CanJam at RMAF October 2013 Impressions Thread

[Girls Generation]

  Was there a date given as to when the Roxanne will be available for ordering?  

They said earliest shipping date is November, but not sure when it's actually available for order. From experience, I think we should all wait before the product starts shipping before ordering.... (JH3A)
 

Definitely apples to oranges. XC sounds more closed, more balanced across the FR, thicker, with greater texture. 900 sounds more open, more "fun" with sub bass emphasis, and has a better treble presentation in my opinion. The 900 has a signature that makes me tap my feet, one that I personally prefer.

Thanks for this; your XC impression sounds like it's exactly Audeze house sound. I might need to get an XC.... It might be a great complement to the TH900...

 

[metalsonata]

Subscribing. Doesn't seem like there are as many impressions as there were last year--hope some people have some great info-dumps for us after they get back home! (Anyone know if Tyll has been taking any video?) 
 
:-D

 

[ethan7000]

They said earliest shipping date is November, but not sure when it's actually available for order. From experience, I think we should all wait before the product starts shipping before ordering.... (JH3A)

Thanks for this; your XC impression sounds like it's exactly Audeze house sound. I might need to get an XC.... It might be a great complement to the TH900...

Yes, if you enjoy the Audeze house sound, I have no doubt you will enjoy the XC. Since none of them sound very open to me, I really don't find the XC to deviate from their signature sound. I'm guessing Audeze worked hard to keep their signature while using the the closed cup. And as others have mentioned, they are not extremely closed as they still let in a good amount of ambient noise. However, they appear to prevent noise from escaping well, though I can't verify that as I didn't personally test that aspect.

 

[asak]

To the Herus buyer at RMAF-
Did they offer any discounts?

Was interested in their Concero line but their in room guy hardly new anything about them much less offer any for sale or mention discounts.
Ug

15% or 20%. 290 Cad dollars I think it was. I was kind of pushy, 

 But they were more than willing to sell them, had a few Herus lying around. Not for sure if they were selling the Concerto on the spot. 

 

[Girls Generation]

I actually prefer less isolation because I use them outside of my house as well... I get uneasy when I can't hear my surroundings or people talking to me, and always have to check. If these don't leak sound that's great! TH900 bleeds quite a bit meaning I can't use them in a library... Now it's just the Alpha Dogs against the XC before I decide.

 

[AudioCats]

I went over today and spent 5 hours there.....only got to visit the rooms on the main floor, mezzanine, 4th, and maybe half the 5th floor.....missed the 8/9/10/11th floor entirely. Too many rooms, too little time. 

 
I did spent a little time at the canjam though...
 
new electrostatic phones from KingsAudio, still prototypes? Didn't see any marking on them. The sound is smooth, bass felt a little loose though. Driven by KingsAudio tube amp. (Their have another pair hooked up to a KingsAudio semi-conductor amp on the left, I didn't try that one.)

 

 
 
 
 
I was mainly there to see speaker gear. It turned out what I like were either some kind of horn or open baffles.
 
Manzanite CV open baffle (15") woofer. Very clean sound, very engaging.

 
 
DC10audio Briton II LE. Sounds great.

 
Saturni horns and bass module (black tubes).

 
linkwitz LX521.

 

[Frank I]

I just got back form Canjam and shot lots of pictures and will be posting a full report here on Headfi after I work on it tomorrow. Some nice preivews there and I am not sure how I missed the Oppo Planars but there was jsut so much gear to look at and I was very impressed with lots of the stuff I heard there. More to come tomorrow.

 

[esimms86]

Did anyone happen to checkout the Auralic Gemini? It would be higher up my wish list if I didn't already have the Woo WA7. Then again, it does do DSD(and would look almost as good as the WA7 on a nightstand or chair-side table).
 
Esau

 

[Jwm48324]

nt

 

[barleyguy]

Below are the photos I took at the show, most of them from CanJam and a couple from the speaker rooms.
 
Highlights of things I hadn't heard before that I really liked:
 
1. Focal Spirit Pro headphones.  Possibly my new favorite closed headphones (I usually tend towards open back).  Very reasonably priced.
2. Beyerdynamic T90.  My new favorite Beyers.
3. Apex Teton headphone amplifier by Pete Millet.  Fast, detailed, tons of texture.
4. Studio Six headphone amplifier by ALO Audio.  Really brought out the bass on HD800s.  If you have HD800s and want something that makes them more balanced but still super detailed, this is a great choice.  Uses gas tubes, which are very cool looking.
5. Teac was there with new electronics.  Their DACs are excellent and reasonably priced.
 
Also, great seeing old friends and meeting some new ones. The people are what make RMAF great.
 
Overall, another amazing RMAF and CanJam.
 
Not much more to say.  I didn't do enough critical listening to go into detailed impressions.  But here's some pictures.  To view them on Flickr, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/barleyguy/sets/72157636525914644/
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[wuwhere]

Nice pics. Still so many tubed equipment.

 

[Solude]

  1. Focal Spirit Pro headphones.  Possibly my new favorite closed headphones (I usually tend towards open back).  Very reasonably priced.

 
How did the Focal Spirit Classic compare?

 

[barleyguy]

   
How did the Focal Spirit Classic compare?

They have the same driver technology and the same general level of detail, but different sound signatures.  Personally I thought the Pro was more neutral and balanced, whereas the Classic had slightly more bass impact.  The Pro was more immersive for me, because the balanced sound signature gives me more of an emotional connection to the vocals.  But some people prefer the classic.
 
In short, they are both on equal footing technically but are voiced differently.  "Balanced" versus "Fun" for lack of loaded terms.  IMO.

 

[spritzer]

  new electrostatic phones from KingsAudio, still prototypes? Didn't see any marking on them. The sound is smooth, bass felt a little loose though. Driven by KingsAudio tube amp. (Their have another pair hooked up to a KingsAudio semi-conductor amp on the left, I didn't try that one.)

 
Nope, those are the commercial product.  There is a thread in the Summit-fi section... 

 

[Frank I]

October 2013 CanJam at the RMAF Denver

 
 
 
 
 
Michael Liang and Michael Mercer show the opening Banner for CanJam 2013
 

 
 
 
 
Woo Audio was showing in the CanJam room and also had a private room to showcase the new Woo Flagship 234 Monoblock priced at $16,500. The 234 uses the 300B,2A3 or 45 Single ended triode tubes and will also drive speakers. Jack Wu was using the Abysss Headphones from JBS Labs and the sound coming from the  Mighty Woo was very detailed with magnificent transparency and deep and wide front to back layering with  a huge defined sound stage with pinpoint focusing.
 

 
 The WES  Electro static  Headphones driving the Stax 009 and the Stax 007 MK11
 
 

 
 
The Woo 6SE
 
 

 
Woo WA6

 
Woo WA7 with the new WA7 optional $300.00 power supply that uses 12Au7 to fine tune the sound. The transparency stepped up a huge notch with the additional tube regulated power supply.
 

 
Astral  & Kern was showing the Final Headphone with their outstanding AK120 portable player.
 
 

 
 
 
 
Beyerdynamic  showcased  the new A20 Headphone Amplifier. The A20  is a fully discrete design priced at a very competitive $649.00
 

 
Jerry Harvey and his team at JH Audio were showcasing the newly designed Roxanne IEM riced at $1695.00 and scheduled to begin shipping November 21,2013. The Roxanne is a 12 driver IEM that can be specifically tuned by the individual to adjust the sound to your individual preferences.
 

 
 
Justin Wilson Headamp was showcasing the GSX balanced amplifier and power supply priced  from $2780  with the Blue Hawaii Electrostatic Amplifier starting at $5500 and the Power Pico $475.00 portable amplifier
 
 

 
 
Hifiman  was showcasing their complete Headphone lineup including the new RE600 $399.00 IEM and their HM901 portable player priced at $999.00 . The new HM901 also has optional amplifier balanced modules that can be installed by the user easily. The module is a $200.00 option
 

 
Centrance was showcasing their new HI-M8 $699.00 portable amplifier and DAC that was designed by Headfi users. Michael Goodman used all the input form Headfi member and developed the M8 based on what the community wanted.
 
 

 
Ultimate Ears was showing their portable headphones and IEM line and was represented by Headfi Member CEE TEE . Christian was working hard at the event showing the excellent Ultimate Ear lineup.
 
 

 
 
Mr Speaker was showcasing his excellent 3D printed Alpha Dog priced at $599.00 and the completed production model was very detailed with improved comfort and very transparent with excellent bass and making it a contender for the best in its class closed headphone.
 
 

 
 
 
Moon Audio had the Bryston triple Stack Music Server, DAC and the Balanced Headphone amplifier plus the Burson Conductor and his full lineup of headphone and IEM cables that were hooked up to every major flagship and portable headphones..
 

 
 
 
Todd the Vinyl Junkie sponsored the Saturday Night Beer Social . The event was well attended and went overtime. The tunes were being played by Alex Rosson CEO of Audeze and Michael Mercer.