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@warrenpchi takes good care of our brothers and sisters in SG...You guys see the Singapore shirts? Wonder if HFHQ will start shipping.
We need super cool shirt design for CanJam SoCal.
CanJam New York 2024 Impressions Thread (March 9-10, 2024)
- Thread starter AxelCloris
- Start date
We need super cool shirt design for CanJam SoCal.
It would be great if HFHQ shipped these shirts I would like to collect the shirts from all the CanJams.You guys see the Singapore shirts? Wonder if HFHQ will start shipping.
I agree. Maybe not all of them but that Singapore shirt is noice.
I would buy them all... I collect T-shirts. I am working on getting all 50 states of the USA.
Or become really close friends with some of the folks in the Singaporean Head-Fi community. No flipping shirts now, y'all.
Hmm... I was expecting shipping to cost a little less than $1,089.
Is it not the whole point to take these shirts home as memories from events you visited?
It's more like buying a concert t-shirt from a show you couldn't make it to.
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CanJam NYC 2024 - Day 2 (Sunday afternoon + Epilogue)
Preamble and Disclaimers:
As has been well-documented, evaluating unfamiliar audio gear in a crowded, noisy environment is suboptimal at best. After a day and a half of tenderizing one's eardrums, it starts to border on futile. That notwithstanding (and somewhat against my better judgment), I've decided to indulge in assigning letter grades to the equipment I auditioned. I'm dubbing this my "BS Grade", where BS could stand for "BassicScience", or (less charitably) "[bovine excrement]", which is surely how my contributions to this forum are already characterized by a multitude of readers. I'm doing this exercise primarily as entertainment, and as a shorthand for those with a low appetite for (my flavor of) word salad. As such, do not take these letter grades too seriously, and if I didn't happen to appreciate some headphone or piece of gear that you love, please don't take it personally.
NOTE: For those unfamiliar with standard headphone reviewer conventions, 'S' is the highest grade (or tier), followed by 'A', 'B', 'C', etc.
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On Sunday morning, I'd spent a very enjoyable 90 minutes in the ZMF room auditioning the AC, CO, and a CC prototype, followed by a return visit to the Raal 1995 table, where I'd confirmed that there's to be a Magna or (more likely) Immanis in my future. That realization imbued me with a warm, fuzzy feeling of having "accomplished" something "concrete", and I thusly rewarded myself with a delicious pizza for lunch upstairs... Marriott pricing be damned.
By the time I returned to the show floor, there were under four hours left, and my plan was to just keep moving around, looking for an open seat in front of some remaining piece of gear on my mental checklist. My first stop was the Mimic Audio room, which seemed to me perpetually underpopulated given the quality (and cost) of the stuff on display there. Perhaps a lot of people don't bother to audition gear they can't afford, or perhaps the gravitational pull of the neighboring ZMF room was simply too great. Whatever the case, Mimic had the Hifiman Shangri-la (Senior), STAX SR-X9000, and a couple other estats, plus a nice selection of conventional cans: Susvara, ZMF AC and CC, Abyss Diana MR, Mod House Tungsten D/S, and Spirit Torino Valkyria. The only amps I recall seeing in the room were the Viva Egoista STX (for the estats), the Viva Solista MK III, and the Viva Solistino. The latter two amps retail for $24.5k and $18.5k, respectively, with the Solistino being described on Mimic's website as an "entry-level" amp! Apparently, Viva eschews circuit boards in their amps, which has led to some negative commentary about build quality on Head-Fi and elsewhere. These amps are large and weighty, and their styling is bold, as is often the case with Italian designs. Additionally, they can be ordered in "any color you like", according to the importer I spoke to. FWIW, I thought the Egoista STX looked great in "racing green" (per the rep), but aesthetics (unless horrible) are a distant second to sound quality on my priorities list, especially when priced at such a premium.
Rather than report further details of my labyrinthine wanderings during the afternoon, it'll be more concise to just index the gear I auditioned (roughly in the order I did so):
Mod House Audio Tungsten D/S
Here I'll simply quote and aggregate some posts I made in the Tungsten thread last week:
I auditioned the Tungsten D/S at CanJam NYC on the MASS-Kobo 465, HeadAmp CFA3, and Viva Solista MK III amps. I was able to A/B the Susvara in all cases. The two headphones don't sound particularly similar, so I don't want to provide a percentage figure. To my ears, they are also not close to being on the same tier. My biggest issue with Tungsten was in its bass presentation, and it wasn't special enough anywhere else for me to overlook that.
On first listen (MASS-Kobo 465), Tungsten's bass sounded "recessed", lower in level and impact than on Susvara and other headphones I'd listened to throughout the day. This remained consistent (to varying degrees) on the other amps I tried, and across a variety of genres and tracks. My subjective impression was that bass notes had decent initial attack, and then receded quickly without proper sustain, like there was a damping blanket on the "woofer". This had a palpable impact on the Tungsten's ability to convey groove... again, to my ears.
Clamp force felt about on par with a Susvara. I thought the Tungsten was very comfortable, and quite well-built and attractive overall in hand, FWIW.
To be very clear, I didn't (and wouldn't) use the terms mid-fi or mediocrity to describe the Tungsten. As a guy who used to play electric bass in a variety of bands, I'm just very tuned into the lower end of the frequency spectrum, and the Tungsten left me unsatisfied in that department. When I played one of my standard test tracks with acoustic guitar and male vocals (Faith to Clay by Eric Matthews), it sounded very pretty on Tungsten, with ample sparkle coming off the guitar. I had no particular quibble with timbre, soundstaging, treble extension, or technicalities on the Tungsten. Nor did I perceive Tungsten to surpass Susvara's performance in any of those aspects. YMMV.
The Hifiman flagship, despite its popularity and critical acclaim, is certainly not everyone's favorite cup of tea, and for any headphone X, some group of people will prefer X to Susvara. I simply chimed in with my (contrary) opinion to provide some balance for prospective buyers, as the Tungsten is next to impossible to audition prior to purchase. - Tungsten D/S BS Grade: B
Spirit Torino Valkyria Titanium Headphone
The Valkyria is a headphone with a cult following. Acoustic and classical music is reputedly its sweet spot, genres where the Valkyria is said to impart a unique tonal richness and density/palpability of sound. Its notable lack of sub-bass, however, rules it out for genres such as EDM and rap. To be upfront, a specialist headphone costing $12k would probably have to reliably induce orgasms for me to consider buying it, especially when I'm not particularly a fan of its aesthetics or comfort. Nonetheless, I was keen to check it out after venerable Head-Fi tastemakers @number1sixerfan and @Ciggavelli recently purchased Valkyrias and submitted favorable impressions.
I auditioned the Valkyria primarily on the Viva Solista MK III and Viva Solistino, and very briefly on the HeadAmp CFA3. Granted I was previously unfamiliar with the Viva amps, but the ZMF CC and Abyss Diana MR sounded great on the Solistino, and my Susvara sounded beautiful on the Solista MK III, so the amps were entirely competent at worst. I auditioned the Valkyria with a variety of jazz and rock tracks, and thought it sounded a bit thick, slightly veiled, and generally unremarkable. Whatever magic other people seem to perceive completely eluded my ears. I'm tossing the Valkyria into my ISDGI (I simply don't get it) file. - Valkyria BS Grade: C- (also factoring in cost)
dCS Rossini APEX DAC / Lina Headphone Amp / Lina Master Clock
Disclaimer: I've never been a fan of dCS DACs in general, neither for their case aesthetics nor for what I perceive as a too-smooth house sound. I also don't like the concept (or additional cost) of outboard master clocks (there's nothing else to sync to!) for consumer DACs. That said, a few years ago I heard a full Vivaldi stack driving Wilson Alexia 2 speakers through six figures worth of Boulder electronics, and the dynamics, precision, clarity, and scale of that system's sound were indelibly etched into my brain! Also, several Head-Fi members have written glowingly of the Rossini APEX, so I sat down for an audition in the dCS room with the Susvara driven by the Lina amp (another unfamiliar component) to see what was what. There was also a Lina clock plugged into the Rossini, bringing the total cost of the electronics to a cool $50k! I had my laptop plugged into the Rossini, and listened to Miles and a couple other tracks in heavy show rotation. In brief, I simply found the sound overly smooth for my preferences, to the point of non-engagement with the music. Whether this was down to settings on the DAC or the amp lacking sufficient grunt to properly drive Susvara, I wasn't sure, but since I wasn't considering any of the components for purchase, I decided to cut bait without further investigation. On a positive note, I would like to thank dCS staff for being very welcoming and helpful. - dCS Rossini APEX Stack BS Grade: C (a spicy take, but that's what I heard)
Drop + Grell Signature Headphone
I don't really have much interest in (or a use case for) this headphone, but it's generating some buzz and there was an open spot when I walked by the table, so I invested 5-10 minutes in auditioning it. The first thing I noticed was less-than-ideal comfort with its seating on my head, along with the feel of the velour pads on my skin. I was told there are no alternate pads, at least for now. Honestly, it sounded roughly on par with other cans in its price range from Sennheiser or Hifiman, but I so rarely spend time evaluating those that I won't offer a review other than to say I didn't hear any glaring sonic warts. Certainly worth an audition if you're considering them.
Focal Bathys Bluetooth ANC Headphone
I really only use wireless (ANC) headphones on planes, trains, and other transit OR when I want to listen to tunes out by the pool when on vacation. Since this represents a small percentage of my overall listening time, I've limped along with a SONY WH1000XM4 for the last few years. The XM4's ANC is top-class, while its audio performance is only acceptable (or not even, depending on your standards). I've been looking to upgrade to one of the more audiophile-oriented ANC cans now on the market, with the Bathys my leading candidate based on a combination of price, features, and style. I'd read mixed reviews of the Bathys's audio (and ANC) quality, and I'm not generally a fan of the Focal headphone lineup (outside of the excellent Utopia), so expectations were moderately low as I sidled up to the Focal exhibit for an audition.
The Bathys is very stylish in hand, and rather compact compared to Focal's wired headphones. I clearly preferred the aesthetics of standard black to the special tan edition, FWIW. The knowledgeable and friendly Focal rep gave me the quick overview along with his phone (w/ Tidal app), as it was already bluetooth-paired to the Bathys. The first thing was to test the ANC button, and I was pleasantly surprised at how effectively it muffled the chaotic din of the CanJam main floor. Unfortunately, there was no button to put everything in suspended animation for several hours while I had my run of the show (don't worry, you'd have never known once I toggled back!) I'm not sure how much of it was the greatly reduced background noise, or perhaps my staring at Focal's looping videos of impossibly beautiful models cruising on a yacht (la quintessence du français, non?), but I judged the sound quality of the Bathys to be most excellent with everything I threw at it, and it handily exceeding my expectations. In a final sales push, the rep had me listen in wired mode, and the sound did indeed improve (marginally), but I was already sold! Focal was running a show special on the Bathys at $649 ($50 off), but I subsequently checked with TaronL at headphones.com, and he offered me 20% off retail for an unspecified time after the show... and I plan to contact them early next week to do the deal! - Bathys BS Grade: A+ (sound + features)
Schiit Mjolnir 3 Headphone Amp / Yggdrasil MiB DAC
In light of overwhelmingly positive buzz on Head-Fi, I was quite curious to audition the Mjolnir 3, which was seemingly always in use. Late Sunday, the seat opened up, so I plugged in my laptop and Susvara, not really sure what to expect. I've never owned any Schiit products, and it's been years since I even auditioned one, but I like the overall mission/ethos of the company, and often find Jason Stoddard's marketing and engineering-related postings entertaining. Bearing in mind I don't love the Schiit aesthetic, and that I prefer my solid-state electronics to run on the cooler side, my bias going in was probably mildly negative. (BTW, I'm sorry to report that I failed to note the settings on either the amp or DAC.) After hearing my test tracks seemingly ad infinitum, and overdue for a sonic palette cleanser, I pulled up a track from The Well-Tempered Synthesizer by Wendy Carlos, a pioneering electronic album that has stood well the test of time to this unabashed lover of Baroque music. What I then experienced was... qualitatively different. I'd heard this music countless times, but pitch and timing relationships seemed altered from how I remembered them, and I wasn't altogether sure if the electronics were editorializing, or whether my brain had finally turned into oatmeal from a cocktail of sleep deprivation and auditory overstimulation. In either case, I wasn't sure if I approved of this sonic transformation, or really even what to make of it.
I moved on to O-Zone by MC 900 Foot Jesus, a funky instrumental track, followed by another track I can't remember now (I really need to start taking notes in real-time!). Do you know the audio critic cliché about how the music "seemed to slow down"? Well, that's what I experienced, and it seemed as if I was gaining easier accessibility and deeper insight into the rhythms and harmonic relationships of the music. Many people have described Mjolnir 3 as "highly detailed", and perhaps this is what they meant, I conjectured. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed the listening experience, especially as it had come out of left field. If I still worked in an office, the Mjolnir 3 would be on my short list of candidate amps to furnish it with. As it is, I'm intrigued enough that I'll probably stop by the Schittr at some point to see if it was all a state of mind, or whether I can repeat the experience. - Mjolnir 3 BS Grade: S-
Warwick Aperio Electrostatic Headphone System
The very first piece of gear I'd auditioned on Saturday was the Warwick Bravura (Grade: S). Highly impressive, although for some reason (an unsolved mystery) I couldn't get some of my test tracks adequately loud even with Bravura's volume knob maxxed. I never heard any clipping or distortion, though. After that audition, I'd wanted to immediately A/B the Aperio, but was told that connecting my laptop to it would be problematic at that point, and to please return at end of day. That eventually came to pass very late on Sunday, and strangely enough, I had the same issue on the Aperio whereby it ran out of gain well before I achieved adequate (75 dB, perhaps) volume on some of my test tracks. I inquired whether a gain setting might be on "low", but was told not, so I simply focused on tracks which did get loud enough to properly assess.
The Aperio is highly-resolving with excellent timbre, but doesn't have a "classic" estat sound signature, to my ear. Soundstage size, while not massive, is above-average, and imaging is very solid and precise. While its overall presentation wasn't as spectacular as the Sennheiser HE-1's (but then, what is?), it was impossible for me to find fault with any aspect of Aperio's performance. The fly in the ointment is that it didn't technically surpass what I heard from the Bravura by any significant margin. I found the two systems to be pretty similar in overall presentation, a judgment I admittedly reached under clearly suboptimal conditions. The scuttlebutt is that Aperio can play louder than Bravura before clipping, so perhaps that's a differentiator for some prospective purchasers. I'd need to sort out the (lack of) volume mystery before I'd consider buying either, but from what I heard, Bravura is the clear choice when value is factored in. YMMV, of course. - Aperio BS Grade: S(+)
As an aside, I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Warwick rep Martin Roberts about the development history of these headphones, and about a few people I used to work with at SONY who subsequently joined Warwick Acoustics. Congrats to the company on a very fine showing, and continued success to all involved!
HeadAmp CFA3 Headphone Amp
This was literally the last thing I heard at the show, despite several previous attempts over both days. It's an amp with a cult-like following, and one that's reputed to make the Susvara sing. HeadAmp actually had two CFA3s at the end of a long table, both driven off a single (unknown to me) DAC. One of the amps had the look of a production unit, while the other featured a plexiglass case (see photo below), and (I believe) had some minor electronic mods relative to the first. Someone was listening to the Tungsten D/S on the "stock" CFA3, so I slipped on a free Susvara connected to the "plexi" amp. My ears were greeted with Electric Relaxation by A Tribe Called Quest, in mid-song. Instant amazement at the powerful, liquid, spacious sound and fulsome, seemingly bottomless bass. This track had so much presence and life, I impulsively played Award Tour from the same album when it was over, followed by Comin' After You by MC Ren. CFA3/Susvara was absolute magic with classic rap tracks, and time was running short, so I punted on sampling other genres and just went with the flow.
A couple minutes after I arrived, the guy listening to the Tungsten D/S left, so I revisited it (the same music was playing from both CFA3s) with a quick swap. The Tungsten's bass was more satisfying from the CFA3 than it had been on the MASS-Kobo or Viva amps, but it still noticeably lagged Susvara's in terms of fullness and sustain. I also couldn't resist quickly checking out the Valkyria with rap music. Epic fail, as expected. I wish I could have experienced the CFA3 earlier in the show, and had more time to explore it with a range of genres. Nonetheless, I heard enough to confirm its stellar synergy with Susvara. - CFA3 BS grade: S
Random note: I was quite interested in auditioning the Zaehl HM1 amp (with my Susvara), but it was never readily available, and I wasn't interested enough to waste time waiting. Maybe next time...
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CanJam NYC Previously-Auditioned Equipment Recap w/BS Grades
Audio-Technica NARUKAMI (w/Susvara) - BS Grade: S+ (S++ with acoustic jazz)
Austrian Audio Composer - BS Grade: A
Dan Clark Audio E3 - BS Grade: S-
Feliks-Audio Envy 25th Anniversary (w/Susvara) - BS Grade: S+
MASS-Kobo 465 - BS Grade: A+ (possibly S, but I'm grading on a cost curve in this case)
Meze Empyrean II - BS Grade: A+
Questyle M15 Dongle DAC - BS Grade: A+
Raal 1995 Magna - BS Grade: S+
Raal 1995 Immanis - BS Grade: S+(+)
Sennheiser HE-1 - BS Grade: S++
(NOTE: ZMF grades are especially tricky/nebulous due to wood/pad/amp variation)
ZMF Caldera - BS Grade: A+
ZMF Atrium Closed - BS Grade: A
ZMF Caldera Closed - BS Grade: A-
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CanJam NYC Epilogue - (Sunday night / Monday)
A couple weeks before the show, I realized that it made a ton of sense to stay in NYC on Sunday night, as opposed to flying back to California in a complete state of exhaustion. The Marriott wouldn't offer me the show discount for Sunday night at that point, and being somewhat miserly, I booked a room a couple blocks away at Hotel Scherman for less than half the price. While not offering the vast amenities or spacious rooms of the Marriott, the Scherman was clean and characterful (see photo, below), and included a decent breakfast to boot. I can recommend it to future CanJam goers on a budget! As a bonus, it's almost directly across the street from Becco, a sensational restaurant destination for any (Italian) food lover.
As soon as CanJam ended, I fetched my two suitcases from the Marriott bell desk, and walked down 46th Street to Hotel Scherman. Check in was speedy, whereupon I promptly went up a flight to my room and crashed out until 9pm! Feeling refreshed, and hungry, I headed next door to a grand, old, Irish-themed bar (Tito Murphy's) and ordered carne asada tacos and a Blue Moon wheat beer on tap, both of which really hit the spot!
I had contacted forum legend @goldwerger (Eyal) about possibly meeting for lunch on Monday, and for some unknown reason (probably because he'd never met me in person!), he agreed to it. Sometime mid-evening on Sunday, he texted me to finalize our plans. I wanted to enjoy a lox bagel with full trimmings before I left NYC, so he suggested we meet at Barney Greengrass, a legendary establishment in the Upper West Side, at noon the following day. Shortly after I awoke the next morning, I started to plan the day's itinerary and noticed that Barney Greengrass was closed on Mondays! After texting Eyal, we changed the venue to lunch at Tal Bagels in the Upper East Side.
After a wet, overcast weekend, Monday was bright and sunny, albeit quite cool and breezy. Since I had packed a thick parka and gloves, and also hadn't had any exercise in several days, I opted to walk the three miles and change from my hotel to the bagel joint. I headed up Broadway, past the old theater where Stephen Colbert does his show, through Columbus Circle and into Central Park. Heading east initially, I had a great view of the impossibly thin residential skyscrapers along Billionaires' Row. I turned northward for a lengthy stretch as a constant stream of joggers, cyclists, and horse-drawn carriages passed me by. I exited the park at 79th St. and then headed up Madison Ave. to 86th. Several long blocks later, I arrived at the bagel shop exactly at noon. Eyal was already there, and had snagged a table in the back. We both ordered bagels with lox, plus an OJ, at the counter, returned to the table, and then proceeded to yak, mostly about audio, for the better part of two hours. Eyal is a very interesting guy, true mensch, and great conversationalist, and having lunch with him was a definite CanJam highlight for me, along with my HE-1 and NARUKAMI auditions. The lunch was probably the best of the lot, as no one came by and told us to leave after ten or twenty minutes!
After Eyal and I said farewell, I walked leisurely back down Park Ave., gawking at the myriad stately, old apartment buildings whilst imagining moneyed socialites holding countless lavish soirees therein, dating back to the Jazz Age and beyond. After awhile, Park Ave. terminates at the MetLife building, so I took the stairs underground through the awe-inspiring Grand Central Terminal and then back out onto 42nd Street. From there, I headed west over to the New York Public Library and neighboring Bryant Park, where major construction of some sort was in progress. It was then a short hop back to Hotel Scherman to fetch my luggage and summon a Lyft to JFK. Even though it wasn't yet 3:30 PM, it took a full 90 minutes to get over to JFK airport. Just a heads up for anyone planning a weekday return in the future!
Final thoughts: In searching for a word to sum up this CanJam, I was torn between epic and blockbuster, so let's call it an epic blockbuster... in IMAX!! Ever since CanJam LA moved from downtown to Orange County, NYC is my undisputed favorite CJ venue! And this CanJam featured far more high-end (and otherwise) equipment than any I'd previously attended. The amount of amazing personal audio gear available today at all price levels is unprecedented, and we should be very grateful to all of the passionate people who've toiled to make it happen. Thanks also to all of the CanJam organizers for putting on these splendid events!
And that, mercifully for all of us, is...
THE END
Preamble and Disclaimers:
As has been well-documented, evaluating unfamiliar audio gear in a crowded, noisy environment is suboptimal at best. After a day and a half of tenderizing one's eardrums, it starts to border on futile. That notwithstanding (and somewhat against my better judgment), I've decided to indulge in assigning letter grades to the equipment I auditioned. I'm dubbing this my "BS Grade", where BS could stand for "BassicScience", or (less charitably) "[bovine excrement]", which is surely how my contributions to this forum are already characterized by a multitude of readers. I'm doing this exercise primarily as entertainment, and as a shorthand for those with a low appetite for (my flavor of) word salad. As such, do not take these letter grades too seriously, and if I didn't happen to appreciate some headphone or piece of gear that you love, please don't take it personally.
NOTE: For those unfamiliar with standard headphone reviewer conventions, 'S' is the highest grade (or tier), followed by 'A', 'B', 'C', etc.
------------------
On Sunday morning, I'd spent a very enjoyable 90 minutes in the ZMF room auditioning the AC, CO, and a CC prototype, followed by a return visit to the Raal 1995 table, where I'd confirmed that there's to be a Magna or (more likely) Immanis in my future. That realization imbued me with a warm, fuzzy feeling of having "accomplished" something "concrete", and I thusly rewarded myself with a delicious pizza for lunch upstairs... Marriott pricing be damned.
By the time I returned to the show floor, there were under four hours left, and my plan was to just keep moving around, looking for an open seat in front of some remaining piece of gear on my mental checklist. My first stop was the Mimic Audio room, which seemed to me perpetually underpopulated given the quality (and cost) of the stuff on display there. Perhaps a lot of people don't bother to audition gear they can't afford, or perhaps the gravitational pull of the neighboring ZMF room was simply too great. Whatever the case, Mimic had the Hifiman Shangri-la (Senior), STAX SR-X9000, and a couple other estats, plus a nice selection of conventional cans: Susvara, ZMF AC and CC, Abyss Diana MR, Mod House Tungsten D/S, and Spirit Torino Valkyria. The only amps I recall seeing in the room were the Viva Egoista STX (for the estats), the Viva Solista MK III, and the Viva Solistino. The latter two amps retail for $24.5k and $18.5k, respectively, with the Solistino being described on Mimic's website as an "entry-level" amp! Apparently, Viva eschews circuit boards in their amps, which has led to some negative commentary about build quality on Head-Fi and elsewhere. These amps are large and weighty, and their styling is bold, as is often the case with Italian designs. Additionally, they can be ordered in "any color you like", according to the importer I spoke to. FWIW, I thought the Egoista STX looked great in "racing green" (per the rep), but aesthetics (unless horrible) are a distant second to sound quality on my priorities list, especially when priced at such a premium.
Rather than report further details of my labyrinthine wanderings during the afternoon, it'll be more concise to just index the gear I auditioned (roughly in the order I did so):
Mod House Audio Tungsten D/S
Here I'll simply quote and aggregate some posts I made in the Tungsten thread last week:
I auditioned the Tungsten D/S at CanJam NYC on the MASS-Kobo 465, HeadAmp CFA3, and Viva Solista MK III amps. I was able to A/B the Susvara in all cases. The two headphones don't sound particularly similar, so I don't want to provide a percentage figure. To my ears, they are also not close to being on the same tier. My biggest issue with Tungsten was in its bass presentation, and it wasn't special enough anywhere else for me to overlook that.
On first listen (MASS-Kobo 465), Tungsten's bass sounded "recessed", lower in level and impact than on Susvara and other headphones I'd listened to throughout the day. This remained consistent (to varying degrees) on the other amps I tried, and across a variety of genres and tracks. My subjective impression was that bass notes had decent initial attack, and then receded quickly without proper sustain, like there was a damping blanket on the "woofer". This had a palpable impact on the Tungsten's ability to convey groove... again, to my ears.
Clamp force felt about on par with a Susvara. I thought the Tungsten was very comfortable, and quite well-built and attractive overall in hand, FWIW.
To be very clear, I didn't (and wouldn't) use the terms mid-fi or mediocrity to describe the Tungsten. As a guy who used to play electric bass in a variety of bands, I'm just very tuned into the lower end of the frequency spectrum, and the Tungsten left me unsatisfied in that department. When I played one of my standard test tracks with acoustic guitar and male vocals (Faith to Clay by Eric Matthews), it sounded very pretty on Tungsten, with ample sparkle coming off the guitar. I had no particular quibble with timbre, soundstaging, treble extension, or technicalities on the Tungsten. Nor did I perceive Tungsten to surpass Susvara's performance in any of those aspects. YMMV.
The Hifiman flagship, despite its popularity and critical acclaim, is certainly not everyone's favorite cup of tea, and for any headphone X, some group of people will prefer X to Susvara. I simply chimed in with my (contrary) opinion to provide some balance for prospective buyers, as the Tungsten is next to impossible to audition prior to purchase. - Tungsten D/S BS Grade: B
Spirit Torino Valkyria Titanium Headphone
The Valkyria is a headphone with a cult following. Acoustic and classical music is reputedly its sweet spot, genres where the Valkyria is said to impart a unique tonal richness and density/palpability of sound. Its notable lack of sub-bass, however, rules it out for genres such as EDM and rap. To be upfront, a specialist headphone costing $12k would probably have to reliably induce orgasms for me to consider buying it, especially when I'm not particularly a fan of its aesthetics or comfort. Nonetheless, I was keen to check it out after venerable Head-Fi tastemakers @number1sixerfan and @Ciggavelli recently purchased Valkyrias and submitted favorable impressions.
I auditioned the Valkyria primarily on the Viva Solista MK III and Viva Solistino, and very briefly on the HeadAmp CFA3. Granted I was previously unfamiliar with the Viva amps, but the ZMF CC and Abyss Diana MR sounded great on the Solistino, and my Susvara sounded beautiful on the Solista MK III, so the amps were entirely competent at worst. I auditioned the Valkyria with a variety of jazz and rock tracks, and thought it sounded a bit thick, slightly veiled, and generally unremarkable. Whatever magic other people seem to perceive completely eluded my ears. I'm tossing the Valkyria into my ISDGI (I simply don't get it) file. - Valkyria BS Grade: C- (also factoring in cost)
dCS Rossini APEX DAC / Lina Headphone Amp / Lina Master Clock
Disclaimer: I've never been a fan of dCS DACs in general, neither for their case aesthetics nor for what I perceive as a too-smooth house sound. I also don't like the concept (or additional cost) of outboard master clocks (there's nothing else to sync to!) for consumer DACs. That said, a few years ago I heard a full Vivaldi stack driving Wilson Alexia 2 speakers through six figures worth of Boulder electronics, and the dynamics, precision, clarity, and scale of that system's sound were indelibly etched into my brain! Also, several Head-Fi members have written glowingly of the Rossini APEX, so I sat down for an audition in the dCS room with the Susvara driven by the Lina amp (another unfamiliar component) to see what was what. There was also a Lina clock plugged into the Rossini, bringing the total cost of the electronics to a cool $50k! I had my laptop plugged into the Rossini, and listened to Miles and a couple other tracks in heavy show rotation. In brief, I simply found the sound overly smooth for my preferences, to the point of non-engagement with the music. Whether this was down to settings on the DAC or the amp lacking sufficient grunt to properly drive Susvara, I wasn't sure, but since I wasn't considering any of the components for purchase, I decided to cut bait without further investigation. On a positive note, I would like to thank dCS staff for being very welcoming and helpful. - dCS Rossini APEX Stack BS Grade: C (a spicy take, but that's what I heard)
Drop + Grell Signature Headphone
I don't really have much interest in (or a use case for) this headphone, but it's generating some buzz and there was an open spot when I walked by the table, so I invested 5-10 minutes in auditioning it. The first thing I noticed was less-than-ideal comfort with its seating on my head, along with the feel of the velour pads on my skin. I was told there are no alternate pads, at least for now. Honestly, it sounded roughly on par with other cans in its price range from Sennheiser or Hifiman, but I so rarely spend time evaluating those that I won't offer a review other than to say I didn't hear any glaring sonic warts. Certainly worth an audition if you're considering them.
Focal Bathys Bluetooth ANC Headphone
I really only use wireless (ANC) headphones on planes, trains, and other transit OR when I want to listen to tunes out by the pool when on vacation. Since this represents a small percentage of my overall listening time, I've limped along with a SONY WH1000XM4 for the last few years. The XM4's ANC is top-class, while its audio performance is only acceptable (or not even, depending on your standards). I've been looking to upgrade to one of the more audiophile-oriented ANC cans now on the market, with the Bathys my leading candidate based on a combination of price, features, and style. I'd read mixed reviews of the Bathys's audio (and ANC) quality, and I'm not generally a fan of the Focal headphone lineup (outside of the excellent Utopia), so expectations were moderately low as I sidled up to the Focal exhibit for an audition.
The Bathys is very stylish in hand, and rather compact compared to Focal's wired headphones. I clearly preferred the aesthetics of standard black to the special tan edition, FWIW. The knowledgeable and friendly Focal rep gave me the quick overview along with his phone (w/ Tidal app), as it was already bluetooth-paired to the Bathys. The first thing was to test the ANC button, and I was pleasantly surprised at how effectively it muffled the chaotic din of the CanJam main floor. Unfortunately, there was no button to put everything in suspended animation for several hours while I had my run of the show (don't worry, you'd have never known once I toggled back!
) I'm not sure how much of it was the greatly reduced background noise, or perhaps my staring at Focal's looping videos of impossibly beautiful models cruising on a yacht (la quintessence du français, non?), but I judged the sound quality of the Bathys to be most excellent with everything I threw at it, and it handily exceeding my expectations. In a final sales push, the rep had me listen in wired mode, and the sound did indeed improve (marginally), but I was already sold! Focal was running a show special on the Bathys at $649 ($50 off), but I subsequently checked with TaronL at headphones.com, and he offered me 20% off retail for an unspecified time after the show... and I plan to contact them early next week to do the deal! - Bathys BS Grade: A+ (sound + features)Schiit Mjolnir 3 Headphone Amp / Yggdrasil MiB DAC
In light of overwhelmingly positive buzz on Head-Fi, I was quite curious to audition the Mjolnir 3, which was seemingly always in use. Late Sunday, the seat opened up, so I plugged in my laptop and Susvara, not really sure what to expect. I've never owned any Schiit products, and it's been years since I even auditioned one, but I like the overall mission/ethos of the company, and often find Jason Stoddard's marketing and engineering-related postings entertaining. Bearing in mind I don't love the Schiit aesthetic, and that I prefer my solid-state electronics to run on the cooler side, my bias going in was probably mildly negative. (BTW, I'm sorry to report that I failed to note the settings on either the amp or DAC.) After hearing my test tracks seemingly ad infinitum, and overdue for a sonic palette cleanser, I pulled up a track from The Well-Tempered Synthesizer by Wendy Carlos, a pioneering electronic album that has stood well the test of time to this unabashed lover of Baroque music. What I then experienced was... qualitatively different. I'd heard this music countless times, but pitch and timing relationships seemed altered from how I remembered them, and I wasn't altogether sure if the electronics were editorializing, or whether my brain had finally turned into oatmeal from a cocktail of sleep deprivation and auditory overstimulation. In either case, I wasn't sure if I approved of this sonic transformation, or really even what to make of it.
I moved on to O-Zone by MC 900 Foot Jesus, a funky instrumental track, followed by another track I can't remember now (I really need to start taking notes in real-time!). Do you know the audio critic cliché about how the music "seemed to slow down"? Well, that's what I experienced, and it seemed as if I was gaining easier accessibility and deeper insight into the rhythms and harmonic relationships of the music. Many people have described Mjolnir 3 as "highly detailed", and perhaps this is what they meant, I conjectured. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed the listening experience, especially as it had come out of left field. If I still worked in an office, the Mjolnir 3 would be on my short list of candidate amps to furnish it with. As it is, I'm intrigued enough that I'll probably stop by the Schittr at some point to see if it was all a state of mind, or whether I can repeat the experience. - Mjolnir 3 BS Grade: S-
Warwick Aperio Electrostatic Headphone System
The very first piece of gear I'd auditioned on Saturday was the Warwick Bravura (Grade: S). Highly impressive, although for some reason (an unsolved mystery) I couldn't get some of my test tracks adequately loud even with Bravura's volume knob maxxed. I never heard any clipping or distortion, though. After that audition, I'd wanted to immediately A/B the Aperio, but was told that connecting my laptop to it would be problematic at that point, and to please return at end of day. That eventually came to pass very late on Sunday, and strangely enough, I had the same issue on the Aperio whereby it ran out of gain well before I achieved adequate (75 dB, perhaps) volume on some of my test tracks. I inquired whether a gain setting might be on "low", but was told not, so I simply focused on tracks which did get loud enough to properly assess.
The Aperio is highly-resolving with excellent timbre, but doesn't have a "classic" estat sound signature, to my ear. Soundstage size, while not massive, is above-average, and imaging is very solid and precise. While its overall presentation wasn't as spectacular as the Sennheiser HE-1's (but then, what is?), it was impossible for me to find fault with any aspect of Aperio's performance. The fly in the ointment is that it didn't technically surpass what I heard from the Bravura by any significant margin. I found the two systems to be pretty similar in overall presentation, a judgment I admittedly reached under clearly suboptimal conditions. The scuttlebutt is that Aperio can play louder than Bravura before clipping, so perhaps that's a differentiator for some prospective purchasers. I'd need to sort out the (lack of) volume mystery before I'd consider buying either, but from what I heard, Bravura is the clear choice when value is factored in. YMMV, of course. - Aperio BS Grade: S(+)
As an aside, I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Warwick rep Martin Roberts about the development history of these headphones, and about a few people I used to work with at SONY who subsequently joined Warwick Acoustics. Congrats to the company on a very fine showing, and continued success to all involved!
HeadAmp CFA3 Headphone Amp
This was literally the last thing I heard at the show, despite several previous attempts over both days. It's an amp with a cult-like following, and one that's reputed to make the Susvara sing. HeadAmp actually had two CFA3s at the end of a long table, both driven off a single (unknown to me) DAC. One of the amps had the look of a production unit, while the other featured a plexiglass case (see photo below), and (I believe) had some minor electronic mods relative to the first. Someone was listening to the Tungsten D/S on the "stock" CFA3, so I slipped on a free Susvara connected to the "plexi" amp. My ears were greeted with Electric Relaxation by A Tribe Called Quest, in mid-song. Instant amazement at the powerful, liquid, spacious sound and fulsome, seemingly bottomless bass. This track had so much presence and life, I impulsively played Award Tour from the same album when it was over, followed by Comin' After You by MC Ren. CFA3/Susvara was absolute magic with classic rap tracks, and time was running short, so I punted on sampling other genres and just went with the flow.
A couple minutes after I arrived, the guy listening to the Tungsten D/S left, so I revisited it (the same music was playing from both CFA3s) with a quick swap. The Tungsten's bass was more satisfying from the CFA3 than it had been on the MASS-Kobo or Viva amps, but it still noticeably lagged Susvara's in terms of fullness and sustain. I also couldn't resist quickly checking out the Valkyria with rap music. Epic fail, as expected. I wish I could have experienced the CFA3 earlier in the show, and had more time to explore it with a range of genres. Nonetheless, I heard enough to confirm its stellar synergy with Susvara. - CFA3 BS grade: S
Random note: I was quite interested in auditioning the Zaehl HM1 amp (with my Susvara), but it was never readily available, and I wasn't interested enough to waste time waiting. Maybe next time...
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CanJam NYC Previously-Auditioned Equipment Recap w/BS Grades
Audio-Technica NARUKAMI (w/Susvara) - BS Grade: S+ (S++ with acoustic jazz)
Austrian Audio Composer - BS Grade: A
Dan Clark Audio E3 - BS Grade: S-
Feliks-Audio Envy 25th Anniversary (w/Susvara) - BS Grade: S+
MASS-Kobo 465 - BS Grade: A+ (possibly S, but I'm grading on a cost curve in this case)
Meze Empyrean II - BS Grade: A+
Questyle M15 Dongle DAC - BS Grade: A+
Raal 1995 Magna - BS Grade: S+
Raal 1995 Immanis - BS Grade: S+(+)
Sennheiser HE-1 - BS Grade: S++
(NOTE: ZMF grades are especially tricky/nebulous due to wood/pad/amp variation)
ZMF Caldera - BS Grade: A+
ZMF Atrium Closed - BS Grade: A
ZMF Caldera Closed - BS Grade: A-
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CanJam NYC Epilogue - (Sunday night / Monday)
A couple weeks before the show, I realized that it made a ton of sense to stay in NYC on Sunday night, as opposed to flying back to California in a complete state of exhaustion. The Marriott wouldn't offer me the show discount for Sunday night at that point, and being somewhat miserly, I booked a room a couple blocks away at Hotel Scherman for less than half the price. While not offering the vast amenities or spacious rooms of the Marriott, the Scherman was clean and characterful (see photo, below), and included a decent breakfast to boot. I can recommend it to future CanJam goers on a budget! As a bonus, it's almost directly across the street from Becco, a sensational restaurant destination for any (Italian) food lover.
As soon as CanJam ended, I fetched my two suitcases from the Marriott bell desk, and walked down 46th Street to Hotel Scherman. Check in was speedy, whereupon I promptly went up a flight to my room and crashed out until 9pm! Feeling refreshed, and hungry, I headed next door to a grand, old, Irish-themed bar (Tito Murphy's) and ordered carne asada tacos and a Blue Moon wheat beer on tap, both of which really hit the spot!
I had contacted forum legend @goldwerger (Eyal) about possibly meeting for lunch on Monday, and for some unknown reason (probably because he'd never met me in person!), he agreed to it.
Sometime mid-evening on Sunday, he texted me to finalize our plans. I wanted to enjoy a lox bagel with full trimmings before I left NYC, so he suggested we meet at Barney Greengrass, a legendary establishment in the Upper West Side, at noon the following day. Shortly after I awoke the next morning, I started to plan the day's itinerary and noticed that Barney Greengrass was closed on Mondays! After texting Eyal, we changed the venue to lunch at Tal Bagels in the Upper East Side.After a wet, overcast weekend, Monday was bright and sunny, albeit quite cool and breezy. Since I had packed a thick parka and gloves, and also hadn't had any exercise in several days, I opted to walk the three miles and change from my hotel to the bagel joint. I headed up Broadway, past the old theater where Stephen Colbert does his show, through Columbus Circle and into Central Park. Heading east initially, I had a great view of the impossibly thin residential skyscrapers along Billionaires' Row. I turned northward for a lengthy stretch as a constant stream of joggers, cyclists, and horse-drawn carriages passed me by. I exited the park at 79th St. and then headed up Madison Ave. to 86th. Several long blocks later, I arrived at the bagel shop exactly at noon. Eyal was already there, and had snagged a table in the back. We both ordered bagels with lox, plus an OJ, at the counter, returned to the table, and then proceeded to yak, mostly about audio, for the better part of two hours. Eyal is a very interesting guy, true mensch, and great conversationalist, and having lunch with him was a definite CanJam highlight for me, along with my HE-1 and NARUKAMI auditions. The lunch was probably the best of the lot, as no one came by and told us to leave after ten or twenty minutes!
After Eyal and I said farewell, I walked leisurely back down Park Ave., gawking at the myriad stately, old apartment buildings whilst imagining moneyed socialites holding countless lavish soirees therein, dating back to the Jazz Age and beyond. After awhile, Park Ave. terminates at the MetLife building, so I took the stairs underground through the awe-inspiring Grand Central Terminal and then back out onto 42nd Street. From there, I headed west over to the New York Public Library and neighboring Bryant Park, where major construction of some sort was in progress. It was then a short hop back to Hotel Scherman to fetch my luggage and summon a Lyft to JFK. Even though it wasn't yet 3:30 PM, it took a full 90 minutes to get over to JFK airport. Just a heads up for anyone planning a weekday return in the future!
Final thoughts: In searching for a word to sum up this CanJam, I was torn between epic and blockbuster, so let's call it an epic blockbuster... in IMAX!! Ever since CanJam LA moved from downtown to Orange County, NYC is my undisputed favorite CJ venue! And this CanJam featured far more high-end (and otherwise) equipment than any I'd previously attended. The amount of amazing personal audio gear available today at all price levels is unprecedented, and we should be very grateful to all of the passionate people who've toiled to make it happen. Thanks also to all of the CanJam organizers for putting on these splendid events!
And that, mercifully for all of us, is...
THE END
CanJam NYC 2024 - Day 2 (Sunday afternoon + Epilogue)
Preamble and Disclaimers:
As has been well-documented, evaluating unfamiliar audio gear in a crowded, noisy environment is suboptimal at best. After a day and a half of tenderizing one's eardrums, it starts to border on futile. That notwithstanding (and somewhat against my better judgment), I've decided to indulge in assigning letter grades to the equipment I auditioned. I'm dubbing this my "BS Grade", where BS could stand for "BassicScience", or (less charitably) "[bovine excrement]", which is surely how my contributions to this forum are already characterized by a multitude of readers. I'm doing this exercise primarily as entertainment, and as a shorthand for those with a low appetite for (my flavor of) word salad. As such, do not take these letter grades too seriously, and if I didn't happen to appreciate some headphone or piece of gear that you love, please don't take it personally.
NOTE: For those unfamiliar with standard headphone reviewer conventions, 'S' is the highest grade (or tier), followed by 'A', 'B', 'C', etc.
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On Sunday morning, I'd spent a very enjoyable 90 minutes in the ZMF room auditioning the AC, CO, and a CC prototype, followed by a return visit to the Raal 1995 table, where I'd confirmed that there's to be a Magna or (more likely) Immanis in my future. That realization imbued me with a warm, fuzzy feeling of having "accomplished" something "concrete", and I thusly rewarded myself with a delicious pizza for lunch upstairs... Marriott pricing be damned.
By the time I returned to the show floor, there were under four hours left, and my plan was to just keep moving around, looking for an open seat in front of some remaining piece of gear on my mental checklist. My first stop was the Mimic Audio room, which seemed to me perpetually underpopulated given the quality (and cost) of the stuff on display there. Perhaps a lot of people don't bother to audition gear they can't afford, or perhaps the gravitational pull of the neighboring ZMF room was simply too great. Whatever the case, Mimic had the Hifiman Shangri-la (Senior), STAX SR-X9000, and a couple other estats, plus a nice selection of conventional cans: Susvara, ZMF AC and CC, Abyss Diana MR, Mod House Tungsten D/S, and Spirit Torino Valkyria. The only amps I recall seeing in the room were the Viva Egoista STX (for the estats), the Viva Solista MK III, and the Viva Solistino. The latter two amps retail for $24.5k and $18.5k, respectively, with the Solistino being described on Mimic's website as an "entry-level" amp! Apparently, Viva eschews circuit boards in their amps, which has led to some negative commentary about build quality on Head-Fi and elsewhere. These amps are large and weighty, and their styling is bold, as is often the case with Italian designs. Additionally, they can be ordered in "any color you like", according to the importer I spoke to. FWIW, I thought the Egoista STX looked great in "racing green" (per the rep), but aesthetics (unless horrible) are a distant second to sound quality on my priorities list, especially when priced at such a premium.
Rather than report further details of my labyrinthine wanderings during the afternoon, it'll be more concise to just index the gear I auditioned (roughly in the order I did so):
Mod House Audio Tungsten D/S
Here I'll simply quote and aggregate some posts I made in the Tungsten thread last week:
I auditioned the Tungsten D/S at CanJam NYC on the MASS-Kobo 465, HeadAmp CFA3, and Viva Solista MK III amps. I was able to A/B the Susvara in all cases. The two headphones don't sound particularly similar, so I don't want to provide a percentage figure. To my ears, they are also not close to being on the same tier. My biggest issue with Tungsten was in its bass presentation, and it wasn't special enough anywhere else for me to overlook that.
On first listen (MASS-Kobo 465), Tungsten's bass sounded "recessed", lower in level and impact than on Susvara and other headphones I'd listened to throughout the day. This remained consistent (to varying degrees) on the other amps I tried, and across a variety of genres and tracks. My subjective impression was that bass notes had decent initial attack, and then receded quickly without proper sustain, like there was a damping blanket on the "woofer". This had a palpable impact on the Tungsten's ability to convey groove... again, to my ears.
Clamp force felt about on par with a Susvara. I thought the Tungsten was very comfortable, and quite well-built and attractive overall in hand, FWIW.
To be very clear, I didn't (and wouldn't) use the terms mid-fi or mediocrity to describe the Tungsten. As a guy who used to play electric bass in a variety of bands, I'm just very tuned into the lower end of the frequency spectrum, and the Tungsten left me unsatisfied in that department. When I played one of my standard test tracks with acoustic guitar and male vocals (Faith to Clay by Eric Matthews), it sounded very pretty on Tungsten, with ample sparkle coming off the guitar. I had no particular quibble with timbre, soundstaging, treble extension, or technicalities on the Tungsten. Nor did I perceive Tungsten to surpass Susvara's performance in any of those aspects. YMMV.
The Hifiman flagship, despite its popularity and critical acclaim, is certainly not everyone's favorite cup of tea, and for any headphone X, some group of people will prefer X to Susvara. I simply chimed in with my (contrary) opinion to provide some balance for prospective buyers, as the Tungsten is next to impossible to audition prior to purchase. - Tungsten D/S BS Grade: B
Spirit Torino Valkyria Titanium Headphone
The Valkyria is a headphone with a cult following. Acoustic and classical music is reputedly its sweet spot, genres where the Valkyria is said to impart a unique tonal richness and density/palpability of sound. Its notable lack of sub-bass, however, rules it out for genres such as EDM and rap. To be upfront, a specialist headphone costing $12k would probably have to reliably induce orgasms for me to consider buying it, especially when I'm not particularly a fan of its aesthetics or comfort. Nonetheless, I was keen to check it out after venerable Head-Fi tastemakers @number1sixerfan and @Ciggavelli recently purchased Valkyrias and submitted favorable impressions.
I auditioned the Valkyria primarily on the Viva Solista MK III and Viva Solistino, and very briefly on the HeadAmp CFA3. Granted I was previously unfamiliar with the Viva amps, but the ZMF CC and Abyss Diana MR sounded great on the Solistino, and my Susvara sounded beautiful on the Solista MK III, so the amps were entirely competent at worst. I auditioned the Valkyria with a variety of jazz and rock tracks, and thought it sounded a bit thick, slightly veiled, and generally unremarkable. Whatever magic other people seem to perceive completely eluded my ears. I'm tossing the Valkyria into my ISDGI (I simply don't get it) file. - Valkyria BS Grade: C- (also factoring in cost)
dCS Rossini APEX DAC / Lina Headphone Amp / Lina Master Clock
Disclaimer: I've never been a fan of dCS DACs in general, neither for their case aesthetics nor for what I perceive as a too-smooth house sound. I also don't like the concept (or additional cost) of outboard master clocks (there's nothing else to sync to!) for consumer DACs. That said, a few years ago I heard a full Vivaldi stack driving Wilson Alexia 2 speakers through six figures worth of Boulder electronics, and the dynamics, precision, clarity, and scale of that system's sound were indelibly etched into my brain! Also, several Head-Fi members have written glowingly of the Rossini APEX, so I sat down for an audition in the dCS room with the Susvara driven by the Lina amp (another unfamiliar component) to see what was what. There was also a Lina clock plugged into the Rossini, bringing the total cost of the electronics to a cool $50k! I had my laptop plugged into the Rossini, and listened to Miles and a couple other tracks in heavy show rotation. In brief, I simply found the sound overly smooth for my preferences, to the point of non-engagement with the music. Whether this was down to settings on the DAC or the amp lacking sufficient grunt to properly drive Susvara, I wasn't sure, but since I wasn't considering any of the components for purchase, I decided to cut bait without further investigation. On a positive note, I would like to thank dCS staff for being very welcoming and helpful. - dCS Rossini APEX Stack BS Grade: C (a spicy take, but that's what I heard)
Drop + Grell Signature Headphone
I don't really have much interest in (or a use case for) this headphone, but it's generating some buzz and there was an open spot when I walked by the table, so I invested 5-10 minutes in auditioning it. The first thing I noticed was less-than-ideal comfort with its seating on my head, along with the feel of the velour pads on my skin. I was told there are no alternate pads, at least for now. Honestly, it sounded roughly on par with other cans in its price range from Sennheiser or Hifiman, but I so rarely spend time evaluating those that I won't offer a review other than to say I didn't hear any glaring sonic warts. Certainly worth an audition if you're considering them.
Focal Bathys Bluetooth ANC Headphone
I really only use wireless (ANC) headphones on planes, trains, and other transit OR when I want to listen to tunes out by the pool when on vacation. Since this represents a small percentage of my overall listening time, I've limped along with a SONY WH1000XM4 for the last few years. The XM4's ANC is top-class, while its audio performance is only acceptable (or not even, depending on your standards). I've been looking to upgrade to one of the more audiophile-oriented ANC cans now on the market, with the Bathys my leading candidate based on a combination of price, features, and style. I'd read mixed reviews of the Bathys's audio (and ANC) quality, and I'm not generally a fan of the Focal headphone lineup (outside of the excellent Utopia), so expectations were moderately low as I sidled up to the Focal exhibit for an audition.
The Bathys is very stylish in hand, and rather compact compared to Focal's wired headphones. I clearly preferred the aesthetics of standard black to the special tan edition, FWIW. The knowledgeable and friendly Focal rep gave me the quick overview along with his phone (w/ Tidal app), as it was already bluetooth-paired to the Bathys. The first thing was to test the ANC button, and I was pleasantly surprised at how effectively it muffled the chaotic din of the CanJam main floor. Unfortunately, there was no button to put everything in suspended animation for several hours while I had my run of the show (don't worry, you'd have never known once I toggled back!
Schiit Mjolnir 3 Headphone Amp / Yggdrasil MiB DAC
In light of overwhelmingly positive buzz on Head-Fi, I was quite curious to audition the Mjolnir 3, which was seemingly always in use. Late Sunday, the seat opened up, so I plugged in my laptop and Susvara, not really sure what to expect. I've never owned any Schiit products, and it's been years since I even auditioned one, but I like the overall mission/ethos of the company, and often find Jason Stoddard's marketing and engineering-related postings entertaining. Bearing in mind I don't love the Schiit aesthetic, and that I prefer my solid-state electronics to run on the cooler side, my bias going in was probably mildly negative. (BTW, I'm sorry to report that I failed to note the settings on either the amp or DAC.) After hearing my test tracks seemingly ad infinitum, and overdue for a sonic palette cleanser, I pulled up a track from The Well-Tempered Synthesizer by Wendy Carlos, a pioneering electronic album that has stood well the test of time to this unabashed lover of Baroque music. What I then experienced was... qualitatively different. I'd heard this music countless times, but pitch and timing relationships seemed altered from how I remembered them, and I wasn't altogether sure if the electronics were editorializing, or whether my brain had finally turned into oatmeal from a cocktail of sleep deprivation and auditory overstimulation. In either case, I wasn't sure if I approved of this sonic transformation, or really even what to make of it.
I moved on to O-Zone by MC 900 Foot Jesus, a funky instrumental track, followed by another track I can't remember now (I really need to start taking notes in real-time!). Do you know the audio critic cliché about how the music "seemed to slow down"? Well, that's what I experienced, and it seemed as if I was gaining easier accessibility and deeper insight into the rhythms and harmonic relationships of the music. Many people have described Mjolnir 3 as "highly detailed", and perhaps this is what they meant, I conjectured. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed the listening experience, especially as it had come out of left field. If I still worked in an office, the Mjolnir 3 would be on my short list of candidate amps to furnish it with. As it is, I'm intrigued enough that I'll probably stop by the Schittr at some point to see if it was all a state of mind, or whether I can repeat the experience. - Mjolnir 3 BS Grade: S-
Warwick Aperio Electrostatic Headphone System
The very first piece of gear I'd auditioned on Saturday was the Warwick Bravura (Grade: S). Highly impressive, although for some reason (an unsolved mystery) I couldn't get some of my test tracks adequately loud even with Bravura's volume knob maxxed. I never heard any clipping or distortion, though. After that audition, I'd wanted to immediately A/B the Aperio, but was told that connecting my laptop to it would be problematic at that point, and to please return at end of day. That eventually came to pass very late on Sunday, and strangely enough, I had the same issue on the Aperio whereby it ran out of gain well before I achieved adequate (75 dB, perhaps) volume on some of my test tracks. I inquired whether a gain setting might be on "low", but was told not, so I simply focused on tracks which did get loud enough to properly assess.
The Aperio is highly-resolving with excellent timbre, but doesn't have a "classic" estat sound signature, to my ear. Soundstage size, while not massive, is above-average, and imaging is very solid and precise. While its overall presentation wasn't as spectacular as the Sennheiser HE-1's (but then, what is?), it was impossible for me to find fault with any aspect of Aperio's performance. The fly in the ointment is that it didn't technically surpass what I heard from the Bravura by any significant margin. I found the two systems to be pretty similar in overall presentation, a judgment I admittedly reached under clearly suboptimal conditions. The scuttlebutt is that Aperio can play louder than Bravura before clipping, so perhaps that's a differentiator for some prospective purchasers. I'd need to sort out the (lack of) volume mystery before I'd consider buying either, but from what I heard, Bravura is the clear choice when value is factored in. YMMV, of course. - Aperio BS Grade: S(+)
As an aside, I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Warwick rep Martin Roberts about the development history of these headphones, and about a few people I used to work with at SONY who subsequently joined Warwick Acoustics. Congrats to the company on a very fine showing, and continued success to all involved!
HeadAmp CFA3 Headphone Amp
This was literally the last thing I heard at the show, despite several previous attempts over both days. It's an amp with a cult-like following, and one that's reputed to make the Susvara sing. HeadAmp actually had two CFA3s at the end of a long table, both driven off a single (unknown to me) DAC. One of the amps had the look of a production unit, while the other featured a plexiglass case (see photo below), and (I believe) had some minor electronic mods relative to the first. Someone was listening to the Tungsten D/S on the "stock" CFA3, so I slipped on a free Susvara connected to the "plexi" amp. My ears were greeted with Electric Relaxation by A Tribe Called Quest, in mid-song. Instant amazement at the powerful, liquid, spacious sound and fulsome, seemingly bottomless bass. This track had so much presence and life, I impulsively played Award Tour from the same album when it was over, followed by Comin' After You by MC Ren. CFA3/Susvara was absolute magic with classic rap tracks, and time was running short, so I punted on sampling other genres and just went with the flow.
A couple minutes after I arrived, the guy listening to the Tungsten D/S left, so I revisited it (the same music was playing from both CFA3s) with a quick swap. The Tungsten's bass was more satisfying from the CFA3 than it had been on the MASS-Kobo or Viva amps, but it still noticeably lagged Susvara's in terms of fullness and sustain. I also couldn't resist quickly checking out the Valkyria with rap music. Epic fail, as expected. I wish I could have experienced the CFA3 earlier in the show, and had more time to explore it with a range of genres. Nonetheless, I heard enough to confirm its stellar synergy with Susvara. - CFA3 BS grade: S
Random note: I was quite interested in auditioning the Zaehl HM1 amp (with my Susvara), but it was never readily available, and I wasn't interested enough to waste time waiting. Maybe next time...
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CanJam NYC Previously-Auditioned Equipment Recap w/BS Grades
Audio-Technica NARUKAMI (w/Susvara) - BS Grade: S+ (S++ with acoustic jazz)
Austrian Audio Composer - BS Grade: A
Dan Clark Audio E3 - BS Grade: S-
Feliks-Audio Envy 25th Anniversary (w/Susvara) - BS Grade: S+
MASS-Kobo 465 - BS Grade: A+ (possibly S, but I'm grading on a cost curve in this case)
Meze Empyrean II - BS Grade: A+
Questyle M15 Dongle DAC - BS Grade: A+
Raal 1995 Magna - BS Grade: S+
Raal 1995 Immanis - BS Grade: S+(+)
Sennheiser HE-1 - BS Grade: S++
(NOTE: ZMF grades are especially tricky/nebulous due to wood/pad/amp variation)
ZMF Caldera - BS Grade: A+
ZMF Atrium Closed - BS Grade: A
ZMF Caldera Closed - BS Grade: A-
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CanJam NYC Epilogue - (Sunday night / Monday)
A couple weeks before the show, I realized that it made a ton of sense to stay in NYC on Sunday night, as opposed to flying back to California in a complete state of exhaustion. The Marriott wouldn't offer me the show discount for Sunday night at that point, and being somewhat miserly, I booked a room a couple blocks away at Hotel Scherman for less than half the price. While not offering the vast amenities or spacious rooms of the Marriott, the Scherman was clean and characterful (see photo, below), and included a decent breakfast to boot. I can recommend it to future CanJam goers on a budget! As a bonus, it's almost directly across the street from Becco, a sensational restaurant destination for any (Italian) food lover.
As soon as CanJam ended, I fetched my two suitcases from the Marriott bell desk, and walked down 46th Street to Hotel Scherman. Check in was speedy, whereupon I promptly went up a flight to my room and crashed out until 9pm! Feeling refreshed, and hungry, I headed next door to a grand, old, Irish-themed bar (Tito Murphy's) and ordered carne asada tacos and a Blue Moon wheat beer on tap, both of which really hit the spot!
I had contacted forum legend @goldwerger (Eyal) about possibly meeting for lunch on Monday, and for some unknown reason (probably because he'd never met me in person!), he agreed to it.
After a wet, overcast weekend, Monday was bright and sunny, albeit quite cool and breezy. Since I had packed a thick parka and gloves, and also hadn't had any exercise in several days, I opted to walk the three miles and change from my hotel to the bagel joint. I headed up Broadway, past the old theater where Stephen Colbert does his show, through Columbus Circle and into Central Park. Heading east initially, I had a great view of the impossibly thin residential skyscrapers along Billionaires' Row. I turned northward for a lengthy stretch as a constant stream of joggers, cyclists, and horse-drawn carriages passed me by. I exited the park at 79th St. and then headed up Madison Ave. to 86th. Several long blocks later, I arrived at the bagel shop exactly at noon. Eyal was already there, and had snagged a table in the back. We both ordered bagels with lox, plus an OJ, at the counter, returned to the table, and then proceeded to yak, mostly about audio, for the better part of two hours. Eyal is a very interesting guy, true mensch, and great conversationalist, and having lunch with him was a definite CanJam highlight for me, along with my HE-1 and NARUKAMI auditions. The lunch was probably the best of the lot, as no one came by and told us to leave after ten or twenty minutes!
After Eyal and I said farewell, I walked leisurely back down Park Ave., gawking at the myriad stately, old apartment buildings whilst imagining moneyed socialites holding countless lavish soirees therein, dating back to the Jazz Age and beyond. After awhile, Park Ave. terminates at the MetLife building, so I took the stairs underground through the awe-inspiring Grand Central Terminal and then back out onto 42nd Street. From there, I headed west over to the New York Public Library and neighboring Bryant Park, where major construction of some sort was in progress. It was then a short hop back to Hotel Scherman to fetch my luggage and summon a Lyft to JFK. Even though it wasn't yet 3:30 PM, it took a full 90 minutes to get over to JFK airport. Just a heads up for anyone planning a weekday return in the future!
Final thoughts: In searching for a word to sum up this CanJam, I was torn between epic and blockbuster, so let's call it an epic blockbuster... in IMAX!! Ever since CanJam LA moved from downtown to Orange County, NYC is my undisputed favorite CJ venue! And this CanJam featured far more high-end (and otherwise) equipment than any I'd previously attended. The amount of amazing personal audio gear available today at all price levels is unprecedented, and we should be very grateful to all of the passionate people who've toiled to make it happen. Thanks also to all of the CanJam organizers for putting on these splendid events!
And that, mercifully for all of us, is...
THE END
Was great to finally meet up Jason. What a wondeful way to unwind after the show with good company and great conversastion. See you soon!
(whoever the legend may be, I'm its mere doppelganger..)