t-JAYS Four Review and JAYS Curves Quick Review

t-JAYS Four Review and JAYS Curves Quick Review

Thanks to JAYS for the sample.

Brief:  Uber fancy EQ stuff for Idevices

Price:  £80 for the t-JAYS Four £2 for JAYS Curves

Specification:  Driver Type 10 mm TCD Dynamic Speaker, Sensitivity 98dB @ 1kHz, Impedance 16 Ohm @ 1kHz, Frequency Response 15 Hz – 25 000 Hz, Earphones Finish  Rubber Coated Black / Metal, Isolation  -40dB @ 2kHz, Size (L)17.5 x (W)6.9 x (H)14.8 mm, Weight 10 grams (0.35 oz), Cord Type          Dividable TPE coated & Kevlar reinforced cables Length        60 cm (23.5 in) + 70 cm (27.5 in), Plug Straight, Silver-Plated Stereo Plug 3.5mm (1/8 in)

Accessories:  5 pairs of tips, a shirt clip and a rather cool case.

Build Quality:  The t-JAYS ooze sumptuousness.  They are an image of perfection and feel just as well constructed in the hand.

Isolation:  A bit so so.  Fine for a dynamic and no doubt perfectly adequate for normal situations.  Not something for a daily Tube commute though or a long flight.  With music going though enough to block out traffic noise so do look out, or you’ll get yourself run over.

Comfort/Fit:  excellent.  Worn up or down they were effortless and perfectly comfortable, even all day.  One caveat, worn down the mic did catch on my collar which annoyed me, up it did not.

Aesthetics:  One of the best looking IEM’s, period.

Sound:  Sans Dirac they are really, really bass heavy and I can’t say I liked them much.  Not for £80 anyway, I don’t care how nice they look!  Slap an extra £2 and you get the Dirac stuff which you can think of as a super fancy EQ setting.  It makes a huge difference and has clearly been aimed at compensating for the shortcomings of Idevices as it is improving the t-JAYS.  The Ipad 2 I used could make these sound good where it frankly struggled with comparably priced IEM’s.  Adding and amp of course solves the issue but I get people using an Iphone as a DAP aren’t going to do that.  The dirac stuff makes the t-JAYS sound into a smooth, lush sounding IEM.  Bass is still big and thick but not suffocating.  The mids are thickish and liquid but can actually flow, smoothly and I dare a say beautifully.  The highs are a bit soft and genteel to continue a warm theme but offer up a nice level of detail, shimmer and accuracy.  They are detailed but kind to the ear.  Smooth and warm with a hint of something else, sharp and tart, like a microwaved big slice of a Black Forrest gateau.

Value:  £80 for the t-JAYS Four is a bit steep when the Three is only £40, £40 is a lot to ask for a mic.  The £2 for the Jays Curves programme is however a no brainer.  If you’re an Idevice user and if you have a pair of t-JAYS (or also a-JAYS imo) then it’s the best audio upgrade you’ll ever see for £2. 

Pro’s:   Look simply superb, sumptuous rich sound with Dirac in use.

Con’s:  It’s a big price jump for a mic and its essentially an Idevice only earphone.