Anyone demo-ed FatFreq's Ref series, if the show room uiem units are even there?
How do they stand compare to Softears, Aclairs & UE?
How do they stand compare to Softears, Aclairs & UE?
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CanJam New York 2024 Impressions Thread (March 9-10, 2024)
- Thread starter AxelCloris
- Start date
Tons of thanks to @MusicTeck for sponsoring these demo units. Here is a video that could help if you missed any of these totl iems.
kazsud
1000+ Head-Fier
Sorry for the length of this post, and for the amount of pics, but having just arrived home from CanJam NYC, and having spent zero time on my computer or the forum during the event, just plowing from experience to experience, both in the showroom and around it, am just now getting to write this out. Feel free to skip, this will be some incoherent mumbling I'm sure.
This was a truly epic CanJam for me - okay only my second, but I feel confident my senior fellows would agree that a lot, maybe most, of that epicness comes from events that are not in the showroom of CanJam, but would otherwise never occur but for CanJam! So thanks to all of the amazing people who put this thing together (far too many to name!), this was a CanJam for the ages and I feel very excited to return to NYC next year for more fun
First, it was great to see the Big Apple again as it always is! Despite its craziness, this city is alive, even during massive rain downpours, the streets are still packed, especially in Times Square, the scene of the crime!
I arrived too late to join in on the early Watercooler Friday festivities, which are now affectionately known as EyalJams, but I will be sure to change that up next year.
Arrived on Friday afternoon to the Marriott Marquis ready to meet up with some Watercoolers for dinner, and having eaten nothing all day flying across the country, some of us were very ready for a gorge fest!
As I checked in and started getting settled, I saw that the crunch time had arrived for show setup, everyone working far harder than me!
So, on to a dinner to remember! A group of us walked three blocks down 46th to Becco, a Bastianich restaurant, part of their empire! And their Italian did not disappoint... But better than the food was finally, after so much waiting, coming together with this group of friends who really enjoy the company of serious audiophiles. It was a gorge fest, with plenty of lively conversation, laughing, and huge portions of delicious Italian food!
After an amazing dinner, we said goodnight, time to crash and then get up for the show!
Saturday, Day 1- Today, I tried more iems than any other day of my life! At the outset, I will say that the floor was noisy, I didn't try to do any critical listening, just looking for big or little problems. Most here were tested using my L&P P6Pro and Shanling M9 plus, except for the Novus which I tested on AK's new SP3000T and the UM Mason ST which I tried on the new L&P E7. Here were my highlights with initial impressions which are admittedly of little help, but it'll be good for my note history:
1. Oriolus Trailli Ti: Trailli doesn't have a DD does it? Beautiful timbre, bass hits are surgical and have beautiful texture, with light sub bass elevation. Note weight is excellent, mids are a bit forward creating perfect vocals. Among the best things I've ever had in my ears, though my credit card would give a polite "no". Wish I would have taken a pic of it, but it was very popular.
2. Noble Onyx: preorder, BCD set, great execution of the BCD. Good deep bass, wide staging, holographic sound, a great release, would love to demo. Good price for a very TOTL sound.
3. EE/AK Novus: Must try to demo this longer, staging seems as impossibly huge as the price, vocals are beautifully isolated, this is an awesome tuning, great on new SP3000T. It's beautiful with an Audemars Piguet like bezel and crystal!
4. Eletech Romeo and Juliet: Romeo the clear winner, Juliet feels unfinished. Romeo is awesome, with deep and impactful bass, with clear mids and sparkling treble. Very fast, sounds like DDs with BAs. One of the best bass qualities and quantities I've heard accompanied by the top down tuning. Some songs can sound like a big 2 way system with fat woofers, then all of a sudden you get a song that surrounds you holographically. Great, engaging stage, great low rumble.
5. CFA Trifecta: As good as I recall, likely CFA's greatest creation, the deepest pounding DD bass ever, but excellent detail and resolution across FR. I know lots say it's a specialist, but I could easily see it as the primary iem for my library which seems to love it. I must get this(my wallet cries)!
6. NG Erebus: Awesome deep bass with thick note weight but great treble, staging is holographic, this is great.
7. Noble Onyx: New BCD set, great execution of the BCD. Good deep bass, wide staging, holographic sound, a great release, would love to demo. Very TOTL sound.
8. UM Mason ST: Just wow, beautiful, this is amazing, still the bass disappoints, but just barely, as it's over done by everything else going on here. I prefer AP definitely listening to them back-to-back; AP has wonderful bass and Mason does not. Both sounded lovely on the new L&P E7.
9. PMG Apx: Not as bright as I thought it would be. Still, a lot of energy up there. Beautiful detail, good low thump, but lacks midbass a bit, though very airy with great separation, an exciting tuning. But yes, too bright for me, but just barely. On 2nd listen, using Baroque tips, great all arounder for a treble head, incredible detail, layers on layers, you're sure to hear some new things in your music. Beautiful soundstage and incredible tuning, wide and tall, too light in sub bass.
10. Dita Project M: Much better than I expected. More balanced with great deep bass, but yes, energy up top may be pushing it. Treble focused songs sound a little thin, but not bad. This is a super deal with a fun tuning.
11. Canpur 622B: lush, thick mid, and still plenty of air. Detail retrieval and resolution are great, holographic stage, does it sound like MM? With better bass, I think. Pretty great, would like longer demo.
12. Canpur 54E: really nice, powerful bass, thick mids, sparkling treble, maybe too sparkling. Sub bass a little boomy, but that could be the point, it does sound good.
Phew...my ears were tired, but I was getting very hungry! We stopped for a big group picture after the showroom doors were closed. Congrats to @Chang and @bogdan belonozhko for winning the year's Watercooler awards!!!
Saturday Dinner was a big one, long in the planning with such a big crew! At one of NYC's oldest steakhouses. What we didn't plan for was 1"/hour rain during the 12 block walk! Some were truly soaked by this storm that decided to hit Manhattan just in time for dinner (flood warnings for Manhattan)! Anyway, we finally made it to Keen's, famous for the mutton chop and prime rib, which the well-soaked @Zachik and I happily shared, while @Rockwell75 nabbed a bit of lump crab cocktail. Those who attended ate and laughed heartily throughout the fun night - highly recommend if you've never been, a real slice of old New York! Also, I must say that, after meeting @Frankie D, I'm thinking he and I have a future career in vaudeville or something!
Day 2: Usually, Day 2 gives you a little respite from the crowds of Saturday, but not so much on this Sunday. The hall was crowded, busy and lively with iem, headphone and luminaries everywhere! Truly an audiophiles dream meet up, but as others have said, the loud floor could sometimes interfere with testing. The Bloom room is always the best place for a quieter session and it is a respite from the mania of the floor which I greatly appreciate.
My first real listening experience of the day was a headphone, not an iem, but it was THE headphone: the Sennheiser HE1 (thanks to gentleman and scholar @goldwerger who gave me his time slot!)! This was the most emotional listening experience I've had in recent memory. Blown away with consistent goosebumps and eyes-welling, this all-in-one elegance is otherworldly. All I can really say is that every headphone/iem audiophile should really try to have this experience at least once, though after you do, you'll want it again as I already do (tip for 2d time: have your playlist very set for a 15 minute period and have a couple extra tracks in case you get more time). Thanks @ericpalonen for the awesome pics of the ever aging me having that Audio Gods moment!!!
Now it was back to the tables!!! Not craps tables, no they are much cheaper than these tables!!! Of course, MusicTeck is my favorite one-stop because of the shear magnitude of their offerings. But I also was today able to get finally to FatFreq, NightJar, CFA, and of course, Bloom. Again all useless impressions primarily from my P6Pro and M9+:
1. FF Grand Maestro: Wonderful TOTL sound with meaty, thick notes, and I want one.
2. Noble Ragnar: Male vocals are insane, beautiful and clear with excellent timbre, top end energy is too much for me, strange.
3. Noble Spartacus: This one seems to have even more treble energy. Noble must be great for treble and details. Detail retrieval and treble is powerful, good deep rumble, great BCD, reminds of Annihilator with better bass. Aspiring to Fei Wan but not that, still, I like this one most so far, stage is pretty tall and holographic, still it's hot at the top.
4. Nightjar Duality: I heard this at CanJam Socal and was apprehensive on the sheer quantity of bass. But, after a solid second listen today, I believe they have refined it further from that time, and I was absolutely blown away by a completely different sounding iem from anything else on the market. Thick and heavy but with screaming highs, this is going on the 2024 list for sure. Remember, @Chang, I want one!
5. CFA Supermoon: Planar magnetic iem, super-detailed, too light in sub bass for me, high energy at top, but I'm wondering if this is the timestream cable which never seems perfect.
6. CFA Fathom: New all BA sounds great, good BA bass, nicely detailed, speedy transients, beautiful timbre, great BA set.
7. Elysian Pilgrim: The new inexpensive Elysian Pilgrim here! Wow, straight Elysian sound and tuning with a nice bass, treble that stays in check, this is great, sounds certainly better than Diva and Gaea to me. It's not Anni, but it reminds you of it. Why does it need so much power, even more than Anni?, thinness/shallow note weight in mids and a little shouty. Anni got this right and I hope they fix before release. In any event, this would be a great buy as-is.
As this CanJam came to an end, I went to the Bloom Audio room for their raffle, and lo-and-behold, I lucked out and won an ET Raphael!! Thanks, guys!!!!! What an awesome way to end an otherwise awesome show!
At the end of the day, a lot of sad adieus until the next show!!! Thanks again to everyone, this was a terrific show!! And nothing ends a time in NYC like a coal-fired pizza, so grabbed that and made my way back to LA! Until next time!
Where was the HE-1 at?
It was in a separate room. You had to sign up for the demo as there are only limited spots available. And they would take you to the room when it was your time slot.
briantrinh86
100+ Head-Fier
@Fantanest Thanks for the video! What’s your favorite one? I don’t know how they was recorded I didn’t own or test all of them but in my opinion the sounds from bird ti and um fs nuit not worth for the crazy asking price tag.
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Personally I prefer Fei Wan, but really depends what song I'm listening to.
They're recorded using professional ear simulators (the IEC711) couplers.
briantrinh86
100+ Head-Fier
nice choice! after watching the clip and an owner of the feiwan i think im safe with totl iem, one of the iem i've owned suite many genre in my library.
salwani8888
100+ Head-Fier
jamato8
Headphoneus Supremus
I have traveled the world and yes, people in the US are less conscious of their volume and don't seem to care. I tend to observe and talk at a volume audible but respectful. Raised in the US but with a different outlook from some of my friends. Out in nature I can hear people from 1/2 a mile away at volume that chases wildlife away.I've been reading pages, and no one is mentioning or being aware of the fact that...Americans, US citizens...are LOUD folks...they talk loud
You can't change that...and these events are not libraries...you have to accept that in the US and move on
I am surprised that you all are surprised about noise
Cheers!
miketlse
Headphoneus Supremus
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Is it related to their sense of 'individual freedom being paramount', leading to a view that 'I have paid for my ticket, and I shall do whatever I want'?
jamato8
Headphoneus Supremus
Maybe but often very obnoxious. Total disregard for others, to the point that in smaller spaces, you can't even hold a normal conversation. We all pay our dues, in one way or another. I also did 4 years in the military and did two tours of duty in war but that doesn't give me some special privilege.
It is about the music, or is supposed to be.
I do appreciate the effort you put into the exercise, but I honestly couldn't take away anything from this. Also, at TOTL price points, technicalities are a big part of the equation, which can't come across in these recordings.
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LostnAmerica
100+ Head-Fier
Thanks for the Horizon impression. I appreciate that.Hello there! Just wanted to pop in and give some of my impressions from the show. This was my 2nd Canjam but my first one in NYC and the difference between this and Dallas was crazy, soo many people and vendors. While I do miss the quiet of Dallas, I got to try out a lot more gear in which was fun, esp since I'm local, will definitely be going again next year. I tried to take pics but they are not be the best so pls excuse my shoddy photography. If anyone is curious, I was the girl walking around taking notes with an orange notebook and the Avatar backpack, got into some great conversations with fellow audiophiles and vendors. These are all my impressions in what has been established as a noisy show floor so...
Impressions/ Highlights/Surprises in no particular order:
Abyss 1266 Phi TC: The Abyss/Woo room was really nice, I really wanted to try the 1266 but I unfortunately could not even get it on my head, to be fair my hair was extra poofy that day, oh well..... The reel to reel that had there was pretty cool though, never seen one before.
Abyss Diana MR: This one I could wear, it wasn't the most comfortable on my head though, however I really enjoyed the sound especially the bass performance, if I had a better fit I'd seriously consider buying it since it has a much smaller profile compared to my other HPs. I'd feel less self conscious wearing this in public lol.
Woo WA23: Okay this thing looked absolutely gorgeous, I thought I would find the gold a little gaudy but in person it has a very classy refined look. I brought my ZMF Atriums and Meze Elites with me and I soon as I plugged them in, I was incredibly impressed, especially with the sound coming from my Atriums. The sound opened up considerably and vocals had a very sweet tone. The Suvara on it was also very impressive but I was more wowed by the Atruims. Sadly it's way out of my budget but I'm glad I got to try it!
Abyss Diana TC: The fit was the same as the MR so not great but the sound was incredibly detailed and vocals were very textured. It was paired with the Woo Wa33 and again, if the fit was better and I could actually afford that amp, it'd be under serious consideration. The MR on the Woo Fireflies was an excellent paring as well.
Austrian Audio The Composer: I don't remember what this was hooked up to but I think because I had just come off the Atriums on tubes I found the sound to be a little thin and it had a bit too much treble emphasis for me. The build and comfort were fantastic though, very lightweight, definitely all day sort of headphones.
Modhouse Tungsten DS: This was driven off one of the big Viva Tube amps, what stood out to me was the sub bass performance, I put on Mountains by Hans Zimmer and in the part with that decending bass line, I could follow it all the way down. The comfort could be a bit better but I liked the purple face plate. Didn't get a chance to demo the SS or try it on other amp unfortunately, will definitely plan for another demo if I can.
Raal Magna and Imannis: I was super excited to try these out as I am always curious to check out newer driver technologies. Didn't get a chance to try the SR1A/B or the CA1A unfortunately. Out of the two I definitely preferred the Immnais, the sound was very detailed and resolving yet rich, they also seemed to have a widder sound stage. The Magnas were great in their own right and more comfortable due to the lighter weight but I found them a little brighter and I tend to like darker tuned headphones. Unfortunately since they were hooked up to an iPad with preselected songs I didn't get a chance to try out my music, definitely looking forward to them showing up at stores so I can do a proper demo, the driver tech sounds very promising.
Final D7000: This one was interesting, I had never tried any other headphone from Final before, the headphones themselves were very lightweight but I could not seem to get a good seal on my head and I think this most likely affected the bass and I found the sound to be a bit lacking, this was directly after the Raals so maybe that's why I didn't find them to be very resolving or detailed, overall it sounded a bit mushy to my ears, wish I got a better fit.
Violectric V550 Pro: I am expecting a Limited Edition V281 in a few weeks but wanted to check out the other Vio offering. I plugged both my Atriums and Elites in and they sounded great, even in the noisy room I could tell it had a very clean background. I preferred the Elites on it more than the Atriums though.
Warwick Aperio/ Ferrum Wandla GoldenSound Edition: This was the system set up at the headphones.com booth and it definitely stood out, the aperio amp literally glimmered. The headphones themselves were very nicely built but I found the clamp force a touch too much on the sides of my head, that being said it probably helped the bass because the sound from that thing was unreal. It sounded so effortless, rich yet detailed, I could hear so many nuances in the track even in the noisy show floor, can't even imagine the sound in a quiet room. It was hooked up to the new Wandla golden sound dac and the spacial enhance feature was really impressive! I definitely heard a difference as I toggled back and forth, didn't get the try the other features but I came away incredibly impressed. I unfortunately didn't get to check out the Bravura and I wish I did cause that system price wise is more attainable and if it's at least 90% of the Aperio, I'd get it in a heartbeat.
Focal Utopia/Focal Stelia: I went straight for the top dogs cause I have heard pretty much all of focals other offerings, briefly had the Clear MG but couldn't get on with the fit, focals do this weird clamp thing around my lower jaw that gets uncomfortable after a while. As you can see, fit and comfort are VERY important to me so shows like this are a great opportunity to check that. Right of the bat, I found the Focal Utopia to be simply superior. The Utopias were powered off the Naim Unity amp I think and they sounded impeccable, I had previously heard the old Utopia and I found them a bit harsh up top, the Utopia 2022 was so smooth yet so detailed, the instrument separation was fantastic and vocals were so clear and textured. Only knock was it's definitely a more intimate soundstage and I prefer bigger sounding headphones. Coming off of them directly to the Stelia I noticed some boxiness, voices sounded hollow and things were not as well defined. Sounded okay but compared to the Utopia, it wasn't even close. If I ever figure out the fit on Focals, Utopia will be my next purchase.
Audeze LCD-5: I have a love/hate relationship with Audeze, the LCD-4 is still one of the best headphones I have ever heard, the bass performance is still unmatched for me and I absolutely love the tuning. Unfortunately given its weight and clamp, I could never wear it for more than 10 minutes hence why I do not own one. The LCD-5 on the other hand was way more comfortable and lighter, still clampy, but manageable. The bass performance on this was excellent, I could hear every nuance of the drum recording I played, but I wasn't as impressed with vocals. If I only listened to drum based tracked the LCD-5 would be a serious contender. Drove it off the DCS stack, too rich for my blood but the sound was great.
ZMF: I tried pretty much all the ZMF's on display. I just love the energy in that room and seeing all those amazing headphones an amps when I walk in. While I loved the Caldera and Auteur classic, the Atrium still holds a special place in my heart, hence why I have one. It was fun plugging my Atriums into all the amps they had, the Decaware was quite good. Unfortunately I didn't get to try the Caldera closed or Bokeh open as there was such a long line behind those newer models, hoping to try them out more in Dallas.
Senheiser HE-1: I was one of the lucky people who got to try this system. First of all just the start up sequence with the tubes rising and the headphones being displayed is quite the site to behold. Everything oozed quality and luxury, even the volume wheel was sublime to interact with, I went up first and got to listen to two tracks and I don't know if the tubes were not fully warmed up yet but the sound was a lot more neutral than I expected. Don't get me wrong the instrument separation and imaging were absolutely fantastic, definitely on par with the Aperio but when the vocals came in, I expected more richness and body and I didn't get that. My brain saw those tubes rise and expected a particular presentation I guess. I was however immensely impressed when I put on Time by Hans Zimmer, it was an amazing experience and I am glad I got to opportunity to listen to it, wish I had more time with it, those 10 minutes flew by so fast.
CFA Trifecta/ Fathom/ Andromeda etc..: I didn't really get to try a lot of IEM's as I am primarily a Headphone user but I am in the market for one so I did check out a few booths. Spent a lot of time at the Campfire booth since they had such a large selection. The Andromeda and the Fathom I liked because they had the best fit for me, I tried the cascara and while I especially loved the bass, I found the shell a little to big for my smaller ears. However the stand out for me was the Trifecta, it is one of the few times I have heard a large soundstage in and IEM. The fit was also fantastic, the only thing holding me back is the price as I set a sub $1500 budget for myself. I'm hoping to get more iem demos at Audio46 later this week so hopefully I find something great. Glad to see how big the IEM market has grown, I'm not a huge fan of closed backs so I'm leaning towards IEMs for travel and work.
Speaking of closed backs:
Meze Liric 2/ DCA E3: I know I just said I'm not a fan of closed backs but if I had to get one it'd be one of these two. The Liric looked fantastic and was very comfortable, I absolutely love Meze's design philosophy and their focus on comfort, it's why I love my Elites so much, the pad swapping system is also a plus. The sound was very pleasant, but not as resolving as the E3, however I could see myself wearing that all day and never getting fatigued. Driven off my Chord Mojo 2, it was very enjoyable. The E3 is definitely more technically capable and equally comfortable and while I found the sound exciting at first, I can sense that I might get fatigued quicker on this vs the Liric, for shorter bursts though the E3 is solid.
Stax/Hifiman Shangri-la: Estats have always been impressive to me and this was no exception. I really enjoyed the L700Mk2, 007mk2, the X9000 and the Shangri-la. I'm still on the fence about getting fully into Estats beacuse I still prefer a warmer tuning but I can definitely see why people love them so much. The 007Mk2 and X9000 stood out to me cause I really enjoyed the bass performance, esp compared to the other phones there. The L300 on display was hooked up to the little stax SRMD10 and idk of it was just loud in the room but I could barely hear anything even on the highest setting. Overall still an enjoyable experience
SJY Horizon: This to me was a stand out. Not only beacuse of the design but the sound. I heard it at the headphones.com booth and was incredibly impressed so much so I asked the price, when I heard it was less than a thousand dollars I was even more impressed, it easily sounded like a $2000 headphone. Build was great and comfort was fantastic. It was driven off the Chord Hugo so I'm not sure how much heavy lifting the Hugo was doing but it sounded amazing esp for the price. I'm definitely going to check out some of their other offerings, would make awesome birthday/ Christmas presents.
Felix Audio Envy/ Zahl HM1: Finally, I want to highlight a standout from the show for me and that was the Felix Audio Envy Amp. I was always of those people who never really liked the Suvara. I know technically it's still one of the best planars out there but I always found the sound to be a little thin and slightly bright. As soon as I plugged it into the Envy, I was blown away. It sounded just like how I have always wanted it to sound. Everything sounded perfect. I plugged both my Elites and Atriums in and they also sounded amazing. Plugged in some Utopias, DCA Stealth, Abyss Diana MR...amazing. That amp could seemingly do no wrong. This was in the stock configuration too so I can't even imagine the performance Edition or with upgrade tubes. The amp made me seriously reconsider my stance on avoiding tube amps. If I ever did decide to bite the bullet on tubes, that would be the amp I would get, not only for its sound but its versatility. If I were to go Solid State end game it'd be the HM1, everything sounded fantastic on it but I would lean more towards the Envy as the better all rounder. I went with my BF and some standouts for my him were the Susvara on the Viva Egoista 845, the HE-1, LCD 5 and the SJY Horizon. He also loved the Elites and is currently borrowing mine.
This was way longer than intended but hopefully you had fun reading. Tried a lot more gear but wanted to focus on the main ones I took notes on. Once again I had a blast both days, the Headfi guys really did a great job, it was nice bumping into Warren again, and seeing a lot of reviewers I enjoy watching on YouTube. Even my boyfriend who's not really into this stuff said he had a great time and is looking into buying some gear for himself. I am looking forward to Dallas and next year!
Amen
As far as Canjam noise, are people loud? Or is it just there are so many people that normal conversation come across as a loud din of rudeness
Something I forgot to mention...
MT had a huge selection for demo covering many brands some more well-known and some less. But unfailingly for each one they had a QR code that you could snap and go straight to their site and see the price and the build makeup of whichever iem you were testing. This was incredibly helpful and so smart, hats off to @MusicTeck!
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