AK Angie Universal
The AK Angie is the universal fit of the JH Angie by JH Audio. Sold by Astell & Kern, it sits below the the bigger brothers Layla and Roxxane. In the upcoming refresh “Full Metal Jacket”, the younger sister Rosie will be introduced. For now I am reviewing the original version of the AK Angie.
Packaging
The Angie comes in a hard box. Within it are 5 different tips, a mini screwdriver, a brush and wire for clearing the tips, a metal case and 2 cables (1 standard, 1 balanced). The metal case is really nice, bright red and screwed lock. All in all, I am quite satisfied with what is given for its price point.
Usage
The Angie is quite a big IEM. It took me some effort to get the optimal seal, settling on the M sized comply tips. Still the earphones stick out quite some bit and can easily lose its seal with enough shake. The cables are really nice though: Very little microphonic and very easy to move around even though they are quite thick. They also don’t get tangled easily. Overall, to me the comfort of Angie is quite low, luckily it had a great cable and a very nice carrying case that fits the IEM in.
In additional, the screwdriver given is to tweak the bass of the Angie on the cables. JH Audio introduced tweak-able bass with the Siren series starting with Roxxane. On general it works though I cant feel much difference in the first quarter of the turn. However once it goes beyond half way, it really made a difference with the highest point giving quite some boom to the bass. That said, I feel that the Angie even at its highest bass point is still well controlled. More in the next section.
Sound Impression
To first start off, I got my Angie after my KSE1500 which to me is quite the pinnacle of portable audio performance. I owned a 846 for a short period and a Lyra. On general I rate the Angie above the 846 but below the KSE1500 especially if EQ is applied for the latter in the Amp.
So lets start with the basic parameters of treble, vocals, bass, and sound stage followed by the characteristic of the sound which will cover the rest.
Songs used:
Liberi Fatali: Distance World from Final Fantasy
Hello: Adele 25
Powder Snow: Suara
Sometime When we Touch: Susan Wong
Hotel California: Eagles, Hell Freezes Over
Gate:: Kisada Kyodan and The Rockets
Bass: The bass goes quite low and can have quite some impact. For the song of Gate, where it starts with a lot of mid bass, the impact can be felt with very good separation that do not affect the other spectrum. The bass can be tweaked as mentioned above with the screw driver by turning a knob on the cable. This increases the amount of bass. However even at the max, the bass never felt totally out of control. Compared to the Lyra, it has a more controlled bass but don’t have the impact or “boom” of the Lyra. Compared to the KSE1500, the KSE1500 just felt extremely well controlled, tight and quick. However the KSE1500 also has lesser at its base setting. So by no means the Angie bass is inferior to the KSE1500, its more different.
Vocals: The vocals felt a little forward for the Angie. Everything is clear and smooth. In the tracks by Adele and Suara, the vocals are well portrayed with a little forward center. The vocals are quite smooth but has some warmness in them. The vocals do not feel as realistic as the KSE1500, however they have a enjoyable tone similar to say a small room concert.: warmish and well spread out.
Treble: The treble is very well controlled with very little harshness. Compared to the KSE1500, it does not feel that extended and sparkle. Overall, the details in this region could be easily picked up with ease. In Powder Snow, the little bells can be heard with a nice ting to them with good amount of sparkle that so far been only surpassed by the KSE1500 in my collection. I personally felt the treble is actually very smooth and probably theres a roll off at the higher region which result it being less harsh which made it more enjoyable for modern pop songs.
Sound Stage: The sound stage is actually pretty wide. Wider then the Shures 846 and about the same as the KSE1500. The positioning is in my opinion better then the KSE1500 but it doesn’t have the absolute clarity and separation that the KSE have. A notable part of the soundstage difference is how vocals are done, where the KSE1500 is laid back by default, the Angie had a more forward with good spread. The way to describe it is a room where you are in the middle with the singer somewhat closer to you then the wall.
Characteristics: The sound is warm even at the minimum bass. No matter how low the dial go, it will never be of similar tone to the KSE1500 which I felt is extremely neutral. The Angie is very detailed. Technically everything but the softest details can be picked by the Angie. Due to the great positioning, clarity and separation, orchestra/band music is very good on them. I throughly enjoyed Liberi Fatali with its complex instrument and chants. The warm tone adds to the feeling of a concert hall. Its signature is closer to the 846, except more refined especially in the bass, separation and positioning. One notable thing with my pairing with ZX2, I sometime find them too warm and smooth on some tracks. This made them a little off sounding if lots of bass and treble happen together. Maybe due to pairing or that the ZX2 do not have the absolute finesse to drive it. Weirdly it still retains the positioning and separation quite well so Im putting it as a signature mismatch. Will update the characteristic again whenI have access to my CDM.
Value:
The cheapest of the Siren line, less then half the value of Layla (which I tried and didn’t think its that great) I find the Angie extremely value for money at the price points its competing. At where I am, its pricing is quite close the 846, K3003 and many others. However the new full metal jacket is coming with a 200USD price bump. Im unsure will it be of good value after the price increment if the sound quality remains the same.
Conclusion
I throughly enjoyed the Angie even though I got it after my KSE1500. Overall the warm and smoother sound signature makes it easier to appreciate then KSE1500 neutral and flat default signature. The bass can be tweaked to personal flavour which I think its great. I will definitely recommend people to look into it especially before the metal jacket comes in. At just 100 more then the Shures and many others in the price range of around 1k price range, it stands at the top of that heap. Compared with the absolute TOTLs, it may not have the finesse of them but definitely no where inferior that you will stop listening to them.