[jude]

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NOTE:  If you can't see the embedded video above, please CLICK HERE to see the video.​

 
With the Spring 2012 Tokyo Headphone Festival coming soon (on May 12, 2012), I thought it'd be a great time to take a look back at the last Tokyo Headphone Festival. So it's time to board Head-Fi Airlines, go back with me to Tokyo, Japan, and check out this awesome event!
 

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Products mentioned in the video:  

 

1. Ultimate Ears In-Ear Reference Monitor custom-fit IEM (in-ear monitor)
2. Stax SR-009 electrostatic (around-the-ear) open headphone (here's a link to the related Head-Fi TV episode)
3. FitEar MH334 custom-fit in-ear monitor
4. Ninewave in-ear earbud-type headphone
5. Lehmann Audio headphone amplifier
6. beyerdynamic DT-1350 portable over-ear (on-ear) closed headphone (here's a link to the related Head-Fi TV episode)
7. VentureCraft Go-DAP 4.0 portable iPhone DAC, amp, and charger
8. Ray Samuels Audio Apache fully balanced headphone amp and preamp
9. Fostex TH900 over-ear (around-the-ear) headphone
10. Fostex HP-A8 32-bit/192kHz DAC and headphone amp
11. Fostex HP-P1 portable iDevice (iPhone, iPad, iPod) DAC and amp (here's a link to the related Head-Fi TV episode)
12. Fostex HP-A3 transportable USB DAC and amp (USB bus-powered)
13. Sennheiser RS 220 wireless over-ear (around-the-ear) headphone system
14. Fostex AR-4i iPhone audio interface and video platform (with live audio monitoring)
15. KingRex UD384 24-bit/384kHz USB DAC
16. KingRex Headquarters headphone amplifier
17. V-MODA Vibrato universal-fit in-ear monitor
18. V-MODA M-80 portable over-ear (on-ear) closed headphone
19. V-MODA Crossfade LP2 over-ear (around-the-ear) closed headphone
20. Sony Balanced Armature IEMs (XBA-15L, XBA-25L, XBA-35L, XBA-45L) universal-fit in-ear monitors
21. Audeze LCD-3 planar magnetic (around-the-ear) open headphone
22. ALO Audio Continental portable hybrid (tube / solid state) headphone amp
23. ALO Audio Rx Mk3 portable balanced headphone amp
24. TakeT H2+ Heil-type polymer piezoelectric headphone (here's a link to the related Head-Fi TV episode)
25. Audio-Technica 3000ANV over-ear (around-the-ear) closed headphone

 

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Threads mentioned in this video:
 

1. FujiyaAvic 2011 Autumn Meet Impressions thread

 

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2011 Tokyo Headphone Festival - Head-Fi TV: Produced by Joseph Cwik and Jude Mansilla

 

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We will occasionally post Q&A episodes of Head-Fi TV.  If you want to submit any questions (or comments), you can do so via email to tv@head-fi.org.

 

[214324]

Can't wait! The Fostex HP-A8C still has my attention. Been a long time since I've heard about it.

 

[antberg]

just in time!

 

[Akin]

You have my dream job! Hope I grow to be like you! (I'm 13)

 

[AnakChan]

Brilliant video, Jude! What's interesting is that even though I was there, the video still has some surprising products which I completely missed at the show! Cheers!

 

[devouringone3]

Quote:

You have my dream job! Hope I grow to be like you! (I'm 13)

What's the job of Jude actually, lol? Independent warrior, webmaster, editor, incarnation of a hobby (he's really all about headphones)?
 
Can't wait to hear more about the TH900 and the HP-A8C... I love Japan and my ADL GT40 (there's a picture of it in the slideshow at the end of the video yay!)

 

[bayac]

Next festival's coming up next month! You'll be there, I suppose

 

[Akin]

Quote:

Quote:

What's the job of Jude actually, lol? Independent warrior, webmaster, editor, incarnation of a hobby (he's really all about headphones)?
 
Can't wait to hear more about the TH900 and the HP-A8C... I love Japan and my ADL GT40

Well, in other words, I'd like to be in audio heaven frequently just like him !

 

[devouringone3]

Quote:

Well, in other words, I'd like to be in audio heaven frequently just like him !

 
Oh! I do, too (that's for sure ... Tokyo looks awesome, and they look even more into headphones than anywhere else, city I can think of... even in my engineering school people and electronic engineers buys, uses and wears el-cheapo headphones, either no-names unbranded types, or the cheapest possible Sony, JVC and if I'm lucky, yes, Sennheiser.
 
They buy like one per year and enjoy mistreating it, of course, that's why they always end up broken.
 
 
Me I do some research before buying a product and I want to ensure I will appreciate the purchase, as far as pleasure-inducing stuff goes. Just like when picking a restaurant, why always return to McDonald's when there is so much more elsewhere.
 
Still I will say that music is more important to me than it is for most other people I see in my every day life, so that's a factor for me, yes, explaining why I chose to focus and spend so much of my attention onto headphones.

 

[Akin]

Quote:

 
 
Me I do some research before buying a product and I want to ensure I will appreciate the purchase, as far as pleasure-inducing stuff goes. Just like when picking a restaurant, why always return to McDonald's when there is so much more elsewhere.
 

Yeah, before I got a gaming headset a few months ago (yes, a headset, and it sounds suprisingly good with eq'ing somewhat), I searched for so much, I searched a few hours everyday on the net. But thats fun imo!
 

 

[PANGES]

JEALOUS!!!

 

[dagothur]

Hate to nitpick, but the LCD-3 isn't an electrostat.

 

[jude]

 
Quote:

Hate to nitpick, but the LCD-3 isn't an electrostat.

Fixed. Thanks for pointing that out that mistake. It must've just been pasted from the Stax SR-009 line. Sorry.

 

[Lan647]

That control unit is from danish Bang & Olufsen  

Excellent video and nice to hear about your experiences in Tokyo, jude  

Wish I got to have fun like that too, oh well 

 

[kalbee]

And here I was debating whether or not to go on a trip this summer... makes me want to go even more!!
Too bad this hobby really does feed on whatever may have been used on the plane tickets lol.
May 12 is a bit early but thanks to this very informative video, I now know much more and better stores to audition headphones! Time to stray from mainstream store (minus YodabashiCamera!)