[mwhals]

One nice thing is a bigger shell pushes the 7 pin connector far enough that it does not bother anyone.

 

[fogsound]

Something else I’ve learned taking the Jolene’s to work is the ideal way to put them in and take them out of your ears. Because of how big they are, they aren’t as easy to twist in or out as my other customs. So, I’ve found the best way is to open your mouth when you’re putting them in or taking them out. This expands your canals a bit. So, when you close your mouth, your ears contract and perfectly wrap around the CIEM. I’ve found the resulting fit to be perfectly comfortable, and it requires zero finagling afterwards.

Thank you for this simple and effective recommendation. My Laylas fit better than the other CIEMs I've had (and I didn't have to send them back for a refit) but I still do some finagling to get them there. Using this technique works perfectly for them too on first insert.

 

[mashuto]

I received my demo unit earlier today straight from JH. I asked, and they requested I not post any impressions or photos based on the demo unit, so I am going to keep this post short.

But, what I will say is that even after just a couple hours with them, Im about 99% sure Ill be buying them. Just some last minor hesitation about finally going custom for the first time, and waiting to get a few questions answered about the process there.

 

[Tristy]

I received my demo unit earlier today straight from JH. I asked, and they requested I not post any impressions or photos based on the demo unit, so I am going to keep this post short.

But, what I will say is that even after just a couple hours with them, Im about 99% sure Ill be buying them. Just some last minor hesitation about finally going custom for the first time, and waiting to get a few questions answered about the process there.

Why would they ask you to not post any impressions?...

 

[mashuto]

Why would they ask you to not post any impressions?...

Well they didn't ask me, but I asked them if I could. My guess is it's more about the photos necessarily than any impressions, since I'm pretty sure this universal is not going to representative of what any final units will look like. But I don't know.

Either way I didnt push the issue and figured it's just best to respect their wishes.

 

[Tristy]

Well they didn't ask me, but I asked them if I could. My guess is it's more about the photos necessarily than any impressions, since I'm pretty sure this universal is not going to representative of what any final units will look like. But I don't know.

Either way I didnt push the issue and figured it's just best to respect their wishes.

Fair enough... it’s a shame, I’d love to know how the universals stack up to some of the sets you’ve heard.

 

[mashuto]

Fair enough... it’s a shame, I’d love to know how the universals stack up to some of the sets you’ve heard.

Could also be that since we don't have any official word on the universals, that these are maybe not 100% representative of how the universals will end up sound wise too. Though all speculation at this point. Who knows.

I would love to post some more in depth impressions, but since it's their loaner pair, again best to respect what they say and hold off. Again though I think it's ok to say I like them enough that I'm pretty sure I'll be buying customs and will of course share impressions whenever I get those.

 

[mvvRAZ]

@Tristy I’m also itching for impressions I keep checking my account page in the JH website even though it’ll literally not change till they’re delivered haha... will call them up to ask on Monday

 

[DonChuy]

can anyone comment on the Jolene’s soundstage? I remember reading on @Deezel177 first impressions about being wide and deep?

 

[Tristy]

@Tristy I’m also itching for impressions I keep checking my account page in the JH website even though it’ll literally not change till they’re delivered haha... will call them up to ask on Monday

Yeah there’s definitely some anticipation around these universals for me... especially after hearing @Deezel177 impressions. Hopefully some info gets released soon.

 

[Nace]

So, a couple hours or so into my time with the lady (and a few hours later than promised ), here are my first impressions of JH Audio's Jolene:

The Jolene is easily Jerry Harvey’s cleanest-sounding, most technically-capable monitor to date. It sheds some of his trademark isms - rotund lower-mids, resonant, mid-treble peaks, relaxed upper-trebles, etc. - to deliver a sound that more closely aligns with the general consensus of neutral, but without losing all of his personality outright either. Compared to his previous designs, I’d actually liken it most to the Lola. It’s got the same shine or glow to its midrange, as well as a similar lower-treble. But, the Jolene has cleaner, tighter lower-mids, a more refined, completely-sibilance-free mid-treble, a more extended upper-treble and a much, much, much larger stage.

In fact, spatially, the Jolene just might have the largest stage I’ve heard out of an IEM. Obviously, I’ve yet to hear the bird, so the jury’s still out. But, compared to all of the flagships I’ve reviewed recently, the Jolene edges them all in terms of sheer size. This comes part-and-parcel with that relaxed lower-midrange and that airy, open high-treble, but I personally think most of it comes down to just raw, technical performance. It truly is impressive here. Maybe, the fact that half the IEM sits outside your ears has something to do with it too. Now, does that come with tonal cons? Depending on taste, you can certainly say so. If you’re used to an in-ear like JH’s very own Layla or 64 Audio’s A18s, the Jolene may sound quite a bit tighter; not as gooey, buttery or warm by comparison.

This is also because, until you turn up the bass dial up to about 2 o’clock, its low-end (the mid-bass, more than anything) is pretty neutral as well. Now, it’s not as noticeable as the ODIN or ELYSIUM’s neutral mid-basses, for example, because it doesn’t have as forward of an upper-midrange, so there’s less of a contrast. But, you do notice it in how tight and warmth-free certain instruments can be until, again, you turn that bass dial up to at least 2 o’clock.

On the flip side, though, the Jolene always manages to prevent its notes from coming off dry or overtly crisp too, and I suspect it’s because of those diaphragms. They emit just enough of a decay or shadow, for lack of a better word, to always come off substantial, dense and powerful. Joe Satriani’s roaring guitar solo on Cory Wong’s Massive sounds, well, massive. And, the same goes for Tosin Abasi’s rhythm work on Animals as Leaders’ Tooth and Claw. Yet, neither ever saturate the image, nor steal the spotlight from their comrades either, because of the Jolene’s, again, supreme imaging and resolution. Its stage is pretty much in a perpetual state of clean and organised, even when the lows are raised to neutral or neutral-natural levels. Midrange texturing and detail are definite strong points for me; unforced and relaxed in delivery, yet extremely prevalent and tactile.

Now, the beauty of it being a JH IEM is that, if you do want more mid- or upper-bass, you can fill it in with the bass dial. Furthermore, on this model, you can do so without turning it into a basshead IEM too. I concur with @marcusd's thoughts that the bass dial on this one has a bit more nuance than simply lifting the lows up or down. I feel, in addition to the amount of bass coming out, the pod determines the tightness or looseness of the bass as well. You get a bit more spread and smoke the more you turn it up, rather than simply more darkness or muck; less like turning up the gain on the kick drum mic, and more like asking the drummer to kick a bit harder. Perhaps it has something to do with dynamic drivers reacting differently to BAs when you dampen them electronically, but I personally think it’s a beautiful effect, and it makes the bass pod far more versatile than it ever has been.

The aforementioned 2 o’clock would be where the Jolene hits neutral for me, and I personally turn it up a bit more to get to what I consider neutral-natural. I think it’s at its best and most versatile at this setting. At 12 o’clock, I’d call it nearing bright. And, it’s merely sub-bass-forward to me at full-whack. So, you should be aware that you can’t really turn the Jolene into a Skullcandy headphone or something, where the bass fully runs the show. But, at 100%, it is a very tasteful interpretation of the basshead sound, which I can’t wait to compare to something like the Legend X when I get the chance.

JH have also kept the peak of the bass pretty early into the sub-bass, before declining at about 60Hz. So, when I listen to any track off of Anomalie’s Metropolé, for example, I hear an elevation in the physical slam of the kick drum, but the sound of the bass line itself is sat pretty neutral. Again, though, I can easily change that with the bass pod. I should also mention that the in-ear’s 4 dynamic drivers have only had about 2-3 hours of runtime at this point, so I’ll update my thoughts once they do get some more play.

The treble is also where JH have diverged quite a bit from their house sound. As mentioned, it doesn’t have the dark-except-for-some-glare-at-8kHz stereotype that people have stuck onto their past IEMs. The peak has been refined to near-perfection with no glare or sibilance on any track I tested it with. All it does now is contribute the slight tizz it was always meant to. And, JH have armed the Jolene with a lot more upper-treble air as well. Compared to the Lola and (more so) the Layla, the Jolene’s stage is more open with cleaner air around instruments. And, they’re subtly sharper-outlined too. It doesn’t ever get bright, or thin, or crisp once you get past 12 o’clock on the dial. The background simply has more definition now, and it does wonders for imaging. Again, the Jolene’s technique easily sits amongst today’s flagships. I’d need to do more listening to be more specific, but I can confidently say now that it’s in that league effortlessly.

Now, onto some very, very brief comparisons:

JH Audio Layla: The Jolene’s got less presence - i.e. is leaner - between about 100 and 800Hz, I think. Instruments are cleaner because of it, and it’ll definitely please those who may’ve found the Layla a bit too rich or muddy there. It’s got a more vibrant upper-midrange too; more Lola-esque. It’s got the differences in the treble I described above, and I feel it edges out the Layla in dynamics, resolution and imaging.

JH Audio Lola: These two are, again, fairly similar in the midrange and the low-treble. And, the Lola has a warmer, fuller bass and a slightly darker, more old-school-JH treble. I’d say the Lola is almost like the Layla mid-transformation into the Jolene. But, again, the Jolene easily bests it in stage expansion, air and imaging precision.

64 Audio tia Fourté Noir: I’m actually hearing rather similar tonalities between it and the Noir. The main difference is that the Noir has a brighter, crunchier upper-midrange. Horn stabs are more vibrant, and they bite more too. Snares also have a bit more pop to them. Whereas, they’re more relaxed on the Jolene. But, with vocals, the Jolene has the better low-to-high-midrange balance, while they’re more exaggerated and coloured on the Noir. They articulate similarly up high, but the Jolene does so with a bit more smoothness and speed. It also has a bit more sub-bass and bit less mid-bass than the Noir. And, spatially, the Jolene wins out in both width and depth, but width especially.

64 Audio A18s: To put it very crudely, the Jolene has quite a bit less bass presence than the A18s, and it has quite a bit more tizz to its top-end. They’re pretty similar across the upper-mids. But, overall, the A18s is mellower, softer and fuller, while the Jolene is almost the tighter, cleaner, more neutral-leaning version of it. You may then say that it’s basically the…

64 Audio A18t: Well, not exactly. The A18t still has a bit more mid-bass, while the Jolene has more sub-bass. So, the latter’s image is a tad cleaner and tighter, but kick drums hit harder on it too. The A18t also has a bit more midrange presence in general, while the Jolene’s are on the more neutral side in order to reinforce depth. And, the latter's treble extends further to my ears as well, which is probably why I, again, find the Jolene's stage more out-of-head than either A18’s.

FiR Audio M5: The main tonal difference between the M5 and the Jolene is that the former has more presence across its upper-mids and treble, making instruments sound more aggressive, energetic and vibrant by comparison. The Jolene comes across the more relaxed, far-field-like monitor to me, and its instruments are more textured and solidly-founded as well. Down low, I find the Jolene's bass a bit gritty-er and more visceral, while you'll get a bit more warmth permeating from the M5's.

Empire Ears ODIN: The ODIN is the Jolene’s strongest spatial contender. But, the latter still has the edge to my ears, because of the former’s forwardly upper-mids, which put vocals and leads further up front. Instruments sound more saturated and intimate on the ODIN for me, while the Jolene’s come off quicker, more relaxed and less coloured. This applies to the lows as well. The Jolene’s dual DDs can kick as hard as the W9+ woofers can, but it’s a bit quicker and cleaner in terms of decay. I attribute this more towards the Jolene's airier, more open upper-treble, though. I’d say the W9+ diaphragms still have a bit more character and 3D-ness to their rumble, but the Jolene’s woofers cut cleaner and deliver more detail with their oomph.

Vision Ears ELYSIUM: The best way to compare these two would be to say that the Jolene is the ELYSIUM after 6 months of gains. They’re actually very similar up top (or, at least, that’s what my - at this point - pretty-tired ears are telling me), but the lower you get, the beefier and denser the Jolene is compared to the ELYSIUM. The low-mids have more substance and solidity to them (not as wispy), and the Jolene’s lows make the ELYSIUM’s sound… less convincing to put it nicely. Spatially, I feel the ELYSIUM could go toe-to-toe (or perhaps exceed it) on a powerful amp, but the Jolene has the edge on my LPGT, and it could possibly scale just as well.

Finally, I’d like to touch on the fit before we close. The Jolene is a very, very, very large CIEM. It’ll protrude out of your ears no matter what. They’re not heavy or uncomfortable or anything, but they're gonna be a fair bit more substantial than your typical custom. So, keep that in mind if ease-of-wear is paramount to you. They also have very short canals, which I believe contributes to the superb spaciousness I described above. I think some members here would be very, very happy to hear that… *cough* @Wyville *cough*

But, yeah, I apologise that it’s come a bit later than promised, but here are my first impressions of JH’s brand-new Jolene. Please keep in mind that these are very fresh impressions, which may change by the time the review goes live. Just because I say something now, it doesn’t mean it’ll be 100% true later on. And, just because I don’t mention something here, it doesn’t mean it won't be on the full review. I’ll definitely go much further in depth there. But, at the moment, I personally think the Jolene is easily a flagship-tier performer with a more neutral, more crowd-pleasing variation of Jerry Harvey's house sound. It pretty much applies every bit of criticism lobbed towards the Layla and Lola in what I feel is the best way possible, and I think this one’s gonna be a real hit for them; in the enthusiast sector, especially.

Things I’d personally take note of would be its tight, neutral mid-bass until you turn its dials up about 60-70% of the way. And, its midrange isn’t the wettest, most intimate-sounding in the world either, despite how outstandingly textured, detailed and, yet, substantive - dense - it is. But, in terms of stage expansion, imaging precision, resolution, end-to-end extension and doing them all with well-structured, nuanced and dynamic instruments to boot, it - at the moment - has got quite the head start. Now, all I have to do is spend more time with it to see where it finishes in the race.

Hello Daniel! Though I am new here, I am massive fan of your reviews over on theheadphonelist. It seems as though in Harvey's reveal that it is tailored towards bands and rock music, but I am a learning electronic producer and audio engineer. Because I love the your descriptions of the Jolene's neutrality and spaciousness to keep it simple, I was wondering if you would think these would be excellent for electronic music production, redeemable with the use of natural, organic sound synthesis and samples. Thanks so much for reading a newbie's post!

 

[NellieG]

I was wondering if you would think these would be excellent for electronic music production

I have not heard the Jolene or what I am about to suggest but check out the Contour XO too.

 

[Nace]

I have not heard the Jolene or what I am about to suggest but check out the Contour XO too.

Thanks for your recommendation, I have just familiarized myself with the Contour XO. It seems that they are quite neutral which is of course what I am shooting for with production, but I am in love with the hybrid concept of DD's with BA's!! *not to mention customization options* I've had to rule out so many great CIEM's for just being to natural, something that is a blessing for music listening but a curse for reference. I'll have to check out further reviews for the Contour XO, as neutrality and overall performance obviously trumps appearance.

 

[Levanter]

@mashuto @Deezel177
How do the Jolene fair with classical/instrumentals? One of my concern is Headfonics review where they mentioned the treble is very smooth. And if I recall there was a FR graph showing them downward sloping. My preference is there should be enough sparkle, energy and bite in the treble for certain instruments e.g cymbals/violin and vocals.
Any comparisons VS U12t / Nio?
Are the mids as warm or warmer than the U12t / Nio?

 

[Deezel177]

Hello Daniel! Though I am new here, I am massive fan of your reviews over on theheadphonelist. It seems as though in Harvey's reveal that it is tailored towards bands and rock music, but I am a learning electronic producer and audio engineer. Because I love the your descriptions of the Jolene's neutrality and spaciousness to keep it simple, I was wondering if you would think these would be excellent for electronic music production, redeemable with the use of natural, organic sound synthesis and samples. Thanks so much for reading a newbie's post!

Thanks so much! I think the Jolene's precision and spaciousness would be ideal for constructing soundscapes or atmospheres. So, when you're positioning your samples, designing builds/crescendos, panning sounds left-and-right, etc., you'll have a much clearer picture of what you're doing. The only thing I'd be wary of would be mid-bass content. The sub-bass can hit really hard when you push the bass dials to 100%, so you'll get a good representation of what the kick drum will sound like through - say - a PA system or a large-diaphragm subwoofer. But, the mid-bass will remain in-line with the midrange at all times. So, you'll have to be careful not to overcompensate when it comes to how much gain or volume you give the bass line, such that it overshadows the lead melody. They should be similar in presence, assuming that you're doing a standard mix where the bass line and the lead are level. Otherwise, though, I think the Jolene's will work marvellously well. I haven't the heard the Contour XO, unfortunately, so I can't comment there,.

@mashuto @Deezel177
How do the Jolene fair with classical/instrumentals? One of my concern is Headfonics review where they mentioned the treble is very smooth. And if I recall there was a FR graph showing them downward sloping. My preference is there should be enough sparkle, energy and bite in the treble for certain instruments e.g cymbals/violin and vocals.
Any comparisons VS U12t / Nio?
Are the mids as warm or warmer than the U12t / Nio?

I can assure you that the Jolene's have treble presence and extension, and they have it for days. In fact, the first quality you're likely to notice when listening to the Jolene is the airiness or openness of the treble. I hear more presence past 12kHz here than on 64 Audio's A18t. Based on my limited listening of the U12t, I can pretty safely say that the same applies there. And, against the Nio, I'd say they have more treble presence across the board, especially the upper-treble. The treble could be considered smooth from a linearity or coherence standpoint. It doesn't really have a strong, distinct peak anywhere across the treble. But, the region itself isn't shelved down or rolled-off by any means. Again, it's a departure from JH's previous top-ends, and it'll handle both the classical and instrumental genres with ease.