[bigbeans]

Cross Post from Watercooler. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...n-first-page-all-welcome.957426/post-18023544

 

[goldwerger]

Cross Post from Watercooler. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...n-first-page-all-welcome.957426/post-18023544

excellent writeup!

 

[Zachik]

Posted my show highlights on the watercooler thread:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...n-first-page-all-welcome.957426/post-18023954

 

[Promee]

Cross Post from Watercooler. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...n-first-page-all-welcome.957426/post-18023544

Absolutely wild stuff. That studio really seems like something out of a dream. Very cool - thanks for sharing!

 

[nephilim32]

Cross Post from Watercooler. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...n-first-page-all-welcome.957426/post-18023544

Thank you for this. I very much enjoyed reading about an experience that definitely defines why we go to such great lengths to find audio Nirvana. In some ways it is a spiritual quest and it is that of a fulfilling one.

 

[GoldenSound]

I had a fantastic time at CanJam NYC. Was as always fantastic to meet all the excellent people in this hobby and some of the stuff that was shown off there was really exciting.
Here's DMS and my own roundup of the show highlights!

 

[Dexterama]

I visit NYC a few times a year by train. When I heard about CanJam and where it would take place, I knew I wanted to make a day trip out of it. I enjoyed my first CanJam. I checked out Focal, Sennheiser, and ZMF headphones. Looking back, the ZMF Homage and the Atrium Open/Closed sticks out the most for me.

I didn’t test out much given the crowds and the limited time I had for the day trip. It’s NYC, I get distracted by other things there. I’ll book a longer trip for the next NYC CanJam. Though, I might go to Dallas CanJam.

 

[miketlse]

I visit NYC a few times a year by train. When I heard about CanJam and where it would take place, I knew I wanted to make a day trip out of it. I enjoyed my first CanJam. I checked out Focal, Sennheiser, and ZMF headphones. Looking back, the ZMF Homage and the Atrium Open/Closed sticks out the most for me.

I didn’t test out much given the crowds and the limited time I had for the day trip. It’s NYC, I get distracted by other things there. I’ll book a longer trip for the next NYC CanJam. Though, I might go to Dallas CanJam.

Maybe take inspiration from the Watercooler modus operandii, however that does mean you would need to plan things over more than one day.
That covers the Canjam auditioning, the private dealer visits, the visits to restaurants with excellent food, etc.............

 

[Smirk 24]

CanJam NYC IEM Impressions (Part 2):

As promised, here is part 2 of my IEM impressions from the CanJam weekend. I demoed all IEMs using iBasso 320MAX Ti and Azla Sedna Short tips.

The showfloor is quite loud so its difficult to ascertain the finer nuances of an IEM. I tried my best to understand the general presentation and problem areas of each set.


FiR Audio Radon 6 (RN6) ($3200 USD)

Over at the Bloom Audio booth, RN6 is the very first IEM I listened to at CJ NYC.

I found it fairly resolving with nice sub-bass quantity, decent vocal timbre, and good dynamics. It had a well-defined transient attack and a fairly wide soundstage. I thought it was a well-balanced all-rounder.

RN6 was my introduction to FiR Audio and an impressive one at that. Great IEM to start the weekend off with.


Oriolus Trailli Ti ($8500 USD)

I heard Trailli Ti as a thinner, more technical Trailli OG. The bass was much improved vs. the OG, sounding tighter, more textured, and more dynamic.

Although the techs on the Ti were improved, like the Trailli OG, it still falls behind today's TOTL sets. Some of the midrange magic is missing on the Ti as well.

For my preferences, I prefer the tone, midrange, and overall balance of the OG. The Trailli Ti is also vastly overpriced.


PMG Audio Apx ($6650 USD)

Good resolution and a defined transient attack. Bright but not overly sharp, with decent sub-bass/mid-bass quantity. The bass lacked a little weight and wasn't pillowy but a touch soft.

Female vocals sounded a little strained/cold on some tracks and the lower mids were a little lean.

Overall decent set. Rumor is that a re-tuned Apx is in the works with a less elevated treble.


Canpur CP622B ($3500 USD)

622B + stock cable

This was my second demo of the 622B, having first demoed it at MusicTeck a few months ago.

I wasn't the biggest fan the first time around preferring its younger sibling, the CP54E at the time for its more exciting V-shaped sound.

I was more impressed this time around. 622B has a lovely midrange that I found very natural and resolving. Normally, I run through my demo tracks methodically, but this was one of the few sets that I wanted to listen to a little longer.

622B has a really nice and elevated sub-bass. The mid-bass is decent but not super textured (Storm's bass is much more textured).

622B has good transient attack and okay dynamics. The treble had a nice tone but was a little too polite and I thought it could have been a little more resolving.

Overall great set. One thing I'd change is the the stock cable which I thought felt a little cheap.

622B + Nightjar Mira 2W cable

Cable differences are a little difficult to pick up under show floor conditions, but I tried a cable swap to the Nightjar Mira 2W cable at the recommendation of a friend who runs this exact combination.

I heard the bass as mostly the same, vocals to sound more bodied, and the treble to have slightly more liveliness. It was an overall good pairing that added a little excitement to the overall sound.


Vision Ears VE10 (VE X) ($3000 USD)

Warm, thick timbre with an elevated bass. Good mid-bass weight and nice vocals. I thought the VE X lacked some resolution compared to top contenders in the 3k USD bracket, but it wasn't enough to bother me.

Treble also had a nice tone/weight but it lacked some resolution and sustain. Good transient attack. I thought the layering and separation was a little lackluster.

Despite lacking some techs at its pricepoint, I thought VE X was a comfortable, easy listen with exceptional timbre.


NYC CJ IEM impressions part 3 to come later this week including some of the following sets:

- Subtonic Storm + SS 8W + MK 465
- Nightjar Duality
- Elysian Pilgrim
- Letshuoer Cadenza 12
- Dunu x Precogvision Mirai
- Ice Labs Prismatica + Prismatica Gold
- Fatfreq Grand Maestro
- QDC 8PRO

And some prototypes:

- Symphonium Titan Prototype
- Letshuoer Prototype
- Eletech Prototype
- MusicTeck's Prototype IEM
- Soranik xMEMS Protoype

 

[Dexterama]

Maybe take inspiration from the Watercooler modus operandii, however that does mean you would need to plan things over more than one day.
That covers the Canjam auditioning, the private dealer visits, the visits to restaurants with excellent food, etc.............

I did want to go for two days to give myself more time, but train tickets to return home that weekend was expensive. I picked Saturday because it was cheapest. Amtrak tickets were around $100+ if I returned home on Sunday/Monday. And I’m only traveling from Boston area. This is checking prices a couple of months before the event. Looks like I need to book train tickets 6 months in advance of Canjam NYC for better prices. I use to visit NYC once a month when I found ticket prices in range of $15 - $30 one way.

 

[F208Frank]

CanJam NYC IEM Impressions (Part I):



Had a great experience attending my first CanJam over the weekend trying out new gear and meeting a bunch of cool people!

Here are some IEM impressions from the weekend. I demoed all iems using iBasso 320MAX Ti and Azla Sedna Short tips.

The showfloor is quite loud so its difficult to ascertain the finer nuances of an iem. I tried my best to understand the general presentation and problem areas of each set.


Noble Onyx ($3200 USD)



Onyx was an enjoyable, easy listen.

Nice sub-bass/mid-bass quantity. Mid-bass is a bit soft sounding, lacking impact and maybe a little pillowy. I thought the dynamics could have been better and the staging was unremarkable. Decent resolution.

Nice voicing, no shout. No upper-mids to lower-treble sharpness. Overall very well-tuned.

I didn't know the price going in and I thought it was a 1k to 2k USD set max. Very enjoyable listen though and I like the shell design.


A&K x EE Novus ($5000 USD)



I was keen to demo Novus because I thought Odin and Raven did a lot of things well.

Immediately, I thought Novus could use more sub-bass quantity. Mid-bass had a good initial edge and then quickly loses body.

Vocal timbre sounded a little off, possibly tinny. Transient attack was well-defined but sounded slightly artificial and/or forced. There was also a touch of upper-mid to lower-treble sharpness.

Overall, I don't think Novus did anything particularly well. Perhaps it's an issue of synergy with the 320MAX Ti.

I'd be happy to give it a re-demo at some point but I left largely unconvinced.


Rhapsodio Supreme V3 ($6400 USD)



Eye-watering price aside, I thought the Sup V3 was a decent set.

I would have liked a little more sub-bass and mid-bass quantity, but the bass quality was fine.

Great resolution, imaging, and transient attack. I thought the timbre leaned a little cold but not overly so.

There was a hint of sharpness in the upper-mids to lower treble but the treble was otherwise enjoyable.

Overall a good set. Could have used a little more bass quantity to add to its engagement factor.


Campfire Audio Trifecta ($3300 USD)




Stopped by the Effect Audio booth to meet @Delitia where he let me try his Trifecta I think on a EA Cleopatra(?) cable. I also demoed Trifecta a second time with a group of friends, using Nightjar's Sovereign Symphony 8W cable for kicks.

On the EA cable:

I found Trifecta to have good sub-bass quantity and quality, but the bass wasn't super clean on faster tracks.

The vocal timbre was pleasant and the dynamics were pretty good. There was a touch of sharpness in the upper-mids to lower-treble but not overly so.

The major issue with Trifecta was a center image wonkiness/skew that threw off the entire presentation. It's very strange, or unique sounding, depending on which side of the Trifecta camp you're in.

On the Sovereign Symphony 8W (a roughly $15k cable that can double as a weapon):

Trifecta cleaned up considerably on the SS 8W cable.

Gone was the center image skew, and the bass sounded tighter as well. A more "normal" presentation if you will.

If this was how the Trifecta sounded stock, I think it would be a lot less polarizing. Then again, maybe Trifecta fans would find it less charming.


Nostalgia Audio Tesseract ($3700 USD)



Delitia was also gracious enough to let me try his Tesseract which wasn't at the show otherwise.

I found it to be a very balanced, enjoyable set overall.

The bass had a sub-bass focus, and overall bass levels weren't super elevated, but rather well-balanced with the rest of the frequency spectrum.

Vocals had a nice tone, and the treble sounded very linear without any problem spots. Resolution, dynamics, and transient attack were all decent.

A very pleasant set overall. Big thanks to Delitia for his generosity and company!


NYC CJ IEM impressions parts 2 and 3 to come later this week including the following sets:

- Subtonic Storm + SS 8W + MK 465
- Nightjar Duality
- Elysian Pilgrim
- Trailli Ti
- RN6
- 622B
- VE X
- PMG Audio Apx
- Dunu x Precogvision Mirai
- Ice Labs Prismatica + Prismatica Gold
- Fatfreq Grand Maestro

And some prototypes:

- Symphonium Titan Prototype
- Letshuoer Prototype
- Eletech Prototype
- MusicTeck's Prototype IEM
- Soranik xMEMS Protoype

These IEM prices are getting absolutely ridiculous.

8K ish for IEMs? I feel like supporting those prices by purchasing gives feedback to companies to feel like they can keep doing that and continue to move in that direction.

IEMs modern new tech is wonderful and absolutely stunning no denying that, but 8K retail for a pair of IEMs is a little dissapointing and makes me sort of feel like the companies are taking advantage of peoples' passions.

I'm aware spewing all this out will be unpopular but at least it's a real opinion and just that, an opinion.

To give some perspective...
$8K IEMs vs $11K Borreson X3 speakers, enough said. Market is market though, if people can get away with it, they will.

 

[szore]

These IEM prices are getting absolutely ridiculous.

I'm perfectly happy with my $300 Penon Globes, even after Canjam.

 

[Somafunk]

These IEM prices are getting absolutely ridiculous.

Overpriced Veblen goods

 

[szore]

Overpriced Veblen goods

Having said that it's nobody's business how a person spends their money.

 

[msing539]

These IEM prices are getting absolutely ridiculous.

8K ish for IEMs? I feel like supporting those prices by purchasing gives feedback to companies to feel like they can keep doing that and continue to move in that direction.

IEMs modern new tech is wonderful and absolutely stunning no denying that, but 8K retail for a pair of IEMs is a little dissapointing and makes me sort of feel like the companies are taking advantage of peoples' passions.

I'm aware spewing all this out will be unpopular but at least it's a real opinion and just that, an opinion.

I think this is partially product placement/market positioning to carry a nearly unobtanium totl. Just like many NYC flagship retail stores don't make money.