JH Audio in ears?? Anyone using these?

Brim · #1 10-14-2009, 01:15 PM

Has anyone here on TB tried in ears from JH Audio? The JH13pro are all the rave on the Hi-Fi headphone forums, but I can't find any info on the other models (think entry level) from a musicians perspective. Jerrry Harvey is the same dude who started Ultimate Ears (now owned by Logitech).

www.jhaudio.com

Comments....thoughts....reviews?

GinBassPlayer · #2 10-14-2009, 02:13 PM

i read the homepage intro and literally drooled.....

GinBassPlayer · #3 10-14-2009, 02:24 PM

does anyone have $1099 I can borrow... I'll pay you back I promise...

Brim · #4 10-14-2009, 08:14 PM

Anyone actually ordered a pair of JH monitors? Wondering how they compare to UE or Westone customs from a bass player's view. For what it's worth, my main and only bass is a 5-string Dingwall which sounds INCREDIBLE through the house and my rig. But....the big issue for me is how it will sounds through tiny little in ear monitors, universal fit or custom molds. I'm leaning towards custom molds at this point (especially since I sold off some extra gear and my Paypal is bloated!!)

Since I don't want to spend too much and this is my first foray into in ear monitors as well as custom molds, I'm kinda eyeing the UE7 and JH7 (dual lows, single high) or the very entry level UE4 or JH5 (low / high).

GinBassPlayer · #5 10-15-2009, 09:14 AM

I have the M-Audio IE30's and they work awesome.. i had to have custom ear molds made though cause they only come with the detachable universals, and that was an addtl $100... all in all I have a quality dual driver canalphone with custom molds for $325.. if you have the money, UE or maybe the JH phones are the way to go, but they cost 2-3x as much...

Brim,
I about 6 months of blood, sweat, tears, more sweat, some F words, some white flags, and more tears ahead of you in the IEM process... spent many hours down in my "bass guitar lab" and I've made quite a bit of progress towards getting a nice tone and fat low end in my ears...so feel free to ask away, or you could search these boards as I've posted quite a bit about my trials and tribs (as have others)...

MNAirHead · #6 10-15-2009, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GinBassPlayer

Brim,
I about 6 months of blood, sweat, tears, more sweat, some F words, some white flags, and more tears ahead of you in the IEM process... spent many hours down in my "bass guitar lab" and I've made quite a bit of progress towards getting a nice tone and fat low end in my ears...so feel free to ask away, or you could search these boards as I've posted quite a bit about my trials and tribs (as have others)...

Very honest statement.. folks are expecting immediate gratification and forgetting they're working under a sound microscope

GinBassPlayer · #7 10-15-2009, 10:02 AM

you got it dude... 3 most important things about IEMs for bass:
1. the more expensive the IEM product, the better start you have (you get what you pay for). dual driver phones are honestly the MINIMUM requirement. those JH ears should work just fine!!! lol
2. the quality of the seal of the mold is critical (and hopefully it STAYS sealed throughout a night of sweating and singing). Doesnt matter how good the product is if you aren't sealing them correctly in your ear... you'll lose a ton of low end and tone if you have a crappy seal..., and
3. the quality of whatever monitor mixing unit you're using to send the signal to your IEM unit. (are you getting the signal from FOH monitor mix? a separate monitor mixer of some kind? ect)...

Brim · #8 10-15-2009, 12:33 PM

I just talked to Jerry Harvey himself on the phone...super nice dude. He went over a few of the models with me. For bass players, he recommends the JH7 as a starting point simply because of the dual low end driver (more efficient, more detail). The three models in the 3-way crossover design (JH13, JH11, JH10x) all have the same sound signature but as you go higher up, the detail increase because of the added drivers. He told me that he designed the UE7Pro in 1998 and it has become the standard for touring pro all over the world.

Secondly, we talked about proper impressions and a good seal. It's pointless to get a top of the line IEM and have bad impressions. Per Jerry, the impressions need to be smooth on all surfaces, no wrinkles or bubbles etc. Also a tip he mentioned was to have the audiologist push in the mold gently just after it stops being tacky in order to get that last bit of air spaces out.

One thing Jerry pointed out is that to get the best below 100hz bass response, you absoutely need a good seal because those frequencies are more apparent through bone conduction. So if I wanna hear the low B on my Dingwall, I need to have a perfect seal (or as close to it as possible).

Overall, I was very impressed with Jerry's effort to talk to me (weekend church musician) personally, especially when his client roster is full of headliners and world wide bands (Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Doobie Bros, Linkin Park, etc). Super nice guy...he even offered to have the audiologist call his cell phone directly if they have any questions during the impressions taking process.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GinBassPlayer

...3. the quality of whatever monitor mixing unit you're using to send the signal to your IEM unit. (are you getting the signal from FOH monitor mix? a separate monitor mixer of some kind? ect)...

In my church's case, I believe the Aviom mix is coming right off the FOH board (insert pass throughs or something like that, I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to audio engineering talk). Reverb and delays will be there so we can hear close to what the house is hearing. The Aviom A/D converter will be right next to the FOH mixer, compressors, eqs, limiters will be there as well. Does this sound optimal to you all? It will be easier to dial in a good mix because all the gear is stationary week to week.

MNAirHead · #9 10-15-2009, 12:41 PM

So how much for the dual driver?

Brim · #10 10-15-2009, 12:53 PM

The JH5pro is $399 (two driver: single low & single high). Check the website. That price doesn't include impressions, shipping ($20 ground UPS or $35 two day UPS), or sales tax (FL only).

One more thing. I read on head-fi.org, an audiophile forum which seems to be the only place on the web that is discussing these in ears - I think because they are new, that many JH13pro were coming back with canal tips that were too long. Users were experiencing discomfort. I questioned Mr. Harvey about this and was told that the shell molding lab had a turn over in personnel and the parameters were mistakenly changed. About 80 shells were made a bit too long. JHAudio identified the cause of the problem and corrected it. All shells are now made to correct specs. We're talking fractions of millimeters here - the fine line between too close and too far away from the ear drum.

GinBassPlayer · #11 10-15-2009, 02:34 PM

that is good stuff Brim! wow! way to come strong direct from the horse's mouth! yes, that is very impressive that JH spent that much time explaining it to you.. and good to know he echoed what I'm hearing from a driver/seal/mold standpoint...

Brim · #12 10-22-2009, 07:47 PM

Sweet! JHAudio was running a promotion on Twitter - first 10 people to mention @JHAudio win $100 off a set of JH13pro ears (the 6 driver, 3 way crossover model). I was one of the ten!!! Think I might just hit that.

Brim · #13 11-17-2009, 09:31 AM

Decided to hold off on purchasing customs for a while. My church has acquired the Aviom system and with it 10 pairs of OSP EU-4 dynamic driver universal ear monitors. We'll see how these work for now. We got them for $50 each group buy or something like that! If I don't get the bass response I need, them I'll pony up for something better. Still not sure if I will go custom route ($$$).

BTW - JHAudio is developing a 16 driver (8 dual drivers, 4-way crossover) custom ear. Ridiculous.

MNAirHead · #14 11-17-2009, 10:06 PM

Fitting anything is the key.. air leak makes a difference.

Remeber to commit to about 6 months of acclimation (retraining) and practice with them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brim

Decided to hold off on purchasing customs for a while. My church has acquired the Aviom system and with it 10 pairs of OSP EU-4 dynamic driver universal ear monitors. We'll see how these work for now. We got them for $50 each group buy or something like that! If I don't get the bass response I need, them I'll pony up for something better. Still not sure if I will go custom route ($$$).

BTW - JHAudio is developing a 16 driver (8 dual drivers, 4-way crossover) custom ear. Ridiculous.

Brim · #15 11-18-2009, 08:49 PM

6 months...really? I've used universal IEMs (Shures) through an Aviom system as well as headphones through the same system when I sub for another church in my area.

wesarvin · #16 01-05-2011, 07:02 PM

Any other opinions on these? I'm torn between these or Alien Ears.

testing1two · #17 01-07-2011, 01:18 AM

For those that don't know, Jerry Harvey is the man who founded Ultimate Ears before they were bought by Logitech. Most of the heavy hitting monitor engineers I've worked with swear by his expertise and service. In fact, many of them are still using the UE10's & UE11's that he designed.

I just salivate thinking about 8 drivers per ear...good lord!