[riverground]

I've always liked JH's 4-pin & now 7-pin connector, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more robust connection. I do wish they could make the bass pod a little less chunky. It would be great if they could incorporate it into the y-split for better placement.

The IPX connectors on the other hand are probably the thinnest connectors you can find with excellent ergonomics, but there is a lack of upgrade options. My UE18 Live is screaming for a balanced connector, but I'd have to order direct from Linum.

The only IPX connectors I have are from my EA ConX’d cables.

ConX is just so convenient. I do wish they could add FitEar and 7-pin someday though.

JH should’ve kept the 7-pin even without the bass pod. But honestly though, I somewhat foresaw them letting go of the bass pod with the Jolene since the default tuning of the Jolene is with the pod on max. While most others are right around 2 o’clock. I actually wish I could increase the bass just a tad bit more with the Jolene.

 

[Deezel177]

I've always liked JH's 4-pin & now 7-pin connector, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more robust connection. I do wish they could make the bass pod a little less chunky. It would be great if they could incorporate it into the y-split for better placement.

The IPX connectors on the other hand are probably the thinnest connectors you can find with excellent ergonomics, but there is a lack of upgrade options. My UE18 Live is screaming for a balanced connector, but I'd have to order direct from Linum.

I agree with what all you guys have said. It's interesting to see the reasoning behind going IPX. Perhaps, there's such a huge demand for it that it was worth ditching the bass pod for. But, it must've been very, very important to be worth omitting one of their hallmark features. I wish they'd kept it as well, but we'll see how that decision pans out. On the bright side, it'll be much easier and much cheaper to get an upgrade cable for it. You don't have to get 8-wire cables for the bass pod, and all the major cable brands have IPX now.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Very excited to finally be able to chat about this flagship with you all. My demo session that was intended to be five minutes ended up being twenty. Over the past few months, I've been able to develop a bit of a relationship with JH audio, and luckily they trusted me enough to run away with their prototype.

I had the chance to try out the Sharona at Axpona a few weeks before it was announced and I was very impressed. Having been "unimpressed" with most JH IEMs outside of the Jolene, I went into the Sharona with an open mind hoping that these two years of development time would give them a winner. Speaking with their rep AJ allowed me a little insight - how hard COVID hit them, but the blessing it was to take the time and put it into R&D.

Personally, I'd define Sharona as a "safe" tuning with a killer asset, the one thing it does very well - providing a sense of space, unlike something I've heard before. it can be very holographic, but also very intimate - it ebbs and flows no matter the genre of music you throw at at it. It doesn't need the bass knob - JH gave just the right amount of quantity, and I very much enjoyed it's sub-bass presence to the point of where I forgot I was listening to BAs (yes, I do have an inherent bias against them). Highs have good extension, and nothing is sharp or piercing, perfect for long listening sessions to get you lost in the music.

This presentation is going to be a winner with their pro audio community - but will it be enough for them to get back into the good graces of audiophile? That's up to you all to decide when you get your hands on it!

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/jh-audio-sharona-discussion-and-impressions-thread.963201/

Relevant so things on the Jolene don't get lost here

 

[Jackpot77]

Morning / afternoon / evening all! Nice to see some familiar names on this thread (even if it is a little dormant at the moment). Not been very active in the IEM scene over the last year or so, but finally getting back in to the swing of things now with a few purchases like the Jolene, the Balmung and a few others.

As coincidence would have it, have also written a little review of the Jolene here, if it hasn't already been done to death.

For this who are interested:
https://audioprimate.blog/2022/05/15/jh-audio-jolene-dual-dynamic-duo/

As always, any comments/advice/general abuse always very much appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[GodEmperor]

Jolene's getting so little love now that Sharona is around

 

[sorrick]

Still love mine!

 

[iFi audio]

Jolene's getting so little love now that Sharona is around

Huh, wasn't aware that it actually exists, thanks for flagging. Now it's yet another JH to read about

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

Jolene's getting so little love now that Sharona is around

Huh, wasn't aware that it actually exists, thanks for flagging. Now it's yet another JH to read about

It's awesome, but a very different flavor from the Jolene: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/jh-audio-sharona-discussion-and-impressions-thread.963201/

 

[Wilderbeast]

I have a bit of a random Jolene question: I bought a custom pair about a year ago. They look great and fit well but, if I'm brutally honest, I just don't like the sound much. They are a bit *too* analogue for my liking. They sound amazing for rock but I listen to a variety of music that they don't seem suited to.

My question is - will anyone buy second hand Jolenes? There are companies that will re-shell customs but they won't touch non-BA drivers. I basically have a pair of $2K customs that I've listened to a handful of times. Does anyone have an idea where I can offload them?

 

[Jackpot77]

Itsfit Labs in Vietnam are happy to reshell them into CIEM or universal - I bought a pair of custom Homebrew and had them reshelled for a few hundred dollars by the team there.

If you want to see their work, check out the pics in my review:

https://audioprimate.blog/2022/05/15/jh-audio-jolene-dual-dynamic-duo/

If you are looking to sell, either mention Itsfit in the ad, or you can get them to reshell to universal like I did, then you should have no problems moving them on.

 

[GiullianSN]

Itsfit Labs in Vietnam are happy to reshell them into CIEM or universal - I bought a pair of custom Homebrew and had them reshelled for a few hundred dollars by the team there.

If you want to see their work, check out the pics in my review:

https://audioprimate.blog/2022/05/15/jh-audio-jolene-dual-dynamic-duo/

If you are looking to sell, either mention Itsfit in the ad, or you can get them to reshell to universal like I did, then you should have no problems moving them on.

Nice comments, I got surprised when saw the Build score 4 as JH would score over 100 on all designs I ever saw from them compared to any other manufacturer...then I saw the text and understood the score.

The texture you mention as quartz like, look more like Cooper burned with acid. that's why it looks so "raw" and not fully "controlled".

 

[Jackpot77]

Nice comments, I got surprised when saw the Build score 4 as JH would score over 100 on all designs I ever saw from them compared to any other manufacturer...then I saw the text and understood the score.

The texture you mention as quartz like, look more like Cooper burned with acid. that's why it looks so "raw" and not fully "controlled".

That sounds sensible. It had the potential to look stunning, but the urban decay look really didn't do it for me. Different strokes for different folks and all that - guess there is always a danger when you go for someone completely bespoke in material and design that it could go either way.

Definitely happy to say that all the other JH customs I've ever seen have been top tier in terms of aesthetics and design.

 

[iFi audio]

If you want to see their work, check out the pics in my review:

https://audioprimate.blog/2022/05/15/jh-audio-jolene-dual-dynamic-duo/

That's one very detailed review right there, kudos. It had to take quite a few hours of your life to write everything

 

[Jackpot77]

That's one very detailed review right there, kudos. It had to take quite a few hours of your life to write everything

It's a curse - I write longer reviews than my university coursework (from memory - that was a long time ago now)! That's why I only tend to properly review things I really like - too time consuming to spend weeks listening and writing up a few thousand words on something that sucks.