After all the craze on trying to fit more transducer into custom IEM, finally we see a more logical approach to better sound quality: Take the passive crossover (which has been the bottleneck of multi-ways IEM) out, put an active crossover in. JH-3A is not only an portable amp, but also has a DSP (digital sound processor) that actively separates the whole frequency into three ranges and fed them independently to the treble, mid and bass transducers on the IEM. The issue is, coherence is often a big issue with larger passive crossover (3-ways and up). This however is not a problem with a DSP, which keeps track on things digitally.
Now it might seen foolish at first to actually carry that 'brick' around where IEM's mobility is one of the reason why it is so popular now. The truth is, people who pay for a JH13 Pro or JH16 Pro often do carry a portable amp around, so it really isn't that much to ask for them to switch to a dedicated amp built specifically for their beloved IEM. Previous JH13 and 16 Pro owner can upgrade their IEM to work with JH-3A for a cool US$1100 (for remold, rewire plus the amp). Those who order their JH13 or 16 Pro with JH-3A will have to pay around US$1700 or so. Do note that once you converted your JH13 / 16 pro for JH-3A, it pretty much means you can't use it with any other amp or source (directly). Want to hear the whole system before ponying up the cash? It will be in CanJam Chicago this weekend.