[officerdoofy]

I'm thinking about picking up my first pair of custom IEMs. At this point my decision has come down to these two different monitors, but I'm having trouble deciding which ones to get. Does anyone who has heard both have any thoughts on whether the 16's are worth the extra $700? Everything I've read about the 5s says that they're an amazing monitor for the price that you pay, but at the same time the 16s have some of the best sound out there. 
 
I'll mostly be listening from a Headroom desktop amp with an upgraded module in the office and directly from my iPhone on the road.
 
Any thoughts to help me make the decision would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Tronz]

In terms of sound, it's really up to the user to say whether or not the $700 increase in price is worth it to them. Generally speaking, you'll get about a 30-40% increase in sound quality going from low-end customs to high-end.

 

[Watagump]

If money is no object, might as well go for their best.

 

[kckc]

I have the JH5 and can tell you something you've already heard, that they're great for the price as a entry level custom. But there's no doubt that there will be an improvement in sound with the JH16. Is that improvement worth the extra cash? That's really subjective, but if you have the funds then by all means go for the JH16.

 

[Spyro]

I had both at the same time (UNAMPED).  Yes, JH16's were better.  Certainly not $700 better but it's a more holographic presentation.  Actually they share the very same sound signature. JH5 is like JH16's little brother.  Unfortunately I had imbalance issues with JH16 which could not be corrected so I sold them to another poster who was having them re-shelled.
 
I since bought an amp and am floored by how it improved JH5.  So much that the amped JH5 was just about equal to the unamped JH16.  Very, very close.  Having said that I'm sure the amp improves JH16 even more but $1,200 is massive coin to spend on an IEM.
 
As the poster above said, only YOU know what it is worth with regards to your discretionary income.
 
I have had JH5, JH13 and JH16 and when all is said and done, the JH5 with a decent amp is as good a sound as I really need and I consider myself pretty picky.  It's an outstanding sound and very forgiving of all types of recordings and music.  Better than W3, W4, TF10, GR10, IE8...The #1 best IEM I have ever bought for value $$. 
 
Add a TWAG cable to JH5 and it approaches JH13-type transparency.

 

[officerdoofy]

Thanks for all of the replies. I think at this point, since they are my first custom IEM, I'm going to go with the JH5. If i find that I'm really craving a lot more then maybe one day I'll upgrade to the 16s. I'll try to post some thoughts about them once they're in my hands.

 

[jabryth]

Quote:

 
I since bought an amp and am floored by how it improved JH5.  So much that the amped JH5 was just about equal to the unamped JH16.  Very, very close.  Having said that I'm sure the amp improves JH16 even more but $1,200 is massive coin to spend on an IEM.

May I know what is the amp that you mention in this post? I am looking for an amp for my JH5.
 
Thanks a lot.

 

[Spyro]

Ibasso T3

 

[robm321]

Spyro, just wondering why you are spending so much time with the JH5 when you have the JH13/16? Have you tried the JH13/16 with amp? 
 
 

 

[Michiyo-Fir]

I have the JH5s and the JH13s.  I think the JH5s, like everyone else, is amazing for the price.  If you're a little short on money, get the JH5s, you won't be disappointed coming from a universal to the custom.
 
I upgraded from the Shure SE530s to the JH5 and found the JH5s to be an incredible upgrade.  
 
To me, the JH13s (or JH16s) is worth it as well, however, consider that you will probably have to upgrade the cable (I recommend the TWag, that's $300), also whatever you use from the amp to source will probably cost quite a lot too.
 
I use the JH5s with the stock cable and I'm happy with it, but I found the JH13s sounded significantly better with the upgraded cable.  
 
Edit:  I have found that the JH5s amped does sound better, but definitely nowhere near the JH13s amped with the TWag cable.  The bass is not as punchy, not as detailed and there's a very big difference in sound stage.  I'm sure with the JH16s, the bass will hit even harder.  I don't know if you can say that improvement is worth the money though.  

 

[robm321]

^ Had no idea the stock cable was holding the JH13s back. The price is a bit over the top considering another $300. Anyway, thanks for the input. I've been pretty happy with my Ety ER4s and I feel the JH5 although great bang for the buck would leave me wanting the JH13/16s. Guess I'll stay put for now especially with the constant influx of new IEMs that consistently flooding the market.   

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

Spyro, just wondering why you are spending so much time with the JH5 when you have the JH13/16? Have you tried the JH13/16 with amp? 
 
 

Bought JH5 first and still have it.  Then bought JH13.  I thought it was pretty amazing but found the bass lacking for a $1,200 IEM and knew I had to get the 16.  Took a loss trading the 13 for the 16.  The JH16 was definitely more up my alley but I had imbalance issues that were NOT related to fit which drove me crazy.  JHAudio could not fix it so I sold it to another member (with full disclosure) who was going to re-shell them.  So I am back to just having JH5's and very happy.  It was an expensive journey and certainly not worth it
 
I found JH5 bass much better than JH13 bass.  IMHO the TWAG is far to bulky for portable or active listening.
 
I think there were crossover issues with my JH16 and heard several other members here with exact same issue, same side.
 
 

 

[robm321]

^ I have to say you are a trooper. Sorry to hear about the painful (for the wallet) journey, but I guess we benefit here by getting an experienced comparison. I've heard too many issues for such an expensive IEM. The JHA seems to have had its drama as well. You do certainly make a case for the JH5. 
 
Thanks for the info, very informative. One more thing, have you owned the Ety ER4S? If so, I'd appreciate a comparison to the JH5. 

 

[Spyro]

Quote:

One more thing, have you owned the Ety ER4S? If so, I'd appreciate a comparison to the JH5. 

Night and day.  In direct comparison to each other?
 
ER4S:  Cold, sterile, flat. unemotional
 
JH5: Warmer, bold, robust, forward, aggressive.  Enough treble to not be looking for more

 

[robm321]

^ thanks for the comparison!