Just a quick brain dump after attending my first ever CanJam this weekend:
First of all, I'm kicking myself for not attending these sooner, there is no better way to see/touch/listen to almost everything ChiFi/MidFi/HighFi/SummitFi under the sun. Over 80+ different vendors lugging in giant crates of gear. Simply an audiophile's playground.
1.
DCA E3 - This was the first headphone I put on to start the day and it really blew me away. Quite possibly the best closed back i've heard all weekend. Sounds better to me than both the Stealth and Expanse.
2.
Abyss Diana MR? - I thought these were just OK, first time trying headphones from Abyss and just didn't get that 'wow' factor. Also, it wasn't that comfortable on my head either. (Not sure if there is some special adjustment that can be made but it just felt very loose)
3.
ZMF Bokeh (Open and Closed) - Zach has done it again. The Bokeh Open was a great listen(definitely baby Atrium vibes). Definitely preferred it to bokeh closed (on same source/songs). Unfortunately, Zach wouldn't take my money
. ETA -sometime this Summer
4.
Meze 109 Pro - I know I'm late to the party on this one, but I was thoroughly impressed with the sound coming out of these cans. Great clarity across the frequency spectrum but not harsh or sibilant. Definitely on my short list to pick-up in the near future.
5.
Meze empyrean II - Did not see the hype of this headphone, nothing really stood out or wow'd me. yes, of course it has great sonic capabilities but everything just sounded 'safe'.
6.
Campfire Audio Fathom - This one really blew my mind as it was the first IEM I tried on at the show, they really hit it out of the park with this one. Great timbre and tonality throughout the frequency range with damn good bass coming from the six BAs. I was definitely rocking out to these Fathoms. The Campfire guy let me try out some of the higher end stuff too (Trifecta?) but preferred the Fathom much more.
7.
HIFIMAN (Dr. Fang in the house!) - Got to try out their new Dac/Amp combos and was really impressed by the EF600(R2R with dual Hymalaya Pro DAC outputting 10W). Smooth but detailed. Handled He1000 and Arya's with ease.
8.
Sennheiser HD600/650/660s2 - Did a three way battle at the Sennheiser booth and really really loved the 660s2. Definitely on the short list to upgrade my 6xx. The dac/amp they used also sounded pretty good (HDV 820).
Once again, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to put your own ears to the music when considering big or small HiFi purchases. $30 is a small price to pay for what may save you thousands in the future.