JH Audio JH-3A
Mar 5, 2011 at 9:30 AM Post #2,491 of 2,681

 
Quote:
 


They do not have an obligation to reply here, not all companies that are sponsors maintain a presence on the forums. I have spoken to them and they can not dedicate a resource to many threads here.
 
In my profession I often coach business leaders and managers and what I tell them is "in we fail to tell our story people will make a story up and inevitably it will be inaccurate and negative" This is due to human nature, have you ever heard people spreading false positive rumors, rarely happens. People love drama whether they want to admit it or not, this thread is a textbook example of this.
 
I wish JH had a full time social media person but they don't, they are a small company whose employees, particularly the front office people, pull double and triple duty. This is common in small companies.
 
It is unfortunate that due to the advent of the age of the crackberry and smartphone we know have created an entire generation that DEMANDS to know things IMMEDIATELY. It's been a day since the so called revelation about optical rather than coax came up. We are now in the weekend I'm sure we'll get clarity next week, until then relax people. Whether you know right this very second or tuesday or wednesday of next week your life is not going to significantly change.
 



With respect I think Ken at ALO is a three man team, even smaller and yet he manages to communicate via the forums without delay and to answer pm's within 24 hours so I think this excuse is not a valid one!
 
Looking at JH's website they appear to have 6 full time staff members one of whom's sole role is artist relations and I would assume like many companies that deal with celebrities those artists get products at significant discount or free due to positive peer association. How about paying customers, normal paying customers who I would imagine make the actual bulk of profit making at JH, who see the Rock stars using the products and think, hey, I want a piece of that and who get no discount. How about them having a dedicated person!
 
Also, you say they have no full time social media person and yet I count at the bottom of their web page a roll over pop up that displays 8 social media outlets that they use to promote their product so someone must be active on that part. Also, as has been noted here before.
 
They seem to be able to preen themselves in answering praise on FB but when it comes to difficult questions on fundamental topics about something they have taken full amounts of money for many months in advance with a promise of fall delivery time and now we are looking at spring and still no definitive answer as to when the product is arriving they seem to go silent all of a sudden!
 
Your last comment about the public wanting immediate sating of thirst, I understand that comment and agree in so many ways with you. However, look at the track record, this is not about that in this case. Consistently JH has been neglectful in their communications and promises, this is fact not fiction or something made up by members here. I think far from wanting immediate response if one looks back through this thread so many members who have paid up a not inconsiderable amount of money up front have shown the patience of Jobe with this!
 
Now yet another delay and what appears (we can only say that as yet again JH are lacking in communication skills) a serious change in product spec that is affecting people who have prepared by purchasing products to go along with the JH3A which are now redundant due to the last minute (supposedly) change in specs!
 
Considering many other small firms who sponsor here seem to be able to answer PM's and forum questions both on the weekend and at night (as has been my experience) and who have less high profile than JH I do not think it then unreasonable to expect the same of JH.They do seem to be treated, it has to be said like some holy cow here!
 
To turn the fault onto members insatiable thirst for information is quite frankly wrong. I think the members here, especially the ones who have put down their hard earned money many months in advance for this product have show tremendous patience, each step of the way, each delay has been met with the response, "hang in there, they are a small team trying to give an excellent product, the wait will be worth it!
 
With this latest in a long line of what quite frankly to be soft on them, bad business decisions and delays with no openness about said delay I think this excuse has run it's course!
 
I seriously was going to purchase this unit but having seen the events unfold I would never feel safe giving them my money and that is the only avenue for me to protect myself. One does not just buy sound quality, one buys hopefully, peace of mind with that purchase, I know they have many happy customers but this has been a serious error on their part, one that does change the playing field I believe.
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 9:42 AM Post #2,492 of 2,681
Your first comment is spot-on.  I was actually shocked it was analog in since I was told this was more of a desktop monitoring solution than a full portable setup (not to say there is anything wrong with lugging this around with a Solo if that was your intention).  As a result, I expected some flavor of toslink since most high-end notebooks (not just Macs) have an optical output.
 
What I don't understand is why would you want 88.2?  Evenly divisible bit-depth?   What is sampled at 88.2 these days?
 
As you pointed out though, 24/192 is standard on a Macbook.  And *most* folks are going to be playing audio that has been sampled at 16/44.1 anyway which means resampling is inevitable.
 
 
EDIT:  Wait..standard is 24/192....small correction...
 
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3188
 
24/192kHz is standard on a Macbook.


A lot of audio is recorded at 24/176.4. Like 16/44.1, 24/88.2 is a divisible downsample to release, playback, etc. Much 24/96 was recorded at 24/192, another division. 88.2 is a common rate for files from HDtracks to DVD-A discs. The just released this week Rolling Stones high res albums are available in 24/176.4 and 24/88.2 versions.

For toslink out on Apple computers, 16/44.1, 16/48 and 24/96 are the standards*. No reason to resample unless you fall elsewhere or want to use iTunes or CoreAudio up/downsampling. USB (or Firewire, or someday Thunderbolt), is entirely different.

Again, it's not the end of the world, to resample.

*I read the linked article and I'm surprised at the 24/192 claims - toslink is often not stable above 24/96 - and certainly many Macs (including my MacBook) have no drivers or indication of other options besides those mentioned above. Also weird that it says up to 24/192, as missing 24/88.4 is often discussed. Anyone here have a MB/MBP, iMac or tower to verify 24/192 toslink output in midi settings and a DAC with display to confirm?
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 11:12 AM Post #2,493 of 2,681
I could never get 24/192 optical to work on my macbook pro.  It doesn't even show up as an option in the music/midi preferences.
 

 
Quote:
Quote:
Your first comment is spot-on.  I was actually shocked it was analog in since I was told this was more of a desktop monitoring solution than a full portable setup (not to say there is anything wrong with lugging this around with a Solo if that was your intention).  As a result, I expected some flavor of toslink since most high-end notebooks (not just Macs) have an optical output.  
 
What I don't understand is why would you want 88.2?  Evenly divisible bit-depth?   What is sampled at 88.2 these days?
 
As you pointed out though, 24/192 is standard on a Macbook.  And *most* folks are going to be playing audio that has been sampled at 16/44.1 anyway which means resampling is inevitable.
 
 
EDIT:  Wait..standard is 24/192....small correction...
 
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3188
 
24/192kHz is standard on a Macbook.




A lot of audio is recorded at 24/176.4. Like 16/44.1, 24/88.2 is a divisible downsample to release, playback, etc. Much 24/96 was recorded at 24/192, another division. 88.2 is a common rate for files from HDtracks to DVD-A discs. The just released this week Rolling Stones high res albums are available in 24/176.4 and 24/88.2 versions.

For toslink out on Apple computers, 16/44.1, 16/48 and 24/96 are the standards*. No reason to resample unless you fall elsewhere or want to use iTunes or CoreAudio up/downsampling. USB (or Firewire, or someday Thunderbolt), is entirely different.

Again, it's not the end of the world, to resample.

*I read the linked article and I'm surprised at the 24/192 claims - toslink is often not stable above 24/96 - and certainly many Macs (including my MacBook) have no drivers or indication of other options besides those mentioned above. Also weird that it says up to 24/192, as missing 24/88.4 is often discussed. Anyone here have a MB/MBP, iMac or tower to verify 24/192 toslink output in midi settings and a DAC with display to confirm?



 
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 11:13 AM Post #2,494 of 2,681


Quote:
Quote:
Your first comment is spot-on.  I was actually shocked it was analog in since I was told this was more of a desktop monitoring solution than a full portable setup (not to say there is anything wrong with lugging this around with a Solo if that was your intention).  As a result, I expected some flavor of toslink since most high-end notebooks (not just Macs) have an optical output.  
What I don't understand is why would you want 88.2?  Evenly divisible bit-depth?   What is sampled at 88.2 these days?
 
As you pointed out though, 24/192 is standard on a Macbook.  And *most* folks are going to be playing audio that has been sampled at 16/44.1 anyway which means resampling is inevitable.
 
 
EDIT:  Wait..standard is 24/192....small correction...
 
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3188
 
24/192kHz is standard on a Macbook.




A lot of audio is recorded at 24/176.4. Like 16/44.1, 24/88.2 is a divisible downsample to release, playback, etc. Much 24/96 was recorded at 24/192, another division. 88.2 is a common rate for files from HDtracks to DVD-A discs. The just released this week Rolling Stones high res albums are available in 24/176.4 and 24/88.2 versions.

For toslink out on Apple computers, 16/44.1, 16/48 and 24/96 are the standards*. No reason to resample unless you fall elsewhere or want to use iTunes or CoreAudio up/downsampling. USB (or Firewire, or someday Thunderbolt), is entirely different.

Again, it's not the end of the world, to resample.

*I read the linked article and I'm surprised at the 24/192 claims - toslink is often not stable above 24/96 - and certainly many Macs (including my MacBook) have no drivers or indication of other options besides those mentioned above. Also weird that it says up to 24/192, as missing 24/88.4 is often discussed. Anyone here have a MB/MBP, iMac or tower to verify 24/192 toslink output in midi settings and a DAC with display to confirm?



HDtracks and DVD-A discs?  I think this is a very small segment (granted this item fits in this demographic as well).
 
You are the first I have about stability.
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 12:12 PM Post #2,495 of 2,681
To start with I'm not sure why your even involved as you have no skin in the game, I do I've got my hard earned cash plunked down on the JH16s/3a
 
Second ALO from a business model is very different from JH, Ken is primarily a retailer a better comparision would be Westone, UE or Etymotic if you want to view similar business models and levels of communication
 
I have a somewhat unfair perspective having worked with Jerry, Jamie and Brit over several meets in La and Denver and know they are good people. The project probably should not have been shown at CanJam but it was, maybe they shouldn't have taken deposits so early but they did based on the DSp amp designer they were working with at the time. Each time i talk them they are super frustrated this project has had the false starts and missed deadlines that it has. You can choose not to believe it but I seen and heard this for myself.
 
Lastly I'm not upset that people are anxious to get the 3a I'm disturbed by the way people assume the worst and just make crap up without any basis in fact. Yes this is largely JH's fault for not being out in fornt of this but we should also hold ourselves to a higher standard as well, The very fact that this thread is littered with people that aren;t even involved and are merely rubber necking speaks volumes about why companies like UE, Westone and JH dont dedicate resources to address threads.
 
 

 
Quote:
 


With respect I think Ken at ALO is a three man team, even smaller and yet he manages to communicate via the forums without delay and to answer pm's within 24 hours so I think this excuse is not a valid one!
 
Looking at JH's website they appear to have 6 full time staff members one of whom's sole role is artist relations and I would assume like many companies that deal with celebrities those artists get products at significant discount or free due to positive peer association. How about paying customers, normal paying customers who I would imagine make the actual bulk of profit making at JH, who see the Rock stars using the products and think, hey, I want a piece of that and who get no discount. How about them having a dedicated person!
 
Also, you say they have no full time social media person and yet I count at the bottom of their web page a roll over pop up that displays 8 social media outlets that they use to promote their product so someone must be active on that part. Also, as has been noted here before.
 
They seem to be able to preen themselves in answering praise on FB but when it comes to difficult questions on fundamental topics about something they have taken full amounts of money for many months in advance with a promise of fall delivery time and now we are looking at spring and still no definitive answer as to when the product is arriving they seem to go silent all of a sudden!
 
Your last comment about the public wanting immediate sating of thirst, I understand that comment and agree in so many ways with you. However, look at the track record, this is not about that in this case. Consistently JH has been neglectful in their communications and promises, this is fact not fiction or something made up by members here. I think far from wanting immediate response if one looks back through this thread so many members who have paid up a not inconsiderable amount of money up front have shown the patience of Jobe with this!
 
Now yet another delay and what appears (we can only say that as yet again JH are lacking in communication skills) a serious change in product spec that is affecting people who have prepared by purchasing products to go along with the JH3A which are now redundant due to the last minute (supposedly) change in specs!
 
Considering many other small firms who sponsor here seem to be able to answer PM's and forum questions both on the weekend and at night (as has been my experience) and who have less high profile than JH I do not think it then unreasonable to expect the same of JH.They do seem to be treated, it has to be said like some holy cow here!
 
To turn the fault onto members insatiable thirst for information is quite frankly wrong. I think the members here, especially the ones who have put down their hard earned money many months in advance for this product have show tremendous patience, each step of the way, each delay has been met with the response, "hang in there, they are a small team trying to give an excellent product, the wait will be worth it!
 
With this latest in a long line of what quite frankly to be soft on them, bad business decisions and delays with no openness about said delay I think this excuse has run it's course!
 
I seriously was going to purchase this unit but having seen the events unfold I would never feel safe giving them my money and that is the only avenue for me to protect myself. One does not just buy sound quality, one buys hopefully, peace of mind with that purchase, I know they have many happy customers but this has been a serious error on their part, one that does change the playing field I believe.



 
 
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 12:14 PM Post #2,496 of 2,681
Seriously, how big a deal would it be for them to sub a couple of threads?  Are there multitudes of long, rambling threads about their flagship product on other forums that have become an echo-chamber of reputation damaging speculation that keep them from even posting updates on this one?
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 12:29 PM Post #2,497 of 2,681
Seriously, how big a deal would it be for them to sub a couple of threads?  Are there multitudes of long, rambling threads about their flagship product on other forums that have become an echo-chamber of reputation damaging speculation that keep them from even posting updates on this one?
I totally agree and would like to see more frequent communication preferably via mass email.
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 12:29 PM Post #2,498 of 2,681
HDtracks and DVD-A discs?  I think this is a very small segment (granted this item fits in this demographic as well).

You are the first I have about stability.

If you knock out the largest distributor of high res online content and second most common high res physical media, exactly where are you getting your high res audio? And if you are just saying high res audio is rare, yes, obviously, and your point?

We'll see if anyone can confirm a 24/176.4-192 toslink signal from a source, but (there's not much to agree with in this article, or 6moons generally, but it came up first in a Google search)...
"Here's some quick technical background as garnered from Kevin Halverson at Muse: Compared to analog RCA, Toslink fiber as a medium -- transmitter, cable, receiver -- is bandwidth-limited. 24/96 remains within its scope but 192 doesn't. Optical's lower ultrasonic headroom spells reduced native jitter rejection - 75/110-ohm RCA/XLR enjoys the clear advantage. On paper."
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 12:31 PM Post #2,499 of 2,681
To start with I'm not sure why your even involved as you have no skin in the game, I do I've got my hard earned cash plunked down on the JH16s/3a
 
Second ALO from a business model is very different from JH, Ken is primarily a retailer a better comparision would be Westone, UE or Etymotic if you want to view similar business models and levels of communication
 
I have a somewhat unfair perspective having worked with Jerry, Jamie and Brit over several meets in La and Denver and know they are good people. The project probably should not have been shown at CanJam but it was, maybe they shouldn't have taken deposits so early but they did based on the DSp amp designer they were working with at the time. Each time i talk them they are super frustrated this project has had the false starts and missed deadlines that it has. You can choose not to believe it but I seen and heard this for myself.
 
Lastly I'm not upset that people are anxious to get the 3a I'm disturbed by the way people assume the worst and just make crap up without any basis in fact. Yes this is largely JH's fault for not being out in fornt of this but we should also hold ourselves to a higher standard as well, The very fact that this thread is littered with people that aren;t even involved and are merely rubber necking speaks volumes about why companies like UE, Westone and JH dont dedicate resources to address threads.
 
 

 


 
 


Fair enough, you have personal experience of these folks that give you a different perspective.

As to not having invested in the product invalidates my thoughts, well then there would not be many discussions or point to this forum if we all had to conform to those requirements would there?

I will leave it at that as you have the capability of banning and I do not want that to happen to me!
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 1:11 PM Post #2,500 of 2,681
yeah i do understand that its not possible to reply to every mail and every post here. But atleast they can dedicate 15 minutes to this thread everyday. ( cant they? )
I say this thread because the JH3A is the only product (of theirs  ) under production ( and preorder) .
 
Leave 15 minutes every day , this thread has about 200 posts every week , even 30 minutes a week is sufficient .
 
And what about this new development, ( regarding the optical in place of coax ) . As i understand most of the algo. Solo preorders were placed in order to pair them with JH3A.
the specifications of JH3A are not clear till date. ( coax-optical-usb )
People are just riding on the trust they have on JHA, to deliver a great sounding system.
 
I am also not in the preorder list, but am someone who is eagerly waiting for reviews and impressions.
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 1:39 PM Post #2,501 of 2,681
Jerry responded to my email in a jiffy this fine Saturday. I sent the following to him, Brittany, and Jaime:
 
Quote:
Subject: What I Need to Hear about the 3A
 
Give your investors some certainty about what the digital inputs will be. Apologize for all the confusion, and make us believe that you have this thing under control. I need to hear that you still care about me and, in lieu of anything else, that you'll stand by your product post-launch.
 
I haven't heard these things from you in a very long while, and experiences have been much the opposite -- delay, excuse, repeat. I just don't see why you wouldn't want to make an effort to reach out to your 3A investors in some way and regain some goodwill... I can think of so many ways, but I'll leave it to your imagination (extras, mailing lists, realistic outlook, communication at large).
 
With the uncertainty of the firmware & hardware as of late, I'm rapidly losing trust. I need you to regain it.
 
THIS IS A TURNING POINT. You MUST change your ways at this point and begin communicating better. People are going to begin jumping ship if you can't handle this.
 
I'm at wits end with all the abuse, JHA. You are taking a serious beating on the forum right now, and deservedly so. Say something.

 
 
Barely 10 minutes later, even, he replied:
 
Quote:
Hi Adam,
 
I am in constant contact with the factory and we have one last glitch with a MCU we just fixed and I am dealing with this input issue.
 
I am waiting for a full report and will update via facebook on Monday.
 
The 3a originally was to only have an analog input. I added the mini USB because of customer feedback. The spidf was always to be digital. The factory made a mistake and I am waiting to hear the fix.
 
We are days away from this amp launching. I am at the mercy of communication from the factory and I have tried to keep everyone up to date that has aimed me. I have a person at the factory as we email here pushing it to completion.
 
I don't read the blogs I only design and build things that no one else ever has. This sometimes comes with hiccups. At the end of this the 3a will be the best audio available and a few months from now this will all be behind us.
 
We have invested way more in the 3a than we will probably ever get. back. After the 1st designer bailed it would have been very easy to just abandon the project.   I am pushing this amp to completion because it is the next step in this technology.
 
I have always been ready willing and able to refund anyones money that has preordered. The cost will likely be much higher in the future because of the real cost of this amp to build is WAY higher than we had originally been quoted.
 
Best regards,
 
Jerry

 
I would love to know a few things like how spdif coax doesn't qualify as digital... it seems Jerry's definition of digital is USB. And why are we so interested in word from the manufacturer if they're moving forward with the amps they have... (That's the only way it seems they could be launching in "days".) Jerry also doesn't seem to understand how updates via Facebook aren't adequate.
 
There's much more I want from Jerry right now, but for now I'll see what Monday brings. I've just waited too long with such anticipation to fall off now, even though that seems like the Right Thing to do at this point. I'm really not sure how much more of this I can take, though.
 
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 1:48 PM Post #2,502 of 2,681
To me that seems like a very honest email from Jerry and I see where he is coming from.  It seems that he is trying to fix the input issue (toslink vs. coax).  Since he has somebody at the factory at this point, it also seems that the amps haven't run through their production cycle just yet, meaning that it should be easy to fix the input to coax if need be.  Regarding the price, I actually figured that it should cost a lot more than the current price of admittion when you see how much tech and R&D has gone into this thing.  If feel that Jerry is too invested in this right now to come out with a dud of a product...so let's wait and see what they have to say early next week....
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 1:53 PM Post #2,503 of 2,681

 
Quote:
... The very fact that this thread is littered with people that aren;t even involved and are merely rubber necking speaks volumes about why companies like UE, Westone and JH dont dedicate resources to address threads.
 


 
One Westone rep, p0wderh0und23, has participated in several Westone threads; 2 that I remember quite well are/ were the ES3X & UM3X Appreciation threads. I also remember p0wderh0und23 directly responding to some posters who'd reported issues with a Westone product. I distinctly remember seeing that happening with at least 3-4 people who had issues with the Westone 3 or UM3X IEMs, even when those reports were not posted on the 'official' Appreciation threads.
 
I myself had issues with my 3-month-old Westone 3 and started a thread asking people if anyone had had similar issues - I soon got a PM from p0wderh0und23 and the issue was quickly resolved: I sent it back to Westone and I was sent a brand new W3 replacement. Needless to say I was quite impressed.
 
Mar 5, 2011 at 1:59 PM Post #2,504 of 2,681
He added, without prompt:
 
Quote:
Hi Adam,
 
The glitch with the MCU was a one time read instead of flash. The amp has to be a flash so I can offer updates for everyone  to download.
 
I could have already shipped the amp it would be tuned perfect but not able to be updated.
 
The amp has to be perfect and it will be.
 
Jerry

 
It just seems to me that fixing the amp to use coax, shipping from China, and finally tuning the amp will take more than "days" ... That's the part that's just not adding up.
 

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