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How would you guys describe the bass in the jh16pro compared to the jh13pro, is it a cleaner punch (not really sure how to describe it as I'm knew to the audiophile thing). Reason I ask is I do enjoy my bass, but i hate the muddy sound (reminds me of those riced cars that shake to crap).
I can't decide between the jh13pro or jh16pro, I've been reading the last few days and I can't seem to picture how the 16pro will sound, on one hand I hear people saying that the 13pros are not anemic in the bass category, but the 16pros have more of it and it's still nice and refined (which I can't really imagine). When I picture it i think of a high end theatre system with gargantuan sub.
Reason why I'm so concerned with this is because I'm a student (hooray for loans taking me through school) so I'm trying to use my penny wisely. I'm lost and need help please.
On a side note, sonically how would you describe the TWag cords from whiplash audio, I don't really understand how a cord can make it headphones sound better but I'm not going to dismiss that idea that it doesn't b/c I'm sure you guys can't be wrong about what your ears hear.
The JH16 is quite bass-oriented in a sense that music will have a palpable emphasis in the very lowest registers. We're talking sub-80Hz boosts here, and it really views the music through a different lens. When you say high-end theatre system with a gargantuan sub, that's quite close -- it's a little north of room-corrected, though (if you follow room equalization in home theatre systems at all). Historically I've represented the JH16 as a rather high-end venue with a mesmerizing subwoofer arrangement. It's really something else, especially with live recordings.
The JH13 is more even-handed, and the emphasis it has centered around 50Hz is really not that big of a deal. The JH13 approaches more of a room-corrected speaker system with tight, precise equalization -- it sounds like you're hearing the music from a recording studio. Its response is quite a bit more neutral and "correct" -- it sounds like you're listening to the music the way the recording engineers and producers wanted it to sound. There's no notable emphasis -- the bass, mids and treble all coalesce nicely to provide an incredibly balanced, vivid presentation.
Honestly, at this level, I don't think people could go wrong with either. Both the JH13 and JH16 sound fantastic and play in the same league as most of the very best full-size headphones. There were recordings that I personally felt the JH16 did better on, and other recordings where the JH13s came ahead. With my primary music tastes in consideration (progressive breaks and electronic from the likes of Hybrid, BT), I felt the emphasized sub-end of the JH16 was a little too much.
I do have to commend the JH16s for doing something that seems almost impossible -- it increases quantity of bass without sacrificing quality in the slightest bit. All the bass quality (texture, speed, control, etc.) in the JH16 is every bit as good as in the JH13* while offering a greater deal of quantity and palpable, visceral impact. The bass in the JH16 has sometimes been described as otherworldly, and this is very much the case.
*Overall, I feel the JH13 and JH16 are on exactly the same technical level. In terms of all the key qualities (resolution of minute details, speed and "PRaT", extension, overall refinement), they are equals.
But for my music, the 16 did things "wrong" more often than the 13s did -- the 13s get it "right" almost all of the time. When the 16s got to some live recordings (e.g. Daft Punk's Alive 2007), it's really bloody amazing. In other cases, like Hybrid's I Choose Noise, the 16s frequency balance just feels a tad too boosted down below. The JH16s can "wow" very easily, but in the end the JH13 was the reliable choice my ears chose to marry. My iPod Shuffle 1st-gen (my portable DAP of choice) made the 16s too frequently overbearing.
So I sold the 16s and kept the 13s. This was before I was fully aware of the JH3A -- in hindsight I should've tacked it onto my 16s since the DSP could take care of the bass and I'd have the 13s for portable use.
I'm also a student; it was quite a painful process taking the loss from owning both the 13 and 16 and ultimately selling one of them.