REVIEW: JH Audio JH16 Pro In Ear Monitor
Thursday, September 1st, 2011 at 11:28 am Category: Go Go Gadget, Music, ReviewsJerry Harvey is the original mastermind behind creating the custom molded in ear monitor. In 1995 as he was touring with Van Halen when he developed the first custom in ear monitor and started Ultimate Ears. In 2007, after 12 years building and expanding Ultimate Ears, he sold it to Logitech International. Later, in 2007, he decided to start a new company JH Audio that began manufacturing aviation headsets for pilots. In 2009 JH Audio expanded by creating their pro music line.
The JH Audio 16 Pro is a handmade marvel. Fitting 8 drivers, a three-way crossover and a cable connector plus all the needed wiring in each custom shell would seem impossible. JH Audio pulls this off! Mind you, all of which sit completely flush in your ears.
I was left with a big grin on my face after reading through the witty owners manual. My first impressions after finding the monitors inside the included personalized OtterBox was awe of the quality and workmanship of the monitors. The shells are spot on with a perfect fit in my ears. Of the monitors that I have reviewed, the JH16 build quality has been the best, with the Sleek Audio CT7 being a somewhat close second. The JH16 shell has a triple bore setup, three independent channels that run from the drivers all the way out to the exterior of the shell. On the opposite side of the first bore sit two high drivers. The second bore sits two mids. The third bore sits a bass lovers dream of 4 deep lows. *A side note when I reviewed the Ultimate Ears 18 Pro earlier this year which claimed it had three sound channels but only two of which were routed all the way to the exterior of the monitor.
The cable that is included has a very elegant look, well all except for the ugly 3.5 mm jack connector. Oddly the jack connector from UE 18 Pro would be a perfect visual fit for this cable. I have yet to find a cable that I love 100%. This one being my favorite, I would still make one small adjustment. I would like the memory wire that connects to the monitor to be slightly longer. I enjoy a hugging feel but unfortunately, the memory portion ends just before I can bend it around the backside of my ear. After two months of use the first three inches of the cable on each side began to oxidize and turn green. This is common for silver cables such as this one. A lot of companies including JH Audio offer black cables in lieu of the silver if the oxidation bothers you.
I burned in and tested the JH16 Pro using a HiFiMAN HM-602 from Head-Direct.com. The burn in consisted of 48 hours with a random play list including long and short breaks at variable volumes. After the burn in I quickly fell in love with the JH16. I have listened to over 400 hours of music through these and still am amazed every time I power them up. The soundstage is absolutely astonishing and the instrument placement can all but be seen. The sound quality and range separation is spectacular. The highs are somewhat bright with very crisp warm mids and smooth deep lows. I must say, these hit spot on with the bass! Listening to heavy orchestra instruments, the 4 powerful bass drivers bring in enough bass that you feel as if you were the maestro. They have a great overall balance to conquer any genre that you’re in the mood for. Overall, these have spot on tone, clarity and a sound signature that is unparalleled to the competition. The JH16 offers a -26db ambient noise isolation to take a audiophile away to a personal Rob Thomas concert. On the flip side, for Rob this removes unwanted stage noise while performing his concert. With the JH16 you hear what the artist hears. JH Audio is the monitor of choice for performers such as Linkin Park, T-Pain, Hinder, Josh Groban, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and many more.
I must say I have found my custom monitor of choice. When there is audio involved I lately find myself reaching for the JH16 Pro. They will set you back $1,149, but in my opinion they are worth every penny! If you are interested in picking them up go to JH Audio.com.
Keep in mind; to get the best performance from a custom ear monitor you will need a quality source that will play a lossless media. HiFiMAN players from Head-Direct.com are a fantastic match up!
Responses to “REVIEW: JH Audio JH16 Pro In Ear Monitor”
Nice review, but here “This is common for silver cables such as this one” I think it would be copper
and not silver. The cable has a silver look, but it is not made of it. Copper turns green when it oxidizes, and silver didn’t.
Hey Rodrigo,
I was not referring to the metal type… I was referring to the actual color of the wire. Sorry about not being specific!
Ohh, OK! Sorry =P
Your fine… I do want to test out the TWag v2 cable that is silver (the metal).
Just an FYI… silver does tarnish and turns a blackish color (sometime you can see hints of green) when in contact with the air and oils from your skin. So it is a possibility that it is silver. I guess that’s if you want to get all technical about metals though.
Hi Tec-e-tron, I use the Twag V2 with my JH13 PRO and my JH5 and I love them. But I prefer the flexibility of the stock cable. =)
Hi Lindsey, I just knew that silver could turn into a blackish color, but did not know about hints of green.
Wow! That is some serious $$$.. So do you prefer the TWag cable overall?
Yes, I do prefer the Twag V2. I just use the stock cable when I’m using the custom to sleep and I’m afraid to break the Twag =P
I have some pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/50502451@N06/
And I’ll post some of the JH5 this week!
You sleep with them in?
Those are some nice pics! What Is your favorite IEM?
Yes,sometimes I sleep with them. The nice thing is that they never fall out.
First: JH13 and JH5, depending on the recording. The JH5 has more mids and less highs, so it goes better with pop, hip- hop or songs with some sibilance. The JH13s are less forgiving on bad recordings.
And after that, I like the Earsonics SM3 and Triple fi 10. I know that a lot of people don’t like the Triples, but I do =P
What about you?
From what I have tested the JH16 are my favorites with UE18 being second. I also like theTriple fi 10.
Nice, I would like to try some custom from UE!!
Yours 16s seems to have a great finish, I liked!
Here is my YT Channel =) http://www.youtube.com/user/rmappita
Just took a picture of my JH5 PRO. Sorry for the bad image quality. http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/5822/rodrigojh5pro.jpg
Nice!!
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Hi, nice review on the JH16s =). I was just wondering if the Hifiman HM601 will have any noticeable audio quality difference compared to the HM602 that you have. I currently have the JH16s and I want to upgrade my portable music source (got the Cowon S9 right now). Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Hi David,
Thanks for the complement. I personally have yet to test the 601. The general consensus of reviews that I have read say that they are very similar in some cases listeners could not tell a difference.