Review: Jomo Audio Jomo5 & Jomo6R

  1. Build Quality & Comfort

Both the Jomo5 and the Jomo6R are pretty small in size and I think they’re a little bit smaller than most of my other 5 and 6-driver CIEMs. Comfort wise both the 5 and the 6R simply are superb: they fit my ear perfectly, always keep a seal and they’re extremely comfortable. Using them for hours at end is no problem whatsoever. In fact, the 6R even feels a bit smaller than the Jomo5 that has one driver less. There’s no complaining here, my ears are happy. More and more CIEM companies are using the shorter and “hollow” ear canals which Jomo calls the advanced horn sound outlet design. We’ve seen it before on the Rhines Stage 5 and the Vision Ears VE5. The advantage of this is that the canals are shorter and feel more comfortable but at the same time they need to be perfect “size wise” so the seal won’t easily break. With the Jomo’s everything is perfect though.

Build quality wise these do are pretty good but they’re not perfect. The outer shell is smooth and the canals have no sharp edges at the end. The faceplate closings are as good as they get (not too thick and straight). Both Jomo’s have flush standard 2-pin (C)IEM-sockets (not recessed) but the build quality of the Jomo6R’s sockets  is better than those of the Jomo5. Both are perfect on the inside but on the Jomo5 there is some glue residue on the outside. Inserting the cable however is no problem at all and once the cable is in place this doesn’t even show.

The same more or less goes for the shells: the 6R is perfect all the way while the Jomo5 has some bubbles here and there on the inside. It doesn’t really bother me and it doesn’t affect the sound in any way but I do have to mention it. The internals are fairly symmetric and that’s something a couple of you out there – you know who you are – will appreciate.

  1. Personalization

We didn’t even talk about this aspect when we agreed to do a review and when they arrived I had no idea what to expect. When I opened the box, I liked what I saw. The Jomo5 has a grey/blue-ish shell (SDP-11 I think) and the face plate is a leaf skeleton with glitter in between. The Jomo6R has amber like color (I love it, I think it is SDP-09 on Jomo’s color chart) and came with a Teak wooden face plate with the JM logo printed in gold in the center. Both look lovely and not too flashy. Perfect.

Of course these aren’t the only personalization options that Jomo offers, all of the other perso options can be found on the Jomo Website. They have a large selection of colors and they offer wood, carbon fiber, watch parts, chrome, gold/silver foil, pearl, etc as faceplates. In the beginning Jomo’s designs were very basic but the design quality and possibilities quickly increased. Their facebook picture page is a great example of that. Not all of the designs are Jomo originals, the “watch part” and “leaf skeleton” in example were created by Cosmic Ears (Steampunk/Steamjunk) if I’m not mistaken, but Jomo does have the tendency to improve other companies’ designs. A perfect example of this is the beautiful monitor in the picture below featuring one of the best steamjunk designs I’ve ever seen.

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  1. Cables

The cables of the Jomo5 and the 6R are identical. It’s a simple 3-way copper based cable with the usual 2 pin ending and while it doesn’t do anything wrong, it’s isn’t that spectacular either. Both the original cables also unfortunately turning green, there’s nothing wrong with that and it doesn’t impact the cable’s performance but I’ve never seem them turn green so quickly. As said, the greening is purely a cosmetic change cause by the oxidation of the copper being exposed to air.

The two cables I used most of the time with both monitors are the Effect Thor Copper and the PlusSound Apollonian+ . These cables tend to add a little bit of body to bass and mids and they usually have an impact on the bass making it slightly bigger. I especially liked this effect with the Jomo5 as it is the one I used most when I was on the go. The Jomo6R, which has a more analytical, neutral and reference tuning, was mostly used in a very quiet environment at home for qualitative listening.

I don’t really know why but these were the first IEMs in a very long time I didn’t always use the excellent Linum cables on. In theory the BaX version should also have more of an impact on the bass and mids (to a lesser degree) but I just didn’t feel the need to use them as the Effect Audio and PlusSound cables had just the thing I was looking for. More on that in the part on Sound.

  1. Price & Accessories

Most of the 5-6-8 driver CIEMs I reviewed don’t come cheap. The Jomo5 is available starting from €515/$560USD and the TOTL Jomo6R starts from €900/$980USD. Compared to most of the other brands that mostly puts them below the average. Cosmic Ears is known for its good price setting and their 5-driver starts at €580/$650(+VAT) and their CE6 starts at €620/$700USD. Vision Ears 5-driver sets you back €1399/$1520(VAT inc) and 1964Ears 6-driver starts at €1100/$1199, just to give you a few more comparisons.

IMG_20160201_143919

Both Jomo’s came delivered in their own hard box with a soft inlay. I think they’re about the size of the Pelican 1015 but these don’t have a specific brand mentioned on them. On top of the case is a sticker that says “Jomo Audio Custom In-Ear”, the boxes aren’t personalized. If you look at my other CIEM reviews you will see most of the 5-driver monitors cost over €1000 and depending on the brand come delivered with a whole bunch of accessories. Jomo does keep it simple and the only accessory that comes with your monitor will be a cleaning tool. No cleaning cloth, cleaning spray, cable tie, shirt clip, … You just get the basics and I think they could have done a little more. The reference model should at least come with a cleaning cloth, cleaning tool and cable tie, especially for the price it os going for. You do get 12 months limited warranty against manufacture defects and they also offer the 1 month refitting service free of charge.

The Review continues on Page 3, right after the click HERE or below

3.9/5 - (22 votes)
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Lieven is living in Europe and he's the leader of the gang. He's running Headfonia as a side project next to his full time day job in Digital Marketing & Consultancy. He's a big fan of tube amps and custom inear monitors and has published hundreds of product reviews over the years.

13 Comments

  • Reply February 3, 2016

    lowbies

    Any comparison 6R with CA H8P?

    • Reply February 3, 2016

      Headfonia_L.

      I’ll try to get that tonight

      • Reply February 4, 2016

        lowbies

        Any followup lieven?hahhaa

        • Reply February 4, 2016

          Headfonia_L.

          I put in my H8P yesterday before going to bed. The H8P has more focus on the treble and sounds harsher. The Maestro has more body in mids, bass and sub bass. Detail on both is excellent but the layering on the Maestro is a lot better. The H8P sounds fairly inside your head compared to the Maestro’s superb sound stage and “open-ness”. Both have great Left-right balance.

          Hope this helps!

          • Reply February 4, 2016

            lowbies

            That helps so much…thank you so much lieven…

          • Reply August 2, 2016

            Icarus89

            I cant help but wonder, when you say Maestro are you referring to the 6R? Because the question asked for comparison between the 6R and H8P, which I am also rather interested to know. Thanks!

  • Reply February 3, 2016

    Au Junfeng Justin

    Hi would it be poosible to get a comparison with the westone equivalents?

  • Reply February 3, 2016

    Anthony Kimball

    I was wondering, since you mentioned that Jomo does custom sleeves, if you have any experience with using them (sleeves). I’ve been on the fence about trying custom sleeves for my Shure 535s, and I was wondering how they effect the sound signature…I actually haven’t read too many reviews on custom sleeves, any input would be appreciated.

    • Reply February 3, 2016

      Headfonia_L.

      To be honest, Anthony, I have never tried. A perfect fir would mean the best possible sound. I don’t think it will change your sound signature

    • Reply February 4, 2016

      George Lai

      It will change the SQ as the distance of the tip of your IEM is usually further away than when compared to using it without the sleeve, plus there is the question of the tube in the custom sleeve itself. Like anything else, having another connector, for want of a better word, will also test the seal achieved. I had a pair made once and now it just sits there as an expensive pair of silicon blobs.

      • Reply February 5, 2016

        Anthony Kimball

        Thanks George…That was my fear. Sleeves “sound” like a good idea in theory, but I figured if tips can change the s/q of earphones, then these should too. I’ve seen very little about them on line…thanks again.

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