20 August 2013

JVC HARX700 Headphone Review

The other day, the headphones I'd bought last fall finally died. I guess that's what happens when you purchase the cheapest headphones on Newegg. It wasn't too surprising.

So I pulled up B&H photo/video and checked to see if they had a certain set from JVC that I was really interested in. Ten minutes later, I'd clicked "order", and six days later, they arrived at my doorstep. Isn't the internet wonderful?

 According to most of the reviews I've seen of the HARX700's, they're the best quality headphone on the market for their price bracket. And I'd have to agree on that one.

 First impressions: The build quality on these seems very solid at this point. There are no creaky or loose parts. Everything fits together well, and the headphones have some heft to them. They're not heavy by any means, but definitely not feather-light either. The non-removeable cable is ten feet long. TEN FEET! That's pretty long. It's also decently thick and should withstand everyday use with no problems. The connector is a standard 3.5mm plug, with an included 1/4 inch gold plated adapter for use with mixers, etc. The sound at first was very harsh. The bass was there, but it was overshadowed by the extravagant highs and mids. The highs were way too shimmering and really made it painful to listen to at high volume levels.

 After a 15 hour burn-in: Wow! What a world of difference. To burn them in, I just queued up the band Red's entire collection and put it on a loop at just above a comfortable volume level. I let this play for 15 hours, and afterwards they were like a whole new pair of headphones. The highs have receded to comfortable, crisp levels, and the mids are much more refined and accurate. The bass is tight and responsive, but it could be more prevalent. They are rated for 8hz to 25khz, which expands well beyond the normal range of human hearing. This makes for a great experience watching movie trailers; you'll really feel the thunder and explosions.

 Songs: These sound great with a variety of music. Rock is explosive yet balanced, EDM such as Deadmau5 has plenty of punch in the kicks and a lot of definition in the synth lines. Daft Punk's track "Contact" is spectacular on the HARX700's.

 Overall: Honestly, I tried to think of more negative points, but I can't. These are a really solid pair of headphones that deliver great sound for a reasonable price.

 JVC HARX700 Headphones, available at Newegg, Amazon, and B&H. $35.99-$55.99