Axe 2 Headphones Vs IEM's

mgavin

Experienced
thinking about getting a pair of JH-16s since i need a pair of iems anyways

jhaudio.com

what do you guys think iem's vs headphones?

iem's only for live use?
 
of course JHs are fantastic, as are westones, shures, ultimate ears, etc. they all make top of the line iems when comparing the upper levels of their offerings, each just has its own sound. so make sure you like the sonic signature of JH. that said, i have tried and own many many headphones, but i always prefer the fidelity of my iems. the iems ive used are not molds, just generic fit because i only use them in the studio, but i much prefer my current set (shure 535) to my sony mdr7506, beyer 770, 880, and 990, and ultrasone pro 900. for reference, my studio monitors are adam a7x's, avantone mixcubes, and jbl lsr6328's -- with the adam's being my sonic preference.
 
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Check out Alienears. Best custom mold IEMs for the money. Triple driver full range blows away the JH IMHO.
 
I had the alien ears triple before the jh16's. They don't even compare. But then again it's like comparing the axe II and a pod XT.

I can see the alien ears being comparable to the triple driver JH audio model

However the jhaudio products fit much better than any other in ear I've ever had. That makes a huge difference. The less tight of a fit, the more low end you will lose.
 
Edit - This statement is not intended to discourage you, or to insult FAS. It is more aimed to aid your selection of equipment to facilitate your desired result.

I have to say that the AXE FX-II's headphone output is it's weakness. Not impressed at all here. I do not consider it worthy of serious monitoring use. However, it does provide a secondary means of monitoring when use of OUTS 2 & Two, ore the AES OUT. I now use my MOTU 928HD headphone out via AES which is much mare satisfactory for critical monitoring. The AXE FX-II headphone provision is not on par with the rest of the unit IMHO. I don't really think it much matters what you plug into it. It has low head room and will clip earlier than the OUTS. I believe the OUTS should be equal to the headphone outs, providing an accurate depiction, or true monitoring of what is being sent "OUT". The Headphone amp seems geared more as a secondary means of "Listening, not monitoring and is not the same signal quality as what is provided via the OUTS. So, if that is what you are going to use to monitor, save your money, or get another way to route IEM, or Headphone monitor via the OUTS. No Bias here, just the cold hard facts as experienced first hand and based upon comment made here on the forum by Cliff/FAS regarding clipping and the Headphone out.
 
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However the jhaudio products fit much better than any other in ear I've ever had. That makes a huge difference. The less tight of a fit, the more low end you will lose.
Not commenting on sound because I have never heard either but the fit is based on the mold that gets made. I bet everyone used the same material to make their molds so when done correctly there should be no fit difference.
 
brokenvail said:
Not commenting on sound because I have never heard either but the fit is based on the mold that gets made. I bet everyone used the same material to make their molds so when done correctly there should be no fit difference.

That is what I thought initially. How could one fit so much better than the other when they're both using the same material for the molds. I guess it just has to do with the skill of the company to actually create an accurate mold from the impressions you send in.
 
My first thought was actually that maybe the imprint made by the audiologist may have been better with one vs the other. After all the IEM brand is just using the cast that they are given. I also wondering how do comparable models compare. I know an Alien Ears 3-4 driver model can't compare to say JH 6 driver models but what about 3 driver models vs 3 driver models for example.
 
It looks like the JH is a little better in the dog hearing frequencies.

Here are the specs from the mfg websites:

JH-16 ($1149.00)
- Noise Isolation -26dB
- Frequency Response - 10Hz to 20KHz
- Impedence 18 Ohms

Alien Ears SQ5 ($575.00)
- Noise Isolation +26 -30dB
- Frequency Response - 10Hz to 17000Hz
- Impedence 18 Ohms
 
It looks like the JH is a little better in the dog hearing frequencies.

Here are the specs from the mfg websites:

JH-16 ($1149.00)
- Noise Isolation -26dB
- Frequency Response - 10Hz to 20KHz
- Impedence 18 Ohms

Alien Ears SQ5 ($575.00)
- Noise Isolation +26 -30dB
- Frequency Response - 10Hz to 17000Hz
- Impedence 18 Ohms
Thanks for those specs . . . yes, it does appear that the JH-16's are slightly better at the higher frequencies . . . but man, for only $1 more than the cost of a pair of JH-16's you can get TWO pairs of AE's top-of-the-line SQ5's, which also includes a free name imprint on each ear, free custom engraving on the case, and a free ear-impression kit! :shock

I'm not knocking the JH-16's in any way, but from a bang-for-the-buck perspective the choice is clear for me . . . :)
 
It looks like the JH is a little better in the dog hearing frequencies.

Here are the specs from the mfg websites:

JH-16 ($1149.00)
- Noise Isolation -26dB
- Frequency Response - 10Hz to 20KHz
- Impedence 18 Ohms

Alien Ears SQ5 ($575.00)
- Noise Isolation +26 -30dB
- Frequency Response - 10Hz to 17000Hz
- Impedence 18 Ohms

This doesn't seem like a fair comparison. The JH-16 has 6 drivers and the SQ5 has 5. We need to compare apples with apples meaning 5 driver vs 5 driver models and 4 driver models vs 4 driver models ect
 
how do people usually monitor w/ the iems though, through out2 ? my main purpose will be for live use, i've never had iems before tho


my plan is to send an xlr to the FOH and i have a wedge as well that i was going to send too, i guess i could send to the atomic from the axe2, and then to FOH from the wedge... or would that alter the tone and i should really be sending to FOH from the axe 2 directly....

if i send to FOH directly do I even need the wedge if I have the jh 16s?


kind of confused at the moment, but i got a couple months to figure it out. thanks in advance for any info
 
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