[dvr]

I have an 7-year old pair of JH16, and I went into the show looking to upgrade. I had had my eye on the Layla for a few months, so I was happy when I heard a new model was coming out, and I was eager to see how it compared.
 
The biggest difference for me came in vocals. After listening to the Lola, vocals on the Layla indeed seemed a bit sterile in comparison. The Lola is more involving, and more enjoyable. 
 
"Involving", of course, is key. Nothing trumps this. The model that has the greatest pull to listen more is the best.
 
I didn't listen to the Layla for long, but it did seem more refined. The comment "Layla is reference monitor and Lola is musical" seems correct to me.
 
Of course, I'm always suspicious of what I'm hearing with new gear. I find my ears get trained by my main headphone, and anything new sounds a bit off. If your current headphone is bright, everything else will sound muffled. And so on. So I know it's difficult to listen to something for 10 minutes and answer the question "Is this the right sound for me?" 
 
The un-answerable question is "If I listened to each for an extended period of time, and gave my ears a chance to fully adjust to each, which would make me happier?"
 
Jerry and Andy were both at the booth, and Andy said that both he and Jerry used to listen to the Layla as their main headphone, and both have moved to the Lola.
 
This sealed it. The two people who know the line best have decided this is their favorite, and it's about 1k less than their previous top-of-the-line. Seemed like a no-brainer, so I pre-ordered.

 

[YhormTheGiant]

As a hybrid nut, I'm waiting eagerly for impressions out of CanJam...

bro, I am right there with you.. except I'm not a hybrid nut lol but yes, very excited as well to see this thread filled with impressions!

 

[YhormTheGiant]

I have an 7-year old pair of JH16, and I went into the show looking to upgrade. I had had my eye on the Layla for a few months, so I was happy when I heard a new model was coming out, and I was eager to see how it compared.

The biggest difference for me came in vocals. After listening to the Lola, vocals on the Layla indeed seemed a bit sterile in comparison. The Lola is more involving, and more enjoyable. 

"Involving", of course, is key. Nothing trumps this. The model that has the greatest pull to listen more is the best.

I didn't listen to the Layla for long, but it did seem more refined. The comment "Layla is reference monitor and Lola is musical" seems correct to me.

Of course, I'm always suspicious of what I'm hearing with new gear. I find my ears get trained by my main headphone, and anything new sounds a bit off. If your current headphone is bright, everything else will sound muffled. And so on. So I know it's difficult to listen to something for 10 minutes and answer the question "Is this the right sound for me?" 

The un-answerable question is "If I listened to each for an extended period of time, and gave my ears a chance to fully adjust to each, which would make me happier?"

Jerry and Andy were both at the booth, and Andy said that both he and Jerry used to listen to the Layla as their main headphone, and both have moved to the Lola.

This sealed it. The two people who know the line best have decided this is their favorite, and it's about 1k less than their previous top-of-the-line. Seemed like a no-brainer, so I pre-ordered.

please do post a comprehensive review when they come in and after you have done some listening!

 

[NickL33]

Hows the bass quality of lola?

 

[dvr]

Hows the bass quality of lola?

 
It seemed fine, but I didn't pay much attention. Since the base is adjustable, I assume it can go from "far too little" to "far too much", and everywhere in between. I always thought the bass on the old JH16 was quite good. 

 

[ranfan]

   
It seemed fine, but I didn't pay much attention. Since the base is adjustable, I assume it can go from "far too little" to "far too much", and everywhere in between. I always thought the bass on the old JH16 was quite good. 

Did you pre-order the custom or universal?
 
Thanks for your impression dvr.

 

[dvr]

 
Did you pre-order the custom or universal? How do you compare Lola to your past IEM?

 
I went custom. I'm not sure if I had to -- the seal I was getting with the universal seemed good enough, but my listening test was only about 20 minutes, and I've gotten use to the custom fit with my current JH 16, so I stuck with that.
 
I briefly compared to the my current JH 16, and it seemed like a nice step up. Everything simply seemed more vivid. Given that my current phone is 6-7 years old, I could justify the expense.
 
In a case like this, I take upgrades partially on faith. I find that A/B testing understates the improvement you get in moving up a step, and you don't fully appreciate the size of the improvement until you've lived with it for a while.

 

[Trager]

I only spent a few minutes with the Lola, but the mids were absolutely spectacular. When I went back to listen a second time, the bass response was set somewhere between 1:30 and 2:00, and the sound was well balanced and so very alive. The dynamic mids make vocals and midrange instruments incredibly engaging. I kind of agree with dvr -- when the guys working the both freely admit that the Lola has supplanted the Layla for them, it really says something about those IEMs. If they'd had an introductory or CanJam special, I might have bought a pair on the spot.

 

[dvr]

  ... If they'd had an introductory or CanJam special, I might have bought a pair on the spot.

 
I thought they were offering 10% off! (Although I noticed it was missing from the sheet highlighting discounts).
 
If you're ready to buy, might be worth calling those guys first thing tomorrow and seeing if they can make something happen.

 

[Ike1985]

I only spent a few minutes with the Lola, but the mids were absolutely spectacular. When I went back to listen a second time, the bass response was set somewhere between 1:30 and 2:00, and the sound was well balanced and so very alive. The dynamic mids make vocals and midrange instruments incredibly engaging. I kind of agree with dvr -- when the guys working the both freely admit that the Lola has supplanted the Layla for them, it really says something about those IEMs. If they'd had an introductory or CanJam special, I might have bought a pair on the spot.

 


What do you mean the bass was "somewhere between 1:30 and 2:00"?

 

[jmills8]

I only spent a few minutes with the Lola, but the mids were absolutely spectacular. When I went back to listen a second time, the bass response was set somewhere between 1:30 and 2:00, and the sound was well balanced and so very alive. The dynamic mids make vocals and midrange instruments incredibly engaging. I kind of agree with dvr -- when the guys working the both freely admit that the Lola has supplanted the Layla for them, it really says something about those IEMs. If they'd had an introductory or CanJam special, I might have bought a pair on the spot.

 


What do you mean the bass was "somewhere between 1:30 and 2:00"?

Bass Dials.

 

[klove4252]

These seem like they would be a strong compliment to the Layla if it is true that they are more focused on a "musical" tuning. My only gripe with the Layla II universal is still the comfort level. It just does not seem to fit well. The Universal JH 16 fit perfectly though so I'm hoping they are designed more like that IEM. 

 

[YhormTheGiant]

These seem like they would be a strong compliment to the Layla if it is true that they are more focused on a "musical" tuning. My only gripe with the Layla II universal is still the comfort level. It just does not seem to fit well. The Universal JH 16 fit perfectly though so I'm hoping they are designed more like that IEM. 

they should fit much better, the layla universals are gigantic mostly because they have 12 drivers but the lola only has eight drivers in total so I think the footprint of the lola should be a good amount smaller (still big though) but it should fit fine for most people

 

[Ike1985]

they should fit much better, the layla universals are gigantic mostly because they have 12 drivers but the lola only has eight drivers in total so I think the footprint of the lola should be a good amount smaller (still big though) but it should fit fine for most people

 
I don't see why they have to be so gigantic with 12 drivers, there are plenty of 12, 14 and now 18 driver UIEMS that are smaller.   Driver positioning affects sound so maybe Layla needs that big shell to pull off it's sound. Just guessing.

 

[YhormTheGiant]

I don't see why they have to be so gigantic with 12 drivers, there are plenty of 12, 14 and now 18 driver UIEMS that are smaller.   Driver positioning affects sound so maybe Layla needs that big shell to pull off it's sound. Just guessing.

that's probably why yeah