Uh, so... here is a general experience post I tossed up on Reddit, with minor edits. Kind of cut/paste... sorry about that. This was my first RMAF / CanJam. So, keep in mind I'm just a regular guy who loves audio. It was great to listen to the "New In Headphones" seminar with Jude, Tyll, and crew. Fun talking to so many people about audio, even though I'm not that good at it. I think I'll be back next year!
...
Wow, what a fun time. I didn't take as many pictures as I should have - I was too engrossed in all the gear and trying headphones.
I spent the most time at ZMF's booth. Zach is such a great guy, even though he is a Bills fan. (Not everyone is perfect like us Broncos fans.) I tried everything he had. =) The new Eikon and Atticus are fantastic! I pre-ordered the Atticus headphones in Paduak wood. So excited to be getting in on these early! And now I play the waiting game until they are released. The anticipation might kill me. Also - The Eikon pads are probably the best ear pads I've ever had on my head. They are not overly thick like the Alpha pads, have a fantastic memory foam inside them, and they are large enough my ears fit with ample room! I can't wait till they are available on ZMF's site - I have a few other cans I want to try these with.
Chan from E-MU was there! I got a picture with him too. He's so cool. I had a nice conversation with him about the E-MU Teak and Walnut headphones. He showed me the difference between the typical Fostex wooden cups and how the Teak cups are made. It was fascinating! The teak cups are thinner in areas, deeper, and the interior cup dimensions are formed differently. In my mind, the thinner wood makes sense - they don't make acoustic guitars out of a solid block of wood, and the body material is thinner to allow the wood to resonate. This is why I'm convinced the E-MU Teaks sound better than all of the other variants I tried.
Speaking of, I was finally able to try the complete Fostex lineup. (Sans the Massdrop TH-X00 of course.) The TH900 & 900 mk2, 610, 600 were all similar to the sound of my Teaks, but all of them had noticeably larger peaks in treble and/or more recessed mids. Bass on each was outstanding. It just kind of confirms to me that the Teaks are truly something special in this line of headphones.
I heard all the new Beyers on display. Treble city. Not my thing. I moved on.
Meze 99's were good! My first time hearing them. Sound wise, they were like smaller, lighter TH600's? Kind of. (Not really.) If I had to pick a light headphone for on the go, these would be it! I caught a pic of a pre-production model with black plastic cups. They sound similar to the woodies, yet I imagine they might cost less. Good stuff here!
The Pioneer booth was interesting. I got to demo the 100R DAP. It's got a good interface! I was a bit surprised by how small it is. I keep looking at this thing on Amazon.com, and those pics made me think it was a lot bigger than it really is. Sound quality was good. I liked it. I've always been a naysayer of Android based DAPs. If I wanted to surf the web and get email, I'll use my Nexus phone for that. No reason to bloat up a DAP with that stuff. This device might have me changing my mind.
I also got to hear the Pioneer SE-Master 1 headphones as well. Great build quality. The sound is something akin to the lovechild of a HD800 and Fostex T20-RP Mk3. (Or not.) It was good. Not my thing, but still good.
I stopped by the Ultrasone booth twice. Uh... S-Logic is weird. They're also a bit more forward on treble than I like, so I don't think these are for me. In fact, I just can't say I liked much about them. They are nice looking head hones though.
The Final Audio Sonorus III, IV, VI and VIII were very interesting headphones. The II and III don't have the BA driver in them, and you can tell the difference. While the IV, VI, and VIII are not overly bright or sibilant, these are definitely treble forward cans. They were comfortable, but the ear pads were close to being too small for my preference.
*And now my "OMG, These Are Great" awards. These are the products that impressed me the most. First place goes to... *
GOLD MEDAL: - ZMF Atticus - of course. I did buy one after all. For the $ you get heirloom headphones with quality wood cups and epic sound. They are *far* from being bass anemic, yet the bass never overstepped their bounds. The mids and vocals were so clear and felt like they had real substance to it without being veiled. The best part was the treble - nowhere near bright yet so clear. These are My perfect and preferred sound signature.
SILVER MEDAL: - Sony MDR-Z1R. I'd call these the best all-around headphones I've heard. I tried every genre of music they had loaded onto the NW-WM1Z, and it was very good with everything! Daft Punk, Mozart, Rebecca Pidgeon, Muddy Waters, you name it, these did it with authority and skill. I want a pair, but they'll have to wait till I pay off the credit card Atticus purchase. lol
BRONZE MEDAL: - Third place goes to 1More Audio's Triple Driver IEMs. I almost walked by their booth, but the gentlemen there said hi and engaged me, and I'm glad they did. I had my Sony XBA-A3's dangling around my neck - my favorite hybrid IEMs. For those unfamiliar with these, they have 2 balanced armature drivers, and a dynamic driver - hence the hybrid name. The BA's handle the mids and highs, and the dynamic driver gets low mid to low bass duty. Anyway, continuing on... The 1More Audio guys told me about their titanium triple driver iems for $99. I thought, 3 BA's in a cheap IEM - this is probably going to suck somehow. NOPE! I was so wrong. (They are exactly like my Sony A3s. 2 BAs + 1 dynamic driver.) Let me tell you, 1More had my A3s crying for mercy by the time I was done demoing them. Better treble. Check. Better bass clarity, impact and substance. Check. Detailed, meaty, and crystal clear mids. Check. Well... ****. My favorite IEMs just had their asses handed to them by something which costs 1/3rd of the price. So let me say this: I stopped by 3 or 4 IEM booths like Noble, and the usual IEM OEMs. If I were to recommend IEMs to the average joe right now, the 1More hybrids are the ones I'd suggest. IMO, you can't beat them without spending 10X more money.
Honorable mention goes to the Sony MDR-1000X noise canceling Bluetooth headphones. These were very feature rich, well designed, and very good performing. The ear cups are smaller than I like to wear, as the pads are just a little bit too narrow for my big ears. These are Quiet Comfort killers. The noise canceling is top notch. Placing your palm on the right ear cup pauses the active noise canceling so you can actually carry on a conversation with someone, or hear what's going on around you. And the best part - Music sounds great in them! (Imagine that, BOSE... ) IMO, they are better then BOSE QC's in pretty much every way.
Thanks to everyone who made RMAF / CanJam so much fun!
