I am a big believer in synergy with all of your gear and whether or not you choose to EQ, the volume you listen to, type of sound you prefer so these all must me taken into account. Whether I am "wrong"....I just can't listen to ANY IEM at any cost without some sort of EQ tweak. That's just me. If nothing else it shows I like my sound a bit colored.
Source is Ipod latest gen Classic with Ibasso T3 analog volume, gain 1. "256" aac files. "treble booster" EQ setting.
Without trying to overanalyze, JH5 provides a big, somewhat aggressive robust sound. I like a pretty full sounding IEM. I would also use "treble booster" when using W3's as well so this shows you that JH5 is, indeed a pretty bassy, full-bodied IEM. [it has as much bass as W3] Difference (to W3) is there are no peaks or spikes to speak of anywhere in the frequency. There is not a huge amount of thunderous lower bass but the mid-bass gets down pretty low and is tight and clean, no hump. Midrange is very present...not recessed or not forward (which I do not like). With treble booster, treble is as detailed as pretty much any IEM I have heard in it's price range. Crisp, detailed and pretty smooth. I still consider JH5 a bargain version of JH16 or JH16 little brother. I think it's that good. They sound "similar" in many regards. If I had to point out the biggest most obvious difference it would be that JH16 has that crazy UM3X instrument separation feature AS WELL AS a generally large soundstage (like W3 or IE8). Take this factor away and they are really, really close.
JH5 soundstage is just slightly on the smallish side but nothing like an Ety or UM3X. More "intimate" than closed in sounding. Really NOTHING to complain about with JH5. It could use a tad more refinement but at this price I would say you are asking too much. The amp helps in this area and also brings more clarity to the whole presentation which was the real trait that deemed it "best" in my mind so I strongly recommend the amp even though it is very efficient and will blow your head off at 2/3 volume without one. Without the amp JH5 is still very good but a bit raw and edgy sounding where I may put it on more equal ground as W3 or TF10. While JH5 is a dual driver, it handles complex music just fine and equally as good as any triple driver I have heard and much better than dual driver universals. Nothing to worry about in this regard.
JH13 is by far the fastest, most detailed and transparent IEM I have ever heard but it's almost too much (for me). There is very low bass but it seems to be missing more mid-bass to add more naturality and warmth but I suspect if this was done it may intrude on the exceptional upper midrange and treble. These are (were) my impressions unamped. I would love to try again with the amp and my opinions may change but I sold it.
