[cn11]

Quote:

Needless to say, I have been out of touch lately. 

Hopefully too busy making awesome cables to hang out around here that much! Cool you got the J3. I've been thinking about one for a good while too. 
 
How do you find the treble? I know a couple seasoned HF'ers who find the treble a touch metallic sounding. 

 

[warrior05]

Quote:

Hopefully too busy making awesome cables to hang out around here that much! Cool you got the J3. I've been thinking about one for a good while too. 
 
How do you find the treble? I know a couple seasoned HF'ers who find the treble a touch metallic sounding. 

Hey, Chris-
 
Actually, I am shutting down DofH Audio. Started up a new job about 6 months ago that is just too demanding. I no longer have the time to work on mods and builds.
 
As for the J3: I have been enjoying it paired with my fav frankenphones I built awhile ago. I am not one to eq so my J3 is set to dead neutral. I prefer my 'phones to do the talking. 

 What I am hearing is really good bass response - reaches low and is pretty tight, decent mids though I haven't been listening to much vocals to really judge and no complaints with the highs. I am still settling in with the Cowon's sound and have not tried it with my other units thus far. Enjoying the aforementioned pairing a bit too much I suppose. 

 

[Galatian]

Quote:

Sounds like a useful script. Btw, any recommended EQ settings that really bring out the vocals? I found that most of the BBE presets boost instrumentals but not vocals somehow. The voices sound like they're drowning.

That really depends on what headphones you are using...right now the only "enhancements" I'm using on the J3 with my JH 16 Pro is the Mach3Bass on 6, because of the bass drop off on low impedance phones. 
I enjoy the overall musical quality of the J3 so much...it is so much better then from my HM-801 and you can definitely pin them both down in a blind test because of the channel separation. Stereo sounds MUCH better on the J3...
 

 

[Fatalethal]

Quote:

Btw, any recommended EQ settings that really bring out the vocals? I found that most of the BBE presets boost instrumentals but not vocals somehow. The voices sound like they're drowning.

hmmm, have you tried custom presets?
 
mine goes something like these.
 
EQ (play around with the numeric values)
=========================================================
105Hz = Wide = +7 ---------- (try 80Hz)
220Hz = Wide = -2 ---------- (try 500Hz, Normal)
1.4kHz = Wide = +5 ---------- (try 1.1kHz, Narrow or Normal)
3.0kHz = Wide = +8 ---------- (try 4.1kHz or 2.4kHz, Normal)
11.7kHz = Wide = +9 --------- (try 13kHz)
=========================================================
 
 
BBE+
=========================================================
BBE = +6 (try x > 5, this is subjective to each song)
Mach3Bass = +8
3D Surround = +2 (increase to create like a live concert feel)
MP Enhance = On
=========================================================
 
SE
=========================================================
Stereo Enhance = +1 (play around with this, but i suggest sticking with X < 4)
Reverb = Off
=========================================================
 
 
if you still find that the bass is too overwhelming, try toning it down by decreasing the values in the 80/105Hz EQ and Mach3Bass.
 
 
i sincerely hope this setting helps.

 

[geoxile]

Yes, I'm using custom presets atm and I don't really have BBE, enchancers, or bass boost on. What exactly do they do?
Quote:

hmmm, have you tried custom presets?
 
mine goes something like these.
 
EQ (play around with the numeric values)
=========================================================
105Hz = Wide = +7 ---------- (try 80Hz)
220Hz = Wide = -2 ---------- (try 500Hz, Normal)
1.4kHz = Wide = +5 ---------- (try 1.1kHz, Narrow or Normal)
3.0kHz = Wide = +8 ---------- (try 4.1kHz or 2.4kHz, Normal)
11.7kHz = Wide = +9 --------- (try 13kHz)
=========================================================
 
 
BBE+
=========================================================
BBE = +6 (try x > 5, this is subjective to each song)
Mach3Bass = +8
3D Surround = +2 (increase to create like a live concert feel)
MP Enhance = On
=========================================================
 
SE
=========================================================
Stereo Enhance = +1 (play around with this, but i suggest sticking with X < 4)
Reverb = Off
=========================================================
 
 
if you still find that the bass is too overwhelming, try toning it down by decreasing the values in the 80/105Hz EQ and Mach3Bass.
 
 
i sincerely hope this setting helps.

 

 

[cn11]

Quote:

Hey, Chris-
 
Actually, I am shutting down DofH Audio. Started up a new job about 6 months ago that is just too demanding. I no longer have the time to work on mods and builds.
 
As for the J3: I have been enjoying it paired with my fav frankenphones I built awhile ago. I am not one to eq so my J3 is set to dead neutral. I prefer my 'phones to do the talking. 

 What I am hearing is really good bass response - reaches low and is pretty tight, decent mids though I haven't been listening to much vocals to really judge and no complaints with the highs. I am still settling in with the Cowon's sound and have not tried it with my other units thus far. Enjoying the aforementioned pairing a bit too much I suppose. 

 
Ah, shame about shutting down the audio company. Was great work on the cables. But congrats on the new job! 
 
Thanks for the further info on the J3's sound. I just recently got some FutureSonics custom monitors, so I would be running the player flat too since the MG6Pro's are very dynamic. The J3 remains the most complete sounding player no matter what I research. I have a feeling I'll have one too before long....
 
 

 

[Fatalethal]

Not quite sure how to put it~
 
but in layman terms imo,
 
BBE actually improves the "transparency", or sharpness, or creates a life-like presentation of the vocals and sounds made from instruments.
 
Mach3Bass is to create a more punchy, slightly deeper, and impactful bass.
 
3D Surround creates a slightly dragged echo for all vocals and instruments, and improved soundstage. (imo, this actually creates a mini live concert in your ears)
 
Stereo Enhance artificially improves the stereo sound signature. but increasing it too much will make the music sound very fake, not real.
 
Quote:

Yes, I'm using custom presets atm and I don't really have BBE, enchancers, or bass boost on. What exactly do they do?


 

 
 

 

[geoxile]

Thanks for the rundown. Just got a 32GB microSD card. What do II format it to and how do I set it up for the j3?

 

[severim]

Longtime lurker here, figured it's time to post my J3 impressions. I've had mine for about three months, and typically pair it with a Fiio E11 and a variety of headphones/IEMs.
 
Things I love about it:
1) Plays mp3/flac/etc in same music player
2) Expandable (microsd)
3) Hardware buttons
4) Slim, pocketable form-factor
4) Playtime (64 hours)
5) Moddable UI (currently using Kizune's Lynx, Sense and Leaf mods)
6) Wide variety of default and customisable EQ presets
7) Drag and drop interface
8) Build quality
 
Things I don't like:
1) UI by default is pretty clunky and unintuitive for first-timers
2) Micro-SD/power input "protector/guard" is annoying - I ripped it off
3) Charger cable is different to everything else I have
 
What would I change/improve upon?
1) Add a line out
2) Improve UI
3) Add (world) standard charger port (mini/micro-USB)
 
I've spent a lot of time looking for something better, and haven't found much that comes close. There are several devices that purportedly offer greater sound quality (HM-601/etc), greater outputs (S:Flo2), but usually fall short in terms of design, price or build quality. As I'm still struggling to find anything comparable, I'm honestly wondering if I should buy a second unit while they're available.
 
Overall rating: Excellent, must-buy at it's price point.

 

[RockaRolla]

Longtime lurker here, figured it's time to post my J3 impressions. I've had mine for about three months, and typically pair it with a Fiio E11 and a variety of headphones/IEMs.
 
Things I love about it:
1) Plays mp3/flac/etc in same music player
2) Expandable (microsd)
3) Hardware buttons
4) Slim, pocketable form-factor
4) Playtime (64 hours)
5) Moddable UI (currently using Kizune's Lynx, Sense and Leaf mods)
6) Wide variety of default and customisable EQ presets
7) Drag and drop interface
8) Build quality
 
Things I don't like:
1) UI by default is pretty clunky and unintuitive for first-timers
2) Micro-SD/power input "protector/guard" is annoying - I ripped it off
3) Charger cable is different to everything else I have
 
What would I change/improve upon?
1) Add a line out
2) Improve UI
3) Add (world) standard charger port (mini/micro-USB)
 
I've spent a lot of time looking for something better, and haven't found much that comes close. There are several devices that purportedly offer greater sound quality (HM-601/etc), greater outputs (S:Flo2), but usually fall short in terms of design, price or build quality. As I'm still struggling to find anything comparable, I'm honestly wondering if I should buy a second unit while they're available.
 
Overall rating: Excellent, must-buy at it's price point.

x2

fully agree with this

 

[dfkt]

Quote:

Thanks for the rundown. Just got a 32GB microSD card. What do II format it to and how do I set it up for the j3?

 
This is the only recommended way to format a SD card properly: https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter_3/
 
There's nothing to set up. Just pop it in after formatting and load your files on it.
 
 

 

[kyuuketsuki]

Quote:

Longtime lurker here, figured it's time to post my J3 impressions. I've had mine for about three months, and typically pair it with a Fiio E11 and a variety of headphones/IEMs.
 
Things I love about it:
1) Plays mp3/flac/etc in same music player
2) Expandable (microsd)
3) Hardware buttons
4) Slim, pocketable form-factor
4) Playtime (64 hours)
5) Moddable UI (currently using Kizune's Lynx, Sense and Leaf mods)
6) Wide variety of default and customisable EQ presets
7) Drag and drop interface
8) Build quality
 
Things I don't like:
1) UI by default is pretty clunky and unintuitive for first-timers
2) Micro-SD/power input "protector/guard" is annoying - I ripped it off
3) Charger cable is different to everything else I have
 
What would I change/improve upon?
1) Add a line out
2) Improve UI
3) Add (world) standard charger port (mini/micro-USB)
 
I've spent a lot of time looking for something better, and haven't found much that comes close. There are several devices that purportedly offer greater sound quality (HM-601/etc), greater outputs (S:Flo2), but usually fall short in terms of design, price or build quality. As I'm still struggling to find anything comparable, I'm honestly wondering if I should buy a second unit while they're available.
 
Overall rating: Excellent, must-buy at it's price point.

 
And from what I have heard, the USB they used is a standard in Korea. I suppose that is the price we pay for going with a very Korean company like Cowon. I'd like to see a more universal cable too, but the one they chose seems to be fine. 
 
Though a LO would be nice......
 

 

[severim]

Quote:

 
And from what I have heard, the USB they used is a standard in Korea. I suppose that is the price we pay for going with a very Korean company like Cowon. I'd like to see a more universal cable too, but the one they chose seems to be fine. 
 
Though a LO would be nice......
 

Yeh, I know it's a standard... (in Korea). If that's the price I pay for all the good stuff I get in a J3, I'm happy with that. I just wonder where I can track down a spare...
 

 

[RockaRolla]

Actually im not really bothered with the USB connection they used in Cowon, many other DAP also uses their own proprietary connection

for all the goodies i get in J3, couldnt be more happier with them

Yeh, I know it's a standard... (in Korea). If that's the price I pay for all the good stuff I get in a J3, I'm happy with that. I just wonder where I can track down a spare...

the spare can be bought off amazon for 10 bucks

 

[kmhaynes]

I'm wanting to get a skin and screen protectors for my J3.
 
Has anyone tried the SkinPia skin case on eBay for the J3?  Is it as good as the Ringke skin case?