[jfoxvol]

  did you get a chance to listen to oppo's sonica lineup of wls speakers, esp the more $$$ sonica 'grand'?
https://www.oppodigital.com/sonica-grand/

Yes I did.  I left that part off by accident.  The new Sonica is really cool.  It's also aluminum chassy so it's pretty skookum but not too heavy.  I stayed for just a few minutes and listened.  It was pretty good.  Certainly a flexible device.  Not my thing for my current place but it was definitely a quality product.

 

[canali]

   
- Empire Zeus R IEMs: sigh. BEST IEMs I HAVE EVER LISTENED TO. If only I could afford them... I have probably tried during the 3-day show 30 or more different IEMs, and those were THE best sounding pair.  Very detailed, very dynamic range, great bass.  If money was not an object - I would get a custom fit pair for sure!!  Those 14 drivers sure sound amazing!!!
 
That is all I got.  Feel free to ask questions - I will try to respond.
 
Hope to attend the SoCal event on Apr. 2017  

 
Zachi.

 
 
did you also get to listen to other fender fx series?...as i'm hearing good things on those, too.
 
also on the zeus: have read repeatedly similar sentiments....makes me feel like what i'm listening to
(flc 8s) is a cheap,  cold macdonald's hamburger, comparatively....and now a david teng has come
out with an even more $$$ iem worth $4000 (reviewed briefly by tyll/inner fidelity on his coverage of the show).
 
sorry but $2000 for inner ear monitors is beyond me. insane....and i do appreciate the company's tech and innovation.
just that the price so far out of the reach for many...and with technology advanced, in a few yrs they're then worth 1/2 (or so) the price
as the latest 'new and improved' version comes out....drag.
 
i do like what JH is doing: they've come out with a universal @$599...smart way to get the lower tier
invested and then 'educate them' into moving up later on to better $$ sound.
the jh3x pro
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/canjam-rmaf2016#oYbYiJPxCAklTgS3.97

 

[Talai]

I had an awesome time at CanJam this year, even though it did take me almost the whole show to get the scavenger hunt card filled out. Highlights from me include my time spent at Empire Ears, iFi, Noble, and 64 audio. I'm an IEM guy, so listening at these booths were definitely my favorite parts. I'm including iFi as they actually had almost the entire Unique Melody lineup present... so I took the chance to demo the Miracle
 
Empire Ears took the cake for me, Jack's a super great guy. The Zeus stood up to all of the hype that I've seen posted... it was extremely impressive. I asked Jack if they had any new bass focused models (basshead) and was given the chance to listen to an unreleased 9-driver IEM. Not sure how much I'm allowed to say, but they were so well done that I'm ordering a pair as soon as they drop. They even took updated impressions while I was there... I love these guys!
 
Overall, another great show. It was a hard to pick up fine details or impressions on any of the open ear headphones because of the ambient noise, but if you got a decent seal then IEMs were just fine. I'd say CanJam under the big top went great overall.

 

 

[wuwhere]

  Ok here are my impressions of the show.  I wish I had more time to see stuff but I had a blast.  It was great meeting @jude @mrspeakers and @Jason Stoddard .  I'll post pictures when I get a chance.  Great show.  Great toys.  Also, great beer at the HGI bar.
 
Headphones
 

• Focal Elear – heard in budget room on 2^nd floor.  Nice and quiet space so I was able to really enjoy them.  They were fed from Schiit Jotunheim amp/dac from a mac over usb.  I own the Jotunheim but don’t have the DAC module so I can’t speak too much to how it performs outside this setup.  I do know the amp quite well and it seems to just get out of the way and let the sound of the speakers come through.  The tonal balance of these cans is very good and what I want in a headphone.  I would highly recommend these if you’re in the market for ~1k set of cans.  I will likely drop my HD800Ss and buy a pair.  If you want a good price, PM me.
• Sonoma – Better than the Focals by far but 5 times the price (including amp) and in a closed system from what I understand.  I was absolutely blown away by the DSD recordings on the Sonoma ADC that they played back.  Also, some excellent Pink Floyd and Steely Dan tracks had me smiling big.  I think they’ve got something very very special here.  I heard two other electrostatic systems from Hifiman and Mr Speakers/Cavalli.  This topped them in every regard.  One thing to point out as a qualifying factor.  These were in a room in the hotel, not the tent.  Much more controlled environment.  However, I would say these were the best electrostats at the show.

 
That's some bad news

   My wallet says

. Better than HFM ES HP and Mr Speaker with Cavalli ES amp. Ouch! That hurts! I guess I'll just wait for more impressions and reviews. Thanks!

 

[jfoxvol]

   
That's some bad news

   My wallet says

. Better than HFM ES HP and Mr Speaker with Cavalli ES amp. Ouch! That hurts! I guess I'll just wait for more impressions and reviews. Thanks!

I honestly wasn't impressed with the HFM ES.  Maybe it was the setup or the amp wasn't warmed up enough or I just didn't like it.  It sounded quite harsh to my ears.  The Mr Speakers/Cavalli to me was much better.  The Sonoma was just sublime.  The Warwick Audio guys who developed the tech for the HPs know their stuff and they're very good.  One thing to remember.  It was vastly different sources and very different environments.  So, take it for what it's worth.  But, if you want ES HPs, I'd look at Sonoma.  If you want pretty much electrostatic clarity but more flexibility I'd look at Mr Speakers Ether Flow and pick an amp to match.

 

[Venture Guy]

  I honestly wasn't impressed with the HFM ES.  Maybe it was the setup or the amp wasn't warmed up enough or I just didn't like it.  It sounded quite harsh to my ears.  The Mr Speakers/Cavalli to me was much better.  The Sonoma was just sublime.  The Warwick Audio guys who developed the tech for the HPs know their stuff and they're very good.  One thing to remember.  It was vastly different sources and very different environments.  So, take it for what it's worth.  But, if you want ES HPs, I'd look at Sonoma.  If you want pretty much electrostatic clarity but more flexibility I'd look at Mr Speakers Ether Flow and pick an amp to match.

I am with you. I spent a lot of time listening to a prototype pair of the Warwick HPs at NAB last year. At that point they bested the Stax 009s to my ears. They have a radically different approach to transducer design that appears to have paid off. That plus the fact that they REALLY get DSP (64 bit FIXED POINT processing) and electronics means that they have the opportunity to design an optimized SYSTEM, which it seems like they have done.

 

[wuwhere]

  I honestly wasn't impressed with the HFM ES.  Maybe it was the setup or the amp wasn't warmed up enough or I just didn't like it.  It sounded quite harsh to my ears.  The Mr Speakers/Cavalli to me was much better.  The Sonoma was just sublime.  The Warwick Audio guys who developed the tech for the HPs know their stuff and they're very good.  One thing to remember.  It was vastly different sources and very different environments.  So, take it for what it's worth.  But, if you want ES HPs, I'd look at Sonoma.  If you want pretty much electrostatic clarity but more flexibility I'd look at Mr Speakers Ether Flow and pick an amp to match.

 
I think Sonoma is a rebadged Warwick WAT-H01 hp and Warwick WAT-A01. Warwick is the OEM. From London CanJam http://www.head-fi.org/t/817115/canjam-london-2016-impressions-thread-august-13-14-2016/150

 

[wuwhere]

  I am with you. I spent a lot of time listening to a prototype pair of the Warwick HPs at NAB last year. At that point they bested the Stax 009s to my ears. They have a radically different approach to transducer design that appears to have paid off. That plus the fact that they REALLY get DSP (64 bit FIXED POINT processing) and electronics means that they have the opportunity to design an optimized SYSTEM, which it seems like they have done.

 
Was the 009 powered by a BHSE or a KGSSHV?

 

[Venture Guy]

   
Was the 009 powered by a BHSE or a KGSSHV?

BHSE. I mean it is stunning what Sonoma has done with a tiny solid state box!

 

[wuwhere]

  BHSE. I mean it is stunning what Sonoma has done with a solid state tiny box!

 
That's what attracted me  to it. Even as a system, its transportable. If it competes with a 009/BHSE and is much cheaper than that combo, I'll buy this instead. And with an excellent DAC too.

 

[Venture Guy]

   
That's what attracted me  to it. Even as a system, its transportable. If it competes with a 009/BHSE and is much cheaper than that combo, I'll buy this instead. And with an excellent DAC too.

LOL! Imagine trying to take a Yiggy, a BHSE and Stax 009s on a business trip! Not to mention that the aforementioned will cost you almost 2x!

 

[wuwhere]

Do you know how big the external PSU is, approximately? I asked that before, I didn't get a reply.

 

[wuwhere]

  LOL! Imagine trying to take a Yiggy, a BHSE and Stax 009s on a business trip! Not to mention that the aforementioned will cost you almost 2x!

 
I read your comment here http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/ces-2016-highlight-warwick-audio-ultra-thin-electrostatic-driver-material#HhqFbYyxDYJ7bYtp.97

 

[Venture Guy]

  Do you know how big the external PSU is, approximately? I asked that before, I didn't get a reply.

From the Sonoma Acoustics website: 

External: 24 VDC, 60 VA, fixed frequency, class B-compliant SMPS; internal: fully isolated, ultra-low noise linear regulation

 
So, probably a medium sized wall wart...

 

[wuwhere]

  From the Sonoma Acoustics website: 

External: 24 VDC, 60 VA, fixed frequency, class B-compliant SMPS; internal: fully isolated, ultra-low noise linear regulation

 
So, probably a medium sized wall wart...

 
Thanks.