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If so, how does it sound? Would you mind doing some comparisons, if you have the time and energy to spare? I’ve been looking for newer reviews for this after seeing Zeos’ video; possibly something with more data and comparison. If you have anything to share, that would be very helpful.
How much do you think any decent closed-back wired headphones could cost? All of a sudden, the JadeAudio’s collab with the FiiO gets released, and it’s a pretty unusual JT1 model. This is your answer to the above question. These cost around $50 at the AliExpress sale. Would you expect anything great from such a thing? I don’t know! I wouldn’t.
This review in my blog: link.
But we’re here today to try and see if expectations meet reality.
1. What’s included
The headphones come in a simple cardboard box. I wouldn’t use it to store the headphones – and I couldn’t, since the box falls apart almost immediately.
The box contains the following items.
The headphones
A cable with microphone (!). There’s a 3.5 TRRS on one side and two 3.5 TRS on the other
A 3.5-to-6.3 adapter
A fabric bag
Some papers
Since I was one of the first to buy the newly released model, the manufacturer’s complimented me with a 4.4 balanced cable free of charge.
2. Design, assembly, technology
The manufacturer claims that a dynamic driver with a polyetherketone (PEK), as well as polyurethane and aluminum foil diaphragm. There are also some neodymium magnets, an aluminum copper-plated core and other stuff.
In other words, technologically, the JT1 don’t really feature anything unusual. In terms of design, the JT1 are a nice example of how you can build some extremely cheap, but still reliable and functional headphones. You can even look at them without being aesthetically disgusted. How do you like it, huh! I didn’t even notice any rivets or glue stains –just screws and latches.
The headband is just a thin bent piece of steel. The edges aren’t any particularly perfect, but the headband doesn’t cut my hands, doesn’t ring, and I’m just grateful for that.
There are mesh-covered compensation ports on top of the earcups, and cable connectors on the bottom.
The thick and voluminous earpads are covered with faux leather. No bevels here: that is, the earpads sport the same thickness all around. No perforation, too, though the inner part has textile – it ain’t much, but it honestly won’t let your ears fall off. The earpad diameter is 10 cm, as in many other popular models, so you can actually try and find your ideal earpads from other manufacturers.
The provided cable isn’t a masterpiece, to be honest; even the manufacturer logo print on the splitter looks kinda sloppy.
The cable is too simple, too short and too rigid. Unyielding, I’d say. A Bellatrix Lestrange’s wand among headphone cables. It features some thick textile braid, though, as well as a rubber band tie. The mic is a small black thingy dangling on the right channel; and here’s its control button with half-assed press.
For beauty, refer to the perforated external grill with a shiny rim. Ah, that’s art.
So! From what I see, the JT1 will last at least 1 year (if not used as a basketball). Or even longer.
3. Ergonomics
Fails first. The earcups don’t rotate vertically – strike one. The cables are to be stuck into the earcups vertically from the bottom – strike two. The mic hangs on a wire dangling all it wants and rustling against clothes (if you wear some) – strike three. I couldn’t position the headphones on my head so that the earcups fit snugly against my ears all around. There’s always a small gap somewhere near the earlobe. That being said, the sound insulation is lame, and that’s strike four. And the finisher would be the following: the earpads have a very wide ‘skirt’, which you need to shove into a narrow groove to secure the earpad on the respective earcup. The beveled fastening side to turn and click the earpad in place (as in the Kennerton headphones)? Nah, boring. The earpad replacing is a ceremony, an at least 3-minute anger management training session.
You know what? I’d say the JT1 are more of a semi open-back model than a closed-back one: you can still hear something outside that earcup.
But enough with bad things! Let’s see if these are any good after all!
The pressure is exactly enough for the headphones not pulling your ears down and not squeezing your brain out – it’s very comfortable. The earpads are actually excellent: they’re deep, they’re soft and rather pleasant to touch. The headphones only weigh 300 grams (cable not included). And who would’ve thought that the mic actually delivers some fantastic recording quality! It’s just unbelievably surpassing 90% of gaming wired headsets. The mic doesn’t feature any noise reduction, though – it just records all the sounds it reaches.
You can also use the JT1 cable with the HiFiMan Sundara, the Moondrop PARA or any headphones with similar connectors. This is where you get some great headset with unrivaled sound delivery. You can also apply some noise reduction software algorithms. This is paradise before death, y’all!
To put it shortly, taking into account the cost, I’d rather rate the ergonomics as almost excellent.
4. Quick specifications overview
Design: over-ear, semi open-back.
Driver type: dynamic.
Membrane diameter: 50 mm.
Impedance: 32 Ohms.
Sensitivity: 103 dB/mW.
Connectors: 3.5 TRS.
Weight: 301 g without cable.
5. Subjective sound impression
It all went like this: package received, the JT1 put on my head, and everything got black. Only me and the JT1 for several days straight without any tiny, slightest want to even touch my go-to headphones. Because you know what? The JT1 sound very good in general – and just awesome given the cost.
The JT1 feature a V-shaped frequency response graph with some unusual implementation.
When tuning the high-frequency range, manufacturers usually follow a set of simple rules: emphasis on 2.7 and 8 kHz, masking 4 and 6 kHz and all. With other frequency sections of up to 10 kHz – kinda without any particular idea. As for the JT1, it’s as if the range from 2 kHz and so on is just… completely correct, no dips or rises at all. The upper mid-frequencies and higher section are so full-course – I couldn’t believe my own ears. I still can’t.
In the mid-frequency range, there’s a certain lack of volume, that is, the sound can be called ‘thin’ at a stretch: the voices are somewhat a bit too far from you, and there’s a barely noticeable sonority hue.
The lower part of the middle part and the bass are here: they’re quite smoothly tuned, no sharp peaks and dips in here. The section at about 500 Hz is kinda underfulfilled with bass clearly played up compared to the subbass. The lower frequencies component is in fact highlighted. The subbass, btw, is actually wonderful: it’s very deep and ‘collected’ when using a sound source of sufficient power.
Do the LCD-4, Meze Elite and other Focal Utopia-ish headphones go to trash? 40k upvotes, and I do that!
I’m only joking, I wouldn’t. There are dips and rises in the lower-frequency area, smooth but unacceptable for higher-end headphones. You raise the volume up, and the bass gets all ‘hummy’ in some tracks, and the mid-range is just a freaking mess. This is where we understand that the JT1 actually have their technical limitations, and we’ll see that by ways of measurements below. It’s also worth saying that models costing 3-5 times more have the very same limitations, too!
The instruments are positioned okay, the stereo effects are reproduced vividly and accurately. The virtual sound stage is conveyed perfectly, you can really say who did what and where in the recording room.
Isn’t it impressive for a closed-back model? It is.
6. Sound source choice
The headphone sound with different sources was assessed using a device for instant source switching. The sound volume was first aligned on the measuring rig at a 1 kHz frequency. All software sound processing algorithms were disabled on the sources.
Most of the time the JT1 were connected to the RME ADI-2 DAC fs. I don’t really have much to add to my subjective sound impression. The 10-Volt amplifier seems too powerful for these headphones: at -40 dB already (with High Power enabled), the sound is very loud.
I wouldn’t say that the ADI-2 DAC is a kind of a go-to device for the JT1. The provided cable features a combined TRRS connector and a mic, so the manufacturer must be suggesting using the JT1 with integrated sound cards. Let’s take a look at my integrated sound card fleet: an ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14 laptop with the Realtek ALC286, and my own PC with the Realtek ALC4080. When connected to a laptop, the JT1 sounded bad: there were noticeably more bass and haziness. With the Realtek ALC4080 (based on the MPG Z790 EDGE WIFI board), the situation with the low-frequency section control has improved to some extent, but for some reason a scratchy top emerged.
I’ve also tried the JT1 with the Moondrop DAWN Pro, and it all sounds great! The 3.5 output delivers just enough power, and the outcome is almost indistinguishable from the ADI-2 DAC fs by ear. The same is true for the JT1 + the RODE AI-1.
Given all that, my verdict is that an audiophile DAC and/or a JT1 amplifier aren’t required. Just pick something more or less qualifying. It’s true, though, that the better the source, the more interesting and collected the sound will be.
7. Measurements
To take my measurements, I’ve connected the headphones to the RME ADI-2 DAC (SD Sharp filter) with a provided cable via standard 3.5-to-6.3 adapter. The measurements were made using a rig conforming to the IEC60318-4 standard – with an auricle and auditory canal simulator. For each of the earcups the measurements were made until 4 consistent measurements were obtained for the left and the right channels; any deviant measurements were excluded. The smoothing is indicated on the graphs. I’ve described the limitations of the rig and the headphones measurements in general in this article.
I’ve performed all the measurements just like I do it every time, and the JT1 frequency response looks like this:
Take a look at the screenshot. Isn’t there something odd? The upper frequency range section kinda corresponds to what I can hear myself (taking into account the rig deviations), and that’s alright, but I definitely can’t match my impressions with these exaggerated subbass and bass from the graph. Couldn’t hear that dip at around 200 Hz, too.
How is it even possible? The answer is yes. I mean, as I wrote above, the JT1 don’t sit tightly on my head no matter how hard I’ve tried, so there’s a nice’n’big draft near my earlobe. Should you try and simulate the same fit on the measuring rig, you’d get (and I’ve gotten alright) such a graph:
That white curve is really very close to the sound I’ve subjectively perceived. Let’s skip that huge rise at the 13 kHz, I just can’t hear it.
Just so you know, the manufacturer presents their own graph (source):
What was their rig’s standard? Are these normalized measurements, or the raw, original ones? What kind of smoothing is applied? Too many secrets here, y’all.
The left and right channels correspond well (for the headphone class) to each other:
The distortion level, again, is acceptable for this class of headphones:
8. Comparisons
This isn’t easy for me, since I’ve never ever heard or tested such cheap closed-back headphones. Even the wired gaming headsets I’ve ever laid my hands on cost at least twice as much. This is where a lonely tear runs down my cheek: some say there are some divinely sounding extremely cheap Takstar models in the world, but I didn’t have a chance to palpate them.
9. Summary
The JT1 is a type of driver that goes straight in their lane, nice and steady. No fancy moves, no impatient cuts.
The $56 I’ve paid for the JT1 on AliExpress – with other manufacturers, this is actually a cable price. The JT1 not only sound good irrespective of genres or artists – they also come with a unique mic-equipped cable that allows you to use these headphones as a full-fledged headset.
The JT1 with both their tuning and relatively low distortion level actually sound amazing for their price tier. And their full-fledged and even tuning of the upper-middle section and higher frequencies is more characteristic of WAY MORE expensive open-back models.
Please also keep in mind that you can easily disassembled the JT1 and kinda mod them all you want from the inside (source).
Plus, you can pick almost any earpads from what you can find on the market.
So! Do I think you should buy those? If don’t have a lot of money to spend on headphones, if you’re looking for some decent headphones for your kid, if you need a wired closed-back headset with nice sounding, if you’re dying to mod anything to make it sound better… go buy them right now.
Any other models worth your attention simply don’t exist.
Almost two months ago I picked up the FiiO x Jade Audio JT1, and after weeks of testing it across a wide range of games, music, and movies, I can confidently say it’s one of the best budget headphones I’ve used — especially for immersive gaming. Whether you're sneaking around in a horror game or scanning for footsteps in Warzone, the JT1 delivers a surprisingly mature and immersive sound that doesn’t feel “budget” at all.
🔧 Specifications
Driver: 50 mm high-performance dynamic driver with a PEK+PU + aluminum-foil composite polymer diaphragm
Frequency Response: 15 Hz – 30 kHz
Impedance: 32 Ω — very easy to drive from most devices
Sensitivity: 103 dB /Vrms at 1 kHz
Headphone Type: Over-ear, closed back
Cable: Detachable dual 3.5 mm TRS, 1.5 m long, oxygen-free copper with inline mic and single-button control
Weight: Approximately 355 g (without cable); cable adds ~50–56 g
Headband: Leather-wrapped adaptive suspension style that auto-adjusts to head size
Earpads: Large, soft faux-leather pads; quick-release design
Connector Layout: Dual-entry 3.5 mm jacks on earcups; cables color-coded (blue for left, red for right)
Accessories Included: Detachable cable (with mic), 3.5 mm to 6.3 mm adapter, carrying pouch, user manual
⚠️ Disclaimer
All my impressions below are based on the stock tuning of the FiiO JT1. I didn’t use any EQ tools, DSP plugins, or spatial audio enhancements. No Dolby Atmos, no Windows Sonic — just the headphone plugged straight into the PC. So, everything I experienced — from the immersion in games to the detail in music — was purely from how the headphone performs out of the box.
🎮 Gaming Performance
Gaming is where the JT1 really shines for me. I’ve been using it primarily for Warzone (Verdansk Battle Royale and Resurgence on Rebirth Island), Resident Evil 2 and 3 Remake, A Plague Tale: Innocence, and The Callisto Protocol. Across all of these, the JT1 delivers clean, immersive, and directional sound that’s hard to believe at this price point.
In Warzone, the JT1 performs way better than most entry-level "gaming headsets." You can clearly distinguish footsteps, reloads, distant gunfire, and enemy movements. There's no exaggerated treble to artificially boost detail — instead, you get a natural soundstage with great positional accuracy, which helps you stay alert in both close-quarter fights and long-range engagements. Even though it's a closed-back design yet it gives everything a sense of space, especially useful in large maps like Verdansk.
In story-driven titles, the immersion is on another level. In Resident Evil 2 & 3, the JT1 captures every unsettling ambient detail — distant zombie growls, subtle creaks, and eerie echoes in the RPD building — making the tension feel real. A Plague Tale: Innocence also benefits hugely from the JT1’s open sound. You can hear the rats crawling, the wind rustling through ruined villages, and every emotional whisper from the characters. And in The Callisto Protocol, which has one of the most intense horror sounds designs I’ve heard in recent years, the JT1 doesn’t flinch. The low-end rumble and sci-fi horror stingers come through with power and texture, yet nothing sounds muddy or overwhelming.
🎵 Music Experience
While I got the JT1 for gaming, I was pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable it is for music. It’s not a neutral or reference-type headphone, but it gives you a clean and dynamic sound that works really well across genres. Vocals are smooth, instruments have decent separation, and there’s just enough bass to make pop, electronic, and rock tracks engaging without any bloat.
It gives you that proper “headphone feel” — a full-bodied, open listening experience. It’s easy to get lost in your playlist with this one.
🎬 Movies & Streaming
For movie nights and binge-watching shows, the JT1 is excellent. Dialogue is clear, soundtracks are immersive, and action scenes carry good weight without overdoing the bass. Explosions have a nice punch, and it adds a cinematic spatial feel. If you’re watching something atmospheric or intense — like a thriller or a horror film — the soundstage really pulls you in. I personally binged watched The Sinners using the JT1.
🎧 Comfort & Build
Comfort is one of the strongest points of the JT1. The headphone is lightweight, the pads are soft, and the clamping force is gentle. I’ve had no issues during long sessions — whether it's back-to-back Warzone matches or a 3-hour movie. The build feels good for the price, and I love that it comes with a detachable cable. It's simple, effective, and just works. I mean yeah, the build is not absolutely amazing, but I think it will hold up good if you just don't throw it away on your desk after every session and took a bit care of it.
🎙️ Mic Quality — It Talks, That’s What Matters
Let’s talk about the mic… because yes, there is one — and no, it won’t win any awards. It’s a standard mic attached to the rugged braided cable, with no noise cancellation or fancy DSP tricks. It just picks up your voice — and maybe your fan, your keyboard, and your neighbors if they’re loud enough.
That said, it does its job. Your teammates will hear you fine in Warzone lobbies, and you’ll be able to trash talk opponents or call for plates without any issues. Just don’t expect to record a podcast or host a livestream with it. Think of it as a “gets the job done” kind of mic, like the friend who’s not fancy, but always shows up on time.
If you're serious about communication clarity or streaming, you're probably better off using a standalone mic or headset. But for casual calls and multiplayer voice chat, this one holds up just fine. If your pc has any noise cancelling software's like AMD noise suppression or Realtek audio console, then those works good with it.
🧠 Final Thoughts
The FiiO JT1 is a surprisingly capable closed-back headphone that delivers way more than what you'd expect at this price. It’s not trying to be ultra-analytical or reference-grade — and honestly, it doesn’t need to be. It’s fun, immersive, and incredibly well-suited for the kind of gaming experience most of us actually want.
If you’re into competitive FPS titles like Warzone or love atmospheric story games like Resident Evil or A Plague Tale, this headphone will elevate your sessions without needing any DACs or amps. And the fact that it holds its own for music and movies too? That’s just the icing on the cake.
Disclaimer: this isn't a post that will have tons of measurements and data, just experiences from a normal guy listening to music and playing games.
I purchased a pair of these cans on Amazon to see how they are mostly because I wanted a new high quality set of headphones in my arsenal to recommend to people who are just starting out or don't want to spend hundreds on headphones. For reference, my usual sets are a pair of HD800s for gaming and treble heavy music genres and a pair of Focal Clear OGs for general music listening, so that's my frame of reference that I'm going to be 'comparing to'. It isn't apples to apples since the JT1s are closed back, but still going to relate the experiences together. This will all be concerning out of the box, unequalized sound for the JT1s and Oratory profiles for the HD800s/Clears. Using a Schiit Magni Heresy/Modi 3 stack w/ adapter. Haven't tried on my Rog Ally/Phone yet to see how they do w/ the standard 3.5mm through a phone/handheld onboard DAC and I plan to pass them through my Qudelix and Fiio wireless DACs at some point too, maybe will edit this post when I have spent some time with that.
Outright tl;dr: I am very impressed.
For Music: Honestly pretty crazy for the price. Doesn't have the same open sounding stage as the HD800s (as anyone should expect), but the bass punches harder and the sound is overall extremely pleasing to my ears. They fall apart a bit in fast paced songs with a lot going on but for me they never sound as what I'd classify as 'bad' or 'cheap'; I can still make out most or all of the instruments without having to strain my ears and focus too hard, and I haven't listened to any songs in my library (rock, pop, classical, metal, some country; Polyphia sounds great on these which is usually my main personal benchmark for headphones) that I can say were let down or degenerated by the quality of these headphones. I'll state again: the bass is great. Out of the box it's the perfect amount of bass for me but with some EQ fiddling you can turn these into some skull rattlers if you're into that sort of thing. Don't feel like I'm losing anything on the high end and vocals are crisp and clear. Will say that things like synthesizers/pianos sound a bit muffled and 'in the back' but they aren't totally muted.
For Gaming: So coming from the HD800s, it's kind of crazy how good they are. I'm not a Master level player in any competitive games however I can hear all the audio cues clear as day including footsteps with pretty amazing positional accuracy for such a cheap pair of cans. I don't get the same 'standing outside at an open air concert' feeling as I do with the HD800s but that is only to be expected; considering how these are closed back and 1/25th~ the price, the fact that they sound anywhere remotely close to good is already nutty to me. I live mostly in MMOs and single player RPGs/action games and I have no complaints. Would absolutely recommend these to anyone who doesn't mind the fact that they're wired headphones over any gaming headphones on the market (wireless I'd still go for the Maxwells).
General observations: The included cable isn't winning any awards but I'm just going to say that I actually like it way more than the one that came with the HD800s, so there's that. The fact that they included a 3.5 to 1/4 adapter is a nice touch and I appreciated it, I've had more expensive headphones that don't do that. Earcups are pretty great too, I don't feel immediately compelled to go try to buy some replacement pads that probably cost almost as much or more than the headphones themselves. I also enjoy the ski band style one size fits all headbands on headphones, and this is no exception. Overall they do feel pretty light and not particularly premium but what else would you expect? There's more metal in their construction than I'd expect though I still feel like I need to be careful with these as to not break them. Will see how they stand up long term.
Overall, very impressed with these and they'll be my new default recommendation for audiophile amateurs and even people who are already into it and just don't want to dump tons of cash into headphones. I struggle to think of any other headphones that I've tried personally that are this cheap (mine were $65 w/ tax on Amazon) and performant. They may just well be my new regular on-the-go and travel headphones. Biggest thing I can think of to say negative: they're hard to get. Amazon is constantly out of stock and AliExpress prices are high. I'm not claiming they're perfect, there's some flaws and obviously this is a very subjective hobby, but to my tastes and musical preferences they blew me away for the price and honestly I would expect this kind of sound out of a $300+ pair of headphones.
Have a guddun.
I haven't seen many (or any) people talk about the newly released Fiio JT1. And I only saw 1 YouTube cover this pair of headphones. So here's my initial impressions of it. Do note that I'm way from being a proper audiophile, but I'll try to make it as clear as I can.
Build and comfort-wise, I think these are very comfortable for my average Asian head. The earpads are easily detached as they use a twist clip for each pad. The earpads themselves are pleather I think. I find no problem placing my ears in them, but for larger ears, I can see how they will touch the pads. They utilize self-adjusting mechanism for the headband, much like the Meze 99 Classic. Most of the build are plastic, with stainless steel band. All in all, pretty sturdy build, especially compared to the Moondrop Joker.
The bass is the area where they excel. The bass hit hard, but the decay aren't as fast as I would like. They are warm, boomy, and the sub-bass well extended. Bass guitars will make an impact, the drums will be felt on the chest. The quantity is there, but the quality is average. Mid-bass is especially emphasized, and looking at the FR from GadgetryTech, that seems to be the case.
Mids are relatively recessed in the low-mids. But what I feel is that vocals still feel clear, and the bass don't intrude too much, considering how boomy they are. I still can separate instruments and layering is quite good, although the busier the tracks, the harder it is to do. The clarity is sufficient, but the details somewhat fall short.
Treble roll off quite significantly, but there is still quite a small bump in the upper treble. They sound quite dark for my taste, but still have that spark, although minimum.
Soundstage is what you expect for a closed-back. But I have to say, the sounds don't always be in my head. There are quite a bit of a space around me, although not that wide. Imaging is quite good, directional sound cues give me general ideas of the source of the sound, but don't expect too much.
I haven't spent my time with them for gaming, so I can't comment about that. Maybe I'll update this post once I can get to use them for that purpose.
All in all, Fiio JT1 come as quite a good package. They come with 1.5 m cable and a microphone. I got them for 65 USD (equivalent price in my country), and at that price, it is very good.
Im in the process of purchasing a headset, and while researching i found about the JT1 and how its ahead of everything in the same price range, (originally i was looking to get the HyperX Cloud Alphas but then found the JT1) so anyone who has got them, do you recommend them. Thank you in advance.
Disclaimer : English is not my first language so please excuse me if I have wrong grammar and am hard to understand I will do my best to clarify once asked.
As written in the title, I am currently looking at the Fiio JT1's and regarding that I need help in making a decision.
So a little bit about my current gear : I am currently using the HyperX cloud 3 wireless, and before that I had the Cloud Alpha's. Upon moving to the Cloud 3 Wireless, I noticed an issue for me that no matter how much I mess with EQ APO or change the presets in the app I could never fix. The Cloud 3 wireless had little bass. I am not sure if I am just spoiled from the Alpha's or it really is just so little but the effect to me is that it is so boring to listen to.
From the perspective of gaming when using the cloud 3 wireless is that it is fine, I can distinguish the footsteps and where they are just fine. however when I want to listen to music (I listen to alot of Jpop, Anime, pop and rock and sometimes classical music like Vivaldi), the bass is not there. I can activate the DTS software but its annoying to keep turning it on and off whenever I listen to music then tab off into a game, and it often just sounds bad.
I recently saw videos of the JT1's (specifically GadgetryTech's and Fresh Review's) and they both say its good for gaming. However when listening to Fresh Review's experiences of competitive gaming, he had the JT1 connected to a DX9, and upon looking at the price.. yeah it costs astronomically more than the headphones. so I am led to believe that fresh's opinion is that it is great with the dx9 but for people without amp/dac and just looking for a plug n play type of headphone for competitive I wonder what the answer is.
I wish to ask the opinions of Competitive Gamer Headphone experts here who have or have tried all three :
( Cloud Alpha wired, Cloud 3 Wireless, fiio JT1)
Would you say that the JT1's are an upgrade to both? especially when the price tag of the cloud 3 wireless is way more.
Is the JT1 not worth it without an amp/dac? should i just use the cloud alpha's again rather than buy a JT1?
I know this is a headphones advice, but I would like to mention Simgot EM6L for competitive gaming and in comparison to the Fiio JT1. Would I just be better off buying a EM6L for someone like me without amp/dac and looking for the qualities of wallhack territory competitive gaming sound while having fun and immersive music/movie experience.
for extra info about me : ive tried the SHP9500's and they did sound great but they did not do a good job in footsteps when it came to games. My main games are Valorant and Rainbow Six siege.