Hi guys, just wondering if anyone here have tried JCALLY newest line-up (I assume) of earbuds? The EP05, JC10 and EP01? Had the JC10 and EP01 but I'm not sure if the EP05 worth the extra cash just for a detachable MMCX connector.
Hi WanAudio,
I have tried the JCally EP05. At $13USD it's more than worth it. So sorry I am a beginner at this audio thing, so I don't know how to describe the sound quality. My player is an iPhone 5s. Initially, the 16mm moving coil speakers neodymium magnet, gave sharp notes on steel guitar strings. So I let it play straight for 50 hours. After that the sound became magniiiiiiiiiiiiificent to me.
Do please allow me to share my experience.
In Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal", in the instrumental introduction, the bass rumbled beautifully, pulsing like a heartbeat (bog-bog, bog-bog...) that gets louder. Very melodious and very clear. But the bass does recede when MJ's vocals enter. The bass does not go far. It is just politely there. The bass drum felt like it was placed an inch beside my ear. On the duet of the song "Tell Him" by Ms. Dion and Ms. Streisand, on the line "...to love him pass you by", you can clearly hear Ms. Dion's exquisite phrasing, the emotional tremble when she sang the line "If I tremble when I speak" (you can sense the person she was thinking when she sang that line was a real person and her feelings were true and confusing her sense of judgment on what to do). Likewise, the 16mm speakers also displayed prominently the artistry of Ms. Streisand's vocals in holding the very high note line, flat at first and then making it those notes, and her vocals wavelike to finish the line before Ms. Dion joined her. When Russell Watson sang "Me and Mrs. Jones", he is not just singing inside your head. I felt instead I am "inside" his very throat floating with the soulful notes describing his "love affair" with Mrs. Jones. On the piece "101 Eastbound by Fourplay, the percussion intro sprinkles majestically, and in the entire song, Bob James keyboards, Lee Ritenour's strings, Harvey Mason's drums, and Nathan East bass, were all there. All four players and their instruments were equally about an arm's length from me, surrounding me at the center. No instrument was positioned far or near the others. All were equally near me. Like my head expanded into a big room to accommodate them all. Again on the song "Incanto" by Yanni from the album "Inspirato", even though you know you are in an ancient stadium the music and the notes, vocals, and the orchestra, was simply swirling, dancing around you, arm's length. The same feeling of fulfillment was felt playing Swedish House Mafia's techno piece "Save the World" or Don William's "You're my best friend", or The Eagles- "Take it Easy". With these earbuds, you know Ms. Lisa Ono was giving justice to the guitar nylon strings on her bossa nova piece 'Gentle On My Mind".
No matter how many instruments are added, it seems there is always room inside your head for them all. I find no discriminatory filters. They all sound prominently clear to me (although I might be subjective here and wrong- please guide me), and near me without anyone stealing any scene from another when their turn to come forward comes. I tested it also on my Huawei Android phone, I reinforced the earbuds with JCallys JM04 pro. How do I describe the result? Ah.... It's like I was eating a very delicious chiffon cake, and then when the dongle was attached to the cellphone with JCally Ep05 on the other end of the dongle, the chiffon transformed itself into a very moist and delectable chocolate black forest cake. Very addictive. But I prefer the iPhone (especially iPhone 4s) over any Andoid device. I think if my magnificent Nokia 3310 is still alive, that would be my franchise player for these earbuds.
And these were played at 2 bars or slightly above 50% of the iPhone 5s volume. That is the sound after 50 hours of straight playing. No more samurai-blade sharpness of the high notes. And the bass rumble event went deeper. Reallly deeeeeep.
Comparing it with Auglamour T200..... ah, if fulfillment has a score scale like 1-10 (10 highest, 1 lowest), Auglamour for me is 7 (contestable of course) and JCally EP05 is 9. Here are my reasons. The price of the latter is 50% that of Auglamour, the material is well-crafted metal, and the mmcx cable beats Auglamour rubber coated cable by a mile. Plus Auglamour needs the full power of my iPhone to start performing, and a pair of ear hooks to keep it in place in my ear. Lastly, the seller was very trustworthy. Very fair. Very responsive. My complaint was immediately resolved. I ordered again.
Versus the KBear Knight Flagship, its sound seems like it's a younger brother to JCally EP05 but more expensive. My rating is not yet conclusive as I am still letting Kbear have its 50 hours also for fairness sake. Vs. a DIY MX500 (also really outstanding but different sound quality), I am at a deadlock. The MX500 is 60% cheaper than JCally EP05. If my budget is only $13USD, and good for only 1 pair of earbuds, then JCally it is. Price regardless. But if I am a collector and have enough cash, then I'll buy it all. T200 (just needs an affordable amplifier, ear hooks), MX500 (really meticulous, and gentle tender loving care hands to make it last for years), KBear (as backup)
I love music. I love 60's-70's music. So passionate, soulful. Now I love listening to them in my earbuds. I wear glasses. The legs of my prescription glasses hurt my ears when I wore an over-the-ear headset like my V-Moda. Earbuds, unlike in-ears, don't insist on crawling inside. I agree the sound is fuller, but the ear tips are hit or miss things. It hurts for days if you don't have the right tips. Earbuds remind me of being in the lounge of a beautiful hotel, overlooking the pool and the green garden, listening to a surround sound USD$3K sound system. The music swirls around you but the voice of your wife and children are never excluded, never too far away to answer their beck and call.
Hope this helps your quest. I am new to this, so please accept my sincerest apologies, for not being able to describe the sound quality in formal audio engineering terms.