NucRad
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2003
- Posts
- 63
- Likes
- 17
So I sadly lost a 10+ year old pair of JHAudio JH13Pro on a flight not too long ago, thanks to some Valium I took 
When I got home the case was empty, IEMs and custom cable weren't in it. I was hoping they would turn up in the airline lost and found, particularly being customs, but no such luck. On the bright side, I got many years of good use from them, and now it is time to upgrade!
My 13Pro went back for one refit and subsequently two repairs over the years - once for driver/crossover failure with dropout of midrange group, and once for damaged connector from the fragile 2-pin plug. Their customer service was great so I am happy to be a repeat customer, and I asked if they still had my molds but alas those were discarded after 10 years. The new 7-pin connector looks way more robust but I assume that means no more aftermarket cable options because of the proprietary design and also the 'Variable Bass Attenuator' - not sure I like that idea although maybe in practice it works well. I always used aftermarket cables with my JH13pro for sound quality, aesthetics, and particularly usability (resistance to knots mostly). I definitely want an ICX/MMCX type connection over 2-pin this time around.
After spending many hours here and at Headfonia learning about how the CIEMs market has changed in the past 10 years, I still need some help. Mainly on which company is offering the best product and customer service these days, and where to jump in within their product line. Usually the mid-upper range is the best bang for the buck, but my budget is flexible and would spend more if there is a significant return on the added investment for audilophile use. These are not going to be used for professional purposes, nor do I require significant custom work for my shells, which willl be ordered in a transparent material so I can admire the mechanicals.
Back when I bought my the JH13Pro, I think most high end IEMs used BA drivers exclusively, but now I see some dynamic and hybrid options which seem interesting in concept, although Igetting phase alignment and crossovers to behave with mixed drivers sounds challenging. And there is clearly a trend towards more drivers, although I wonder how much of that is for sonic improvement versus marketing lingo; more isn't necessarily better. I don't listen extremely loud, and generally prefer female vocal, instrumental piano, and electronic music. I do listen to some classical and rock, as well as a little pop (mainly Lana Del Rey and Adele), but not really any rap, hip-hop/R&B, jazz, or EDM. I have been using an Oppo HA-2SE DAC/amp with my IEMs, which seems decent for the money, but a new DAC/amp will likely be the next upgrade once I replace the lost IEMs.
JHAudio - JH13ProV2, Jolene/Layla ?
64Audio - A12T, A18S/A18T ?
UltimateEars - UE18+ Pro, UE Live ?
When I got home the case was empty, IEMs and custom cable weren't in it. I was hoping they would turn up in the airline lost and found, particularly being customs, but no such luck. On the bright side, I got many years of good use from them, and now it is time to upgrade!My 13Pro went back for one refit and subsequently two repairs over the years - once for driver/crossover failure with dropout of midrange group, and once for damaged connector from the fragile 2-pin plug. Their customer service was great so I am happy to be a repeat customer, and I asked if they still had my molds but alas those were discarded after 10 years. The new 7-pin connector looks way more robust but I assume that means no more aftermarket cable options because of the proprietary design and also the 'Variable Bass Attenuator' - not sure I like that idea although maybe in practice it works well. I always used aftermarket cables with my JH13pro for sound quality, aesthetics, and particularly usability (resistance to knots mostly). I definitely want an ICX/MMCX type connection over 2-pin this time around.
After spending many hours here and at Headfonia learning about how the CIEMs market has changed in the past 10 years, I still need some help. Mainly on which company is offering the best product and customer service these days, and where to jump in within their product line. Usually the mid-upper range is the best bang for the buck, but my budget is flexible and would spend more if there is a significant return on the added investment for audilophile use. These are not going to be used for professional purposes, nor do I require significant custom work for my shells, which willl be ordered in a transparent material so I can admire the mechanicals.
Back when I bought my the JH13Pro, I think most high end IEMs used BA drivers exclusively, but now I see some dynamic and hybrid options which seem interesting in concept, although Igetting phase alignment and crossovers to behave with mixed drivers sounds challenging. And there is clearly a trend towards more drivers, although I wonder how much of that is for sonic improvement versus marketing lingo; more isn't necessarily better. I don't listen extremely loud, and generally prefer female vocal, instrumental piano, and electronic music. I do listen to some classical and rock, as well as a little pop (mainly Lana Del Rey and Adele), but not really any rap, hip-hop/R&B, jazz, or EDM. I have been using an Oppo HA-2SE DAC/amp with my IEMs, which seems decent for the money, but a new DAC/amp will likely be the next upgrade once I replace the lost IEMs.
JHAudio - JH13ProV2, Jolene/Layla ?
64Audio - A12T, A18S/A18T ?
UltimateEars - UE18+ Pro, UE Live ?
