JH Audio stuffs

[TMoney]

"Versions" eh? Please tell me they are sending you both the 13 and the 16. An IF review of both would be awesome.

[cutestory]

I'll be happy to give my thoughts of a freq'd 16 vs my old 13s once they come in...

[HeadphoneAddict]

MINI REVIEW JH16Pro Freq-phase:

I have to say the JH16Pro Freq-phase are outstanding. < That's the short version for those who would post TL:DNR. My impressions are with my iPad 3 using lossless music and Pico Slim with TWag LOD, as well as with CCK and Pico DAC, and also right from the headphone jack.

I wanted them in clear acrylic like my first JH13Pro, and think I mentioned that they could add an inconspicuous logo if they wanted to - so I got the Freq-phase logo in thin black lines which is hard to see. The right monitor is a little looser than the left, but it's almost impossible to break the seal with extreme facial contortions. The only time the right seal breaks is when I yawn, and when I'm done yawning it automagically seals again without touching them (sucking sound and all).

My only issue is that sometimes it feels like the left side is very slightly louder than the right, unless I press the right monitor in about 1mm. At first I was worried that the volume was different due to the looser fit on the right, but then after trying a few more IEM I realize that over time I have developed slightly more hearing loss and tinnitus on the right than the left.

Efficiency is good, and I usually have the iPad volume set between 30-50%, and never more than 60%. I once tried pushing the iPad past 70% volume and the sound gets bright and harsh, in addition to being too loud, although the bass doesn't falter. They still have less hiss than my ES3X with noisy desktop amps.

Anyways, in comparison to my old JH13Pro these have better mid-bass impact and presence, and do a better job of connecting the deep bass hump to the mid and upper-bass, without bleeding into the midrange. And in no way is the bass overdone. With my JH13Pro I would sometimes feel like I had a subwoofer in the room that was crossed over too low, with a small gap in the mid or upper bass as the sound transitioned into the midrange. They have a big deep thump but not as much punch higher up. It was like a slight disconnect was there - the string bass thump often came from everywhere but not always in relation to the more directional sound of the string pluck, fret slap, and scratch of the fingers on strings. Not so with the JH16Pro FP.

The JH16Pro FP's midrange is more present and lively, while the JH13Pro's mids are sweet but sometimes a little distant. One reason I was preferring my ES5 over the JH13Pro was their improved mid-bass impact and their warmer, richer, and fuller mids. The ES5 mids felt more vivid but not as forward as the ES3X, and are warmer sounding to boot. The JH16Pro FP give me all that and more. They seem a little more transparent and not quite as forward as even the ES5, although improved over the JH13Pro. Goldilocks would say this is just right. And the very small or mild upper mids peak in the ES5 is not present with the JH16Pro FP, making them more transparent.

The highs are smooth and refined, but with exceptional detail and sparkle, yet not rounded at the edges of the attacks. Still probably a little smoother than my ES5 which can sometimes be a little irritating or brutal with bad recordings, although an improvement over the ES3X in that regard.

The imaging and soundstage is good for an IEM, and I really can't ever pinpoint the sound as coming from tiny little speakers in my ear canal. Everything sounds coherent as if it's coming from sources both inside and slightly outside of my head. With IEM I never get as much outside of the head imaging as I do with the HD800, SR-009 and HE-60, but most of my custom IEM are superior in this respect to my universal IEM. It's too early to say how this compares to my ES5 and JH13Pro, or the others.

The ES5 and JH16Pro FP are not terribly far apart in performance and enjoyment (at least with my sets), but so far I give the nod to the JH16Pro for their accuracy, transparency and balance. I enjoy both IEM a great bit, and I still prefer the older JH13Pro over the ES3X and UE11Pro (as I did in my 2009 three flagship customs review).

Being the overly cautious type, I suspect that I'll keep the JH16Pro and ES5 at home where they'll be safe, and just carry around one of my pairs of JH13Pro when I'm portable, as I often do now. This way if a monitor falls off the cable and is lost then I still have a spare. The ES3X and UE11Pro are nice, but they really don't see much use anymore, nor do my Livewires or custom SE-530.

[cutestory]

+1

 

My 16s came in yesterday, quite a few days ahead of schedule. They fit perfectly, sound great, and all I want to do is listen to them. I would also agree with the following statement:

 

Anyways, in comparison to my old JH13Pro these have better mid-bass impact and presence, and do a better job of connecting the deep bass hump to the mid and upper-bass, without bleeding into the midrange.

[Dusty Chalk]

We usually lose people when they receive their JH Audio IEM's.  For at least a couple days, if not a couple weeks.

[jvlgato]

Congrats Jeffy!

[shellylh]

This! One congrat for the fit of each earpiece.

Edited December 24, 2012 by shellylh

[shellylh]

Double post

Edited December 24, 2012 by shellylh

[Zanth]

HeadphoneAddict: I am pleased you are pleased! I came looking for just this post. My ES3Xs need to go in for a bit of a refit on the right and I figured while I am getting impressions done, I may as well look into the ES5s. However, I have been hesitant because of my interest in the 13s or 16s. The JH Audio customer service/quality control had me worried so I have been holding off. Now with the ES3X channel bit, I figure the time has come to make a decision. What are your thoughts on the Ety 4 series? I've found that over the last year I actually prefer them to any custom IEM I own. Yet, I am still willing to shell out the cash for a JH16 or ES5x. Decisions decisions!

Edited January 29, 2013 by Zanth

[grawk]

There's no contest between the JH13s and ER4s, to my ears.  The JH13s are good enough that I sold all my other headphones (except my VTGs, but that's emotional not for sound quality)

[cutestory]

^

 

I'll plus-one this, and add that the JH16s with FP are a significant upgrade from the JH13s (I have both).

[Zanth]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. Sold the other headphones! Seriously awesome to read that an alternate offering is that good. I think I will get the ES3xs fixed and send a second set of impressions for the 16s. Dan, did you go in for the dac/amp thing for the 13s?

[Leonardo Drummond]

Interesting that two people found the JH16s freqphased to be an upgrade over the regular 13s. Isn't it a bit too bass heavy compared to that, or was that characteristic lost among the extra clarity and coherence brought by the freqphasing?

[jp11801]

Both the freqphased 13/16 outperform their former selves. I like both but prefer the 13 out of a dap but the 16 out of the 3a amp/DAC is just unreal. That set up rivals/tops all other home set ups I've had.

You can't do better on the go than jh13 with a higher end dap, I'm testing the Astell and Kern AK100 and the combo is ridiculous good.

[MexicanDragon]

jhaudioblog.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/jh-audio-announces-new-ceo-steve-thomas/

[The Monkey]

Very interesting.  I knew something was coming up with them, but didn't expect this.

[Leonardo Drummond]

Thanks, jp! But you consider the 13s freqphased to be the natural upgrade over a standard 13 then? I asked because it seemed, judging by the other two accounts, that the 16s could be that natural upgrade, and not anymore a bassier version of the IEM with a mainly different soung signature.

I currently have a standard JH13 and want to upgrade in the near future, but I don't want a basshead earphone, so I was confused by that. The JH-3A is a different story because of the bass control, but if I stick with the regular IEMs, I would suppose the freqphased 13s were the natural upgrade, but cutestory and Larry's accounts made me somewhat confused.

[The Monkey]

IMO, the freqphased 13 is the logical upgrade path given your stated wishes.

[jp11801]

Monkey speaks the truth Freqphase takes the strengths of the 13 and adds gobs of additional detail info and spatial cues

[Leonardo Drummond]

Thanks, guys!

[Tyll Hertsens]

Monkey speaks the truth Freqphase takes the strengths of the 13 and adds gobs of additional detail info and spatial cues

 

 

^^^Yup. Really good ... really, really good.

[Leonardo Drummond]

Nice! The only thing that worries me slightly is the possibility of them losing their visceral impact. I don't know, but sometimes I feel that spaciousness sort of softens the blow. But well... guess that's me just being overly worried.

[jp11801]

Stil have the tone and impact I remember if your concerned you can go 16 but I actually prefer the 13 out of most daps and portable amps

[aardvark baguette]

im using my jh5s at the moment out of the macbook pro headphone out and im left wondering why i would need more impact than this, its pretty nice.  its hard to believe significantly more impact would not be via coloration.

 

noisy laptop headphone out though, good grief.

[HeadphoneAddict]

I would never call the JH16Pro bass heavy - the balance is superb, and as much as I love the JH13Pro I think that the freqphased JH16Pro are a noticeable step up.  As good as my original JH13Pro are, the JH16Pro FP's deep bass is not suffering that slight disconnect from the mid-bass, and the JH16Pro FP mids are so much richer and fuller and present/live than the JH13Pro that I was taken aback by them on my first listen. I still cannot think of anything that I would change about them.

 

The JH16Pro (and maybe the ES5 if there was no JH16) could be my only headphones if I had to sell all the rest of them to raise some cash.  Prior to owning my top two IEM I would have said that the JH13Pro would have had the honor of "desert island headphone".  Could I still be happy if the JH13 were my only headphones now?  Maybe, but it would be easier if I had never heard better.