JH Audio stuffs

[Sherwood]

If they still have the little Laotian guy who does impressions, you should definitely get them done there.  He's excellent, and nailed my fit twice in a row.

[HeadphoneAddict]

If they still have the little Laotian guy who does impressions, you should definitely get them done there.  He's excellent, and nailed my fit twice in a row.

 

x2

[Sherwood]

If they still have the little Laotian guy who does impressions, you should definitely get them done there.  He's excellent, and nailed my fit twice in a row.

 

I realized after the fact that this statement may come across as insensitive.  

 

The descriptor "little" was added to allay any confusion that may have arisen from Jerry Harvey employing more than one Laotian man who does ear impressions on site.  The man to which I refer would likely be the smallest, in terms of physical proportions, of the Laotian men working there.  In my experience, he was neither "small-minded" nor in any meaningful way inconsequential.

 

Please excuse the misstep.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Sherwood

[jp11801]

wow we have fallen off the PC cliff officially!   

Edited August 2, 2014 by jp11801

[dimitris]

Ok I visited today and had my impressions done. I auditioned JH13, JH16 and Roxanne and I liked Roxanne the most followed by JH13 and last by JH16. I think I will be ordering soon.

[nnotis]

Would you care to elaborate on what differences you perceived between the three models?

[dimitris]

I thought the JH16 sounded very boomy and overbloated to be honest. Maybe listening through the iPhone didnt help but that's how I am mostly going to use my headphones. The JH13 sounded balanced with nice details and separation. The Roxannes sounded fuller with a darker signature and they image a lot more like a pair of bigger headphones. Between the JH13 and the Roxannes I felt that the JH13 sounded a bit lean and with smaller headspace. I wouldn't mind either one but given the choice I think I would go for the Roxannes. I am sure the Jh13 sound even better in custom form and I think they would pair well  with a tube amp even though that would defeat their purpose of portability. I should have listened to the JH5 as well but didnt get enough time.

 

I think the Laotian guy took my impressions so hopefully the fit wont be an issue.

[grawk]

the non-custom jh13s and jh16s are only an approximation of what they actually sound like.  And I can't imagine pairing jh13s with a tube amp. 

 

When you say "given the choice", are you saying you're not getting any of them?  Because you ARE given the choice if you're ordering.  That's what the ordering process is.

[dimitris]

I will order the Roxannes. Just waiting for the labor day sale. The tube amp comment was because I felt that the JH13 could use a bit more body as it sounded a bit thin to me (using an iPhone and compared to the Roxannes).

 

By "given the choice" I meant buying a new pair or iems. If I had the JH13 I wouldn't look for an upgrade.

[grawk]

They're not actually lacking body with the customs. The generic testers are just for getting an idea of the sound.

[Sherwood]

I use the JH13 with a (very special) tube amp.  They pair very well with Doug's ECP L2.

[nnotis]

Comparing the Roxannes to JH13s on an iPhone will probably only reveal the most general differences in signature.  I'm actually starting to doubt the Roxannes can be maximized by any portable source.  They're just too revealing.  Couple that with being too sensitive for most portable amps, they're kind of frustrating to build around.  At least iDevices have best in class noise floors.  But sense of depth, depiction of far sounds, close sounds, room reflections, and other bits of micro detail the Roxannes can do will get lost.

[nnotis]

I made a big upgrade to my converters in the form of a Prism Lyra 2. It takes the Roxannes to another level. Compared to the Lavry DA10, the X, Y & Z axis are all much larger. Dynamics are better reproduced. And the whole sound is more detailed. Bass is bonkers good. The Lyra's headphone jack is also the most quiet I've yet heard. Listening volume is around ten percent, but even at 100, I can only barely hear a noise floor. Since it also has A to D and mic pre amps, if don't know it'll be of much interest to people here. Those looking to make digital versions of their analogue stuff should definitely check it out though.

[Dusty Chalk]

Where on earth did you pick up a Lyra 2?  Has Prism Sound improved their distribution/responsiveness, or am I thinking of someone else?

[nnotis]

They're having a 15% off sale at Vintage King audio through September. No tax or shipping charge either. Sweet! I certainly don't see it for sale in too many places though. So I think we're talking about the same Prism.

http://vintageking.com/index.php/catalog/product/view/id/7518/

Edited September 16, 2014 by nnotis

[tyrion]

So a while back I washed my jh13's and one earpiece had a hole so the drivers got wet. Decided I had enough, put them in a draw and forgot about them. A week or so ago, I decided to see if they could be fixed, knowing that they were out of warranty and my fault. I'm figuring that it's going to be somewhere between $150 for a reshell and $500 for replacement drivers and reshell. Got them back today, new drivers on one side and a reshell. I then got an email advising what they did. Nothing about the cost. I assume they did it for free but did ask whether there was a charge. So far nothing. I've some bad experiences in the past with them but I have to say that they went above and beyond and I just thought I should post about the good since I've posted about the bad.

[robm321]

Good timing on this. I also had some negative stuff to say, so on balance, I also want to mention the good.

Recently, Sue did a great job with helping me get the fit right after many attempts and some mistakes . She also made it clear that they will get it right no matter what it takes.

Good to see the apparent positive impact that Sue and Andy are having.

Edited September 25, 2014 by robm321

[grawk]

that's great news

[Hopstretch]

HC reversal just crashed their Web site, I see.

[Aura]

So now that they've finally done right for Mike, maybe I should consider these again after 3 years of avoidance. Will be traveling a lot. How durable are the cables on the 13, 16, and Roxanne?

[tyrion]

The new cables appear more substantial than what they used to use.

[aardvark baguette]

I made a big upgrade to my converters in the form of a Prism Lyra 2. It takes the Roxannes to another level. Compared to the Lavry DA10, the X, Y & Z axis are all much larger. Dynamics are better reproduced. And the whole sound is more detailed. Bass is bonkers good. The Lyra's headphone jack is also the most quiet I've yet heard. Listening volume is around ten percent, but even at 100, I can only barely hear a noise floor. Since it also has A to D and mic pre amps, if don't know it'll be of much interest to people here. Those looking to make digital versions of their analogue stuff should definitely check it out though.

 

By any chance have you heard the Prism dream da2?  

[Dreadhead]

Aardvark I had a plan to get one of those but I would say that you are better off with the new top of the line Lavry or the nicest Metric HALO (and wasting a few channels). Some guys did a musical look back teat and the MH stuff tested best if I remember. Check out gearslutz. Maybe I am wrong.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Dreadhead

[aardvark baguette]

I kept getting the impression (from a while ago) that MH added color to the sound.  Not sure if that's the case, I definitely want uncolored, whatever that would be.

 

My attraction to the DA2 is its like the anti-hype dac.  I never hear anyone talk about it outside of gearslutz, which at this point is a good sign.  I'm more and more convinced that the pro stuff acts as a natural b.s. filter from the esoteric audiophile mumbojumbo.  

[tyrion]

Update, invoice arrived last night which is what I expected.  I thought that they would let me know the cost before they did the work but we did speak once they received them so she kind of new my parameters in terms of what I was willing to pay.  The cost is $218 to recase, new set of drivers on one side, clean everything which I thought is very fair.  Essentially, one new earpiece for less than half the cost of a new pair.