Comparisons
Two of my other earphones share a similar price positioning as the Jomo PLB (699S$ – which translates to roughly 499$). Campfire Audio’s Jupiter and Noble Audio’s Sage. All of these earphones have their individual strengths.
First up is Campfire’s Jupiter, one of their very first offerings.
Campfire Audio – Jupiter (799$, 4BA)
Campfire’s first flagship sports an additional balanced armature driver compared to the Pretty Little Beast, it also comes with what Campfire Audio calles a Tuned Acoustic Expansion Chamber, which is said to stretch frequency response of the high notes.
Jupiter is the complete opposite to PLB, it is brighter sounding with incredible amounts of detail. Jupiter’s stage is bigger on all axes and draws you more into it. It has a more balanced signature with emphasis on musicality. PLB strikes when it comes to what it was designed, being an EDM earphone. Jupiter’s bass is lacking compared to PLB. It does not have the punch and thunder Jomo offers. Jupiter sounds more raw. Imaging is a lot better on the Campfire as it places instruments with ease in the room. PLB has a lot more body than Jupiter giving the presentation more fullness.
Noble Audio – Sage (599$, 2BA)
Noble has moved from off the shelf balanced armature drivers to custom built ones just a few months ago. The first of their lineup to include that was their Co-flagship Katana. But only a bit later it was announced that their entry level model Sage would also benefit from that. Sage incorporates a dual BA design. One driver is reproducing low end notes while the other one is taking care of midrange and treble. The Noble has a more balanced signature with great bass impact and punch. Noble’s bass control is the best I have yet heard. It’s tightly bound and shows its face when called, not bleeding into any other frequency. This is one of the many reasons why Sage is amongst my favourites. Imaging and separation superior on the Noble. Stages on both models are about the same in depth and width, but Sage is a bit taller. Noble’s IEM is cleaner and much clearer. PLB sounds veiled next to Sage.
Conclusion
Jomo tuned their PLB for electronic genres, and for that it is a perfect companion. For 499$ (USD) you get a very engaging and bass intense in ear monitor. If you are looking for a more balanced or brighter signature I suggest you look elsewhere, but if you’re mainly listening to EDM I highly recommend this little blue fella.
Jomo went over the top with their packaging and I truly wish they’d have kept one layer and invested the money saved in a nicer and especially aesthetically more pleasing cable that matches the beauty of their IEM.
