Howdy all... Just home from Canjam Dallas. This was my first Canjam since SoCal 2017. It was time to go once again.
@warrenpchi it was great to meet you and to share the same space for a moment or two.
@jude thank you for the spirited conversation. Nice to meet folks with Michigan roots and that connection always makes me feel comfortable. I miss my home, but Utah it is for now. Thank you to the Head-Fi team for a great time. I will write more tomorrow, but wanted to put some of my highlights up. Eyal, it was also great to see you and to visit with you for a few moments. I am not a member of your watercooler gang, I am not much for joining, but I like that this type of stuff is going on and I enjoyed your seminar.
One of my favorite parts of the show was learning that my system sounds as good or better than most of what I heard. However, I did hear a few things that left a lasting impression.
DCS: My highlight was how professional, organized, knowledgeable and enthusiastic they were about their products. Without question, the best dynamic headphone system I heard at the show was the Rossini Apex with Lina Clock and Lina Amp. That DAC is just ridiculous. The low level detail is off the charts, and the tone is flat out special. I used my own D8K Pro for this listening session and left with my jaw on the floor. Same went for the Bartok Apex with Lina Clock and Amp. I used my D8K Pro for that session as well had similar feelings, albeit not quite to the same level as the Rossini. That DAC is truly something else. The Lina stack DID NOT blow me away with the Lina running as DAC. It sounded good to great, but so does a lot of other things for significantly less money. If I had the money for something like that I would go straight to the Rossini Apex. That is without question the best DAC I have ever heard.
Schiit: I absolutely loved the Mjolnir 3 with Yggy and the Empy 2 and then the Grado 3000X. The Mjolnir 3 is a proper amp and I will buy one. I loved Jason's comment when I complimented him on its sonics, "now I have to figure out how to make more items that sound like the Mjolnir 3". Jason, I agree. It is definitely a winning formula. I absolutely loved it. It had the perfect amount of wetness, detail and saturation with impeccable pacing. It gets hot, but not so hot that it is dangerous. It just flat out sounds fantastic.
Warwick Aperio: This was the first thing I listened to, and remained the best thing I heard all weekend. It is worth every penny and the sound is full, alive, balanced, subtle and crystal clear. It does none of this without missing musicality. Bravo Team Warwick for one of the best 15 minutes of listening my ears have experienced.
Ferrum Stack with Meze Empy 2 : For those who have heard the Hypsos/Oor you know already that it is a serious piece of kit. The addition of the Wandla was just awesome. There is absolutely no etch, no ESS glare and as a collective whole you will be hard pressed for $6000 to find a better stack. It sounds that great!
ZMF: I would be remiss to not mention my friends in the ZMF room showing off their wares. Having reviewed everything on the table but the bokeh and the new JPS collab amp, I was just happy to see old friends and have them show me around. I did get to hear the MayKTE stock with Bliss hooked to a Caldera which was fantastic. And I got to finally hear the Envy. Which I also loved, but if I am being honest I like my Aficionado more. Customer service was second to none as always, and there is always someone there to help, answer questions or just sit down and visit. Thank you for welcoming me and for allowing me to hear your products. My favorite thing in the ZMF room was Keenan's Aegis hooked to a Cambridge DAC/Streamer with my favorite ZMF the Atrium Open. That was a special listen, and I can see what all the fuss is about. That amp throws a sound stage that is magical while never being out of balance with the low end or treble. This was a definite highlight of the show.
Mass Kobo 433 w/ Chord Qutest: For a supposedly underpowered solid state amp, the combo of 433 and Qutest was special. That amp is coming at you from all angles, with a sturdy foundation and a articulate midrange allowing for soloing instruments to take flight and to enter your space whichever way they want and whichever way they are being played. For $2500 that might be one of the best deals on the planet.
I did hear the CFA3 with the Tungsten double sided magnets which sounded great. But, I must admit that I would take my own CFA3 with my Code X any day of the week. The CFA3 sounds similar to mine, but not quite the same. Which I attribute to mine having an eternal power supply. Nonetheless, I think when they are able to get them into production you will have a lot of happy customers.
One last shout out to the Dunu table who was incredibly accommodating, and I think I will buy an SA6 MK2. I loved the way it sounded, the way it fit and felt it would be a great addition in that price range to my portable offerings.
I will write more later. But for now, this is a good intro into my weekend. The team at Bloom were great, as was the team at Mimic. In fact everyone was great to meet and talk audio with. The only think I was really hoping to like but didn't was the MicroZOTL Electro Stat with the Carbon. I was underwhelmed to say the least. It sounded thin, bass light and not my preferences.
I was bummed to not see some other vendors. JH audio, Headamp, Hifiman, among others. I wanted to hear the Prelude. Another time, I guess... More tomorrow with a full review, although this is pretty complete.
Cheers,
Geoff
