Larry, good to see you on here again.

nmatheis said:

First stop was to the Cayin + MusicTeck booth in the back of the tent to say hi to Andy and Andrew and drop off a bunch of Cayin gear from the Portland meet earlier this year. Andrew had the updated Unique Melody IEM lineup. Nice update with slightly refined sound and much better cables. I'd encourage people to stop by, say hi, and take a listen.

Here's a pic of me and Andy:

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

I then stopped by iFi to say hi to Tyler and discovered that my man Lawrance Lee (aka Cotnijoe) works for iFi now. I grabbed a listen to the new iEMatch with my PAW Gold + UM Maestro. It gave me about 50% more headroom on the volume pot and gave the setup more punch and sparkle. I bought one on the spot. I gave Lawrance and Tyler a listen to some of my gear. They both agreed that THE Teriplayer G1 (a handmade Indonesian DAP) punches way above is price point. Tyler also agreed with me that the Unique Melody lineup is very good.

Here's a pic of me with Lawrance:


I also hung out with Zach from ZMF for awhile and tried his new dynamic driver headphones. They sounded especially good out of the tube amp setup Zach had. Stop by and give them a try.

After that, I stopped by HiFiMan and tried their revised HEX and HEK. Man, do I love HEX. That headphone ticks all the right boxes for me. I wanted to try Super and MegaMini, but they had fun of of juice by the time I'd gotten there. I also tried Shangri-la. So... Damn... Expensive...

From there, I dropped by the Fostex both and tried the new Fostex + FitEar IEM. Man, what a nice full, musical yet detailed sound very nice! This was also the only booth that had Metal music for audition. Stop by tomorrow, and they should have the new Meshuggah ready to test out with their headphones \m/ \m/

Last stop was at Meze. It was nice to meet these guys since I reviewed (and loved) their 99 Classics. I'm glad I stopped by because my main complaint about those was the earpads. My ears didn't fit into them like I expected Well, I'm happy to report that they've got new earpads that fit my ears perfectly. I think these are on my buy list for the show!


Up for tomorrow is...

Meeting my man Forrest at the FLC booth. I highly encourage people to stop by and listen to FLC8S and the Celeste prototype!

I also want to stop back by the Cayin + MusicTeck booth and try the new budget EarSonics IEM Andrew is supposed to get in tonight. Nighthawks are on my must try list, too. After that, I'll just see what catches my eye...

Be back tomorrow with more from the show...

Click to expand...

Thanks Nik (nmatheis) for dropping, the team is not in very good shape, we had a bad jet lag fight as 3 out of 4 members arrived at 11:30pm on 6th so we kind of stay low for the first day, but I was excited to meet with friends and customers who we have regularly exchanges in various threads and events.



i5 DAP is the star of our attention. On top of demo with the Meze 99 Classis and various IEMs from Unique Melody, we have used the i5 as the Digital Transport for our iDAC-6 and iHA-6 combo, with HD800, T1, LCD3 and Kennerton Odin alongside. So if you are interested in our latest Android DAP, please drop by and check out our demo at the Canjam Tent.



For those who are interested in the i5 but cannot make it to CanJam RMAF to check this out in person, please consider our i5 World Tour as announced in parallel with the CanJam RMAF.

By the way, the setup is make possible with the Cayin USB-C to RCA Coaxial cable debut at the CanJam RMAF. Cayin has implement an S/PDIF option in our USB Type-C connection, all you need is a USB-C to RCA coaxial cable to output the S/PDIF bitstream to external DAC as demo in our booth. The cable will be available in a week time. with USB-C getting more attention, we believe this will be a inevitable move down the road.

Any pictures of the Shangri-La Electrostatics and updates on pricing?

If anyone has listened to the Wells Audio Milo and could share some impressions/pics, that would be greatly appreciated!

Is the Sony MDR Z1R there?

grizzlybeast said:

  Is the Sony MDR Z1R there?

Click to expand...

Yes

Well, day two has now officially ended for me and boy what a day!  It was a beautiful Rocky Mountain fall day, no rain, no wind, just great gear and friends!
 
Below are a few more photos and brief impressions:
 
Cavalli Audio
 
Some really great gear from Cavalli Audio and really nice guys to boot!  I really enjoyed the Liquid Carbon Headphone Amplifier paired with my custom Beyer DT770 Pros.  It wasn't laid back, but wasn't so in your face nor bright as many others that are not laid back tend to be.  It was very nice and natural sounding, while remaining fairly neutral, if not a bit warm, while as transparent and detailed as one would hope for.  Plus it ran my Beyer's very well.  I also tried their new smaller somewhat portable unit and it was great as well.  The design is just awesome, almost alien-like in a way, and made me think it was made on another planet and the shipped to Colorado!  My only gripe was that it was a bit hard for me to turn some of the dials, like the volume, but this may have been that it was sitting on the table and not in my hand at the time.  Great stuff from Cavalli!
 



 
Moon Audio
 
Well, Moon Audio was representing like the king of CanJam as they usually do, with a ton of gear and all sorts of cables and accessories.  I decided to try out a few of the amplifiers they had on display and I wasn't disappointed.  The first I tried was the excellent Unison Research SH Headphone Amplifier, which was probably my favorite on their table, besides the Audio-Technica AT-HA5050H Hybrid Headphone Amplifier, which was absolutely amazing, but also way out of my price range!  To me and with my custom Beyer DT770 Pros, the SH Headphone Amplifier just did everything right.  It was very natural and very smooth sounding, effortlessly playing tunes with great air and presence.  Very nice indeed!
 
In addition, the Questyle Audio CMA600i DAC Headphone Amplifier was also really cool, as I could see inside the Plexiglas at all the bits and pieces, and it sounded really great as well.  I wasn't able to get as good of an impression of it however, as there was just too much going on around me (as in great gear across their tables).
 
I also really liked the MyTek Brooklyn DAC Headphone Amp Pre-amplifier and thought it was on par with the SH, however I preferred the presentation of the SH a bit more overall, but I think it just comes down to taste and mine tend to be towards the more natural/smooth side rather than absolute detail/resolution.
 
All in all, a great showing from Moon Audio, as always.  Too bad I can't afford that amazing AT-HA5050H!
 





 
RHA Audio
 
What a great company out of Scotland!  I really enjoyed their offerings last year and this year I made it a point to get some really good impressions as I thought the craftsmanship, quality, and pricing of their products was outstanding.  Well, I'm really glad I did and their sales people were very pleasant and helpful.  I spent quite a bit of time comparing both the S500 and the MA600 and could really go either way.  Both were very light and comfortable, with the S500 winning slightly in this category, however the MA600 did have a fuller sound, with much more bass and a bit of warmth overall.  The S500 were more neutral to my ears, with a tad of extra sparkle up top, and much less bass overall.  I did prefer the smaller form factor of the S500 though and felt like they almost disappeared from my ears, forgetting that they were even there for a few moments.  Either way, I thought they were great offerings at great prices and by what seems like really great people.
 
As with last year, I did try the T20s again and boy are they good.  With all the options, including the fine tuning attachments, you really can't go wrong with them at all.  The only reason I was geared more down the product line this year is that I was searching for the best sounding IEM out of the lowest price options.  Either way, I don't think you can go wrong with RHA at any of their price points.
 


 
Etymotic Research
 
Great products this year from a company I had never heard of before, Etymotic Research.  I tried both of their IEM products, the ER4SR and the ER4XR.  I thought the SR version was very neutral and balanced, probably the most neutral and balanced IEM I've heard the entire show.  While the XR gave a bit of warmth to the sound and some extra punch down low.  I preferred the XR overall as the extra weight in the low end, plus a bit more smoothness up top was more engaging to me and needed in comparison to the SR.  Both are excellent products for those looking for quality IEMs.
 

 
JDS Labs
 
I always enjoy chatting with the folks from JDS Labs every year at the show; great conversations and products all around.  This year was no exception as I found myself drooling over their excellent Element DAC/Amp combo.  It drove my custom Beyer DT770 Pros like a champ and sounded fantastic at the same time.  I also tried their 02 + ODAC combo, but found it hard to drive the Beyers quite like the Element did as well as finding the sound to be bit less to my liking overall.  To me the Element was richer, fuller, and more natural, while the other combo was more neutral and colorless, but very accurate at the same time.  Nonetheless, great to see JDS Labs again this year!
 



 
FOCAL
 
I'm really glad that in recent years Focal has put some focus on the headphone market, as I've always enjoyed their loudspeakers and studio speakers over the years.  Unfortunately I found myself having fit and comfort issues with their Spirit line, so I was pleased to see new offerings this year in the absolutely outstanding Utopia as well as its little brother, but still very excellent Elear.  Both were very comfortable, probably one of the most comfortable over the ear headphones I've seen this year at the show, which is saying a lot coming from me since my rather poor experiences with the Spirits in the past.  The Utopia was cleaner, more detailed/resolving, and neutral to me than the Elear, but the Elear weren't bad at all, in fact I thought they were quite good for their price point and they are now on my shortlist of open-backed over the ears.
 


 
Unfortunately, I have to run, so there will be a part two, that is to my day two... so more to come.  Probably later tonight if I can find some time.  Until then...  

opcorn:

I got my SRS-2170 measured by Audio Precision too.


The guys at iFi Audio were super fun to talk to. I really like their energizer so far.

@miceblue Great pics! Thanks for sharing. 

harpo1 said:

 

grizzlybeast said:

  Is the Sony MDR Z1R there?

Click to expand...

Yes

Click to expand...

 
Also intersted in Sony MDR-Z1R.
Hopefully someone can let us know their listening impressions.

Man did I explore a lot today!

I'll check back in soon with thoughts on all I heard...

ufospls2 said:

  If anyone has listened to the Wells Audio Milo and could share some impressions/pics, that would be greatly appreciated!

Click to expand...

 
A lot of power with the volume knob before 9:00. Not much more to report. 

Part two of day two below; just some more photos and brief impressions:
 
Astell & Kern
 
I stopped by Astell & Kern shortly after I had some lunch to check out a few of their high-end audio players.  That AK380 sure is sweet!  I had the chance to audition the Copper version, which is actually pretty heavy because of its pure copper housing and it sounded great with my custom Beyer DT770 Pros.  Probably the best these headphones have sounded so far straight out of a headphone out on a portable player.  The AK70 also sounded great, not quite as refined as the 380, but I would say 85-90% there, which is good considering the steep cost of the 380, especially the copper version.  Their new recorder setup was very cool as well and looked top-notch; the friendly salesperson also went into extreme detail regarding the design and function of the unit, which made me believe that this unit could actually replace some professional recording equipment, even being much more portable and probably easier to use than most.  All in all, a very pleasant experience at their table, with not only great sounding portable players, but with design and craftsmanship to back it all up.  Plus, their sales staff was very friendly and helpful, making the whole experience a win, even though I didn't walk away with one of their players... one day, one day.
 




 
Ultrasone Headphones
 
I ended up spending quite a bit of time at the Ultrasone table this year, checking out some of their new top of the line over the ear headphones, including their new flagship, with a price tag around $6,000, yes that's right, and there are only a handful that have been built in the world (they are in the box in the photos below).  I tried their Pro line, which to me was as it should be, flat, linear, neutral.  Then I tried a few off their more "audiophile" centered line, which I found to be much more musical, fun, and enjoyable.  I was also very impressed with a model from I believe their performance line, which for the money, sounded absolutely fantastic.  I had never really given Ultrasone much thought in the past, since I was more accustomed to them being a pro-audio solution.  This all changed today.
 



 
Westone
 
I quickly stopped by Westone today, mainly since I'm more familiar with their products from prior shows, friends, and them coming to local meets, etc.  I tried their single driver IEM option and then compared it to both their triple driver as well as six driver options.  As expected, the refinement, clarity, and resolution increased as I moved up the chain to more and more drivers.  However, I say I was pretty impressed with their single driver unit; it really wasn't that bad at all.  However, the jump to the triple driver was not subtle and worth it.  Very nice offerings all around though.
 


 
JH Audio
 
I just had to stop by JH Audio once again, even though I'm not sure if I'd ever be in the market for most of their IEM models, as I'm just more into full sized non-portable cans to spend that kind of money.  In prior years I've auditioned both the Layla and Roxanne models, always siding with the Layla camp, as the smoother, more refined/detailed signature was more to my liking.  Well, this year I just had to reaffirm these prior impressions and to no surprise, still the same.  The Roxanne model was excellent, don't get me wrong, and I also thought they were the more "fun" option of the two, however the Layla's just had something different, and to my ears more pleasant overall.  I can see why people would prefer the Roxanne's, especially for rock or pop, but the refinement and clarity of Layla's won me over once again.  Regardless of one's preferences though, I have to say that these two models were probably the best sounding IEM's overall that I've heard, but they both come at a higher price point.  In addition, the craftsmanship and customized editions were also really awesome and gave a bit of bling to a type of headphone that is typically a bit dull.
 


 
Echobox Audio
 
I really enjoyed my time at Echobox today, finding both their portable player and IEM offering excellent.  The player, named the Explorer, was really cool and looked like a flask bottle, but made out of high quality crafted wood; various options including ebony are also available.  Very cool!  The software was responsive and the screens were bright and detailed.  It also drove my 80 ohm headphones very nicely and actually better than quite a few players well above their price point.  My only gripe was that the player was a little on the heavy side, mainly I believe due to the wood/design, but otherwise it was a stellar player.
 
The IEM, The Finder X1, actually was what really surprised me.  They were one the most well rounded IEMs for the price I've heard at the show, doing absolutely nothing really wrong at all.  Plus, the design was nice, simple, and lightweight as well as very durable.  Another strong contender at this price point if you ask me.  Both great offerings from a company that seems like a breath of fresh air with so many different IEM and portable players out there now.
 


 
Atomic Floyd
 
I spent some time at the Atomic Floyd stand today and enjoyed a few of their IEM products, comparing their single driver to their double driver models.  Both were very nice, well built/solid, and sounded probably the most natural, but balanced, that I had heard out of all the IEMs today.  At no time were they fatiguing or bright, but at all times they were both detailed and resolved.  I found them to have a very nice balance between these two worlds and solid contenders against others in their price range as well as beyond.  I expect great things to come from them in the near future as well.
 


 
CTM
 
Wow, what a ton of options for IEMs from CTM!  I tried their single driver and compared it to their six driver.  Although the single driver really wasn't bad at all, the six driver definitely showed its weight in terms of resolution, detail, and clarity and to me was the better choice.  For the money, the single driver was quite nice and would suffice for many.  They also had a set up for their Vintage line, which looked really cool as well.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to spend much time at their table as I had to get going and it was later in the day, but I did get a few snaps of some of their products.
 




 
HeadAmp and Holo Audio
 
Great table this year for HeadAmp as well as Holo Audio, which I hadn't heard of previously.  I did audition the excellent Blue Hawaii Electrostatic amplifier once again, this year with the new Mr. Speakers Electrostatic headphone, which I'm not sure if it is currently available or not (they're the black pair in the photo below, which unfortunately came out a bit blurry).  They did sound quite amazing and easily the best headphone in my opinion on their table.  It was just smoother and more natural than the other electrostatic offerings, taming the high-end which sometimes turns me off of electrostatics.
 
The Holo Audio DAC also sounded exceptional, however I wasn't able to directly compare it to anything else, but I could tell it was of very high quality.  I was also informed that there were options to upgrade from the stock version, so for those interested in mixing and matching.  The unit on the table I believe had all the available upgrades.
 
I had fun at their table, switching between all the different headphones, all simultaneously hooked up to the same source; it was also towards the end of my day, so I was in a good mood as well around that time.  All in all, great stuff from both companies!
 





 
What a great way to spend a Saturday!