RAZ's TOTL review and rambles thread, on life support
May 19, 2021 at 4:22 AM Post #2,056 of 3,671
So, I've had the JH Jolene demo unit for a few days now, and I've been meaning to hold off on impressions until my actual unit arrives, but considering there's been a fair bit of interest I'll post a short set of thoughts, to be followed by a more complete Jolene post once I have the CIEM that isn't as fit dependent

- The first weird thing about the Jolene's bass is that if you go anywhere below 100%, it just kinda drops off a cliff. Like, at 100% it doesn't dominate the performance or sound overdone or anything, but at like 60-70% I can pretty much not hear any bass response at all. It might be that the CIEM will hit a lot harder once I have perfect seal, so there the bass knob could be useful, but in its current state, it's pretty much Prada or nada.

- I'd generally describe the Jolene as a more balanced, 2.0 Legend X. The bass texture and layering are straight up incredible, and the punch doesn't lag behind either. It doesn't have as much quantity as the Legend X, which I personally consider a good thing, since it allows the rest of the FR to have some more breathing space.

- The double DD lower midrange goes a long way to improve the coherency of the Jolene as a hybrid. Creating an IEM with a heavy DD bass response and maintaining coherency is something that I've generally found to be difficult. The Sultan and Thummim are two IEMs that I find succeed in that, since they both have a very thick midrange to match the heavy DD - the Jolene however is a step above in that respect, there's a certain effortless-ness that the DD accomplishes in its presentation of the lower midrange. Male vocals sound absolutely exceptional on the Jolene. The upper midrange feels more like a "connecting frequency," bridging the gap between that is an exceptional bass and lower midrange response, and the Jolene's treble.

The upper midrange is in no way a poor upper midrange, it just doesn't really feel like it is demanding your attention the way the majority of IEMs on the market do at the moment. Listening to female vocal heavy tracks I feel more drawn to the bass/treble and instruments surrounding them than I do to the vocals themselves (I personally enjoy that)

- The treble is really, really well extended and is also the source of the Jolene's resolution. The upper treble gives it a really good sense of air and sparkle (not quite as forward as something like the Noir, comparable but slightly behind the A18S I'd say). It also helps the staging, which is already quite wide and spacious. As all JH IEMs, I hear more width than I do depth which is a good deal for me.

Technical ability I'll refrain from discussing just yet, I want to hear the CIEM first - so far I'd rate it quite highly based on the demo, but I tend to hear a lot of changes in staging, dynamics etc when I go to CIEM from uni which is why I'm holding off

Overall though, at 17-1800$ this is an absolute steal. I feel like they could've comfortably priced it at 2500$ ++, and I still wouldn't hesitate to buy as CIEM based on what I'm hearing from the demo. It goes toe to toe with most 3-4000$ flagships that I can think of, and is in no way a compromise.

Based on the demo, highly recommended. To be updated based on the CIEM.
______________________________

Super exciting times ahead

- UM lineup review - Mest Mk2 and Mason FuSang on their way to me, should be here Friday optimistically, next week realistically. Really excited about the FS especially, been hearing incredible things about it
- MMR Balmung - Eric has been hyping me up about it, says he absolutely loved it when he heard it and is negotiating with Jo for a unit of his own. High hopes here, and that blue sword shell is just nerdgasm material
- Eletech's new TOTL woop woop new cable for my A18S? Apparently one of ET's dealers was able to try it with the 18S and said the pairing is incredible
 
May 19, 2021 at 4:45 AM Post #2,057 of 3,671
So, I've had the JH Jolene demo unit for a few days now, and I've been meaning to hold off on impressions until my actual unit arrives, but considering there's been a fair bit of interest I'll post a short set of thoughts, to be followed by a more complete Jolene post once I have the CIEM that isn't as fit dependent

- The first weird thing about the Jolene's bass is that if you go anywhere below 100%, it just kinda drops off a cliff. Like, at 100% it doesn't dominate the performance or sound overdone or anything, but at like 60-70% I can pretty much not hear any bass response at all. It might be that the CIEM will hit a lot harder once I have perfect seal, so there the bass knob could be useful, but in its current state, it's pretty much Prada or nada.

- I'd generally describe the Jolene as a more balanced, 2.0 Legend X. The bass texture and layering are straight up incredible, and the punch doesn't lag behind either. It doesn't have as much quantity as the Legend X, which I personally consider a good thing, since it allows the rest of the FR to have some more breathing space.

- The double DD lower midrange goes a long way to improve the coherency of the Jolene as a hybrid. Creating an IEM with a heavy DD bass response and maintaining coherency is something that I've generally found to be difficult. The Sultan and Thummim are two IEMs that I find succeed in that, since they both have a very thick midrange to match the heavy DD - the Jolene however is a step above in that respect, there's a certain effortless-ness that the DD accomplishes in its presentation of the lower midrange. Male vocals sound absolutely exceptional on the Jolene. The upper midrange feels more like a "connecting frequency," bridging the gap between that is an exceptional bass and lower midrange response, and the Jolene's treble.

The upper midrange is in no way a poor upper midrange, it just doesn't really feel like it is demanding your attention the way the majority of IEMs on the market do at the moment. Listening to female vocal heavy tracks I feel more drawn to the bass/treble and instruments surrounding them than I do to the vocals themselves (I personally enjoy that)

- The treble is really, really well extended and is also the source of the Jolene's resolution. The upper treble gives it a really good sense of air and sparkle (not quite as forward as something like the Noir, comparable but slightly behind the A18S I'd say). It also helps the staging, which is already quite wide and spacious. As all JH IEMs, I hear more width than I do depth which is a good deal for me.

Technical ability I'll refrain from discussing just yet, I want to hear the CIEM first - so far I'd rate it quite highly based on the demo, but I tend to hear a lot of changes in staging, dynamics etc when I go to CIEM from uni which is why I'm holding off

Overall though, at 17-1800$ this is an absolute steal. I feel like they could've comfortably priced it at 2500$ ++, and I still wouldn't hesitate to buy as CIEM based on what I'm hearing from the demo. It goes toe to toe with most 3-4000$ flagships that I can think of, and is in no way a compromise.

Based on the demo, highly recommended. To be updated based on the CIEM.
______________________________

Super exciting times ahead

- UM lineup review - Mest Mk2 and Mason FuSang on their way to me, should be here Friday optimistically, next week realistically. Really excited about the FS especially, been hearing incredible things about it
- MMR Balmung - Eric has been hyping me up about it, says he absolutely loved it when he heard it and is negotiating with Jo for a unit of his own. High hopes here, and that blue sword shell is just nerdgasm material
- Eletech's new TOTL woop woop new cable for my A18S? Apparently one of ET's dealers was able to try it with the 18S and said the pairing is incredible
Great impressions man. I'm happy the Jolene seems to be the real deal. Pity they only really look the part as CIEMs, but who knows, I may go down that road one day. Nice to have another (albeit already well established) vendor back in the mix with the big boys.
 
May 19, 2021 at 4:54 AM Post #2,058 of 3,671
Great impressions man. I'm happy the Jolene seems to be the real deal. Pity they only really look the part as CIEMs, but who knows, I may go down that road one day. Nice to have another (albeit already well established) vendor back in the mix with the big boys.
Yeah JH really took their time with this one. AFAIK there's a universal in development as well, but no known release date yet
 
May 19, 2021 at 4:55 AM Post #2,059 of 3,671
So, I've had the JH Jolene demo unit for a few days now, and I've been meaning to hold off on impressions until my actual unit arrives, but considering there's been a fair bit of interest I'll post a short set of thoughts, to be followed by a more complete Jolene post once I have the CIEM that isn't as fit dependent

- The first weird thing about the Jolene's bass is that if you go anywhere below 100%, it just kinda drops off a cliff. Like, at 100% it doesn't dominate the performance or sound overdone or anything, but at like 60-70% I can pretty much not hear any bass response at all. It might be that the CIEM will hit a lot harder once I have perfect seal, so there the bass knob could be useful, but in its current state, it's pretty much Prada or nada.

- I'd generally describe the Jolene as a more balanced, 2.0 Legend X. The bass texture and layering are straight up incredible, and the punch doesn't lag behind either. It doesn't have as much quantity as the Legend X, which I personally consider a good thing, since it allows the rest of the FR to have some more breathing space.

- The double DD lower midrange goes a long way to improve the coherency of the Jolene as a hybrid. Creating an IEM with a heavy DD bass response and maintaining coherency is something that I've generally found to be difficult. The Sultan and Thummim are two IEMs that I find succeed in that, since they both have a very thick midrange to match the heavy DD - the Jolene however is a step above in that respect, there's a certain effortless-ness that the DD accomplishes in its presentation of the lower midrange. Male vocals sound absolutely exceptional on the Jolene. The upper midrange feels more like a "connecting frequency," bridging the gap between that is an exceptional bass and lower midrange response, and the Jolene's treble.

The upper midrange is in no way a poor upper midrange, it just doesn't really feel like it is demanding your attention the way the majority of IEMs on the market do at the moment. Listening to female vocal heavy tracks I feel more drawn to the bass/treble and instruments surrounding them than I do to the vocals themselves (I personally enjoy that)

- The treble is really, really well extended and is also the source of the Jolene's resolution. The upper treble gives it a really good sense of air and sparkle (not quite as forward as something like the Noir, comparable but slightly behind the A18S I'd say). It also helps the staging, which is already quite wide and spacious. As all JH IEMs, I hear more width than I do depth which is a good deal for me.

Technical ability I'll refrain from discussing just yet, I want to hear the CIEM first - so far I'd rate it quite highly based on the demo, but I tend to hear a lot of changes in staging, dynamics etc when I go to CIEM from uni which is why I'm holding off

Overall though, at 17-1800$ this is an absolute steal. I feel like they could've comfortably priced it at 2500$ ++, and I still wouldn't hesitate to buy as CIEM based on what I'm hearing from the demo. It goes toe to toe with most 3-4000$ flagships that I can think of, and is in no way a compromise.

Based on the demo, highly recommended. To be updated based on the CIEM.
______________________________

Super exciting times ahead

- UM lineup review - Mest Mk2 and Mason FuSang on their way to me, should be here Friday optimistically, next week realistically. Really excited about the FS especially, been hearing incredible things about it
- MMR Balmung - Eric has been hyping me up about it, says he absolutely loved it when he heard it and is negotiating with Jo for a unit of his own. High hopes here, and that blue sword shell is just nerdgasm material
- Eletech's new TOTL woop woop new cable for my A18S? Apparently one of ET's dealers was able to try it with the 18S and said the pairing is incredible
What do you mean when you say if the bass goes below 100% it kind of drops off a cliff. Are you referring to volume level or the presence or intensity of bass in a song?
 
May 19, 2021 at 4:58 AM Post #2,060 of 3,671
What do you mean when you say if the bass goes below 100% it kind of drops off a cliff. Are you referring to volume level or the presence or intensity of bass in a song?
At 100% you get a good amount of bass, decently heavy punch and presence

At 70% you get no bass, as in, barely audible

On the Roxanne or Layla, when I would reduce the bass, the reduction would be more linear/proportional. With the Jolene, it's kinda all or nothing
 
May 19, 2021 at 5:00 AM Post #2,061 of 3,671
At 100% you get a good amount of bass, decently heavy punch and presence

At 70% you get no bass, as in, barely audible

On the Roxanne or Layla, when I would reduce the bass, the reduction would be more linear/proportional. With the Jolene, it's kinda all or nothing
Oohhh! Are you referring to a bass slider or switch on the Jolene itself?
 
May 19, 2021 at 5:01 AM Post #2,062 of 3,671
Oohhh! Are you referring to a bass slider or switch on the Jolene itself?
Oh that’s the JH bass pod/control. They have these two small screws on the cable where you can change the level of the bass
 
May 19, 2021 at 5:06 AM Post #2,063 of 3,671
Oh that’s the JH bass pod/control. They have these two small screws on the cable where you can change the level of the bass
Can you get aftermarket cables for the Jolene? With that unique connector?

And by 2.0 Legend X, is there a revised LX or you just mean it's like a better LX?

Any comparison to a U12T or Nio for me?

And can you let me know how female vocals like Lianne La Havas sound?

And that is all my questions Sir :D
 
May 19, 2021 at 5:11 AM Post #2,064 of 3,671
Oohhh! Are you referring to a bass slider or switch on the Jolene itself?
Ah, I misunderstood too; I was reading it as volume %
 
May 19, 2021 at 5:16 AM Post #2,065 of 3,671
Can you get aftermarket cables for the Jolene? With that unique connector?

And by 2.0 Legend X, is there a revised LX or you just mean it's like a better LX?

Any comparison to a U12T or Nio for me?

And can you let me know how female vocals like Lianne La Havas sound?

And that is all my questions Sir :D
1. Aftermarket cables you can get from Eletech and Beat Audio Lab (can’t think of a third)
1308D9B8-4C69-4245-8B0B-775D54C1AB04.jpeg

2. To me the Jolene sounds a little like a more balanced LX, with the main improvement being in the treble, which was a dealbreaker for me with the LX. Comes at the expense of some of the LX’s bass but not much

3. I have the A12t, haven’t heard the U12 in a while. The A12t is one of my all time favourite IEMs - I’d say the 12t is more technical and neutral, while the Jolene is more fun, bassy and all around exciting. If I could only own one IEM and I had to pick between the two, I’d go with the A12t because of APEX and its unreal technical ability

4. I can try them later! The Jolene is not an IEM that is especially focused on female vocals though
 
May 19, 2021 at 5:18 AM Post #2,066 of 3,671
1. Aftermarket cables you can get from Eletech and Beat Audio Lab (can’t think of a third)
1308D9B8-4C69-4245-8B0B-775D54C1AB04.jpeg

2. To me the Jolene sounds a little like a more balanced LX, with the main improvement being in the treble, which was a dealbreaker for me with the LX. Comes at the expense of some of the LX’s bass but not much

3. I have the A12t, haven’t heard the U12 in a while. The A12t is one of my all time favourite IEMs - I’d say the 12t is more technical and neutral, while the Jolene is more fun, bassy and all around exciting. If I could only own one IEM and I had to pick between the two, I’d go with the A12t because of APEX and its unreal technical ability

4. I can try them later! The Jolene is not an IEM that is especially focused on female vocals though
What setting do you go for on the Roxy? I found beyond 2oclock the bass started to get a bit intrusive
 
May 19, 2021 at 5:20 AM Post #2,067 of 3,671
1. Aftermarket cables you can get from Eletech and Beat Audio Lab (can’t think of a third)
1308D9B8-4C69-4245-8B0B-775D54C1AB04.jpeg

2. To me the Jolene sounds a little like a more balanced LX, with the main improvement being in the treble, which was a dealbreaker for me with the LX. Comes at the expense of some of the LX’s bass but not much

3. I have the A12t, haven’t heard the U12 in a while. The A12t is one of my all time favourite IEMs - I’d say the 12t is more technical and neutral, while the Jolene is more fun, bassy and all around exciting. If I could only own one IEM and I had to pick between the two, I’d go with the A12t because of APEX and its unreal technical ability

4. I can try them later! The Jolene is not an IEM that is especially focused on female vocals though
Thank you Sir.

I think I want a better Nio. Fairly sizeable bass, but still plenty of midrange and balance

The Meat MK2 was super cool, but midrange let me down a bit.
 
May 19, 2021 at 5:24 AM Post #2,068 of 3,671
What setting do you go for on the Roxy? I found beyond 2oclock the bass started to get a bit intrusive
The Roxanne I started off with around 3pm, but kept decreasing it little by little - settled around 2pm as well, at higher levels it starts eating into the soundstage and detail, and at 100% it becomes quite muddy

The Jolene on the other hand feels like it sounds most like itself at 100%


Thank you Sir.

I think I want a better Nio. Fairly sizeable bass, but still plenty of midrange and balance

The Meat MK2 was super cool, but midrange let me down a bit.
I’ll be able to update you on how it compares to the MEST Mk2 soon. I’d recommend a used Andromeda S or acoustune 1695Ti for female vocals actually. You can get it way cheaper than any of the above as well
 
May 19, 2021 at 5:37 AM Post #2,070 of 3,671
Oh I don't need a female vocal focussed one. Just not disappointing there. I listen to a lot of rock, prog, metal, EDM, soul etc. Needs to be jack of all trades.
Jack of all trades? You won’t find much better than the A12t then, possibly A18S if you want a little more treble, midbass and staging
 

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