Apologies for taking so long, but here we finally go with a
Jerry Harvey AION series shootout!
As usual,
biases and disclaimers: I purchased all three units myself from different dealers and sources - JH isn't so much as aware of this shootout being a thing, but my spirit guide told me they'd love a positive review and promised me a long and prosperous life if I shill them
I'm joking - all three reviews will be quite positive, and the bias to disclose here is mostly just an allignment of my current preferences and JH's house tuning. They all have extremely linear mids, with a great balance between the lower and upper midrange, with excellent technical ability, and a certain raw, referential presentation that I've really been vibing with the past few weeks/months.
1. JH JIMI AION (bass pod at 100% cause momma didn't raise a quitter)
Honestly, I could just about leave the JIMI as "as advertised" lol. Electric, thick, extremely engaging, fits electric guitars especially well. It did however surprise me in more ways than one.
I asked a few people who I knew have heard it about what it is like, and they all mentioned that thickness and texture. While I do agree, I think the JIMI's versatility is somewhat underrated, and the IEM as a whole is most certainly 100% underrated to me.
Firstly, on general presentation and tonality, the JIMI is pretty warm, especially once you pump up the bass, with a midrange that edges on on warm - of the three AIONs, it is definitely the warmest or "wettest" midrange. The bass too is quite balanced, with a pretty natural and pleasant decay, a good amount of punch and great extension.
The treble on the JIMI has pretty good quality and zing, which makes it very engaging to listen to, but to me is lacking some extension. It's not even like it rolls off, it literally just drops off a cliff at one point - you hear the cymbal crash, but a part of it is literally missing as opposed to it fading out like it does on other IEMs that lack some upper treble
All around, I found the JIMI to have a lot of things in common with the MW10 Andromeda back when I had it. They both had a tuning > technicalities focus and they're both tuned really, really well. Where the JIMI to me comes ahead (and in a way becomes a MW11 of sorts), is in that the JIMI's thickness isn't quite as overdone, and it sports a much, much wider and more spacious soundstage, so instruments don't blend together as much.
The problem with the JIMI is basically the same problem with just about everything around 1100$ - the Andromeda 2020 exists, and the second hand U12t's go for like 1200-1300$. While the JIMI does have some things to offer over the Andromeda 2020, it has basically nothing on the U12t in any shape or form.
Verdict: great overall, maybe a little more specialized than what I'd consider optimal and would be rather great if it had some more treble extension - it is pretty much the only thing it is actively lacking.
2. JH Roxanne AION (bass pod a little over 50%)
Spoiler alert: of the three AIONs this is by far my favourite, and it is one of the better IEMs I've experienced of just about anything I've heard ever. The Roxanne is a really interesting monitor - it's a sort of sweetspot between a highly referential presentation and a really fun, engaging frequency response. While it is aimed at rock and metal, I found it actually suits a whole bunch of other genres as well, while performing adequately with just about anything you throw at it
The Roxanne's bass is quite mid-bass focused, and I personally enjoy that - it is also one of the things that I particularly love about the A18S, and there's generally a number of parallels between the two IEMs. It has a really pronounced punch and "boom" - it doesn't spill over in the mids as long as you don't go above 75% on the knob or so, but it is also very clearly audible. You can hear exactly where each drum hit happens which to me is essential for rock and metal. The bass is also extremely tight and fast, so you get exceptional imaging in the lows, able to keep up with the busiest and muddiest of recordings.
I think I have a bit of a soft spot for BA bass that sounds like BA bass. My all time favourite lows are on the A18S, and the Roxanne comes somewhat close to that presentation in terms of both quantity and quality. The speed of the bass also contributes to the referential presentation I mentioned earlier, but more on that later
The midrange on the Roxanne is once again very, very linear and balanced. You have no forwardness of any kind, and depending on how much bass you want, it will either be slightly or highly recessed. While that fits rock especially well, it does exceptionally well with rap, hip hop and the likes, as well as more pop-y genres. The midrange is mostly a connecting frequency here, it doesn't really demand any attention and is mostly built to keep up with recordings as opposed to showing off its own capabilities. It can be a little thin at times, especially depending on your choice of tips.
The treble on the Roxanne is pure awesomeness, and exactly the way I enjoy it - with a heavy bias towards the upper treble. The Roxanne is an ever so slightly bright monitor to my ears, with really good extension that makes cymbals shine.
In terms of technical ability, the Roxanne delivers and then some. The soundstage is massive, and the tuning makes its perception even more disproportionately large. The somewhat thinner notes give you a lot of separation and space, the exaggerated sense of air contributes further to that, and the general speed of the monitor really seals the deal. To add to that, the extremely linear and slightly recessed midrange gives you even more perception of width and depth. I absolutely love that about the Roxanne.
Dynamics are good, but not at the level of the A12t. Despite that it delivers a ton of detail, and for the first few days of listening I was noticing a whole bunch of things in tracks that the Roxanne was highlighting but I hadn't noticed as clearly before.
The Roxanne is what I'd personally consider to be a V-shaped reference monitor. I haven't really heard that particular quantative/qualitative combination before, but needless to say, I'm sold. Absolutely love it.
Verdict: Recommended, pretty easily. I have mine up for sale to fund it as a CIEM, but depending on sale price I might just keep the AION version since I love the sound as is. Especially if you're looking for something for metal/rock, there are very few monitors I can clearly say would do better than the Roxanne.
3. JH x AK Layla AION
The Layla is a tough one. I absolutely can't say I dislike it, but I'm just missing a little something to really click with it.
Firstly what I expected - pretty much all my HF friends that had heard it described it as a very cold, pure reference monitor that was great for mixing and pro work, but not so much for audiophiles. Weirdly enough, between the Layla and the Roxanne, I found the latter to be closer to a cold reference IEM despite its very fun FR. The best description I can give of the Layla is an A12t with its treble shifted more towards the lower register than the upper registers
The Layla AION, to me, is actually a very pleasant all-rounder IEM that works pretty much with anything and everything. Its bass has an organic and natural feel to it, with good impact, great extension and a pleasant decay. It does a pretty good job of simulating a somewhat tight and shy DD.
The midrange of the Layla follows suit. Slightly warm, extremely linear much like the JIMI and Roxanne and again, quite natural and organic.
The treble of the Layla is as the reviews state more focused on the lower treble, but to my ears never even approaches sibilance or harshness of any kind. It's quite smooth and inoffensive, definitely more shelved than that of the Roxanne.
The Layla is pretty technical, I'd say the one thing that stands out most is its dynamics. Great separation as well, and a decently spacious soundstage. Honestly a little more upper treble would go a long way in making it feel more spacious and clean, but I am also quite biased in that respect because I tend to enjoy extremely exaggerated upper treble and pretty shelved lower treble.
The Layla to me is an IEM that was designed to be the only IEM you own, a bit like the Erl - nothing about it really stands out to me, but the overall package works really well together and can pull off just about anything you throw at it very well. Idk, while I do generally only go for IEMs that are able to work well with all my music, I am missing a little "identity" - something I can point to and say, "damn I absolutely love this about the Layla"
Verdict: At full MSRP, 3500 euros - no way I can recommend it considering a U/A12t goes for like half that. At the price of a U12t, which is pretty much what it goes for on the second hand market now, I'd say it comes down to preference above all. The Layla has a slightly more inviting midrange, with a little more lower treble, at the expense of some of that gorgeous tia treble the A12t comes with. I personally prefer the 64, but I can definitely see the place that the Layla would have in the market
Verdict on the JH AION lineup
I am generally surprised the AIONs have received this little attention. I do find that all three of them are between slightly and highly overpriced. The Roxanne and JIMI I'd personally put around 300$ lower (before discount) than they are currently. The Layla to me is a great alternative flavor to the Roxanne, and as such should be priced as an alternative flavor to the Roxanne. I.e, around 2000-2300$.
In terms of rankings... I'd keep the Layla as a T2 along with the demo Layla that I tried at canjam back in 2019. The Roxanne I'm divided between a low Tier 1 and a high Tier 2. JIMI, either a great Tier 3 or a low Tier 2.
