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JH Audio Freqphase, who's upgraded from the older models? - Page 6

post #76 of 90
1/29/13 at 6:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomscy2000 View Post

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

This is good news. Hopefully, he'll help JH solve their underlying cash flow issues (it has always been a problem, ever since UE), improve their CS, and expand their product line in a meaningful way.

If they have cash flow issues, they're self-imposed. As far as I can tell, they don't understand the law of supply and demand. If there's a five week back-log, it makes no sense at all to run sales on the entire line-up.
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post #77 of 90
1/29/13 at 8:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chexxchexx View Post

If they have cash flow issues, they're self-imposed. As far as I can tell, they don't understand the law of supply and demand. If there's a five week back-log, it makes no sense at all to run sales on the entire line-up.
This is something I have also always wondered...they seem to be super busy all the time, if anything they should be raising prices not running sales.
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post #78 of 90
1/30/13 at 5:47am

It's a 5 week backlog due to the sales. Better to have a backlog than open work days which can also happen. $200 savings was the incentive that got this consumer to pull the trigger. Their pro clientele are a different market but it's a balancing act to maintain cash flow without Chinese labor or a universal line like UE or Westone to help profits. That said, the press release did mention that they have already had 'record revenue growth'. Here's a direct quote:

 

JHAudio is fully owned by Jerry Harvey and his wife, and they have no plans to take on any outside investment. “We became profitable in 12 months and the cash flow of the company is enough to fund any future projects.”

 

If there are holes in production, you're still paying salaries for no return though I bet that's rare unless a supplier screws them. They chose to do it themselves and concentrate on one limited thing. It's tough and personally, I appreciate that they still manufacture in the US of A. They could increase the price of a few models and the jh16 is too close to the 13 even though it's more an alternative than a upgrade. It does sound like they want to get more organized but that generally comes growth and better trying to better control greater assets.


Edited by goodvibes - 1/30/13 at 5:52am
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post #79 of 90
1/30/13 at 5:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by goodvibes View Post

It's a 5 week backlog due to the sales. Better to have a backlog than open work days which can also happen. $200 savings was the incentive that got this consumer to pull the trigger.

My apologies in advance to the original poster. This will be my last rebuttal in this thread.

Let's assume it takes three weeks, on average, for a customer to get impressions and have them received by JH Audio. Were it my company, a pipeline filled for the next five weeks would hardly induce me to conduct a site-wide sale; particularly one with such a steep discount.

The problem with relatively frequent and predictable sales is that the practice causes customers who are in-the-know to hold-off ordering until the next sale begins (or for the next model to be announced, a la Apple products).

The other problem is that folks who have recently ordered and paid-in-full feel slighted when the sale terms aren't extended to them (despite work having not commenced on their orders). This is what happened to me. I can tell you I was sincerely disappointed that they wouldn't extend the terms to me when I made the request on the day their sale began. I agree that they were under no obligation to do so. That said, I've never dealt with a small company purported to offer first-class customer service that would take such a short-sighted approach. JH Audio (Jerry's wife) made a conscious decision to forego my future business for just $220. Additionally, I'm now inclined, if not determined, to ensure potential customers know that a sale may be just around the corner. I wish this went down differently (and I was less petty) because I really do love my 13s (FreqPhase) so far and would've been telling everyone why they needed to own them.
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post #80 of 90
1/31/13 at 8:08am

I've heard the UM can take longer at times and it's called a sale for a reason. 3 day sale does not cover an additional month of previous orders. I would think anyone that concerned with price would wait and see on Black Friday for the chance a sale would happen, especially with a history of doing so. Easily researched. 1st 2 hits when searching for ' jhaudio black friday sale '

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=jhaudio%20black%20friday%20sale%202011&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CDYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.head-fi.org%2Ft%2F524279%2Fjh-audio-black-friday-sale&ei=Z5YKUbPeM8mxyQH1ioHIDg&usg=AFQjCNEMq0y0vsvsIQlCZdSYU-Rm7yoScA&bvm=bv.41642243,d.aWc

 

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=jhaudio%20black%20friday%20sale%202011&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDwQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.head-fi.org%2Ft%2F581136%2Fjh-audio-black-friday&ei=Z5YKUbPeM8mxyQH1ioHIDg&usg=AFQjCNGyqA5rVatP8LvBj-50-Ooc4tylgg&bvm=bv.41642243,d.aWc

 

I specifically waited for the sale because it was important to me.


Edited by goodvibes - 1/31/13 at 10:56am
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post #81 of 90
2/3/13 at 6:38pm

Is the new Freqphase version of the JH13/JH16 far better than the Westone ES5? I briefly owned the ES5 and choose them over the original JH13 based on reviews, as they pointed to greater fit comfort and a just right warmer lush sound. When they arrived, I loved the ES5 sound, everything about it, they blew my Shure 535SE set away. I only returned due to the exterior wine red looking far more pink in real life, but I always wanted to rebuy. So should I go with the new Freqphase JHs or the old Westone ES5s?

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post #82 of 90
2/4/13 at 11:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Neo Zuko View Post

Is the new Freqphase version of the JH13/JH16 far better than the Westone ES5? I briefly owned the ES5 and choose them over the original JH13 based on reviews, as they pointed to greater fit comfort and a just right warmer lush sound. When they arrived, I loved the ES5 sound, everything about it, they blew my Shure 535SE set away. I only returned due to the exterior wine red looking far more pink in real life, but I always wanted to rebuy. So should I go with the new Freqphase JHs or the old Westone ES5s?
Even my old jh13 sounds much cleaner and with at least twice the head room than the es5, which I also used to own. I sold them all recently cuz none of them are as good as some of the top of the line universals nowadays.
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post #83 of 90
2/4/13 at 12:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by czqdtc View Post


Even my old jh13 sounds much cleaner and with at least twice the head room than the es5, which I also used to own. I sold them all recently cuz none of them are as good as some of the top of the line universals nowadays.

... which are which models? IE 800?

 

Edit: I think I found them reading your old posts.


Edited by Neo Zuko - 2/4/13 at 12:35pm
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post #84 of 90
2/25/13 at 6:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict View Post

Hey guys, I posted my early review of the JH16 Freq-phase on another forum a few weeks ago.  I'm having two coats of acrylic added to the right side, although the seal is pretty good and I can only break the seal when I yawn, plus it seals right up when I'm done yawning.  I'm also adding some artwork.  Since I wanted to do a bigger review but it's delayed for this work, I want to post a mini-review now.  Actually, as I read over this, for some people this could be the whole review on it's own.  Tell me what you guys think.



 



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 (too long did not read).  



 



Associated Gear:  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 of the iPad 3, iPad mini, and iPhone 5.



 



Build and Fit:  I originally 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 slightly 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 was that sometimes it feels like the left side was very slightly louder than the right, unless I'd 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 very slightly more hearing loss and tinnitus on the right than the left.  Sucks to be me (at 50 years old).  The more I worked with the placement and position, I was able to get proper channel balance vs my other IEM, especially when I wrapped some Saran-wrap around the ear-piece stem on the right.  



 



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 well past 70% volume and the sound gets bright and harsh, in addition to being too loud, although the bass doesn't falter.  Switching to the Pico Slim showed much better high volume performance than what the un-amped iPad can offer, which is not unexpected, as well as higher volumes than a sane person can stand.  Regardless, the un-amped iPad can deliver higher clean sounding volume levels with these than I would normally listen.  Despite the efficiency, they still have less hiss than my ES3X with noisy desktop amps (i.e. ALO Amphora, Nuforce DAC-100).



 



Performance:  Performance is nothing short of outstanding.  I can't think of anything I would change in these.  Sure, if I hear something better in the future I'll know it, but my wish list is empty right now.



 



BASS - In comparison to my old JH13Pro from 2009 which came out on top in my "Three Flagship Custom IEM Review", these have better mid-bass impact and presence.  And they 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.  The JH16Pro FP have a bass that's deep, fast, powerful, impactful, and blends perfectly into the mid-bass and upper-bass.  It completely avoids the excessive mid-bass hump of the UE11Pro, and seems to offer the mid-bass impact of the ES5 + the deep bass extension of the JH13Pro.



 



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.  The old JH13Pro have a big deep-bass thump but not quite as much punch higher up.  It was like a slight disconnect was there - the acoustic 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.  It's all perfectly connected and seamless.



 



Midrange - The JH16Pro FP's midrange is also more present and lively than the JH13Pro, while the JH13Pro's mids are really sweet but sometimes a little distant.  One reason I was preferring my ES5 lately over the JH13Pro was their improved mid-bass impact but also their warmer, richer, and fuller mids.  The ES5 mids felt more vivid but not as forward as the ES3X, and were warmer sounding than ES3X 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 in presence 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 than ES5 as well.  



 



Treble - The highs are smooth and refined, but with exceptional detail and sparkle, yet not rounded at the edges of the attacks despite their silky smoothness.  They're probably a little smoother than my ES5, which are excellent with good material and sources but can sometimes be a little irritating or brutal with some bad recordings, although the ES5 are still an improvement over the ES3X in that regard.  Both Westone IEM are brutally revealing with bad recordings, while the JH13Pro and JH16Pro are a little more forgiving while giving up nothing.  You can still tell if the recording is poor, but it doesn't get on your nerves as easily.



 



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, and as if it's coming from sources both inside and outside of my head, with their own point source of origin.  With IEM I never get as much outside of the head imaging as I do with the HD800, SR-009 and HE-60, but almost all of my custom IEM are superior in this respect to my universal IEM.  It's too early to definitively say how this compares to my ES5 and JH13Pro or the others, but at the moment I'd say the out of head imaging is the best of my custom IEM.



 



Summary - The JH13Pro, ES5 and JH16Pro FP are not terribly far apart in performance and enjoyment (at least with my sets), but they are distinctly different in some areas.  So far I give the nod to the JH16Pro for their accuracy, transparency and balance.  I enjoy all three IEM a great bit, and I still prefer the ES5 + older JH13Pro over the ES3X and UE11Pro (as I did in my 2009 three flagship customs review).  But, if I had to pick just one the JH16Pro FP would be it - but It may not be the same for you.



 



My ES3X and UE11Pro are still quite nice, but they are not at the same level of performance as the above IEM, and they really don't see much use anymore.  The ES3X and UE11Pro still make a nice set of backup monitors for me, but when one is spending this much money on custom IEM it just makes sense to go for one of the 2-3 top-tier customs.  I've heard demo sets of UE18Pro and UERM at RMAF, as well as some 1964 Ears and Unique Melody demos, but I don't know how the full custom would sound and nothing in the demo reached out and grabbed me saying, BUY ME.  When I compared the JH13Pro Freq-phase demo to the JH16Pro Freq-phase demos at RMAF, I could still hear the basic sound signature differences between the 13 and 16 that said buy the 16's.



 



Great review HPA !
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post #85 of 90
3/3/13 at 9:39pm

I am currently using a Musical Fidelity V-Can II to drive my JH16 FreqPhase IEMs.

The minimum volume (once you get to the point where there is volume is both ears) is quite loud.

I am therefore only able to listen for short periods of time.

So I am looking for new a headphone amp and find the Burson Soloist SL very interesting.

I posted this issue to the Burson Soloist thread, and the people there thought I may have issues with background hiss at high volumes with such high sensitivity, low impedance IEMs.

No one commented on my minimum volume issue.

 

So my question here is what are your recommendations for a headphone amp with outstanding sound quality, no background hiss, and can reproduce low volume with the JH16 FreqPhase?

This is a desktop system, so either AC or battery power is fine.  I would be willing to get a power filter/conditioner if necessary.

I have a dedicated DAC already so I would greatly prefer a dedicated headphone amp and not DAC/amp combo.

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post #86 of 90
3/4/13 at 10:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by koyie View Post

I am currently using a Musical Fidelity V-Can II to drive my JH16 FreqPhase IEMs.

The minimum volume (once you get to the point where there is volume is both ears) is quite loud.

I am therefore only able to listen for short periods of time.

So I am looking for new a headphone amp and find the Burson Soloist SL very interesting.

I posted this issue to the Burson Soloist thread, and the people there thought I may have issues with background hiss at high volumes with such high sensitivity, low impedance IEMs.

No one commented on my minimum volume issue.

 

So my question here is what are your recommendations for a headphone amp with outstanding sound quality, no background hiss, and can reproduce low volume with the JH16 FreqPhase?

This is a desktop system, so either AC or battery power is fine.  I would be willing to get a power filter/conditioner if necessary.

I have a dedicated DAC already so I would greatly prefer a dedicated headphone amp and not DAC/amp combo.

 

The V-Can has pretty high output impedance; you're probably not hearing the highs and lows in the way the JH16 was designed to respond as.

You're looking at a lot of big headphone amps; the default gain on them is quite high, probably at least 5x or thereabout. Getting past the pot imbalance is way too loud for something as sensitive as a JH16.

Something with a very low gain (~1-1.5x) setting, or at least a digitally-controlled analog volume pot, or a high-quality stepped attenuator would be wise. Also, something with low output Z (<=1 ohm).

 

Building a b22 to spec would fulfill both requirements, haha... but the soloist seems like it would fit the bill as well.


Edited by tomscy2000 - 3/4/13 at 10:11pm
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post #87 of 90
5/4/13 at 11:35am

Guys, I own today some weston ES3X, and I am quite pleased with them, but... I am tempted to give  the JH16 FreqPhase a try very_evil_smiley.gif.

 

-> Do you believe that it will be a substantial upgrade in sound quality ?  Especialy, can I expect a "out of the head" sound closer to a "full size headphone" soundstage ?

 

-> I am also tempted by the JH-3A/JH16 FreqPhase combo, but... now with the JH16 FreqPhase technology, does the JH-3A still bring a real advantage to the JH16 ?  Or will a high end portable amp finally be a better solution ? (I have a CEntrance HiFi-M8 ordered)

 

- If buy the JH-3A/JH16 FreqPhase combo, when I use the Adapter (8pin to 3.5mm) to use the JH16 IEM  WITHOUT the JH-3A amp , will the JH16 IEM behave exactly as a "NON Combo" JH-16 IEM ?  In other words, besides the cable/plug, is the JH16 IEM shipped with the JH-3A/JH16 FreqPhase combo the same than the JH16 IEM shipped stand alone ? 

 

- aside question : Besides the price difference, is the JH-16 always a better solution than the JH-13 or are there some musics or some situation where I will be better with a JH-13 than a JH-16 ?  (I am not a  bass head - I listen mostly to Pop, Rock, female voice, piano...)

 

thanks in advance for all your answers

 

bertrand


Edited by bmichels - 5/4/13 at 1:51pm
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post #88 of 90
5/5/13 at 2:40pm

I prefer the JH13Pro in most cases, and feel the JH16 is really for bassheads.

 

Just published this article that may help you on your quest:

 

ToTL Madness! 24 Top-of-the-Line Custom In-Ear Monitors Reviewed

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post #89 of 90
5/5/13 at 3:26pm
Thank you for the link to the "ToTL Madness! 24 Top-of-the-Line Custom In-Ear Monitors Reviewed". GREAT ,
And I will also consider futur sonic' mg6pro
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post #90 of 90
5/5/13 at 5:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyll Hertsens View Post

I prefer the JH13Pro in most cases, and feel the JH16 is really for bassheads.

 

Just published this article that may help you on your quest:

 

ToTL Madness! 24 Top-of-the-Line Custom In-Ear Monitors Reviewed

bigsmile_face.gif 

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