I’m finally getting around to posting impressions from my third CanJam, but first in Dallas. I took a very different approach than I had with past CanJams. My kids had been asking me what CanJam was like, and kept insisting they wanted to attend. They’re 9 and 11 and I didn’t know if they’d enjoy it or be so bored they would spontaneously combust. Since the latter was a distinct possibility, I knew I would also have to drag my wife along so I would have reinforcements if my kids were melting down when I wanted to listen to something or catch up with audiophile friends. But that presented its own risk—would my wife find out my audio equipment wasn’t really priced in the three figures as I had told her, and that most of the gear at the show is priced in the four or even five figures? I knew I was playing with fire, but my kids had off school the Friday before the Dallas show, so I decided to roll the dice.
As we were preparing to leave for the airport, my youngest looked wistfully at her bucket of candy from Halloween the night before. “I’m gonna miss you, candy.”
Luckily, the travel went smoothly and we were warmly welcomed by the Watercooler crew as we walked into the hotel lobby. “You finally got to meet your internet friends!” was my wife’s take, which prompted a dirty glare from me. Then it was off to Fogo de Chao for dinner. Meat on a stick never disappoints, and we were part of a huge friendly group, which made it even better. Except that another head-fier’s wife was seated next to mine and commented that it was great that her husband has so many internet friends. Come on, these are real people. Here, right now, in person, in front of us. They’re not just “internet friends.”
After dinner, with the rest of my family safely ensconced in the hotel room, I joined a big group of Watercooler
internet friends real people in the lobby, where a friendly rep from FatFreq did his best to introduce me to IEMs (I’ve been exclusively a HP guy, though nothing against IEMs). He was very patient with my very extreme ignorance. In the process, I learned that
@EnigmaFotos , in addition to being a fellow Coloradoan, has some similar taste in music. He’s also friggin hilarious, so make sure to say hello if you haven’t met him.
The next morning, after grabbing breakfast, we checked in for the show, which included a personal welcome from
@warrenpchi, and we picked up our odd(ly awesome) CanJam T-Shirts. Then we parked ourselves in front of the Bloom Audio room as I knew my kids would get a kick out of the grab bag giveaway. While waiting in line, friendly Watercooler member
@musingclouds let me listen to his DALI IO-12s, which he claims are the best Bluetooth headphones on the market. You know, maybe he’s right. They sounded
really good.
(Now is a good time to add the usual caveats: these impressions are just that, based on a few minutes listening on a showroom floor. These are not reviews, and no one should make any purchasing decisions based on them. Read just for fun! Also, I have idiosyncratic taste in music—generally instrumental progressive rock and metal and high-tempo acoustic guitar. I almost never listen to anything with vocals. And, I listen at really low volume compared to everyone else—like 65-67 dBs. With that out of the way . . . )
A few minutes later came the news that Bloom Audio’s shipment with most of their gear, and all their grab bag goodies, never made it. All they had were their IEMs, a few headphones, Cayin Soul (yay!), and their candy. Candy?! Kids’ frowns turned upside down.
After the visit with the friendly Bloom Audio folks, it was time to introduce my family to the main showroom floor, starting with a walk around to get a lay of the land. As I passed the Warwick Aperio sound isolation booth, I noticed one person was listening, and Cameron was talking to a couple people at an adjacent table, but I didn’t see a line. I asked Cameron if my eyes were deceiving me, but he said I was next up! It turned out one of the guys already there and chatting with Cameron was waiting, but he graciously offered to let us go ahead of him. I insisted he was there first and should go first—we can certainly wait in a line only 1 person deep.
Soon enough, it was my turn. I took my oldest daughter in with me. The standard Aperio and GoldenSound Edition were set up side-by-side, connected to the same source. I couldn’t use my own source, and using the virtual keyboard on Warwick’s tablet was cumbersome, but we did the best we could. I started with the GSE, and my 11-year-old started with the standard, then we swapped.
Right away, I finally got the Aperio. For whatever reason, I hadn’t been able to connect with it (the standard) when I listened at SoCal CanJam in 2023 (the line was too long and I was too impatient to catch either version at the 2024 SoCal). But this time it clicked—both versions. As others have reported, the standard Aperio stages pretty intimately, but its speed, resolution, dynamics, and clarity were great, and it had more timbral richness and tonal density than I expected. Bass was surprisingly good, too. Instrument separation and imaging were very good, but felt just the tiniest bit smeared to me, at least relative to what I expected. Very low distortion. The GSE matches the standard version on everything, except its instrument separation and imaging seemed a step up, treble more controlled, and it overall sounded a bit more balanced and smoother. My 9-year-old subbed in and we swapped back and forth as well.
After trying both, she, unsolicited, immediately demanded the GSE back. I asked her why she had such a strong preference for the GSE. She said the standard version was “high pitched.” She has no training on how to describe what she hears, but she’s 9, so it’s a safe bet she can hear much higher in the treble than I can. This makes me think there’s more going on with how the GSE handles treble than my lowly ears can perceive. At any rate, I get it now—I see why people love this headphone. And to my ears, the GSE is a perceptible step up from the standard. Is either version worth the cost? I’ll leave that to you.
Back on the show floor, my kids were sucked in by the inescapable gravitational force of the video game consol at the Headphones.com table. Then, it was time for a quick visit to check out the new Audeze CRBN2 off the Woo Audio 3ES. I really fell in love with the CRBN2 off an Eksonic Aeras at the SoCal CanJam. I’m not sure about the full chain at Dallas, but I couldn’t connect my own source and it was cumbersome trying to find music quickly on their supplied laptop, so this listen was just for fun—no real impressions this time around.
I had time to ask Tal Kocen
@TalkOcen from Dekoni Audio if he thought his seminar that afternoon would be OK for my kids (he thought so), but then it was time for lunch. While there,
@goldwerger texted to ask if he could listen to my Immanis on the Viva 2A3. Sure! My wife took my kids to the (reportedly very cold) pool, and I met Eyal at the High End by Oz room (the proprietors of which are super nice and friendly, BTW). Oz didn’t have the Viva-specific interface for the RAAL, so we had to use my TI-1a interface. I warned Eyal that the Viva-specific interface actually makes a huge difference, but my interface is still really fun with ridiculous (though bloated) bass on the 2A3, so Eyal plugged in and settled in. I looked around and spied the Viva STX hanging out with an X9000, and an empty chair. Don’t mind if I do. I’ve heard the X9000 several times, including for longer sessions, but had never heard the STX. Holy bass batman! The STX imbued the X9000 with incredible bass slam, quantity, and tonal density. The midbass in particular was just amazing. In fact, that was probably my biggest knock against this amp—the bass sounded elevated and not as balanced as I’m used to. Still really impressive, though. Really good dynamics and a wonderful reverb, with great decay, on notes. Flawed recordings definitely showed their flaws, however.
But the
@DekoniAudio /
@TalkOcen seminar was coming up, so it was time to wrap up in the Oz room. I was really worried about how my kids would handle the seminar. Would they like “From Tin Foil to Digital: Tracing the Evolution of Sound Recording”, or would they get bored, start whining, and need me to take them out of the room? But in walked Tal with his original Thomas Edison Standard Phonograph, and my kids perked up.
Tal was very friendly, casual, and approachable, which put me and the kids at ease. The history he relayed was fascinating, and my kids were totally engaged. But the star of the show was definitely the original Phonograph, manufactured sometime between 1902 and 1904, and the original wax cylinders in original packaging, which Tal managed to find in a thrift shop in New York.
Tal walked through how it worked, from the hand crank, internal gearing and brake, stylus, and horn, and played some original wax cylinders for us. My kids were completely fascinated. And I can’t blame them—I was, too. So much so that, once the lecture ended, we hung around with a few other attendees to get a better look. Tal even let my daughter use the hand crank.
Before we left, my other daughter said she wanted me to take her to New York to go to a thrift shop so she can get her own Phonograph. It was heartbreaking having to explain that you can’t just walk into any thrift shop and expect to find one. Alas.
After a quick foray into the Bloom Audio room to take another spin with the Cayin Soul 170HA (sounded great just like at SoCal CanJam, but I couldn’t connect my own source, so no real impressions—except to reiterate that it’s stunningly gorgeous), we had time for a stop by the Woo Audio table to visit with the WA24. I didn’t take notes, but just listened. As it was with my experience at SoCal, I was very impressed with this amp driving my Immanis.
Very impressed. It really seems to capture all the advantages of tubes with all the advantages of solid state, without the drawbacks of either. And it runs so cool you can literally touch the tubes, which is just crazy.
That took us to show closing, which meant time for dinner! A big group of us headed to Hard Eight BBQ, and oh my god was it fabulous. Just writing about it now is making me hungry.
Then, with the fam safely tucked into bed, I closed out the night with some relaxing conversation with the Watercooler crew.
The next morning, prompted by a recommendation from
@goldwerger , I headed over to check out a new DAC/Amp—the HPA1 Maestro—by a new company, Audma, out of Italy. With the classic looks of a nice amplifier from the late 70s or early 80s (strange to describe anything from that era as “classic” looking, but they are), I didn’t know what to expect, but plugged my Immanis in to find out. WHOA! This amp kicks a$$. Great speed, absolutely incredible dynamics, instrument separation, and imaging, terrific timbre, and oh, wow, the bass. Really rich, great tonal density, and absolutely superb subbass. Add stellar mids and tasteful clear treble, and it was just a wonderful experience. It also has a cool ELISA (“Electronic Loudspeaker Imaging Simulating Amplifier”) function that is sort of an advanced crossfeed application which really works and sounds very authentic. Then Eyal stopped by to join me and check out the Immanis off the Audma. He also brought his DAP to test out bypassing the internal DAC. Both of us agreed the Audma actually improved when we bypassed the internal DAC, with even more tonal density and balance. It’s really mind boggling to think how good this amp must be given that the internal DAC is holding it back a little. Danny McKinney
@SageM also happened to stop by and was likewise very impressed. Highly recommended!
From the Audma table, my kids could see the turntable at the Sennheiser booth, set up in front of a beanbag chair. That was the obvious next stop. After the Phonograph from the day before, my kids were drawn to anything and everything mechanical. Hats off to
@ericpalonen for sitting down with my kids, explaining how the turntable worked, and getting them immersed in some great vinyl. It’s like he was born for this! (And, somehow, he remembered what I did for a living from our conversation at SoCal—no idea how his recall could be that good).
With them occupied, I took a quick trip to the HIFIMAN table to briefly try the new Isvarna. I liked it. The dual driver scheme is well implemented, and does provide impressive bass. It also doesn’t feel as closed in as most closed-backs. Technically, it’s perhaps a touch behind TOTL offerings, but it’s also cheaper. Speaking of TOTL offerings, HIFIMAN, if you’re reading this, can you please bring a Shang Sr to one of these shows? Pretty please? I really need a demo of this HP, but it’s impossible to find.
I spotted a friend of mine and asked my wife to hold my Immanis while I went to talk to him. “Don’t drop it.” “Why? How much does this cost?” Uh-oh. “Umm, well, it’s not cheap.” “How much is ‘not cheap’?" Then she looked at its name on the cup and pulled out her phone to google. “WHAT? Did you spend THIS much?” Luckily, she was pointing to the price for the package deal with the interface and cable, which I didn’t buy since I already had an interface and cable. So, I could say “No, I didn’t pay nearly that much” without lying. She did not seem very satisfied with that answer, however. “Anyhow, my friend’s waiting to talk to me—gotta go!”
For my next stop, my kids parked themselves in front of the video game consol again while I spent some time with the Feliks Envy Anniversary Edition. I started with the HEDDphone TWO GT, also on display at the Headphones.com table. I give this headphone high marks—very good speed, resolution, and dynamics. Timbre was pretty good, with nice tonal density. Bass was powerful, but also a bit bloated, with elevated midbass. Moderately intimate staging, with a tiny bit of smearing of instruments.
Then I switched to my Immanis with the Envy AE. As I had determined with a demo at SoCal, this is a great amp. Really great dynamics and instrument separation, timbre is impressive, and it has great, controlled bass with lovely richness and slam, with only a tiny bit of boominess on the most challenging tracks. Excellent mids and treble. Captures some toobey goodness, but not excessively. The question, though, is whether it’s better than the WA24 to my ears.
Time to head back to the Woo Audio table again to find out. As we were walking over, I noticed one of my kids was eating a candy bar. “Where’d you get that?” “Bloom Audio.” “You walked in there by yourself and they gave you a candy bar?” “Well, the guy looked at me like he was annoyed.” “But he gave it to you anyway?” “Well, I waited until he looked away.” “You waited until he looked away and then stole a candy bar from Bloom Audio?” *Blank stare*
Once we arrived at the Woo Audio table, my kids spotted another turntable at the Chord desk across the aisle. At the same time, one of the gentlemen with Woo (not Jack—Zhidong, maybe?) asked if he could listen to my Immanis off the WA24. Pure serendipity—I could help my kids and wife get situated at the turntable while Mr. Wu got busy with the Immanis off his amp. Special thanks to Chord for entertaining my kids with delightful conversation and the vinyl demo!
Then it was my turn with the WA24. This really is just a stunning amp. If you’re looking for a huge toobey, syrupy sound, this isn’t it. But the incredible dynamics, holographics, and distortion-free presentation, are really something to behold. It’s a “clean” tube amp, with every bit of the precision you’d expect from a good solid state. Based on my admittedly brief auditions under show floor conditions, I was starting to conclude that, for my preferences, the WA24 was pulling a bit ahead of the Envy AE. I could easily see some people going the other way, particularly if they want something that leans a little more toward the classic, romantic, tube sound. But the incredible technical performance along with the holographics of tubes just really gets me with the WA24. I would need a more thorough demo of each to be certain, of course, but I think the WA24 is at the top of my list right now. (Still need to hear the AIC10, Trafomatic Primavera, and RAAL 1995’s rumored upcoming TOTL amp before pulling the trigger on a new amp purchase, though).
Sadly, I had to come to terms with the fact that we had a flight to catch, so I needed to make the rounds and say my goodbyes, then pack the family up to head to the airport. Bittersweet to have to leave, but what a wonderful CanJam experience, particularly since I got to introduce my family to my hobby. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, it really could not have gone any better. Can’t wait till next time!
For those of you old enough to remember the show, CanJam is like a Head-Fi version of this:
