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Headphoneus Supremus
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- Jan 30, 2007
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Someone on the forum asked me to compare the ESW10JPN to the JH13, so I decided to just share my thoughts with a wider audience.
The ESW10JPN, with its rich, wood cups, is a beautiful headphone. It is very light and has a grip on the head that is just right. The supraaural design does fatigue the ears eventually, but it takes a lot longer than I thought it would before I purchased. This is in part due to swivel of the cups and how I can position them to put the pressure on different parts of the ears and head throughout a session. I also like how they are easy to put on and off, and are comfortable to wear around the neck.
When I first tried the pair of my friend's, I was very struck with the "energy" in the mids and highs. It is a very detailed headphone with a presentation that is very pleasing for many genres. There is great, well-textured bass, but it is not the centerpiece of this sound signature. Acoustic instruments -- like the shimmer of strings -- sound very vivid and enjoyable. The isolation isn't great, so I wouldn't want to use them some place noisy. I'm glad I got a pair of these limited edition headphones before the 1500 were gobbled up. I still really enjoy them.
The JH13, by contrast, is an IEM. They have great isolation. (Though, interestingly, it's not quite as good as foam tips on universal fit IEMs.) They have a perfectly formed, custom fit for your ear canals, so their uniform pressure throughout your ear easily lets them "disappear". Compared to the ease of taking the ESW10JPN on and off, a custom IEM like the JH13 is a bit more work. Once you get the hang of it, inserting and removing the JH13 is pretty fast and easy, though (only a couple seconds) but it is a bit more abrasive. And I always wipe earwax and debris from the tips before inserting. With the right fit (JHA has a great track record) and well-adjusted ears (only a few days to a week or so for new wearers) I think the JH13's are incredibly comfortable. I can wear them for many hours without issue.
The sound is simply incredible. The JH13 is still the best headphone I have and at least among the best I've ever heard. It must be those 6 custom spec drivers working side-by-side that give me such a detailed, immersive view into the recording with soundstage that is simply astonishing for an IEM. Historically, it seems that a full-size headphone is needed for this type soundstage, but the detail of the JH13 seems to compensate for their "shortcoming" that they bypass the outer ear and send the sound directly into your eardrums. The first thing a new JH13 owner seems to notice is how HUGE the sound seems to be. The JH13 has some of the best extension on the top and bottom ends of any headphone. The sound signature sides on ruthlessly neutral, but with a bit of a bump in the sub-bass for low end impact that I really enjoy. The bass is massive and detailed, but it never oversteps its bounds like it does when I switch to the UE11.
When I compare the sound of the two head-to-head, there is simply no doubt that the JH13 is the clear winner. Not only does this IEM have a very neutral response curve that doesn't really favor any genre over another, but it maintains a euphonic sound with anything I throw at it! The isolation assures that you're starting with a quiet background, and the music is just so clear and beautiful. At the end of the day, I'm apt to say that while the ESW10JPN excels at its strong points and can be a very enjoyable can for many things (particularly jazz and acoustic music) the JH13 just seems to perform perfectly in so many ways.
Both headphones sound great right from an MP3 player's headphone output, but they also improve with a good amp. The JH13 scales extremely well with better equipment as it seems to sap up and really deliver on exactly what it is fed.
I love my ESW10 very much... I just love my JH13 more.
I also posted this on my blog:
ATH-ESW10JPN vs JH13 Pro | Threadbox.net
