Review updated October 29th, 2010 by Felix Yau. Refer to Build quality

Jerry Harvey, building his first ever monitor for Van Halen, founded one of the largest custom monitor manufacturer known today - Ultimate Ears. Years later, Jerry left Ultimate Ears and pursued into the area of custom aviation headsets, providing the highest fidelity headsets available from his new found company, JH Audio. Shortly after the establishment of JH Audio, Jerry once again, introduced his own line of custom monitors under the “Pro Series” line of JH Audio. Ranging from $399-$1149, today we have the mid-range triple driver model, consisting of a three-way crossover at the price of $799, the JH10X3PRO.


Specifications
Variation: $50 Charge-Any colour, Any artwork. (JH Audio logo/Flying Girl Logo is free of charge)
Transducers: Three Proprietary Balanced Armature Drivers
Configuration: Passive 3-Way crossover (Single High, Mid and Low)
Frequency Range: 20 Hz-17 kHz
Impedance: 18 ohm
Sensitivity (1mW): 119 dB SPL
Accessories: Replaceable braided cable, Water-Proof Polycarbonate Case, String tighten pouch, Cleaning Tool, Manuals
Price: $799 plus shipping and ear impressions


Packaging and Accessories (7/10)
I received one of the earlier monitors. Before the change to the smaller, more useable carrying case, my monitors were received in a 4x12x3 inch Carbon fiber carrying case with a cleaning tool. The Carbon fiber case is then wrapped in bubble wrap, then placed in the typical UPS Priority shipment box. There were no fancy manuals, or the de-humidifier that are present with all other leading manufacturers’ custom monitors. It was rather disappointing seeing an $800 pair of custom monitors arrived bare naked in a large box with your name on it.



JH Audio has revised their packaging and carrying case. From the bland carbon fiber box alone, JH Audio has switched to using a clear water-proof, polycarbonate carrying case made by Otterbox, which is significantly smaller at 3.6x4.8x1.6 inches. The case is then fit into a stiff card sleeves along with the brand new manual that JH Audio includes with the “Pro Music” series custom monitors.



The accessories that are included with JH Audio’s custom monitors are rather the usual, and not of the spectacular. Despite the durable, and high quality plastic case that the monitors came in, other components and accessories included are the usual cleaning tool (which is shown how to use above), and a soft velvet pouch for easy storage --¬ but no protection.


Build (10/10)
Please refer to new updated build quality, on JH Audio JH11: Doppio Basspresso









Cables (9.5/10)



JH Audio has gone for the usual twisted cable that custom monitors come with. Unlike Westone, JH Audio has gone for an OEM cable which other manufacturers use like Earsonics. Despite being a cable shared with other manufacturers, the cable is durable and flexible with near to no Microphonics. The clear cable that I have tested is very similar to Westone's and Ultimate Ear's clear cable. The clear cable is extremely soft, with a reduced friction insulation compared to the black cable offered by JH Audio and other companies.



Clear cables tend to be softer, and less pront to tangling due to the nature that there is an extra layer of silvery fabric like coating on the wires, making the cable slightly thicker than the usual black and having less friction. Strain reliefs are very well done and shrunk to the cable, cable management is a little tube that works as well as the little bead offered on Westone’s ES cable. The cable’s microphonics are extremely low. Touching or the occasion of cable rubbing against clothing doesn’t surge a loud noise through the cable causing disturbance. Unfortunately, Clear cables tend to turn green due to oxidization, there is no way of stopping it however wiping down the clear cable will prolong the cable staying silvery clear.



Fit (9/10)
Despite having many bubbles and the foggy fingerprints in the shell, the impressions were rather well tapered and done. Molding of the shell was very precise, and the fit was no less than perfect. The monitors sit flush with the ear, which makes the monitors a lot more appealing when worn as it does not protrude from the ear. The only thing that I could complain about is that the canals are slightly longer than ideal. Occasional large smiles will cause the canal tip to irritate the inner canal a little causing discomfort. If you are worried on this part and are thinking of ordering JH Audio’s monitors, it is recommended that you notify Jerry, or any of their staff you would like the canal to be slight shorter. However, the shape and molding of the shell was precise, accurate, and provided the isolation needed.



Sound (8.5/10)
Being one of the most affordable high-end custom monitors housing three drivers on the market today, Jerry has still managed to house two of his custom made drivers from Knowles. Both specifically tuned to match the specification needs by Jerry, they specialize in the frequency they each reproduce. All put together with an integrated 3-way crossover, the combination offers the most mesmerizing sound experience.

High Frequencies (8/10)
Housing a specially designed driver by Jerry, the high frequency reproduction is crisp and detailed. Listening to classical music or orchestral with lots of high frequency instruments, the JH10X3 is one of the top performers I have heard. The highs are never crowded, instrumental separation in these frequency levels are not a problem for the 10X3. Detailed, clear, with a great sense of crispness are what the 10X3’s are able to accomplish. Presentation is more forward compared to the many competing monitors on the market today, it may have more of the “In your face” factor however it’s not forward to the point that you can be irritated or annoyed. The flaw with the highs in the 10X3 is that despite all the good qualities, if listening to something with a strong mid-range say pop, then on the occasion there are times that the strong mids of the 10X3 take the highs presence away and you wished you could get that little extra of the high frequencies.

Mid-Range Frequencies (9/10)
Jerry once again decided to use his in house proprietary driver for the mid-range frequencies. Jerry has stated that his mid-range driver is designed as one of the fastest drivers available, allowing the speed of reproduction needed in music that is more crowded without sounding muddy or mixed. After long listening period with the 10X3, the mids are undoubtedly one of the strongest presentations I have heard in any In-Ear Monitor, or Custom Monitor. Unlike many competing monitors, the mid-range is tuned to stay as neutral as possible, without that extra little bump in the range to put vocals more forward. This can be taken as a advantage as the neutrality keeps the mids accurate, on tone, and natural sounding. Listening to any sort of music genre, the 10X3 fails to disappoint every time. Whether it is the deep vocals or the warm violas of a piece, the 10X3 presents the piece with large amount of detail and depth. Speed wise, the 10X3 is performing at the speed of light, rarely does the 10X3 fall behind or is slow in reproducing a note or sound even at the most crowded parts of rock music. Overall, mid-range performance of the 10X3 is no short of "the top-performer" in its class.

Low Frequencies (9/10)
The JH10X3 uses one of the most significant drivers on the market today for the low frequencies, the Knowles CI. Upon arrival, and the first listen I have noticed that the lows are significantly more powerful and punch harder than many universal or custom monitor that I have tried. The lows, around 100Hz or so are bumped a few decibels to offer that punch and power that is presented. However, don’t be mistaken that despite being emphasized, the frequency range around the 100Hz point is still extremely controlled without sounding over powering, making the sound “muddy” or being too dark. Presentation of instruments like the Cello which requires a deep sound with great amount of depth is one of the strongest parts of the JH10X3. Among all the monitors that i have hard till now, the JH10X3 offers one of the deepest, and thickest sounding low-end. There is great amount of detail, so the transition of tones from bowed string instruments are smooth yet easily defined. Micro-detail reproduction is flawlessly produced, as the bow strives across the strings we get the feeling of realism that the instrument is played right in front of us. Decay for vocals and instruments are well portrayed, however, there are monitors that outperform the JH10X3 in this particular part.

Soundstage (8/10)
The soundstage of the JH10X3 is upon the most impressive for any triple driver monitor that I have heard to this day. Upon first listen with lossless orchestral, the enveloping sound came from all directions as if you were at the performance itself. Instruments and vocals sound very accurate. The soundstage travels anywhere,
from right next to you to extension of meters away from you, giving the rich, engaging sound experienced you get at live performances. The soundstage of the JH10X3 is rather wide, however it’s not the tallest or deepest from back to front, so watching movies with strong surround sound effect may not be the most exciting experience.


Detailed Score Breakdown:
Stereo Imaging - 8.5
Frequency Extension - 8
Transparency - 8.5
Decay - 8
Impact - 9
Speed - 9
Clarity - 8




Conclusion ( 8.5 /10)




The JH10X3, being the middle of the range from Jerry’s monitors, is priced perfectly at $799. A very competitive price to other triple driver, three-way crossover monitors on the market today. Jerry, being experienced in this field since 1995, stands as one of the most praised acoustical engineers till today. Adapting custom drivers and his perfect crossover split-points into the JH10X3, the monitor itself is an engaging iem to listen to for nearly all genres of music from rock to orchestral. The JH10X3 houses one of the most impressive low frequency reproduction abilities on the market along with other manufacturers and Jerry’s higher end models, including the JH11 and JH13. The speed of the mids are unrivaled by any monitor that I have ever tried, while the highs could be a bit more present. Overall, a very fun and natural sounding monitor. All wrapped up in a perfect build quality. It's hard to say no to buying them! However, accessory wise, JH monitors offer the minimal, which includes a cleaning tool and a case. As the monitors were first released, the buyer would receive a durable, and classy looking carbon fiber case with JH Audio and your name printed on the cover. However, when you buy JH Monitors today, you will receive a though durable, a rather low in cost custom Otterbox 1000. Nonetheless, you still get your name on the case, and in addition, you will receive an extra soft pouch to organize and keep your monitors.


This article was written by Felix Yau.
Special thanks to Jerry Harvey from JH Audio for making this review possible!