Hey guys, so i have been lucky enough to be able to compare the Gjallarhorn JM edition with the original Gjallarhorn, here are my findings:
The JM edition is, as you probably know, exactly the same headphones as the original but with added furniture dots on the horns. The difference between the two is HUGE, it is not something subtle.
The original already has the fastest dynamic driver i have ever heard, but the horns (i think) create some sort of “reverb” and a feeling of a slower decay for the bass notes. This is hard to describe because the bass is still the fastest i have heard in a dynamic set, but that reverb makes it sound like it lingers a bit, i guess that is what makes the Gjallarhorn so unique.
The JM edition in the other hand uses that super fast driver to deliver the same precise and snappy sound but with a LOT less reverb, the result is a much more precise sound. The instrument separation gets clearer, the bass hits and stops absurdly fast.
For some the JM edition will be a better set technically speaking, but that is not what i want from my Gjallarhorn, i think that “reverb” is part of the fun, part of what makes the set unique. But i still thought the JM edition sounded very interesting, so i attempted my own mod.
Instead of adding 10 furniture dots per horn, i have added 8. This may sound like a small difference but when it comes to sound it was really not! The other thing is that the JM edition does not have the bass port mod which is part of the original mod, they only implemented the furniture dots.
Here are a few pictures of my modding process:
You can see that there is still plenty of exposed wood in the horns, my hope was that this created some of the JM qualities without removing that Gjallarhorn unique signature, and it worked!
The end result was a sound much more comparable to the original Gjallarhorn than to the JM edition, while still bringing some of that precision from the JM. I already loved my set but now there is just no way in hell i will EVER sell these, i am glad i tried this.
One is not better than the other, but it is awesome to have different variations of this incredible set.
