[Uncle00Jesse]

Any other thoughts on the Wells Audio and Abyss Phi combination. This seemed like the best of show to me.

I thought it was amazing as well, but not very practical at over $30,000 and the size of a spaceship. I felt I wasn't missing all that much going from the Wells setup to the new Woo 33 in the other room.

 

[Mboom]

Haha. Why are people still debating the price of headphones and their sound? Don't buy an Aston Martin or McLaren if you can't afford one. A GTR will do just as nice.

This "price gouging" is everywhere and as mentioned if someone wants it they will get it.

I have a question. Does Advanced name their headphones after cars? (S2000, M4, M5)

Don't buy a GT-R unless you're a Nissan enthusiast, and have a appreciation for Nissans history and heritage of the rest of the models. I'll call you a poser and someone with too much money. Sorry, but, people buy cars for the wrong reason just because someone tells them its this or that. Unsubscribing from this. Turned into a poor vs rich discussion, with ignorance and snobby replies.

 

[JimL11]

Did you try the Diana?

Actually, I put it on briefly - it didn't come close to fitting so I didn't listen to it. The ear pads didn't even contact my head all the way around the ears. I spent the weekend with shoes that were a size too small because I grabbed them at the last minute, so I had no tolerance for stuff that doesn't fit.

 

[dontfeedphils]

Don't buy a GT-R unless you're a Nissan enthusiast, and have a appreciation for Nissans history and heritage of the rest of the models. I'll call you a poser and someone with too much money. Sorry, but, people buy cars for the wrong reason just because someone tells them its this or that. Unsubscribing from this. Turned into a poor vs rich discussion, with ignorance and snobby replies.

Yes, god forbid someone spend their money on something they desire. I hope you can find a way to be less judgmental.

 

[Dithyrambes]

I'm seeing a lot of snarky comments and not enough impressions on any product whatsoever except for a few blurbs. This doesn't help anyone. Yes price gouging is real. Blame that to stupid manufacturers who had to one up each other in price to seem like they have higher performance. Thank hifiman for that and Focal with their 4k Utopia. Then 64 audio....we can be the equivalent of that 4k headphone in the IEM space because we are the bestest!...but its an IEM so 3.5k. You can thank AK for raising the price of daps to the ceiling with their idiotic CU, SS, blah blah versions. As a korean I am ashamed. Yes they do sound nice and sound good to an extent, but they are not worth 3k relative to other things. Are you telling me more RND and effort was needed for this AK player over a Sony A7rIII mirrorless full frame camera? Get out of here...but hey since it works, Sony decided to raise their dap up to the same prices Lol. 3k for something that can only play music from the local storage. Are we back to like 2004 ipod days?

One of the most off putting comments I heard at CanJam NYC was from the 64 audio booth. I told them my first CIEM was a 1964 V6S and I told them its sad to see that they are charging so much for their products now. The guy told me....."If you want them, go get another job! Its as simple as that!" Its not a matter of being to afford, but you are gonna tell me this little earphone is worth more than a huge ass OLED screen that probably took more RND? Anyhow priorities....With the release of the Focal Clear, Audeze LCD2C, etc, I think manufacturers are realizing that their price model will not work in the long run. People who buy the TOTl 4k utopia will not shell 6K for a susvara(btw disappointingly crap for 6k value wise) a year later. So just wait until the trend changes guys. That said nothing is going to change an AK SP1000 user to not jump ship when like AK SP1000 platinum version comes out in like the next month LOL. stop listening to gear and listen to music.

That out of the way, lets actually post some impressions:

Impressions of EE Phantom: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/emp...rmerly-earwerkz.786335/page-730#post-14050061

Cascades- I was strongly considering purchasing them when I went to canjam NYC, but didn't end up with a pair. They are surprising small and compact, which make them appropriate for travel. I definitely don't have dumbo ears, but I think that the pads could have been slightly bigger. Other than that, they were very light and comfortable. I heard it with multiple WM1Z's(Known to be a Dark Bassy sound) at the table. I did try the ZX300 pairing as well, and though it was more neutral sounding, the difference between the wm1z to zx300 was quite big Imo. I mostly liked what I heard, until there was any sort of bass in a track. This is definitely a basshead can, as the bass quantity seemed to swamp all other aspects of the sound. It was almost as if there was about 2x quantity of bass compared to the rest of the spectrum. The quality was good, but it definitely was the breaker for me. Most of the people I talked with around the booth agreed. I asked if there were any inserts to attenuate the bass, but they had none on hand....which I found strange. Anyhow, I guess its time to hope for a less bass oriented can from ALO in the future. Really like the build quality.

Schiit Audio-

I had to hear what the craze was about with the Analog 2 boards. I've heard the schiit stacks last year and I found them technically excellent, but to be too lean, strident and aggressive, esp the YGGY. I was pleasantly surprised this year with the yggy with the ragnorak. Definitely sounded more natural and detailed. The highlight was listening a Mozart String Quartet played by the Cleveland Quartet. Oodles of detail, bow bounces, ambience sounds, etc. I was very impressed! Then I turned on some jazz tracks and I was hit with the same detail. It was at this moment that I found myself a bit split. Though it produces detail well with ambient cues, etc, I couldn't help to feel everything was a bit exaggerated. Its almost as if its just trying to grate my head with detail, but not providing a musical experience.
My pianist friend who was intent on buying the gumby left away unconvinced.

The yggy had been turned on for about 12 hours so, I'm not sure it that's the culprit. That said, I definitely do not have the patience to wait for 3 weeks for a dac to sound optimal, and I feel this aspect is grossly exagerrated. I seriously don't think I or anyone else can blind test the differences between a 1.5week yggy, 2 week yggy, to a 2.5week yggy, and a 3 week yggy reliably.

I definitely felt the yggy was a clear step up from the gumby, though I probably couldn't give an accurate comparision because the yggy was paired with the rag, and the gumby was paired with the mjol 2. I didn't care for the mjol 2.

As for analog 2 boards for the gumby....I would suggest anyone interested in buying a gumby to buy it new.

Auris Ha-2 and Auris Totl Amp

They sounded good, but then again, I really couldn't tell because of meet conditions. That said, the TOTL amp was much better and surprisingly made the stock hd800 sound good, though l wouldn't shell 7k for an amp.

Empire Ears-

I only heard the Phantom at the booth. Sounded great out of the WM1Z. Definitely a darker iem and not as airy as the andromedas but I preferred them to the andros because of their hefty, but balanced sound. I found them cohesive, and though they lack the sparkle up top from the andromeda, the timbre was more realistic and fleshed out. Good Clarity, Excellent imaging and resolution. I found them very balanced end to end. I'm not a fan of noble iems as I feel they are too warm, bassy, and not as balanced. Anyhow, I ended up buying a universal pair and should have one in 2 days.

1964 Audio

I listened to the A12t, Tia Trio, and Tia Fourte. I didn't care for the A12t. Andros all the way. I liked the Tia Trio over the Tia Fourte. It was a big softer sounding, and darker, but it oddly felt more balanced to me, with a touch more bass. Though still sounding great, I definitely felt some cohesion problems in both the Tia Trio and Fourte, where I could hear the cross overpoints. Esp bass in the Tia Trio has less control and get loose at times. Def overpriced at 2.2k and 3.5k.

That's all I got to in 1.5 hours at canjam. I had a date so I had to leave Lol. Girl> headphones.

 

[Feilong4]

Anyone tried the new Focal Listen Professional? I couldn't find anyone with impressions on these using the search bar.

 

[Beagle]

Actually, I put it on briefly - it didn't come close to fitting so I didn't listen to it. The ear pads didn't even contact my head all the way around the ears. I spent the weekend with shoes that were a size too small because I grabbed them at the last minute, so I had no tolerance for stuff that doesn't fit.

I'm wondering if people were wearing them the right way. There is an orientation with the pads, the wide lower corner part of the pad should be at the lower back of the ear, towards the neck. If you have them on the other way, there will be a big gap in that area.

 

[ctsooner22]

I'm seeing a lot of snarky comments and not enough impressions on any product whatsoever except for a few blurbs. This doesn't help anyone. Yes price gouging is real. Blame that to stupid manufacturers who had to one up each other in price to seem like they have higher performance. Thank hifiman for that and Focal with their 4k Utopia. Then 64 audio....we can be the equivalent of that 4k headphone in the IEM space because we are the bestest!...but its an IEM so 3.5k. You can thank AK for raising the price of daps to the ceiling with their idiotic CU, SS, blah blah versions. As a korean I am ashamed. Yes they do sound nice and sound good to an extent, but they are not worth 3k relative to other things. Are you telling me more RND and effort was needed for this AK player over a Sony A7rIII mirrorless full frame camera? Get out of here...but hey since it works, Sony decided to raise their dap up to the same prices Lol. 3k for something that can only play music from the local storage. Are we back to like 2004 ipod days?

One of the most off putting comments I heard at CanJam NYC was from the 64 audio booth. I told them my first CIEM was a 1964 V6S and I told them its sad to see that they are charging so much for their products now. The guy told me....."If you want them, go get another job! Its as simple as that!" Its not a matter of being to afford, but you are gonna tell me this little earphone is worth more than a huge ass OLED screen that probably took more RND? Anyhow priorities....With the release of the Focal Clear, Audeze LCD2C, etc, I think manufacturers are realizing that their price model will not work in the long run. People who buy the TOTl 4k utopia will not shell 6K for a susvara(btw disappointingly crap for 6k value wise) a year later. So just wait until the trend changes guys. That said nothing is going to change an AK SP1000 user to not jump ship when like AK SP1000 platinum version comes out in like the next month LOL. stop listening to gear and listen to music.

That out of the way, lets actually post some impressions:

Impressions of EE Phantom: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/emp...rmerly-earwerkz.786335/page-730#post-14050061

Cascades- I was strongly considering purchasing them when I went to canjam NYC, but didn't end up with a pair. They are surprising small and compact, which make them appropriate for travel. I definitely don't have dumbo ears, but I think that the pads could have been slightly bigger. Other than that, they were very light and comfortable. I heard it with multiple WM1Z's(Known to be a Dark Bassy sound) at the table. I did try the ZX300 pairing as well, and though it was more neutral sounding, the difference between the wm1z to zx300 was quite big Imo. I mostly liked what I heard, until there was any sort of bass in a track. This is definitely a basshead can, as the bass quantity seemed to swamp all other aspects of the sound. It was almost as if there was about 2x quantity of bass compared to the rest of the spectrum. The quality was good, but it definitely was the breaker for me. Most of the people I talked with around the booth agreed. I asked if there were any inserts to attenuate the bass, but they had none on hand....which I found strange. Anyhow, I guess its time to hope for a less bass oriented can from ALO in the future. Really like the build quality.

Schiit Audio-

I had to hear what the craze was about with the Analog 2 boards. I've heard the schiit stacks last year and I found them technically excellent, but to be too lean, strident and aggressive, esp the YGGY. I was pleasantly surprised this year with the yggy with the ragnorak. Definitely sounded more natural and detailed. The highlight was listening a Mozart String Quartet played by the Cleveland Quartet. Oodles of detail, bow bounces, ambience sounds, etc. I was very impressed! Then I turned on some jazz tracks and I was hit with the same detail. It was at this moment that I found myself a bit split. Though it produces detail well with ambient cues, etc, I couldn't help to feel everything was a bit exaggerated. Its almost as if its just trying to grate my head with detail, but not providing a musical experience.
My pianist friend who was intent on buying the gumby left away unconvinced.

The yggy had been turned on for about 12 hours so, I'm not sure it that's the culprit. That said, I definitely do not have the patience to wait for 3 weeks for a dac to sound optimal, and I feel this aspect is grossly exagerrated. I seriously don't think I or anyone else can blind test the differences between a 1.5week yggy, 2 week yggy, to a 2.5week yggy, and a 3 week yggy reliably.

I definitely felt the yggy was a clear step up from the gumby, though I probably couldn't give an accurate comparision because the yggy was paired with the rag, and the gumby was paired with the mjol 2. I didn't care for the mjol 2.

As for analog 2 boards for the gumby....I would suggest anyone interested in buying a gumby to buy it new.

Auris Ha-2 and Auris Totl Amp

They sounded good, but then again, I really couldn't tell because of meet conditions. That said, the TOTL amp was much better and surprisingly made the stock hd800 sound good, though l wouldn't shell 7k for an amp.

Empire Ears-

I only heard the Phantom at the booth. Sounded great out of the WM1Z. Definitely a darker iem and not as airy as the andromedas but I preferred them to the andros because of their hefty, but balanced sound. I found them cohesive, and though they lack the sparkle up top from the andromeda, the timbre was more realistic and fleshed out. Good Clarity, Excellent imaging and resolution. I found them very balanced end to end. I'm not a fan of noble iems as I feel they are too warm, bassy, and not as balanced. Anyhow, I ended up buying a universal pair and should have one in 2 days.

1964 Audio

I listened to the A12t, Tia Trio, and Tia Fourte. I didn't care for the A12t. Andros all the way. I liked the Tia Trio over the Tia Fourte. It was a big softer sounding, and darker, but it oddly felt more balanced to me, with a touch more bass. Though still sounding great, I definitely felt some cohesion problems in both the Tia Trio and Fourte, where I could hear the cross overpoints. Esp bass in the Tia Trio has less control and get loose at times. Def overpriced at 2.2k and 3.5k.

That's all I got to in 1.5 hours at canjam. I had a date so I had to leave Lol. Girl> headphones.

Wonder if we met? I had the same feeling about the 64 booth. The Trio was the only one that I really liked of theirs. I too bought the Phantom. I got the CIEM's and was told that will give it more extension at the extremes and will just allow it to sound better overall. Not that it needs to sound that much better, lol. Show conditions are not easy, so I too got down early Sunday morning to listen. I also want the new Effect Audio cable with the Phantom's. Wow did that make them THAT much better. What a cable. I also feel the same about teh Yggy. I'm a 2 channel guy and keep hearing the hype, but teh Ayre Codex TO MY EAR, is worlds better and in balanced mode, with that lower noise floor, you can hear all the micro and macro detail that give the music it's emotion.

 

[linesplice]

The Sennheiser booth is ready and eager for a visit and your impressions! Take your own smug picture with the new HD 820... can you catch the convex shape of the glass? Any songs give you chills?

OK... I have to know where I can get my hands on that Elvis recording you had. It was amazing on your headphones and gear and I just have to know how it sounds on my own system. Can you point me in the right direction?

 

[Alcophone]

That's all I got to in 1.5 hours at canjam. I had a date so I had to leave Lol. Girl> headphones.

Blasphemy! Please hand in your audiophile card at the reception. You can cry to your girlfriend about it.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

I had some last minute obligations and ended up missing my Sennheiser HE-1 audition on Saturday Sorry I wasn't able to cancel it and give someone else my spot

I'm sorry you missed it . I missed my slot on Saturday (it was my fault for being late) but I was VERY fortunate enough that 2 fellow headfi'ers/friends gave me their slots for Sunday's show (It would have been a pain for them to go on Sunday). So not only could I listen, but my one bud got to listen as well!

The HE-1 is a great listen.. To me it feels so natural sounding (real life), and the Cello song that they played for me was breathtaking. It sounded like the cellist was righ in front of me playing. It had all the body of the cello and tonally perfect.

I hope you get the chance again, but don't forget, you only get to listen for about 10 min i'd say. So not the biggest deal

I forgot to give a shout out to the guys at JH Audio for cleaning my Angies and the new cable...thank you very much guys...

And to the guys at Meze for great customer care when I brought my Classic 99's back to them at the end of the show and just gave me a new one. Very classy and thank you for that!

Class act move Meze!! Glad you got hooked up right then and there. Thats really cool.

OK... I have to know where I can get my hands on that Elvis recording you had. It was amazing on your headphones and gear and I just have to know how it sounds on my own system. Can you point me in the right direction?

YES I would also like to know this. I am suspecting its the same recording used when they did the HE-1 demo for CanJam NY 2017. Did it sound like Elvis's voice was super large and encompassing? Hook us up @Sennheiser!

 

[GarageBoy]

I thought it was amazing as well, but not very practical at over $30,000 and the size of a spaceship. I felt I wasn't missing all that much going from the Wells setup to the new Woo 33 in the other room.

I couldn't even figure out how to turn down the volume on that rig, and the 300b SET amp in that room was more my speed.

Anyone tried the new Focal Listen Professional? I couldn't find anyone with impressions on these using the search bar.

Really really enjoyable. Rich, clean sound. Sorry, I'm bad at adjectives, butnworth checking out, imho

 

[Darkestred]

Don't buy a GT-R unless you're a Nissan enthusiast, and have a appreciation for Nissans history and heritage of the rest of the models. I'll call you a poser and someone with too much money. Sorry, but, people buy cars for the wrong reason just because someone tells them its this or that. Unsubscribing from this. Turned into a poor vs rich discussion, with ignorance and snobby replies.

Jeez man. You missed the whole point. Everywhere you look you will have this issue. $500 jeans or $40 Levi's? Gucci Purse or just a purse. Every single item in this world has its' ying and yang.

Buy what you like/want. If you can find a headphone that is just as good (to you) as something that is 5x then good. You found a sweet deal for yourself.

 

[linesplice]

Blasphemy! Please hand in your audiophile card at the reception. You can cry to your girlfriend about it.

I told my wife to deal with the toddler and baby and I hit the road for CanJam. Can I get an upgrade to my audiophile card?

Seriously though, my wife supports my hobbies.

 

[linesplice]

I'm sorry you missed it . I missed my slot on Saturday (it was my fault for being late) but I was VERY fortunate enough that 2 fellow headfi'ers/friends gave me their slots for Sunday's show (It would have been a pain for them to go on Sunday). So not only could I listen, but my one bud got to listen as well!

The HE-1 is a great listen.. To me it feels so natural sounding (real life), and the Cello song that they played for me was breathtaking. It sounded like the cellist was righ in front of me playing. It had all the body of the cello and tonally perfect.

I hope you get the chance again, but don't forget, you only get to listen for about 10 min i'd say. So not the biggest deal

Class act move Meze!! Glad you got hooked up right then and there. Thats really cool.

YES I would also like to know this. I am suspecting its the same recording used when they did the HE-1 demo for CanJam NY 2017. Did it sound like Elvis's voice was super large and encompassing? Hook us up @Sennheiser!

Exactly - most Elvis sounds like he's singing from inside a 55 gallon drum - even his remastered stuff has a lot of reverb and echo, but this was unlike any Elvis I've heard. Must. Have. This. Recording.