[sorrick]

So I got my JH 16's in the mail yesterday after an agonizing wait (ordered on Feb 8) and all I can say is WOW, I'm on a bus now between DC and PHilly and am just in heaven. I haven't heard the 13s so i can't make a comparison to those, I can say that these are definitely the fullest, most engaging IEMs I've ever heard, and probAbly the most engaging headphones I've heard period. By engaging, I mean that the sound is fuller than anything else I've heard. All of the clarity, detail, etc that one would expected from the most analytic of phones (thinking along the lines of er-4s) is there, and then some, but there is also such amazing base extension and imbact. I do not consider myself a bass head at all, but just as Jude commented in his impressions, the bass doesn't come a the expense anything else...it's as if it is on its own layer (to use a Photoshop analogy).

Ive been doing most of my listening out of my macbook pro going into the dac of my ttvj slim portable amp/dac, but also sounds great out of my iPhone 3GS.

They're just fantastic, I couldn't stop smiling when i first put them in....it was like muscle nirvana. Incidentally, I will have to say that, nothing against those who believe otherwise, bit rate on your music is far less of an issue than it is made out to be here on head-fi. I've done the abx testing and really have a very very hard time telling the difference between the same recording encoded in as a 192 vbr mp3 vs alac or wav lossless, or any the the other lossless files. Furthermore, for those of you who may have files encoded in 128 (it's ok, you can admit it, we've all got tracks we've bought on itunes or downloaded by other means) and they're well mastered, they sound pretty damn great on the 16s too. They're just very very musical and everything out of them sounds great. If you are the type who has to analyze everything for as much detail as possible, you will find it all there with the 16's, but they're so much fun to listen to and have such an engaging (there's that nondescript word again) presentation, that I just find myself lying back and smiling.

I'll give more impressions in a few days after Ive had more time to enjoy them, but just wanted to get some initial thoughts up for those aching for more impressions,

 

[Oomingmak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sorrick /img/forum/go_quote.gif So I got my JH 16's in the mail yesterday after an agonizing wait (ordered on Feb 8) and all I can say is WOW, I'm on a bus now between DC and PHilly and am just in heaven. I haven't heard the 13s so i can't make a comparison to those, I can say that these are definitely the fullest, most engaging IEMs I've ever heard, and probAbly the most engaging headphones I've heard period. By engaging, I mean that the sound is fuller than anything else I've heard. All of the clarity, detail, etc that one would expected from the most analytic of phones (thinking along the lines of er-4s) is there, and then some, but there is also such amazing base extension and imbact. I do not consider myself a bass head at all, but just as Jude commented in his impressions, the bass doesn't come a the expense anything else...it's as if it is on its own layer (to use a Photoshop analogy). Ive been doing most of my listening out of my macbook pro going into the dac of my ttvj slim portable amp/dac, but also sounds great out of my iPhone 3GS. They're just fantastic, I couldn't stop smiling when i first put them in....it was like muscle nirvana. Incidentally, I will have to say that, nothing against those who believe otherwise, bit rate on your music is far less of an issue than it is made out to be here on head-fi. I've done the abx testing and really have a very very hard time telling the difference between the same recording encoded in as a 192 vbr mp3 vs alac or wav lossless, or any the the other lossless files. Furthermore, for those of you who may have files encoded in 128 (it's ok, you can admit it, we've all got tracks we've bought on itunes or downloaded by other means) and they're well mastered, they sound pretty damn great on the 16s too. They're just very very musical and everything out of them sounds great. If you are the type who has to analyze everything for as much detail as possible, you will find it all there with the 16's, but they're so much fun to listen to and have such an engaging (there's that nondescript word again) presentation, that I just find myself lying back and smiling. I'll give more impressions in a few days after Ive had more time to enjoy them, but just wanted to get some initial thoughts up for those aching for more impressions,

Do you find the bass to be more prominent than the mid and high range?

 

[xand]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sorrick /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've done the abx testing and really have a very very hard time telling the difference between the same recording encoded in as a 192 vbr mp3 vs alac or wav lossless, or any the the other lossless files. Furthermore, for those of you who may have files encoded in 128 (it's ok, you can admit it, we've all got tracks we've bought on itunes or downloaded by other means) and they're well mastered, they sound pretty damn great on the 16s too. They're just very very musical and everything out of them sounds great.

(emphasis mine) that's the problem.

Of course, that doesn't excuse my changing to ALAC from 320CBR

Glad you're enjoying them! The thing about automatically smiling when listening to good music is very true!

 

[FortisFlyer75]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saintkeat /img/forum/go_quote.gif actually i've been noticing that some cds aren't very good recordings... i've tried ripping things like my old chemical brothers cd to alac last night and though it was very listenable, it sounded really veiled.. on another interesting note, i was testing on 3 amps today from ibasso and i noticed that i couldn't tell a whole lot of difference between lossless and 128cbr. left me feeling really disappointed with my earphones and ears for that matter.

I have a lot cd's that are poor pressings, to many to mention even by good artist, which is the reason i get a lot of Japanese & Taiwanese pressings which are engineered with a lot more time and care.

I wish i could get away with 128 files but for me 128 to lossless would be pushing it a bit for me as i tried mp3 files for the sake of my library size been maximized but could not even cope with it at even 320kbps listening to it on a dap with a pair of Shure SE530 & Senn IE8's. The least i can use happily for me is wma's or aac as they sound a lot less compressed, more open and dynamic with more realistic tonal qualities of instruments so when i get a pair of 13 or 16's at that price i can only imagine ripping my cd's usng alac at least will suffice to get the best out of these customs...

For me it would be like using my speaker set up which has cost me £20K so far and use a cassette deck with it when i could be using the cd player.

Turn that Dolby B off!

 

[Eggroll]

Does anyone have the Carbon Fiber Case? I'm curious to know if it is really CF or plastic that looks CF and what it's size dimensions. Also, Do the JH16's come stock with the small or large plastic otterbox?

 

[warp08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eggroll /img/forum/go_quote.gif Does anyone have the Carbon Fiber Case? I'm curious to know if it is really CF or plastic that looks CF and what it's size dimensions. Also, Do the JH16's come stock with the small or large plastic otterbox?

I believe it is a real carbon fiber case. It better be for $75. I do not have dimensions but it is much bigger than the standard plastic Otterbox the JH monitors ship with.

There is a picture of it on the JH Audio Facebook page, somebody posted it there, might want to check it out. Looks impressive.

 

[Jajo]

Anyone know if they make the faceplate with real carbon fiber?

 

[warp08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WindyCityCy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Warp08 Is the K2HD version of Jazz at the Pawnshop supposed to be better than the SACD version? I almost bought this last night and decided to sleep on it. Amazon.com: Jazz At The Pawnshop 30th Anniversary Edition: Various Artists: Music WindyCityCy

Yes, if you believe the 20 pages of justification booklet included with the CD, this is a very special mastering process and the low-end (which is what I have) version is layered with 99.999999999999999999% pure Silver...

The last page of the booklet reveals that there are also a limited number of "Ultimate" editions available covered with the usual amount of 24K Gold.

I'm making fun of myself a bit here, because this is the first time I spent $60 on a CD (double-CD actually). Figured, I'm entitled to hear what one of these sound like if I spent $1,149+ on a pair of IEMs. The recording, however, is indeed absolutely remarkable. Listened to the whole thing 3 times and I don't even particularly like this type of Jazz. If I closed my eyes, I could easily imagine myself being there in the cafe or whatever it was where they recorded this session. If you can afford it and a fan of the genre, this is definitely worth buying, IMHO. The JH16s are perfect for this, because of the live atmosphere and the dynamic performance of all musicians. The extra headroom of the quad bass drivers really pays off here without overshadowing the rest of the spectrum.

BTW, it's instrumental only, save the crowd and background chatter.

 

[SoupRKnowva]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanity8me /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^Completely agree. For me, "Nine Inch Nails - Closer" would be the quintessential reference track regarding the quality of the bass response. I would be very curious to know how the JH16's handle this mind numbing track?

Ill say i just went and checked out this song on my JH-13's. Ive heard it quite a few times but admitedly never through a high quality reproduction system. The bass on that song is nothing short of staggering, and yet, on flat EQ out of my iPod into balanced protector amp into my jh-13s, it never even flinched, rode the waves of bass provided with aplomb, i can only imagine what the jh16's wouldve done. Thanks for the bass demo track suggestion

Edit: i think that ruiner actually has a better bassline test than even closer, the whole album is pretty stellar though.

 

[tommysolh]

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[Eggroll]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warp08 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I believe it is a real carbon fiber case. It better be for $75. I do not have dimensions but it is much bigger than the standard plastic Otterbox the JH monitors ship with. There is a picture of it on the JH Audio Facebook page, somebody posted it there, might want to check it out. Looks impressive.

I just checked out the pics on facebook and the carbon fiber case looks really nice! It's also big enough to put a portable rig + IEM's. I think I'm going to add one to my order

 

[FortisFlyer75]

I decided early on when i put my order in end of this month i am going to go with a carbon case also. To think if i am correct these used to be actually supplied with the 13's until the cheaper plastic cases came in.

Maybe it is a good cost saving exercise for JHA with $75 separately for the carbon. But as it is real carbon also i will be getting one as a good all in one storage for dap, amp & JHpros.

Does anyone know where to get this type of foam from though if i wanted to change layout for different gear at a later date or if i happen to "F" it up cutting it when i get the case which is the sort of thing i would do!
I class D.I.Y. as Destroy - It - Yourself! lol

 

[Navea]

I got the Carbon fiber box included in the order when i ordered my JH13 some time ago. And yes its real carbon fiber. But its not as sturdy as the Otterbox. Its just some magnetic points that locks the case. I use a Pelican case for my JH13 now and i really like that better. But the Carbon case looks good!

 

[FortisFlyer75]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navea /img/forum/go_quote.gif I got the Carbon fiber box included in the order when i ordered my JH13 some time ago. And yes its real carbon fiber. But its not as sturdy as the Otterbox. Its just some magnetic points that locks the case. I use a Pelican case for my JH13 now and i really like that better. But the Carbon case looks good!

Shame the Carbon case did not have a more secure method of keeping it shut or are the magnetic closures strong enough to do the job?

I will end up just using the carbon case for posh "show off" home storage as i am like that! and use the otter box as the mobile case.

See your pic on facebook, nice color by the way

 

[grawk]

The westone clamshell case works really well for "on the go". Fits my jh13s + griffin smartalk cable no problem.