[kenz]

   
By the time the first round of customers get their hands on the Layla, a new flagship will probably be on the horizon. 

 
 
The problem regarding this hobby, in my opinion, is the belief that the most expensive devices are usually the best. Even if I remain objective about my experiences/rewards garnered, the niggling thought that a new flagship is out there, ready to be bought, continues to rear its ugly head. I do agree that in the end, it is about how you enjoy your music through your chosen ear/headphones.
 
I believe it is important to take stock of your the situation, before it spirals out of hand. If I am perfectly happy with my Roxanne, and if the Layla fails to impress me, then I should consider the Roxanne the pinnacle of the sound signature I have sought after, or at least from a JHA perspective.

 
That's so true, Malevolent.
 
A vicious psychological cycle the profiteering industry is hoping to capitalize.
But hey, it's an open market, one that i'll gladly give to deserving players. 

 

[Malevolent]

   
Indeed, Mimouille. 
 
AK's pricing strategy is a good one for the short term, however, with the coming of newer players from Fiio, Hifiman and iBasso, not to mention the exotic ones by Cayin and more, people are going to discover high fidelity audio, need not come at the price of an arm or leg. AK could have continued their AK100 and AK120, at a lower pricing without competing with the Mark 2s, but they chose to end them. It's all about the profit margins and not the market share. Something that i feel, JH Audio, should not follow, because .. to put it shortly, isn't the way they rock their music.
 
Am sure they and others will find some form of justifying the price tag, sales will be good and all that Roxanne issues likely repeated in 2015.
It's just wouldn't feel the same. This isn't JH Audio, this is just another Korean company out to squeeze the money out of you with slightly better than average products.
 
I've been a JH fan for as long as i can remember (they call me the JH person .. yeah. loving it.) and even with the grossly priced Roxanne, i'd buy it in a heartbeat...
With Layla... i'm not so sure anymore. 
 
off-topic, the Legend R .. and the company, Earwerkz, they remind me of how Jerry and his team were, a long time ago. Great music lovers, Lotsa Fun, a whole lotta energy and when they announce their products, you feel the excitement in their message. The best part, they tell you it's not cheap but it's affordable and the best offer you can get. And guess what, they're damn right about it. 

 
I think it is very important that JHA listens to its customers, especially at an important juncture such as the one we find ourselves in, at this present moment. If JHA fans like yourself are thinking twice before laying down the big bucks for their next flagship, then this is surely a worrying trend. Sure, there will exist fans who can convince themselves that it is worth their while/money to spend more than $1k over the Roxanne, but I reckon many more will be turned away by this extremely extravagant pricing strategy.

 

[jelt2359]

I think it is very important that JHA listens to its customers, especially at an important juncture such as the one we find ourselves in, at this present moment. If JHA fans like yourself are thinking twice before laying down the big bucks for their next flagship, then this is surely a worrying trend. Sure, there will exist fans who can convince themselves that it is worth their while/money to spend more than $1k over the Roxanne, but I reckon many more will be turned away by this extremely extravagant pricing strategy.

I remember when I first got my jh13 aeons ago. Those were the days the jh family would respond to your questions and handle customer service themselves (do they still?).

Anyway, at the time jh said it was perfect. Barely 6 months later there was a perfect plus model, the jh16 because suddenly the jh13 was apparently bass light. Then jh3a. Then freqphase. Then Roxanne. And now Layla. Every single time, I hear the exact same story. "Oh how wonderful this is, so much better than before, etc etc"

It feels a lot like planned obsolescence to me, frankly. Luckily for me, I stopped watching them a long time ago.

 

[kenz]

   
I think it is very important that JHA listens to its customers, especially at an important juncture such as the one we find ourselves in, at this present moment. If JHA fans like yourself are thinking twice before laying down the big bucks for their next flagship, then this is surely a worrying trend. Sure, there will exist fans who can convince themselves that it is worth their while/money to spend more than $1k over the Roxanne, but I reckon many more will be turned away by this extremely extravagant pricing strategy.

 
If there is an option of Layla at the Roxanne price, i may consider .. which is still a big maybe. 
Perhaps they're looking to replacing their current fans with ones who can pay better.
 
 

I remember when I first got my jh13 aeons ago. Those were the days the jh family would respond to your questions and handle customer service themselves (do they still?).

Anyway, at the time jh said it was perfect. Barely 6 months later there was a perfect plus model, the jh16 because suddenly the jh13 was apparently bass light. Then jh3a. Then freqphase. Then Roxanne. And now Layla. Every single time, I hear the exact same story. "Oh how wonderful this is, so much better than before, etc etc"

It feels a lot like planned obsolescence to me, frankly. Luckily for me, I stopped watching them a long time ago.

 

jelt2359,
 
I tell you this. To-date, the JH13pro (before freqphase version), to my ears, is still the most balanced and perfect sound presentation of the entire JHA line. Period. Yes, that's even including the Roxanne into the equation. (of course, my JH13 has assist from Toxic Cable's Silver Widow. hope that's not cheating or anything.)

 

[ikilledversace]

Null

 

[Malevolent]

I remember when I first got my jh13 aeons ago. Those were the days the jh family would respond to your questions and handle customer service themselves (do they still?).

Anyway, at the time jh said it was perfect. Barely 6 months later there was a perfect plus model, the jh16 because suddenly the jh13 was apparently bass light. Then jh3a. Then freqphase. Then Roxanne. And now Layla. Every single time, I hear the exact same story. "Oh how wonderful this is, so much better than before, etc etc"

It feels a lot like planned obsolescence to me, frankly. Luckily for me, I stopped watching them a long time ago.

 
Yeah, truth be told, the same old story plays out every single time. This one is better than the last, they say. I won't doubt that the new models have improvements, slight or otherwise. Nevertheless, this doesn't negate the positive qualities of your current IEM, JH13, JH16 or Roxanne (or any others). We bought what we thought was a great IEM when it was released. That doesn't change. We can still enjoy what we have.
 
However, after this fiasco, I have learned to take what Jerry says with a grain (or shaker) of salt. Roxanne was supposed to be his TOTL for a short while. In fact, it was supposed to be the flagship of the Sirens series. Even if a new IEM was to be introduced, he could have positioned it as a successor to the JH13/16.
 
Oh well. I guess there's no point in me crying over spilt milk over this one. The train has already left the station, and whether I like it or not, the Layla will be coming, and it is JHA's new flagship. If it is good, I will certainly consider it.
 

 
If there is an option of Layla at the Roxanne price, i may consider .. which is still a big maybe. 
Perhaps they're looking to replacing their current fans with ones who can pay better.

 
This is a reality that is too grim to consider. There are too many loyal JHA fans that have been disappointed with what has transpired over the past year (late orders, poor fit issues, Layla). To be honest, ~1k may not be too much in the grand scheme of things, but to jump in price with such a big difference is a slap in the face of the many JHA fans. I guess they are counting on the blind trust/faith that many in the audiophile community place on big promises of great sound.

 

[Mimouille]

TBH as a roxanne owner myself im a little affected emotionally that JH did mention that Rox is the flagship of the Sirens series. That aside i do wonder also that there are some brands charging way more than JH does and these brands are not as reputable as JH. By reputable i mean USA=>The World. Youve got celebrities and world class musicians swearing by JH and Jerry is sort of a celebrity himself and a pioneer in ciem. JH iems are as great if not better than others. I bet jerry himself is probably shocked at what ppl are willing to pay for Fitears, VE, Noble etc

He probably has the right to do something about it because in common perception price equals quality. And then we have tons of willing buyers. Plus AK probably pulling some strings over JH like a puppet master.

Just as a comment, I own JH, Fitear and demoed all VE models, and both Fitear and VE are a step above JH in build quality, even if the CF models are better than JH's previous models.

 

[H20Fidelity]

Just as a comment, I own JH, Fitear and demoed all VE models, and both Fitear and VE are a step above JH in build quality, even if the CF models are better than JH's previous models.

I can vouch for the Vision Ears build, even their 'demo units' were outstanding pieces of craftsmanship.

 

[ikilledversace]

Null

 

[Malevolent]

But surely in build quality and sq wise not 1k over Roxanne. All these companies are charging way more than what JH does. So i do wonder how JH feels about that. Perhaps this now is how JH is reacting to it.

 
If JHA's reaction to the competition is to out price them, then I'm skeptical of the Layla's true sonic qualities. I'm not saying that this is the case, but JHA should let the Layla's abilities speak for itself. For example, the K10 is cheaper than many TOTL flagships, but it is certainly one of the best.

 

[JAG87]

   
If JHA's reaction to the competition is to out price them, then I'm skeptical of the Layla's true sonic qualities.

 
Judging by Jude's video, he could have put some higher impedance pots into the cable and slapped a titanium ring on it and voila', new sound signature!
 
Come on people, learn to recognize when something actually warrants your money. Roxanne was a HUGE upgrade to JH13 and 16. It gave you: more drivers, a much more linear impedance curve due to quad HF drivers (so better HF extension), adjustable bass, new cables that don't randomly detach like the old 2-pin connectors, and if you we're coming off a really old model it even gave you freqphase.
 
So what does another $2.5K bring to you now? ........... Titanium rings and the possibility of a slight sound improvement?
 
God damn, I should get into this business. I can just release an IEM for $10K, claim it's the best thing ever and become a millionaire.

 

[Neo Zuko]

I slept on it. I'm most likely not buying CIEMs over $2000 myself. For under $2000 I can buy an amazing set of CIEMs (The Roxanne), get Rock and Roll tuning which I think I'll like better anyway, and use the rest of that "Layla" money towards something else cool. Unless Layla is worlds upon worlds better I don't need that kind of uber expensive diminishing returns. I'm glad it exists but it's not for me.

 

[robm321]

Good posts all around. I'm really enjoying my Roxannes. I have my Ety ER4S for detailed and analytical listening. The Roxanne's were for warm, rich, liquid musical enjoyment. So, they new one won't fit my current needs.

Would be fun to hear the Layla but would never buy. Its grossly overpriced like the AK 240, but it doesn't bother me that it's out. I take no pride in where my listening devices are in the rankings. There is always a bigger fish.

Unless you own the best electronics, speakers,in the perfect listening room, you don't have the best audio system. And a system like that will run into the $100s of thousands.

So, having the "best" is a futile excersize unless you're very wealthy. The question should be, are you really enjoying your Roxanne's? I'm really enjoying mine and will continue to do so.

 

[Malevolent]

Judging by Jude's video, he could have put some higher impedance pots into the cable and slapped a titanium ring on it and voila', new sound signature!

Come on people, learn to recognize when something actually warrants your money. Roxanne was a HUGE upgrade to JH13 and 16. It gave you: more drivers, a much more linear impedance curve due to quad HF drivers (so better HF extension), adjustable bass, new cables that don't randomly detach like the old 2-pin connectors, and if you we're coming off a really old model it even gave you freqphase.

So what does another $2.5K bring to you now? ........... Titanium rings and the possibility of a slight sound improvement?

God damn, I should get into this business. I can just release an IEM for $10K, claim it's the best thing ever and become a millionaire.

To be frank, I don't think the Layla warrants anybody's money yet, save for those who have heard it.

Those who have demo'ed the Layla have mentioned that it is an IEM unlike the Roxanne. The sound signature has been tweaked/tuned to be more balanced with an overall improvement in most areas? For those seeking this sort of sound, the Layla represents an opportunity to listen to the pinnacle, the TOTL.

For example, after auditioning some of the best in the business, I have come to appreciate the K10 for its innate strengths. In return, I placed my order for one this past Black Friday. Hence, if the Layla can surpass the K10 in overall technical brilliance, it may very well be worth its asking price.

It may be an expensive pill to swallow, but in this hobby, one tends to constantly look for something better. Nevertheless, I'm perfectly happy with my Roxanne, and what it brings to the table. If the Layla sings a different tune, and a great one at that, I reckon many people will be quick to befriend this Siren.

 

[headwhacker]

The partnership with AK says it all. Throw out all logic, rack up the price then claim it the best. Voila, new flagship :tongue_smile: