JVC HP-FX500: Wooden earphones wouldn't disappoint
JVC has chopped down some trees so you can have that wooden enclosure sound while on the move. Are we right to be excited or is JVC simply barking up, and cutting down, the wrong tree?
One of our favourite pairs of wooden headphones aren't exactly geared up for on-the-go use, thanks in part to their large size and ultra-professional cabling. That's okay, because they're designed exclusively for use within the home. But what's left for those of you craving the style and slightly pretentious idea of wooden 'phones for use on the commute? It could be JVC's HP-FX500s.
If the right wood is used, a wooden enclosure can sound utterly lovely. Can the same effect be heard when the enclosures are small enough to jam down your ear canal? Quite possibly, actually.
There's some lovely technical info about these little chaps provided by JVC, but we don't read Japanese. Clearly there's some Far Eastern jiggery pokery being done with the construction of the FX500s, and we're curious enough to hope that it all pays off with decent sound quality. With a pretty good frequency response for earphones -- 8Hz to 25KHz -- there's certainly potential.
These have just come out in Japan and, since JVC gear is no stranger to British stores, there's a good chance we'll get to see them over here, too. With a street price of ¥15,000 in Japan, we'd expect them to go for somewhere around the £70-£85 mark here in the U of K, and all being well we'll get to check them out up-close and personal at CES next week. Hurrah! -Nate Lanxon