JH Audio Angie sound flat and muffled???

[gorillaman02]

Hello All,
 
I am new to Head-Fi and to custom iem's.  I just received my JH Audio Angie custom iem yesterday and right out of the box I have to say that I am less than impressed.  Earlier this year I purchased the Shure SE 846 and was blown away by them even fresh out of the box.  The sound stage sounded enormous and I could hear every little detail. I would say my ears are on the smaller side and I could only ever get an hour tops of good listening before I would have to take them out due to discomfort.  After a couple months of this and reading all the reviews about the Angie's, I decided to invest in their custom iem.  I am no audio expert so excuse my description of technical details, but they sound somewhat dull and muffled. The bass isn't tight at all it seems very sloppy (almost like a blown speaker?).  I've played around with the inline bass settings and despite tuning both the base settings down to minimal positioning It still sounds very sloppy.  I guess everything kind of sounds like its mashed together.  I definitely do not get the impression that I'm "in the music" like with the SE 846.  I sold my SE 846 before purchasing these so I can't really compare the two now.  
 
Other than the sound issues, the monitors are super comfortable. I feel like I have an excellent seal even when moving my jaw around. 
 
Has anyone else had this issue with how they sound?  Or any suggestions as to why this is happening?  Do I need to break them in longer?  I'm using these on my iPhone 6 (is that the problem?). 
 
Like I said, I'm new to the custom iem arena so any advise would be greatly appreciated! 

 

[PinkyPowers]

Is there any way you can try them on a different source? Maybe something with a better amp section?

To be honest, I don't know what would cause Angie to sound like that. Mine has very tight, controlled bass.

It does make sense that you wouldn't be instantly blown away by Angie. If you were used to the brutish aggression of the SE846, it may take you a while to discover Angie's more subtle virtues. She's a refined, well-read lady, whereas the Shure is like a loud, drunken person.

Again, that doesn't explain the sloppy bass you're experiencing. I don't understand that. Try it on something with a stronger amp, and see if that helps.

 

[gorillaman02]

For the last two months while waiting for my customs I was using RHA T10i and if it weren't for the seal, I honestly would almost prefer them to my custom Angie's. For the quality of the monitors the Angie's are, shouldn't I tell a huge difference even if I'm running them through an iPhone? It just doesn't sound right. I read many of the reviews and it just seemed that everyone was blown away by the Angie's - many went on stating they were superior to the SE 846. So my expectations were pretty high I guess and now I'm just kinda like, meh ....

The only other sources I have available are my iPad and a laptop. If it is an amp issue, can you make any good recommendations for amps?

 

[PinkyPowers]

Try it from your laptop and see if it sounds better. There should be a little more juice from that.

If that doesn't help, I think you may need to send them in for a checkup. See if there isn't something wrong with them. Because they should NEVER sound muffled. Angie is one clean and clear sounding IEM.

Also consider that your ears may be a little clogged, and the way the customs are formed may not be punching through the earwax like the others did. Do a thorough cleaning and try again. Also make sure there is nothing visible blocking Angie's nozzle.

 

[gorillaman02]

PinkyPowers I appreciate all your input. I tried your suggestions without any improvement. I will contact JH Audio on Monday and see what they say.

 

[A2029]

PinkyPowers I appreciate all your input. I tried your suggestions without any improvement. I will contact JH Audio on Monday and see what they say.

 
Do you know the electrical impedance of the source you are using? It absolutely needs to be under 1 ohm or the Angie will sound dull and muffled
 
What are you using as your DAP (digital audio player)?

 

[gorillaman02]

Hi swich401. Thanks for the response. I'm using iPhone 6. I know it's not the best source but from reading other reviews I thought it would be a sufficient source.

 

[A2029]

Hi swich401. Thanks for the response. I'm using iPhone 6. I know it's not the best source but from reading other reviews I thought it would be a sufficient source.

 
 
The output impedance of an iPhone 6 is 3.18 ohms. Unfortunately, it does not work as a good source for the JH Angies.
 
 
 
Why you may ask? See the following links for a better understanding of damping factor:

http://nwavguy.blogspot.ca/2011/02/headphone-amp-impedance.html
http://nwavguy.blogspot.ca/2011/02/headphone-impedance-explained.html

JH Angie has a damping factor of less than 1.5 in it's treble when driven from the iPhone 6! (Angie's electrical impedance is as low at 4.5 in it's treble).

 

[gorillaman02]

swich401, I invested a lot in these monitors so I obviously want to get the most out of them. It sounds like I need to invest in an amp. Now, if I get an amp that's compatible with my iPhone, will I be able to play my current music and will it sound better? Or, should I invest in a amp/player and going forward just purchase high res audio files? In the first article it talked about the affordable fiio e5 amp to test the output impedance.

I want my Angie's to blow my mind but I'm so new to high end monitors that I don't even know where to begin.

 

[PinkyPowers]

It looks like you either need an amp for your phone, or get yourself a DAP.

For amps:
FiiO E12A
Cayin N5

For DAPs:
FiiO X5ii
Cayin N5
iBasso DX90

These are good places to start. All will sound better than your phone, and will drive Angie well.

Or, if you want something really special to stack with your iPhone, look into the Oppo HA-2 DAC/Amp. The Chord Mojo is on the more expensive side of things, but it will sound best of all.

 

[gorillaman02]

Thanks again for all the input. I travel extensively for work so I'd like the best portable solution. I will review all the devices you recommended.

 

[PinkyPowers]

I hope you find something within your budget that will work for you.

I dearly love my Angie Universals paired with the Astell&Kern AK120ii. With Balanced cables, this setup is supremely gorgeous. But that's a mad investment. You can find amazing sound without spending that sort of money.

 

[A2029]

swich401, I invested a lot in these monitors so I obviously want to get the most out of them. It sounds like I need to invest in an amp. Now, if I get an amp that's compatible with my iPhone, will I be able to play my current music and will it sound better? Or, should I invest in a amp/player and going forward just purchase high res audio files? In the first article it talked about the affordable fiio e5 amp to test the output impedance.

I want my Angie's to blow my mind but I'm so new to high end monitors that I don't even know where to begin.

 
Don't invest in "high res" audio files before you have a good DAC/AMP to play them through. When you have invested in a good DAP/DAC/AMP you will be really happy with the quality of music as long as you are getting your music from a store that preferably provides FLAC files (i.e. non-compressed, lossless files), even if they are 16/44.1 audio files. Ripping audio tracks from CD to FLAC format is a great way to get these files (CD's are 16/44.1).

If you are looking for a really high end portable DAC/AMP to go with your iPhone 6, there is the LH Labs V2+ or V2+ infinity. Or you could also wait a bit (should be coming out soon) for the Fiio Q5 DAC/AMP which is supposed to be their top of the line model. With either of these you would need Apple's Camera Connection Kit to hook your phone up to them.

 

[gorillaman02]

It looks like you either need an amp for your phone, or get yourself a DAP.

For amps:
FiiO E12A
Cayin N5

For DAPs:
FiiO X5ii
Cayin N5
iBasso DX90

These are good places to start. All will sound better than your phone, and will drive Angie well.

Or, if you want something really special to stack with your iPhone, look into the Oppo HA-2 DAC/Amp. The Chord Mojo is on the more expensive side of things, but it will sound best of all.

I like the Mojo but it doesn't look like it would be that easy to travel with despite its size. The cabling just seems to make it bulky.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Oppo HA-2 due to its slim compact profile which seems like it would be easy to travel with when stacked with an iPhone.

Unless someone can show me a rig of the mojo and iPhone together, I think I'm going to go with the Oppo HA 2.

 

[gorillaman02]

Has anyone used the Angie's on just and iPhone? If yes, what is your experience?