be in the speaker settings area. Just uncheck that box.

By the way, are you using Vista or XP?
 
kniah said:
Go to the X-Fi control panel. In game mode, there should be a check box that says "synch with windows". I don't recall of the top of my head, but it may be in the speaker settings area. Just uncheck that box.

By the way, are you using Vista or XP?
Click to expand...

No setting like that anywhere in my X-Fi control panel :(.

I'm using Windows 7 RC1.

EDIT:

I guess it's a Windows 7 thing maybe? I found this screenshot in another thread:

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/5656/40431248.jpg

And my Control Panel looks nothing like that and there's definitely no Synch with Windows option.

Found some newer drivers on Creative's site, going to give them a shot.
 
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Are mods deemed required for these headphones? Got mine two days ago... they sound really good. Can they sound better, though?
 
ManCannon- Vista and 7 handle audio differently than XP. You may have to install alchemy for games. I'm using XP so I'm not familiar with the changes/configuration needed for Vista and later. Hopefully someone else on the forum can give you a few pointers.

TheGodfather47- mods are not required for these headphones, but you will definitely notice an improvement if you mod them. I modded mine and am pleased with the result. The mods are pretty straightforward to do and don't cost all that much.
 
kniah said:
ManCannon- Vista and 7 handle audio differently than XP. You may have to install alchemy for games. I'm using XP so I'm not familiar with the changes/configuration needed for Vista and later..
Click to expand...

Very few games require Alchemy, mostly just older stuff.

The issue appears to be that the X-Fi control panel is different, but on the Creative site the driver package is for XP, Vista, and 7. However, there is no option anywhere to disable the synch with Windows in that driver package, the latest, that I just downloaded, or the one I had before. However, if I switch everything to "Headphones" in the X-Fi control panel there's no problem, Windows stays set to 5.1, it's only if I change something to "2.0/2.1" in the X-Fi control panel does Windows change to Stereo as well.

So right now I just have the Game mode and Audio Creation mode set to "Headphones", and Windows set to 5.1. My only question now is, if the Audio Creation mode is set to "Headphones" and Windows is set to 5.1, will that have a negative impact on the audio quality of music in any way?
 
Interesting question, but i would assume that if you only have 2 channel audio from say your music player, it'll only come from 2 of the 5.1 channels regardless. So even headphone mode will output just the 2 channels that are being processed instead of turning it into 5.1, now if you enabled cmms-3d then it would expand the 2 channels, but as many have experienced that cmms3d is trash for music. I don't generally use audio creation mode though and I could be dead wrong, but that's how I understand it at this point. Cheers.
 
TheGodfather47 said:
Are mods deemed required for these headphones? Got mine two days ago... they sound really good. Can they sound better, though?
Click to expand...

Required? No... But there's some pretty easy ones that people seem fond off. Here's one about adding extra padding to the umm, pads, and you can Google around for the 'felt mod' which is even easier to do and is said to clean up the mids/highs w/o affecting the low end.
 
Graphicism's earpad mod on Head-Fi makes a nice and cheap difference in both comfort and a little bit towards sound. I've done that and the felt mod which seems to allow the mids and hi's to shine a little more. Definately a great pair of headphones for the buck, I ordered a set of HA-DX3's to see how they compare. But I doubt my 700's are going anywhere at this point, the more I listen, the more I enjoy them.
 
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