Astell & Kern Bille Jean
The Billie Jean brings exceptional driver coherence and a fast, lively presentation to portable listening, pairing rich, textured vocals with enough openness for acoustic recordings to breathe. HiFi Choice also found its compact angled shells notably easy to fit, while rugged construction and strong sensitivity make this dual-BA IEM an engaging everyday companion.
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Nicely Roasted
Sound Quality
87/100
Fit Comfort Isolation
91/100
Build Accessories
89/100
Value for Money
88/100
Pros
Exceptionally cohesive, immediate sound with strong timing and no obvious sense of separate drivers.
Rich, well-textured vocals and convincing string weight, with a spacious, live-feeling presentation.
Compact angled housings provide an easier, snugger fit than several similarly priced rivals.
Well-assembled, rugged design with a sturdy pocketable carrying case.
Cons
Fine details and separation in dense recordings are less apparent than with some nearby rivals.
Soundstage is pleasingly open but not fully three-dimensional.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 87/100
The Billie Jean is described as an immediate, cohesive and entertaining listen, with particularly strong timing and a rich, textured vocal presentation. Its main limitation is ultimate retrieval of fine detail in dense arrangements, where a close-priced Audio-Technica rival is said to separate the mix more clearly.
Bass
82/100
The review does not directly assess sub-bass extension, mid-bass quantity, or bass texture in detail. Its praise for immediacy and rhythmic engagement suggests a capable low-end foundation, but there is not enough direct bass commentary to make a stronger claim.
Midrange
91/100
Strings are reported to have convincing weight and decay, while vocals are consistently rich and well textured. This points to a naturally full, engaging midrange rather than a thin or overly analytical presentation.
Treble
82/100
There is little direct discussion of upper-treble extension, sibilance, or long-term treble fatigue. The review calls the tonality respectable and the overall presentation listenable, but provides limited evidence for a more specific treble verdict.
Resolution Separation
85/100
The Billie Jean is characterized as a big-picture performer rather than a forensic detail monitor. Fine details in dense material are less readily apparent than with the slightly pricier Audio-Technica ATH-CKR100iS, although the Astell & Kern is described as faster and more immediate.
Soundstage Imaging
88/100
The presentation provides enough space for acoustic material to breathe and gives Punch Brothers' recording a notably live quality. It is not portrayed as fully three-dimensional, but it offers a pleasing and believable sense of openness for an in-ear design.
Dynamics Coherence
94/100
Excellent time alignment is a central strength, with no audible sense of two separate drivers working independently. The sound is called wonderfully immediate and cohesive, with an energetic togetherness that suits forceful music especially well.
FIT COMFORT ISOLATION PERFORMANCE 91/100
The angled nozzle and compact housing are reported to fit snugly without intruding on the ear, making the Billie Jean easier to fit than several similarly priced alternatives. A useful range of silicone tips supports a reliable seal and the expected passive isolation.
Seal Stability
91/100
The well-angled canal tube and housing shape are said to let the earpieces sit snugly in place. The supplied silicone domes cover a useful spread of sizes, making a dependable seal attainable for most listeners.
Comfort
92/100
The housing is described as unlikely to intrude on any part of the ear, and the reviewer explicitly calls the fit easier than that of several rivals. Its compact, carefully shaped form should suit extended listening well.
Isolation
88/100
With an appropriate silicone tip, the reviewer expects the Billie Jean to provide the required isolation. No comparison to particularly deep-inserting stage monitors is provided, but isolation appears suitably effective for everyday portable listening.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Accessories
89/100
The earpieces are described as well assembled, carefully thought out, and rugged, with a paint finish that is bright but neatly applied. The pocketable carry case is small yet sturdy, and the included spread of silicone tips usefully supports fit; the reviews say little about long-term cable durability.
Value for Money
88/100
At $349, the Billie Jean is described as well worth seeking out at the price. It does not offer the last word in dense-mix detail compared with a fractionally more expensive rival, but the reviewer finds its comfort, build, timing, and fun factor compelling for its class.
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Specifications
- Model
- Bille Jean
- Body Color
- Red / Blue / Purple
- Type
- Universal fit IEM
- Driver Unit
- 2way 2Drivers (High, Full Range(Mid & Low)) / 2BA per side
- Impedance
- 18 ohm
- Noise Isolation
- -26dB
- Sound Technology
- Freqphase™ Time | Phase Waveguide / New Sound Bore
- Components
- 3.5mm Unbalanced Cable (0.75mm 2-Pin), 2.5mm Balanced Cable (0.76mm 2-Pin / only Purple model), 3Sizes of Silicon Ear tips (S,M,L), Carrying Case
- Specification
- - Audio was NOT muted during the measurement. - The image/specification may be changed without notice to improve product performance and quality.
Manufacturer's Description — Astell & Kern
This One's for You
Billie Jean is the latest collaboration of In-Ear-Monitors (IEMs) between Astell&Kern and Jerry Harvey
Audio which feature a new Dual Balanced Armature (BA) driver system. It is another winning product
created by combining the experience and know-how of Jerry Harvey's IEM design and the quality production
of Astell&Kern.
Billie Jean brings to life a real audio experience that will take your music to the next level.
Utilizing our experience of producing the award-winning SIREN Series IEMs, which is loved by music
enthusiasts around the world, we were able to achieve a new level of accomplishment for those who enjoy
a genuine music experience.
Billie Jean features the patented freqphase™ technology from Jerry Harvey Audio with a new internal
sound bore design to bring clear and impeccably balanced sound from sub-bass to brilliance range. The
new IEM shell has been optimized to fit nicely in the ear, utilizes a 2-Way 2-BA design, Silver Tinsel
cable, compact package. The result is a brilliant pair of IEMs designed and built by Jerry Harvey, the
inventor of custom-IEMs, and Astell&Kern, the global leader in Hi-Fi audio.
Meet Billie Jean, the first dual driver Universal fit IEM from Astell&Kern and Jerry Harvey Audio.
The Billie Jean IEM features Jerry's iconic Rock 'n Roll sound; a well-balanced and wide soundstage,
incomparable dynamic range and Jerry Harvey Audio’s patented Freqphase™ technology make this an IEM
not to be missed. Billie Jean is the perfect match to compliment any Astell&Kern player.
– Jerry Harvey
Billie Jean Technology
THE SIREN SERIES
Jerry Harvey Audio has developed a whole new Balanced Armature Driver to offer reference quality IEMs for mastering and mixing works. The high-range drivers are designed to deliver everything with minimum distortion, while the ultimate mid driver offers perfect, flat sound from 10Hz to 5kHz. The bass driver was designed for an even steeper low-pass effect with no distortion.
Freqphase™ Time | Phase Waveguide
Most Multiple Driver IEM's suffer from phase and timing issues. Low, Mid, and High drivers all have
different impulse times. The higher it is, the faster the impulse time of the BA Driver. The lower
it is, the slower the response speed. This causes improper arrival times and Phase shifts.
The "Billie Jean" applies Jerry Harvey Audio's patented "Freqphase" technology, which uses precisely
cut tube lengths for each driver to minimize the phase shift of each frequency. This allows for the
High, Mid, and Low drivers to be aligned to 1/100ms for the most ideal phase curve. It ensures the
correct time alignment and phase of all drivers resulting the most accurate music reproduction in
the industry.
2Way 2BA Drivers
The Balanced Armature drivers used in Billie Jean are a customized BA only available from Jerry
Harvey Audio and is designed to bring more power with less weight. Billie Jean will surprise you
with efficient, yet powerful sound.
Jerry Harvey Audio's Freqphase™, Timephase, and Waveguide technologies allow this 2-Way 2-BA IEM to
deliver the full range of audio performance anytime. The special Acoustic Chamber Sound Bore design
has been carefully crafted to bring a wide soundstage with incomparable dynamic range, without
adding any interference.
We highly recommend you try Billie Jean with your favorite tunes, which will never sound the same
again.
Shaped for a Precise Fit
Billie Jean is over 30% smaller compared to Michelle Limited.
Its design has been optimized after a series of studies of different shapes of ear canals from both men
and women of different ages.
It fits and sits perfectly in your ears without bulkiness.
The Universal Fit Billie Jean is the perfect companion for Pro Audio applications such as sound
monitoring. With the noise isolation design and the IEM know-how from Jerry Harvey Audio, you will get
the best fit and comfort while you enjoy your tunes in a new way.
Silver Tinsel Cable with detachable 2pin connector
The cable used in the Billie Jean is not common copper. Instead, it is a copper cable plated with
silver.
The cable is manufactured by first compressing the silver plated copper wire, which is then flattened
and rolled into a steady interval that is then used to wrap around the Kevlar(or Zxoin & Technora). This
newly developed cable has astounding tensile strength and delivers the full dynamic range of music.
Kevlar fiber is used for 3.5mm unbalanced bundle cable and Zxoin and Technora fiber for 2.5mm balanced
cable. (2.5mm Balanced cable is included only with Billie Jean Purple model)
Conventional straight cables do not handle the frequent bending of cables and often short out. The
intertwined cable disperses the stress to the cable and offers better resilience. It's also easier to
wear around the outer ears as the cable shape can be easily adjusted for the best fit.
Kevlar
The brand name of Aramid fiber that DuPont USA manufactured. It is very lightweight and more durable than nylon, and has the advantage of being very tough. Because it is made of light weight organic polymers such as carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen, allowing it to be 5 times more stronger than steel. Kevlar is particularly strong against friction and is commonly used for body armor and aircraft tires due to its excellent shock absorption.
Zxion & Technora
Zxion, a patented technology from VICTOR in Japan, is a polyester-crystalline fiber that can transmit signals more reliable. Technora is a para-aramid fiber autonomously developed by Teijin in Japan. It has a tensile strength about 8 times higher than steel of the same weight and mainly used for parachute.
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