[ourfpshero]

I have long championed the jvc rx700 as the budget king full sized headphone. No other sub 50$ full size (notice i said full size mr portapro/px100/etc

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Philips shp9100 and 8500 (lousy build quality, missing highs or bass)
Panasonic rpht770 (great build, harsh highs and mids)
Superlux hd681 (semi-harsh highs, vinyl pads feel odd. this is the euro budget darling)
Sony xb this and xd that.( cheap build, farty bass or no bass.)
lower end senns and akgs (farty, mid-bassy, recessed mids/highs)
 
Finally decided to try the Pioneer sem390. i have owned pioneer se-a1000 and hdj1000 and love them both, as well as many vintage pioneer. they are now 30$ at amazon. got them a few weeks ago.  they are lightweight, comfy. have the traditional modern pioneer sound- very clear smiley shaped eq curve sound. they have cloth earpads and dont squeeze. the build is better than most but not fantastic.
so some quick comparisons:
 
Build: Jvc: great build- wouldnt embarass a $100 headphone
          Pioneer: decent build, no weak spots, but cant pass for an expensive can like jvcs
 
Comfort: Jvc: comfy enough, good pads, can get hot.
               Pioneer: very light, cloth pads, little pressure
 
Soudstage: about the same. the pioneers say closed but the cloth pads makes them open
 
Sound: Jvc: big smooth sound. lots of bass with a little amp. fits in with the large technicas and beyers.
 
            Pioneer: smiley eq curve, nice highs detail, slightly forward sound, good bass at low end, but bass not as sweet as jvc.
 
i call the sound a tie, these are very different sounding but both nice.
 
i cant say which is better, i like them both. the jvc is more impressive looking and feeling, so it still has an edge. however, for 30$ get them both.

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[Nestor]

I'm intrigued.  I have a pair of rx700's, and use them as my primary set of cans at home.  If I weren't already committed to buying a pair of studio monitors, I'd snatch up a pair of those Pioneers today.  Now I want to see more about them...

 

[ourfpshero]

pics finally!

 

[1Time]

Listening to my RX700, looking at these pics, and debating whether to buy for $30 shipped. Like I need more headphones - 3 others waiting their turn. But it's nice having different sounding headphones, especially good sounding ones - different experiences. The RX700 is the only one I've sold and bought again. 

 

[ourfpshero]

for $30 i call this a no-brainer. i have also had more than one rx700. i have , modded, and sold a few, as well as kept a stock one.

 

[Achmedisdead]

Never heard the JVC's mentioned here, although I do have the Flats.....but I do have these Pioneers, and I would say for $30 they are definitely worth a try.

 

[1Time]

That's the type of headphone purchase I'm most susceptible to... lol. I will follow-up with my impressions in a couple weeks. 
 
Quote:

for $30 i call this a no-brainer.

 

[cam94z28]

Not sure how similar they are, but I found the SE-M290's too sibilant for my taste. Nothing like the SE-MJ3 though, which has almost no covering over the driver (and bad quality control... I think I blew up a driver in the first 30 minutes of use). The 290's have a thick foam pad that does attenuate the treble somewhat. Nice punchy bass that extends pretty low, but sounds better with an amp.

 

[1Time]

The pic was taken right after cutting the Pioneer SE-M392 free from its packaging. I burned in these headphones and used it for maybe 50 hours from a Prodigy HD2 sound card (high gain jumper setting) - and alternatively from this sound card through my x-head amp. Most of the music was 128 kbps from Winamp with the EQ set at flat or slightly bumped up in the upper mids - whatever sounded best.   
 
And here are my findings. 
 
I preferred rock music over other types with the M392 - seems to be its forte. It has a similar (if not better) punch to my modded RX700, but with a more up front, compressed, and sharper sound. The M392 is louder at the same volume / amp settings. My modded RX700 has a bigger, more relaxed and expansive sound - which I prefer. In the end I never really warmed to the sound of the SE-M392 - even when not being compared. More importantly, when compared I found my modded RX700 to be more musical and enjoyable with all music and especially with stringed instruments and woodwinds. The ear pads of the M392 are soft but shallow, which decreased its comfort. And after many tries at bending the overhead bars, I was able to loosen its clamping force a bit, but not as much as I'd like. If rating the RX700 5/5 stars, I give the M392 a 4/5. For ~$5 more, the RX700 seems to me to be a safer bet for those wanting new budget cans. But if forced to spend under $30 for closed headphones, most likely would consider the M392 a good choice. I have my RX700 modded with a strip of electrical tape on the back of each ear cup, felt removed, and the drivers damaged... lol. 
 

 

[1Time]

A seller on eBay is auctioning refurbished SE-M392 headphones for under $22 shipped.
 
In preparation of returning mine to Amazon, I found the ear pads quite difficult and time consuming to clean with clear packing tape. Also, I found no way to remove the ear pads - as if permanently attached.