[AnalogEuphoria]

Anyone recording and uploading the seminars to YouTube?

 

[vsg28]

I think it will be called the M18, but I didn’t think to take any photos. About the size of a deck of cards or an iPod Classic.

CMA18:

 

[Smirk 24]

CMA18:

The dimensions of this make me think this is intended to be a Mojo 2 competitor.

 

[vsg28]

The dimensions of this make me think this is intended to be a Mojo 2 competitor.

That's exactly what they are targeting btw.

 

[Smirk 24]

That's exactly what they are targeting btw.

As a consumer, I love to see the competition. I hope it’s a killer product.

 

[nihalsharma]

CMA18:

Pleasant surprise. I am sure, this is going to be an absolute hit. Internal battery, love it. Something which would be powerful enough to give enough juice to them iems. Excited.

 

[vsg28]

Pleasant surprise. I am sure, this is going to be an absolute hit. Internal battery, love it. Something which would be powerful enough to give enough juice to them iems. Excited.

3 W/channel max, battery life upto 16 hours. It'll have a case to help carry it around since the chassis is quite smooth and glossy otherwise.

I have plenty of other impressions/photos but will have to wait until I can get all the photos onto my laptop and arrange them. But I do think the newly announced Symphonium Crimson is worth talking about asap:

It's a $1499 set ($1699 with optional 8-wire bespoke Altalune cable, free upgrade with the launch edition) that adds to Symphonium's IEMs lineup and doesn't replace the Helios. The shells are the same footprint as the recently released Helios SE, a much needed ergonomic upgrade over the larger, bulkier Helios. The face plate is forged carbon with red resin added for color and in-house engraving done, Symphonium is considering custom faceplates also depending on customer feedback. Comes with good accessories including Divinus Velvet ear tips and a very nice copper cable, both versions of which use OE Audio modular terminations. Quick testing revealed more mid-bass and a wider soundstage compared to the Helios with a smoother treble response, albeit not as sparkly/controlled as the Helios. Driver configuration and tuning is still not public info but those at CanJam London will be the first in the world to purchase one if they are so inclined.

 

[deep2285]

3 W/channel max, battery life upto 16 hours. It'll have a case to help carry it around since the chassis is quite smooth and glossy otherwise.

I have plenty of other impressions/photos but will have to wait until I can get all the photos onto my laptop and arrange them. But I do think the newly announced Symphonium Crimson is worth talking about asap:





It's a $1499 set ($1699 with optional 8-wire bespoke Altalune cable, free upgrade with the launch edition) that adds to Symphonium's IEMs lineup and doesn't replace the Helios. The shells are the same footprint as the recently released Helios SE, a much needed ergonomic upgrade over the larger, bulkier Helios. The face plate is forged carbon with red resin added for color and in-house engraving done, Symphonium is considering custom faceplates also depending on customer feedback. Comes with good accessories including Divinus Velvet ear tips and a very nice copper cable, both versions of which use OE Audio modular terminations. Quick testing revealed more mid-bass and a wider soundstage compared to the Helios with a smoother treble response, albeit not as sparkly/controlled as the Helios. Driver configuration and tuning is still not public info but those at CanJam London will be the first in the world to purchase one if they are so inclined.

Can you please update Driver configuration and sound signature of Crimson.

Just got my Singularity yesterday and am absolutely stunned by the sound.

 

[Sayed2020]

And here I was hoping the Hedd V2 would be less expensive than the V1, not more expensive.

Well on the new Heddphone V2, the headband structure is Carbon fibre so the price increase is understandable. Not to mention the rather unique strap system that adjusts height & clamp.

 

[MarkParity]

Chord Mojo2: Well, another nice surprise. I tried it with my favorite HP, DCA Stealth, I loved the Mojo2. It sounded excellent. The subbass even with loud volumes superb for such a small device. EQ was limited but still great to have. Nice one Chord! But please, stop that color code non-sense! I don't want to check a color manual while using such a device. It just doesn't make any sense. If you are going to bring this to Hugo3 please bring a proper indicator for what I am modifying, doesn't have to be fancy, a simple display of 16×16 pixels of the oldest technology. Color codes look nice but they are far from being user friendly. @Rob Watts Humans don't read and write in colors, but shapes. People don't use a color based alphabet and please don't force your buyers to learn one, as it has no added value to their life. That is the conclusion of a thousands of years of civilization growth all around the planet. Anyway, if you want to hear how wonderful it sounds, be sure to connect it the DCA Stealth on the Chord table, and put this on...

Thank you for taking the time to post your impressions. I can't agree with this though.

I owned the Mojo original and now the Mojo 2 and Hugo 2 if you spend a little time with Chord DAC's you soon learn what all the lights mean and adding a display of any sort would risk adding electrical noise, lots of extra design work for no reason, IMO.

Also Rob Watts has no influence on the design or the aesthetics of the finished Chord unit he "just" provides his DAC technology.

 

[betula]

Impression post 2/1:
(I would like to share 30 pictures, but Head-Fi limits the pictures to 25 in one post, so these impressions will come in two posts.)

First of all, thank you again to Head-Fi for organising such a great event. If anyone has ever done something similar, knows the amount of work that goes into bringing such gathering to life. Thank you also to all the friendly staff, exhibitors and visitors.
One of my worries was, that the event will be overcrowded. Luckily that was not the case. The venue was great and spacious, I never had to wait for an audition longer than 3-4 minutes.

The internet connection/playlists varied from booth to booth. Some only had a relatively limited playlist on a local drive, some had network drives instead of wi-fi (unfortunately this was rather slow), others used different streaming services with more or less success.

Please note, these impressions will be very subjective, more personal and more straightforward than in my reviews. Also, the show environment (noise) and the limited time often does not allow to fully hear and understand a new headphone, so even I take these impressions with a pinch of salt. Please, do the same!

Head-Fiers arrived with different red vehicles.

Lastly, I do not use IEMs, so I only listened to headphones. Here we go:

Kennerton Rögnir Planar: ($3429)

This was my first time trying a Kennerton. It was not bad, quite good in areas like bass, but IMO suffered from inherent closed-back design issues like a slightly boxier sound and not that great mids/upper frequency tuning for the price.

Yamaha YH-5000SE: (£4799)

I think it was a fantastic idea to bring this phone box-like listening booth, more exhibitors should follow suit. The extra noise isolation this meant was very helpful. The headphones are surprisingly small and light. They are well built, but if I didn't know their price, I would have guessed maybe half of what they are. They ran from Yamaha's new amplifier. The guys at the booth emphasised, that these were designed to be neutral and transparent, allowing your amplifier and gear to shine. I found the sound nice, delicate, balanced with very black background. Bass only came alive when it was there in the recording. Bass is good, but not Final D8000 levels, not as impactful. The strength of these headphones is their neutrality and transparency, if that is a priority for you. I prefer a little more character and a more unique grip on sound presentation.

Sennheiser HE-1: ($60.000)

The mighty HE-1, the pinnacle and legend. They indeed sound and look beautiful. IMO after a certain level, flagship headphones are just technical enough and they have to offer something more. They have to captivate your emotions, soul. This is what the HE-1 does. I see, why it drove some people to tears. There is just such a gentle 'kindness' in its sound, that is absolutely unique. Like arriving home and getting a big hug from your beloved. This probably does not make sense to most readers, but this is the best I can describe the experience. Would I buy one? If I were a millionaire, sure.

dCS room with Lina stacks, Bartók and flagship headphone selection:
Lina: ($30.000)

The staff here was super friendly, kind and helpful! It was a great room to visit with five stations and 10 pair of flagship headphones. The Lina stack sounds lovely, it lets the headphones shine through and to me brought out the best even from the Susvara ($6000) and the Abyss 1266 TC ($6000). dCS staff mentioned, that they read online opinions about the Susvara not being driven well out of the Lina stack. To my ears this is simply untrue. Bass was fantastic on the Sus. It is hard to find faults in this headphone as it does everything extremely well. It is like a businessman in a perfect suit and a perfect car. Would I always want this perfection? Probably not. I like a bit of character and fun sometimes.
The Abyss 1266 has the best bass headphones can offer and the stage is huge, equally expanding to all directions. EDM is pure bliss on these, but other genres like vocals with string instruments or orchestra might not be the best. Slight recession in the mids, not as organic as other headphones (ZMF Caldera, which also has supreme bass, probably the second best ever behind the Abyss.) I also did not find them very comfortable.
Back to the Lina stack: fantastic indeed, but I am not sure if I could justify the price when there are fantastic options out there for less than half the price (Holo May + Bliss for $10.000 which I enjoyed more).

Audeze CRBN: ($4500)

Quick and ethereal like an electrostat if that is what floats your boat, but to me it was unengaging and lacking bass presence.

Audeze MM100: ($399)

Audeze's affordable planar entry. They bring the Audeze house sound with great bass. Upper frequencies are slightly uneven. Altogether I think it could be a great choice for many at this price point.

ZMF booth with ALL their headphones:

This was my first-time meeting Zach, Bev and the team. Genuine, lovey, kind and talented people. The experience here was sublime! I heard some of their headphones previously, but also tried others the first time. In fact, I have the Caldera with me on loaner and I will share my review soon. From all the line up my absolute favourite is the Caldera, in fact the Caldera shares the first place with my all-time favourite headphones, the Meze Elite ($4000) which I own and love. The Caldera ($3500) on the Holo May/Bliss stack ($10.000) is phenomenal, one of the highlights of the show for me.
The Atrium open ($2500) is a close second. To me the Caldera is simply superior, dynamic drivers can't touch that sub-bass impact and presence. That said, I see why some people would choose the Atrium. The Atrium and the other ZMF dynamic headphones are something special on tube amps. Very engaging sound with full body, organic vocals. There is a flavour for everyone in the ever-expanding ZMF line up. The Atrium closed ($2500) to me are the best sounding closed headphones on today's market. I marginally prefer them to the Verité closed, but they are not lightyears apart. The Aeolus ($1200) stood out for me from the more affordable options. The Auteur ($1500) is perhaps the most neutral. The Eikon or Atticus ($1400) were not quite for me. To my taste the Caldera rules them all by a substantial margin, which is also reflected in the price.

I had a chance to try the upcoming JDS/ZMF collab amplifier and the not-yet-released portable/affordable closed back. They both will cost around $1000 and I think they are worth that price. The amp is a little on the weaker side but enough to drive most headphones well. The headphones (no name yet) offer the ZMF sound in a slightly 'simplified' version. Those who own a ZMF collection, will be happy to take this one on holiday instead of your Caldera or Atrium.

Post 2/2 is coming soon.

 

[DarginMahkum]

Thank you for taking the time to post your impressions. I can't agree with this though.

I owned the Mojo original and now the Mojo 2 and Hugo 2 if you spend a little time with Chord DAC's you soon learn what all the lights mean and adding a display of any sort would risk adding electrical noise, lots of extra design work for no reason, IMO.

Also Rob Watts has no influence on the design or the aesthetics of the finished Chord unit he "just" provides his DAC technology.

Rob is the only contact I know from Chord that is in touch with the people up top. Yes, I know, I dramatised it a bit but I still would prefer a display. I believe it is more to do having an extra controller for the display, as I am guessing that they implemented the LED control also with the FPGA, and it is just simpler and uses less gates, but I might be wrong. Otherwise they can just disable the display 2 seconds after changing a setting. But I am just speculating.

In the end, I think it is a nice device.

 

[Monsterzero]

Impression post 2/1:
(I would like to share 30 pictures, but Head-Fi limits the pictures to 25 in one post, so these impressions will come in two posts.)

First of all, thank you again to Head-Fi for organising such a great event. If anyone has ever done something similar, knows the amount of work that goes into bringing such gathering to life. Thank you also to all the friendly staff, exhibitors and visitors.
One of my worries was, that the event will be overcrowded. Luckily that was not the case. The venue was great and spacious, I never had to wait for an audition longer than 3-4 minutes.



The internet connection/playlists varied from booth to booth. Some only had a relatively limited playlist on a local drive, some had network drives instead of wi-fi (unfortunately this was rather slow), others used different streaming services with more or less success.



Please note, these impressions will be very subjective, more personal and more straightforward than in my reviews. Also, the show environment (noise) and the limited time often does not allow to fully hear and understand a new headphone, so even I take these impressions with a pinch of salt. Please, do the same!


Head-Fiers arrived with different red vehicles.

Lastly, I do not use IEMs, so I only listened to headphones. Here we go:

Kennerton Rögnir Planar: ($3429)

This was my first time trying a Kennerton. It was not bad, quite good in areas like bass, but IMO suffered from inherent closed-back design issues like a slightly boxier sound and not that great mids/upper frequency tuning for the price.



Yamaha YH-5000SE: (£4799)

I think it was a fantastic idea to bring this phone box-like listening booth, more exhibitors should follow suit. The extra noise isolation this meant was very helpful. The headphones are surprisingly small and light. They are well built, but if I didn't know their price, I would have guessed maybe half of what they are. They ran from Yamaha's new amplifier. The guys at the booth emphasised, that these were designed to be neutral and transparent, allowing your amplifier and gear to shine. I found the sound nice, delicate, balanced with very black background. Bass only came alive when it was there in the recording. Bass is good, but not Final D8000 levels, not as impactful. The strength of these headphones is their neutrality and transparency, if that is a priority for you. I prefer a little more character and a more unique grip on sound presentation.







Sennheiser HE-1: ($60.000)

The mighty HE-1, the pinnacle and legend. They indeed sound and look beautiful. IMO after a certain level, flagship headphones are just technical enough and they have to offer something more. They have to captivate your emotions, soul. This is what the HE-1 does. I see, why it drove some people to tears. There is just such a gentle 'kindness' in its sound, that is absolutely unique. Like arriving home and getting a big hug from your beloved. This probably does not make sense to most readers, but this is the best I can describe the experience. Would I buy one? If I were a millionaire, sure.





dCS room with Lina stacks, Bartók and flagship headphone selection:
Lina: ($30.000)

The staff here was super friendly, kind and helpful! It was a great room to visit with five stations and 10 pair of flagship headphones. The Lina stack sounds lovely, it lets the headphones shine through and to me brought out the best even from the Susvara ($6000) and the Abyss 1266 TC ($6000). dCS staff mentioned, that they read online opinions about the Susvara not being driven well out of the Lina stack. To my ears this is simply untrue. Bass was fantastic on the Sus. It is hard to find faults in this headphone as it does everything extremely well. It is like a businessman in a perfect suit and a perfect car. Would I always want this perfection? Probably not. I like a bit of character and fun sometimes.
The Abyss 1266 has the best bass headphones can offer and the stage is huge, equally expanding to all directions. EDM is pure bliss on these, but other genres like vocals with string instruments or orchestra might not be the best. Slight recession in the mids, not as organic as other headphones (ZMF Caldera, which also has supreme bass, probably the second best ever behind the Abyss.) I also did not find them very comfortable.
Back to the Lina stack: fantastic indeed, but I am not sure if I could justify the price when there are fantastic options out there for less than half the price (Holo May + Bliss for $10.000 which I enjoyed more).







Audeze CRBN: ($4500)

Quick and ethereal like an electrostat if that is what floats your boat, but to me it was unengaging and lacking bass presence.



Audeze MM100: ($399)

Audeze's affordable planar entry. They bring the Audeze house sound with great bass. Upper frequencies are slightly uneven. Altogether I think it could be a great choice for many at this price point.



ZMF booth with ALL their headphones:

This was my first-time meeting Zach, Bev and the team. Genuine, lovey, kind and talented people. The experience here was sublime! I heard some of their headphones previously, but also tried others the first time. In fact, I have the Caldera with me on loaner and I will share my review soon. From all the line up my absolute favourite is the Caldera, in fact the Caldera shares the first place with my all-time favourite headphones, the Meze Elite ($4000) which I own and love. The Caldera ($3500) on the Holo May/Bliss stack ($10.000) is phenomenal, one of the highlights of the show for me.
The Atrium open ($2500) is a close second. To me the Caldera is simply superior, dynamic drivers can't touch that sub-bass impact and presence. That said, I see why some people would choose the Atrium. The Atrium and the other ZMF dynamic headphones are something special on tube amps. Very engaging sound with full body, organic vocals. There is a flavour for everyone in the ever-expanding ZMF line up. The Atrium closed ($2500) to me are the best sounding closed headphones on today's market. I marginally prefer them to the Verité closed, but they are not lightyears apart. The Aeolus ($1200) stood out for me from the more affordable options. The Auteur ($1500) is perhaps the most neutral. The Eikon or Atticus ($1400) were not quite for me. To my taste the Caldera rules them all by a substantial margin, which is also reflected in the price.



I had a chance to try the upcoming JDS/ZMF collab amplifier and the not-yet-released portable/affordable closed back. They both will cost around $1000 and I think they are worth that price. The amp is a little on the weaker side but enough to drive most headphones well. The headphones (no name yet) offer the ZMF sound in a slightly 'simplified' version. Those who own a ZMF collection, will be happy to take this one on holiday instead of your Caldera or Atrium.













Post 2/2 is coming soon.

Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing.

 

[George Hincapie]

So this was the highlight of the show for me. Meeting @zach915m was just amazing. I am such a ZMF groupie! A brilliant company with brilliant products. Mrs Zach was lovely too.

I listened to Caldera and AC on the new solid state collaboration with JPS Labs. A real vintage look and honestly, the synergy with ZMF was amazing. A really pleasing combination. Caldera were amazing. Incredible bass, and so fast! Such poise and grip. For sure they are being added to my collection.

I so very nearly took these stabilised Caldera home. The rose gold grilles work really well with the body colours, but I prefer plain steel or black, so didn't commit. I had to go and think hard over lunch and it really wasn't an easy decision. Especially as the show pricing was incredibly generous.

I really loved these Olive AC too...

And a few of the new amp...

CanJam London 2023 was a great experience. I can't wait for next year!

 

[betula]

Impression post 2/2:

Spirit Torino Centauri: ($3000)

I am sorry to say, but for me this was the biggest disappointment on the show. I was shocked, when I found out the price later on. The build feels cheap, like a $300 headphone and the sound is overly coloured, like a dessert with too much sugar in it. Uneven tuning, something really went off here.

Cayin N30LE: (£4000)

I am not into DAPs, but love Cayin amps and also some forum members asked me to check this one out. It was served with the Audeze LCD-5 (£4000). The DAP drove the LCD5 with ease. Although this is not my favourite headphone (I find it a bit dry and studio-like) they sounded pretty nice on the limited edition 30 years anniversary Cayin DAP. The sound is sweet and 'tuby' in the best possible way, yet nice and detailed, well balanced: very beautiful tuning indeed. With a similarly priced full-sized desktop gear you can achieve better sound (bigger airier soundstage, even more natural voices) but this DAP beats many desktop set-ups in the £2000 range.
It is huge and heavy though (app. 500g), so nobody will carry it around in their pocket. I would call it 'transportable' and not 'portable'. The build is also beautiful, almost like a jewel.

Viva Egoista 845 and Trafomatic Primavera tube amps: (both around $13.000 and 30kg)

Beautiful, beautiful tube sound. Pure bliss with the Susvara. The Primavera has more substantial bass.

DCA Expanse and Stealth: ($4000)

I can't really connect with DCA headphones (sorry Dan). To me they sound like a sonic experiment. A very interesting one of that. Heavily dampened sound, almost feels like I am listening to music in an anechoic chamber. Out of the two the open Expanse was better.

Spirit Torino Valkyria: ($12.000)

Sorry, but another shocking price for performance in my opinion. Another over-sweetened tuning, although not as bad as the Centauri. They should cost $2000 at most and even then, they would not be for me.

Topping DX9 DAC/amp: (£1299)

This was a nice sounding surprise at a good price point. I think they look fantastic and will be popular.

Topping EHA5: (£445)

Affordable electrostatic energiser from Topping. Great idea. They sound fine, if affordable electrostatic headphones tickle your fancy. They are not for me personally.

Fiio FT3: ($300)

Great sound for the price with the expected limitations of entry level. I personally would probably go for the MM100 instead ($400) but if someone prefers dynamic drivers, this Fiio is a great choice.

Audeze booth with LCD4Z and others: ($4000)

I used to own a bunch of LCD headphones; I always loved their bass and focused, impactful sound. With the LCD5 they took a turn which I do not like. IMO the LCD2/3/4's controversial tuning was what made them special. Some loved it, some hated it because of the subdued upper frequencies. Listening to the LCD4Z made me feel like a lot of time has passed since 2015 when the LCD4 was released. The competition caught up and there are other stellar options for $4K. Audeze must feel this as they did not even bring the LCD4 with them, this old(er) legend is now discontinued.
I also felt the old LCD-X was more comfortable than the new one, despite the heavier weight. I just didn't like the new earpads. Out of the whole older line-up I think the LCD3 is the best option. They still sound unique and good value for the price, if someone is into a warmer, thicker sound.

HiFiMan booth with the Arya Organic: ($1300)

I was really interested in the new, very much hyped Organic, even though I am generally not a fan of the vast and slightly diffuse sound of HiFiMan's oval-shaped headphones. With the recent substantial price cut, a lot of HiFiMan headphones became extremely competitive and good value. The Audivina IMO is a bit of a mistake, but with the Organic they have absolutely nailed it this time. Exceptional sound for the price, the best tuned Arya and one of the best tuned HiFiMans. I think, this is the new etalon for $1300. They sound great out of the EF400 and EF600 (the EF600 is not as big of an upgrade as I was expecting).
That said, the HE1000V2 for only $100 more to my ears sounded a bit more coherent.

RAAL Requisite CA-1A: ($2000-$2750)

To me this was THE Surprise of the show. They look like someone built them in their back garden and for this proper DIY look I think many people won't even bother to pick them up, but they would make a mistake. These sound absolutely convincing and magnificent; the pure sound quality is up with the flagships in the $4000-$6000 price range. If you have a chance, give them a go!

Mod House Tungsten (double sided): (app. $2000)

Very much awaited release in the community, I had a chance to check them out briefly. Sadly, only on the new and affordable JDS/ZMF collab amplifier which I think did not do justice to these planars. I had to turn the volume up to max. Despite this I loved what I heard. The mids and treble was supremely spacious yet focused and very natural sounding. Bass was good, but I think with proper amping it has the potential to become great! All of this sound for $2000 will be a big hit. From my very brief impressions I think these can compete with some $3000-$4000 headphones.

+1

Heddphone V2 (app $2000)

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture here as I was already in a rush. The V2 is a huge improvement on comfort versus the V1 (significantly smaller and lighter). Sound has improved a bit too; it is more balanced and even. I wish I had more time here as the staff was very welcoming and the chat was interesting. They are more in the studio equipment business, so they intend to offer these headphones for studio use. That said, the case is the same with RME, yet the ADI-2 became very popular in the hobby.
If you liked the Heddphone V1, you will love the V2.

Thanks everyone and enjoy the second day! I am back to work.