[jelt2359]

Actually this is an interesting thought.. I'm all for 'buying your way up', because, well, if you don't understand what other phones do badly, then you'll never fully appreciate your own phones because you have no reference. Everything's relative, no?

At the same time, though, I think most of us have other hobbies as well- I've seen mention of photography, other AV pursuits, spending on computers, and so on. And I think most of us understand that the lust for more will always grip you until you get to a place where you're happy (in the case of these JH13 pros, it seems one is happy 'cos you can't go anywhere else) and then you stop.

Perhaps then the best idea is to do like "uniqu3" here and head for the top, although perhaps also buying some cheap 'reference' phones (RE0 for <10% of the JH13 pro price?) to remind you of -why- the JH13 pros are so good may be a good idea.

 

[Xeon [09]]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Berlioz /img/forum/go_quote.gif There is no rule preventing you from jumping straight for the top in any hobby. It is however, a bad idea to jump straight for anything without knowing what you are doing. I think I can speak with at least a small amount of knowledge on this since I was thinking of doing the exact same thing at one point. I am relatively new to the audiophile hobby myself. The main problem is that you have little experience with audio components in general. You yourself have stated that you don't own any high end headphones, and that your laptop is your only source for the time being. In just a few months, I have learned so much about this hobby. How the individual components (monitors, sources, transports) work, and what qualities to look for in my listening, what constitutes a "good" and "bad" recording, what complements which genres - to sum it all up: how to get what I'm looking for. You may buy the JH13's and find out that you like headphones more than earphones. You may listen to some vacuum tube amplifiers and become attached to the warm, smooth sound (have you even heard a tube amplifier yet?). You may listen to a large SS amplifier and you will probably find it superior to your HifiMan. Same goes for an outboard DAC. Do you want a tube DAC? NOS? Crossfeed options? It's very likely that you will also like other headphones for different music. Headphones that are amazingly spacious may not go well with some laid back jazz. I'm sure you've noticed that it's common for many people on this forum to own multiple pairs, which they use for different genres of music. You will also find out about music in general, and what a good recording is. Audiophile level components often breathe life into obscure genres. Who knows, you may end up liking types of music that you never thought you would. If you end up buying a lot of rare CD's like me, that's also costly, and you may end up waiting for other monitors to come along (like me). There's nothing wrong with getting the best. I myself am jumping straight into Hi-Fi source territory (I don't have a DAC yet). But I waited first, and I'd probably considered buying at least a dozen DAC's or CD players so far. I learned what I wanted in my music, and I actually heard the DAC that I want to buy. I suggest just waiting a little bit and exploring more. Go to a meet if you can. Really think about what you want in your music. You may end up getting the JH13's anyways, but you will have so much more knowledge, and that peace of mind that you are absolutely sure you know what you're looking for. Sorry for the long post, hope that helps.

Thanks for your words. I agree. I really want to stick to portable use only so the JH13 Pro and HiFiman combo is so far the best portable setup supposedly...

 

[Xeon [09]]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jelt2359 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually this is an interesting thought.. I'm all for 'buying your way up', because, well, if you don't understand what other phones do badly, then you'll never fully appreciate your own phones because you have no reference. Everything's relative, no? At the same time, though, I think most of us have other hobbies as well- I've seen mention of photography, other AV pursuits, spending on computers, and so on. And I think most of us understand that the lust for more will always grip you until you get to a place where you're happy (in the case of these JH13 pros, it seems one is happy 'cos you can't go anywhere else) and then you stop. Perhaps then the best idea is to do like "uniqu3" here and head for the top, although perhaps also buying some cheap 'reference' phones (RE0 for <10% of the JH13 pro price?) to remind you of -why- the JH13 pros are so good may be a good idea.

So these earphones have a chance of not living up my expectations if I've never tried anything in between? I mean they cost $1,100. I shouldn't have to hear earphones in between to appreciate these costly earphones. They should blow me off my feet upon first listening regardless of what I've heard before unless these are not worth the money and they don't sound that much better than other earphones but only offer a slight increase in overall sound quality. So I need to hear earphones in between and train my mind that these earphones sound better than the top universal models so they are worth the heft price but we need to justify our purchase and hype these products to the max. I hope this isn't the case. I really want the JH13 Pros but telling me to work my way up gradually is basically saying you won't hear any difference on JH13 Pro's from lower end earphones unless you've heard middle class earphones.

 

[jamato8]

Sure, you need to spend thousands like some of us to come to the conclusion that these are the best IEM's heard? I think not but isn't the fun in paving your path with hard earned cash>? :^)

 

[Xeon [09]]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sure, you need to spend thousands like some of us to come to the conclusion that these are the best IEM's heard? I think not but isn't the fun in paving your path with hard earned cash>? :^)

I'm just a perfectionist and need to have the best, if not I don't want anything at all. I don't like getting products in the middle especially if I read a lot on the top product. I'm going to continuously wonder how the JH13 Pro sounds ruining my experience with my current earphones eventually going and buying the JH13 Pro's in return spending more cash when I can save cash and go for the top....

 

[SpudHarris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xeon [09] /img/forum/go_quote.gif So these earphones have a chance of not living up my expectations if I've never tried anything in between?

What are your expectations seeing that you have never tried anything in between? What will you be measuring them against?

 

[jelt2359]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xeon [09] /img/forum/go_quote.gif So these earphones have a chance of not living up my expectations if I've never tried anything in between? I mean they cost $1,100. I shouldn't have to hear earphones in between to appreciate these costly earphones. They should blow me off my feet upon first listening regardless of what I've heard before unless these are not worth the money and they don't sound that much better than other earphones but only offer a slight increase in overall sound quality. So I need to hear earphones in between and train my mind that these earphones sound better than the top universal models so they are worth the heft price but we need to justify our purchase and hype these products to the max. I hope this isn't the case. I really want the JH13 Pros but telling me to work my way up gradually is basically saying you won't hear any difference on JH13 Pro's from lower end earphones unless you've heard middle class earphones.

No, it just means that lower mid-class earphones may also 'live up to your expectations' until you get higher expectations. If you play golf with your buddies ('lower end earphones'), if you suddenly acquired PGA tour skills ('middle class earphones') you would be able to trash your buddies and 'live up to your expectations', until you realised that you can't beat tiger woods ('jh 13 pros', higher expectations). You certainly don't expect that you have to be tiger woods to beat your buddies.

If you could shoot for Tiger's game right from the start, though, while also understanding what it is that makes him so much better than everyone else (by buying a reference mid-end phone, the 'average PGA tour guy'), that saves you a lot of time and $$.

Sorry for the weird analogy, but I don't think you understood my original point so I tried to use different imagery

 

[zardos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bolardito /img/forum/go_quote.gif Make sure you listen to the remaster, is truly good.. If you need PM and I'll provide you with it.

Thank you, I already own the remastered SACD version! Also give Fantomas' Delirium Cordia a try in case you like to be scared at night.

 

[Xeon [09]]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpudHarris /img/forum/go_quote.gif What are your expectations seeing that you have never tried anything in between? What will you be measuring them against?

That's the thing. If these a supposedly flawless in every frequency I should be satisfied. I'm familiar with how most instruments sound since my friend gives music lessons and I usually tend to stroll down there and watch her teach the students. So these earphones should replicate that as close to me being in her classroom as possible.

I just want every frequency to be flat, detailed and well.....just as flawless as possible.....As close to real life...whether it be a headphone or earphone. Since I'm usually outside on my feet a lot I'll have to limit it to a portable setup.

 

[Xeon [09]]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jelt2359 /img/forum/go_quote.gif No, it just means that lower mid-class earphones may also 'live up to your expectations' until you get higher expectations. If you play golf with your buddies ('lower end earphones'), if you suddenly acquired PGA tour skills ('middle class earphones') you would be able to trash your buddies and 'live up to your expectations', until you realised that you can't beat tiger woods ('jh 13 pros', higher expectations). You certainly don't expect that you have to be tiger woods to beat your buddies. If you could shoot for Tiger's game right from the start, though, while also understanding what it is that makes him so much better than everyone else (by buying a reference mid-end phone, the 'average PGA tour guy'), that saves you a lot of time and $$. Sorry for the weird analogy, but I don't think you understood my original point so I tried to use different imagery

Very strange analogy, hehehe

. But this analogy fails. Since I'm not doing anything while listening to music. Playing golf is different. I have to physically input actions justifying my skills. I'm very familiar with most instruments sounds and all earphones do is try to mimic a sound as it was heard in real life. So simply hearing the JH13 Pro's, I should see if it sounds as close to real life as possible....

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xeon [09] /img/forum/go_quote.gif Very strange analogy, hehehe . But this analogy fails. Since I'm not doing anything while listening to music. Playing golf is different. I have to physically input actions justifying my skills. I'm very familiar with most instruments sounds and all earphones do is try to mimic a sound as it was heard in real life. So simply hearing the JH13 Pro's, I should see if it sounds as close to real life as possible....

They don't sound like real life, they sound like real life should be. :^)

LOL. . . hey they are good.

 

[Berlioz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xeon [09] /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's the thing. If these a supposedly flawless in every frequency I should be satisfied. I'm familiar with how most instruments sound since my friend gives music lessons and I usually tend to stroll down there and watch her teach the students. So these earphones should replicate that as close to me being in her classroom as possible. I just want every frequency to be flat, detailed and well.....just as flawless as possible.....As close to real life...whether it be a headphone or earphone. Since I'm usually outside on my feet a lot I'll have to limit it to a portable setup.

As close to real life can mean a lot of things. Without reiterating what I've already said, I guess I'm limited to saying it can really come down to lively warmth vs sterile neutrality, and head staging vs sound staging.

I myself like all the different categories, so I'm getting a pair of HF-2's for the more intimate stuff, and I'm waiting to see what the AKG flagship is for my spacious classical headphones. If it's not up to snuff then I'll probably just go with HD800's.

It's very much like comparing two different albums of the same orchestral piece, with different arrangements and conductors for both.

One may be much more faithful to the original, in fact, it may be THE recording to get if you want a natural reproduction. The other recording may take a few liberties and come across much differently - it may be livelier and more dynamic.

You may not like the second one at first, but it could very well grow on you after listening to the first for a long time. Then you may like the second one for a long while, then go back to the first when you're in the mood. Headphones and their sonic qualities are very much the same way.

Anyways, I guess in the end, it just comes down to how much money you have at your disposal, and of course if you want to spend it wisely (I think you do!). The people here are just trying to help you save what you can. If you have a lot of disposable income though, then I guess it doesn't matter. The JH13's are an excellent pair of cans, and it won't be the end of the world if you decide you want some other flavours to your music as well.

 

[xiaoipower]

hey guys - not sure if this question has been asked before, if so I apologise. But is the cable similar to the standard UE cable? I found that the cable went a bit rigid after a month of use or so - but then again I'm become accustomed to Westone cables^^ Also how heavy and thick is the cable? With my old TF10s you could definitely feel the cable there and it was a slight nuisance with glasses.

On a final note, with Jerry being the designer of the UE10s would you say the JH13s have any hint of the UE sound sig? (airy, sparkly treble, tight bass - well thats what I thought of the TF10s anyhow)

Hoping to join your ranks soon

 

[naddy]

Hey all,

I"m still trying to determine which custom is best suited for me? I really like the sound of my Westone 3 w/ UM56 tips, and I am trying to decide if I should go for the JH-13 or UE11, anyone with any insights would be much appreciated!

 

[sling5s]

Quote:

Originally Posted by naddy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey all, I"m still trying to determine which custom is best suited for me? I really like the sound of my Westone 3 w/ UM56 tips, and I am trying to decide if I should go for the JH-13 or UE11, anyone with any insights would be much appreciated!

don't do the ue11pro. I'm not saying it's like bose but it has bose like characteristics in the bass: it is boomy and muddy.