[Niyologist]

Do you have any 4XL Shirts?

 

[TommyWolf]

Hi All...been lurking on head-fi for a while and finally joined. Looking forward to putting some faces to avatars as I’m planning on attending CanJam NYC on Sunday the 17.

My hifi journey began a few years ago when I invested in a pair of Westone W50s to replace a set of Bose noise cancelling headphones that had started to fail (I travel a lot and used them on flites). The Westones—which I really liked—cracked recently and as I was poking around to see about having them fixed, I began evaluating new options.

I have been leaning towards customs with BA drivers, primarily because I expect they’ll give me the best isolation (fitted just for me and no air coming in to feed a dynamic driver). I wouldn’t consider myself an audiophile but rather a huge fan of a wide number of genres. Have kinda sorta narrowed my focus to JH (maybe 13v2 or 16v2) and Noble (Dulce or Django) after reading just about every review I could dig up about many different CIEMs that were reasonably priced (to a newbie at least). I would previously have said that an iPhone would be my source, but I’m open to the possibility that a proper setup with a DAP would open up an even more immersive and enjoyable experience.

At any rate, I realize that all of that is hypothetical and that among the most important lessons I’ve gathered from the outstanding wealth of knowledge shared by groups like this is that there is no substitute for giving a setup a listen with your own ears. So...hope to see many of year in a few weeks. And in the meantime, I’m open to any advice/recs you’d like to share with someone just starting down the path to portable audio nirvana.

 

[twister6]

Hi All...been lurking on head-fi for a while and finally joined. Looking forward to putting some faces to avatars as I’m planning on attending CanJam NYC on Sunday the 17.

My hifi journey began a few years ago when I invested in a pair of Westone W50s to replace a set of Bose noise cancelling headphones that had started to fail (I travel a lot and used them on flites). The Westones—which I really liked—cracked recently and as I was poking around to see about having them fixed, I began evaluating new options.

I have been leaning towards customs with BA drivers, primarily because I expect they’ll give me the best isolation (fitted just for me and no air coming in to feed a dynamic driver). I wouldn’t consider myself an audiophile but rather a huge fan of a wide number of genres. Have kinda sorta narrowed my focus to JH (maybe 13v2 or 16v2) and Noble (Dulce or Django) after reading just about every review I could dig up about many different CIEMs that were reasonably priced (to a newbie at least). I would previously have said that an iPhone would be my source, but I’m open to the possibility that a proper setup with a DAP would open up an even more immersive and enjoyable experience.

At any rate, I realize that all of that is hypothetical and that among the most important lessons I’ve gathered from the outstanding wealth of knowledge shared by groups like this is that there is no substitute for giving a setup a listen with your own ears. So...hope to see many of year in a few weeks. And in the meantime, I’m open to any advice/recs you’d like to share with someone just starting down the path to portable audio nirvana.

I think you should start with Westone table first Your original W50 was far from having audiophile tuning, and you will be very surprised to hear everything from 2nd gen UM Pro 50 and W60 to their flagship W80. W50 was discontinued a few years ago, and now reincarnated as B50, another one you should check. And of course, there will be a lot of other brands to test and to compare.

If your source is portable (dap or USB dac w/smartphone), don't forget to bring it along so you can play songs you are familiar with and to test pair up synergy with iems your are interested in.

 

[szore]

Hi All...been lurking on head-fi for a while and finally joined. Looking forward to putting some faces to avatars as I’m planning on attending CanJam NYC on Sunday the 17.

My hifi journey began a few years ago when I invested in a pair of Westone W50s to replace a set of Bose noise cancelling headphones that had started to fail (I travel a lot and used them on flites). The Westones—which I really liked—cracked recently and as I was poking around to see about having them fixed, I began evaluating new options.

I have been leaning towards customs with BA drivers, primarily because I expect they’ll give me the best isolation (fitted just for me and no air coming in to feed a dynamic driver). I wouldn’t consider myself an audiophile but rather a huge fan of a wide number of genres. Have kinda sorta narrowed my focus to JH (maybe 13v2 or 16v2) and Noble (Dulce or Django) after reading just about every review I could dig up about many different CIEMs that were reasonably priced (to a newbie at least). I would previously have said that an iPhone would be my source, but I’m open to the possibility that a proper setup with a DAP would open up an even more immersive and enjoyable experience.

At any rate, I realize that all of that is hypothetical and that among the most important lessons I’ve gathered from the outstanding wealth of knowledge shared by groups like this is that there is no substitute for giving a setup a listen with your own ears. So...hope to see many of year in a few weeks. And in the meantime, I’m open to any advice/recs you’d like to share with someone just starting down the path to portable audio nirvana.

Welcome

 

[TommyWolf]

I think you should start with Westone table first Your original W50 was far from having audiophile tuning, and you will be very surprised to hear everything from 2nd gen UM Pro 50 and W60 to their flagship W80. W50 was discontinued a few years ago, and now reincarnated as B50, another one you should check. And of course, there will be a lot of other brands to test and to compare.

If your source is portable (dap or USB dac w/smartphone), don't forget to bring it along so you can play songs you are familiar with and to test pair up synergy with iems your are interested in.

thanks for the warm welcome guys. And thanks for the advice...this is exactly what I needed to hear. TBH I hadn’t even considered giving the Westones a listen but I’ll make it my plan to start there to set a [renewed] baseline with the B50. While I was disappointed when the old ones broke, they completely elevated my expectations in terms of headphone listening from they second I demoed them at the Logan Airport electronics shop so it makes sense to start there.

 

[third_eye]

Do you have any 4XL Shirts?

Yes, we can order a 4XL.

 

[Niyologist]

Yes, we can order a 4XL.

Thanks. That would be great.

Niyologist-4XL-1.

 

[buke9]

Count me in bro!

Been a while my friend .

 

[NovaFlyer]

Hi All...been lurking on head-fi for a while and finally joined. Looking forward to putting some faces to avatars as I’m planning on attending CanJam NYC on Sunday the 17.

My hifi journey began a few years ago when I invested in a pair of Westone W50s to replace a set of Bose noise cancelling headphones that had started to fail (I travel a lot and used them on flites). The Westones—which I really liked—cracked recently and as I was poking around to see about having them fixed, I began evaluating new options.

I have been leaning towards customs with BA drivers, primarily because I expect they’ll give me the best isolation (fitted just for me and no air coming in to feed a dynamic driver). I wouldn’t consider myself an audiophile but rather a huge fan of a wide number of genres. Have kinda sorta narrowed my focus to JH (maybe 13v2 or 16v2) and Noble (Dulce or Django) after reading just about every review I could dig up about many different CIEMs that were reasonably priced (to a newbie at least). I would previously have said that an iPhone would be my source, but I’m open to the possibility that a proper setup with a DAP would open up an even more immersive and enjoyable experience.

At any rate, I realize that all of that is hypothetical and that among the most important lessons I’ve gathered from the outstanding wealth of knowledge shared by groups like this is that there is no substitute for giving a setup a listen with your own ears. So...hope to see many of year in a few weeks. And in the meantime, I’m open to any advice/recs you’d like to share with someone just starting down the path to portable audio nirvana.

Welcome! My journey into this hobby started similar to your's, replacing a pair of well used Shure SE535s that I used while traveling. Like you, I travel a lot and look for a good, lightweight travel kit. My current travel set-up is a pair of custom Empire Ear Bravados and they provide great sound isolation while flying. My source is the same as your's, an iPhone - but I use a Fiio BTR3 blue tooth device to link my IEMs to the iPhone. While this doesn't give the best audio quality, it's quite acceptable while on a plane and not wanting to hear anyone else and stay in my own little world at 30,000 feet . I'll also add that a good pair of universal IEMs (Westone, Shure or even Meze Audio Rai Penta or Solo) with foam tips also provides great isolation, and they may be better to wear while sleeping, especially if you're a side-sleeper. There was quite a discussion on traveling with IEMs in either the 2019 CanJam NYC impressions thread and/or the Meze Audio Rai Penta thread - all time stamped from last year's show date (16-17 Feb to a week or so after). Also, here's a recent thread on a set-up for air travel - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/best-audiophile-setups-for-commercial-air-travel.923380/

As for CanJam, have a blast! Take advantage of everyone's experience and the vendors are more than happy to explain things and offer advice. BTW, last year's CanJam NYC was my first and I'll be back next month - and not just for the pizza.

 

[Zachik]

As for CanJam, have a blast! Take advantage of everyone's experience and the vendors are more than happy to explain things and offer advice. BTW, last year's CanJam NYC was my first and I'll be back next month - and not just for the pizza.

...and not just for me, obviously, as I won't be there

 

[TommyWolf]

Welcome! My journey into this hobby started similar to your's, replacing a pair of well used Shure SE535s that I used while traveling. Like you, I travel a lot and look for a good, lightweight travel kit. My current travel set-up is a pair of custom Empire Ear Bravados and they provide great sound isolation while flying. My source is the same as your's, an iPhone - but I use a Fiio BTR3 blue tooth device to link my IEMs to the iPhone. While this doesn't give the best audio quality, it's quite acceptable while on a plane and not wanting to hear anyone else and stay in my own little world at 30,000 feet . I'll also add that a good pair of universal IEMs (Westone, Shure or even Meze Audio Rai Penta or Solo) with foam tips also provides great isolation, and they may be better to wear while sleeping, especially if you're a side-sleeper. There was quite a discussion on traveling with IEMs in either the 2019 CanJam NYC impressions thread and/or the Meze Audio Rai Penta thread - all time stamped from last year's show date (16-17 Feb to a week or so after). Also, here's a recent thread on a set-up for air travel - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/best-audiophile-setups-for-commercial-air-travel.923380/

As for CanJam, have a blast! Take advantage of everyone's experience and the vendors are more than happy to explain things and offer advice. BTW, last year's CanJam NYC was my first and I'll be back next month - and not just for the pizza.

Great to hear that others have had similar motivation here. The linked thread you sent is excellent and as i was reading, i started making comparisons to my own experience with the comparatively small sample of setups that i have used over my years of traveling. FWIW, I found the Bose were great for filtering out the drone of the engines, less great at dealing with chatter and babies crying. By comparison, my Westones with foam tips were excellent at cutting me off from the rest of the world...i usually missed the PA when i had them in. And lastly, my Jaybirds--which are primarily for workout use, but have been pressed into service for flying of late--do very little in the way of isolation (which is not a surprise at all).

Really looking forward to having some one-on-one dialogue at the show to narrow in on an optimal setup for me. Oh yeah...pizza and candy sound good, too!

 

[third_eye]

SEMINAR UPDATE: We have a great lineup of Seminars for CanJam NYC 2020! They will take place in the Palace/Winter Garden rooms on the 6th floor right next to the Broadway Ballroom, the main exhibit area for CanJam NYC 2020. Here is the full schedule:

Saturday, February 15

1pm-2pm DAC Design Part 1 - Interpolation Filters Chord Electronics Lead Designer, Rob Watts, talks about interpolation filters, which are at the heart of all DACs, and why they are crucial subjectively. He also explains what a tap is, and discusses the importance of transients from a perception point of view.

2:30-3:30 Miniaturizing Hi-End Speaker Technology for the In-Ear: The Creation and Development of DUNU’s flagship LUNA Thomas Tsai, DUNU’s Executive Director of Global Strategy & Management, takes a deep dive into the completion of its innovative moonshot project — the long, arduous development of LUNA's pure beryllium foil diaphragm and unprecedented speaker-like driver construction. With a speaker design never before attempted for earphones, DUNU achieves a world first with LUNA.

4pm-5pm CanJam NYC 2020 Personal Audio AMA (Ask Me Anything) Is there a correct sound signature - and if so what might that be? How do headphone engineers achieve their desired tuning? What is a tap exactly, and why can’t we ever seem to get enough of them? How much do measurements truly matter? You have questions. Bring them to the CanJam NYC 2020 Personal Audio AMA, and let our distinguished panel of Sankar Thiagasamudram (AUDEZE), Dan Foley (Audio Precision), Rob Watts (Chord Electronics), Andy Regan (Dan Clark Audio), Axel Grell (grellaudio consulting), Freddy Knop (HEDD Audio) and special guest Jan Meier (Meier Audio) answer them all.

Sunday, February 16

11:30-12:30pm The Intricacies of Testing Headphones – Interpreting Measurements and How Distortion Specs Can be Misleading Why is headphone frequency response never “flat” like a loudspeaker? Is Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) an appropriate metric for discerning sound quality? How do we know published specifications are even valid? If you have questions as to how published specs can help indicate sound quality, this seminar is for you. Join Dan Foley from Audio Precision as he reviews the common measurements of any transducer (frequency response, distortion, phase, etc.), how headphone testing differs from that of loudspeakers, and how published distortion specs may not truly indicate a product’s audible distortion behavior.

1:30pm-2:30pm Engineered in China: High Fidelity In-Ears from The Middle Kingdom Seemingly overnight, we’ve been introduced to a host of Chinese audio brands who are engineering world-class in-ears worthy of Head-Fiers’ attention, with some of these brands being very new to western audiences. Come meet our exclusive panel of experts from several leading Chinese audio brands. Find out where they came from, how they got here - and most importantly - where they are headed next.

3:00pm - 4:00pm DAC Design Part 2 - Conversion Rob continues the discussion and looks at various ways to convert digital data to analogue, with pros and cons on each approach. He also talks about why DACs have such a big impact on performance, and what objective criteria are important for high end audio.

 

[szore]

I have to work, up the street, till 4 on Saturday, gonna make a dash and try to see the AMA lecture...

 

[Watagump]

If I was going to be there, I was going to hold a seminar on why Twizzlers are awesome. I could back it up with facts on why others that don't like them are wrong.

 

[AxelCloris]

I figured I'd give you guys a sneak peek at one of the cut takes from the upcoming CanJam NYC 2020 preview video. Enjoy.

"On Saturday February 15th from 8pm to 9pm, join Watagump in the hotel lobby for 'Twizzlers: The World's Perfect Snack,' where Watagump will provided a detailed, in-depth, hour-long demonstration on just how wrong a person can be."