Aune Jasper Review (2) – Short Story
Pros — Natural timbre, small earpieces, comfortable.
Cons — Short nozzles; meagre eartips selection; hard to drive; problematic fit for some western ears.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Aune Jasper is a single-dynamic-driver earphone with a natural timbre that may have severe fit issues for some because of its short nozzles, which also strongly affects the sound perception. Since I have problems with fit, I forwarded the Aune Jasper to the next reviewer for a more realistic opinion. Please ignore my sonic perceptions and read Loomis Johnsons’s review instead:
INTRODUCTION
Aune is a Chinese company that specializes in headphone dacs and amps – from budget to premium. The brand is very popular in their homeland. The Aune Jasper is their first earphone model – a single dynamic driver. The company claims to have invested 3 years of R&D into the Jasper. They implemented a driver with high damping force, high speed, and high stiffness, which should result in a lifelike sonic experience with very low distortion and great resolution. The Jasper is obviously designed with the domestic markets in mind – which are much bigger than the western ones. The question is how the Aune Jasper works for my teutonic ears, physically and sonically.
SPECIFICATIONS
Drivers: 10mm Dynamic Driver unit with MGD (Multi-Gradation Diaphragm)
Impedance: 32 Ω
Sensitivity: 102 dB/mW
Frequency Range: 5 – 40,000 Hz
Cable/Connector: MMCX
Tested at: $300
Company Page: Aune
Purchase Link: HifiGo
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
The accessories of the Aune Jasper are actually quite sparse for a $300 earphone. Apart from the earpieces, an MMCX cable, cleaning tool, cleaning cloth, and a single set of eartips (S/M/L), the box contains a fancy storage container. The company’s lengthy R&D had obviously focused on the domestic market as neither do the earpieces fit me well – nozzles are way too short – or do the eartips seal. I always have the desire to push the earpieces deeper and deeper into my ear canals. Paradoxcially, while fit is poor for me, the comfort is good.
Cable of the Aune Jasper is of the rubbery kind, which has fallen out of fashion by now, although there is no noticeable noise transfer. The earpieces are reasonably small and resemble the Sennheiser Pro series. But they are heavy compared to the Sennheiser’s as they are presumably made of metal. The shiny earpieces are fingerprint magnets so that the inclusion of cleaning cloth was wise.
In summary, the presentation of the Aune Jasper reminds me of my 2016 purchases such as the B&W C5 Series 2 or the Nad Viso HP20.
TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES
Follow these links for some background information:
My tonal preference and testing practice
Equipment used: MacBook Air, EarMen Sparrow and ifi Audio Nano BL; stock cable; large stock tips/Azla SednaEarFit Light/Spinfit CP145.
Please take my sonic description with a grain of salt, as they may vary for you with your different ear canal geometry that harmonizes better with the Aune Jasper’s nozzles. Being able to use the stock tips may give you a more favourable bass perception, which may result in a different overall sonic impression. And since this earphone was not built for my ear canals, please read our other review by Loomis Johnson.
The Aune Jasper’s sound is strongly dependent on the tips and type of amplification used. But even under the most favourable conditions, they sound rather ordinary to my ear considering their price – they may sound different to yours. Let me explain.
First, Houston we have a problem, mainly with the short nozzles. Using the stock tips I cannot not get a proper seal – or not a proper bass. Bass is anemic, which emphasizes the perception of the 12 dB pinna gain. Vocals are over energetic, too bright, and overly intimate. Shouty galore! The soundstage is shallow, it feels as if you are sitting in front of the first row in a concert. I have the feeling to push the earpieces deeper into my ear canals all the time.
Using Spinfit CP145 eartips, the standard that comes with many premium earphones, changes little. They reduce shoutiness but also take out some life.
I then tried Azla SednaEarfit Original Series Light. First, they have long stems that passively extend the Aune Jasper’s short nozzles, as seen before in the Blon Bl-03, for example. Second, they have a 14 mm wide canopy that provides a good seal to my ears. And, no, our famous “Flip Tips” did not work in this case at all.
Deployment of the the warm sounding ifi Nano BL (in “direct” mode…the Aune Jasper require a lot of juice) is necessary to keep the upper midrange in check.
The Azlas bring out that mid bass hump you see in the frequency response graph, which essentially eliminates the shoutiness as it moves the focus towards the low end. The Tuner Jasper’s sound is now well rounded, bass extension starts to exist, however the low end is not particularly layered or articulate. Bass is rather ordinary which makes the whole sound perception ordinary. Sure, this is to the most extent a function of the tips selection, which is controlled by the short nozzles. You choose between a thumpy, somewhat boomy bass and a shouty midrange. That bass, at least, adds some three-dimensionality to the stage but it also cuts into clarity. This perception varies with amplification used. The warmer ifi Audio Nano BL produces a warmer, darker image than the faster, brighter sounding Earmen Sparrow.
Midrange in the Aune Jasper is fortified by the bass: vocals are now perceived to be fuelled from below rather than from above in the frequency spectrum. vocals gain weight and body compared to stock tips but also become a bit muddy and congested with the Nano. Midrange transparency is reduced by the bass smearing into it.
What also does not contribute to clarity and transparency either is that strong rolloff in the uppermost midrange and lower treble. Sure, this excludes sibilance but lower treble extension is audibly lacking which squeezes the soundstage width. Cymbals and high notes can sound washed out. Nevertheless does the upper treble provide some sheen and sparkle…and possibly some fake resolution.
Dynamics of the Aune Jasper could be more engaging. There could be a bit more attack for my taste whereas decay is ok.
The bass also affects most other technicalities: separation, layering, instrument placement…are all not great for a $300 earphone, soundstage is barely average in width only. Timbre is good. The Aune Jasper do show their potential in music passages without a prominent bass…in such situations they do sound very good.
And harmonic distortion is indeed very low – you can turn up the volume high on the Aune Jasper.
WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY?
I would clearly dial down that upper midrange and also extend the nozzles. Both these properties point to an earphone design for the domestic market.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
The Aune Jasper did not work well for my ears. The nozzles are too short so that I could not unleash its full potential. Please refer to Loomis’ review for the true story.
Until next time…keep on listening!
DISCLAIMER
The Aune Jasper was kindly provided by HifiGo for our reviews. Thank you very much. Following my review, the unit was shipped to the next reviewer.
Our generic standard disclaimer.
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