Continuing the recent pointed look at Jerry Harvey earphones, today I’m checking out the Jerry Harvey Audio Roxanne.  Retailing for a hefty $1599, this may not be the everyman’s earphone, but it’s sure to pack a wallop.  The only real question?  Is that wallop worth the pounding your wallet will take?  Audio46 investigates.

Packaged in a standard JH Audio box, the Roxanne comes with six pairs of eartips, a swanky carrying case, a cleaning tool, and a minuscule screwdriver for adjusting the Variable Bass filters.

Superficially, Roxy sports the same ergonomic fit as other JH Audio models, with the same four-pin connections and the same machined-aluminum screw-on collars.  The supplied cable measures a standard 4 ft (1.2 m) and feels fairly robust in the hand.

Internally, the Roxanne packs serious tech, with a 12 driver setup broken down into quad drivers for the lows, mids, and highs.  This model also uses the same SoundBore design to attenuate and equalize the sound as it travels to your ears.

Where comfort is concerned, the Roxanne feels just a svelte in my ear as any other Jerry Harvey earphone.

Specifications

Frequency Range:  10-23,000 Hz
Nominal Impedance: 15 ohms
Sound Pressure Level (SPL):  119 dB

These specs reveal a fairly standard frequency response with a little more attention paid to the low end.  The low impedance will work flawlessly with phones or computers, but won’t benefit a great deal from amplification.  A DAC may serve you better here instead, if only to take full advantage of the Roxanne’s resolution.  Lastly, sound pressure is a relatively high 119 decibels, so volume should never become an issue under most scenarios.

Low End

The Roxanne hosts powerful, driving, rocking good lows. Accurate and detailed, there’s still some strong bass at play here. With variable bass dialed up to the maximum settings, the sound morphs into a more-drastic basshead-style flavor with walloping impact.

Midrange

In the midrange, you will find good detail though the sound may seem a bit forward-leaning. Still, the Roxanne manages to maintain a high level of fidelity with no noticeable compression or distortion.

High End

Slightly rolled off highs prevent this earphone from waxing too piercing or harsh.  There’s detail, too, though. Overall the sound here comes across as warm, working wonders with that rich low end and those strong mids.  While it’s good for any genre of music you might throw at it, this sound definitely lends itself to rock and hip hop.

Soundstage

Tons of space and a good sense of depth come together to form one impressive soundstage.  The sound here is emphatic and immersive, with enough space to pinpoint each instrument in a given track.  

Other Observations

A bit too bassy for all listening tastes, the Roxanne’s deep, warm signature will mesh well with fans of rock or hip hop, or anyone else who just prefers a little more low end.  It’s the kind of bass that grows on you, really – invading spaces where you never thought a bassy sound could go, and heightening your listening experience to one of near-bliss.

Recommendations

If you’re looking for a warm earphone with plenty of bass to spare, look no further than the Roxanne.  This rich, competent sound avails itself to any fan of rock, classic rock, hip-hop, or electronic music.

If you’d prefer a more forward-leaning sound, I’d recommend opting instead for the $1299 Jerry Harvey 16V2 and dialing back the Variable Bass filters.  

If mids and highs are more your cup of tea, I might suggest the Westone W80 at $1499.  This model should prove more detailed in these parts of the frequency range without offering so much bass. 

Final Analysis

The Jerry Harvey Audio Roxanne delivers a warm, detailed sound that marries fidelity with headroom.  All this can be had for a solid price of $1599.  To be sure, there’s plenty of earphones out there that will vie for your attention at this price, but how many of them can deliver sound like this?

See more from JH Audio at the Jerry Harvey Store at Audio46!