Welcome to the CanJam Chicago 2022 Seminar schedule!
As we wrap up our 101 series of instructional seminars, with new topics coming soon, we've selected a host of new instructors ready to offer some fresh perspectives.
The ever-exuberant Makiah Shenay of HeadAmp will be heading up
Headphones 101, and amp designer extraordinaire Jeff Wells of Wells Audio will be leading us through
Amplification 101. In addition, CanJam Chicago 2022 is proud to present
Hearing Health 101 - a brand new seminar hosted by Andrew Bellavia from Knowles - focusing on the most important part of our hobby, our hearing. And for the first time ever, we have a
Digital Audio 201 seminar, headed up by Rob Watts of Chord, for those who want to take their understanding of DACs to the next level.
As always, seating is first-come first-served. So set your calendar alarms now, lest you get lost in an audition and miss some invaluable insights!
Saturday, June 18th, 2022
Hearing Health 101
11:00a - 12:00p
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 50% of people aged 12–35 years listen to music over their personal audio devices at volumes that pose a risk to their hearing. But it doesn’t have to be so. Thanks to modern audio tech, it is possible to have your cake and eat it too. Join Andrew Bellavia of industry-leader Knowles, as he shares strategies for listening to music in a safe way without sacrificing enjoyment or quality. He will also describe how protecting your hearing in other situations can increase the time available for safely listening to music, and how to improve perceived music quality if you already have some hearing loss.
Instructor: Andrew Bellavia,
Director of Market Development, Knowles’ Hearing Health Tech Division
Headphones 101
12:00p - 1:00p
Simple in theory, headphones can be extraordinarily complicated electroacoustic devices. Join us for a clear overview of various driver designs (dynamic, planar magnetic, electrostatic, ribbons, etc.). Learn about basic acoustics, frequency response, impedance, sensitivity, and more. Most importantly, discover how to choose the headphone that best suits your needs.
Instructor: Makiah Shenay,
HeadAmp Electronics
Amplification 101
2:00p - 3:00p
What amp will best drive your headphone(s) of choice? Should you opt for tubes or solid state? Learn the basics of amplification including gain, topology, and classification. Understand how power output, voltage, current, output impedance, damping factor, and distortion will factor into your decisions - and what an amplifier's specifications can and cannot tell you about its performance.
Instructor: Jeff Wells, Founder & Lead Engineer/Designer, Wells Audio
Digital Audio 101
3:00p - 4:00p
Join us for a clear and concise introduction to digital audio, as well as the DACs (Digital-to-Analog Converters) needed to enjoy it. Learn about some of the most popular DAC topologies in use today (Delta-sigma, R-2R, etc.), clocks, filters, jitter, ringing, whether DAC chips really do have a house sound - and much more - so that you can evaluate which DAC might be best for you.
Instructor: Michael Goodman,
Founder & Lead Engineer/Designer, CEntrance
Digital Audio 201
4:00p - 5:00p
Ready to take a deeper dive into high-fidelity digital audio? Join us for an invaluable hour of insight into how digital interpolation filters work, and the seminar will cover: understanding the importance of interpolation filtering and transients; and realizing just how much time domain performance can dictate fidelity and realism. If you didn't understand any of that, and you are currently pursuing an endgame rig, then this is one seminar you won't want to miss.
Instructor: Rob Watts,
Digital Design Consultant, Chord Electronics
Sunday, June 19th, 2022
Special Presentation: Chord Electronics’ Mojo 2
11:00a - 12:00p
Seven years after the debut of its predecessor, Chord’s long-awaited Mojo 2 portable DAC/amp is finally here. Come join Rob Watts of Chord Electronics for a fascinating recounting of its development over the years, and a comprehensive overview of the Mojo 2’s groundbreaking features, including: UHD DSP (a fully transparent and lossless digital tone control); enhanced menu options featuring an additional control sphere for crossfeed/mute/lock settings; intelligent FPGA-based battery management and charging; and of course more taps.
Special Guest: Rob Watts,
Digital Design Consultant, Chord Electronics
Special Presentation: The Role of Treble Extension In Improving Performance of In-Ear Monitors
12:00p - 1:00p
While earlier listening studies concentrated on the spectrum below 10 kHz, a significant portion of recorded music occurs as high as 20 kHz. Knowles, a leading manufacturer of balanced armature drivers and microphones for in-ear monitors (IEMs), TWS earphones, and hearing devices, conducted a new study on preferred response curves with a focus on treble performance. Cristina Downey, acoustic engineer by day and sound engineer by night, will share what was learned about the significance of treble response on listener preference. Then Jerry Harvey, well-known pioneer in the development of IEMs, will reveal how he raised treble performance to the next level in the new Sharona, the first ever to employ Knowles’ new balanced armature Supertweeter.
Special Guests: Cristina Downey,
Acoustic Engineer, Knowles Corporation; Jerry Harvey,
Founder and Sound Engineer, JH Audio
Marriott Marquis Chicago... haven't been there since Celebration in 2019.
