Jerry Harvey is back! - Page 7

Did Westone have a universal version of their ES3X available to listen?

I actually didn't notice if they did or not. In retrospect I wish I had checked. I actually didn't go there with any interest in getting a new IEM. The JH Audio products were so good though it's making it hard to resist getting one.

lol, same thing happened to me last year with the ue11's and now this, wow!

well I am well on my way to a pair of jh-13 hopefully this will force ue to lower pricing and come out with some more top end product and hopefully the competition will make pricing a bit more reasonable and competitive

why oh why did this have to happen now?? after much consideration I thought I had totally squared away that I was getting ES3X and that was it, no other options appealed to me any longer and now this. have to wait for reports on the full custom version first though

Isn't the UM3X the universal version of the ES3X?

Hmm, that's strange. "Muddy" is not exactly a term I would associate with the UE10 Pro. It's supposed to be one of the more neutral / analytical customs, with a sound sig that's similar in many ways to the TF10 Pro.

I take it that your impressions of the sound are from trying out the universals? I got to try out a UE11 Pro universal sometime ago, and I was very glad that it sounded NOTHING like the actual custom earphone - whew!

It is:
But if the only difference is the custom mold, the difference in price (more than $400, so more than the cost of the UE4 pro and JH5 pro) is... well, impressive? Of course, Westone has the reputation of making the most comfortable custom IEMs on the market, and when you wear them several hours a day, that kind of difference tends to matter.

But yeah, for the money Westone charges just for a recast (around $300), you can get complete custom IEMs from other companies.

What, another new King is coming!! I'll be broke. Wait, I already am .

I can't wait for the comparison as well.

I also heard the same things as you with the JH IEM, and thought the 10x3 were better balanced overall of his offerings. In mentioning the 11 and 13 as being too bright, JH said that the universal fit demo units do have a 3-4db peak around 6K or so, and that he is working on a demo universal fit that doesn't have that sound issue. He stressed that the custom fit version would NOT sound as much like the demo in that frequency region.

1) How do they compare to your ES3x?

2) Wasn't there a humble JH5|PRO to try out?

No, I didn't think the universal fit JH sounded as good as my custom ES3X, but who knows how the custom JH will actually sound in real life unless you order it? JH made it clear that there were some areas with peaks and troughs in the demos that don't occur with the final product, due to differences in fit and shape. The demo version of the JH 10x3 would make a nice $400 universal fit IEM, except the fit wasn't that good (not unexpected when trying to make a custom fit IEM do something it isn't supposed to do). On the other hand the JH11 and 13 were a little bright for me. JH was using what looked like large foam shooting ear plugs with holes cut into the center, and they just didn't seem to expand well enough or seal completely in the ear canal vs UE demo customs that were using complys foam tips.

I heard the UE universal fit customs, and thought they were easier to get sitting in the ear correctly with a good seal - so they sounded good. The UE4Pro demo customs reminded me a lot of the Westone UM3X universals when used with my UM56 custom tips. I told them that if the Triple.fi 10 Pro had sounded like these UE4Pro for $400 they would have had a hit on their hands. The UE10Pro and UE11Pro demo customs just got better from there. I preferred the UE11Pro demos the most of the UE or JH demo customs, but again, I don't know how close the demos sound to the full customs. The fit and seal still wasn't good enough on any to compare to my ES3X fairly, and obviously I could not compare the UE and JH demos with them in different rooms and listening at different times.

I don't think anyone will be disappointed in the JH 10x3/11/13 or UE4/10/11Pro after getting proper custom molds done (instead of demo customs with universal tips). I will be doing a review of the UE4Pro shortly, although I would rather be reviewing the UE11Pro or JH10x3, but alas funds are limited.

Yes, I'd like you to review the JH10x3 and JH5, in addition to the UE4. No, I'm not offering to sponsor you, but come on, do you really need to eat everyday?

so you didnt have your UM56 there with you?? that might have given a bit more reliable idea of how they sound. you are as close to a hope at the moment to someone who has ES3X and JH13. these 2 are still fighting it off for my dollars. I still have the ES3X in the lead at the moment though as i'm just not convinced of the need for 6 drivers. hell I couldnt even see the need for the 4 drivers of UE11 before this, so 6 leaves me more confused than impressed. at least at this stage

And Westone still wins in regard to comfort. Otherwise, I'd be (even) more interested by the new UE and JH offers.