DDHifi Janus B

disclaimer:   I’ve been lucky enough to have  been involved with DD Hifi since the early development of the Janus.   I had a beta, then a 1st model production sample, and now the 2nd release with the new tuning.    I have not received any guidance or remuneration for this review, nor do I have any financial interest in DD Hifi or any of its distributors.   If you have an interest in the Janus or other DD products see their website or facebook page.

 

Unboxing / Packaging:

The Janus B is packed in a fairly nondescript cardboard slip-cover box with two compartments.  One contains the case while the other contains the earpieces.  The kit contains the earpieces, cable, cable tie with magnetic closure, 7 sets of tips (3 each of treble and bass tips  and 1 additional that ships on the earpieces), mmcx covers (5 sets for when bi-pin is in use), and a soft case also with magnetic closure.   Tips are all silicone with no foams provided in the kit.   The kit is over-engineered and solidly built as all of the cases I have purchased from DD have been.   It may not be any larger kit than is standard at this price point, but it is of better quality than a lot of what is packaged with a lot of its competitors.  Between the case and the Effect Audio cable, the Janus B sets high marks for craftsmanship.

 

Build/Fit:

The first model Janus  had a mix of tranditional and innovative features and the Janus B inherits much from its parent.    The heart is still a single dynamic drivers albeit revisited since last time.  Gone is the FPCB (flexible PCB material) used in the 1st generation instead replaced with OCC and silver plated OCC wires designed for the Janus B by Effect Audio.   What does remain is the inclusion of both .78mm bi-pin and mmcx connectors opposite each other (and the reason for the Jaunus name) .     The earpieces have clear rear housings but now utilize a double rear housing is used behind the driver to help shape the sound.  The front half of the shell is highly polished steel with a straight short nozzle giving the Janus a fit similar to a micro-driver or Etymotics style in-ear.   There is a ring of vents just behind the nozzle evenly spaced around the surface of the casing that do limit isolation considerably.   Tips are standard T400 size with a large lip on the nozzles for retention.   The connectors are labeled R/L on the housing for ease of indexing and the bi-pin connector housing is red to help as well.    I had no issue with wearing the Janus B for extended periods and no physical discomfort or fatigue was noted.

 

Internals:

The Janus2 utilizes a single 10mm dynamic driver but it is a new driver rather than a re-use of the previous version.    Not only is the driver redesigned for better speed, the rear chamber has been updated to use a double cavity structure to decrease resonance.    Nominal impedance is 12Ω with a sensitivity of 105 dB/mW.   The Janus2 performed well with a phone or low-powered source and really doesn’t need a lot of power to do its best work.  It scales well with better sources qualitatively, but does not not need the additional power provided by higher end sources.   The chambers (both fore and aft) are also tuned specifically for this driver to help get the most out of it with venting to the front visible behind the nozzles.

 

Cables:

The cable is new as well.  The Sky cable provided with the previous generation was quite good really, but wasn’t as eye catching as the new cable which was designed for DD by Effect Audio using silver plated OCC for the hot lead and OCC for the return leads.   The two-tone braid gives the cable a nice aesthetic and is a first among the DD Hifi cables.   To date they have either used OFC or silver plated OFC but not a combination of both in the same cable.   The Jack is 3.5mm with a straight metal housing in gunmetal gray and a short strain relief.   The cable exits as a double twist with the wires for each channel twisted tightly together and then the two channels twisted to produce a single cable from jack to splitter.   The splitter and chin slider are matching metal components in the same color as the jack with the two single channel twists heading off to their respective earpieces after leaving the splitter.   The Janus B is designed for either tip up or down wear so no pre-formed hooks exist before the mmcx connector housings.   The housings don’t share the gunmetal material but instead are clear plastic shells housing gold plated MMCX connectors to help reduce oxidation and improve connectivity.

 

Case:

This is one place where there has not been any change since the first version.  Other than the color, the case is unchanged.    The case like very other DD product is over-engineered with solid sides so it is crush resistant and magnetic flap closures that fit inside the lip of the case so are less likely to be snagged on other things and opened.   The case is large enough to comfortably fit the earpieces with cable attached and a couple sets of extra tips without having to cram things in.  It is a bit large for pocket carry as a result.   I have the C2020 and C2021 case that I use for DAPs and accessories and have grown to expect great build and design from DD Hifi.

 

Tips:

DD refers to the tips as treble and bass sets but to my ear they are more a matter of reference vs enhanced bass.   The treble tips don’t enhance the treble to my ear, but they do reduce the bass to a level that gives it a more linear sound.  For that reason, I did all of my listening notes using what DD calls the treble tips in size large.

 

Sound:

Below are the frequency response plots for the JanusB with each of the two tip styles.  I found that I preferred the vocal or reference tips sound signature a bit better so my listening notes reference the vocal or treble tips.     A comparison of the frequency response for the B and the original can be found in the comparison section.

 

 

 

 

As I had done with the previous generation, I also tested with the stock cable using the MMCX connectors and with an Effect Audio 0.78mm bi-pin to 3.5mm jack for comparison sake.  I found that the choice of MMCX vs bi-pin did not impact the signature to any audible degree.  Likewise, running the frequency response plots showed no differences outside the normal margin or error of the system.

 

Bass:

The Janus B is not a basshead model.   Know that going in and you can appreciate what it does well rather than disparaging it for what it is not.  Bass has good speed and detail and can rumble when called for, but steps back into line with the rest of the signature when not the star of the show and can kind of disappear at times as a result.  It is clean and well textured, which also helps it vanish more effectively as it doesn’t have any perceptible bleed or added warmth, and it doesn’t make the signature sound heavy or dulled.   The sub-bass is mildly emphasized with the mid-bass more in line with the lower and true mids and none of it overly forward in the mix.

 

Mids:

The transition between mid-bass and mids was one of the things I thought the original did quite well and I am happy to report that if anything the Janus B is a little better here than its predecessor.    There is no notable mid-bass bleed and lower mids have good note weight which translates into solid male vocals that cut through the mix well and good guitar growl with sharp attack.   Although the true mids sit at the bottom of the trough on the FR plot, the drop is so gradual and with only 5dB from peak to trough, one can hardly call the mids recessed.   The mids are not emphasized, but at the same time don’t sound recessed or behind other instruments with strings having good textures and piano showing good timbre as well.   Strings could use a touch more energy but I find myself saying that more often than not on iems in this price class.   Upper-mids do climb forward and give female vocals a lift in front of their male counterparts as well as the guitar and strings.    In some ways the mids sound a bit like the Campfire Comet or Audiofly 180 which puts them in fairly good company.

 

Treble:

Lower treble is not over-emphasized but has good detail without adding stridency.   The true treble is the point of emphasis of the Janus B and gives snare rattle a nice crisp edge.  Cymbals have good energy as well and even hi-hat is not too hot and clicky.  Above about 6.5Khz treble steps back which helps keep it from getting piercing but roll-off isn’t audible for me as it is above 14kHz. The treble tuning gives the Janus B good air at the top without a lot of sparkle or sizzle.    Its a safe treble tuning as the lower range where vocals can be come shouty and harsh is kept in check as is the 9kHz range where highs can become too hot very easily.  I’d personally like to see a touch more energy to the lower treble range but the higher end parallels my preferences well.

 

Soundstage / Imaging:

Stage is quite well proportioned with more depth than expected in a closed back and width slightly larger yet.  The Janus B even manages some height in the mix and combined with above average stereo separation makes for a dynamic listening experience.   Instrument separation is quite good as well so seating the orchestra is straight forward with no large gaps or overlaps.   Imaging is good too with movements being easily traced around the space and fairly tightly defined.    Movements directly to the front lose a little definition compared to movements further to the sides.   There is some mild compression on really busy tracks, but not enough to become overly thick or muddied.

 

Comparison:

Bass:

Where before sub-bass and mid bass were both on the same plateau,  the Janus B opts for a more V tuning with a lesser sub-bass emphasis and a gradual step back in the mid-bass.  Speed is improved with a more natural decay and a bit less weight to the bass.

Mids:

Less of them, but with better detail, a bit better timbre, and a lift for female vocals.   Strings have less energy than the original and if there is a place where the older model out-performs the newer it is likely to be string heavy pieces that benefit from the more prominent mids.   Overall the new has less commanding and engaging mids comparatively but instead offers better clarity, separation and timbre.

Treble:

Again, these two are separated by a matter of degrees.  Both have arguably polite trebles with the older having less lift in the lower treble and less air and sparkle up top.  The newer B does have more lower treble and may be too much for those who are especially sensitive but offers more detail and more openness as the trade off.

Soundstage / Imaging:

Staging, and separation (both stereo and instrument) are better on the new version with the stage having more depth where the older version was shallower and wider, the new maintains good proportions.   Seating the orchestra is a bit more straight forward as a result as distinctions are clean and placements fairly tight in space.

 

Thoughts / Conclusion:

My sound score for the Janus B puts it in league with the Moondrop Kanas Pro, the Simgot EK3, and even fairly close to things like the Hifiman Re2000 Silver and Meze Rai Penta.    Those are pretty big names in an industry where DD-Hifi is still a newcomer and largely an unknown.    DD has long made some great cases, cables, and accessories and has recently started making a line of dongles and now headphones as well.    About the only thing you can’t buy from DD is the music itself.     Every DD-Hifi product I have had is well designed and well made and I have every expectation that the Janus B will last well too.   I liked the Janus but did find the tuning was bucking the market trend which likely kept it from selling as well as it might have otherwise.   The Janus B keeps the innovations of the original while opting for a more widely appreciated tuning which should translate into a more popular model.   I think the Janus B is well worth a listen.   For me its a great 2nd pair as if something goes wrong with my primary I don’t have to worry about what cable I have or source etc. I can use whatever cable is already plugged in to whichever source and simply trade out the earpieces.  Granted I may have to wear them tip up, but that’s OK too.