Customer Reviews

JAYS q-JAYS Dual Armature In-Ear Earphones (Black)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is my fourth pair of different in ear monitor headphones. My first were the Sony EX71, then Etymotic ER-6, then Sennheiser CX-300, now these the Q-Jays. The Q-Jays have the in my opinion a great mix of great sound, practicality, portability, and value that should make them extremely popular for a commuter who takes a subway or bus to work. First, the SOUND DAMPENING of these headphones is slightly higher than the Sennheisers and the Sonys, but not as much as the Etymotics. They claim it blocks out 90% of sounds. I don't know if that is accurate, but regardless, it is the ideal sound dampening level for me. The Etymotics needed to be "installed" deep in your ear, not the easy placement of the 71s or CX300s. They blocked out too much sound... they were dangerous to use while walking in the city. Additionally if the cord accidentally got caught on something and ripped the headphone out of your ear, there could be serious complications. The Q-jays are placed in your ear very similarly to the 71s and CX300s, perhaps a tiny bit deeper. Next the EFFICIENCY - Jays got it right. The CX300s are too efficient. They don't actually block out any hiss level of components, and if an announcement comes on during a Jet Blue flight while you are watching a movie, prepare to rip them out of your ears in pain. The Q-Jays are easily powered, but have enough resistance to avoid these unfortunate situations. BTW - The ER-6 are so inefficient, they cannot be powered by an ipod. Had the ER-6i been available at the time, that may have been at the correct efficiency level for me. On to arguably the most important factor - THE SOUND... and the Q-Jays sound great. A very balanced sound overall that produces much better imaging than any other IEMs I have tried. The highs and mids sound very smooth and realistic. Considering how small these headphones are, the sound is amazing. They bring the music to life over the CX-300 and the EX71. They can compete with large over the ear headphones in sound quality. These headphones are not bass heavy like the Sony EX71, and probably would require some equalization for ideal sounds with rap and techno music. Overall, the full spectrum of sound is achieved nicely to my ears.

The only bad part that I have found is that the cord is 2 feet long, if you want it to be longer, you then need an extension cord and the extension cord adds noticeable weight to your ears. This is a poor design decision... its designed for the portable music device to be placed in a front jacket pocket or on an armband... and while this works well, I think most users would be better served with a 3 or 4 ft cord. The extension cord when added to the headphones adds up to 5 ft of cord. This is too long. They should offer a 1.5 ft extension cord.

Overall, at $[...] I believe these are a good buy and a choice that I doubt anyone who takes the plunge will regret. If these are out of your price range, the CX300 are a good choice. If money was no object, I would still recommend these, as they are the smallest IEM on the market with great sound quality.

Update 4/29/08: I have had these headphones for a week now and can better assess their abilities. First off, the midrange and tweeter are still really impressive. I find myself being distracted when working and listening to these headphones, because I am constantly discovering new aspects of music that I am very familiar with. But the lack of low end especially at lower volumes has bothered me some. These headphones could absolutely make the low end required, as evidenced when you push the volume up a bit, but the low end frequencies seem to be approximately 5db less than I would like. It ends up sounding like a pair of very small high end bookshelf speakers. This could be corrected with some simple EQing, but unfortunately, the Ipod equalization programs are extremely disappointing, as they seem to boost the file pre-amplification, causing songs that have little headroom left to distort like crazy. Steve Jobs should be upset by this. And while this is not the q-jays fault, the lack of low end still leaves me wanting more. So as these headphones aren't quite as flat as I originally thought, I still recommend them, but this time with conditions. Regardless, a solid 4.5 star headphone, but bass heads need not apply.

Update 6/12/08
My love and appreciation for these headphones have grown. The issue with bass was a user issue and not a problem with the headphone. These headphones need to be placed deeper in your ear than the Sony 71s, and the default size of the earpiece that came installed on the q-jays was just a bit too large for proper placement in my ears. I changed sizes which was actually pretty difficult and the 5db of bass that i was looking for appeared. Overall, a very balanced headphone. Still not for bassheads, but a great choice for commuters listening to a wide variety of music.

Update 5/25/2010

Something I never really think about when buying a product is the warrantee. I just expect the product to work and the company to be reasonable. From what I hear, this is not the case with some headphone manufacturers - Logitech (Ultimate Ears). I wanted to highlight how fantastic Jays is in this regard. I had my first issue about 5 months into my ownership experience. The driver in one of the headphones stopped working. I emailed my retailer [...] and they took care of the issue and sent me a replacement set of headphones. [...] was provided quick responses and was very flexible in solving my problem. I was really happy with their service.

Almost 2 years from my initial purchase, I had a cable issue from daily use of the Q-Jays. The headphone jack or cord must have been damaged internally from wear and tear... I had sound dropping in and out, mono sound sometimes... it was unusable. I emailed [...], but as they had stopped carrying the product, the pointed me to deal with Jays directly. I contacted Jays via email and they gave me instructions on how to send the product back to them via USPS to Sweden. Turns out they couldn't fix the problem, so they sent me a complete new set even though I had only sent back just the headphones. This is pretty awesome, considering how much stuff comes with each set of Jays. Total turnaround including shipping time was 3 weeks.

With the amount of wear and tear headphones go through, it can be expected that there will be some failures. For a company to back up their product so well with minimal hassle, that is impressive.

Ok, it's not Amstel light or Amersterdam but Sweden and made wherever.

I've tried too many IEMs and full size headphones. It's fun but pricy and one tends to focus on the qualities of the sound rather than the sound itself.

These are best IEMs I've had or used. (No, I have not used any triple drivers such as the SE 530 and assume they would sound better). For the price, though, I bet these can't be beat.

Put these in your ears (incredible how small these and their two drivers are) and detail/soundstage amaze. Treble and bass are good --- but more importantly the sound is addicting and distortion is at a minimum. Also, no hiss unlike many other IEMs. (Note: despite the lack of hiss they
are easy to drive and are a perfect IPOD companion).

I compared them closely to a pair of SE210s. (About the same price.) Some songs sounded good on both. I very much like the modest brightness of the Q-Jays over the loudness of the 210s. More importantly, some songs sound really distorted with the 210s --- especially highly compressed songs. That is, bass and vocals sound off. For example, the pretenders new "Chinese Plastic" song and "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes. I played the same songs with the Q-Jays and the distortion was not apparent. Like day and night.

Remembering back to other IEMs I've had (Ety 4p's, Ety 6i's, Shure 3c's. Sony 71s), these are the best. The second driver apparently pays real dividends.

This is how I would, somewhat subjectively, rank order them (partly based on memory and partly based on price):

Q-Jays (A)
4p/s (A-)
3c (B+)
6i (B)
71 (C+)
210s (C+)

Highly recommended. Well packaged and good accessories --- the pouch is a bit small, but no big deal.

If this fits your price point, buy them without fear. Sometimes a company just gets a product right! You'll enjoy them and your music.

This is my fourth pair of different in ear monitor headphones. My first were the Sony EX71, then Etymotic ER-6, then Sennheiser CX-300, now these the Q-Jays. The Q-Jays have the in my opinion a great mix of great sound, practicality, portability, and value that should make them extremely popular for a commuter who takes a subway or bus to work. First, the SOUND DAMPENING of these headphones is slightly higher than the Sennheisers and the Sonys, but not as much as the Etymotics. They claim it blocks out 90% of sounds. I don't know if that is accurate, but regardless, it is the ideal sound dampening level for me. The Etymotics needed to be "installed" deep in your ear, not the easy placement of the 71s or CX300s. They blocked out too much sound... they were dangerous to use while walking in the city. Additionally if the cord accidentally got caught on something and ripped the headphone out of your ear, there could be serious complications. The Q-jays are placed in your ear very similarly to the 71s and CX300s, perhaps a tiny bit deeper. Next the EFFICIENCY - Jays got it right. The CX300s are too efficient. They don't actually block out any hiss level of components, and if an announcement comes on during a Jet Blue flight while you are watching a movie, prepare to rip them out of your ears in pain. The Q-Jays are easily powered, but have enough resistance to avoid these unfortunate situations. BTW - The ER-6 are so inefficient, they cannot be powered by an ipod. Had the ER-6i been available at the time, that may have been at the correct efficiency level for me. On to arguably the most important factor - THE SOUND... and the Q-Jays sound great. A very balanced sound overall that produces much better imaging than any other IEMs I have tried. The highs and mids sound very smooth and realistic. Considering how small these headphones are, the sound is amazing. They bring the music to life over the CX-300 and the EX71. They can compete with large over the ear headphones in sound quality. These headphones are not bass heavy like the Sony EX71, and probably would require some equalization for ideal sounds with rap and techno music. Overall, the full spectrum of sound is achieved nicely to my ears.

The only bad part that I have found is that the cord is 2 feet long, if you want it to be longer, you then need an extension cord and the extension cord adds noticeable weight to your ears. This is a poor design decision... its designed for the portable music device to be placed in a front jacket pocket or on an armband... and while this works well, I think most users would be better served with a 3 or 4 ft cord. The extension cord when added to the headphones adds up to 5 ft of cord. This is too long. They should offer a 1.5 ft extension cord.

Overall, at $179 I believe these are a good buy and a choice that I doubt anyone who takes the plunge will regret. If these are out of your price range, the CX300 are a good choice. If money was no object, I would still recommend these, as they are the smallest IEM on the market with great sound quality.

Update 4/29/08: I have had these headphones for a week now and can better assess their abilities. First off, the midrange and tweeter are still really impressive. I find myself being distracted when working and listening to these headphones, because I am constantly discovering new aspects of music that I am very familiar with. But the lack of low end especially at lower volumes has bothered me some. These headphones could absolutely make the low end required, as evidenced when you push the volume up a bit, but the low end frequencies seem to be approximately 5db less than I would like. It ends up sounding like a pair of very small high end bookshelf speakers. This could be corrected with some simple EQing, but unfortunately, the Ipod equalization programs are extremely disappointing, as they seem to boost the file pre-amplification, causing songs that have little headroom left to distort like crazy. Steve Jobs should be upset by this. And while this is not the q-jays fault, the lack of low end still leaves me wanting more. So as these headphones aren't quite as flat as I originally thought, I still recommend them, but this time with conditions. Regardless, a solid 4.5 star headphone, but bass heads need not apply.

Update 6/12/08
My love and appreciation for these headphones have grown. The issue with bass was a user issue and not a problem with the headphone. These headphones need to be placed deeper in your ear than the Sony 71s, and the default size of the earpiece that came installed on the q-jays was just a bit too large for proper placement in my ears. I changed sizes which was actually pretty difficult and the 5db of bass that i was looking for appeared. Overall, a very balanced headphone. Still not for bassheads, but a great choice for commuters listening to a wide variety of music.

Update: 9/16/08 - I lost about 80% of the sound in my right ear today... i searched and found that wet earwax has a tendency to glop that area up... so filter replacement is in order. If this happens to you, don't panic - replace the filters or clean them in water with a tiny bit of soap, let them drive, and reinstall. All in all, I still love these headphones. Well worth the money.

Update 5/25/2010

Something I never really think about when buying a product is the warrantee. I just expect the product to work and the company to be reasonable. From what I hear, this is not the case with some headphone manufacturers - Logitech (Ultimate Ears). I wanted to highlight how fantastic Jays is in this regard. I had my first issue about 5 months into my ownership experience. The driver in one of the headphones stopped working. I emailed my retailer [...] and they took care of the issue and sent me a replacement set of headphones. [...] was provided quick responses and was very flexible in solving my problem. I was really happy with their service.

Almost 2 years from my initial purchase, I had a cable issue from daily use of the Q-Jays. The headphone jack or cord must have been damaged internally from wear and tear... I had sound dropping in and out, mono sound sometimes... it was unusable. I emailed [...], but as they had stopped carrying the product, the pointed me to deal with Jays directly. I contacted Jays via email and they gave me instructions on how to send the product back to them via USPS to Sweden. Turns out they couldn't fix the problem, so they sent me a complete new set even though I had only sent back just the headphones. This is pretty awesome, considering how much stuff comes with each set of Jays. Total turnaround including shipping time was 3 weeks.

With the amount of wear and tear headphones go through, it can be expected that there will be some failures. For a company to back up their product so well with minimal hassle, that is impressive.

First off, I hardly ever take the time to review any products - I just don't have the time. However, these headphones are so good, I just had to share my thoughts.

I had pretty much resigned myself to compromise on sound quality for size - I wanted a good set of in-ear headphones and figured there would be pretty big compromises in order to achieve the small size.

First, I tried the Shure E2C's and the E3's. I honestly couldn't hear much difference between the two of them - they both sounded good, not great. I worked hard to get a tight ear seal, but never really felt any warmth from these headphones. I ended up settling on the E2C's for the last 2 years, figuring they were good enough. After about 1 year, the plastic casing on the headphones split open. I attempted to RMA them to Shure, but without a receipt they wanted me to pay for a repair. Forget about it... see ya shure.

I then researched in-ear phones quite a bit and had it down to the Q-Jays or the ER6i's or the ER4p's. I decided to give the Q-Jays a shot - I liked the fact that they have 2 drivers and that they are TINY.

All I can say is WOW! When you get the correct ear seal the Q-Jays just rock. There's a definite warmth to the music that was sorely lacking in the Shure's. Tight, deep bass. Nice mid-range and clear highs. I can't believe what I'm hearing from these tiny cans! My MP3's have never sounded better (my music is all ripped using LAME's alt-preset-extreme setting, so they are pretty high quality rips). I have heard other's say they can hear the difference between their compressed music and non-compressed with these headphones... and I have no doubt that's true - make sure you rip your music using a quality codec with an extreme bit-rate and you should be good...

I was worried about spending almost $200 on a set of headphones - especially from a small company in Sweden. I'm definitely glad i took the chance! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I mostly listen to classical music, and the QJays are oustanding for this genre. They provide a well balanced, warm sound. And they are definitely the most comfortable in ear phone that I have ever used. I highly recommend them!

I have owned both Etymotic ER-6's and HF-2's before I got the Q-Jays, and I used them exclusively with my iPod/iPhone/Mac. I agree with the conventional wisdom that the Etymotics provide the best isolation - it's like putting in earplugs, literally. However great this was on long-haul flights, I found two drawbacks (and insertion isn't one of them). The isolation level gives you HUGE amounts of cord noise, so the cord must be absolutely still, and secondly, it's nearly impossible to get them out of your ears without yanking the cord. This caused the death of both pairs of headphones for me.

The Q-Jays, on the other hand, are the perfect balance of cost, performance, portability, etc. I was lucky enough to get them for $150 where I live, and the only downside to what you get in the box is the carrying case, which isn't big enough to hold the headphones and the mandatory extension cable. Otherwise, it's a perfect package. I couldn't be happier with the sound quality, which has alot more base and is much warmer than the Etymotics (which reminded me of the sound of early CD players, when we still had vinyl at home to compare them to, and DAC's weren't that high tech yet). I listen mostly to jazz and latin music, not your usual bass-pumping type, so you'd think the Etymotics would be right up my alley - but I vastly prefer the Q-Jays. Finally, on fit, they sit just inside your ear, not all the way in the ear canal. While the level of isolation is alot less than the Etymotics, it's, frankly, good enough, and definitely good enough so you can enjoy that great sound.

[...]

Jays - Design and Quality
The Q-Jays represent our 3rd Balanced Armature earphone review. This time, Sweden's Jays' top product, the Q-Jay are on the table. They are also the smallest dual armature earphones in the world. And tiny they are - the body could fit two or three times into a Monster Turbine shell!

From their website
Since 2006, JAYS has been pushing the barriers for design and quality, 'recognizing the need for better quality and better portability. At JAYS - 'we believe that the phrase - Sound of Science - should not be used lightly. 'JAYS is a passionate music loving company that puts its soul into all products 'they develop from their headquarters in Sweden.

JAYS already have a wide portfolio of award winning products and continuously 'work hard to be number one in making valuable great products. 'We want to make sure nothing comes between you and the music.

Milestones:
2006: Released d-JAYS
2007: Released j-JAYS, m-JAYS, q-JAYS, Bluestreamer
2008: Released s-JAYS, Bluestreamer 2, Accessories
2009: Released c-JAYS, v-JAYS ...

Q-Jays Fit Kit and Package
Overall, the Q-Jays are presented very well and supplied with enough accessories to make their purchase worthwhile though lose points for a careless packaging design.

Dual Balanced-Armature: Earphone Specs
Type Dual Micro Armatures
Sensitivity 95 dB SPL @ 1 kHz
Impedance 39 Ohm @ 1 kHz
Frequency Response 20 Hz - 20 000 Hz
Earphones
Isolation JAYS Sound Isolating Sleeves
Size (L)19 x (W)7.5 x (H)7.4 mm
Weight 8 grams (0.28 oz)
Cord
Type TPE coated with Kevlar filling
Length 60 cm (23.5 in)
Diameter 2/1.5 mm (0,079/0,059 in)
Plug Straight, Gold-Plated Stereo Plug 3.5 mm (1/8 in)
Extension Cord 90 cm (35.5 in)

Q-Jays cable
Jays endowed the Q model with a uniquely designed cable. Firstly, it is strong yet supple and not subject to early crystalisation due to contact with body oils. Secondly, it is thick and though the stress reliefs on the jack portion are not melded to the cable, they inspire confidence. The headphone end of the cable is relieved by the tiniest rubber grommet. Though it lacks extra sleeving, it isn't subject to the twisting or bending inherent in larger designs. Overall, the Q-Jays cable is a well thought out design with points that favour its strength.

As quite typical in low to high end earphones, the Q-Jays jack is gold plated. Unfortunately, it will not fit into the headphone jack of the first generation iPhone - you will need to buy an adapter. The Y-split section is tiny and not relieved but holds the cable sturdily in place. Above it is a small cincher that even after much use, stays in place and remains easy to manipulate.

The material is more prone to touch-noise than both the Phonak earphones and models from Sleek. However, the Q-Jay is not an excessively noisy earphone. When worn over the ear and in conjunction with the Y-split cincher, noise is mostly attenuated.

Jays made a decision to shorten the cable to 60 centimeters. This allows lapel-style players to be connected to a shirt or chest-strap without cable slack. Unfortunately, it means that one of the two extension cables must be used if you carry your iPhone in your pocket or purse. The two extension cables on the other hand, are long - too long. At 90 cm each, they make wielding your iPhone a messy affair. There is a minimum of 20cm of extra cable at your hip or dangling near your purse - a fact that can be annoying. Fortunately, each extension cable is as strong as the main Jays cable and well relieved. They will not break, though you may be tempted to cut them short!

Sound Quality: The Right Fit means the Right Sound
With seven sizes of silicon and one foamie piece to choose from, you should have no problem finding a piece that is both comfortable blocks outside noise sufficiently. Both are important in order to realise the sound quality of Jays dual balanced-armature design.

The foamie piece will attenuate much more background noise than will the flanges and when properly compressed before insertion into the ear, will fit further into the ear canal. A good fit allows bass response and stage imaging to come to life.

The Q-Jays are the ONLY inner earphone that I can comfortably fit in my ear when sleeping on my side. Both when looped over the ear and when inserted from the side, the driver unit lies at comfortable angles and its miniscule size does not pressure the ear. Kudos!

Q-Jays Bass: Tight and Punchy
The Q-jays utilise balanced armature type transducers - this sort of driver tends to react quickly to variations in music and sounds incredibly accurate. Part of the reason for this is that the drivers do not move as much air so bass is less tactile and apt to `bleed' into other parts of the music.

The Q-Jays bass is not bloated or even bottom-heavy. It is controlled and well placed, but for certain genre, may err on the side of cold. For rock, trance and electronic, its edge and crispness is perfect.

Q-Jays Mids and Treble
Simply put, the mids and treble from the Q-Jays are great. Extended, articulate and fast, both parts of the spectrum feel `right' in just about any genre.

Particularly with trance where bass and treble peak in fast spikes, high notes can, however, be piercing. While it is a testament to the Q-Jays' vertical extension, certain music may feel slightly fatiguing. Overall, voices are rich, sound effects up front and music is beautiful. Their size belies a great sound. If I were to compare them to another earphone in our reviews section in terms of mid and treble quality, it would be the Phonak 112 and 121.

Q-Jays Amped
Most of my listening was done straight from my iPod Touch or 1G nano. I was not disappointed with any music I listened to, nor did I want for anything. That said, I used the Nuforce Icon Mobile quite often with the Q-Jays and welcomed the greater stage and 3D accuracy of instruments.

Bass too, blossomed with ruddy lines that became even more crisp and attentive to details and weight. Though the overall effect is quite subtle, the Q-Jays do stand to benefit from amping either the headphone out or using a dock and amping the line out of your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Q-Jays on the Go
The Q-Jays cable is both too short and too long. When out and about, I looped the extension cable's extra slack around my iPod, taking care not to bend the cable out of the headphone jack. I will be blunt: 1,5 metres is annoyingly long and the stock length of 60cm is too short.

I think Jays could have designed two versions of the Jays: one with a long cable and the other short. Or, they could have shortened the extension cable which is 20-30cm too long to be used without annoyance. If you use the Y-split cincher, microphonics are reduced when wearing straight down from the ears and when looped over the ears, are nearly imperceptible. Since the cable is light and free of dangling bits, the Q-Jays will not catch on anything. Other than length problems, these are great on-the-go phones.

Conclusion
Jay's research is evident in the Q-Jays. Articulate, tiny and beautiful, they are gems that exude confidence in solid construction and attention to detail. While not bass heavyweights, low notes and instruments are well defined with great bass detail and.

Treble and mids are striking, extended and confident. Vocal music sings and highly sung instruments engage beautifully, if sometimes too much so and staging accuracy is great. The 3D composition in music, while not impressively wide, is realistic with great balance and interaction between its respective parts.

If I were to decry any one function, it would be cable length. Jays chose an overly long extension cable that at times, makes using the Jays a science. However, the units are so well constructed and pretty that they make up for a somewhat sloppy cable.

I cannot fail to mention in conclusion that they are the most comfortable earphones I have ever used when sleeping on my side. Better than customs, the UM2, CK10 and a host of other well-constructed earphones. Great work Jays.

Jays Q-jays inner earphone gets grabbed by TouchMyApps. Please take a look at our other headphone reviews: [...]

I ordered these from here at Amazon's site, got it within a few days no prob.

Like I've read many places, it sounds great. Enough bass for my rock, jazz, classical needs, much much more bass than the Shure SE110 that I have, about as much bass as the apple in-ear phones I used to have. Everything sounds clear, balanced, nothing harsh, never any distortion. I don't have special equipment or an expert's ear, but it sounds transparent, melting flowing smooth lines, rolling and sparkling.

It's also very comfortable, better than any in earphones I've ever tried. Sits deep and securely, but it's easy to ignore the feeling, and puts very little stress on my ear canals.

There's nothing I can compare it to, in the same price range, but I can't imagine how music could sound better, short of having full headphones for a more 'open' sound or sitting in front of real speakers feeling the bass in your gut.

I own a pair of q jays for more than 2 years now. I bought it for around
$180. The quality is good (read other reviews) but at the end of the day, I would opt for a cheaper option. Below is an email I sent to Jays big guns. You do the math...

"Hello,
I wanted to bring to your attention the following;
Last night I spent 45 minutes looking for Sound Tube Filters (which are needed on a frequent bases), and replacement Foam Sleeves. It is impossible to get them online from US sellers.
It is a shame that a product, so acclaimed and expensive has suck poor support. I ended up buying it from a Canadian seller for almost $40 (CAD) which is outrages in my opinion, but I was out of options.
I'm not a complainer, and as a business man, I thought you should have a feedback from the consumer, and may work toward providing a better sale and support in this little corner of the world.
"

[Review] JAYS q-JAYS, Comfort and Looks Meet Clarity and Musicality

Pros: Comfort, clarity, detail, musicality
Cons: Sibilance is heavy until hours of burn-in, bass is a bit shy

Packaging

Big and sleek are the first two things that come to mind when I received my q-JAYS. The box is easily bigger than any DUNU offering I've received, about the width of a marble notebook and almost the height for some imprecise measurements. The box does include a lot of accessories though, so it's excusable.

The front of the box is very minimalistic. The q-JAYS are each shown through a small window sitting on a lime green plastic case. At the bottom it has the q-JAYS name with some information. When turned over to the back the packaging suddenly seems a little congested. In the two rectangle window the various silicon tips are shown. Above them there is a lot of text. The text is the various accessories included as well as specifications in English and many other languages. While it does congest the back, I think it's nice they cater to various regions. On the right the content list is shown in a diagram.

Opening the q-JAYS is a little bit of a feat. The plastic container holding everything in place was surrounded by a plastic casing which I unfortunately wasn't careful enough when opening to save for further storage. Everything was carefully packed away though and very secure. Nothing fell out or looked damaged, despite being a wealth of accessories.

Included with the q-JAYS is 7 sets of single flanged silicon tips that should provide a good fit for everyone and a pair of Comply T300 tips that come in one size, medium. Plenty of replacement filters are included which should last the lifetime of the q-JAYS with clean ears. I do wish though that JAYS had used screw off metal mesh filters like the Apple Dual-Driver IEMs include. Two cables are included, an L-plug extension cord and an I plug extension cord to add necessary length while giving the user an option of an L or I plug. Lastly a 3.5mm spitter, an airline adaptor and a small zipper carrying case are included.

The q-JAYS come in a stylish box with everything secure. The accessories are honestly overkill, but I love that. JAYS gives users almost everything they could possibly need for any travel condition here, call me impressed. The addition of the Comply foam tips is really icing on the cake here. Top notch packaging for top notch headphones.

Design and Build Quality

Tiny. It's really hard to comprehend how tiny the q-JAYS are until you see them in person. JAYS claims that these are the worlds smallest IEMs and while I have no verification, I'm not going to dispute it. I've always wondered how companies managed to fit two drivers into normal sized IEMs, but with the q-JAYS I think they've simply used magic to fit two drivers into these. The q-JAYS seem to be meant to be worn down as the slight curve and branding of the plastic housing is suited for wearing them down, unless you want to wear them in the opposite ears. Some users do claim to prefer these over ear though, I'm really not sure how though as the curve of the IEM would cause it to sit awkward in the ear.

The housing itself comes in either black or white plastic. While the white looks sleek, especially for those who are avid Apple users, the white does show wear and tear more than the black. On one side "right" or "left" is imprinted on the inside of the IEM, while the JAYS logo is printed on the other side facing outwards. The nozzle is small and allows for deep insertion and has a removable mesh filter on the edge of it, which once removed exposes another permanent filter. The JAYS plastic housing is coated in rubber on the outside edges to allow for a better grip which is where the cable comes out of. The cable has a very small stress relief which is slightly inside of the housing itself barely protruding. Despite the small stress relief the cable is durable feeling and I have no qualms about it.

The cable leads to a small plastic rubberized y-split with a cinch that looks almost seamless. From the y-split the cable terminates shortly after to a 3.5mm I plug in-which the extensions come in use. From here you can choose the L or I plug which both terminate in a well built 3.5mm gold plated plug.

The q-JAYS sit deep and securely in the ears, but very comfortable with the included Comply tips. With the Comply tips isolation is above average, about 75% outside noise blocked without music playing. Microphonics are a slight issue on the q-JAYS unfortunately. When worn down it's noticeable unless using the cable cinch which still allows for some microphonics. Wearing them over ear though stops the microphonics.

The q-JAYS are well built and designed IEMs. They are not only comfortable but they isolate well. microphonics unfortunately are present unless worn over ear, which I never found an ideal fit with. The only thing I would change about these in-fact is the microphonics, everything else is above average.

Sound Quality

As always I burned these in for 50 hours before listening. After 50 hours the treble was still harsh so I gave them another 50 hours allowing them to settle in. I highly recommend giving these 100 hours before forming an opinion on these, I also highly recommend the Comply tips for these.

When I opened the q-JAYS I was very excited to hear them as I'd heard many good things. What I was treated to was a very bright sound with a lot of sibilance. The first thing I did was switch the included silicon tips for the included Comply tips to give them a warmer sound, then I allowed them to burn in to let the treble settle in. Boy am I glad I didn't.

After allowing them to burn in I found myself treated to a clean, detailed, airy, quick, neutral sound with a slightly warm tinge to them. To compare these to another headphone I easily compare them to my Ad900. While the sound signature is very similar to the Ad900, the q-JAYS are more analytical and far more revealing. Despite that the q-JAYS still retain a lot of musicality and are just as fun to listen to music on as my Ad900.

The bass is tight, quick, and punchy. The bass is simply fantastic in quality, though the quantity will definitely disappoint bassheads. The bass extends well, but it lacks any authority in the sub-bass making it rather disappointing for dubstep and other heavy bass genres. The mid and upper bass though is punchy and very quick though giving appropriate impact for kick drums and presence in bass guitars for most music. The mids are clean and detailed. Slightly forward, but not as much as the Ad900, they give guitars a nice crunch and vocals a nice presence to them making these fantastic for vocal oriented music or alternative rock. The highs are the star here, not only do they sparkle, but they shine. The highs are incredibly detailed, extended and clean. Sibilance is definitely heard when these are out of the box, but with the Comply tips and 100 hours of burn-in it's very slight and not a problem.

Some may call the q-JAYS grainy, yes they're very grainy and distorted at times. Thankfully that isn't a problem with the q-JAYS, but unfortunately a problem with bad mastering. I took some loudness war offenders and some other notably bad recordings and the q-JAYS showed the flaws. This can be seen as a good or bad thing, depending on the music you listen to, but one thing is for sure it shows the clarity and detail of the q-JAYS.

The soundstage is actually rather impressive on the q-JAYS giving a nice airy wide feel to it with good imaging. The soundstage is very similar to what open headphones provide. While the soundstage is rather large and airy it doesn't make these less engaging, in-fact these are very engaging with their slightly forward sound. As for needing an amp I find that the q-JAYS are adequately driven from my iPod Classic though it doesn't hurt to have a little extra juice or something with bass boost to make the sound a bit warmer.

Song time!

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
This is a classic song with good mastering and a great clean sound to it. Boy do the acoustic guitars sound wonderful through these. Absolutely clear as if looking at the bottom of a Caribbean sea. The vocals are warm and sweet and the drums sound incredibly natural. The piano sound clear and perfectly balanced in the mix to my ears. Honestly I have not one complaint with this song through the q-JAYS, it's absolutely stunning and clear.

Sigur Ros - Agaetis Byrjun
A beautiful song with excellent balance, recording and a variety of instruments. One thing about this song, and album, for that matter I find many headphone lacking or messing up is the balance of the album. The album was recorded beautifully and while a very warm album still has a lot that can be left out. The bass is usually either underwhelming or overwhelming depending on the headphone. The q-JAYS leave me slightly underwhelmed in all honesty. The bass is easily heard and extends well but it doesn't have enough presence. Don't let that deter you though, I've never heard Jonsi's vocals sound so clear, the piano so detailed, or the acoustic guitar in such clarity from the position changes to the slides. The only thing lacking is the bass, but even so I find myself enjoying this on a level I've almost never experienced.

Kanye West - Power
I wanted to test this song not only for it's bass, but because the mastering is questionable and I wanted to see how revealing the q-JAYS are. The vocals and samples actually sound excellent through the q-JAYS, I'm really liking these with their aggression on the vocals making them more than suitable for rap. The bass is where the problems really are though with the mastering and there's definitely clipping heard in the heavy bass, which is hard hitting and showing authority. Thankfully though the song is just as listenable as I've ever heard it. Thumbs up here.

Feist - So Sorry
I chose this because of the beautiful female vocals and delicate sound of the song in combination to being a good sibilance test. While some sibilance is heard it's honestly not bothering unless I'm concentrating on it. Out of the box this song hurt my ears, but after burn-in the q-JAYS have toned down. The vocals sound absolutely clean and controlled. I'm thoroughly impressed with the clarity and warmth of this song.

Sufjan Stevens - Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois
This is a beautiful song with a winter suited piano, hushed vocals, and a nice sibilance test. The piano sounds warm, yet cold at the same time, the sort of piano tone you would hear on a Christmas recording. The vocals are hushed, clear, and intimate, oh boy do they sound good. There's some grain in the woodwind and some of the backing vocals, but this album is lo-fi in a way so it's simply the q-JAYS revealing it.

Conclusion

As a fan of the Ad900 I've been searching for months to find an IEM to satisfy me when I'm away from my Ad900. The combination of a slightly forward sound with a warm tinge that's incredibly detailed and clear while still being musical has made the q-JAYS my new favorite IEM. These won't suit everyone, especially bassheads, but the q-JAYS will be a perfect on the road companion for AD900 fans and even possibly AKGK701/K701 fans.

At the current asking price near $200 depending on where you look these are a good value. While they may not be the best price to quality ratio there is nothing, absolutely nothing, I find disappointing about these from the comfort to the sound. Well done JAYS, well done.