[Damz87]

Nice!

I also live a stone's throw from some epic and beautiful scenery-- I often need to pause and remind myself how fortunate I am.

My listening room:

Damn, man… Incredible! I need to visit your part of the world one day.

Nowhere near as spectacular as yours, but here are a couple shots of my view this weekend. Just outside of Melbourne on French Island.

Plus a little visitor on our front porch to hang out with:

 

[Deezel177]

This one's been a long, long, long time coming, but JH Audio have finally released the universal version of the Jolene as part of their Black Friday programme. So, it's about time my Jolene review went live on THL as well.

At 5,720 words, I'm fairly certain this one's my longest individual review to date, as there was quite a lot to cover. But, I think all those delays gave me the time to craft as fair a review for the Jolene as possible, and with as many relevant comparisons as possible too. So, as always, I hope you all enjoy, and you can find the link to the review over on the official JH Audio Jolene thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/jh-...s-and-discussion.956466/page-56#post-16681834

Cheers!

 

[davidmolliere]

This one's been a long, long, long time coming, but JH Audio have finally released the universal version of the Jolene as part of their Black Friday programme. So, it's about time my Jolene review went live on THL as well. At 5,720 words, I'm fairly certain this one's my longest individual review to date, as there was quite a lot to cover. But, I think all those delays gave me the time to craft as fair a review for the Jolene as possible, and with as many relevant comparisons as possible too. So, as always, I hope you all enjoy, and you can find the link to the review over on the official JH Audio Jolene thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/jh-...s-and-discussion.956466/page-56#post-16681834

What a great read and pics I could almost hear the Jolene reading your review, very evocative as usual and useful to know if it will fit someone's personal preference and favorite music genres it will fit best... this certainly looks like a distinctive item in a crowded market at a fair price which is always a big plus to make it in one's collection

 

[Deezel177]

What a great read and pics I could almost hear the Jolene reading your review, very evocative as usual and useful to know if it will fit someone's personal preference and favorite music genres it will fit best... this certainly looks like a distinctive item in a crowded market at a fair price which is always a big plus to make it in one's collection

Thank you, David! May the fair prices continue.

 

[SLC1966]

Vision Ears Extended and PHönix have arrived. Mine arrived 4 days ago but I did not want to post anything until @Damz87 got back from La La Land trip! Great pics Damien. Looks like fun. Your EXT and Phonix are in a locker waiting for you. You should be awake by now since it is 5:17 am in your world.

Damz and I will come out with Phonix and EXT reviews on the same day. We are bringing Bob (the fictitious but sexy interviewer) back for these reviews. We used him in our Elysium review: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/vision-ears-elysium.23939/reviews#review-25898

This time Bob has asked us to do it a little differently. Bob wants to text us a different question every day or two and have us post an answer to that question specifically. He will text Damz and I different questions most of the time. Sometimes same or similar questions. We will then clean it all up and put it together for our reviews. We will also include questions and answers that Bob will be asking Vision Ears.

All the rest of our posts will be in the Vision Ears thread so that we do not double post etc.

 

[bigbeans]

Pulled the trigger on Jerry Harvey Jolene Universal...this is getting out of control now haha

I remember going back to the Jerry Harvey booth at Can Jam three times just to listen to Jolene again.

 

[toaster]

Pulled the trigger on Jerry Harvey Jolene Universal...this is getting out of control now haha

…you’re actually just getting started.

 

[RTodd]

Finished the third design,
hope you enjoy looking at it.

 

[Rockwell75]

Finished the third design,
hope you enjoy looking at it.

Wow!

 

[DunkFealer]

Finished the third design,
hope you enjoy looking at it.

My significant other is a designer (albeit her focus is on design for digital applications) and every time I've shown her one of your designs she's stunned! Personally, I'm in awe of the balance you strike between form and function here.

 

[RTodd]

My significant other is a designer (albeit her focus is on design for digital applications) and every time I've shown her one of your designs she's stunned! Personally, I'm in awe of the balance you strike between form and function here.

My wife told me when I showed her it
“your nuts”
Thank you for the kind words.

 

[twister6]

Finished the third design,
hope you enjoy looking at it.

Can you make a few extra and bring it to CanJam NYC in Feb? I would buy one from you on the spot, as long as you autograph it

 

[subguy812]

Finished the third design,
hope you enjoy looking at it.

Very cool man! Props to you!

 

[davidmolliere]

Sorry for the cross posting but shared my EXT impression on the VE thread

Bottom line... I am in love!

And the eagle has landed! Kudos to @Vision Ears, I was so excited about the EXT but now I am thrilled

Here are a few quick iPhone pics



That matching box is so nice and those shells...






I had a couple of hours on them, first out of the box then after the afternoon burning in as I was taken by work... they already opened up a bit. Using the stock cable for now.

First I struggled with the Azla Crystal and took a few minutes to put them on (oh my...) then tipped rolled a bit as the Azla irritated my ears (yes, I am not used to tips anymore...). I finally landed on SpinFits and the fit is just perfect.

The EXT are such seductive IEMs in terms of signature, very exciting for sure and they demand your attention just like the OG Elysium but as advertised the bass is another beast! It's been a good long while since I had so much fun with bass and my inner basshead has a very big smile and my toe tapping to the beat. The sheer power of the EXT is fantastic... the biggest surprise is how fast and controlled the DD is out of the box : this is quite a fast dynamic, it can keep up with faster paced tracks easily and it provides a very clean and snappy delivery. Such an energetic brand of bass! I ran through my usual tracks and was clearly wowed... The texture on percussions is also remarkable there is power but also nuance and boatloads of detail.

To my ears the midrange is not that far off the OG Elysium I expected a bit warmer midrange from what I had read but really the warmth is rather infused from the bass and EXT seems to be just as technical as the OG it just jumps at you a bit less since bass is so powerful... burn in might change things but I don't hear the mids as being warmer or thicker. There is a good amount of bite so I wouldn't say the EXT is a more relaxed OG at least running through my test tracks it's not how I hear it.

Ah and last, but not least... treble is - to me - a notch above the OG and I must say I wouldn't mind an OG v2 with that 4 EST setup. This is possibly the best 4 EST implementation I have heard to date compared to the Volt and Spark custom, we'll see how it compares to Mentawai once it lands. EXT treble bring balance to the powerful bass with both a superb extension and energy. The EXT is from this standpoint much more energetic than I expected from reading impressions of a thicker and overall warmer OG.

You can already tell I am a happy camper and the EXT managed to pull me back towards universals... fit is really superb for a uni and I have hours of getting to know the EXT better... When FiiO M17 lands (any day now...) I think that power will come to good use

 

[davidmolliere]

So... I have plugged the Penon Totem as the stock cable exhibits cutoffs of both channels when it's not perfectly straight... probably a soldering issue I'll exchange it

Bottom line, Totem makes the EXT smoother and fuller, consistent with many impressions I have read and that's interesting as it's a cable I use often with the Elysium.
You loose nothing in terms of power down low, mids are fuller and thicker and up top it's just as extended but a bit less intense.
I think cable rolling will prove interesting with the EXT... look forward to trying out the PlusSound X8 Tri Copper when it arrives.

Those babies are so engaging whichever cable you plug