[LeeMark]

One more little hint regarding fit and sound with these things. I put them in and set them in place, I then wait around 10-15 minutes and give them a little push in on the faceplates, kind of like resetting them in now that that the surrounding tissue has adjusted to them, and they seal better and bass improves slightly. Always helps. And finally, as i mentioned earlier, I think time and burn in really makes a difference. I would like to hear if you have sensed any improvement as time has gone on. Good luck.

 

[shigzeo]

5aces - I really like your off to the left writing style. This thread is a success because of your open-mined approach to ... everything! I hope the JH13Pro and you can agree as it is a great custom earphone.

BTW, I am also from Toronto.

 

[5aces]

Ahh...shigzeo,you are not to be found amongst the 1,400 viewers all gathered in the middle of Mel Lastman Square?

I feel as though I have been pushed up onto a stage to sing Karaoke at a Portable Source Gear convention.

Plucked from the rabble and known as "Crazy IEM Man" standing alone on the platform,wearing expensive custom monitors leashed to boutique cable.

Recognized for my eyes bulging out,pointing in different directions,fist punching at the sky while cursing "Duh-How Loud Does It Go??"

I have my own sound specific requirements and weird behaviour,everybody does.

I'm not trivializing these components.I have purchased them.I have tried to listen.

But that stuff is in all of us.

My life begins while driving a 350 horsepower engine and when switching on the sound system,yes-wait for it : a Country & Western song plays that swallows me whole.

Outed.

Most people would agree that if I'm having that hard of a time enjoying these things,perhaps it's best to simply move on.

Three things that could be going on:
Either the equipment is defective in some manner or I am too too dense to figure it it out.
Last,like in some threads,the poster has an agenda of their own and by running down the abilities of an audio item others will see this and shy away from those products.

Let it be known that I have no motive to thrust a spear into JH Audio or Whiplash Audio.
Both sponsor this very arena for my opinion and have provided me with outstanding customer service.

Tomorrow I have an appointment here,from the JH website:

"Preferred Audiologists"
Looking for a recommendation? These rockstar audiologists get the JH Audio Seal of Approval. When the audio gods made these guys, they broke the (ear)mold.
Ross Harwell B.Mus., M.Sc., Au.D
Doctor of Audiology
Reg. CASLPO
HEAR Toronto: Centre for Advanced Hearing Care

When it comes to sound I can say this guy does know his stuff,so I look forward to discussing my re-fit with him.

Now,where is that Karaoke microphone?

 

[krismusic]

Now that's a post!

 

[5aces]

Today I packed up the new sound kit into a Pelican 1050 Micro Case,hopped in the car on made my way down to the HEAR Toronto Clinic.

Now,Ross is the kind of person that weighs his thoughts and measures his words carefully.

He checked the fit of the JH-13's and agreed that the left monitor was indeed (Duggeh!) prone to 'unlock'.

What to do?

Fresh injection of goo,with special attention to the top of the helix,where the ear monitor must grab onto in order to lock.

New left earmold ready to be dispatched down to Florida.

Hey Ross,remember the soundtrack from the movie Twister?

All queued up on the Sansa Fuze,half volume,flat EQ - Van Halen's "Humans Being" - wanna try it?
(16 bit,44.1KHz,CD quality,PCM .wav)

Well,they won't seal properly but - O.K.

Hmm...interesting.
Wolfgang? the smoking World War II German soldier scouting the show from behind a bush (Rowan & Martin's "Laugh In")-is that you?

What a priceless moment!

I like Ross Harwell.

People usually come to him after they have lost some of their hearing and he restores what is possible.
Our conversation turns to hearing conservaton-say it 10 X,heh heh.
We discuss the Etymotic Personal Noise Dosimeter:

Etymotic Research, Inc. - ER-200 Personal Noise Dosimter

From there,it's the professional musicians stage monitors and the Sensaphonics package:

Sensaphonics / News / Sensaphonics Introduces dB Check In-ear Sound Analyzer

Why didn't I think of that before I cranked up the JH-13's?

I mention the ringing that came from me (in opium speak) "chasing the dragon".

Ohh,you mean turning it up to produce the effect that you want?
Yes Ross.
"Be careful with that,once it's gone,it stays gone".

This was...well, very interesting indeed!
Ask me sometime about how a mild attraction to sound has turned into an obsession...
Put any novel stimulus in with a monkey and he will fiddle with it for as long as he is able to have some kind of effect on it.
If it fails to 'cooperate' he will move on.

Our perceptual mapping of the world is fundamental to our survival and it is reinforced at each new connection.
Whether it's a word, a puzzle piece, or new relationship, when we find a good fit we experience meaningfulness.
To some degree or other we say "Aha!"

Still waiting for my "Aha" moment...
Thank You HEAR Toronto!

 

[krismusic]

This is all getting quite philosophical!

I just had a rep from the company that did my custom sleeves come to my house to take new impressions for a re do. All FOC!
Really nice conscientious guy. He is off to do the Maclaren F1 pit guys this avvo.

 

[5aces]

krismusic,nice to have some company while we float down the same creek.

Any chance you have one of these?

Waxing philosophical could be excused if I were a misunderstood Gemini but alas,that is not the case.

Perhaps it is the Chianti fueled little man with a hatchet that resides somewhere in the back of my brain.

A less appetizing analogy would be calling it:

"arse gravy of the worst kind" (thanks Stephen Fry)

We just want the music to our ears sounding sublime.

In terms of sound,the best that could be said for our experience is that it cleared the basic hurdle of activating a listener's desire to know what will happen next.

A Holy Grail sound quest hinged to the titillating premise that is the JH-13 legend.

Certainly,this is not to say that this will be the decade's only sound phenomenon.

The final beneficiary of the expansive coattails of IEM,hopefully will include us both.

Off to the post office to send this stuff back,so I can return to the same nail-biting anticipation over what I will receive next...

 

[krismusic]

I'm pretty used to getting by without a paddle.

Nah, shouldn't complain. If we are on here fooling around with expensive gadgets, life cannot be too hard.
I really hope the 13's work out for you. Having been forthright about your disapointment, JH will be able to use your endorsement in his advertising. If he manages to get an Aha! out of you.
Good luck.

 

[5aces]

While the time passed between shipping the JH-13's back to Florida for a refit ($25 Can. for 4 day express),I finished completing two projects.

First is the Sansa Fuze,with a LOD plugged into a NuForce Mobile amp/dac.I am satisfied with the form and size factor.

Today is exactly 14 days from when I mailed out these earphones for a refit,so not a bad turn around time from Toronto.

Here is what was done:
The ears circuits were tested and they came out good.
Remade the left ear off the new impression with a thicker bore, and add a couple coats of material to the right bore so that seal is tighter as well.

I opened up the UPS box (after parting with a further $5.00 Can. tax) and my eye was drawn to the left earpeice,near the connectors.
(showing as the right earphone in the photo-take a look)
Hmmm,nice shadow in the paint on the faceplate.Not pleased.

I plug 'em in,insert into my ears with a good seal,and que up a CD quality PCM .wav file.
No love on the low gain,so I slide the switch on the amp over to the '+' side.
More promise on that setting and I am enjoying the LOD taking the volume control over to the amp,still getting more pleasure out of how this rig looks than how it all sounds.

My A/B test is going to be the 18 year old sitting on the couch eating his breakfast.
His interests lie outside of audiophile territory,all he ever wanted was a pair of $15 dollar Sony earbuds,a Creative Zen Stone player and an inexpensive Acoustic Authority 2.1 PC speaker set.

Perfect for an impartial judge.

We fit the earphones in best we can and I ask if he has a reasonable seal.
Good.Play some music.What do you think?

"Well,it is definitely more crisp than mine.I also notice that it can be turned up more,before it starts to sound bad.They sound alright."
"Wait..are those the $1,100 USD earphones?"
Me: "Yes".
"Holy crap,that's a LOT of chedda for those things.I mean they sound O.K. but I can't see paying that for what you get".

True.I purchased these items to compliment and improve the sound quality in my life and have a feeling of wanting to pack it all up and ask for a refund.
I know that's not going to happen though,I am too determined to work this out.

Expecting/hoping for some sort of huge night-and-day difference immediately,maybe my own ears need to "burn in".
Waiting for my music to once again astound me as the files come to life,I believe it is possible with today's technology.

In the JH-13 appreciation thread,I have spotted other sound deprived comrades.
Quote:

Originally Posted by sebhuber /img/forum/go_quote.gif The only drawback I can think of is the lack of impact and feel of the sound you encounter, when listening to speakers. Other than that, listening to IEMs is a more intimate& personal experience. You analyse the harmonics, tone and resonance of presented musical instruments, which changes listening to music from a passive, to an active and engaging process. In summary, although I was a little saddened at fist, once I held the JH13s in my hands, I was as blissful as ever. The quality of the earpieces themselves came out very well. The simple design of my choice was reproduced 1:1 from my mental picture.

Saddened? After paying the price it should not be so.

Like following behind a top-down convertible car with a passenger that has beautiful,golden blonde hair flowing in the wind.

You pull up beside for good look and realize 'yikes' it's a Collie Dog sitting in the front seat with a nice coat of fur,fool!

I won't get fooled again.

Swung by HD Tracks and iTrax and downloaded 12 songs in 24/96 recorded format.

Sony PCM D50 is scheduled to arrive any day and in my mind,will settle this grudge match with IEM's.

From page 11 of the D50 user manual:

 

[krismusic]

Mate, it is such a shame that you are having such a negative experience with this. Your leftfield veiw of things is an absolute tonic.
I guess hoping that IEM's would give anything like the feeling of listening to 'speakers was always unrealistic.
No one can say that you have not given the JH13's a fair shot.
I would chuck them back for a refund. If not sell them on the classifieds here but you will lose cash.
I don't know what to suggest to keep you into this hobby. I wish I did. Having you around is good fun.
I cannot see that the Sony is going to make the difference. The Sansa is well regarded as a source.
Maybe you need some big ass set of cans.

 

[Cosmic Fool]

I think that IEM's probably aren't your taste. If you want a "speakersound" you should consider fullsize headphones, like f.i. the Beyerdynamic DT 990. They have the sort of big sound that you are looking for.

 

[5aces]

I am finding the results somewhat less than exciting.

In perspective,I reckon someone who gets hyped up could get disappointed when hearing them...not to be a spoilsport...

Seems like fighting for a bigger share of nothing.

You don’t always pick ‘em right in the long run.

Quote:

Originally Posted by krismusic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I cannot see that the Sony is going to make the difference.Maybe you need some big ass set of cans.

What educates my ears and brain is recording live music and then comparing the sound of the recording to my memory of the original event.

Since the Sony is a Recorder that happens to play MP3/WAV files it affords a return to something that I once enjoyed.
Making recordings of live music and then hearing these recordings played back can be a turning point for establishing much more accurate judgments when listening to audio gear.

Making your own recordings is some of the best fun you can have with hi-fi.

Once you’ve got that live sound to record ,taking the step of making a recording and hearing it over your system, your perception of what is and isn't accurate when it comes to hi-fi gear will never he the same.

I’ll just mount the Sony on a Gorilla Pod,bang on this drum set and record my way out of any sonic anguish:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmic Fool /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think that IEM's probably aren't your taste.You should consider fullsize headphones,like the Beyerdynamic

Jury is still out on that.

When I load the newly purchased High Definition Recordings onto a reference capable portable player,these JH13’s will have been afforded all opportunity to win my ears.

Admittedly,I am a loudspeaker person.
Funny you both mention "big ass cans" and then Beyerdynamics--->I am stalking the T1!

 

[krismusic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5aces /img/forum/go_quote.gif Since the Sony is a Recorder that happens to play MP3/WAV files it affords a return to something that I once enjoyed. Making recordings of live music and then hearing these recordings played back can be a turning point for establishing much more accurate judgments when listening to audio gear. Making your own recordings is some of the best fun you can have with hi-fi.

 

[shigzeo]

I used to be a heavy concert taper, but I have moved on for financial reasons. It was heaps fun. Always brought windscreens, mic preamps, battery boxes and my MD recorders and ear-mounted microphones (still have those) for a pretty good stealth setup. Tech has progressed now, but if you still want quality, you need to be a bit inconspicuous.

 

[5aces]

Seoul.Dec.13.09

Sony PCM D50,straight up[Flac 16/44.1]:

Drum Solo