[Jalo]

I have both and I can tell you there is no easy answer for this, as it highly depends on what you want for your sound and goal of your setup.

Doc, I assume you have the universal version of both. I was talking to Andy at JH today (he is the president of JH), he told me that he felt there is a 20% difference between the Layla universal and the Layla custom in performance. You said the K10 is more fun, can you say anything about sound stage, imaging, bass impact, body, texture etc between the two? Much appreciated.

 

[ericp10]

 
I was just looking at Garage 1217 products, I wonder how the ember would be with iem's.

 
 
I'll let you know in a week or two

 

[DrSheep]

Doc, I assume you have the universal version of both. I was talking to Andy at JH today (he is the president of JH), he told me that he felt there is a 20% difference between the Layla universal and the Layla custom in performance. You said the K10 is more fun, can you say anything about sound stage, imaging, bass impact, body, texture etc between the two? Much appreciated.

I think 20% is a bit of a stretch.  Personally I think the K10 sound stage is wider due to its bass and treble extension, with bass impact and the overall body fuller than the Layla.  Of course the bass itself depends on your setting on the Layla, so you can't really say one is better than the other.  However, I can tell you that the K10 responds very well to amping, and its bass kicks REALLY hard even if you just amp it a little.  Texture is a tough call, as they respond differently depends on material, but I would say they are about the same.

 

[Jalo]

Thanks much

 

[DrSheep]

Thanks much

NP, but of course try to demo them if possible.

 

[tumburu]

  I think 20% is a bit of a stretch.  Personally I think the K10 sound stage is wider due to its bass and treble extension, with bass impact and the overall body fuller than the Layla.  Of course the bass itself depends on your setting on the Layla, so you can't really say one is better than the other.  However, I can tell you that the K10 responds very well to amping, and its bass kicks REALLY hard even if you just amp it a little.  Texture is a tough call, as they respond differently depends on material, but I would say they are about the same.

 
I was expecting the soundstage of the K10 to be smaller from what I read around here... That's interesting.

 

[DrSheep]

 
I was expecting the soundstage of the K10 to be smaller from what I read around here... That's interesting.

Again, this is just me.

 

[Aryaramanan7]

Exactly. From what I have read so far the soundstage of Roxanne > K10.
How does Layla compare to Roxannes in terms of soundstage.

 

[DatGuy]

I can attest to Rox soundstage being larger than k10. I've gotten used to the out of the head effect that going back to demo k10s felt claustrophobic initially.

Roxanne ciem comes very very close to Layla uiem, they just have different sound signatures. Rox still wins in terms of flat out impact and body of the sound. Layla has better instrument separation and a bit of detailing.

Sound stage is comparable although I don't really have the music to push them to the limit when I tested them out so I can't give a detailed comparison

 

[DrSheep]

I have a feeling that a lot of this has to do with mastering and materials.

 

[DatGuy]

I would have to agree. There are just too many variables when making comparisons.
 
What matters is they all sound great, and they better for that price  

 

 

[goodvibes]

   
I was expecting the soundstage of the K10 to be smaller from what I read around here... That's interesting.

I'll defer to the Doc who owns both but from memory, scale and size are quite large on the k10 and the Sirens seem to be a bit more specific of instruments etc within that scale and like Doc said, it has to be in a recording to notice. I think the Sirens can get more intimate on smaller scale pieces while still being able to scale up. The Sirens have a great sense of time. K10s make a great wall of sound. Both sound expansive. Tonally, the Layla reminded me a lot of the K10 on first listen. A bit warm without it getting in the way. K10 was a can't miss purchase when it appeared. More so than the Roxanne due to it's not always favored tonality which is good but has more of it's own sig. Did the great focus and timing thing but the K10 had a sig everyone could love. I like it just a bit leaner and am more of a Angie tonality kind of guy.

 At least from my short audition and even that needs to be tempered by associated kit.
 
These are all close enough tonally to be favored. You'll be choosing things like scale, perspective, how black they get, etc. I really like that the Sirens have bass controls. This coming from someone that never uses EQ. I get how it can become important in an IEM if applied in a controlled fashion and if someone wants a warmer Angie, it's available to them without messing up it's other traits.

 

[Malevolent]

I can attest to Rox soundstage being larger than k10. I've gotten used to the out of the head effect that going back to demo k10s felt claustrophobic initially.

Roxanne ciem comes very very close to Layla uiem, they just have different sound signatures. Rox still wins in terms of flat out impact and body of the sound. Layla has better instrument separation and a bit of detailing.

Sound stage is comparable although I don't really have the music to push them to the limit when I tested them out so I can't give a detailed comparison

 
I agree. Although the K10 already has a wide soundstage, the Roxanne sounds more expansive. It is wider and a touch deeper. This is one of the things that I have come to love the Roxanne for.

 

[adammax]

I agree. Although the K10 already has a wide soundstage, the Roxanne sounds more expansive. It is wider and a touch deeper. This is one of the things that I have come to love the Roxanne for.

Having tried k10 demo, my Roxanne soundstage is much wider,deeper and warmer. K10 sound signature is very easy to like on first listening. I'd say Roxanne sound is more acquired taste.

 

[Jalo]

To be sure this is just a discussion. I will be going to Can Jam where I can hear both for myself. But sometimes brief audition at shows cannot give you that familiarity that long time ownership can give you. I was one of the first one that gave an impression on the universal Layla after CES and it wasn't a good one. But I attribute that to the universal fit. For me, sound stage aside, how a pair of phones image a sound a more important to me than other attributes. To me sound imaging will bring me closer to real music than other factors.