AnalogEuphoria
500+ Head-Fier
Anyone recording and uploading the seminars to YouTube?
CMA18: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.
The dimensions of this make me think this is intended to be a Mojo 2 competitor.CMA18:
That's exactly what they are targeting btw.The dimensions of this make me think this is intended to be a Mojo 2 competitor.
As a consumer, I love to see the competition. I hope it’s a killer product.That's exactly what they are targeting btw.
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.CMA18:
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.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.
Can you please update Driver configuration and sound signature of Crimson.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.
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.And here I was hoping the Hedd V2 would be less expensive than the V1, not more expensive.
Thank you for taking the time to post your impressions. I can't agree with this though.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...
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.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.
Fantastic photos! Thanks for sharing.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.