1. Build quality & Comfort
The Haka came in a full black shell so it’s not immediately possible to look at the internal construction. From the outside however, the Haka is as good as it gets. No sharp edges, no bubbles, a seamless closing between the face plate and the rest of the shell, perfectly flush sitting 2-pin connectors.
Years ago when custom inear monitors weren’t as mainstream as they are now we regularly saw less impressive builds, but we’re 2018 now and you as good as always get perfectly built monitors now. The Haka with its one driver of course isn’t the most technically difficult monitor to build, but making sure that every single monitor leaving the building is perfect, that’s the challenge nowadays.
The Haka was made from the impressions Jomo still had in their possession from earlier reviews, and as these already featured monitors were perfect comfort-wise, the Haka is no different. The unit is small in size as there’s only one driver to fit in and the canal only has a single bore. The canals are on the shorter side as many CIEM companies are doing now, but that makes them even more comfortable. Haka fits perfectly and breaking the seal is as good as impossible, they sit comfortably in your ear and even after hours of non-stop use, they won’t annoy or hurt you one bit.
I unfortunately can’t comment on the universal unit’s comfort level as I don’t have it here with me, but I don’t foresee any issues with a small 1-driven universal IEM.
2. Personalisation
For the Haka the personalization options are a bit different and you for the custom version get a free solid color shell color. The artwork is limited to none transparent color(s) only but there do is a carbon version available for an extra cost.
The universal edition comes with a solid brass nozzle but it seems the artwork here is limited to black color only. I’m sure however that there’s always a way to negotiate or discuss a special design with Jomo Audio.
I didn’t ask for a specific design for my monitor and it came with in the carbon version. The carbon for that matter is not only on the faceplate, but the full monitor has the carbon look. If you look closely you can see the carbon is located in the inside of the shell, but the finished version just looks really nice. The carbon has a gold color integrated into it and the combination does look really nice. The face plates on both sides have the Haka logo right in the center. A carbon look isn’t new but I still like it, the gold carbon Haka is simple yet beautiful.
3. Cable
Our custom version came with a standard 2-pin cable. The cable is nice and works well but I have been mostly using it with the EA Leonidas and Horus. That’s a bit ridiculous I admit, I would never advise buying such a high end cable for a monitor of this price level, but if you have the cable, why not use it. Don’t get me wrong though, the standard cable performed nicely with the Haka as well.
When you look at the Haka on Jomo’s website, you can see that they offer the Effect Audio Ares 2 as an option. The Ares II really is a nice cable and several companies nowadays are using it with their monitors. The Ares II option will set you back S$200, which roughly translates to €125 or $150. That’s the official price it’s going for on EA’s website as well. It’s a great value cable and it improves Haka’s performance even more but you don’t need it to enjoy the Haka, that’s all I want to say about it.
4. Price & Accessories
The universal version of Haka starts at S$499 or $380USD while the custom version starts at S$599.00 or $455USD. The Ares II cable option, as said above, sets you back another $150UD. The custom carbon version is more expensive and its price starts at S$1,249.00 or $950USD. For the custom version you also pay extra in case you want an extra quick delivery/shorter lead time.
Accessory wise my Haka came in the typical Pelican hard case with the standard cable and a cleaning tool but I can’t confirm what the regular custom version will come with. It seems however that the universal version is delivered with the following items: a cleaning brush/tip, 3 single bore Tennmak Whirlwind tips (s/m/l), 3 dual flange silicone tips (s/m/l), a quarter jack adapter, an airplane adapter and a leather carry case. For a starting price of $380USD that’s a nice selection.
5. Customer Service
Jomo Audio doesn’t have an online CIEM builder tool so you can’t check out your design upfront. Jomo still uses an order form like a lot of other companies do but this is getting more rare by the day. They do have a clear overview of the colour samples on their website together with the artwork pricing though.
I didn’t use an order form myself as Joseph still had my impressions from the last time we reviewed his gear. The Haka made it back to me really fast but I couldn’t say how much the actual delay between order and delivery is right now, you best check that with Joseph directly. I can say is that Joseph is always kind, friendly and getting a reply never took long. Because my monitors again fit great and sound perfect, I didn’t have a reason to get back in touch with him after I received them.
6. Sound
A powerful and coherent pure sound.
That’s how Jomo Audio is describing the sound and I can find myself in that simple yet correct description. The Jomo Haka has a natural tone and with its great balance and specific qualities, it delivers a very musical and natural sound. The very best part for me are the vocals, as they are just to die for.
This natural rendering is not new, but it’s not always evident to get right either. Neither is making natural sound musical, but Joseph tuned it just right. Overall you get a clean sound with a good sound stage width and depth, especially taking into account the Haka is only packing a single BA armature.
You get good level of body in the bass department, making it more than neutral amount-wise, but at the same time it never feels or becomes too much. It’s just right for Jomo’s natural and musical tuning. Bass quality is good and bass reaches down fairly low. With the Haka you don’t get the overly warm kind of bass, but it’s a tight, punchy and clear bass. Bass always stays perfectly inline and doesn’t bleed into the mids.
What I love about the mids is the smoothness and the emotion in the delivery. You do get more of an upper mids focus than lower mid focus though, but it’s never missing or too much in the back. Like with many recent monitors, there is a small focus on the vocals but these sound natural and well, “real”. You also get a good amount of space in the mids, and combined with the excellent bass it’s making the monitor really good sounding for just one driver.
The review goes on on Page Three after the click HERE
