[dizzid]

  Ok I can see the confusion, but I've got a few questions for you. Have you heard either of them? The JH13s were the elite monitor 4 years ago but alot has changed since then, I listened to them this morning infact. The mids are clear but that's sorta all that stands out to me with them. It sorta sounds like you're shopping more by your wallet and reading reviews, rather than listening to either and going with what you like. They're very different beasts. The number of drivers on paper mean nothing.

ADEL isn't really in the getting felt out phase, there aren't as many reviews out there simply because the ADEL line just got released 6 months ago, where as the JH13s were kinda the only game in town for a number of years. Plus if you like hearing, which being on this board you indeed do, ADEL will let you keep your hearing, rather than causing hearing loss that IEMs are proven to do. So it's protect your hearing for years to come with proven new technology and simple physics, or stay old school with an older classic model that has served audiophiles well for many years in the past and continue damaging your ear drum. That's really the situation here at its core.

You really just have to listen before you buy, anytime with audio gear, never with your wallet/reading stats/or solely off reviews.

If you'll be at the NAMM Show in 2 weeks, I'd love to give you a demo of the A6 and you can go try out the JH13s at JH's booth and you'll be able to pick for yourself. 

For comparison sake, I just spent some time this evening going back and forth between JH Laylas and my A12s, there's just no comparison between the two. A12s are so much richer, more resolving, more lush & wide sound stage, PLUS not damaging your hearing. Tonight was with my AK120ii, but I did the same comparison today with AK's new copper 380. I used to own Roxannes and within a year the faceplates started to lift from the body (obviously I had them repaired before selling them) and had to PAY to get them repaired. The bass adjustment is sorta nice but you can do the same thing on your eq of your phone or source, it's not enough to justify the cost they want for the gimmick. Yes it'll bleed into the mid range if you up your bass on the EQ, just like the bass adjuster does on the cable. You can be more specific with an eq on some sources tho, to prevent that.

So again, there's alot of little things that get factored into the over product. Seriously, come demo a pair at a show then demo JH and see what you think. Regardless of where you want to spend your money, it's about what sound and product YOU like the best. So it's best to give yourself the chance to hear before you shell out the bucks and just cross your fingers and hope you like the sound signature that somebody on the internet said they liked.

Best of luck with that mental struggle of pros and cons tho, I know that game sucks. We've all been there.

Thanks for your input.  Yes, as suspected, I'm attempting to shop based on the opinion of others.  I live in Hawaii and we don't have any local resources to sample high-end equipment so that's a big bummer. That means no NAMM for me but thanks for the demo offer.
 
I also read your review of the A12 and issues you were having with the auto ADEL module.  I found the write up helpful but not sure if the tunable module is available currently - I'd prefer to not be forced into paying extra for that later down the line.  However, the idea of an "open" IEM is very intriguing to me.  I don't use my Shure 530s for walking around town since I get nervous about not being able to hear cars approaching.  I got taken out on my motorcycle by an inattentive driver which would've killed me if it weren't for the helmet.  Ever since then I feel super vulnerable if I can't be fully aware of what's around me.  I first started looking into CIEMs as a good choice for air travel, but maybe I could just to silicone plugs when I want to sleep on the plane, and the 'phones when I'm awake.
 
Well, I think I know which route to take now.  Thanks again for sharing your experience.

 

[Canyon Runner]

  Thanks for your input.  Yes, as suspected, I'm attempting to shop based on the opinion of others.  I live in Hawaii and we don't have any local resources to sample high-end equipment so that's a big bummer. That means no NAMM for me but thanks for the demo offer.
 
I also read your review of the A12 and issues you were having with the auto ADEL module.  I found the write up helpful but not sure if the tunable module is available currently - I'd prefer to not be forced into paying extra for that later down the line.  However, the idea of an "open" IEM is very intriguing to me.  I don't use my Shure 530s for walking around town since I get nervous about not being able to hear cars approaching.  I got taken out on my motorcycle by an inattentive driver which would've killed me if it weren't for the helmet.  Ever since then I feel super vulnerable if I can't be fully aware of what's around me.  I first started looking into CIEMs as a good choice for air travel, but maybe I could just to silicone plugs when I want to sleep on the plane, and the 'phones when I'm awake.
 
Well, I think I know which route to take now.  Thanks again for sharing your experience.

I can totally see where you're coming from. To my knowledge after talking to the guys with 64, nobody else has really had the same issue that I had with my automatic ADELs, its purely because my jaw moves so much that its a noticeable change in pressure, causing the ADEL to change tension regardless of the numatic pressure from the IEM's drivers.

Hence why the manuals worked for my fix. But just so you know, the manuals main hang up write now is purely because some people want a LOUD clicking noise as the adjuster knob gets turned (loud enough to be heard over normal volume music), the rest of the module is done and been in use for a few kickstarter people as well as myself. So there has been discussions this week about releasing the current ones and then releasing the clickers when it gets perfected as a version 2 (something like that). And again, I know where you're coming from about that. No customer wants to cough up a bunch of money and then have to get hit with another optional fee at check out to make them optimized, this was also vocalized in my recommendation about the manual ADEL situation, earlier this week. Since I was originally a customer, that's how I see the operation and interact with people on here, to really help the company get a feel for what you guys are looking to see happen (as well as give updates, answer questions, etc). I pushed pretty hard for the option of Automatic or Manual modules at check out for no additional fee, but I'm not the one to make that call, so we'll see how it plays out. The manuals are much more labor intensive and more costly to produce, so I can see where they are also coming from as well. But that's the deal with those right now.

I wear my A12s at work all day long, with my manuals opened all the way. I just hit pause to have conversations with coworkers, but I can 9 times out of 10 hear their foot steps coming toward me, much less than the sound of a car/bike behind you on a road (also very volume and music type dependent)...but cars I imagine would be loud enough to go over even pretty high volumes...

I hope whichever route you end up deciding fits your needs in the end is what you end up with. That's all that matters. When you're in the market for a new CIEM (or even new universal), keep the 64s with ADELs in mind. Always at least try to demo before buying, but being where you're at I can see why that's difficult.

 

[Ike1985]

I've never heard an A6 but my A12's I would describe as:

Silky smooth treble
Rich and lush
Warm and dark
Not fatiguing in the slightest
Powerful sub bass that doesn't overpower the mid range

 

[AudioBear]

Experiences with the ADEL vary.  I can hear well enough but I usually -- perhaps by habit -- remove and IEM to talk to someone.  It somehow feels more polite.  If had a manual module I would probably play with it a bit, find a good setting, and set it and forget it. Or use the automatic one which is just fine for me.  At this point, although I believe in the hearing benefits of the ADEL technology enough to have been a Kickstarter backer, I am far more impressed with how the A12s sound.  I tried various non-custom IEMs including some pretty famous ones and IMHO the A12s just bury everything else out there. This is of course just one user's personal opinion, others have strong personal preferences for other brands. That's why being able to audition a few contenders is so important.  Too bad Hawaii isn't a good place to try out IEMs but trying IEMS would not be foremost on my mind if I were in Hawaii.

 

[Ike1985]

@canyon runner go ahead and get a mojo, so we can see what you think of the pairing. Me and audiobear are already in the cool kids club(mojo + A12 club)-you can join.

 

[alchemical]

Got my Mojo paired with U12s - extraordinary combo. As has been said, can't recommend it enough.

 

[mathi8vadhanan]

Got my Mojo paired with U12s - extraordinary combo. As has been said, can't recommend it enough.

+1 for Mojo - U12 Combo. Summit-fi of the portable audio world.

 

[San Man]

Got my U12's yesterday afternoon!

Initial impressions - I've only had the opportunity to listen to some music from either an iPhone (5s) or iPad (Air 2). That said, I'm very impressed with what I've heard so far. Compared to my Westone 4R's, which I'll continue to use at the gym and casual listening, the U12's have a better soundstage, great instrument separation, and more bass (but not too much to make it muddy). Some stuff I've listened to includes:

Alabama Shakes - Don't Wanna Fight
Adele - Hello
John Mark McMillan - Live at the Knight (uncompressed)
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories (uncompressed)

Thus far, I really like the sound signature, A LOT.

Looking forward to doing more tip comparison, but so far I've tried the stock Comply and Spinfits. I still prefer something with slightly more penetration into the ear canal, but I've been able to get a good seal with both of these tips so far.

I messaged you some questions if you don't mind, don't want to derail the thread

 

[Canyon Runner]

We had a girl come by the booth at CES yesterday, severe hearing loss in both ears. Here is her reaction video, getting to listen to the new Active ADEL, letting her hear music in full volume and stereo, for the first time in her life.

 

[San Man]

That's pretty awesome.

 

[Canyon Runner]

Here are past videos, similar reactions but different types of hearing issues

Nerve damage, deaf in one ear: 

No auditory nerve: 
85% deaf in one ear, first time hearing in stereo: 

 

[parkman]

Asius Technologies, 64 Audio, Stephen, Vitaliy, I'd say all deserve a round of applause. Wow.. those videos, how cool is that? Aside from the obvious interest in sound quality, I could buy from and support a company like that all day long. Before you know it, we will have a forum section on head-fi for deaf audiophiles. 

 
I have high sensitivity with one of my ears, and for awhile its tonality was off, treble would be so painful, and midrange was all muddy... (has gotten much better) makes it easy for me to sympathize.. I get teary eyed just watching them react. Well done guys, well done!

 

[dizzid]

I spoke with a sales rep, Natalie, and after a bit of discussion, she recommended the A4. So, I just put in my order and will be sending the impressions tomorrow.  I can't wait!
 
The IEM designer on their website is really neat.  Luckily, I'm familiar with PNG image format and was able to layout the design I wanted with transparency.  I think it'll be pretty obvious that I like racing...

 

[Canyon Runner]

@canyon runner go ahead and get a mojo, so we can see what you think of the pairing. Me and audiobear are already in the cool kids club(mojo + A12 club)-you can join.

I actually have a Hugo showing up at our house (in Colorado) while I'm here in Vegas. But I demo'd both the Hugo and Mojo yesterday (as well as the Dave + LCD4s, hands down the best headphone experience I've ever had) and the Mojo with the A12s are totally outstanding. LOVED it. As did Vitaliy. Hoping we start to use the Mojos with our 64 IEMs for the booth for demos. Mojo compared to the Hugo, what's been said around the internet seems to be really on point. Mojo nails about 90% of Hugo, for a fraction of the price and footprint, sound stage isn't as wide and there isn't as much sparkle up top....but that's it really. The rep asked if i was bummed that I spent money on a Hugo (used price because the person had switched to Mojo, so it wasn't full retail) and like I told him, I'm really not. I could definitely see some people feeling that way, but when it comes to this level of listening gear to me it's all about that little something extra. To make it go from "WOW that's really good" to "that's magic", between the two, I've never heard my A12s sound so well. Chord truly deserves the reputation they have in the community. Top notch product as well as staff behind it. Million thumbs way up.

...now I'm also looking to pair it all with the ALO CDM Tube amp for that occasional extra feeling of life/energy that tubes can add.

We've started using my AK120ii for some demos at the booth, soon my Hugo will be added to the mix and likely the ALO (depending on when I pick one up). Letting people taste the different flavors of sound paired with our line of products, without having to be so in love with music that it makes your wallet bleed.

 

[Mython]

  We had a girl come by the booth at CES yesterday, severe hearing loss in both ears. Here is her reaction video, getting to listen to the new Active ADEL, letting her hear music in full volume and stereo, for the first time in her life.

 
 
I don't normally go for women with tat's, but, wow; she is quite gorgeous!

    (incidentally, purely by coincidence, an ex of mine was deaf, and used hearing aids, both sides).
 
 
Lovely response in the demo, too. Congratulations on the Active ADEL technology. Wonderful that it is making a positive difference in people's lives.
 
In fact, I'll be watching this technology, closely. Looking at the reaction of the lass in the above video, I might even be interested in getting this into the hands of my ex, even though I haven't been in contact with her for over 15 years.
 
 
.