CanJam New York 2025 Impressions Thread (February 22-23, 2025)

[Audio Addict]

That was one of the best audio experiences of my life and ive been going a few years.

The show blew the past years out the water with the line up

The new Abyss 1266 pads suede and Hybrid made it the shows best performer this year in my opinion

JOAL was a close second and tried the Abyss Hybrid pads with them.

@DUNU-Topsound Arashi was brilliant beyond words. This is the best headphone for the value by a long shot. Brilliant bass that doesn't bleed.

Until i can afford the abyss ill be purchasing the Arashi i went back to it 7 times today at DUNU

Do do you think the dcs Lina and B-21 set up were a contributing factor to the 1266's performance?

 

[Rockwell75]

My favorite eartip. The Crystal. Just bought some 2's and some Crystal TWS (they were rec'd). Absolutely brilliant tip. The Divinus Wild Boars are right behind it along with the Spinfit CP100+.

Crystals are my favorite too and pretty much the only tip I've used for years. I demo'd the 2s this weekend and just ordered a few pairs on Amazon today.

 

[domq422]

I just wanted to say thank you for all the love I’ve gotten on my impressions post - you guys are great

@Rockwell75 I too love the crystals - how’d you like the 2? I found them to smoothen out the upper frequencies a bit

 

[hop ham]

Every year CanJam is a blast.

I left with one thing, Hercules Moses. I was at the Hercules Audio table throughout day1 - it was empty most times I walked by. I listened to Moses early in the morning with fresh ears. Nothing immediately stuck out at me but I could clearly hear how capable it was, and I was intrigued to hear more. It started to click with my ears and I gave it almost 10 more songs before forcing myself to get up. 3 more trips to Hercules table later, I spent around 2 total hours listening using 3 different cables and different tips. It’s good.

My next favorite was Macbeth but I liked Forte Ears prototype (but when using Eletech 8 wire Ricardo had which he said is also not being sold now/yet) almost at the same level but they are totally different. I was glued to Macbeth on EA4 tube amp, maxed out tubeiness setting.

Fei Wan surprisingly remains near the top of my list. These were stuck in my ears last CanJam so this time it was like returning to a familiar place, less excitement but more respect after a year of hearing so many others. Last CanJam it was the Fei Wan and Canper 622B that I kept coming back to, and I still don’t have either.

I was aware of all the Legion talk on Saturday and I had every intention to listen to it Sunday but every time I came by people were there. Its ok though, I’m glad I was able to share my Artha love with Aries from Flipears on Saturday.

I brought my Astrolith with Nadia cable so that I could try the EA4 tube amp with something familiar, connected to DX340. Astroliths sort of took a back seat in recent months and I was reminded of its greatness but now improved, again. It was a surprise to me how EA4 seemed to open it up in places I had issues with - namely its stage has this extreme verticalness but with limited width, might just be me but I hear this clearly on some tracks. EA4 said No problem, I got you, and take this too. EA4 was really great with all the IEMs I hooked up. I would say 2 clear notches above my now lowly Cayin C9.

I will share some quick impressions with disappointing pictures tomorrow or later this week. Many IEMs I only got a few quick minutes with so won’t have much to say. My ears got tired as the days went on and my ability/will to jot notes waned. I was able to get to the UM Mest Jet Black, UM Maven 2 Crescent, Dita Mecha, AME Mousa, Alpha Omega Omega, Fei Wan, Macbeth, Noble Viking Ragnar, Noble Chronicle, QDC Emperor, Eletech Euclid and Aristotle on my Clara, FlashAcoustics Ultron on my Anni 21, Vortex Eddie Squared on my Anni 21, Abyss Diana DZ, Dunu Arashi, Dunu’s CD Player.

One thing I left happy about late Sunday…nothing beat the Valhalla with Penon Totem Ultra cable I had waiting at home, but Moses is trying to make its case now.

There’s always one story I leave with every CanJam. If you care…

Funny story about the Fugaku. Andrew’s team from Musicteck had it available while I was waiting for round 2 (or round 3?) of the Macbeth. I looked at Andrew with a serious face and asked if he thinks I should try it. Without pause he didn’t laugh and just said No. He knows me and was looking out - appreciate it brother…but apparently I found myself hooking it to my DX340 and popped the right side in. Before I could get the left side in, Johnathan behind the Musicteck table was wrapping up an IEM directly in front of me. I never met him in person but saw his videos and I know he can be found at the watercooler. I told him how his video of the Artha convinced me to buy it and then naturally we started chatting about the Artha and how great it was. This is a special IEM to me and I was not expecting the lasting effect its had. It’s my addicting IEM. I find myself listening to a beautiful vocal or pianos on another IEM and start scratching my neck thinking what it would sound like on Artha. Then Johnathan invited me to take a few steps over to Flipears booth to meet and talk with the man himself Aries. It was awesome being able to share my feelings of the Artha with him and for Johnathan to know that he needs to continue sharing his thoughts on gear. Back to the Fagaku…when I sat back down at Musicteck I already assumed Fugaku was no longer connected to my DX340 and waiting for me. The fellow next to me who watched my stuff while I was at up had it. I told him to keep listening, and I was somehow relieved. Maybe next time, Fugaku.

 

[Audioenophile]

Have enough people shared their impressions by now or are you all looking for more? I just got home last night and haven't had time until now to share much. Happy to share MORE notes on some of these, but I did listen to 24 IEMs on Sat and 17 on Sun, so the list of notes is long!

Clearly I was focused on IEMs. That's all I'm really interested in at this time. I can't believe I missed a few key ones, including Macbeth and Duo!

Here's what I heard:
SATURDAY:
Storm - The GOAT - massive soundstage, stunning detail, tight ass bass, most beautiful mids of all, slams hard and goes deep - listened to this first and last, to have a reference
Jewel - LOVE - juicy, delicious vocals, stunning; sub bass more pillowy than Storm
Fei Wan - LOVE - vocals are angelic, highs float in the air, more bass and tighter than Jewel
Apostle - GREAT - less detail in the highs than Anni 23, beautiful vocals, tight bass, less sub bass than Anni
Canpur CP622B - GREAT- more sub bass than all above IEMs, thick & full, beautiful technicalities, vocals full and forward, beautiful harmonics
Mousa - FUN -Too big, but damn! That bass! Huge bass. Tight.
Maven II - GREAT - Huge soundstage, gorgeous vocals, highs are a touch too bright, super detailed
Multiverse Mentor - BEAUTIFUL- also bright, but super detailed, silky sweet vocals, bass slams hard and tight, bigger stage than Maven II
Amber Pearl - GORGEOUS - Sweeter mids, more angelic vocals, stunning highs, super spacious and airy
Fugaku - GOAT RUNNER UP - Enormous stage! Realistic, super airy, balanced top to bottom, super tight, clean bass, slams hard (best I've heard), super crisp/detained highs (I have tons of notes for this)
Raven - NOT SURE - The most ridiculously large IEM I've tried, sounds fantastic despite poor fit
Traillii - GORGEOUS - more sub than mid bass, missing some tight bass compared to others, very pretty, realistic mids and highs, great harmonics, spacious
Encephalorrhagia - LOVE - Wow, insanely good bass, huge, wide open stage, beautiful, forward, silky female vocals, airy/detailed highs
Quill Satin - STUNNER - 2nd fav of the day - stunning, crystal clear detailed highs, deep/powerful top to bottom, bass strums have note decay for days, huge/tight bass
Alpha Omega Fulgrim - BEAUTIFUL - amazing harmonics & note decay, large stage, rich, boomy bass, thicker than Storm, mid bass bleeds a little
Valhalla - LOVE - Thick sub and mid bass (bleeds a little), lacks clarity of Storm, Satin & Anni, wide soundstage, gorgeous harmonics, organic guitar and double bass strums
V16 - FUN - Thick & meaty, powerful, bassy IEM, smaller stage than Valhalla, pretty highs, less clarity than Valhalla, female vocals meatier and fuller
Origin - FUN - Very thick and boomy, nice detailed highs and mids
Monarch MKII - LOVE - highs have lots of air, lots of note decay, voices sound natural, balanced top to bottom, wide open stage, slightly bass light
Trifecta - FUN - Big, almost boomy bass, instruments have nice harmonics, big stage but not massive, want more detail in highs, upper mids & highs a bit neutered
Clara - FUN - Thick, boomy, bassy IEM, bass bleeds into mids (I got interrupted while listening to this one)
7th Acoustics Supernova - LOVE - Lovely & musical, juicy midrange, full, but not thick, horns & piano sound full, stunning harmonics, plenty of subtle detail, great for jazz
7th Acoustics Prototype - LOVE - high notes float in the air, double bass is big, full & organic, more extended highs than Supernova, better detail, super tight bass slams!
Icelabs Prismatica - LOVE - big open stage, tight, but not big bass, nice guitar note weight & decay, voices are rich, silky & forward, upper mids maybe neutered a bit

SUNDAY
Anole VX - STUNNING - crystal clear, sparkly highs, clean bass precise guitar & double bass notes, stunningly beautiful presentation of music, not bass heavy, but enough
Anole V14 - LOVE - brighter than VX, less sub bass w/cleaner and tighter bass, upper mids more forward, vocals rich & silky, horns lush & organic, string note decay for days! Salsa sounds incredible!
Emperor - GREAT - brighter, super forward upper mids & treble, bass is tight as tight can be, piano notes flutter into thin air, gorgeous string harmonics & note decay
Empress - GREAT - bright, forward upper mids, bass guitar on The Cure's Primary sounds incredible, but upper mids are bright, liquid female vocals, stunning harmonics
Rhapsodio Supreme V3 - TOO BIG - tight bass, big & powerful, thick
U12t - GREAT - nice wide stage & note separation, great bass, nice treble extension, piano notes bright, not enough note decay with chimes (want more)
Fourte - GREAT - super bright & airy, enormous stage, super extended decay with chimes, tight bass, recessed mids, but don't miss them because it's just great sounding
Solo - GREAT - full, rounded presentation, beautiful sparkly highs with lots of decay, semi bright, jazz sounds great and horns never painful
Neo - FUN - bassy, but not too bloated, rich, very full bodied harmonics, thick bass, yet somehow still has sparkly highs
Volur - GREAT - Clear, sparkly highs w/good extension, cleaner/tighter bass, jazz horns bright & forward, better extension in highs than U12t w/ thicker vocals & bass guitar
Singularity - FUN - very big bass, thick, rich, addictive, tighter than Neo, rich & honeyed vocals, very pretty harmonics w/guitar, bass & piano, jazz horns not too forward
Duality (neutral) - STUNNING - Holy cow! stunning chime extension & decay, addictive bass, thick honeyed female vocals, killer double bass notes! Horns rich, full, natural, timbales & congas sound incredible
Symphonium Giant - LOVE - slightly bright, bass guitar sounds awesome, jazz horns a bit in face, great note separation, big stage, some of the cleanest powerful bass I've heard, breathy vocals
Odin - LOVE - wide open stage, nice note extension in highs, but not enough decay, tight/clean/nicely textured bass, jazz horns & piano are bright, guitar notes have nice weight and decay, very musical, nice dynamics, beautiful harmonics
Legion - LOVE - wow, this blew my mind, rich, full bodied, never thick, crystal clear top to bottom, airy vocals, super extended upper mids & treble w/l nice weight & long decay, silky smooth, warm, liquidy honey. Love this one! That EarQuake BC driver is something special! With salsa - timbales & congas, holy cow!
Artha Argentum - GREAT - a bit thick & boomy, voices rich, silky, forward & breathy, guitar big & bold, beautiful harmonics, a touch bright, but nice air & separation
APX SE (personal demo) STUNNING - big, rich, bold & powerful low end, not as tight as Storm, lots of extension in lower mids, massive stage, incredible note extension top to bottom, double bass strums feel massive, full, harmonic & super extended, guitar plucks have that special sauce

Just two amps:
Cayin C9II (loved)
L&P EA4 (blew my mind)

Sorry for any typos. Gotta go eat dinner finally!

 

[jwilliamhurst]

Have enough people shared their impressions by now or are you all looking for more? I just got home last night and haven't had time until now to share much. Happy to share MORE notes on some of these, but I did listen to 24 IEMs on Sat and 17 on Sun, so the list of notes is long!

Clearly I was focused on IEMs. That's all I'm really interested in at this time. I can't believe I missed a few key ones, including Macbeth and Duo!

Here's what I heard:
SATURDAY:
Storm - The GOAT - massive soundstage, stunning detail, tight ass bass, most beautiful mids of all, slams hard and goes deep - listened to this first and last, to have a reference
Jewel - LOVE - juicy, delicious vocals, stunning; sub bass more pillowy than Storm
Fei Wan - LOVE - vocals are angelic, highs float in the air, more bass and tighter than Jewel
Apostle - GREAT - less detail in the highs than Anni 23, beautiful vocals, tight bass, less sub bass than Anni
Canpur CP622B - GREAT- more sub bass than all above IEMs, thick & full, beautiful technicalities, vocals full and forward, beautiful harmonics
Mousa - FUN -Too big, but damn! That bass! Huge bass. Tight.
Maven II - GREAT - Huge soundstage, gorgeous vocals, highs are a touch too bright, super detailed
Multiverse Mentor - BEAUTIFUL- also bright, but super detailed, silky sweet vocals, bass slams hard and tight, bigger stage than Maven II
Amber Pearl - GORGEOUS - Sweeter mids, more angelic vocals, stunning highs, super spacious and airy
Fugaku - GOAT RUNNER UP - Enormous stage! Realistic, super airy, balanced top to bottom, super tight, clean bass, slams hard (best I've heard), super crisp/detained highs (I have tons of notes for this)
Raven - NOT SURE - The most ridiculously large IEM I've tried, sounds fantastic despite poor fit
Traillii - GORGEOUS - more sub than mid bass, missing some tight bass compared to others, very pretty, realistic mids and highs, great harmonics, spacious
Encephalorrhagia - LOVE - Wow, insanely good bass, huge, wide open stage, beautiful, forward, silky female vocals, airy/detailed highs
Quill Satin - STUNNER - 2nd fav of the day - stunning, crystal clear detailed highs, deep/powerful top to bottom, bass strums have note decay for days, huge/tight bass
Alpha Omega Fulgrim - BEAUTIFUL - amazing harmonics & note decay, large stage, rich, boomy bass, thicker than Storm, mid bass bleeds a little
Valhalla - LOVE - Thick sub and mid bass (bleeds a little), lacks clarity of Storm, Satin & Anni, wide soundstage, gorgeous harmonics, organic guitar and double bass strums
V16 - FUN - Thick & meaty, powerful, bassy IEM, smaller stage than Valhalla, pretty highs, less clarity than Valhalla, female vocals meatier and fuller
Origin - FUN - Very thick and boomy, nice detailed highs and mids
Monarch MKII - LOVE - highs have lots of air, lots of note decay, voices sound natural, balanced top to bottom, wide open stage, slightly bass light
Trifecta - FUN - Big, almost boomy bass, instruments have nice harmonics, big stage but not massive, want more detail in highs, upper mids & highs a bit neutered
Clara - FUN - Thick, boomy, bassy IEM, bass bleeds into mids (I got interrupted while listening to this one)
7th Acoustics Supernova - LOVE - Lovely & musical, juicy midrange, full, but not thick, horns & piano sound full, stunning harmonics, plenty of subtle detail, great for jazz
7th Acoustics Prototype - LOVE - high notes float in the air, double bass is big, full & organic, more extended highs than Supernova, better detail, super tight bass slams!
Icelabs Prismatica - LOVE - big open stage, tight, but not big bass, nice guitar note weight & decay, voices are rich, silky & forward, upper mids maybe neutered a bit

SUNDAY
Anole VX - STUNNING - crystal clear, sparkly highs, clean bass precise guitar & double bass notes, stunningly beautiful presentation of music, not bass heavy, but enough
Anole V14 - LOVE - brighter than VX, less sub bass w/cleaner and tighter bass, upper mids more forward, vocals rich & silky, horns lush & organic, string note decay for days! Salsa sounds incredible!
Emperor - GREAT - brighter, super forward upper mids & treble, bass is tight as tight can be, piano notes flutter into thin air, gorgeous string harmonics & note decay
Empress - GREAT - bright, forward upper mids, bass guitar on The Cure's Primary sounds incredible, but upper mids are bright, liquid female vocals, stunning harmonics
Rhapsodio Supreme V3 - TOO BIG - tight bass, big & powerful, thick
U12t - GREAT - nice wide stage & note separation, great bass, nice treble extension, piano notes bright, not enough note decay with chimes (want more)
Fourte - GREAT - super bright & airy, enormous stage, super extended decay with chimes, tight bass, recessed mids, but don't miss them because it's just great sounding
Solo - GREAT - full, rounded presentation, beautiful sparkly highs with lots of decay, semi bright, jazz sounds great and horns never painful
Neo - FUN - bassy, but not too bloated, rich, very full bodied harmonics, thick bass, yet somehow still has sparkly highs
Volur - GREAT - Clear, sparkly highs w/good extension, cleaner/tighter bass, jazz horns bright & forward, better extension in highs than U12t w/ thicker vocals & bass guitar
Singularity - FUN - very big bass, thick, rich, addictive, tighter than Neo, rich & honeyed vocals, very pretty harmonics w/guitar, bass & piano, jazz horns not too forward
Duality (neutral) - STUNNING - Holy cow! stunning chime extension & decay, addictive bass, thick honeyed female vocals, killer double bass notes! Horns rich, full, natural, timbales & congas sound incredible
Symphonium Giant - LOVE - slightly bright, bass guitar sounds awesome, jazz horns a bit in face, great note separation, big stage, some of the cleanest powerful bass I've heard, breathy vocals
Odin - LOVE - wide open stage, nice note extension in highs, but not enough decay, tight/clean/nicely textured bass, jazz horns & piano are bright, guitar notes have nice weight and decay, very musical, nice dynamics, beautiful harmonics
Legion - LOVE - wow, this blew my mind, rich, full bodied, never thick, crystal clear top to bottom, airy vocals, super extended upper mids & treble w/l nice weight & long decay, silky smooth, warm, liquidy honey. Love this one! That EarQuake BC driver is something special! With salsa - timbales & congas, holy cow!
Artha Argentum - GREAT - a bit thick & boomy, voices rich, silky, forward & breathy, guitar big & bold, beautiful harmonics, a touch bright, but nice air & separation
APX SE (personal demo) STUNNING - big, rich, bold & powerful low end, not as tight as Storm, lots of extension in lower mids, massive stage, incredible note extension top to bottom, double bass strums feel massive, full, harmonic & super extended, guitar plucks have that special sauce

Just two amps:
Cayin C9II (loved)
L&P EA4 (blew my mind)

Sorry for any typos. Gotta go eat dinner finally!

Thank you for this amazing post of impressions.

These are my favorite type, as its fast paced easy to read and comprehend and get a feel for what you enjoy.

I would personally love to read your extended notes on Fugaku and if you have more on Quill Satin.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Have enough people shared their impressions by now or are you all looking for more? I just got home last night and haven't had time until now to share much. Happy to share MORE notes on some of these, but I did listen to 24 IEMs on Sat and 17 on Sun, so the list of notes is long!

Clearly I was focused on IEMs. That's all I'm really interested in at this time. I can't believe I missed a few key ones, including Macbeth and Duo!

Here's what I heard:
SATURDAY:
Storm - The GOAT - massive soundstage, stunning detail, tight ass bass, most beautiful mids of all, slams hard and goes deep - listened to this first and last, to have a reference
Jewel - LOVE - juicy, delicious vocals, stunning; sub bass more pillowy than Storm
Fei Wan - LOVE - vocals are angelic, highs float in the air, more bass and tighter than Jewel
Apostle - GREAT - less detail in the highs than Anni 23, beautiful vocals, tight bass, less sub bass than Anni
Canpur CP622B - GREAT- more sub bass than all above IEMs, thick & full, beautiful technicalities, vocals full and forward, beautiful harmonics
Mousa - FUN -Too big, but damn! That bass! Huge bass. Tight.
Maven II - GREAT - Huge soundstage, gorgeous vocals, highs are a touch too bright, super detailed
Multiverse Mentor - BEAUTIFUL- also bright, but super detailed, silky sweet vocals, bass slams hard and tight, bigger stage than Maven II
Amber Pearl - GORGEOUS - Sweeter mids, more angelic vocals, stunning highs, super spacious and airy
Fugaku - GOAT RUNNER UP - Enormous stage! Realistic, super airy, balanced top to bottom, super tight, clean bass, slams hard (best I've heard), super crisp/detained highs (I have tons of notes for this)
Raven - NOT SURE - The most ridiculously large IEM I've tried, sounds fantastic despite poor fit
Traillii - GORGEOUS - more sub than mid bass, missing some tight bass compared to others, very pretty, realistic mids and highs, great harmonics, spacious
Encephalorrhagia - LOVE - Wow, insanely good bass, huge, wide open stage, beautiful, forward, silky female vocals, airy/detailed highs
Quill Satin - STUNNER - 2nd fav of the day - stunning, crystal clear detailed highs, deep/powerful top to bottom, bass strums have note decay for days, huge/tight bass
Alpha Omega Fulgrim - BEAUTIFUL - amazing harmonics & note decay, large stage, rich, boomy bass, thicker than Storm, mid bass bleeds a little
Valhalla - LOVE - Thick sub and mid bass (bleeds a little), lacks clarity of Storm, Satin & Anni, wide soundstage, gorgeous harmonics, organic guitar and double bass strums
V16 - FUN - Thick & meaty, powerful, bassy IEM, smaller stage than Valhalla, pretty highs, less clarity than Valhalla, female vocals meatier and fuller
Origin - FUN - Very thick and boomy, nice detailed highs and mids
Monarch MKII - LOVE - highs have lots of air, lots of note decay, voices sound natural, balanced top to bottom, wide open stage, slightly bass light
Trifecta - FUN - Big, almost boomy bass, instruments have nice harmonics, big stage but not massive, want more detail in highs, upper mids & highs a bit neutered
Clara - FUN - Thick, boomy, bassy IEM, bass bleeds into mids (I got interrupted while listening to this one)
7th Acoustics Supernova - LOVE - Lovely & musical, juicy midrange, full, but not thick, horns & piano sound full, stunning harmonics, plenty of subtle detail, great for jazz
7th Acoustics Prototype - LOVE - high notes float in the air, double bass is big, full & organic, more extended highs than Supernova, better detail, super tight bass slams!
Icelabs Prismatica - LOVE - big open stage, tight, but not big bass, nice guitar note weight & decay, voices are rich, silky & forward, upper mids maybe neutered a bit

SUNDAY
Anole VX - STUNNING - crystal clear, sparkly highs, clean bass precise guitar & double bass notes, stunningly beautiful presentation of music, not bass heavy, but enough
Anole V14 - LOVE - brighter than VX, less sub bass w/cleaner and tighter bass, upper mids more forward, vocals rich & silky, horns lush & organic, string note decay for days! Salsa sounds incredible!
Emperor - GREAT - brighter, super forward upper mids & treble, bass is tight as tight can be, piano notes flutter into thin air, gorgeous string harmonics & note decay
Empress - GREAT - bright, forward upper mids, bass guitar on The Cure's Primary sounds incredible, but upper mids are bright, liquid female vocals, stunning harmonics
Rhapsodio Supreme V3 - TOO BIG - tight bass, big & powerful, thick
U12t - GREAT - nice wide stage & note separation, great bass, nice treble extension, piano notes bright, not enough note decay with chimes (want more)
Fourte - GREAT - super bright & airy, enormous stage, super extended decay with chimes, tight bass, recessed mids, but don't miss them because it's just great sounding
Solo - GREAT - full, rounded presentation, beautiful sparkly highs with lots of decay, semi bright, jazz sounds great and horns never painful
Neo - FUN - bassy, but not too bloated, rich, very full bodied harmonics, thick bass, yet somehow still has sparkly highs
Volur - GREAT - Clear, sparkly highs w/good extension, cleaner/tighter bass, jazz horns bright & forward, better extension in highs than U12t w/ thicker vocals & bass guitar
Singularity - FUN - very big bass, thick, rich, addictive, tighter than Neo, rich & honeyed vocals, very pretty harmonics w/guitar, bass & piano, jazz horns not too forward
Duality (neutral) - STUNNING - Holy cow! stunning chime extension & decay, addictive bass, thick honeyed female vocals, killer double bass notes! Horns rich, full, natural, timbales & congas sound incredible
Symphonium Giant - LOVE - slightly bright, bass guitar sounds awesome, jazz horns a bit in face, great note separation, big stage, some of the cleanest powerful bass I've heard, breathy vocals
Odin - LOVE - wide open stage, nice note extension in highs, but not enough decay, tight/clean/nicely textured bass, jazz horns & piano are bright, guitar notes have nice weight and decay, very musical, nice dynamics, beautiful harmonics
Legion - LOVE - wow, this blew my mind, rich, full bodied, never thick, crystal clear top to bottom, airy vocals, super extended upper mids & treble w/l nice weight & long decay, silky smooth, warm, liquidy honey. Love this one! That EarQuake BC driver is something special! With salsa - timbales & congas, holy cow!
Artha Argentum - GREAT - a bit thick & boomy, voices rich, silky, forward & breathy, guitar big & bold, beautiful harmonics, a touch bright, but nice air & separation
APX SE (personal demo) STUNNING - big, rich, bold & powerful low end, not as tight as Storm, lots of extension in lower mids, massive stage, incredible note extension top to bottom, double bass strums feel massive, full, harmonic & super extended, guitar plucks have that special sauce

Just two amps:
Cayin C9II (loved)
L&P EA4 (blew my mind)

Sorry for any typos. Gotta go eat dinner finally!

Excellent run down my friend! Enjoyed this very much. Can you post this as well in the Musicopia thread? I think it's important to add there? Thanks!

I got the Legion coming in for review, but you're convincing me I need to make it my next big purchase!

 

[domq422]

Have enough people shared their impressions by now or are you all looking for more? I just got home last night and haven't had time until now to share much. Happy to share MORE notes on some of these, but I did listen to 24 IEMs on Sat and 17 on Sun, so the list of notes is long!

Clearly I was focused on IEMs. That's all I'm really interested in at this time. I can't believe I missed a few key ones, including Macbeth and Duo!

Here's what I heard:
SATURDAY:
Storm - The GOAT - massive soundstage, stunning detail, tight ass bass, most beautiful mids of all, slams hard and goes deep - listened to this first and last, to have a reference
Jewel - LOVE - juicy, delicious vocals, stunning; sub bass more pillowy than Storm
Fei Wan - LOVE - vocals are angelic, highs float in the air, more bass and tighter than Jewel
Apostle - GREAT - less detail in the highs than Anni 23, beautiful vocals, tight bass, less sub bass than Anni
Canpur CP622B - GREAT- more sub bass than all above IEMs, thick & full, beautiful technicalities, vocals full and forward, beautiful harmonics
Mousa - FUN -Too big, but damn! That bass! Huge bass. Tight.
Maven II - GREAT - Huge soundstage, gorgeous vocals, highs are a touch too bright, super detailed
Multiverse Mentor - BEAUTIFUL- also bright, but super detailed, silky sweet vocals, bass slams hard and tight, bigger stage than Maven II
Amber Pearl - GORGEOUS - Sweeter mids, more angelic vocals, stunning highs, super spacious and airy
Fugaku - GOAT RUNNER UP - Enormous stage! Realistic, super airy, balanced top to bottom, super tight, clean bass, slams hard (best I've heard), super crisp/detained highs (I have tons of notes for this)
Raven - NOT SURE - The most ridiculously large IEM I've tried, sounds fantastic despite poor fit
Traillii - GORGEOUS - more sub than mid bass, missing some tight bass compared to others, very pretty, realistic mids and highs, great harmonics, spacious
Encephalorrhagia - LOVE - Wow, insanely good bass, huge, wide open stage, beautiful, forward, silky female vocals, airy/detailed highs
Quill Satin - STUNNER - 2nd fav of the day - stunning, crystal clear detailed highs, deep/powerful top to bottom, bass strums have note decay for days, huge/tight bass
Alpha Omega Fulgrim - BEAUTIFUL - amazing harmonics & note decay, large stage, rich, boomy bass, thicker than Storm, mid bass bleeds a little
Valhalla - LOVE - Thick sub and mid bass (bleeds a little), lacks clarity of Storm, Satin & Anni, wide soundstage, gorgeous harmonics, organic guitar and double bass strums
V16 - FUN - Thick & meaty, powerful, bassy IEM, smaller stage than Valhalla, pretty highs, less clarity than Valhalla, female vocals meatier and fuller
Origin - FUN - Very thick and boomy, nice detailed highs and mids
Monarch MKII - LOVE - highs have lots of air, lots of note decay, voices sound natural, balanced top to bottom, wide open stage, slightly bass light
Trifecta - FUN - Big, almost boomy bass, instruments have nice harmonics, big stage but not massive, want more detail in highs, upper mids & highs a bit neutered
Clara - FUN - Thick, boomy, bassy IEM, bass bleeds into mids (I got interrupted while listening to this one)
7th Acoustics Supernova - LOVE - Lovely & musical, juicy midrange, full, but not thick, horns & piano sound full, stunning harmonics, plenty of subtle detail, great for jazz
7th Acoustics Prototype - LOVE - high notes float in the air, double bass is big, full & organic, more extended highs than Supernova, better detail, super tight bass slams!
Icelabs Prismatica - LOVE - big open stage, tight, but not big bass, nice guitar note weight & decay, voices are rich, silky & forward, upper mids maybe neutered a bit

SUNDAY
Anole VX - STUNNING - crystal clear, sparkly highs, clean bass precise guitar & double bass notes, stunningly beautiful presentation of music, not bass heavy, but enough
Anole V14 - LOVE - brighter than VX, less sub bass w/cleaner and tighter bass, upper mids more forward, vocals rich & silky, horns lush & organic, string note decay for days! Salsa sounds incredible!
Emperor - GREAT - brighter, super forward upper mids & treble, bass is tight as tight can be, piano notes flutter into thin air, gorgeous string harmonics & note decay
Empress - GREAT - bright, forward upper mids, bass guitar on The Cure's Primary sounds incredible, but upper mids are bright, liquid female vocals, stunning harmonics
Rhapsodio Supreme V3 - TOO BIG - tight bass, big & powerful, thick
U12t - GREAT - nice wide stage & note separation, great bass, nice treble extension, piano notes bright, not enough note decay with chimes (want more)
Fourte - GREAT - super bright & airy, enormous stage, super extended decay with chimes, tight bass, recessed mids, but don't miss them because it's just great sounding
Solo - GREAT - full, rounded presentation, beautiful sparkly highs with lots of decay, semi bright, jazz sounds great and horns never painful
Neo - FUN - bassy, but not too bloated, rich, very full bodied harmonics, thick bass, yet somehow still has sparkly highs
Volur - GREAT - Clear, sparkly highs w/good extension, cleaner/tighter bass, jazz horns bright & forward, better extension in highs than U12t w/ thicker vocals & bass guitar
Singularity - FUN - very big bass, thick, rich, addictive, tighter than Neo, rich & honeyed vocals, very pretty harmonics w/guitar, bass & piano, jazz horns not too forward
Duality (neutral) - STUNNING - Holy cow! stunning chime extension & decay, addictive bass, thick honeyed female vocals, killer double bass notes! Horns rich, full, natural, timbales & congas sound incredible
Symphonium Giant - LOVE - slightly bright, bass guitar sounds awesome, jazz horns a bit in face, great note separation, big stage, some of the cleanest powerful bass I've heard, breathy vocals
Odin - LOVE - wide open stage, nice note extension in highs, but not enough decay, tight/clean/nicely textured bass, jazz horns & piano are bright, guitar notes have nice weight and decay, very musical, nice dynamics, beautiful harmonics
Legion - LOVE - wow, this blew my mind, rich, full bodied, never thick, crystal clear top to bottom, airy vocals, super extended upper mids & treble w/l nice weight & long decay, silky smooth, warm, liquidy honey. Love this one! That EarQuake BC driver is something special! With salsa - timbales & congas, holy cow!
Artha Argentum - GREAT - a bit thick & boomy, voices rich, silky, forward & breathy, guitar big & bold, beautiful harmonics, a touch bright, but nice air & separation
APX SE (personal demo) STUNNING - big, rich, bold & powerful low end, not as tight as Storm, lots of extension in lower mids, massive stage, incredible note extension top to bottom, double bass strums feel massive, full, harmonic & super extended, guitar plucks have that special sauce

Just two amps:
Cayin C9II (loved)
L&P EA4 (blew my mind)

Sorry for any typos. Gotta go eat dinner finally!

What a fun read. Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[mRaaghava]

Have enough people shared their impressions by now or are you all looking for more? I just got home last night and haven't had time until now to share much. Happy to share MORE notes on some of these, but I did listen to 24 IEMs on Sat and 17 on Sun, so the list of notes is long!

Clearly I was focused on IEMs. That's all I'm really interested in at this time. I can't believe I missed a few key ones, including Macbeth and Duo!

Here's what I heard:
SATURDAY:
Storm - The GOAT - massive soundstage, stunning detail, tight ass bass, most beautiful mids of all, slams hard and goes deep - listened to this first and last, to have a reference
Jewel - LOVE - juicy, delicious vocals, stunning; sub bass more pillowy than Storm
Fei Wan - LOVE - vocals are angelic, highs float in the air, more bass and tighter than Jewel
Apostle - GREAT - less detail in the highs than Anni 23, beautiful vocals, tight bass, less sub bass than Anni
Canpur CP622B - GREAT- more sub bass than all above IEMs, thick & full, beautiful technicalities, vocals full and forward, beautiful harmonics
Mousa - FUN -Too big, but damn! That bass! Huge bass. Tight.
Maven II - GREAT - Huge soundstage, gorgeous vocals, highs are a touch too bright, super detailed
Multiverse Mentor - BEAUTIFUL- also bright, but super detailed, silky sweet vocals, bass slams hard and tight, bigger stage than Maven II
Amber Pearl - GORGEOUS - Sweeter mids, more angelic vocals, stunning highs, super spacious and airy
Fugaku - GOAT RUNNER UP - Enormous stage! Realistic, super airy, balanced top to bottom, super tight, clean bass, slams hard (best I've heard), super crisp/detained highs (I have tons of notes for this)
Raven - NOT SURE - The most ridiculously large IEM I've tried, sounds fantastic despite poor fit
Traillii - GORGEOUS - more sub than mid bass, missing some tight bass compared to others, very pretty, realistic mids and highs, great harmonics, spacious
Encephalorrhagia - LOVE - Wow, insanely good bass, huge, wide open stage, beautiful, forward, silky female vocals, airy/detailed highs
Quill Satin - STUNNER - 2nd fav of the day - stunning, crystal clear detailed highs, deep/powerful top to bottom, bass strums have note decay for days, huge/tight bass
Alpha Omega Fulgrim - BEAUTIFUL - amazing harmonics & note decay, large stage, rich, boomy bass, thicker than Storm, mid bass bleeds a little
Valhalla - LOVE - Thick sub and mid bass (bleeds a little), lacks clarity of Storm, Satin & Anni, wide soundstage, gorgeous harmonics, organic guitar and double bass strums
V16 - FUN - Thick & meaty, powerful, bassy IEM, smaller stage than Valhalla, pretty highs, less clarity than Valhalla, female vocals meatier and fuller
Origin - FUN - Very thick and boomy, nice detailed highs and mids
Monarch MKII - LOVE - highs have lots of air, lots of note decay, voices sound natural, balanced top to bottom, wide open stage, slightly bass light
Trifecta - FUN - Big, almost boomy bass, instruments have nice harmonics, big stage but not massive, want more detail in highs, upper mids & highs a bit neutered
Clara - FUN - Thick, boomy, bassy IEM, bass bleeds into mids (I got interrupted while listening to this one)
7th Acoustics Supernova - LOVE - Lovely & musical, juicy midrange, full, but not thick, horns & piano sound full, stunning harmonics, plenty of subtle detail, great for jazz
7th Acoustics Prototype - LOVE - high notes float in the air, double bass is big, full & organic, more extended highs than Supernova, better detail, super tight bass slams!
Icelabs Prismatica - LOVE - big open stage, tight, but not big bass, nice guitar note weight & decay, voices are rich, silky & forward, upper mids maybe neutered a bit

SUNDAY
Anole VX - STUNNING - crystal clear, sparkly highs, clean bass precise guitar & double bass notes, stunningly beautiful presentation of music, not bass heavy, but enough
Anole V14 - LOVE - brighter than VX, less sub bass w/cleaner and tighter bass, upper mids more forward, vocals rich & silky, horns lush & organic, string note decay for days! Salsa sounds incredible!
Emperor - GREAT - brighter, super forward upper mids & treble, bass is tight as tight can be, piano notes flutter into thin air, gorgeous string harmonics & note decay
Empress - GREAT - bright, forward upper mids, bass guitar on The Cure's Primary sounds incredible, but upper mids are bright, liquid female vocals, stunning harmonics
Rhapsodio Supreme V3 - TOO BIG - tight bass, big & powerful, thick
U12t - GREAT - nice wide stage & note separation, great bass, nice treble extension, piano notes bright, not enough note decay with chimes (want more)
Fourte - GREAT - super bright & airy, enormous stage, super extended decay with chimes, tight bass, recessed mids, but don't miss them because it's just great sounding
Solo - GREAT - full, rounded presentation, beautiful sparkly highs with lots of decay, semi bright, jazz sounds great and horns never painful
Neo - FUN - bassy, but not too bloated, rich, very full bodied harmonics, thick bass, yet somehow still has sparkly highs
Volur - GREAT - Clear, sparkly highs w/good extension, cleaner/tighter bass, jazz horns bright & forward, better extension in highs than U12t w/ thicker vocals & bass guitar
Singularity - FUN - very big bass, thick, rich, addictive, tighter than Neo, rich & honeyed vocals, very pretty harmonics w/guitar, bass & piano, jazz horns not too forward
Duality (neutral) - STUNNING - Holy cow! stunning chime extension & decay, addictive bass, thick honeyed female vocals, killer double bass notes! Horns rich, full, natural, timbales & congas sound incredible
Symphonium Giant - LOVE - slightly bright, bass guitar sounds awesome, jazz horns a bit in face, great note separation, big stage, some of the cleanest powerful bass I've heard, breathy vocals
Odin - LOVE - wide open stage, nice note extension in highs, but not enough decay, tight/clean/nicely textured bass, jazz horns & piano are bright, guitar notes have nice weight and decay, very musical, nice dynamics, beautiful harmonics
Legion - LOVE - wow, this blew my mind, rich, full bodied, never thick, crystal clear top to bottom, airy vocals, super extended upper mids & treble w/l nice weight & long decay, silky smooth, warm, liquidy honey. Love this one! That EarQuake BC driver is something special! With salsa - timbales & congas, holy cow!
Artha Argentum - GREAT - a bit thick & boomy, voices rich, silky, forward & breathy, guitar big & bold, beautiful harmonics, a touch bright, but nice air & separation
APX SE (personal demo) STUNNING - big, rich, bold & powerful low end, not as tight as Storm, lots of extension in lower mids, massive stage, incredible note extension top to bottom, double bass strums feel massive, full, harmonic & super extended, guitar plucks have that special sauce

Just two amps:
Cayin C9II (loved)
L&P EA4 (blew my mind)

Sorry for any typos. Gotta go eat dinner finally!

WOW! A perfect mix of quality and quantity. One of the best summaries I have ever read.

 

[Audioenophile]

Sweet! Thanks so much for the positive feedback on the summary. I had such a great time at CanJam!!!

I would personally love to read your extended notes on Fugaku and if you have more on Quill Satin.

Here you go:
Copied and pasted from my on the fly notes, so seriously forgive typos and grammar!

Brise Audio Fugaku:

Enormous stage! Realistic, super airy

Really beautiful and balanced from top to bottom

The bass is super deep, but perfectly tight and clean. Slams hard and with clean authority. Best I’ve heard.

Amazing dynamics

Super crisp and detailed highs

Tight bass with no bloom at all!

Holy crap! Listening to Xena by Skrillex, the bass is insanely good!

Billie Eilish’s voice sounds better than all of the above IEMs. Silky, smooth , angelic and realistic. The harmonizing sounds incredible and carried out into large space.

Aguanile-Willie Colon
hearing more timbales and congas sound than ever before

Bill Evans and Scott LeFaro sound realistic and incredible. Plucking of bass strums sound large and full with tons of low end and decay for days.

Rufus Wainwright and Brandie Carlile sound like they are live on stage. Lower bass notes strum super deep.

Instruments sound so amazing and realistic!

Quill Acoustics Satin:

This might be my winner of the day, at least with the Cayin c9II

Wow! This one gives the Storm and Annihilator a fight for beautiful highs, but improves upon soundstage and tighter bass compared to Anni.

The double bass strums sound absolutely stunning, full, deep and powerful, with decay for days!!!

This is a stunner!

So big and full, but highs are crystal clear and not fatiguing or bright.

Huge, tight bass, clean and powerful, with great dynamics.

Completely balanced

Love this one!

Can you post this as well in the Musicopia thread? I think it's important to add there? Thanks!

Will do, Thanks for the feedback! Excited to hear your thoughts on the Legion.

What a fun read. Thanks so much for sharing!

WOW! A perfect mix of quality and quantity. One of the best summaries I have ever read.

Thanks! I find that talking about audio isn’t so different from describing wine or food.

Glad it wasn’t too long.

 

[FreeWheelinAudioLuv2]

Crystals are my favorite too and pretty much the only tip I've used for years. I demo'd the 2s this weekend and just ordered a few pairs on Amazon today.

Yep. I bought so many, I overpurchased. lol I've got like 5 extra sets. I just got the TWS, but haven't really tried them out yet. I'll do it the next couple days.

 

[walajeremias]

what's new with campfire audio?

Jet black!

 

[bunnygal23]

Hey y'all! I wanted to pop in some of my impressions from the show. This was my 4th canjam but my second one in NYC! And since I'm local, I went both days. While I really like the Dallas shows because there are usually less people, the NYC show definitely has a LOT more to see so its really nice.

That being said, I thought this show was definitely the busiest I've seen it, especially on Saturday. The main floor was quite loud so I spent a lot of Saturday with my partner trying to find her a new set of iems, I didn't really demo any myself. I did more critical listening on Sunday when it was a little less busy.


Just like before, all my impressions should be taken with a lot of salt as I only spent 5 to 10 mins max on each headphone in a noisy show floor. Although I did go back for 2nd demos for a few. Since I have @Audio46 close by its not hard at all to demo headphones so I use these shows as a way to listen to new releases and gear that would be hard to demo locally. I did try different amps and sources with my Susvaras and 650's but it was so loud I'm really not confident about any sound impressions without a quiet A/B. I will comment on the build and feel though. One thing I really like about these shows is that its a great way to check build and comfort of different headphones.

For those wanting IEM impressions, I apologize but I'm not an iem person so I didn't really listen to any. However, my partner did and her top iems were the IO Volare, the CA Astrolith, and the Moondrop Blessing 3. She actually ended up ordering the Volare from @headphones.com.

Finally, I also want to point out that I tend to prefer neutral warm tunings with a slightly relaxed presentation, and I'm pretty sensitive to forward uppper mids and uneven treble so please take that into consideration. I was the girl taking a lot of notes with an orange notebook. It was really fun chatting with you guys!


Here are my impressions in no particular order, I will add in my highlights at the end.

Grell OAE1
This one was...interesting. I actually listened to them both days just because they sounded very different from what I was expecting. First off, I thought the build was very well done, it felt nice and solid in the hand with durable metal and good quality plastic parts, its also fully serviceable which is nice. Comfort was not the best as it has quite the clamp to it and I wish the pads were more compliant. Also if you have a larger head, this might not be the best as the headband adjustment is limited, aside from the clamp it did fit me just fine though. So for the sound, the first thing that stood out to me was the bass, it's quite prominent and gave instruments and male vocals especially a lot of depth and body. The soundstage presentation was also quite unique, I assume due to the angled drivers, things sounded very large and spacious albeit a little smeared and not as well delineated as I would like. I had my HD650's to A/B and tonality wise, it was quite colored and nowhere near as natural sounding as the 650. Still though, I thought they were kinda fun to listen to, I couldn't help think of how fun these might be for gaming or listening to OST's. Side note but Axel Grell was there and as someone who loves the 6xx series, it was pretty cool to meet him. He was really nice to talk to, very friendly and answered all my questions about the OAE1.

HFA Dhalia
I heard a lot about this headphone from Canjam SoCal impressions last year so I was really looking forward to trying them out for myself. The build was really good, I think it's 3D printed but it was very refined with a nice metal head band and what felt like real leather headband strap and pads. The comfort was fantastic, it felt way lighter on my head than the weight indicated, the pads also felt really nice ( I think they were ZMF pads?). For the sound, I found them to be really really well tuned, nice strong bass emphasis that wasn't too overwhelming, nice present mids that weren't too forward and nice even treble that wasn't fatiguing, they kinda reminded me of the Modhouse Tungstens and sounded really natural. I listened to these right after the OAE1 so I thought the stage was a little more intimate but it was probably more accurate, all in all, really well done. The sub 1k price bracket has gotten quite competitive and if you're in the market this should be seriously under consideration.

Meze Audio POET
This was just announced days before Canjam. I'm a bit of a Meze fangirl, I absolutely love their build quality, comfort and aesthetics of their headphones and this model was no different. I will say though that I would have preferred if these had the black and copper colorway of the original Empyrean instead of the gray and copper. The build was fantastic although I did notice a slight clicking sound in one of the cups when I adjusted them. This seems to be random since all the other units i checked out didn't have this. Comfort was unsurprisingly great and the headphones felt very lightweight on my head. Soundwise, they were definitely warm tilted, with slightly relaxed mids and a reduced treble, they did really remind me of the OG Empy albeit a little more neutral. Unfortunately, just like the OG Empy, I think there might be a peak somewhere in the upper treble because there was that sort of shimmery quality, especially to vocals that I noticed. I would love to listen to these in a quiet environment.

Pud's headphones:
Pud of Reddit fame had some of his creations at the headphones.com booth. I actually didn't listen to any of these, just wanted to look at them. My partner did listen to the Bob, ( I wanted to as well but I didn't want to mess up my hair lol) and they said it didn't sound as bad and they thought it would sound. The really big bowling ball ones, (I think they are called old thumpy), with the bass medalion was a sight to behold. I swear the whole main floor filled with bass when someone had a bass heavy track playing. This hobby takes itself a little too seriously sometimes so its nice to see someone embracing the wackiness and having fun. Also I can't be the only one who thinks Pud bears an uncanny resemblance to Steve Jobs right?

Dunu Arashi
This was another new release I was eager to try. It's a brand new open back planar from Dunu. I'm not very familiar with the brand, I just know them for their iems. I have to say, as a first headphone they hit it out of the park. The build was impeccable and they felt really solid, the headband adjustment reminded me of the Hifimans but more sturdy. Comfort was great too although they were a little heavier on my head than I would like. For sound, wow this thing slams, the very tight punchy bass immediately stood out, it wasn't bass boosted at all just really well textured down there, soundstage was on the smaller side and the upper mids was occasionally a little too forward for my tastes, however the treble was really smooth. These are priced around $1400 and I think and they definitely punch above their price point, would definitely recommend folks checking them out.

Fiio FT7
Yet another new release from Fiio. Fiio has had a lot of great headphone releases so far, both the FT1 and FT1 pro are really quite exceptional especially when you consider their price point. I believe this is slated to be Fiio's newest flagship, not sure what the price is yet but knowing Fiio, I expect them to be quite competitive. The build was really nice, with an nice carbon fiber headband, (faux?) leather headband strap and pads and wood grilles, it kind looked like an old school Audeze. I did have an issue with the headband adjustment though, it felt a little loose and everytime I put it on my head it slid up a bit and I had to readjust. I'm not sure how final the design is so just wanted to note that. These sounded very natural, nice tight well extended bass, natural mids and well controlled treble, overall a pretty inoffensive tuning, nothing really stood out to me as a glaring issue. The fiio booth was quite packed so I'd love to hear these in a quiet environment.

Headphones.com booth
They had the full B&K 5128 head and torso sim at the booth so I got to measure some of my headphones. While I believe that your own ears should be the final word, it was pretty neat to see the process of getting measurements. I chatted with Listener while I was there, he took a lot of seatings and measurements of each headphone and explained the process along the way, pretty cool to see that irl. Also the whole booth was really well put together and the staff was very attentive and helpful.

DCA Corina + HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE
Okay so I cheated a bit cause I've definitely heard this combo before but I just had to try them again because they really sound exceptional. These just sound so natural, idk how much the BHSE is influencing the sound but everytime I listen to these, it just sounds so lifelike, especially with vocals. I'm definitely not a fan of estats but if I had to pick one, it'd be either this or the Aperio GSE (although the Corina is a lot more comfortable). Easily my favorite DCA headphone. Speaking of DCA...

DCA Noire X
This is DCA's latest closed back offering. The build and comfort are great however the finish of the cups are a huge fingerprint magnet (as you can see in the photo). I would have loved a more matte finish to prevent this. Aesthetically I really dig the understated look. Sound wise, I compared them to the E3 right next to it and I just thought they sounded like a baby E3 with slightly more mid bass and not as resolving. If you are in the market for a sub 1k closed back and like the E3, this is a no brainer, the closed back market has vastly improved over the years and this is another great entry.

Woo WA24 + Susvara Unveiled
This combination was excellent, again I didn't get to do a comparison with other amps quickly but I really enjoyed what I heard, very smooth yet detailed. The WA24 looks and feels fantastic and runs fairly cool too for a tube amp.

Zmf atrium + DNA Supernaut
I owned the Atruims but I wanted a chance to try a DNA amp since they seem to be very well liked in the community. I don't know for sure how much the amp was influencing this but when I tried some electronic music with the Atriums, they absolutely slammed. I don't remember the Atruims hitting like that before, I really enjoyed my time with them and they seem to be a great pairing.

ZMF Verite Open
Thia is actually my first time hearing these, I've managed to listen to every other ZMF but somehow these slipped through the cracks. Build wise, its classic ZMF, so pretty machined wood cups with a beautiful intricate grill. The ZMF staff were also really helpful and friendly. These sounded really warm but certain instruments like trumpets really stood out, I have a feeling the FR of this might be a little uneven but they were really fun to listen to, when it worked, it really worked for certain songs and was kind of okay with others. I can definitely see why people like them though, they added a coloration to the sound that was quite enjoyable.

Yamaha YH5000SE
These are not new but I've never listened to these before, I didn't even know Yamaha made headphones so I was eager to give these open back planars a try. Build wise these are great and I love the look and feel of them. The only thing I will note is that similar to the Fiio FT7, the headband adjustment mechanism is a little loose so it slid down on my head after a while, there's probably a way to tighten it but just wanted to note that. Comfort was great too. Okay for the sound... these are not for me. As soon as I queued up one of my vocal focused test tracks things just sounded wrong. The voices were just way too forward and shouty and I picked up way more instances of sibilance compared to the other hps I tried. I imagine these are probably more specialist headphones but for my library, they just didn't work. Kinda disappointing because the build and comfort were first class.

Audio Technica ADX3000
These were built well, a little plasticy feeling but sturdy, very lightweight and comfortable to wear. These actually had a slightly similar tuning to the Yamahas but more reasonable sounding. I thought the upper mids were a little too forward and there was a little too much lower treble energy for my tastes, not great for vocals but string instruments sounded really nice.

Auroros Audio Quasar and Australis
These caught my eye at the LTA booth, haven't seen them before so was eager to check them out. Starting with the Quasar, which is the open back dynamic driver headphone. The grill is this really cool wheel shape, it felt like wood but I'm not sure. Build felt really solid, and i didn't hear any creaks or squeaks, comfort was pretty good too though ever so slightly heavy and clampy. Similar to the Dhalia, I thought these were exceptionally tuned, really smooth and refined, good staging with really nice texturing in vocals and midrange instruments. The upper mids/lower treble were occasionally a little too forward but overall these sounded really balanced.

Normally I largely prefer open backs but in this case, I actually really enjoyed the Australis, which is the closed back, a lot more. Primarily because this had a bit more bass punch to them, the upper mids/treble also felt a little more relaxed which made it easier to listen to more aggressive recordings. The build was similar to the open backs and I love the patterning on the cups. For hand made headphones, these are both really well done.

Sennheiser HD505 Copper
Build and comfort was pretty good, plastic frame but good quality. A little clampy but they were very lightweight. I A/Bd these with my 650 and I still much prefer the 650, these sounded a bit thinner in the mids but overall, the tuning was pretty good, nothing really stood out. However for the price, I'd definitely take a 6xx series hp over them.

Fosi Audio Headphones
I saw these on the Fosi Audio booth and wanted to check them out, didn't catch their name though. They looked a lot like an egg shaped hifiman, down to the headband although I will say the Hifiman headband looks a lot nicer, the ear cups are massive and the fit was bit awkward because it protruded down way past my jaw. Sound wise, they sounded a bit v shaped, other than that, nothing really special.

Shanling HW600
These piqued my interest because I noticed the headband, reminded me a lot of the OG Empyrean headband, probably because of that these were one of the most comfortable headphones I wore at the show. Build was pretty good too, nice and solid. I belive these are open back planar headphones, I know Shanling for their daps but just like Dunu they sepp to be dipping their toes in the headphone market. I found these to sound a little bright, very detailed and good separation however the bass seemed a bit low for my tastes, the sound remined me of an Arya. Overall a pretty good headphone and I'd love to try them at home in a quiet environment.

Abyss JOAL
The build and feel of these was really solid, not as premium feeling as the MR but still exceptional. These were decently comfortable although I really wish these had some cup swivel. This is definitely the most well balanced of the Abyss headphones I've tried so far, the bass was nice and textured and the mids and treble were well balanced and nothing sounded really weird or unnatural, glad to see Abyss making their headphones a little more accessible price wise.

Abyss 1266 Phi TC + B21 Raider Amp
Okay so I know these are not new. Unlike the VO's these didn't really escape me, I've actually been avoiding them because they just looked so uncomfortable. But when I was in the Abyss room, I noticed these were hooked up the the B21 Raider amp which I wanted to check out. The amp itself is built like a tank and runs fairly cool, pretty cool to see dynamic/estat amp combos. I think if you got this or the LTA Z10e you could get any headphone you wanted, I love when gear is really versatile. Okay back to the 1266, when I put them on my head I was surprised because they didn't feel as cursed to wear as I thought they would be. These have new plush suede pads and this seemed to help the comfort a lot. They are still quite heavy and I don't think I could comfortably wear these for more than 30 mins. I queued up my standard vocal test tracks and they sounded, okay? I was surprised at this too, beacuse from what I've heard from others, I assumed the mids would sound very wonky. They still didn't sound as natural as my Susvaras or HD650's but still pretty good. I know fans of this hp love them for electronic music and large orchestral pieces so I threw on some Bob Moses and Hans Zimmer. When "Battle Lines" started playing I couldn't help but have a large smile on my face the whole time. I get it now, I get why people relly love these, the tactility and punch of the bass was really special. I don't think I could have these as my main headphone but for that kind of music these are hard to beat. Seriously considering getting a pair to complement my Susvara.

I tried a lot more but I'm really tired of writing lol. I took a lot of notes so if there's something you would like impressions for just shoot me a PM and I'll check. Also want to give a shout out to the guys at @BloomAudio, their room was really nice and my partner got to try a lot of iems and I got to try the Mass Kobo 465. Didn't get to try the Narukami amp unfortunately but based on people's reactions, it might be best if I don't hear it so I can still enjoy my set up in peace. The show highlights for me were the AB1266 TC, the DCA Corina and the Auros Audio Australis, all for different reasons. As always, the Headfi team put on an amazing show, and my partner was asking when next year's show will be. I also saw a lot of reviewers I follow on YouTube and got a chance to chat with some of them as well as some friends, all in all it was a great experience and I'm already counting down the days to Dallas!

 

[jamesjames]

I forgot to take notes today, so I'll jot down some quick impressions before I forget. I might also make more than one post because I want to get dinner at some point.

Hifiman Shangri-La Sr and Shangri-La Jr with the Shangri-La Sr electrostatic amplifier and EF1000DAC:

I really don't like this amp!!! For the past 3 years, I've loved my Shangri-La Jr for its smooth, yet elevated and extended treble presentation. The $32,000 Shangri-La Sr amp makes the Jr sound sharp, rough, and piercing! The amp sounds bad to the point that I don't really see the point in comparing Jr vs Sr on it because the Jr isn't the Jr that I know. I listened to the Jr last night on my Z10e and it was smooth and airy with barely a hint of roughness or sharpness in the treble. Here, it was borderline "ugh". The Sr has a bit more lower treble than the Jr, which makes the roughness of the amp even more repulsive. However, the Sr seemed to have a better sense of frontal depth to the soundstage/imaging, like elements were more clearly localized as being in front of me which was nice. Bass also seemed better, but that may be simply due to earpad variation; the Jr's pads were much more worn than the ones I have at home.
I bought the Jr blind as my first summit-fi purchase and it was the luckiest headphone purchase decision I ever made. If I had demoed it in this setup beforehand, I may never have bought it in the first place. I had never understood why people thought the Jr had rough treble, but now I get it if they had demoed it on this amp.

Grell OAE1:
This one is all over the place, but I could see where Grell was trying to go with this design. The tonal balance is really whack, huge bass, odd midrange, and spiky treble. On the majority of studio-produced tracks that I listened to, it sounded very odd. However, Axel Grell said it was really meant to simulate the experience of listening in a real venue, so I tried out "In mir klingt ein Lied" by Chelsea Guo from her album Chopin: In My Voice. I had just heard her perform this piece live at the Terrace Theater in the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, so this is a piece where I know what this piece is "supposed" to sound like in a real venue. And on this track, the OAE1 produced a sense of spaciousness in front of me that was vaguely reminiscent of the sort of experience I heard on Wednesday night. It's not truly out-of-head, but I got a sense of what the headphone could do on the right track.
The biggest question I have on the OAE1 is if it does anything better than any of the CrossZone headphones. I tried out the CZ-10 Enhanced in Tokyo in December and that headphone produced a distinct sense of forward imaging and spaciousness. That's because it does physical crossfeed with drivers that produce the opposite channel's sound in each earcup. The OAE1 is purely stereo. The OAE1 does produce a nice sense of forward localization in bass, but on other frequency ranges and instruments it often fails to produce the proper illusion, so it comes off as disjointed while the CZ-10 more consistently produced a sense of spatial depth in front of me. The OAE1 was interesting to listen to, but the CrossZone seems to do what it wants to do, better.

FiiO FT1:
This is my second demo of it, and I used the FiiO K17 DAC/amp this time instead of my Walkman. I found the FT1 much better this time. It was not as sharp and stabby in the treble as it was at my first demo during CAF. I really see why people like it so much, the midrange is nicely tuned and the tonal balance in broad strokes is good. I think it's a bit too warm and there's a loss of detail in the low bass (the opening of "Sail (Extended Mix)" by GXD has a low-bass synth line between the big bass beats and that line gets lost amidst the beats on the FT1). The headphone is also lightweight and pretty comfy even without the Capra Audio strap. I honestly think of it as an evolution, both in design and sound, of the Hifiman R7DX that launched back in 2021.

FiiO K17:
This is the successor of the K9 Pro DAC/amp (which I used for years) and I think it's a worthy successor. It has an attractive yet simple form factor and the use of knob switches instead of stubby slider switches for selecting gain and output mode is a huge improvement in useability. The touchscreen menu system (with an additional knob for physical control) is also a nice touch and offers tons of DSP features. I can't say much about the sound; I didn't hear it with any headphones that I normally use so I have no way to compare the subtleties of amp/DAC differences. The main thing I disliked was the small and wobbly knobs (both menu and volume knobs). They did not feel good to use. But in every other way, it has basically the same hardware feature set as my TEAC UD-507 amp, plus EQ options, at only $900. If I hadn't already gotten the TEAC, this would be on my radar for an upgrade to the K9 Pro.

Stax SRM-T8000 (with SR-X9000):

I wanted to get another listen of the T8000 and see what Stax think Stax headphones should sound like. I had heard it in Tokyo, but only for 2 minutes and from a cold start. The Hugo 2 was used as the DAC with the green filter enabled.
The T8000 gives percussion notes a "bouncy" texture. There's not as much of the deep-hitting sub-bass components and more of the upper bass and midrange components of a drum hit so that it's more like "Bam!" than "Bom!". The sound is also more sparkly in the treble. Comparing T8000 and BHSE, they aren't all that different, but the BHSE seems to go a bit deeper in percussion notes for that "Bom!" that digs deeper with a bit more body and weight and the treble is a bit more focused and less splashy on things like cymbals.
I want to listen more tomorrow because during my demo session, the guy next to me was playing music extremely loudly. It was often hard to hear my music over his and it was quite frankly irritating to me that this guy was blasting his songs without a care for others around him. This guy, yeesh.

Meze Poet:
It's kind of like an open-back Liric 2. Nice bass quantity, inoffensive midrange, but a few treble spikes, though those can contribute to the crisp attack on percussion notes. I listened on the Topping DX9 at the Headphones.com booth and I'll want to listen to it again tomorrow.

DCA Noire X:
I thought this was a very good DCA headphone, and possibly better than the E3, which was my previous holder of "best DCA headphone". The percussive impact or punch/slam was decent, though it had that same sort of "bouncy" drum texture that I heard on the T8000 + X9000 and on the Aeon 2 Noire without any filters, though much less offensive in the treble than the original Noire. I just wasn't a fan of the upper midrange, it sounds slightly raspy or dry and I don't like that sort of sound even if I could see it being more neutral. Treble was more controlled than the Poet (which I A/Bed against). It's interesting because Meze licensed the AMTS from DCA for use in the Poet, but DCA still does it better with a smoother treble tuning on the Noire X.
I also listened to the Stealth for a bit to compare vs the Noire X. After a few seconds, I was like "nope". There's a distinct lack of percussive impact on the Stealth, though no lack of bass quantity, which makes music uniformly unenjoyable for me.

Audio Technica ADX3000:
Worse than the ADX5000 in my opinion. Vocals are harsh and coarse, as if the singers were all hoarse. Bass was lacking, while the treble was packing. Bright, harsh, and thin throughout.

ADX5000:
I had long thought that if I were to "retire" from this hobby and go down to a single headphone, it would be the Susvara. Now, the ADX5000 makes a pretty good run for the money. I've always had a soft spot for the Audio Technica tuning, and while the ADX5K isn't really the traditional AT tuning, it's basically what I always wished the HD800S was. It is crisp, snappy, and airy rather than limp and tinny.

I listened to more, but I think I'll head out to dinner now, so there will be part 2 later.

It's nice to see the ADX5000 receive some attention. Along with the Composer, one of the most interesting developments since the HD800S, I think.

 

[up late]

^ more generally, nice to see some headphone impressions here