CanJam London 2023 Impressions Thread
Sep 2, 2023 at 3:50 PM Post #436 of 463
My purchase from CanJam has now arrived and is getting reacquainted with my DX300, and newly acquainted with my custom cables from Skyaudio cables 👌🏾
IMG_20230902_204515.jpg


Thanks to the Hifonix team for a great show discount and a beautifully packaged delivery.
 
Sep 4, 2023 at 3:01 AM Post #437 of 463
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.

20230819_141809.jpg

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.


20230819_144523.jpg

20230819_144527.jpg

20230819_144537.jpg

I really loved these Olive AC too...

20230819_144434.jpg

20230819_144437.jpg

And a few of the new amp...


20230819_135734.jpg

20230819_140550.jpg

CanJam London 2023 was a great experience. I can't wait for next year! :)
I couldn't resist the Caldera and came back on the Sunday to claim them... Zach and Bevin 👍🏻😘 Wonderful Duo 👏🏻
 

Attachments

  • IMG-20230819-WA0049.jpg
    IMG-20230819-WA0049.jpg
    159 KB · Views: 0
  • IMG-20230819-WA0042.jpg
    IMG-20230819-WA0042.jpg
    318.4 KB · Views: 0
Sep 4, 2023 at 3:14 AM Post #438 of 463
I couldn't resist the Caldera and came back on the Sunday to claim them... Zach and Bevin 👍🏻😘 Wonderful Duo 👏🏻
Hurrah! Well done! 😊
 
Sep 5, 2023 at 1:35 PM Post #439 of 463
Didn’t understand the need for the version in a traditional headphone cup housing. Sounded pretty good but for home use in a quiet environment stick with the open version.
RAAL Ca-1a with VM-1a amp was hands-down the most stunning thing I heard at both AXPONA and CanJam Chicago. The only thing that made my hair stand up. The original RAAL headphone, SR-1a, didn't do it for me, and the hinging speaker effect felt like such a gimmick, contrary to the 6 tunings available with the VM-1a combo. CA-1a is also half the price of the SR-1a, which makes it an extremely good value, at a mere $2200 for TOTL quality sound. It also fits you like a normal headphone, with lower cost parts, which is nothing but great. RAALs off the transformer boxes just don't come close, compared to the VM-1a!
PXL_20230416_173549684.jpg
 
Last edited:
Sep 5, 2023 at 3:34 PM Post #440 of 463
RAAL Ca-1a with VM-1a amp was hands-down the most stunning thing I heard at both AXPONA and CanJam Chicago. The only thing that made my hair stand up. The original RAAL headphone, SR-1a, didn't do it for me, and the hinging speaker effect felt like such a gimmick, contrary to the 6 tunings available with the VM-1a combo. CA-1a is also half the price of the SR-1a, which makes it an extremely good value, at a mere $2200 for TOTL quality sound. It also fits you like a normal headphone, with lower cost parts, which is nothing but great. RAALs off the transformer boxes just don't come close, compared to the VM-1a!
PXL_20230416_173549684.jpg
this is why Baskin Robbins makes 31 flavors - there is a flavor for everyone. Glad you like the newer Ca-1a, in either case I am a big fan of what RAAL is doing and think their tech is game changing
 
Sep 5, 2023 at 4:05 PM Post #442 of 463
RAAL Ca-1a with VM-1a amp was hands-down the most stunning thing I heard at both AXPONA and CanJam Chicago. The only thing that made my hair stand up. The original RAAL headphone, SR-1a, didn't do it for me, and the hinging speaker effect felt like such a gimmick, contrary to the 6 tunings available with the VM-1a combo. CA-1a is also half the price of the SR-1a, which makes it an extremely good value, at a mere $2200 for TOTL quality sound. It also fits you like a normal headphone, with lower cost parts, which is nothing but great. RAALs off the transformer boxes just don't come close, compared to the VM-1a!
PXL_20230416_173549684.jpg
They look a bit like a DIY project from someone's shed, but the sound is indeed flagship level. This was a very positive surprise of the show.
 
Sep 5, 2023 at 4:42 PM Post #443 of 463
My purchase from CanJam has now arrived and is getting reacquainted with my DX300, and newly acquainted with my custom cables from Skyaudio cables 👌🏾
IMG_20230902_204515.jpg

Thanks to the Hifonix team for a great show discount and a beautifully packaged delivery.
You’re welcome my friend. Always here to help
 
Sep 7, 2023 at 12:52 PM Post #444 of 463
Great first day.

Got to hear the super Mass-Kobo and somewhat a privilege to have the builder himself in the background. As far as SS amps go, it's the technicality master with tube romance, drove the Susvaras like nothing else.
20230819_110732.jpg

First time with the 211 tube, there's power and there's overkill for headphones.
20230819_112203.jpg

I really like the Primavera, a very well executed tube amp that's capable of powering different headphone loads. More companies should have the options to select impedance IMO.
20230819_114652.jpg

A ultimate customizable amplifier, decision fatigue may be an issue when you have over 20 ways on the fly to configure it
20230819_141443.jpg


The HEDDphone 2 was a surprise. I did own the first one so I'm happy it fixes most of my complaints.
20230819_133404.jpg

3.5mm angle jack, a big upgrade, mini XLR needs to die. Smaller and lighter to the point it's no longer a neck training machine but just a really conformable headphone. The headband is really unique as it can be adjusted in height and clamping force. It handled my big noggin easily where even the V2 HEDD was struggling.
It has the same sound signature I appreciated on the originals, more neutral, less massive, a tad more sensitivity but the same 41ohm impedance. Easily removable ear pads finally. Supposedly they'll be out for sale soon so maybe I'll try HEDD again.

Some more gear to audition and people to speak with tomorrow.

Just looking at that MASS Kobo headphone amplifier has my wallet trembling. 😉
 
Last edited:
Sep 7, 2023 at 1:22 PM Post #445 of 463
Thank you for your impressions of the show. I wanted to know what your thoughts are in comparing the HiFiMan Svanar to the Nightjar Singularity? Which is more balanced? Which is most appropriate for Hip-Hop, Funk, Jazz and Soundtracks?
I have the Singularity and they are simply incredible for Hip Hop.

Don't know about Svanar though.
 
Sep 7, 2023 at 1:34 PM Post #446 of 463
Thank you for your impressions of the show. I wanted to know what your thoughts are in comparing the HiFiMan Svanar to the Nightjar Singularity? Which is more balanced? Which is most appropriate for Hip-Hop, Funk, Jazz and Soundtracks?
Svanar are disappointing: they are boring, hava a narrow soundstage and are dark.
They don't worth the price, imho.

I think that the Thieaudio Prestige LTD are far better in general, are cheaper, technically much better and are very funny.
 
Sep 7, 2023 at 2:22 PM Post #447 of 463
This video was so funny :wink:
Hearing Zach's voice for the first time he immediately sounded familiar to me. Then I realized that he sounds a lot like Comedian TV personality Dennis Miller.
 
Sep 11, 2023 at 10:40 AM Post #448 of 463
What a great event. I’m already missing getting to listen to my favourite tunes on amazing kit. Having attended countless trade shows as a stand person, I appreciate it from the other side. Plus knowing how slap dash companies I have worked for have been this event was so well organised. Thanks to everyone for organising a great event.

I’m not a reviewer or very good at describing listening well, but here are my impressions in order of how it happened:

I’m in the market for a new headphone amp, possibly a new DAC should I be unable to buy a friend's Chord Dave and generally curious about everything else, especially higher-end IEMS.

Sennheiser HE1
I started Saturday with these beauties. I’d tried to pre-listen so I was ready, but it still took the first track (Charles Mingus: Better Git it in yo self) to warm up and let my ears relax. At this point I thought, why all the fuss? It was great, but where were the tears … so I switched up to an all time favourite (Godspeed! You Black Emperor: Bosses Hang) and suddenly there were hairs on the back of my neck going up and I felt pretty emotional. I am impressed.

DCS
Moving on from the HE1 to DCS, I was preparing myself to be let down, but I wasn’t. I was lucky enough to be able to try my HD800S with the Abyss Diana and Susvara at the same time.

In 2022 I didn’t rate the Lina, they couldn’t really drive my Sennheisers, but I think my assistant that time hadn’t shown me everything I needed. This time I learned about the two gain settings on the amp and the multiple output voltages on the DAC. Great, I could see how all the headphones performed under different voltages and gains to see what it was like to hear an underpowered Susvara.

On the Lina: I enjoyed it and think it is pretty good, I felt that it gave me more than my current stack through the HD800S, but when I got to the Susvara I really knew these were good.

On the Susvara: Even when underpowered I heard more than ever before. When full powered they were fantastic, wider, clearer, richer sound. Lovely. They may go on a purchase list, but see below for competition.

On the Abyss: really good, but hard to wear. Less clarity than the Susvara, but highly comparable.

ZMF Room
I didn’t know the family ZMF would be there. Great chats and thanks for taking the time to educate me on all things ZMF. I really liked the Caldera and took the opportunity to test it in comparison to my HD800S that I brought with me on both the Ferrum stack (Oor + Wandla) and the Holo Audio stack (Bliss + May).

On the Caldera: they were richer and more balanced than the Sennheisers. Definitely a step up and possibly as good as the Susvara from my Lina listening.

On Ferrum: amplification was great, definitely why the Oor is on my current buy list, the Wandla definitely sounded good. Possibly punching higher than it’s price point. Listening later on the Hifonix stand and it wasn’t as good. Definitely crowd noise affecting me feeling anything special that I felt at ZMF.

On Holo Audio: amplification was very good, much fuller sound. I’m not sure what settings the May was using, but I felt something odd with percussion. Sort of bursting balloons rather than sharp snares. Will have to try again, but couldn’t get a chance on the Audeze stand.

Audeze Seminar
I enjoyed this, light and easy to follow. I chatted with Chris on Sunday about this. Nice guy. The memorable quote from him I liked was, “closed back headphones are like gluten free bread. You have it because you need it, not because you want it”

Rob Watts Seminar
Interesting, and seeing the same one live after seeing it on YouTube meant more of it sunk in. I have to remember some seminars are 401, not 101 and require prior reading. Therefore I skipped Sunday’s transient session knowing I’d need Google and time to catch-up, which I can do assuming the seminar is on YouTube.

Soundz
These guys are great people. I got time to listen to the Avant and they were the best IEMs I’d ever heard coming from IE600. Not quite like over ear headphones, but getting to that experience. I also listened to the Flame. Initially I didn’t like it, but as I sat back during one track I got them. More relaxed, but in the same vein as Avant.

Hifonix
I gave money to charity raffle, sad to hear about the family cancer challenges.

I got a second go at the Ferrum stack, not so good this time, but enjoyable.

Golden Sound and co. were next to me talking about some new amps and headphones. We had a nice chat and so I had to try the recommended kit.

Kallyste Amethyste amp plus Camerton Binom-er was bassy, pretty good with Massive Attack, but not so with Jimi Hendrix. Definitely a fuller, clearer sound than my home kit, but pricey. I think I’d need a quieter room to try these out to really understand.

Audeze
Comparing LCD-4Z to HD800s with Burson Timekeeper. The Timekeeper is good, made my HD 800s sound great even compared to the LCD 4z, which were richer and revealed more. Bass on massive attack was great.

I like Audeze and just found them cumbersome for multi hour listening when at work or I’d have bought the LCD-X last year. The LCD-4Z are great and I can put them next to Susvara and Caldera to try next time I have free cash.

Sennheiser
The IE900 we’re clearer and better, but not double the price better than the ie600. Nice to try, but compared to the other IEMs, I won’t get any more from them. Love the IE600 though.

Hedd
These are lovely guys and we spoke a lot about fit as much as sound. Handmade bands with different types of cushioning should make these a good purchase one day. However, all I could feel was pain on the crown of my head. They do sound lovely. Worth checking out and I support them developing this tech: impressive.

64audio
Not much time left meant I rushed my time and only got to try the u12t. Amazing. First over-ear full size headphone sound from an IEM. I almost grabbed an open box deal, but that wasn’t my focus for the day so skipped it.

So that was 2023, bring on 2024 and hopefully some beer and food with some of y’all next time. Everyone is so friendly.
Is Soundz Avant as good technically as ie900 and u12t? resolution, space, imaging, details, texture?

what are they better/worse than them?

Has anyone else heard the Soundz Avant inear? how was it, what can you compare it to?
 
Last edited:
Sep 15, 2023 at 12:48 PM Post #449 of 463
UE are not the brand for me. There seems to be something there in the macro elements of the sound like layering and separation, but they just seem too blunt and lacking in any real crispness or resolution
Yep, I didn't hear anything I liked from UE, either. Too soft and vague.
 
Sep 16, 2023 at 5:34 PM Post #450 of 463
Hello, everyone. I've been striving all my life to visit London, and here is such a chance that I am here and have time to visit Canjam. Immediately disclaim that the author of the post for two days listened to so many devices that weakly perceived the reality and heard and, in general, does not have a medal in the shape of golden ears. It is also important to note that the narrator of these lines does not like the rise and boost of the mid-bass, gravitates to even graphs, and considers the middle in the face regular tuning.
Owns and has listened to everything on the exhibition, except the desktop solutions on:
Cowon Plenue L, Qudelix 5k, Phatlab Sassy
JVC 10k ,64 Audio u12t, Dita P71, Kenerton Rig Custom
If someone is stuffy and it is important to him, the ear tips almost everywhere were Azla vocal (purple) 85% of the time, spiral dot 10, Azla crystal.
Cables -lavricables master 22AWg silver , stock JVC , Dita.
It's not a financial recommendation. :)
LotooM.31.jpg
Lottoo Mjolnir, I listened to different ones for the longest time on Focal Utopia 2023 because I know them quite well.
The video shows that the UI works quite well. Everything is fast and without delays, which is what you expect from a lot and a product for a lot of money. Visually, I expected a slightly terse look; it looks flashy in person, but still okay.
It squeezes almost everything you need out of the Focals. It is a solution for cottagers and those who don't want a big desktop bundle. It will give a head start to almost all players; it is very well-tuned.
Bottom with shelf, but fast, information in the low frequencies is read well. HF with the necessary length, without pepper and unnecessary aggression. Clean, without soap. A transitional option between the station and the port. It is not comprehensive, but those who have listened to utopias will understand why; it is a feature of the headphones, and it is essential to realize that the Lotoo does not artificially blow stage for enormous size as Chord Hugo 2 does, for example.
The dynamics are good. Susvaras did not play on it, but Meze Elite, Focals, and Torino played without question.

N30LEF.jpgN30LeBackWithCowon.jpg


With the tremendous and terrible Cayin N30LE, I listened on the first day to my headphones and on the second day to UM Mentor, UM Mest mk3.
The most important thing you need to know about it is that it is incredibly vast and heavy, it was not very comfortable to use even sitting at the table.
The second fact is that on the second day its connector broke, it was very unexciting, the expensive flagship did not survive the second day.....
In terms of sound, it's a kind of rocker. It surprises you and tries to keep you interested the whole time you're listening to it. It's technically higher than N8-2; it's more elaborate but just as energetic.
I must admit that the two runs were insufficient because there are hyper, tube, and amp modes, and all this changes the sound tangibly; all I can state is that as well as it was with the N8-2, I like it more without tubes. The dynamics and attacks were excellent. It is very far from linear presentation, but to deny that it is well-presented, everything from bass to treble, would be strange; there is too much emphasis on everything. The tubes are not as muddy as with the N8-2; they have been refined.
But there are so many accents he tries to put at the same time, which is a little tiring. But as a solution, there are a bunch of modes that change the sound without spoiling it and making your collection variable - damn good. All that's left is to find a working, trouble-free sample and suspenders for pants. :)

Diablo.jpg
X-Mems + the new Diablo, with a function for these very mems.
Unfortunately, Oni for 1600$ was not given out at the show; I listened to the one on the photo.
Mid dominates the sub, but the bottom is friendly and fast.
Trebles are pleasant and extended, but it will be tough to distinguish from the BA unquestioningly without revelations. Vocals are not squeezed.
Sibilants are present, and I think not everyone will like it because of their presence. I didn't listen to it for long; it's quite an annoying story. I didn't hear any super victories.

ravens.jpgRavenVsOdin.37.jpgRaveninEar.jpg

EE raven.
I never gravitated toward their tuning and the idea of a bone bass driver. There is no miracle here because EE has its fanbase, and a lot of people like this type of bass. I must admit that I thought it would be Odyssey or Evo in another variation, but surprisingly, it's something more like Odins, which are the ones in the pictures to compare the size of the shells. The shells are giant, sticking out of the ears, but still quite comfortable and light. In terms of sound, these are the Odins, which trimmed all the annoying parts of the range and added warmth perceptibly. The woofer is for company fans, but I can not say everything is terrible. They are my favorite from EE now. The middle is squeezed, and there is a lack of transparency; trebles are good. For such money, honestly, I'm not very much impressed. Odins sound more exciting but are unbearable for a long distance and cause fatigue. In Ravens, you can sit for hours without fatigue from the brightness on the upper treble if your ears will not against such giants.
QLS dongle.jpgQLS amp.jpg

Questyle. There is nothing much to write about the DAC-AMP combo; it's not bad. The headphones with a whistle built into the cable are excellent.
These are good dynamic headphones in the classic sense; they are not transparent, they don't have a ton of detail, but they are fun, give a good punch, and don't feel like a smear. The dongle is weightless, natively works with Apple lossless, and has lightning and USB-C connectors.

Singularity, Subtonic Storm, and Crimson.

I liked their booth - charming guys; they told me how they made tuning headphones, about the bass shelf and purity of the middle at the middle bass, about black Acoustunes, and many other exciting things. The sound of their ears is catchy.
I hope it's not the effect of 15 minutes of listening, which then tires me out :)

Singu.jpgStorm.jpg

1)Crimson on the background of the other two dark tunings, not particularly sharp bottom, not particularly liked, listened for a short time, so
2) Storm - many details. Everything seems to be very beautiful but aggressive regarding the upper middle. After 10 minutes, I got used to it, but I know it can be rough for long sessions. At the same time, the bass is very vigorous and dynamic, excellent for BA, but you can not take it without listening to it. I, for fun, hooked them up in Phatlab Sassy GT amp - things became better, but still, even with a half-tube Sassy, someone may not be comfortable.
3) Singularity is unexpected here. I was expecting a ton of bass, bloat, and treble in the face, but no. Guys somehow manage to keep the balance, and the bass does not overwhelm me as I expected.
Singularity sounds not clamped but requires a lot of power, speed, and attacks on a reasonable level. Of course, they are not linear, not once, and it's a fan, but this is the type of fan when the creators did not go to all lengths and customized the product, which does not tire but gives a charge of positivity, given the price, then straight must-have. Bonus, of course, coherence because it's a single DD

To summarize the company - I recommend them to those with a powerful source because all their ears sounded significantly better with additional amplifiers or, for example, with m17 in desktop mode.
TBC tommorow
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top