Also agree!
CanJam NYC 2019 Impressions Thread
- Thread starter AxelCloris
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Tried In ear prophile 8 and stagediver, the fit were the best out of any universal iems at the show. Redscape audio's head tracking device is one of the coolest things.
lambdastorm
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Cont'd.
6. HiFiMAN
HiFiMAN was exhibiting their flagship headphone Shangri-La, Shangri-La Jr. and its younger sibling Jade II. Jade original was widely considered as one of the most euphonic-sounding headphones, so naturally people were caught off guard when hifiman released the its successor given that they already have the Shangri-La and Shangri-La Jr. in their stats' lineup. So how does the Jade II perform? Not bad. During my 20 minutes with them they actually surpassed my expectations in quite a few areas. The sound, while not as 'grounded' and 'meaty' as their planars, has enough weight and slam that sets them apart from lower-end STAXes. Not planar-level slam yet but very admirable for a stats'. At $1.5K I think these are going to give the L700 some trouble.
Aside from the stats', HiFiMAN was also demoing their bluetooth Ananda. People weren't too excited about it given that its a bluetooth model but they do sound good. Maybe not $1000 good but good enough for a bluetooth model. The regular Ananda on the other hand has always been one of my favourites. I borrowed it a few times to try it in my own system and was impressed every single time. While it doesn't have the last word in resolve, speed or dynamic punch, the overall sound has a relaxing quality to it that makes you forget technicalities. I'm still on the fence about getting them since I have too many HPs for my own good, but I recommend anyone who's on the market for a $1K headphone to try these. You won't be disapointed.
7. Focal
I have mixed feelings about Focal since their flagship Utopia was plagued with QC problems when its first released. Focal supposedly revised the voice coil and tackled the problem, but chances are if you snag an older pair off here or ebay you'll end up with a mono headphone in about a month. With that said though the Clears stood out the most to me. They have a wide, balanced sound that's easy to like. Like Tyll said, the headphone measures well and presents accurate imaging for your listening enjoyment. The stellia was pretty good too, throwing out a reasonably wide soundstage with good tonality. I like them. For a closed-back they're also quite transparent.
8. STAX
Visiting STAX booth this year turned out to be the biggest surprise. They have 2 009s connected to a 727, a L500 hooked up to a 353BX. Nothing out of the norm. And their source? A pono player. I was really hesistant to even try the 009s given the mediocre source.
Imagine a Mini Cooper passing an F1 on a race track. Such is my reaction when their rep hit play. The bass is huge. It's not only present, its enveloping. It's friggin coming from all directions. As a past owner of 9 Staxes I could not for the life of me figure out how, or why this system has the right to sound this good, let alone have this much bass. Maybe I'm trippin'.
9. JPS
3 Canjams in a row and we are guaranteed some familiar faces. Eric is one of em and his always a joy to talk to. They debuted the brand new 1266 TC at the show and I played with them for about half an hour. What a headphone. Big, bold sound as per Abyss tradition. The Diana Phi also immediately impresses with huge dynamics and very good bass-response. They look like a lady's headphone but the sound is anything but lady-like. Anything that can be said about Abyss applies to this headphone. At $3995 these aren't what you'd call tremendous value but if you're an Abyss fan you definitely have to check this out.
10. MrSpeakers
Coming to MrSpeakers' booth I was prepared to be underwhelmed. They had an Ether II connected to a Rag II + Yggy and I was expecting it to sound like an Ether with improved dynamics and bass response. The moment this beast strikes its first note I knew whatever expectations I have have already been exceeded. Very nice bass extension, not there with the Abyss yet but that's to be expected with its 2 grand price tag. Articulate mids and relaxed yet not rolled-off highs. Overall very pleasing to listen to. I asked the gentleman at the booth if I can trade in my Ether original for an E2 and was told it cannot be done. Argh. I still have an Ether CX coming my way. Guess if I were to get these I'll have to sell both Ethers.
I also heard the VOCE at Headamp booth and I must say that I much prefer these to the 009s. On the same setup, the 009s sound harsh and fatiguing while the VOCE sounds smooth and relaxing. The tonality is absolutely SPOT ON. No peaky treble, no nasty edges, just sit back, relax and let the VOCE immerse you in a world of music. Well done Dan, well done.
To be cont'd.
6. HiFiMAN
HiFiMAN was exhibiting their flagship headphone Shangri-La, Shangri-La Jr. and its younger sibling Jade II. Jade original was widely considered as one of the most euphonic-sounding headphones, so naturally people were caught off guard when hifiman released the its successor given that they already have the Shangri-La and Shangri-La Jr. in their stats' lineup. So how does the Jade II perform? Not bad. During my 20 minutes with them they actually surpassed my expectations in quite a few areas. The sound, while not as 'grounded' and 'meaty' as their planars, has enough weight and slam that sets them apart from lower-end STAXes. Not planar-level slam yet but very admirable for a stats'. At $1.5K I think these are going to give the L700 some trouble.
Aside from the stats', HiFiMAN was also demoing their bluetooth Ananda. People weren't too excited about it given that its a bluetooth model but they do sound good. Maybe not $1000 good but good enough for a bluetooth model. The regular Ananda on the other hand has always been one of my favourites. I borrowed it a few times to try it in my own system and was impressed every single time. While it doesn't have the last word in resolve, speed or dynamic punch, the overall sound has a relaxing quality to it that makes you forget technicalities. I'm still on the fence about getting them since I have too many HPs for my own good, but I recommend anyone who's on the market for a $1K headphone to try these. You won't be disapointed.
7. Focal
I have mixed feelings about Focal since their flagship Utopia was plagued with QC problems when its first released. Focal supposedly revised the voice coil and tackled the problem, but chances are if you snag an older pair off here or ebay you'll end up with a mono headphone in about a month. With that said though the Clears stood out the most to me. They have a wide, balanced sound that's easy to like. Like Tyll said, the headphone measures well and presents accurate imaging for your listening enjoyment. The stellia was pretty good too, throwing out a reasonably wide soundstage with good tonality. I like them. For a closed-back they're also quite transparent.
8. STAX
Visiting STAX booth this year turned out to be the biggest surprise. They have 2 009s connected to a 727, a L500 hooked up to a 353BX. Nothing out of the norm. And their source? A pono player. I was really hesistant to even try the 009s given the mediocre source.
Imagine a Mini Cooper passing an F1 on a race track. Such is my reaction when their rep hit play. The bass is huge. It's not only present, its enveloping. It's friggin coming from all directions. As a past owner of 9 Staxes I could not for the life of me figure out how, or why this system has the right to sound this good, let alone have this much bass. Maybe I'm trippin'.
9. JPS
3 Canjams in a row and we are guaranteed some familiar faces. Eric is one of em and his always a joy to talk to. They debuted the brand new 1266 TC at the show and I played with them for about half an hour. What a headphone. Big, bold sound as per Abyss tradition. The Diana Phi also immediately impresses with huge dynamics and very good bass-response. They look like a lady's headphone but the sound is anything but lady-like. Anything that can be said about Abyss applies to this headphone. At $3995 these aren't what you'd call tremendous value but if you're an Abyss fan you definitely have to check this out.
10. MrSpeakers
Coming to MrSpeakers' booth I was prepared to be underwhelmed. They had an Ether II connected to a Rag II + Yggy and I was expecting it to sound like an Ether with improved dynamics and bass response. The moment this beast strikes its first note I knew whatever expectations I have have already been exceeded. Very nice bass extension, not there with the Abyss yet but that's to be expected with its 2 grand price tag. Articulate mids and relaxed yet not rolled-off highs. Overall very pleasing to listen to. I asked the gentleman at the booth if I can trade in my Ether original for an E2 and was told it cannot be done. Argh. I still have an Ether CX coming my way. Guess if I were to get these I'll have to sell both Ethers.
I also heard the VOCE at Headamp booth and I must say that I much prefer these to the 009s. On the same setup, the 009s sound harsh and fatiguing while the VOCE sounds smooth and relaxing. The tonality is absolutely SPOT ON. No peaky treble, no nasty edges, just sit back, relax and let the VOCE immerse you in a world of music. Well done Dan, well done.
To be cont'd.
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Sol turntable playing through Ragnarok 2.
lambdastorm
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Agreed. Their 3 driver IEM is also pretty good.
Wow, nice. Congrats
The DAPs I enjoyed the most were the Hiby R6 Pro, Lotoo Paw Gold Touch, and Cayin N8. The best one I've tried out of the bunch was the Lotoo. The layering was incredible. The spatial cues seemed like they were close to an actual musical performance.
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xmr0613
Head-Fier
My impressions for IEMs:
1.QDC's 6 and 8 drivers as well as Anole VX are relatively similar to me, at least in terms of general timbre, they are also pretty closed to the Inear Prophile 8 that I had. I really liked this type of polite and studio like presentation. Although they are not immediately impressive and attention grabbing, they sound extremely comfortable and I have not doubt they'll be great for long time listen.
2.Campfire's Solaris is really too bright for me. They do inherit Andromeda's large soundstage and have very impressive "analog like" bass and pretty good technicalities, and I do understand why people describe them as "musical", but the general tone is too obviously bright and I'm getting a little tired after just a few songs.
3. Noble's Khan is such a great surprise! It is very sharp and precise on positioning and image, without being too bright (it's actually very balanced overall). It kind of reminds me of the Zeus XR without being too bright and anemic in bass. It does sound lean, but I really don't mind it, and it's probably one of the best IEMs I've tried on the show.
4. Jomo's Trinity and AAW Canary(MusicTeck's demo unit has one side broken, I've demoed the pair at Audio46's booth) are surprisingly similar in their sound signature and technicalities. They both have very impactful, dynamic driver bass response, extremely well defined details in treble without being too bright or piercing, but obviously recessed mids and vocal. I've been WOWed by their technical performances, but felt emotionally distant on both male and female vocals. Not my favorite type of presentation.
5. Unique Melody's Mason V3 is very well defined and precise, but also has this "unapologetic BA timbre". Unlike a lot of full BA iems that try to make the sound more "musical and analog like" with slower decayed bass, the Mason is embrace all the tonality of BA drivers. It is very neutral with great technical capabilities (fast pace, great imaging precision, super well defined) but relatively fatiguing.
6. JH Layla's sound is pretty confusing to me. It feels extremely thick, and the details and resolution feels kind of lacking for me. I might need another demo on this to make sure I'm not just being crazy.
7. Booth RHA's CL2 and the AAW's nightingale sounds off to me. The bass response are fine for those, but I feel both has severe timbre problems, especially the CL2, all types of vocals sounds either way too nasal or just shouting to me.
8. Fiio's FH5 is such a pleasant surprise to me. It doesn't have top-level resolution but it sounds so lovely to me. The bass is pretty deep and the synergy in all frequencies is just smooth and coherent.
My Impressions for Over the ear Headphones:
1. Abyss 1266 phi with WA33 is one of my favorites on the show. The bass is really so different from everything else, and it has this real physical impact and shocked me. The fit and comfort is indeed terrible, they are both heavy and always makes me feel they are falling off my head.
2. I'm not the biggest fan of the BHSE for 009S, although everyone seems to swear by it. This pair to me kind of loses some of the estat's ethereal magic, and make the sound more "aggressive" and less effortless to me. I'm also not the biggest fan of BHSE with VOCE either, but I might need longer time on both pairs to make sure my impressions are correct.
3. Empyrean with Dave is very very good, both smooth and emotional. It's among the most comfortable headphones I've ever tried, both in terms of wearing and the sound. It doesn't' have advantage in technical performance in the ultra expensive headphones (comparing to Utopia, 009, abyss, lcd4 and alike), but this type of smooth, slightly bassy signature is a very nice alternative to the other analytical pairs in the league.
4. I didn't spend much time with ZMF's Verites, but I kind of loved them. They are extremely fast and detailed, but also has this nice warm and dark coloration to it, which is so rare and makes songs so lovely and musical. They are very comfortable too. Really tempted to buy a pair.
5. MrSpeaker's Ether2 to me is neutral on point. They are pretty resolving, and every song I tried just sounded "right" to me. But on the other hand, nothing really stood out or wowed me either. I feel this neutral tuning and it's light weight would make it perfect for long time listening.
6. Focal's Stellia sounds exactly like how I imagined: Very similar to the Utopia's with extreme speed and details, relatively bright signature and small soundstage (slightly smaller than Utopia, as expected). I don't know if it's just me or its pads are actually shallower than the Utopia.
What impressed me the most is the Innuos Statement Music Server. I've never believed in music server or streamers before, as I always thought DACs are the only thing I need in terms of sources. But even on a noisy environment, with the Statement added to the system of Dave + Mscalar + Utopia (which I thought is already as good as it gets in terms of sheer technicalities), it's obvious that more spacial cues are added and the sound becomes significantly more life-like. It's both smoother and more detailed, which is unbelievable. The whole performance has been brought to a totally different level, in a way that's both subtle and obvious, it's very hard for me to describe, but really one has to experience it to understand. Too bad it's priced totally out of my budget.
1.QDC's 6 and 8 drivers as well as Anole VX are relatively similar to me, at least in terms of general timbre, they are also pretty closed to the Inear Prophile 8 that I had. I really liked this type of polite and studio like presentation. Although they are not immediately impressive and attention grabbing, they sound extremely comfortable and I have not doubt they'll be great for long time listen.
2.Campfire's Solaris is really too bright for me. They do inherit Andromeda's large soundstage and have very impressive "analog like" bass and pretty good technicalities, and I do understand why people describe them as "musical", but the general tone is too obviously bright and I'm getting a little tired after just a few songs.
3. Noble's Khan is such a great surprise! It is very sharp and precise on positioning and image, without being too bright (it's actually very balanced overall). It kind of reminds me of the Zeus XR without being too bright and anemic in bass. It does sound lean, but I really don't mind it, and it's probably one of the best IEMs I've tried on the show.
4. Jomo's Trinity and AAW Canary(MusicTeck's demo unit has one side broken, I've demoed the pair at Audio46's booth) are surprisingly similar in their sound signature and technicalities. They both have very impactful, dynamic driver bass response, extremely well defined details in treble without being too bright or piercing, but obviously recessed mids and vocal. I've been WOWed by their technical performances, but felt emotionally distant on both male and female vocals. Not my favorite type of presentation.
5. Unique Melody's Mason V3 is very well defined and precise, but also has this "unapologetic BA timbre". Unlike a lot of full BA iems that try to make the sound more "musical and analog like" with slower decayed bass, the Mason is embrace all the tonality of BA drivers. It is very neutral with great technical capabilities (fast pace, great imaging precision, super well defined) but relatively fatiguing.
6. JH Layla's sound is pretty confusing to me. It feels extremely thick, and the details and resolution feels kind of lacking for me. I might need another demo on this to make sure I'm not just being crazy.
7. Booth RHA's CL2 and the AAW's nightingale sounds off to me. The bass response are fine for those, but I feel both has severe timbre problems, especially the CL2, all types of vocals sounds either way too nasal or just shouting to me.
8. Fiio's FH5 is such a pleasant surprise to me. It doesn't have top-level resolution but it sounds so lovely to me. The bass is pretty deep and the synergy in all frequencies is just smooth and coherent.
My Impressions for Over the ear Headphones:
1. Abyss 1266 phi with WA33 is one of my favorites on the show. The bass is really so different from everything else, and it has this real physical impact and shocked me. The fit and comfort is indeed terrible, they are both heavy and always makes me feel they are falling off my head.
2. I'm not the biggest fan of the BHSE for 009S, although everyone seems to swear by it. This pair to me kind of loses some of the estat's ethereal magic, and make the sound more "aggressive" and less effortless to me. I'm also not the biggest fan of BHSE with VOCE either, but I might need longer time on both pairs to make sure my impressions are correct.
3. Empyrean with Dave is very very good, both smooth and emotional. It's among the most comfortable headphones I've ever tried, both in terms of wearing and the sound. It doesn't' have advantage in technical performance in the ultra expensive headphones (comparing to Utopia, 009, abyss, lcd4 and alike), but this type of smooth, slightly bassy signature is a very nice alternative to the other analytical pairs in the league.
4. I didn't spend much time with ZMF's Verites, but I kind of loved them. They are extremely fast and detailed, but also has this nice warm and dark coloration to it, which is so rare and makes songs so lovely and musical. They are very comfortable too. Really tempted to buy a pair.
5. MrSpeaker's Ether2 to me is neutral on point. They are pretty resolving, and every song I tried just sounded "right" to me. But on the other hand, nothing really stood out or wowed me either. I feel this neutral tuning and it's light weight would make it perfect for long time listening.
6. Focal's Stellia sounds exactly like how I imagined: Very similar to the Utopia's with extreme speed and details, relatively bright signature and small soundstage (slightly smaller than Utopia, as expected). I don't know if it's just me or its pads are actually shallower than the Utopia.
What impressed me the most is the Innuos Statement Music Server. I've never believed in music server or streamers before, as I always thought DACs are the only thing I need in terms of sources. But even on a noisy environment, with the Statement added to the system of Dave + Mscalar + Utopia (which I thought is already as good as it gets in terms of sheer technicalities), it's obvious that more spacial cues are added and the sound becomes significantly more life-like. It's both smoother and more detailed, which is unbelievable. The whole performance has been brought to a totally different level, in a way that's both subtle and obvious, it's very hard for me to describe, but really one has to experience it to understand. Too bad it's priced totally out of my budget.
The RHA CL2 is dry. Very dry. Needs more warmth (more bass) and less lower treble. Then it's good to go.
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Good for classical tho, no? I really liked them! I thought they sounded unique and fresh.
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I have placed my pre-order relatively early on, still waiting for mine to ship, and still one can just pay for one and take it home with him! Life is not fair....
Same here - best Focal cans (better than Utopia, IMHO, even when ignoring price!)
I guess dry sound isn't for me then. It reminded me of the Ulrasone ED15. Just not as detailed. It's great, but it's not versatile. So yeah. It's great for Classical.
lambdastorm
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Cont'd. Part III aka the last part of the trilogy.
11. InEar booth
InEar was demoing some of their more popular models such as the ProPhile8 and ProPhile8S. True to its name, the ProPhile8 is one of the most neutral IEMs on the market. On neutral setting the soundstage is wide open with lots of air around each instrument. Separation is fantastic and tonality is very realistic with barely a hint of warmth. I tried some piano tracks on these and the tone is absolutely spot on. I also loaded some pop tracks just to see if it can handle compressed music, and it still hold together pretty well. Impressive stuff. I had a nice conversation with their developer Andreas Schmitt about driver configuration, crossover, amp pairing, etc. And here's the fun part. I mentioned FiiO FA7 using the biggest Knowles driver CI22955, and Andreas' face just lit up. He pulled his backpack open and retrieved a small IEM case. Dude handed me the case with a smile on his face and said: "These also use the 22955. It's our secret bass weapon. Try it." With sceptimism, I opened the case, popped these little wonders into my ears, and pressed play. WOW! For a company that produces one of the world's most neutral IEM, they sure know how to party. I was caught completely off-guard by the deep-reaching bass and dark sound signature these mystery IEMs provide. They are great for trance and house music alike. Oh, and they have a name. The StageDriver3.
12. Advanced Sound
Gone are the Alpha planar and the GTR, up comes the GT3 Superbass, GT2 demo and a 2BA IEM the name of which I forgot. If Advanced keeps making such progress in such short time I can see them getting a spot in high-end IEM market really soon. The GT3 Superbass is spectacular. As the name suggests, the bass is the star of the show. It goes deep, punches hard and has reasonably good control. In bass heavy tracks it lands blow after solid blow without sounding bloated. Impressive. The GT2 on the other hand might be my favourite IEM of the show. While these are still in prototype stage and exhibit driver flex, they produce a very visceral sound that physically pressurize your ears. In the planar realm Abyss is the first to let you feel the bass in addition to hearing it, and GT2 might be the IEM equivalent. These things sound very different from any other IEMs I've heard. And I LOVE it.
13. Soekris
Soekris was demoing their 1421 and 1321 DACs. They had their 1421 hooked up to the THX 789 which is connected to the LCD-2 (I think? Couldn't remember which can it is). The sound leans a bit on the dark side. I'm not a fan of it but I guess for some bright cans these can do wonders. They also have variable output level that acts as a pre-amp, so if you ever feel like your amp has too much gain, you can play with the volume knob until the output level is adequate.
14. oBravo
oBravo was demoing their unique hybrid headphones with AMT drivers. I had a pleasant conversation with their rep but the headphones themselves just didn't do it for me. Connected to a DA&T DAC/AMP they sound weird. The treble is there, the bass okay but someone sucked the mids out with a vacuum. For 4 grands I think you can do better.
15. Sendiy Audio
Sendiy was demoing their planar headphones and IEMs. The planar has a wood housing and seems pretty well made. The earpads are made of breathable materials and are soft to the touch. I tried them with an SP1000 and thought they sound good. Not quite there with the big boys (LCD2, Ananda, Alpha) yet but good enough for a company's first attempt. Their IEM carries a similar sound signature, throwing a reasonably big soundstage out in the air. I went thru 4 unfamiliar tracks on these and still enjoyed it. These are quite musical indeed.
(Not quite) finished.
11. InEar booth
InEar was demoing some of their more popular models such as the ProPhile8 and ProPhile8S. True to its name, the ProPhile8 is one of the most neutral IEMs on the market. On neutral setting the soundstage is wide open with lots of air around each instrument. Separation is fantastic and tonality is very realistic with barely a hint of warmth. I tried some piano tracks on these and the tone is absolutely spot on. I also loaded some pop tracks just to see if it can handle compressed music, and it still hold together pretty well. Impressive stuff. I had a nice conversation with their developer Andreas Schmitt about driver configuration, crossover, amp pairing, etc. And here's the fun part. I mentioned FiiO FA7 using the biggest Knowles driver CI22955, and Andreas' face just lit up. He pulled his backpack open and retrieved a small IEM case. Dude handed me the case with a smile on his face and said: "These also use the 22955. It's our secret bass weapon. Try it." With sceptimism, I opened the case, popped these little wonders into my ears, and pressed play. WOW! For a company that produces one of the world's most neutral IEM, they sure know how to party. I was caught completely off-guard by the deep-reaching bass and dark sound signature these mystery IEMs provide. They are great for trance and house music alike. Oh, and they have a name. The StageDriver3.
12. Advanced Sound
Gone are the Alpha planar and the GTR, up comes the GT3 Superbass, GT2 demo and a 2BA IEM the name of which I forgot. If Advanced keeps making such progress in such short time I can see them getting a spot in high-end IEM market really soon. The GT3 Superbass is spectacular. As the name suggests, the bass is the star of the show. It goes deep, punches hard and has reasonably good control. In bass heavy tracks it lands blow after solid blow without sounding bloated. Impressive. The GT2 on the other hand might be my favourite IEM of the show. While these are still in prototype stage and exhibit driver flex, they produce a very visceral sound that physically pressurize your ears. In the planar realm Abyss is the first to let you feel the bass in addition to hearing it, and GT2 might be the IEM equivalent. These things sound very different from any other IEMs I've heard. And I LOVE it.
13. Soekris
Soekris was demoing their 1421 and 1321 DACs. They had their 1421 hooked up to the THX 789 which is connected to the LCD-2 (I think? Couldn't remember which can it is). The sound leans a bit on the dark side. I'm not a fan of it but I guess for some bright cans these can do wonders. They also have variable output level that acts as a pre-amp, so if you ever feel like your amp has too much gain, you can play with the volume knob until the output level is adequate.
14. oBravo
oBravo was demoing their unique hybrid headphones with AMT drivers. I had a pleasant conversation with their rep but the headphones themselves just didn't do it for me. Connected to a DA&T DAC/AMP they sound weird. The treble is there, the bass okay but someone sucked the mids out with a vacuum. For 4 grands I think you can do better.
15. Sendiy Audio
Sendiy was demoing their planar headphones and IEMs. The planar has a wood housing and seems pretty well made. The earpads are made of breathable materials and are soft to the touch. I tried them with an SP1000 and thought they sound good. Not quite there with the big boys (LCD2, Ananda, Alpha) yet but good enough for a company's first attempt. Their IEM carries a similar sound signature, throwing a reasonably big soundstage out in the air. I went thru 4 unfamiliar tracks on these and still enjoyed it. These are quite musical indeed.
(Not quite) finished.
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Back from CanJam and it was just as great as last year. Tried to do as much as possible in three hours, said Hi to Jude, saw Fang Bian, Sankar, and all the usual suspects. Everyone was nice as could be, lots to do and see. I didn't dislike anything I tried, which means either that all I heard was great, the show floor made it difficult to accurately gauge, or the differences are there but they're relatively minute.
Either way, made me appreciate what I have, given the exorbitant price tags of some of the things I listened to. Not that money and the prices themselves are the issue. If you have it, spend it. It's just that it made me appreciate what can be achieved on lower budgets sound quality-wise.
That said, there were definite standouts-- most notably the Shangri-La and Shangri-La Jr. Even the bluetooth Ananda surprised me. Very dynamic for a BT headphone.
Then Benchmark 3 DAC and HPA4 with various headphones.
The Chord booth with Dave and Hugo 2 TT and various headphones.
Liked the Meze. It's a beautiful headphone and sounds amazing.
Of course loved the LCD-4 and LCD-4z though I don't think I'd necessarily trade in my MX4 for either of the two. I think I'd rather own all three! Love the 4 and 4z. The new MX4 and 4z are my favorite headphones right now. They were pretty well represented on the show floor too. Seemed like almost every (non-HP) vendor had them to listen test their DACs, amps with...
Got to use the $8000 Sony DMP-Z1 and liked though not necessarily impressed.
Preferred the Focal Clear Pro to the Utopia (!)
Loved the detail and natural acoustic rendition of the Stax 009s.
Loved all the Myteks and they look better in person and sound just as good.
While I like the sound, I don't get the fit of Abyss headphones, whether it's the AB-1266 Phi or the Diana. They just don't fit my head or I can't make them fit.
Ragnarok 2 / Yggdrasil and other Schiit on display again sounding great, but the PCM only/ lack of native DSD probably is a dealbreaker for me.
ZMF, Focal, and Hifiman probably had the biggest presence in the show with dozens of headphones on display and listening booths always crowded.
Came in to help in a new DAC selection, but just as undecided as ever.
Oh, and the Sonarworks guys didn't show up at all to the show. And here was looking for a show floor discount… oh well.
All and all, great experience!
Either way, made me appreciate what I have, given the exorbitant price tags of some of the things I listened to. Not that money and the prices themselves are the issue. If you have it, spend it. It's just that it made me appreciate what can be achieved on lower budgets sound quality-wise.
That said, there were definite standouts-- most notably the Shangri-La and Shangri-La Jr. Even the bluetooth Ananda surprised me. Very dynamic for a BT headphone.
Then Benchmark 3 DAC and HPA4 with various headphones.
The Chord booth with Dave and Hugo 2 TT and various headphones.
Liked the Meze. It's a beautiful headphone and sounds amazing.
Of course loved the LCD-4 and LCD-4z though I don't think I'd necessarily trade in my MX4 for either of the two. I think I'd rather own all three! Love the 4 and 4z. The new MX4 and 4z are my favorite headphones right now. They were pretty well represented on the show floor too. Seemed like almost every (non-HP) vendor had them to listen test their DACs, amps with...
Got to use the $8000 Sony DMP-Z1 and liked though not necessarily impressed.
Preferred the Focal Clear Pro to the Utopia (!)
Loved the detail and natural acoustic rendition of the Stax 009s.
Loved all the Myteks and they look better in person and sound just as good.
While I like the sound, I don't get the fit of Abyss headphones, whether it's the AB-1266 Phi or the Diana. They just don't fit my head or I can't make them fit.
Ragnarok 2 / Yggdrasil and other Schiit on display again sounding great, but the PCM only/ lack of native DSD probably is a dealbreaker for me.
ZMF, Focal, and Hifiman probably had the biggest presence in the show with dozens of headphones on display and listening booths always crowded.
Came in to help in a new DAC selection, but just as undecided as ever.
Oh, and the Sonarworks guys didn't show up at all to the show. And here was looking for a show floor discount… oh well.
All and all, great experience!
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lambdastorm
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Cont'd.
Some gears I wanted to hear but didn't get to:
1. RAAL Requisite
The owner was there, the setup was there. The headphone was there. Everything clicked into place when I was sound asleep. I was really looking forward to hear @Zhanming057 's pair. They're on top of my priority list but I slept in. Oh well.
2. Schiit Ragnarok II
I got to hear Ether II on these and thought they did a good job driving the Ethers, but that's at MrSpeaker's booth. For some reason whenever I passed by Schiit booth there's always someone hogging the Rag II. If only I can try my HE-6 with these. *Sigh*
3. Woo Audio WA33
Those who heard it said this and the Abyss TC makes the greatest sounding system of the show. Couldn't verify cuz Woo booth is always crowded. If only they can extend the show for an hour.
Fin.
Some gears I wanted to hear but didn't get to:
1. RAAL Requisite
The owner was there, the setup was there. The headphone was there. Everything clicked into place when I was sound asleep. I was really looking forward to hear @Zhanming057 's pair. They're on top of my priority list but I slept in. Oh well.
2. Schiit Ragnarok II
I got to hear Ether II on these and thought they did a good job driving the Ethers, but that's at MrSpeaker's booth. For some reason whenever I passed by Schiit booth there's always someone hogging the Rag II. If only I can try my HE-6 with these. *Sigh*
3. Woo Audio WA33
Those who heard it said this and the Abyss TC makes the greatest sounding system of the show. Couldn't verify cuz Woo booth is always crowded. If only they can extend the show for an hour.
Fin.
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