[Ivabign]

I don't have any dark IEMs - as a rule - 

 
As for a shop that reshells JH Audio CIEMs - for me and a number of others - Inearz would the choice. They strive to keep the FreqPhase tuning intact. Much of the tuning is about tube bore and length - and as long as you don't have really small ears, that shouldn't be a factor - I was even able to get recessed sockets. Email or call Kaysen and she will take care of you - really nice people and USA based. (As well as 1964 Ears - it was definitely something that factored into my decision)
 
Ahhh as for the JH16FP and the V8...
 
I like them both a great deal - they both have big bass - the JH16 is bigger, the V8 is nimbler. They both have great detail in the bass frequencies - you can't go wrong with either one. I think where they diverge is in the mids and highs. The JH16 is very much like a JH13 - very sharp and accurate - almost crystalline - the V8 is also very accurate, but has a hint of warmth that the 16 doesn't share. The V8 is also a bit more forgiving of lesser recordings. Now PLEASE don't get the idea that the V8 will smooth over the music and be all warm all over - that's not the case. I used to own the Heir Audio 8A and that was a smooth and warm CIEM - now it didn't lose the details, but you had to look for them a bit. It had a very analog feel to it. The V8 is almost like the person child of the 8A and JH13/16 (I don't have a lot of experience with the 13 - I spent some time with a demo and I recognized its characteristics in my 16. As long as you are listening to music you love, either one of these is going to raise your heart rate. The sonic accuracy of CIEMs is astonishing. It is a different world (IMHO) Once you get used to putting them in your ears, Universals will lose their attraction for the most part - certainly Unis can sound amazing - but the convenience, isolation and the constancy - what I mean is they will sound the same every day, every way. No loosening - no fiddling - no tip rolling - just consistent quality sound.
 
Now ALL of this depends on a good fit - don't scrimp on impressions - I have either gone to the manufacturer (8A/4A) or an audiologist (all the others) I have never needed a refit - I have never had an issue - but I imagine most of the problems that CIEMs get hammered for stem from a lousy fit. You should be able to sing to your tunes - be able to smile at a brilliant passage - weep with joy at a recording you revisit and rediscover.
 
I've said this before - if my V8 was my only headphone - it would be a custom...

 

[M Coupe]

My 2.2 LCD and 846 make great company. Ymmv. You should definitely demo them. I am actually contemplating selling my woo audio 6 SE and LCD 2.2 because I end up listening to my 846 more often. Happy hunting.

 

[Taowolf51]

  You should try the 846 because a few people have made a favorable LCD (?) comparison. If you are in Philly, you can call your local InMotion Entertainment store at a nearby airport and see if they have an 846 for demo. If you like it, there is a place (or places) that make custom sleeves to fit the 846.
 
There's no gamble here if InMotion has a demo and Shure's customer service is top notch if you have a problem.

 
I don't think I can get to it unless I have a plane ticket, I'll look into it, though.
 
I have a feeling I won't like the 846's, though, because of how goofy their measurements are. I'm not a huge measurement nut, but I do take them into consideration when looking at gear.

 

[truckdriver]

The store in Memphis (my store) is also in a concourse, but the store employees can escort you to the store (if more than one is there). Take your iPhone 4, if you go.

 

[MyInnerEar]

"I feel like I might be nuts"
Good title

 

[Taowolf51]

  The store in Memphis (my store) is also in a concourse, but the store employees can escort you to the store (if more than one is there). Take your iPhone 4, if you go.

Interesting, I wonder if they'll do that at Philly.
 
 

My 2.2 LCD and 846 make great company. Ymmv. You should definitely demo them. I am actually contemplating selling my woo audio 6 SE and LCD 2.2 because I end up listening to my 846 more often. Happy hunting.

 
That's interesting. What do you prefer about your 846's over your LCD-2's?
 

 
Quote:

  I don't have any dark IEMs - as a rule - 

 
As for a shop that reshells JH Audio CIEMs - for me and a number of others - Inearz would the choice. They strive to keep the FreqPhase tuning intact. Much of the tuning is about tube bore and length - and as long as you don't have really small ears, that shouldn't be a factor - I was even able to get recessed sockets. Email or call Kaysen and she will take care of you - really nice people and USA based. (As well as 1964 Ears - it was definitely something that factored into my decision)
 
Ahhh as for the JH16FP and the V8...
 
I like them both a great deal - they both have big bass - the JH16 is bigger, the V8 is nimbler. They both have great detail in the bass frequencies - you can't go wrong with either one. I think where they diverge is in the mids and highs. The JH16 is very much like a JH13 - very sharp and accurate - almost crystalline - the V8 is also very accurate, but has a hint of warmth that the 16 doesn't share. The V8 is also a bit more forgiving of lesser recordings. Now PLEASE don't get the idea that the V8 will smooth over the music and be all warm all over - that's not the case. I used to own the Heir Audio 8A and that was a smooth and warm CIEM - now it didn't lose the details, but you had to look for them a bit. It had a very analog feel to it. The V8 is almost like the person child of the 8A and JH13/16 (I don't have a lot of experience with the 13 - I spent some time with a demo and I recognized its characteristics in my 16. As long as you are listening to music you love, either one of these is going to raise your heart rate. The sonic accuracy of CIEMs is astonishing. It is a different world (IMHO) Once you get used to putting them in your ears, Universals will lose their attraction for the most part - certainly Unis can sound amazing - but the convenience, isolation and the constancy - what I mean is they will sound the same every day, every way. No loosening - no fiddling - no tip rolling - just consistent quality sound.
 
Now ALL of this depends on a good fit - don't scrimp on impressions - I have either gone to the manufacturer (8A/4A) or an audiologist (all the others) I have never needed a refit - I have never had an issue - but I imagine most of the problems that CIEMs get hammered for stem from a lousy fit. You should be able to sing to your tunes - be able to smile at a brilliant passage - weep with joy at a recording you revisit and rediscover.
 
I've said this before - if my V8 was my only headphone - it would be a custom...

 
Wow, you're really making me want those two CIEM's.
 
The V8 is actually sounding like a good choice, big but fast bass is what I love. The super accuracy of the JH mids and highs sounds awesome, but if it's unforgiving, it may not be ideal. I listen to what I listen to, and while a lot of it is decent if not amazing quality (the mastering quality of Son Lux for example is absolutely amazing), I'm not the kind of person that jams to audiophile demo CD's; some of what I listen to is less than ideal, and hearing all those issues can be a letdown. However, I have mostly owned more forgiving headphones, so a more unforgiving one may vary things up nicely.
 
I called 1964 and emailed JH each with a few questions, I'll see how (and if) they respond. I'll probably reserve a V8 demo at the end of the week and see when I can try it out.
 
I'm also looking around at used JH's, we'll see what comes of that.
 
By the way, are there any standard prices for reshelling at Inearz?

 

[Ivabign]

   
Wow, you're really making me want those two CIEM's.
 
The V8 is actually sounding like a good choice, big but fast bass is what I love. The super accuracy of the JH mids and highs sounds awesome, but if it's unforgiving, it may not be ideal. I listen to what I listen to, and while a lot of it is decent if not amazing quality (the mastering quality of Son Lux for example is absolutely amazing), some of it is less than ideal, and hearing all those issues can be a letdown. However, I have mostly owned more forgiving headphones, so a more unforgiving one may vary things up nicely.
 
I called 1964 and emailed JH each with a few questions, I'll see how (and if) they respond. I'll probably reserve a V8 demo at the end of the week and see when I can try it out.
 
I'm also looking around at used JH's, we'll see what comes of that.
 
By the way, are there any standard prices for reshelling at Inearz?

$150 to reshell a custom - you can add options from there - $20 for recessed sockets is a deal.. Plus they get it done in around three weeks - faster than most shops.

 

[Taowolf51]

So you wouldn't consider the V8's to be a downgrade to the JH's in any way, just a different flavor? The treble in the V8's isn't dark at all? How does the soundstage/imaging compare between the two? I know 1964 Ears likes to promote their "3D soundstage".
 

  $150 to reshell a custom - you can add options from there - $20 for recessed sockets is a deal.. Plus they get it done in around three weeks - faster than most shops.
 

Wow, that's cheap and fast.

 

[JAG87]

   
That was my thought as well, even outside of the shipping costs and time, international shipping can be finicky sometimes, especially to places like China (I can speak from experience unfortunately).
 
Any specific reason you would steer away from the V8 and JH16? Is the bass overwhelming? Admittedly, I am a bit of a basshead, but with very high standards for the quality of said bass.
 
What were your thoughts on the JH13? Both freqphase models seem to be getting overwhelmingly high praise. How would you compare it to high-end full size headphones if you have any experience with any of them?
 
Wow, that's quite a drop. Considering it's my first CIEM, should I just look for used models and get them reshelled?

 
 
I had the JH16 and they are too bassy, the bass covers all the other frequencies. Now if you are a bass head, that may be okay for you, but for me it's not.
 
For the V8, I'm only speaking from what I can gather from their website description. The graph shows increased sub and low response, so I am going on a limb and guessing they share the same sound signature with the 16. Obviously Ivabign can give you a much better description of the V8.
 
My thoughts on the 13 was that it has a tiny bit too much bass, but it's actually enjoyable not overwhelming like the 16. The 13 is also a tad shouty/harsh (so is the 16 but the latter somewhat masks this flaw with the boosted bass), because they both have a peak somewhere between 5 and 10K. Again this is my observations, but it's actually probably the reason the 13 is liked so much. People like the visceral impact of the slight bass boost and the perceived clarity of the slight treble boost. Overall the 13 sounds much closer to my ideal than the 16, but lets just say it's still not quite there. It still sounds a bit congested (which is pretty typical of all balanced armatures) when compared with TOTL full size headphones, and compared to Roxanne which is the only BA I have heard that fixes this congestion (probably because it doesn't roll off past 12-13K and responds very well all the up the freq scale, and I can hear almost up to 19K).
 
Even though I have no experience with 1964, I would hazard saying that the V6 is probably similar to the 13, and the V8 is similar to the 16. The ES50 is a different story, which if I understood correctly from what I've read on the ES5, should sound similar to the 13 but just less shouty/harsh (which might actually be a good thing if you dislike that unnatural boost in the mid-high frequencies I mentioned). Overall though, you can't go wrong with neither the 13 or the ES50, and by virtue of guessing I would say the V6 too.
 
Since you are in the US and you can get the 1964 demos, you'd be a fool not to. Get the V6 demo, and the V8 demo if you'd like, and try them out. That should give you a fairly good idea of what the 13 and 16 sound like, plus some.
 
Good luck, hopefully you come to the right decision. If you do, you will probably end up selling your full size headphones too  

 

 

[Taowolf51]

I'm not a huge basshead, I'm an impact-and-texturehead, which usually requires a bit of a bass boost. However, I like impact and texture throughout the frequency range, so I can't have anything unusually recessed, which leads to my balanced+bass and super transient response preference. I'm also pretty adverse to any kind of muddiness.
 
Is there a fullsize headphone you would compare the JH16 or JH13 to? It's hard for me to get a reference without some kind of full size equivalent.
 
The graphs on the 1964 website shows a signature that I would like (for the V8), but I have absolutely no idea what the scale is. The FR could deviate by 8db which would be great, or 50db which would be awful. The V6 graph is odd as well, as it has that huge spike in the treble bar. I actually left 1964 a message asking if they had any measurement data lying around (considering they measure each headphone to match a specific measurement ideal acording to their video), but my guess is they won't be willing to share it with me.
 
I'm definitely going to be demoing some 1964's! I'll see if I can swing getting both the v6 and v8 at the same time, if not I'll try the v8 first and go from there.

 

[Ivabign]

  So you wouldn't consider the V8's to be a downgrade to the JH's in any way, just a different flavor? The treble in the V8's isn't dark at all? How does the soundstage/imaging compare between the two? I know 1964 Ears likes to promote their "3D soundstage".
 
Wow, that's cheap and fast.

They are not a downgrade - in fact the drivers in the V8 look very similar to the JH Roxanne vented BA's - they are just a smaller shop with less overhead - I don't believe there is a significant loss in quality. 

 

[JAG87]

I'm not a huge basshead, I'm an impact-and-texturehead, which usually requires a bit of a bass boost. However, I like impact and texture throughout the frequency range, so I can't have anything unusually recessed, which leads to my balanced+bass and super transient response preference. I'm also pretty adverse to any kind of muddiness.
 
Is there a fullsize headphone you would compare the JH16 or JH13 to? It's hard for me to get a reference without some kind of full size equivalent.
 
The graphs on the 1964 website shows a signature that I would like (for the V8), but I have absolutely no idea what the scale is. The FR could deviate by 8db which would be great, or 50db which would be awful. The V6 graph is odd as well, as it has that huge spike in the treble bar. I actually left 1964 a message asking if they had any measurement data lying around (considering they measure each headphone to match a specific measurement ideal acording to their video), but my guess is they won't be willing to share it with me.
 
I'm definitely going to be demoing some 1964's! I'll see if I can swing getting both the v6 and v8 at the same time, if not I'll try the v8 first and go from there.

Yea, I'd say the 13s are actually quite similar to your denons.

JHA IEMs don't really compare well to open TOTL headphones, because both the 13 and the 16 have the bass tuned north of neutral, so you will not find much similarity with senns, beyers, grados, hifiman, they are all brighter. In fact, the audezes and the denons are probably the closest thing.

But like I said earlier, the 16 is too boosted for my taste. YMMV.

 

[milford30]

My 2.2 LCD and 846 make great company. Ymmv. You should definitely demo them. I am actually contemplating selling my woo audio 6 SE and LCD 2.2 because I end up listening to my 846 more often. Happy hunting.

 
Me too, the 846 are just a fun sounding iem, the LCD2 are more accurate, but right now I prefer a more exciting signature, plus the weight on my head, they have been sitting in their box for ages.

 

[milford30]

   
I don't think I can get to it unless I have a plane ticket, I'll look into it, though.
 
I have a feeling I won't like the 846's, though, because of how goofy their measurements are. I'm not a huge measurement nut, but I do take them into consideration when looking at gear.

I say mostly ignore the measurements for iems, except for general sound signatures i.e v shape etc..... there are so many more factors for measuring iems than headphones.....

 

[FullCircle]

The K10