[Goofyboy84]

I currently have Westone UM3Xrc universal IEMS… I’m currently upgrading to JH audio Laylas. From what I’m reading… this is a whole new animal… for me. It’ll be hooked up to an Audioquest Cobalt DAC also. The Laylas will be here in mid December.

I know the Laylas are lower impedance than the Westone’s. Will they technically be louder? I’m curious. I don’t know if I’m asking this correctly or not. If not, I’m sorry.

And yes, I’ll let you know what I think… when they come.

I know the Laylas sensitivity is a bit lower than the Westone’s.

117db/mw for the Layla at 20 ohm plus an additional 15DB from the bass attenuator.. if need be.

124db/mw for the UM3X at 56 ohm

Can someone kindly explain this to me? Or point me in the right direction so I can learn a bit more?

My music source is iPhone 12 Pro Max… but it’ll have the Audioquest Cobalt tied to it also.

Thank you! Zach

 

[gikigill]

The Cobalt and the Apple DAC will handle both easily. I power my Layla/Lola/Angie/Roxanne/Michelle from phones and they work just fine.

Even my JH16/FP power off a phone easily.

In essence, I dont believe there is a JH IEM that needs a lot of power and from my ownership of Westone W40/Pro50/B50 they run easily off practically anything.

I personally would go with the Apple DAC or a dedicated DAP as I use an AK Kann and Shanling M6.

 

[Goofyboy84]

And what would an outside source player do for me? I’m not trying to sound rude, please don’t take it that way. I have High resolution/lossless files from Apple Music now.

This comparison may be more once I get them in my hands in a few weeks. The Westone UM3X have served me well. I just want an upgrade… and so I snagged the Black Friday deal from JH. I figured might as well get what I want this time… VS wishing I would have later down the road.

I think I’m set for now… but I may do a desk amp later on. That’s another topic for a different day.

Thank you so much.. so far!

 

[gikigill]

I use a separate DAP just to ensure a better experience and sound quality, not to mention the 3.5mm and balanced jacks instead of fiddling with DAC wires and so on plus your choice of audio player such as Neutron, Jetaudio Plus and Poweramp and Poweramp EQ in my case to finetune EQ.

The Shanling M6 supports Apple Music and the convenience of USB-C charging for my phone and the M6 makes it a handy choice not to mention no additional wires for the DAC plus BT if you wan to use it with TWS/Bluetooth IEMs and headphones.

You can look into something cheaper such as a Fiio M3/M5.

 

[Goofyboy84]

Would you mind if I pick your brain a bit further with a couple of other questions?

If someone else wants to help, that’s awesome also!

I have the Audioquest Cobalt here, and just waiting for my Laylas, which should arrive around mid December.

Im looking at the SCHIIT audio Asgar 3 amplifier with the multibit DAC put into it.

Is it a bit overkill? Sure! But… I presume if I set it to LOW gain, since my IEM impedence is 20ohm, I should be ok, correct?

Im using the 64” 7 pin cable for when I’m out and about, but also bought a 48” 7 pin cable for when I’m in the house listening with my desk amplifier, if the cable length makes a difference. I don’t care AS much outside as I would here in the house, so that’s why I did the shorter one.

I don’t want to throw too much power at the Laylas… as I don’t know their capabilities yet.

If you would like to shed some light on this, I’d appreciate it. Thank you all so much, so far.

Zach

 

[gikigill]

I have the Asgard 3 and its way way too powerful for the Layla. Try the Cayin RU6 instead for a R2R DAC.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cayin-ru6-r-2r-usb-dongle-dac-with-head-amp.960113/

Any amp putting out 100mw should be sufficient so go for quality instead of quantity.

 

[Goofyboy84]

I have the Asgard 3 and its way way too powerful for the Layla. Try the Cayin RU6 instead for a R2R DAC.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cayin-ru6-r-2r-usb-dongle-dac-with-head-amp.960113/

Any amp putting out 100mw should be sufficient so go for quality instead of quantity.

Would you do this over the cobalt by Audioquest, for portability also? If so, I’ll return my Audioquest tomorrow.

 

[gikigill]

Probably yes, the RU6 is multibit if thats what you want.

 

[Goofyboy84]

Probably yes, the RU6 is multibit if thats what you want.

I was gonna do multibit in the Asgard 3. I will return the Cobalt tomorrow, once that refund clears, then I’ll get the Cayin RU6. I’ll save just a little money in that alone.

I still might do the Asgard, or something like it as a nice desktop amp. But with the Cayin, for now, I should be a bit better off rather than the Cobalt.

I’m adding a 4.4mm balanced cable to my Layla order as we speak.

Thank you for all of your help so far! I appreciate it. And if you have more thoughts or ideas, I’m here.

I just wanna get it correct the first time so I don’t have to purchase stuff constantly. Quality over quantity.

Thank you!! Zach

 

[gikigill]

No worries Zach, let me know how you go.

 

[Goofyboy84]

No worries Zach, let me know how you go.

I will, absolutely. And I HOPE I’m blown away… as in a WOW factor compared to my Westone UM3X, no DAC, no amp, just the iPhone 3.5mm to lightning dongle.

Do you have or run a “desktop/full-size” amp? I’m just curious.

 

[Goofyboy84]

No worries Zach, let me know how you go.

I DID have a question about the USB part, but I figured that part out. I didn’t know how to delete this reply, so I edited it.

Once everything comes in, I’ll be out of y’all’s hair and be silent again for a few years, perhaps! Hahaha!!!

Thank you again.. Zach

 

[gikigill]

I will, absolutely. And I HOPE I’m blown away… as in a WOW factor compared to my Westone UM3X, no DAC, no amp, just the iPhone 3.5mm to lightning dongle.

Do you have or run a “desktop/full-size” amp? I’m just curious.

I run a few. Check my profile for more details.

 

[Goofyboy84]

I run a few. Check my profile for more details.

I see you have…. A few!

Would you care if I PM you a question or 2?

 

[gikigill]

No worries mate, PM when you're ready.

Just a heads up that this collection was built over 20 years. It's a labour of love.