[charliex]

Pleased to see that the HE Audio JADES are back on the radar again.  For whatever reason, they have been somewhat of an understated headphone here on Head-Fi, a headphone whose excellence and exceptionality appear to have been overlooked.  Vilified by some, lauded by others, they most certainly deserve far more credit and recognition, and should be placed well upfront in the pantheon of esteemed headphones.  With the recent growing popular interest and entrepreneurial commitment to planar technology it would appear that variant headphone technologies are now on a level playing field and audiophiles wants and needs are being addressed and met.  Re-enter the HE Audio Jade Headphone from Head Direct.
Personal 'wallet-emptying' recent acquisitions have made me realize the importance of source and synergy, hence the significance of amplification for one's headphones.
As you can see by my headphone stable, I am an avid electrostatic supporter, but also have great respect and aural adoration of orthodynamics (hence my LCD-2's), and of dynamic cans (hence my AKG K-1000's).  My current spate of headphone A-B'ing has centered around my recent purchase of a Sennheiser Baby Orpheus (HE 60) and my Head Direct Jades powered by a Cavalli eXStata Hybrid amplifier. And of course mention should be made of the Stax O2’s.
Although I find that the O2 sound is somewhat euphonic and relaxing, it is a little dark and veiled for my liking, too much on the polite side.  Excuse me if I take literary licence when comparing O2’s to Jades and to quote a couple of fellow Head-Fiers, whose observations mirror my own observations.  According to ‘HeadphoneAddict’, Larry feels that  ….  “Jades have a more forward involving presentation, especially with nice rich vocals.  Soundstage is wide but not deep and bass impact is closer to that of a dynamic headphone.  The treble does not seem as rolled off at all and the Jades are not as dark as the O2 can be when used with the wrong source or tubes.”   The following quote is attributed to ‘hew’, and although brief it is so very true in my eyes (ears) ….. “I have had the Jade plus the O2 for over 9 months.  I love them both, but they give very different presentations.  However, while the O2 appeals to my analytical side, the Jade is of the heart.”
I have only had the eXStata for the past few weeks as my source of amplification, but I have come to believe after many hours of listening that the Jades are even better than my HE 60’s. (Some feel that the Jades are actually closer to the quality of the HE 90).  The Jades are very detailed and neutral, perfectly balanced along the frequency spectrum.  Their top end is very liquid, rich and transparent. They are smooth and mellow and there is no fatigue factor.  They have better bass than the HE 60’s.  Once you put the headphones on, you are transported to your own world of sonic euphoria.
Let’s here more views and perspectives about these fabulous phones.

 

[customcoco]

thanks for the review. 
 
would you say that the the jades are brighter than the 02s? 
 
I can't stand bright headphones...

 

[cosmopragma]

Quote:

 For whatever reason, they have been somewhat of an understated headphone here on Head-Fi, a headphone whose excellence and exceptionality appear to have been overlooked.

For whatever reason?
I think there is more than one good reason.
Most important:
HE Audio is a small business with severe quality control problems.
There isn't even a european distributor since no one wants to deal with the quality problems.European warranty legislation and law enforced return policy with full refund makes it too risky.
It's as simple as that.
 
 
 

 

[customcoco]

are they really that bad, quality-wise?

 

[spritzer]

Worse.  Sound is also the worst I've heard from any electrostatic and I've owned almost all that have ever been made.  Anybody claiming that these compare to the HE90 have a) never heard the HE90, b) are full of crap c) tripping balls on magic mushrooms. 

 

[grokit]

From the impressions I have read the Jade requires a LOT of power to hit their stride, and this accounts for the polarized impressions. Their HE-6 went through this as well.
 
But build quality, if that's what you are referring to, was very uneven especially in the earlier models.

 

[spritzer]

There is no truth to them requiring a lot of power.  I've also never seen a well built set.  The true horrors of the build "quality" lurk underneath the skin. 

 

[grokit]

 
Quote:

I am still very happy with the Jade. Those are the ones plugged into my GES right now. Regardless of what Spritzer says, they are great in my rig. Everyone at the Colorado meet was impressed, and we had 11 stats on my table for people to try including Jade, O2 Mk1, HE60, SR-404 Limited, SR-Lambda Pro, two SR-Lambda, SR-5NB Gold, SR-X Mk3, SR-80, and ESP950.

Hmm, different strokes I guess.
 

 

[AudioCats]

If the original price was set to $2000 and HeAudio put the extra $500 toward build material and better cables, then they can be great phones.
 
 
 
If....

 

[sridhar3]

Quote:

Worse.  Sound is also the worst I've heard from any electrostatic and I've owned almost all that have ever been made.  Anybody claiming that these compare to the HE90 have a) never heard the HE90, b) are full of crap c) tripping balls on magic mushrooms. 

Ray Samuels brought a pair of Jade (and the HE90) to CanJam, though he didn't publicize having them with him.  I listened to the Jades off both the Cavalli Liquid Lightning and the A10 Thunderbolt.  I kept asking myself where the bass was.  Highly dissatisfied with the sound coming out of the Jade.  I even thought the Stax 507 sounded better.
 
For obvious reasons, I couldn't take Ray's HE90 over to the Cavalli table, but I listened to them through the A10 Thunderbolt.  They sounded quite great with jazz and classical, but I preferred the SR-009 for pretty much all other genres.  Either way, the Jade doesn't even marginally compare to the HE90 or 009.

 

[AudioCats]

strange. If that pair of Jade sucked so much, why would he keep them. After all, Head-direct does have a 30 day "no question asked" money-back guarranty on those, he could have just returned it and use the refund for more Stax or whatever.

 

[charliex]

Quote:

strange. If that pair of Jade sucked so much, why would he keep them. After all, Head-direct does have a 30 day "no question asked" money-back guarranty on those, he could have just returned it and use the refund for more Stax or whatever.

Because, they DON'T suck!   I have had my Jades for a couple of years and have never had any issues with them physically nor cosmetically.  I have taken them to several headphone meets and they always garner rave reviews from scores of head-fi / headphone enthusiasts.  Why is it that you rarely see them up for sale in the forums - could it be that present owners are reluctant in letting go of such excellent headphones.  Remember, different strokes for different folks.  Not everyone exalts the Stax 007 and many find them flawed in one respect or another.  I love my Jades as much as I enjoy my K 1000's and my HE- 60, each has their own signature and each has their own time and place in my listening habits.

 

[AudioCats]

Granted the Jades don't have as much bass as the O2, it is not exactly bass-light either (at least my pair has plenty of bass, and I considered myself as a bass-head). Again I don't see the point of keeping a pair of "sucks-big-time" headphone when the vendor has a money-back guarranty.
 

 

[immtbiker]

I have owned the Jades since inception and they are my favorite headphones. It's obvious that a member here has a thorn in his side about Head-Direct products, and yes, early on they had quality control problems. But so did Datsun (Nissan in the '70's and Hyundai in the '90's), but look how far they've come. Constantly in Car and Driver's 10 best. When a startup company, who is an innovator ahead of it's time, it is going to have some radical changes in the area of expertise as we know it, but with time and growing pains, these innovators surpass the rest of the lackluster field. 
The HE-6's, HE-300's and HE-500's are some of the finest sounding and better built products of modern times, especially for the money. Don't let one person sway your opinions. They have an agenda (although I don't know what it is). The warranty and refund policies are industry standards, and all you have to lose is the time while waiting for a replacement.
I bought a $150 HP home 4-in-1 printer which broke in 3 months, and it had a 7 day manufacturer defect policy. I am screwed with a black shiny printer with non-working bluetooth and an ink system failure. If it was a Head-Direct product, a new one would be on it's way to my front door.
Do some products made in China has less than desirable snap together parts. Yes they do. Hence the economical aspect. Do American products have the same problem? No, wait, there are no American products competitive to the Asian ones, because there are none made in the US. Our economy is tanking because we vended everything out to other countries. Wonder why we have no jobs. 
Instead of having steel towns open in PA making 200 lb. manhole covers, it is actually cheaper to make it in India and China and ship all that weight across the Atlantic and Pacific. We shot ourselves in the foot. There is no one to blame but ourselves.
But as long as there are year long warranties and planned obsolescence, we'll be able to have instant gratification. Who cares about tomorrow.
Zenith televisions used to last 15 years, and so did Bell Atlantic telephones, but now we live in the "snap-together" disposable age.
On a different note, my Jades and HE-6's have been to meets, dropped on the floor and been used for a thousand hours, and there is no sign of deterioration. So make decisions for yourself, slightly relying on the advice of others, but, by no means, do not use your purchasing power based upon one person with an axe to grind, or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, don't follow a shill who can find no fault with whom they are in bed with.
Yes, you can use the opinions of others to get started in an area unbeknownst to you, but then let your own heart and brain and ears take over.
I still listen to my Jades every day, and you know what? They sound great to me, and I haven't used spit or scotch tape once. They have lasted the test of time.
And just like Datsun and Hyundai, and soon enough, Kia, the products coming from the east are going to be as competitive as Infinity and Lexus, and American cars like Ford and Chrysler are going to have to continue their trend towards making a damn fine product. I would be proud to own a Hemi Charger or Challenger.

 

[customcoco]

yeah you're right, i'm ordering the jades, i've heard the o2s and I wasn't impressed...
Quote:

I would be proud to own a Hemi Charger or Challenger.

what no hemi 'cuda !? I'm saving up for one