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Review: JVC HA-FX102 XX series (updated for 2015)
Details:
Cost- $15 - $20 US dollars, purchased from Amazon Market
Driver size- 11mm neodymium magnet, Frequency Response- 5 Hz – 23,000 Hz
Features- Explosive sound featuring “Extreme Bass Port”
Cord length- 1.2m (3.94 ft) L-connector
3 size ear pieces- s,m,l
So I’ve been searching around head-fi for a bit now and couldn’t find anything on these recently released pair of iem’s I came across after searching for the jvc fx3x. I haven’t been around Head-fi for a while so I will give a bit of background on my sound preferences below. Also, please forgive me as I’m no pro at terminology and wording but I’ll do my best to imitate the pro’s I’ve seen here.
My Preferences: I prefer a warmer sound signature with solid sparkling highs and deep bass. Detailed mids is nice. My previously owned iems are the following: Monsters turbine series: gold, copper. Iv’e also owned the JVC fx700, JVC fxt90, Nu-force NE-700x, Apple earpods and I currently own the Hifiman Re-262. The XX series I currently own are the JVC fx101 and JVC fx102. I have cheaper JVC iem’s that made me prefer the JVC’s sound signature over the other comparatively high priced iems. Their deeper bass and detailed mids was something I found rarely in cheaper earphones such as the marshmallow line. I also preferred the NE-700x and re262, both very different in sound capabilities.
Packaging: The package comes as a not disturbingly secured enclosure contrary to the previous XX models released. The struggle to open my JVC fx101 was too real. I needed one large scissors for the fx101 model. Introducing the new JVC fx102 model! Where opening a package with your bare hands has become an innovation. Seriously JVC, there was a war with your older packaging. Moving on, inside you will find the iem’s wrapped securely and different ear piece sizes available. A hidden safety guide is even available just behind the inside enclosure! Please Note: this iem does not include a casing unlike the fx1x and fx3x.
Build and Fit: Bulky is one way to describe this iem. The build is quite solid although not top-notch. It has a solid feel but looks very rubbery. The cords are thick enough to feel secured and the L connector is strong. Fit doesn’t seem to effect the overall sound quality by much just be sure to have a proper seal. Deeper insertion may not improve or degrade sound quality. Size and weight doesn’t seem to be too much of a problem when sitting still but for commuting, it could get rather annoying as they tend to loosen out of the ears. Comfort is rather awkward because of the iem’s rigid build. If they are not properly placed in the ear, the edgy rough sides will make contact with your ear and can be irritating after a while. To avoid this, be sure to have them straightened out properly.
Source: Apple IPod Touch 5
Characteristics: When I first purchased this iem, (before use) my initial expectation for it was an overall V shaped sound signature with a very slow frequency response. I was very surprised an 11mm driver was put into this cheap earphone and it’s the first of this size that I’ve ever tried so I had to give it a shot. When I received my pair, I was met with a surprise. Out of the box (No burn in), one way to summarize the sound is with one word and that is “Big”. The sound of the 11mm driver definitely delivers on its supposed size. The sound reminds me that of the fx700 but more smooth overall. The width, depth and height are on point but nothing too overwhelming especially if compared to the re262’s soundstage when amped. The warmth and organic sound can definitely be expected from these. Head-stage potential here should definitely be noted along with potential imaging. A sense of air and space exist here. It’s simply impressive for an iem this cheap to boast this type of quality. Note: If you’re looking for accuracy, look elsewhere as these are focused toward a fun sound.
Initial impressions: Coming straight out of my iPod touch 5, the bass sounds rather lean. The bass extends well into the deeper frequencies (unusual for this price range) and can be heard with a soft rumble. The bass is not completely thick and the mid-bass is not extremely invasive unlike most other bassy budget earphones at this price range. It seems to focus more on its lower frequencies rather than the mid bass which is interesting but expected for JVC iems. One could definitely consider these as bass-head iems more so than the fx101. There seems to be a void of lower bass especially when I’m listening to the right side. Perhaps my pair is a bit defective and has a mismatched sound output.
The mids itself is surprisingly full but it is definitely V shaped. It has a fun dynamic aspect in this area similar to the nuforce ne700x but more lean. Bass can sometimes overwhelm the mids but not the highs. On certain tracks, the mids will shine much more due to the enhanced upper registers and dynamics. The mids itself stands relatively strong with the rest of the frequency but cannot handle higher volume pre-burn in.
The Highs are best described as edgy and smooth. Sibilance can definitely be heard on brighter tracks and somewhere within the 5k- 10k frequencies; a similar treble peak (the FX700 famous treble peak) can be noticed (not as bad). Details in the Highs are decent and the speed of the highs is what caught me by surprise. For an iem that has no burn-in, it’s relatively quick. This allows the JVC’s to catch more detail than its predecessors and perhaps even surpass the fx700 when fully burnt in. Treble is smooth and not extremely ear-piercing but the treble spike in the 5k-10k range remains a problem when trying to listen at higher volumes more than 60%. I’ve also noticed minimal hissing probably due to the enhanced highs but maybe it’s just my source.
Burning-in: 5 hours into listening, the overall sound quality has become smoother but also more focused. At first, I thought it was too focused because of the size of the driver but the more I listened, the better they sounded. The sound was big and smooth. The timbre improved a little in the vocals and in the bass, but the highs sounded a bit warm. The whole sound is more solid, natural, controlled and highs are a bit more tamed. Overall it has improved in its sound quality. I don’t really plan to rush burning them in any time soon so perhaps anyone else that decides to pick them up can tell me how they sound once they’ve been burnt in fully.
JVC fx101 vs JVC fx102
Conclusion: For an earphone at this price range, the JVC’s have the best to offer. A word of warning for people who have purchased from JVC, they tend to make mismatched sound products and can sound different at times especially if defective. I took a dive and I didn’t end up too lucky but it was still worth it considering the sound and cheapness. Overall, I would definitely recommend this iem as I feel it is far beyond capable when fully burnt in. The fun sound signature is definitely comparable to more expensive sets.
Details:
Cost- $15 - $20 US dollars, purchased from Amazon Market
Driver size- 11mm neodymium magnet, Frequency Response- 5 Hz – 23,000 Hz
Features- Explosive sound featuring “Extreme Bass Port”
Cord length- 1.2m (3.94 ft) L-connector
3 size ear pieces- s,m,l
So I’ve been searching around head-fi for a bit now and couldn’t find anything on these recently released pair of iem’s I came across after searching for the jvc fx3x. I haven’t been around Head-fi for a while so I will give a bit of background on my sound preferences below. Also, please forgive me as I’m no pro at terminology and wording but I’ll do my best to imitate the pro’s I’ve seen here.
My Preferences: I prefer a warmer sound signature with solid sparkling highs and deep bass. Detailed mids is nice. My previously owned iems are the following: Monsters turbine series: gold, copper. Iv’e also owned the JVC fx700, JVC fxt90, Nu-force NE-700x, Apple earpods and I currently own the Hifiman Re-262. The XX series I currently own are the JVC fx101 and JVC fx102. I have cheaper JVC iem’s that made me prefer the JVC’s sound signature over the other comparatively high priced iems. Their deeper bass and detailed mids was something I found rarely in cheaper earphones such as the marshmallow line. I also preferred the NE-700x and re262, both very different in sound capabilities.
Packaging: The package comes as a not disturbingly secured enclosure contrary to the previous XX models released. The struggle to open my JVC fx101 was too real. I needed one large scissors for the fx101 model. Introducing the new JVC fx102 model! Where opening a package with your bare hands has become an innovation. Seriously JVC, there was a war with your older packaging. Moving on, inside you will find the iem’s wrapped securely and different ear piece sizes available. A hidden safety guide is even available just behind the inside enclosure! Please Note: this iem does not include a casing unlike the fx1x and fx3x.
Build and Fit: Bulky is one way to describe this iem. The build is quite solid although not top-notch. It has a solid feel but looks very rubbery. The cords are thick enough to feel secured and the L connector is strong. Fit doesn’t seem to effect the overall sound quality by much just be sure to have a proper seal. Deeper insertion may not improve or degrade sound quality. Size and weight doesn’t seem to be too much of a problem when sitting still but for commuting, it could get rather annoying as they tend to loosen out of the ears. Comfort is rather awkward because of the iem’s rigid build. If they are not properly placed in the ear, the edgy rough sides will make contact with your ear and can be irritating after a while. To avoid this, be sure to have them straightened out properly.
Source: Apple IPod Touch 5
Characteristics: When I first purchased this iem, (before use) my initial expectation for it was an overall V shaped sound signature with a very slow frequency response. I was very surprised an 11mm driver was put into this cheap earphone and it’s the first of this size that I’ve ever tried so I had to give it a shot. When I received my pair, I was met with a surprise. Out of the box (No burn in), one way to summarize the sound is with one word and that is “Big”. The sound of the 11mm driver definitely delivers on its supposed size. The sound reminds me that of the fx700 but more smooth overall. The width, depth and height are on point but nothing too overwhelming especially if compared to the re262’s soundstage when amped. The warmth and organic sound can definitely be expected from these. Head-stage potential here should definitely be noted along with potential imaging. A sense of air and space exist here. It’s simply impressive for an iem this cheap to boast this type of quality. Note: If you’re looking for accuracy, look elsewhere as these are focused toward a fun sound.
Initial impressions: Coming straight out of my iPod touch 5, the bass sounds rather lean. The bass extends well into the deeper frequencies (unusual for this price range) and can be heard with a soft rumble. The bass is not completely thick and the mid-bass is not extremely invasive unlike most other bassy budget earphones at this price range. It seems to focus more on its lower frequencies rather than the mid bass which is interesting but expected for JVC iems. One could definitely consider these as bass-head iems more so than the fx101. There seems to be a void of lower bass especially when I’m listening to the right side. Perhaps my pair is a bit defective and has a mismatched sound output.
The mids itself is surprisingly full but it is definitely V shaped. It has a fun dynamic aspect in this area similar to the nuforce ne700x but more lean. Bass can sometimes overwhelm the mids but not the highs. On certain tracks, the mids will shine much more due to the enhanced upper registers and dynamics. The mids itself stands relatively strong with the rest of the frequency but cannot handle higher volume pre-burn in.
The Highs are best described as edgy and smooth. Sibilance can definitely be heard on brighter tracks and somewhere within the 5k- 10k frequencies; a similar treble peak (the FX700 famous treble peak) can be noticed (not as bad). Details in the Highs are decent and the speed of the highs is what caught me by surprise. For an iem that has no burn-in, it’s relatively quick. This allows the JVC’s to catch more detail than its predecessors and perhaps even surpass the fx700 when fully burnt in. Treble is smooth and not extremely ear-piercing but the treble spike in the 5k-10k range remains a problem when trying to listen at higher volumes more than 60%. I’ve also noticed minimal hissing probably due to the enhanced highs but maybe it’s just my source.
Burning-in: 5 hours into listening, the overall sound quality has become smoother but also more focused. At first, I thought it was too focused because of the size of the driver but the more I listened, the better they sounded. The sound was big and smooth. The timbre improved a little in the vocals and in the bass, but the highs sounded a bit warm. The whole sound is more solid, natural, controlled and highs are a bit more tamed. Overall it has improved in its sound quality. I don’t really plan to rush burning them in any time soon so perhaps anyone else that decides to pick them up can tell me how they sound once they’ve been burnt in fully.
JVC fx101 vs JVC fx102
Conclusion: For an earphone at this price range, the JVC’s have the best to offer. A word of warning for people who have purchased from JVC, they tend to make mismatched sound products and can sound different at times especially if defective. I took a dive and I didn’t end up too lucky but it was still worth it considering the sound and cheapness. Overall, I would definitely recommend this iem as I feel it is far beyond capable when fully burnt in. The fun sound signature is definitely comparable to more expensive sets.
