FiiO x Jade Audio JD1

MatAudiophiles

Fiio/Jade audio JD1​

Fiio/Jade audio JD1
INSTAGRAM: LINK

Prelude:
Fiio is a brand that cares about virtually every user. He tries to reach everyone in a comprehensive and thoughtful way. Thus, it offers its products not only to people with a rich wallet, but also to those with a slightly smaller appetite for spending. JD1 is a budget option for USD 15. This is an interesting alternative and proposition for stage artists or young people who often change headphones. That’s why I decided to take a closer look at this proposition and assess for myself whether you can find something interesting in the world of headphones for under 20 USD.

Unboxing:
The headphones themselves come to us in a small, colorful package, inside you will find the headphones themselves, one pair of tips in sizes S, M, L and a detachable cable with a microphone in the 0.78 mm standard. The headphones themselves are nice and fit perfectly in the ears. The outer panels are made of metal, and the interior can be easily seen thanks to beautiful transparent domes. The headphones themselves are made in the OTE standard, which means that the cable is worn behind the ear. The biggest cost cuts can be seen in the sloped cable. It’s not bad, but it is a bit stiff, but otherwise it looks good. So when it comes to equipment, we will find everything that is most important without unnecessary extras, but I think that they are completely unnecessary in budget equipment, where it is better to allocate a larger budget for tuning the headphones than to use essentially unnecessary accessories.

Sound:

Bass: The lower bands are strong, they hit the point strongly, but unlike other cheap headphones, they remain not only elegant but also do not take away from the joy of listening to the other bands, especially the midrange. I wouldn’t call the JD1 very bassy, I would rather describe their lower bands as slightly enhanced, which translates into great performance in electronic music, rock and pop.

Midrange: The mid-range tones remain very clear and show a warmer and natural character. The amount of information in the mid-frequency range is quite large considering the price of the headphones, and the music scene is satisfyingly deep, the width is moderate, but such an intimate presentation also has a lot of advantages and I personally like it very much. The instruments are well separated and have a natural and smooth timbre with a bit of warmth.

High tones: They can be slightly metallic, but it is completely marginal. Apart from that, they sound very smooth and are not harsh or unpleasant. In this price budget, it is one of the best options when it comes to consistency and purity of presentation. The highs show a lot of information and show great performance. Please remember that it is still 15USD and the mentioned metallicity is not a mistake, but can only be heard to a very marginal extent. I also like the clean and natural presentation of string instruments.

Comparisons:

Fiio/Jade audio JD1 (14.99USD) VS KZ ZST (29USD)
KZ are much more bassy, they also emphasize the sharp and metallic texture of the treble to a greater extent, while the Fiio in the JD1 model focuses on a pleasant and natural presentation. According to my personal preferences, I definitely liked Fiio more.

Fiio/Jade audio JD1 (14.99USD) VS FiiO FH1S (59USD)
FH1S are great headphones, but in terms of the naturalness and consistency of tuning in the JD1 model, you can see and hear a lot of work that Fiio put into tuning new products. Although the FH1S boasts greater technical performance, the JD1 makes up for it with musicality and tuning consistency and a lower price. However, I like both pairs very much and recommend listening to them.

Fiio/Jade audio JD1 (14.99USD) VS kbear sk1 (9.99USD)
Once again, fiio wins primarily with a more natural and pleasant tuning. Sk1 are more bassy and provide more entertainment in the low bands, but this comes at the expense of other frequencies, which translates into greater tonal balance in JD1.


Insulation and power:
In terms of insulation, Fiio JD1 provide a very good result, in fact, with a good selection of tips, they are able to completely isolate us from the surroundings. We don’t have to worry about performance either, because these are very efficient headphones that do not require additional amplifiers to drive.

Summary:
JD1 are interesting headphones that have been very well priced and represent a warm, natural sound with a slight bass tint. Their consistent and uniform tuning character and very good wearing comfort allow me to evaluate JD1 as a very interesting and well-thought-out design. If someone is looking for a budget solution and does not want to go for higher models of headphones, they will find many interesting and interesting solutions in JD1. Among other things, excellent value for money and excellent low end. As for the disadvantages, maybe the treble can be slightly metallic at times, at this price, but it’s hard to describe it as a disadvantage, it’s rather a feature of these headphones. The ease of driving and versatility of the JD1 additionally increase their usefulness in my opinion and allow me to consider the JD1 even more as a great and recommendable product.

FIIO / Jade Audio JD1
$15
1DD

First, I want to thank FIIO for sending me this IEM in for review, rest assured, the review is 100% my own personal opinion.

If you're interested on this IEM, you can check it here
https://www.jadeaudio.com/J1?product_id=65&_l=en
Unboxing
Build Quality


The faceplate is made from zinc alloy faceplate, while the rest of the body is mainly plastic, It is very lightweight, weighing only at 7g each, but its till maintains to feel solid in hands.



While the cable itself is just OK, it has a mic with 3 button controller.
It uses a weird stock design for a cable, looks like a TFZ connector to me with its square base and small shroud design, but normal 0.78mm cable also works just fine.

Fitting

is very comfortable and there is no pressure build up at all, thanks to its lightweight, ergonomic and dual vent design.

Sound

Tested using : FIIO K11, Stock Cable, Stock Eartips
Music mostly from Apple Music (J-POP,J-Rock, Anisong, EDM, Rap, Metal, Jazz)
Sound in general : W-Shaped / Boosted bass, upper mid, upper treble, fun & engaging

Bass has a bass boost ranging from sub-bass – mid bass, bass presentation is very snappy, has decent punch and speedy bass, rumble is also good on the JD1, bass texture is above average for its price.

Midrange has a dip around lower midrange and boost around upper midrange area, it makes nasal sound more pronounced but never too nasally, and if you use the JD1 with very high loudness, it could sound a bit shouty at times.

Body of the male vocal is not much affected by the dip of the lower midrange, while female vocal has more sense of clarity than usual.
Instrument such as violin sounds forward has nice clarity but lacking a bit of body.
Test track (Tranquility <MODv>- nZk)

Treble has a boost on the lower treble region, dip on the mid treble then another boost on the upper region / air, it makes the JD1 sounds rather exciting and airy but never piercing.

One thing I would nitpick from the JD1 treble, it has a bit of metallic hint to it, though to be expected from a super budget price bracket.

Technicalities
Stage : Very good, it has a wide soundstage, thanks to the lower midrange dip, though stage size is non symmetrical in shape, it has more of an oval shape rather than perfect circle.

Separation & Positioning : Above average, for super budget categories, the JD1 has a decently separated sound, though while in super complex track, such as your death metal tracks, it do needs your mind to focus to find the position and separate each instruments.

Detail Retrieval : Average, not the most detailed in the super budget price bracket, but it is not lacking details either.

Imaging : Average, it sounds like 2.5D sounding, has decent object depth information but definitely not holographic.

Comparation

Hidizs MS1 Galaxy
The MS1 Galaxy has a more warm relaxed sounding compared to the JD1, the MS1 Galaxy sound presentation does not demand your attention and just flow effortlessly, while the JD1 on the other hand, kinda demands your attention and has a very fun, exciting sound overall.
Technicality wise, it's pretty close.

Conclusion

So... is the JD1 recommended for super budget categories?
It depends really on what you're looking for in an IEM.

Myself as a reviewer only giving you free data on the internet for you to process by yourself.
Though if you really want my subjective opinion,
the JD1 is recommended if you're looking for a fun, engaging presentation with forward upper midrange and clarity in an IEM.

Thanks for reaching this far !

Just in case you're Indonesian or understand Bahasa Indonesia, you can watch the video review of the JD1 here

-littlenezt.