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It is a evaluation of the JQ 4Upro, a brand new 5-driver hybrid common in-ear monitor that includes a single dynamic and 4 balanced armature drivers. It’s priced at $239.99.
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Oh boy, one other sub $300 tier dynamic driver IEM! This time, a brand new firm tosses itself into the hearth! Meet JQ Audio and their JQ 4Upro IEMs. They certain do look fancy, don’t they?
I had no expertise with this firm till a cargo arrived at my door for me to play with. Inside, a bunch of various IEMs such because the Seekreal Airship, Yanyin’s Aladdin, and the final one was the JQ 4Upro.
For $239, these headphones have a critical problem forward of them. So many beautiful choices on this pricing tier, so many fall brief, and only some rise to the highest.
Tech Highlights
This JQ 4Upro has a hybrid driver configuration utilizing a single dynamic driver for the lows with a 3-way crossover implementation, with 2 BAs for mids, and a pair of extra for highs.
This JQ 4Upro is a little bit of a monster in that regard, there’s a lot occurring in there. The lows, mids, and excessive sections every have a unit (or two) that can deal with every part of the spectrum and, in flip, enable for a extra coherent sonic enchantment.
A minimum of, that’s the intent of those designs, anyway.
Cable & Design
The JQ 4Upro cable isn’t detailed a lot by the corporate, so far as I may inform. They’ve statements saying that the standard of inventory cables is commonly neglected, which I agree with, and that they’ve chosen a high-quality braided design. Additionally, true.
The cable seems and looks like most different $200-300 IEM cables nowadays, that are all within the very good tier. We have now come a great distance within the cable division over the previous 5 years or so. I’m glad to see extra care taken into this.
Fortunately, no microphonics points, so I can stroll round with out a thumping sound going via the cable and into the shells.
So far as bodily enchantment, the JQ 4Upro is gorgeous with that hand-crafted German essential resin. The outside colours are wonderful, and certainly, the set seems and feels good within the hand and to the attention.
Consolation & Isolation
The JQ 4U Professional is surprisingly comfy and secure in my ear. It’s a bigger IEM shell, which completely dwarfs the SeekAudio Airship IEM I’ve reviewed a number of months in the past.
That IEM is tiny in comparison with this JQ 4UPro and most different IEMs, but this bigger mannequin is simply a kind of bigger shell containers that match properly in my ear.
I normally have issues with this, being a shorter fella. However this time, no issues, they’re secure and lightweight in design, so they have an inclination to not hassle me after or throughout lengthy listening classes.
The JQ 4Upro can also be very good at passive isolation, possible as a result of there’s a missing void in these shells. This is perhaps because of the obscene quantity of electronics within it fairly actually filling the within of the shells to the purpose that sound doesn’t prefer to leak or bounce round in there.
Packaging & Equipment
The JQ 4Upro unboxing expertise is pretty normal, a white exterior case that makes it troublesome as hell to place the black field again into the slipcover. I dislike these as a result of I find yourself tearing the outside portion on a regular basis. And it’s a ache to get out generally.
Anyway, the inside has a skinny plastic sheet masking, and beneath which might be the case, IEMs, and fundamental equipment. You get a pleasant little zipper case in addition to some additional suggestions.
The JQ 4Upro is available in a inventory 3.5mm possibility however you possibly can detach and use an upgraded cable of your alternative if in case you have one.
For $239, I don’t anticipate the world, however it’s nicer to know that a number of IEMs on the market are together with wonderful cables that I usually swap between IEMs nowadays.
Sound Impressions
Bass
The JQ4U Professional reaches right down to 10kHz, but it’s a bass-light IEM with none EQ lively.
With a large +10dB and a few additional MSEB magic with low-end stuff enabled, the JQ 4Upro elevates itself to the highest facet of bass mild and never into the realm of bass reasonable.
It is a case the place the hybrid design did nothing for the low-end amount, and in flip, because it was missing amount, you can not actually differentiate the decrease mids from the bass areas with ease.
The constancy issue is okay, it actually punches within the $200tier, however at nearly $250 I want this to push extra bass than it does, or on the very least, I wanted it to behave in a fashion that’s befitting one thing that responds a lot better to bass boosting.
On this case, the JQ 4UPRO doesn’t reply a lot in any respect, even when massively cranked up within the backside finish. And also you’ll see or hear why within the Timbre part.
Midrange
The JQ 4Upro mids lack a way of slickness that the majority hybrids have, and I’m not certain what the issue is right here. It has all this beautiful tech in it, 2 devoted drivers only for mids and a pair of for treble, however the mids are usually not creamy.
They’re, the truth is, uncooked and pure feeling, additionally with a hefty quantity of bodily strike issue. Sudden and intense vocal clues that I get pleasure from in some particularly favorited tracks in my playlist, all simply really feel fairly painful at occasions and fatiguing.
This downside flares up into the higher mids in addition to the decrease treble. This isn’t a relaxed and serene-sounding IEM, it’s blaring and extremely participating, bodily fascinating and packs a bit little bit of a kick.
Physicality is excessive on the JQ 4Upro and the midrange takes a little bit of an altered path to what I do know most IEMs on this vary to really feel like, not sound like, however to really feel like.
The bodily wince issue is reasonably potent, however not extreme. There are many different units that went overboard on this, however fortunately the JQ 4Upro didn’t go overboard.
However what’s there may be nonetheless a little bit of a wince manufacturing unit, particularly in older 80s tracks that I get pleasure from.
Treble
The highest facet of the JQ 4Upro is hostile and brilliant. Oddly, the missing bass growth on the low finish makes this IEM really feel a bit lopsided and closely favored within the treble area.
This implies there may be much more treble than there may be bass even with the bass dialed up loads and the treble dialed down.
The tonality of the JQ 4Upro is an analytically cool sound to me. It lacks heat and clearly wasn’t supposed to be wooly, or velvet-like in kind issue.
The highest facet is overly impacting, for my part. Fatigue units in after an excellent quarter-hour and sooner if I’m listening to something in SynthWave or, as soon as extra, my new favourite fashionable band (Polyphia) who sadly doesn’t report high-quality tracks.
The highest facet is akin to a highlight generally, however I suppose some individuals actually like that. No tip alternatives appeared to repair that, and it solely grew to become one thing I can hearken to for some time earlier than I madly drop the treble on my customized EQ and HiBy Music MSEB profiles.
Dropping down the highest facet EQ is one thing I’ve not needed to do for some time on this pricing tier. Most, if not all of the sub $300 IEMs recently have been reserved and shimmering on the highest facet at greatest.
That is the primary to come back alongside that’s brilliant, analytical, punchy, and missing physicality in a way of density context. By that, it looks like a thin-sounding tone up prime.
Soundstage
The imaging prowess of the JQ 4Upro is common at greatest and doesn’t really feel like all a part of the sound area is best than another half that’s obtainable.
Width, top, depth, and your complete spectrum appear equal. What’s there, is simply good. This isn’t a sound staging titan, however I’d argue that it’s coherent and bodily boxed-shaped.
I benefit from the forwardness issue, it’s extremely participating, this complete set is simply screaming engagement anyway.
So it’s no shock actually if the imaging can also be tuned to ensure your ear doesn’t fall prey to abundance by way of depth, top, width, or separation, whereas any of the others listed there are missing. Equality throughout.
Though I’d additionally say that separation qualities in stage left to proper are the star of the present, possible aerated by the plentiful treble side that makes it really feel extra spacious than it truly is.
Synergy
Effectivity
At a rated 19Ω, the JQ 4Upro doesn’t require any amplifiers, however it is usually very cussed in what it pairs with. The chase for synergy was a tricky one for this evaluation and I’ve opted to simply persist with my TempoTec V6 participant over anything.
Recently, I desire my Sony cellphone because it has an exquisite inner DAC system with a 3.5mm output, operating to a CEntrance HiFi-M8 V2. However on this case, the V2 makes the IEM means too icy.
Two ‘icy’s’ combined collectively was simply an excessive amount of for me, I wanted one thing impartial and hotter, and my XRK uber solved that, but it surely lacked the facility output of the TempoTec V6.
Pairings
So, I used to be in a demanding place. I in the end discovered that the most effective general setup is a useless impartial one with a reserved treble supposed to tame scorching treble situations.
In that regard, the V6 DAP gained the day. The JQ 4Upro additionally does get noticeably extra smoothed out with much more energy.
Regardless of rankings of low ohmage, the JQ 4Upro extremely advantages from numerous juice. Could have one thing to do with the plethora of BA’s in there and one in all them meshing extra with larger voltage enter.
I ran via numerous DAPs and amps to search out the most effective general sound that made sense and tamed the highest facet whereas including some wanted low finish, and the TempoTec V6 appeared the most effective meshing that I had available.
Choose Comparisons
Moondrop Stellaris
The Stellaris is solely a Planar design, but it surely looks like a lead weight in comparison with the JQ 4Upro, which is clearly going to be the case, after all.
The Stellaris feels velvety, thick, weighty, and dense in comparison with the lighter, airier tone of the JQ 4Upro. Whereas the Stellaris can also be a bit brilliant, the JQ 4Upro is even brighter.
Apparently, the Stellaris has noticeably higher depth of area and realism issue however finally ends up feeling a bit boring in comparison with the very participating and bodily JQ 4Upro right here.
SeekAudio Airship
The Airship is round 1/3 the dimensions and feels denser and heavier than the JQ 4Upro. The Airship has an audibly superior depth of area and a extra reserved tone and texture, whereas the JQ 4Upro feels punchier and livelier.
The low finish of the JQ 4Upro feels purer on the low finish, cleaner, but in addition far much less amount supplied than the Airship.
Our Verdict
The JQ 4Upro is a strong entry if you’re into the punchier and brilliant sound kind. It is vitally lovely and well-made, little doubt there.
The cable is beautiful too, mixed with good consolation and passive isolation qualities, I take into account this an excellent contender.
I’m to see what they will generate in 2033 and sit up for extra experiences with this firm.
JQ 4Upro Technical Specs
- Sensitivity 112dB
- Frequency Response 10-22kHz
- Impedance 19Ω
- Connectors 0.78mm 2 Pin
