kramer5150
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2004
- Posts
- 14,427
- Likes
- 209
Hello Head-fi...
Just wanted to share some pictures of the production level q-JAYS IEMs. I apologize in advance for my poor photography skills, and I will upload a youtube video review in the next couple days too.
I have had these for almost 2 weeks and hesitated to post pics right away, until I felt confident in both my sonic and physical impressions.
Sonics!!!-
Sonically, they are fast and detailed. Certainly on par with the most detail revealing headphones commonly discussed here. I would rank them close to the ER4 in that regard, although I admit its been a while since I heard one of those. Theres a big regional meet at the end of August, so I'll have a good opportunity to do some hard core A-B comparisons. But I am confident, that these certainly are one of the more detail revealing IEMs.
Overall they lean more towards the etymotic end of the spctrum, I found them to me more airy and ambient than any of the shure IEMs i demo'd at headfest 07'. They certainly have more treble air and detail resolution than any of the multi-driver Shures.
That treble presence is balanced very nicely with some warm/impactful bass. q-JAYS bass has some nice impact as well as air and texture resolution. The biggest difference between the early prototype and this production model is the length of the sound-tube. The production sound tube is noticeably shorter, there-by placing the balanced armatures closer to the eardrum. I am not sure if its a placebo or not, but the production samples seem warmer and the bass seems to project just a little more than the early prototype models. Either way, I'm happy to report no bass-shyness and despite being highly detail resolving, they have enough bass impact and bloat to be fun and enjoyable.
Midrange sounds are airy and ambient. Not quite as forward as the bass and treble. IMHO if you don't like forward, in-the head mids this IEM will be an enjoyable listen. In that regard the q-JAYS are much more like a K701 than an RS1. IMHO they present a very interesting "headstage". The treble is forward a bit and bass has some nice impact. Mids really spread themselves out, so you get a nice presentation of both near and far... across the audible spectrum of frequencies.
Isolation-
I still feel they are a moderately isolating IEM. The q-JAYS block out a lot of ambient noise, so yo ucan clearly hear the music, but the loudest sounds... ambulance Sirens, train whistles and the likes are easily heard.
Accessories, accessories and MORE accessories-
The cable extending out of the IEMs and through the "Y" junction extends 24" and terminates with a straight TRS connector. That allows them to be used with arm-band MP3 players, and players with a wired remote control/headphone jack. The q-JAYS include 2 extension cables, one with a straight TRS and the other with a 90 degree angle-bend TRS. Both extensions are 36" long and have a nice soft rubber strain relief boot.
Plenty of silicone eartips, and earwax filters are included. There was a recent thread with some members complaining about the price of replacement eartips. Certainly the q-JAYS will appeal to those members wanting plenty of replacement tips.
They also include a nice 2-way "Y" adapter, so you can share your tunes with another listener. I plan on using my Y adapter as a convenient way to send output to 2 different portable amps.... should make amplifier A/B comparisons very easy. Theres also an airplane adapter for in-flight movies and tunes at 25000 feet.
So... there you have it... please feel free to PM me any additional questions you might have, or just post them here.
My Pros and Cons-
Pros:
-Small / Compact
-Airy and detailed across the spectrum
-Smooth response across the spectrum, no exagerated boosts/cuts
-Lots of accessories
-Good head-stage (for an IEM)
-Cable can hang straight or wrap over ear
-~40 ohm impedance is easier to drive cleanly than lower impedances.
-Choice of straight or 90 degree TRS connector
Cons:
-With the wrong source or amp they can be bright
-Case is soft variety, not a hard "shell" type
-As good as the soundstage is for an IEM, they still can't touch a ~$150 headphone.
Neutral:
-Moderate isolation for an IEM
-Only Silicone tips are available
-Limited retail stores to demo them at
-Conservative asthetics (Less is more)
-More of a flat-accurate sound (AKG K701), as opposed to a colored (Grado) presentation
Heres a little video review I filmed today...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvrEJfDyhcE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QObkoNEytk4
Just wanted to share some pictures of the production level q-JAYS IEMs. I apologize in advance for my poor photography skills, and I will upload a youtube video review in the next couple days too.
I have had these for almost 2 weeks and hesitated to post pics right away, until I felt confident in both my sonic and physical impressions.
Sonics!!!-
Sonically, they are fast and detailed. Certainly on par with the most detail revealing headphones commonly discussed here. I would rank them close to the ER4 in that regard, although I admit its been a while since I heard one of those. Theres a big regional meet at the end of August, so I'll have a good opportunity to do some hard core A-B comparisons. But I am confident, that these certainly are one of the more detail revealing IEMs.
Overall they lean more towards the etymotic end of the spctrum, I found them to me more airy and ambient than any of the shure IEMs i demo'd at headfest 07'. They certainly have more treble air and detail resolution than any of the multi-driver Shures.
That treble presence is balanced very nicely with some warm/impactful bass. q-JAYS bass has some nice impact as well as air and texture resolution. The biggest difference between the early prototype and this production model is the length of the sound-tube. The production sound tube is noticeably shorter, there-by placing the balanced armatures closer to the eardrum. I am not sure if its a placebo or not, but the production samples seem warmer and the bass seems to project just a little more than the early prototype models. Either way, I'm happy to report no bass-shyness and despite being highly detail resolving, they have enough bass impact and bloat to be fun and enjoyable.
Midrange sounds are airy and ambient. Not quite as forward as the bass and treble. IMHO if you don't like forward, in-the head mids this IEM will be an enjoyable listen. In that regard the q-JAYS are much more like a K701 than an RS1. IMHO they present a very interesting "headstage". The treble is forward a bit and bass has some nice impact. Mids really spread themselves out, so you get a nice presentation of both near and far... across the audible spectrum of frequencies.
Isolation-
I still feel they are a moderately isolating IEM. The q-JAYS block out a lot of ambient noise, so yo ucan clearly hear the music, but the loudest sounds... ambulance Sirens, train whistles and the likes are easily heard.
Accessories, accessories and MORE accessories-
The cable extending out of the IEMs and through the "Y" junction extends 24" and terminates with a straight TRS connector. That allows them to be used with arm-band MP3 players, and players with a wired remote control/headphone jack. The q-JAYS include 2 extension cables, one with a straight TRS and the other with a 90 degree angle-bend TRS. Both extensions are 36" long and have a nice soft rubber strain relief boot.
Plenty of silicone eartips, and earwax filters are included. There was a recent thread with some members complaining about the price of replacement eartips. Certainly the q-JAYS will appeal to those members wanting plenty of replacement tips.
They also include a nice 2-way "Y" adapter, so you can share your tunes with another listener. I plan on using my Y adapter as a convenient way to send output to 2 different portable amps.... should make amplifier A/B comparisons very easy. Theres also an airplane adapter for in-flight movies and tunes at 25000 feet.
So... there you have it... please feel free to PM me any additional questions you might have, or just post them here.
My Pros and Cons-
Pros:
-Small / Compact
-Airy and detailed across the spectrum
-Smooth response across the spectrum, no exagerated boosts/cuts
-Lots of accessories
-Good head-stage (for an IEM)
-Cable can hang straight or wrap over ear
-~40 ohm impedance is easier to drive cleanly than lower impedances.
-Choice of straight or 90 degree TRS connector
Cons:
-With the wrong source or amp they can be bright
-Case is soft variety, not a hard "shell" type
-As good as the soundstage is for an IEM, they still can't touch a ~$150 headphone.
Neutral:
-Moderate isolation for an IEM
-Only Silicone tips are available
-Limited retail stores to demo them at
-Conservative asthetics (Less is more)
-More of a flat-accurate sound (AKG K701), as opposed to a colored (Grado) presentation
Heres a little video review I filmed today...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvrEJfDyhcE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QObkoNEytk4
