So it sounds like the Roxanne universals are not too good, compared. I think I know the answer based on this thread, but is the jump in price from the 13 custom to Roxanne custom worth it?
To me, yes, it is worth it. I could easily hear the difference between the two even in the noise of canjam last year. The bass pots are a plus, too. IMHO
I doubt it since my customs sound like gravy. Plus the 6+ has under 3 ohms of OI, so it should be plenty low not to cause any serious response shift. Even the 846, which is notoriously low impedance and picky, sounded great. The AKR03 was like... how can I describe this... I put it on, turned the pot down to 12pm, which is where I like it, and gave up on it after a minute. By comparison, I spent a good 15-20 minutes with the 846 (to be fair it was my second audition of them) and at least 40 minutes with the W60 (which I ended up buying for my wife later on). And still neither sounds quite as good as my custom Roxanne.
I'm thinking that a plausible reason for the AKR03 sounding so bad to me is that I have a relatively small ear canal (so think about that if you're thinking of getting them, because it's like putting a broomstick in your ear), and I could not insert the tips of the AKR03 more than a 4-5mm into my canal. I got a seal but my insertion was probably too shallow, and they were extremely uncomfortable.
I guess you hit the spot when you say about fitting being an issue with AKR03 if you have small ears. Not my case because I have big ears and insertion is the deepest I have ever experienced without hurting ear canal, really impressive. Never had a CIEM, but I guess it comes cloth. Soundstage is comparable to 1plus2 and for me, much better than Shure 846.
Although being huge, seal and fit are perfect. AKR03 is the type of IEM that grown on you with time, it would never impress me in a quick audition. Never listened Roxanne Universal though.
So it sounds like the Roxanne universals are not too good, compared. I think I know the answer based on this thread, but is the jump in price from the 13 custom to Roxanne custom worth it?
It depends on what you are upgrading from. The JH13 is a great sounding piece already and not too far behind the Roxanne. The Roxanne's strengths are better high frequency extension (bigger sound stage and less congested), and of course user adjustable bass. So yea, overall it's a better sounding piece.
Now, having said that, I would never pay full price for the Roxanne. I got them on sale and so I don't regret my purchase one bit, but nowadays competing universals have gotten way too close for TOTL custom products to warrant a $600 markup. Actually, make that a $1K+ markup if you live outside of the US. A few years back we didn't have a choice, the then TOTL universals were no match for TOTL CIEMs. So I found it justifiable to pony up the extra $600 for better sound and a custom fit too. But today, that quality gap has narrowed significantly, and we are truly at the door steps of diminishing returns.
So it sounds like the Roxanne universals are not too good, compared. I think I know the answer based on this thread, but is the jump in price from the 13 custom to Roxanne custom worth it?
To my ears, Roxanne is an upgrade from 13. IMO, the nearest replicate of Roxanne custom sound is lcd3 fazor. There are many TOTL earphones with similar or higher price tag. In the Value perspective, I think the user needs to demo various price bracket Earphone to determine. For that amount of money, you get similar or better sound signature you enjoys. E.g. I enjoyed fitear 335dw/sr. But it's 1.5 times more than roxanne in SG. I enjoyed lab 1 but the isolation is not as good as custom,the Weston or shure. I used it daily for commuting. To me it's value for money as 1) I use it daily. 2) it serves my needs commuting 3) I really enjoys Roxanne sound signature the more I listen to.
I bought it during last year black friday. 10 months of wait and multiple refits and I finally started to enjoy the iem. From this perspective, I wouldn't wish to go through the cheap experience and definitely not in line with my value proposition. But I'm glad jh has their back log cleared. I wouldn't wish another potential user to experience that black friday experience again.
I have very large ear canals and I also have the Roxanne UF. With JVC Spiral Dot tips and a balanced cable (from earphonesolutions.com) to my AK240, the result is amazing. Soundstage like a full size headphone. It reminds me most of the LCD-2.2.
You guys should reakky save your money for ear-canal size upgrades. Then you can buy universals and enjoy the higher resale value.
I have the standard Roxanne Universals and like I and several others have said on here before, out of the box they likely won't sound good. I'm talking like oh no I may have made a big mistake bad. So a quick audition may give you a false impression of them. However once you hit the 100 hour mark or so along with finding the right tips its like someone flipped a switch. The dark, muddied feel and harshness of the high mids disappears and suddenly they are awesome. So they definitely require some time before they really open up and sound like they're intended.
I came from the JH11 Pros and the Roxanne Unis are a step up but its not a monumental difference. The biggest difference is the Rox feels more like the sound surrounds you as opposed to a more closed in feeling with the 11s. Also the instrument separation is another aspect that stands out. The 11s were very good at this but that surround sound feel reveals even more detail. Ultimately if I had it to do over I'd get the custom Rox over the universal. Even though I have no real issue with fit, these things are still massive and not as comfortable for long listening sessions as a smaller universal or custom.
I have the standard Roxanne Universals and like I and several others have said on here before, out of the box they likely won't sound good. I'm talking like oh no I may have made a big mistake bad. So a quick audition may give you a false impression of them. However once you hit the 100 hour mark or so along with finding the right tips its like someone flipped a switch. The dark, muddied feel and harshness of the high mids disappears and suddenly they are awesome. So they definitely require some time before they really open up and sound like they're intended.
I came from the JH11 Pros and the Roxanne Unis are a step up but its not a monumental difference. The biggest difference is the Rox feels more like the sound surrounds you as opposed to a more closed in feeling with the 11s. Also the instrument separation is another aspect that stands out. The 11s were very good at this but that surround sound feel reveals even more detail. Ultimately if I had it to do over I'd get the custom Rox over the universal. Even though I have no real issue with fit, these things are still massive and not as comfortable for long listening sessions as a smaller universal or custom.
Problem with Uni is the tips. You have to find the right one for you or Roxanne will sound bad. Brain burn in also contributes but not as much as bad fitting tips.
LOL that's exactly what I said to myself "Oh no I may have made a BIG mistake bad"
The magic moment came just after 300 hours burn in. I took a listen at 100 hours, and then at 200 hours, they are still dark and muddy but after 300 hours it was like wow! is this the same pair of Rox!
I've got about 300 hours on them, and they really sounded great at 200, but I think they're in full bloom at 300. It's a great match with the DX90. I'd really like to get a nice silver cable and see how it does.
I've had mine for 5 months now and have probably close to 400 hours on them. You guys are right it was the 200 hour mark when things all the sudden clicked. Cause it was a good two months before I really started loving them.
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