gto88
Headphoneus Supremus
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Thanks for the review, I'll check out Stax instead from here.
Jade II Discussion
- Thread starter oneguy
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- hifiman jade ii jade ii
bluesaint
500+ Head-Fier
Its here! Disappointed with packaging as theres no case or any material....
But I do love how light weight this is compared to stax.. its significant lighter than my HE1KV2. It's rather comfortable as well. Not gonna talk about sound yet.. gonna let it burn in a bit before listening.
But I do love how light weight this is compared to stax.. its significant lighter than my HE1KV2. It's rather comfortable as well. Not gonna talk about sound yet.. gonna let it burn in a bit before listening.
Lord Rexter
100+ Head-Fier
Congratulations on Jade II purchase. Nice to see that you have iFi iESL to drive them and give out some impressions on sound quality, also eager to know as to how they compare against STAX lineup 
ufospls2
Headphoneus Supremus
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Its here! Disappointed with packaging as theres no case or any material....
But I do love how light weight this is compared to stax.. its significant lighter than my HE1KV2. It's rather comfortable as well. Not gonna talk about sound yet.. gonna let it burn in a bit before listening.
Looking forward to your impressions!
bluesaint
500+ Head-Fier
Alright, been getting some people PM'ing me for initial observations so I'll provide some thoughts.
Now lets talk about the whole Jade II experience so far:
Built quality:
Comfort:
My audio preference:
As SQ is subjective at this level and fueled by one's preference, it's important for me to explain what my preferences are, so if you don't have the same preferences, then my feedback are probably not useful for you.
Without writing a book, let me simply give the reasons why I own a HE1K V2 as that'll explain my preferences. I had Utopia, LCD4 and HE1K V2 in my position to see which I liked, and chose the HE1K V2 because it was the more balanced of the 3. HE1K V2 didn't have the clarity/detail and speed of the Utopia, it didn't have the impact and oomph the LCD4's had, but what it did have was a smooth, yet full sounding signature while not overly polite vs. the original HE1K. The soundstage was deeper and wider, and lastly, its musical. I can listen to it for hours and just enjoy the music. The last part is most important for me. While I enjoy some critical listening here and there, I enjoy a setup where i can just enjoy the music and forget I'm even wearing cans. I listen to almost all genre of music, and is part of a reason I enjoy a balanced SQ.
My Setup and Settings: HE1K V2
Audio is using IDSD PRO as a network transport and DAC in that files are being served via DLNA from my NAS through Fiber Optics and then converted at last 0.2m to RJ45 ethernet Cat 8 cable input to iDSD PRO.
I've tried USB input, while good, it wasn't "great" compared to the network route.
My Setup and Settings: Jade II
Complete iFi PRO stack that consists of:
My Notes:
If I didn't have the ability to alter settings on iCAN PRO or iESL, I honestly don't know how JADE II can sound. So my guess is, plugging the Jade II to systems without much configurability may or may not like the result.
Now lets talk about the whole Jade II experience so far:
Built quality:
- Feels cheap, synthetic everywhere, Plastic...
- No headphone case/box. The made the shipping box the headphone case
- SMELLS like the rubber protective material it was housed in from the box.. Took forever to air out (still haven't)
- Cable has like no weight to it, and squeezing the flex tube/wrap you can make out the thin gauged wires.. I need to find out how to upgrade these! Also it's short like 2M total.
- *Update* Maybe its supposed to be thin? https://www.head-fi.org/threads/double-helix-cables-thread.600546/page-92#post-14296150
Comfort:
- Wow they are light!
- Despite not having a gimbal to pivot horizontally, there's enough flex in the headband to get a comfortable position
My audio preference:
As SQ is subjective at this level and fueled by one's preference, it's important for me to explain what my preferences are, so if you don't have the same preferences, then my feedback are probably not useful for you.
Without writing a book, let me simply give the reasons why I own a HE1K V2 as that'll explain my preferences. I had Utopia, LCD4 and HE1K V2 in my position to see which I liked, and chose the HE1K V2 because it was the more balanced of the 3. HE1K V2 didn't have the clarity/detail and speed of the Utopia, it didn't have the impact and oomph the LCD4's had, but what it did have was a smooth, yet full sounding signature while not overly polite vs. the original HE1K. The soundstage was deeper and wider, and lastly, its musical. I can listen to it for hours and just enjoy the music. The last part is most important for me. While I enjoy some critical listening here and there, I enjoy a setup where i can just enjoy the music and forget I'm even wearing cans. I listen to almost all genre of music, and is part of a reason I enjoy a balanced SQ.
My Setup and Settings: HE1K V2
- iDSD PRO
- Solid State Mode
- Everything upsampled to DSD1024 via the FPGA inside iDSD Pro
- iCAN PRO
- XBass 10Hz boost, Tube mode, 3D Off, 0db Gain
Audio is using IDSD PRO as a network transport and DAC in that files are being served via DLNA from my NAS through Fiber Optics and then converted at last 0.2m to RJ45 ethernet Cat 8 cable input to iDSD PRO.
I've tried USB input, while good, it wasn't "great" compared to the network route.
My Setup and Settings: Jade II
Complete iFi PRO stack that consists of:
- iDSD PRO (same settings)
- iCAN PRO
- XBass 10Hz boost, Tube+ mode, 3D Off, 9db Gain
- iESL PRO
- AC Termination On, 620v Bias, 96ohm impedance
- Thin, Lean, Anemic, <insert your own verbiage>
- Need "Moar Bass"
- Detailed and revealing, but want to claw my ear drums out level of bright!
- Good sound stage
- No longer lean, with well balanced mids
- Bass is tight
- Still detailed and revealing, but not a banshee in my ear any more..
- Better sound stage than my HE1K V2 now, with the ability to reveal the layers of sound stage
My Notes:
If I didn't have the ability to alter settings on iCAN PRO or iESL, I honestly don't know how JADE II can sound. So my guess is, plugging the Jade II to systems without much configurability may or may not like the result.
Last edited:
wink
His amps are made out of recycled beer cans
and his source from tomatos.
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I'll give these a pass.........
bluesaint
500+ Head-Fier
For those that are more familiar with eStats, my J2 right cup started having the infamous stat squeal. Given they have nanometer dust cover, it's probably unlikely dust got in already, but can hair or any other debris inside the pads can cause squeal? I mainly hear it when i move my head around while wearing the cans.
Got this in for review on Part-Time Audiophile. I just got it playing today. Still breaking in but sounding good. One thing I have learned is that the included stock cable is not great. I added in a Shunyata Delta and the sound took a big leap forward.
Early impression on the cans is that they are super comfortable and light. Love the feel so far. Definitely working on the long-term listening session.
Early impression on the cans is that they are super comfortable and light. Love the feel so far. Definitely working on the long-term listening session.
Importer suggested running in at least 100 hours. Six hours in, it is much better already. A bit veiled out of the box. Autobahn by Kraftwerk sounding excellent.
bluesaint
500+ Head-Fier
Shunyta, as in you replaced the headphone cable? Or you got the amp+cans and replaced the iec power cable?
What other electrostatics do you have for comparison in your review? I don't see any in your profile.
None, but used to own Stax.
Sorry, I meant the power cord. Should have made that more clear.
I can't say I think too much of that. Seems like you are not the right person to do this review, but I'll read it with an open mind when it is published.
ufospls2
Headphoneus Supremus
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Thats a bit harsh....
If he used to own stax and has some other headphones for comparison, I look forward to his review.
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