You've gotten me interested. Unfortunately, the JH3A debacle, their patent suit against another small-time IEM player, some customer service issues (reported here), and my own lukewarm impressions of the JH13FP (hyped by Jude) and other JH IEMs makes me choose to sit on the sidelines and wait until the dust settles. Your friend's channel balance issues don't help either.

I actually am one of the suckers that bought into the JH3A+JH16s, but I bought them shortly after the whole JH3A started shipping normally. While the JH16s are alright (we all go through a bassy period, right?) being tied to the JH3A has not been ideal.

I'm tempted by the Angies/Laylas and quite liked the sound of them at CanJam, but I'm not sure I really am a big a fan of JH or his company.

Not the Angie, but I had opportunity to listen to the Layla yesterday. Impressions here: http://cymbacavum.com/2015/04/19/rapid-reaction-astellkern-x-jerry-harvey-audio-layla/

If the Angie midrange is cleaner sounding, I'd very much enjoy it over the Layla and it could easily become a personal favorite. Maybe I'll take a chance on it down the line a bit.

Nice impressions and balanced review. My honeymoon period with the Layla has as a matter of coincidence ended and I'm starting to appreciate the pros and cons of the Layla (sorry for thread jacking). I am almost in complete agreement with you about the impressive treble and rather subdued or recessed midrange. I have to say the details seem abundant due to the nice treble, but once I got to listen to a larger number of songs I realised the midrange can be quite muffled or veiled. I didn't feel this with the iPhone or AK240 but rather with my big rig (445 and Teton) which just baffles me. I also felt the soundstage is narrower than I thought - maybe 30-40% less than the HD800 - but the instrumental separation is very darn good for an IEM.

I wonder if this midrange veil is contributed to fit or the comply tips I'm using?

One thing I am sure is this won't beat an HD800 or SR009.

Try something other than comply tips. Those can be nefarious unless you are trying to clean up some treble artifacts. I recommend some bi flanges from Meelec or perhaps UE single flange silicone.

Thanks Mike. I'll have a look at those.

Nice impressions and balanced review. My honeymoon period with the Layla has as a matter of coincidence ended and I'm starting to appreciate the pros and cons of the Layla (sorry for thread jacking). I am almost in complete agreement with you about the impressive treble and rather subdued or recessed midrange. I have to say the details seem abundant due to the nice treble, but once I got to listen to a larger number of songs I realised the midrange can be quite muffled or veiled. I didn't feel this with the iPhone or AK240 but rather with my big rig (445 and Teton) which just baffles me. I also felt the soundstage is narrower than I thought - maybe 30-40% less than the HD800 - but the instrumental separation is very darn good for an IEM.

I wonder if this midrange veil is contributed to fit or the comply tips I'm using?

One thing I am sure is this won't beat an HD800 or SR009.

Always good to own the end of the honeymoon period! The only thing I have to add to Anax, is to make double sure you aren't getting any sort of vacuum seal with your tips as this will lead to a more veiled sound (any pressure can prevent the ear drum's movement).

I can't help but wonder whether Mr SGS' interest in the Angie is in any way related to the sparrow's hype in this thread, or a result of limited funds, ie bash the pricier product to excuse your own poor man's Layla purchase.

On a less serious note, and with regards to Comply/foam tips, I suggest Lojay investigate further the issues with Comply/foam tips, that is, often people don't realise that either they're not using the correct type, or, while using the right Comply model, they're not using them properly. Here's a good post from The Crass Dude on HF: http://www.head-fi.org/t/746964/jh-audio-layla-and-angie-head-fi-tv/600#post_11295783

…or this one right before it: http://www.head-fi.org/t/746964/jh-audio-layla-and-angie-head-fi-tv/600#post_11295776

I also remember Tyll writing an article and/or doing a video explaining how to use Comply/foam tips properly — with Comply/foam tips, like chips ([French] fries in the US), many think it's a piece of cake to make, but there's more to them than meets the eye, ear, palate and brain.