I heard these, too, and really enjoyed them at their price point. Then I made the mistake of listening to the U18T and woof. I should stop listening to stuff.
CanJam NYC 2022 Impressions Thread (February 26-27, 2022)
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Kerry had 2 007mk1s,009s audeze electrostatic
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Initial Impressions.
The DUNU Vulkan Version 1 sounds crisp and a bit lean with the mids and treble. The bass is a bit light and a smidge agile. It has an average extension and isn't shouty or too brilliant. There's a good amount of air movement too. This observation is based on testing it out with Modern Jazz and Dance music.
The DUNU Vulkan Version 1 sounds crisp and a bit lean with the mids and treble. The bass is a bit light and a smidge agile. It has an average extension and isn't shouty or too brilliant. There's a good amount of air movement too. This observation is based on testing it out with Modern Jazz and Dance music.
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wow.Just picked up a DUNU Titan S at their show special price of $60! So worth it!
how much is the original price?
+10 with crbn. love it esp with the t2.
Initial Impressions
The DUNU Vulkan Version 2's bass is a bit slower. This time the bass has a bit more impact and it's deeper. The vocals are a tad more saturated than Version 1, but the highs are a smidge more energetic.
The DUNU Vulkan Version 2's bass is a bit slower. This time the bass has a bit more impact and it's deeper. The vocals are a tad more saturated than Version 1, but the highs are a smidge more energetic.
Had a wonderful time at CanJam this year, as expected. Made sure I got there bright and early to cram in as much listening as I possibly could.
For the sake of brevity, I'll condense my impressions into as close to a paragraph as I can on each (tough for me lol). As such, I'll touch on about ten of my experiences on the day (although I certainly had more).
Woo/Abyss Room:
Abyss 1266 TC (on WA33): The most impressive low-end display of the entire show; if bass slam/impact is your thing, look no further than the 1266 TC on a high-powered tube set-up. Overall, out of these, you get a fast, tight signature, wide soundstage, and THAT BASS. Drawbacks are the mids are a bit recessed, tonality isn't the most "accurate" (natural) and you're losing out on some of the transparency/"detail" you might get from some others (see Stax impressions). But, with that said, one of the absolute highlights of the show. Surprisingly more comfortable than you might expect, as well.
Stax X9000 (on WES): Another absolute highlight of the show. Transparency and detail seemed unmatched by any other set-up. Everything just sounded so natural and alive. Fast, fast, fast. Probably the most balanced of the Stax options. The only notable con was the bass isn't going to do it for you if you're used to the impact and depth of the best dynamics or planars.
Audeze CRBN (on WES): For an e-stat, it's very well balanced. If I can only own one headphone and it had to be an estat, I'd take this over any of the Stax options because there was more bass impact. But if I can own two headphones.....I'd take any of the 009S or X9000 over this. I liked how balanced it was, but there was no single element of it that really impressed me over any other headphones in this price point.
Abyss Diana TC (on the brand-new WA23 "Baby Elite"): You can certainly hear some similarities to the 1266 TC here (with respect to the treble presentation and detail retrieval), but the Mids are much more present/forward here, the soundstage is smaller and while the bass is still very fast and tight, not as much impact/slam. If you don't listen to the Diana TC and the 1266 TC back-to-back, I think you'd come away more impressed by the Diana TC than I did, but comparing directly to its big-brother didn't have it coming out as desirable. Still, a very good headphone; although I'm not sure I prefer it over the Diana V2. The WA23 didn't seem like the best amp match for it, had to get quite up near the top of the volume knob to get it loud.
DCA/HeadAmp Room:
DCA Stealth (on GS-X Mk. II): I think DCA did a good job here of avoiding a lot of the pitfalls for me with many closed-backs (which is odd tonality/lack of naturalness), it does indeed sound somewhat like an open-back (certainly more so than the ZMF VC or Focal Stellia do). Sound signature is incredibly clean, with no overemphasized frequencies of material note. Perhaps that's it's downfall, as well, as it just didn't move me much. I was impressed by its technicalities and it's comfort/weight, but couldn't see myself reaching for them much.
DCA Voce (on Blue Hawaii): This reminded me more of the Audeze CRBN than the Stax line; you could tell they went for balance and more depth than you get from the typical Estat. They achieved that to some degree as they seemed more lush and less thin than other Estats, at the expense of not coming away with the exceptional transparency and speed of the top Stax offerings. I can see it as a worthy contender to the Stax 007 perhaps, but it didn't do it for me like the X9000 did.
Stax 009S (on Blue Hawaii): This was another highlight for me; definitely comparable to the X9000 in speed and detail. 009S seems a touch brighter and a little less effortless/natural than the X9000, perhaps a little thinner, as well. Not a sizable overall difference between the two, though, although I slightly preferred the X9000. Overall, worthy of its place towards the top.
Stax X9000 (on Blue Hawaii): Nothing materially different than what I experienced from my impressions of the X9000 off the Woo Amp.
Abyss Diana TC (on GSX Mini): This was a more preferable pairing for the DIana TC than the Woo WA23, certainly more headroom here and just a bit cleaner presentation of the same items I noted with the Diana TC above.
Eksonic Room:
Stax 007 Mk I (on the brand-new Eksonik Aeras): If you want some of that effortless-ness and speed of a Stax but crave more warmth and body, the Mk I is likely your ticket. I prefer the 009S and X9000 signature, but I can see how the 007 Mk I could be a better long-term listening option if one is worried about listening fatigue. I was very impressed by the Eksonik Aeras; a ton of clean juice to power the 007, and the amp's form factor is much preferable to me over the behemoth chassis of the WES or Blue Hawaii. This was another highlight.
Audio46 Booth:
T&A Solitaire P (on T&A HA200): From a visual aaesthetic perspective, one of my favorites from the show. It's a very classy looking combo. The Solitaire P had a lush presentation and a lot of depth, as well as a delivery I can see working with a wide selection of genres and be pleasing to most's listening tastes. It does border on dark, though, and the soundstage was a bit narrow. No particular element stood out to me but I can see how this would work as a primary driver for many/many styles. Clamping pressure was too weak, and overall build quality didn't scream $6k+. Overall, I'd take a Final D8000 (Non-Pro) over these any day but if you disregard price point, they would be a crowd-pleaser.
T&A Solitaire P-SE (on A&K ACRO CA1000): Sound signature of these is immediately more noticeably neutral than the dark Solitaire P. The treble is less muted here with the P-SE than the P, mids more forward, but bass less thick. Overall, I preferred the sound of the P-SE over the P, and didn't notice any drop in technicalities at all. They seem fairly easy to drive, as well. Build quality of these is a shock for this price point; had a comparable build to a $200 Sennheiser.
Audeze Booth:
Audeze LCD-5 (on a Nagra and Burson Stack): For my tastes, this is the best headphone Audeze has made yet. By far the most balanced headphone I've heard from them; sound signature moves away from the usual Audeze darkness and takes on a more neutral approach. Bass was tight and impactful without being too much, and the overall transparency has increased here (I find Audeze to have a bit of a veil sometimes across their lineup). Another notable improvement was comfort; manageable weight and clamp on these. Overall, well-done to Audeze here for making a fine headphone with no glaring faults.
Dcs Room:
Focal Utopia (on dcs Bartok): Not my first rodeo with the Utopia, but any chance to spend some time with a Bartok is a good time to take lol. The Utopia has a bit of a narrow soundstage, aggressive, in-your-face sound signature and a bit of a "wall of sound" approach. Not exactly my cup of tea, although build quality and comfort are nice and the street/used price of a Utopia makes them a better value than some others.
Abyss 1266 TC (on dcs Bartok): While not materially different than my experience on the Woo, I did get a sense that the bass slam was toned-down a bit on the Bartok, and the treble was a bit smoother here. I felt that the WA33 drove the 1266 better than the Bartok did.
Sennheiser HD800 (on dcs Bartok): Not my first rodeo with these either; going from Utopia to HD800, you really do get hit in the face by the sizable difference in soundstage presentation between the two. While the HD800 or HD800s were never quite near my favorites, it's an undeniably capable headphone, with that impressive soundstage trick and quality comfort, and one of (if not the best) option you can get at a $1k street price.
Bartok certainly does seem to just smooth out anything connected to it. It's an impressive piece of gear, for sure, should one disregard the price point.
I also listened to other notables such as the Meze Elite, Mysphere and the Raal Sr1a. The Mysphere and Raal were tough to judge in this setting, even in the "quiet rooms" I tested them in; the complete lack of isolation made background noise distracting even with relative quiet of those rooms. With that being said, I disliked both; Mysphere was uncomfortable to wear and the bass distortion was comically bad at volume, and while the Raal SR1a was a clear step up, I also got bass distortion at volume. This format just might not be my thing.
Thank you to Head-Fi for organizing this, and for all the volunteers and exhibitors. All of the exhibitors were polite, helpful and knowledgeable; I especially want to thank Audio46 and Eksonik for being exceptionally friendly.
For the sake of brevity, I'll condense my impressions into as close to a paragraph as I can on each (tough for me lol). As such, I'll touch on about ten of my experiences on the day (although I certainly had more).
Woo/Abyss Room:
Abyss 1266 TC (on WA33): The most impressive low-end display of the entire show; if bass slam/impact is your thing, look no further than the 1266 TC on a high-powered tube set-up. Overall, out of these, you get a fast, tight signature, wide soundstage, and THAT BASS. Drawbacks are the mids are a bit recessed, tonality isn't the most "accurate" (natural) and you're losing out on some of the transparency/"detail" you might get from some others (see Stax impressions). But, with that said, one of the absolute highlights of the show. Surprisingly more comfortable than you might expect, as well.
Stax X9000 (on WES): Another absolute highlight of the show. Transparency and detail seemed unmatched by any other set-up. Everything just sounded so natural and alive. Fast, fast, fast. Probably the most balanced of the Stax options. The only notable con was the bass isn't going to do it for you if you're used to the impact and depth of the best dynamics or planars.
Audeze CRBN (on WES): For an e-stat, it's very well balanced. If I can only own one headphone and it had to be an estat, I'd take this over any of the Stax options because there was more bass impact. But if I can own two headphones.....I'd take any of the 009S or X9000 over this. I liked how balanced it was, but there was no single element of it that really impressed me over any other headphones in this price point.
Abyss Diana TC (on the brand-new WA23 "Baby Elite"): You can certainly hear some similarities to the 1266 TC here (with respect to the treble presentation and detail retrieval), but the Mids are much more present/forward here, the soundstage is smaller and while the bass is still very fast and tight, not as much impact/slam. If you don't listen to the Diana TC and the 1266 TC back-to-back, I think you'd come away more impressed by the Diana TC than I did, but comparing directly to its big-brother didn't have it coming out as desirable. Still, a very good headphone; although I'm not sure I prefer it over the Diana V2. The WA23 didn't seem like the best amp match for it, had to get quite up near the top of the volume knob to get it loud.
DCA/HeadAmp Room:
DCA Stealth (on GS-X Mk. II): I think DCA did a good job here of avoiding a lot of the pitfalls for me with many closed-backs (which is odd tonality/lack of naturalness), it does indeed sound somewhat like an open-back (certainly more so than the ZMF VC or Focal Stellia do). Sound signature is incredibly clean, with no overemphasized frequencies of material note. Perhaps that's it's downfall, as well, as it just didn't move me much. I was impressed by its technicalities and it's comfort/weight, but couldn't see myself reaching for them much.
DCA Voce (on Blue Hawaii): This reminded me more of the Audeze CRBN than the Stax line; you could tell they went for balance and more depth than you get from the typical Estat. They achieved that to some degree as they seemed more lush and less thin than other Estats, at the expense of not coming away with the exceptional transparency and speed of the top Stax offerings. I can see it as a worthy contender to the Stax 007 perhaps, but it didn't do it for me like the X9000 did.
Stax 009S (on Blue Hawaii): This was another highlight for me; definitely comparable to the X9000 in speed and detail. 009S seems a touch brighter and a little less effortless/natural than the X9000, perhaps a little thinner, as well. Not a sizable overall difference between the two, though, although I slightly preferred the X9000. Overall, worthy of its place towards the top.
Stax X9000 (on Blue Hawaii): Nothing materially different than what I experienced from my impressions of the X9000 off the Woo Amp.
Abyss Diana TC (on GSX Mini): This was a more preferable pairing for the DIana TC than the Woo WA23, certainly more headroom here and just a bit cleaner presentation of the same items I noted with the Diana TC above.
Eksonic Room:
Stax 007 Mk I (on the brand-new Eksonik Aeras): If you want some of that effortless-ness and speed of a Stax but crave more warmth and body, the Mk I is likely your ticket. I prefer the 009S and X9000 signature, but I can see how the 007 Mk I could be a better long-term listening option if one is worried about listening fatigue. I was very impressed by the Eksonik Aeras; a ton of clean juice to power the 007, and the amp's form factor is much preferable to me over the behemoth chassis of the WES or Blue Hawaii. This was another highlight.
Audio46 Booth:
T&A Solitaire P (on T&A HA200): From a visual aaesthetic perspective, one of my favorites from the show. It's a very classy looking combo. The Solitaire P had a lush presentation and a lot of depth, as well as a delivery I can see working with a wide selection of genres and be pleasing to most's listening tastes. It does border on dark, though, and the soundstage was a bit narrow. No particular element stood out to me but I can see how this would work as a primary driver for many/many styles. Clamping pressure was too weak, and overall build quality didn't scream $6k+. Overall, I'd take a Final D8000 (Non-Pro) over these any day but if you disregard price point, they would be a crowd-pleaser.
T&A Solitaire P-SE (on A&K ACRO CA1000): Sound signature of these is immediately more noticeably neutral than the dark Solitaire P. The treble is less muted here with the P-SE than the P, mids more forward, but bass less thick. Overall, I preferred the sound of the P-SE over the P, and didn't notice any drop in technicalities at all. They seem fairly easy to drive, as well. Build quality of these is a shock for this price point; had a comparable build to a $200 Sennheiser.
Audeze Booth:
Audeze LCD-5 (on a Nagra and Burson Stack): For my tastes, this is the best headphone Audeze has made yet. By far the most balanced headphone I've heard from them; sound signature moves away from the usual Audeze darkness and takes on a more neutral approach. Bass was tight and impactful without being too much, and the overall transparency has increased here (I find Audeze to have a bit of a veil sometimes across their lineup). Another notable improvement was comfort; manageable weight and clamp on these. Overall, well-done to Audeze here for making a fine headphone with no glaring faults.
Dcs Room:
Focal Utopia (on dcs Bartok): Not my first rodeo with the Utopia, but any chance to spend some time with a Bartok is a good time to take lol. The Utopia has a bit of a narrow soundstage, aggressive, in-your-face sound signature and a bit of a "wall of sound" approach. Not exactly my cup of tea, although build quality and comfort are nice and the street/used price of a Utopia makes them a better value than some others.
Abyss 1266 TC (on dcs Bartok): While not materially different than my experience on the Woo, I did get a sense that the bass slam was toned-down a bit on the Bartok, and the treble was a bit smoother here. I felt that the WA33 drove the 1266 better than the Bartok did.
Sennheiser HD800 (on dcs Bartok): Not my first rodeo with these either; going from Utopia to HD800, you really do get hit in the face by the sizable difference in soundstage presentation between the two. While the HD800 or HD800s were never quite near my favorites, it's an undeniably capable headphone, with that impressive soundstage trick and quality comfort, and one of (if not the best) option you can get at a $1k street price.
Bartok certainly does seem to just smooth out anything connected to it. It's an impressive piece of gear, for sure, should one disregard the price point.
I also listened to other notables such as the Meze Elite, Mysphere and the Raal Sr1a. The Mysphere and Raal were tough to judge in this setting, even in the "quiet rooms" I tested them in; the complete lack of isolation made background noise distracting even with relative quiet of those rooms. With that being said, I disliked both; Mysphere was uncomfortable to wear and the bass distortion was comically bad at volume, and while the Raal SR1a was a clear step up, I also got bass distortion at volume. This format just might not be my thing.
Thank you to Head-Fi for organizing this, and for all the volunteers and exhibitors. All of the exhibitors were polite, helpful and knowledgeable; I especially want to thank Audio46 and Eksonik for being exceptionally friendly.
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The 99 use a 99mm pad and the Meze 109 use a 109mm pad.The new Meze photographed a few posts down look nice.
If anyone here can check the size of their pads compared to the 99 that’ll be grand
NewEve
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Thanks, I imagine the new ones got bigger earcups — if that’s the case, it’ll be welcome.
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Just got back home from what was a very fun weekend. Definitely blessed to live a short subway ride from times square, although the city has gotten pretty grungy and scary lately but that’s a story for a different day. I want to say thank you to everyone involved in planning and putting on this event. You all do a flawless job and make canjam something to really look forward to each and every year.
I’d like to share some impressions with you all. Goes without saying but “meet conditions” are a real thing. It’s very loud in the main room, and for the most part the private rooms aren’t much better in that regard. As a personal anecdote - my preference leans towards a fuller, meatier, and slightly warmer side of neutral sound signature. I also put a huge emphasis on soundstage and presentation, more so than tonality which I wouldn’t know the first thing on if its “correct” or not. I’m weak on the audiophile jargon and explanations and can only speak from how it sounds to me, how it draws me in, and the emotional connection to the music.
With that said, here’s a rough list of everything I heard and spent time with over the weekend:
HPs: Susvara, X9000, CRBN, LCD-5, Empyrean, Empyrean Elite, Lyric, Verite Closed, Verite Open, HEDDphone, Diana TC, 1266 TC, DCA Stealth
Gear: WA-23, WA-33, WES, DCS Bartok, A&S Forge, A&S Nautilus, EF-1000, Questyle Fifteen, Fe Oor, Pro iCan, Dave, TT2/Mscaler, Centrance Hifi m8 v2 & Ampersand...among others I’m forgetting.
These were the show standouts to me:
Empyrean Elite – Hands down the best HP I’ve ever heard and I enjoyed it more than anything I listened to this weekend. I heard it on a couple of different setups, DCS Bartok (yikes), TT2/Mscaler, and Questyle Fifteen. Man this thing is special. If you find the original Empyrean to be great but just a little boring for lack of better words, this is a whole different ballgame. There was nothing I didn’t like about it. Gorgeous full sound, deep powerful bass, clear vocals, and fantastic presentation. As a side note, don’t sleep on the Questyle. I know people look down on all in ones but that thing sounded fantastic. Not missing much to my ears compared to TT2/Mscaler, albeit in meet conditions.
HEDDphone – Heard these off the tiny Centrance Hifi m8 v2/Ampersand combo… biggest surprise of the show for me. These were awesome. They had such an effortless, yet punchy and crisp sound. Felt like the music was coming from a deep, dark hole out of nowhere. Nothing was offensive to me. Soundstage width and depth were excellent and I got really into the music. Many will not be able to get over the size and weight of these and that is totally understandable. I didn’t mind it. I sat there for a long while enjoying these… As much as I was floored by the Elite’s - $4k is a tough sell. I think at current used prices, the HEDDphone is what I took from the show that I will be going to seek out.
Everything else:
X9000 - I heard these out of the WES in the Woo room. Really cool experience. DAMN those things are comfortable, like literally unreal how comfortable they are. I got to try them alongside the CRBN going back and forth. The CRBN were a bit more in my wheelhouse, they had a fuller bottom end to my ears and sounded much more natural and life-like. I liked the presentation of the X9000s better, unreal speed – there’s nothing else like it. I just think they were a little bright for me. I winced pretty hard when the trumpet kicked in on “Flemenco Sketches”. I think if you’re an analytical listener you’ll prefer the X9000s, if you’re more into musicality the CRBN is the choice. I did not compare with the 009s unfortunately.
Susvara – These didn’t live up to the hype for me. Comfort wise they were excellent. Heard them off of a bunch of setups but the best one was the EF-1000 at the Bloom Audio table. Don’t get me wrong, they’re awesome, I just didn’t think I was missing much of anything versus my HE6SE V2. They sounded eerily similar to me, but brighter and maybe some more resolution. They also seemed to handle busy passages a little better where the V2s sometimes get a little bogged down. They had a “soft” quality to them that’s hard to explain. Didn’t get that slam I was expecting. I’d probably be singing a different tune if I didn’t have the V2s, but I feel like they’re so close to the overall sound that I couldn’t justify moving up.
LCD-5 – I love Audeze. My reference for the last 10 years has been pre-fazor LCD-3s. It’s a shame but I wasn’t feeling these whatsoever. Heard them off of a Burson GT, Forge, and something else that’s escaping me. Holy BRIGHT Batman! Super clear sounding with lots of detail, but man these were fatiguing, ear piercingly so. I also was surprised how closed in they are - almost sounded like a closed back in terms of width. There is mile wide difference in soundstage and presentation between the 5s and all the other TOTLs I heard. I’d love to hear these EQ’d to see how they can change, but I wouldn’t buy them just to try that. Not for me.
Verite Closed & Open – Really liked the VC off the Nautilus. Had a very nice reverb effect, almost like a 3D quality to them that was very unique and frankly intoxicating. I could see these getting a bit bright and fatiguing if used with a more neutral solid state setup. Great presentation, easy to get lost in the music which is what this whole game is all about. Wish they weren’t so expensive. I was less impressed with the Opens driven by the iDSD/pro iCAN combo. I thought they had less bass than the VC, and sounded a little flat. I felt they weren’t as dynamic or special. Could be the gear pairing though.
Diana TC – Heard these off the brand new WA-23. The thing looks like it was designed for royalty. An absolute sight to behold. Wish I had an extra $9,500 lying around lol. I liked the TC a lot, very punchy with a tremendous amount of impact. Something about the Abyss is just raw, but not in a bad way. I know there are many people that want to listen at low volume but keep that full impact and slam…these are your huckleberry.
DCA Stealth – Gorgeous build, felt great. Not feeling these though. They sounded good, very coherent in busy passages, a lot of nice detail, but nothing stood out as special in my opinion. They didn’t transcend the typical closed-back characteristics to my ears.
Looking forward to next year!
I’d like to share some impressions with you all. Goes without saying but “meet conditions” are a real thing. It’s very loud in the main room, and for the most part the private rooms aren’t much better in that regard. As a personal anecdote - my preference leans towards a fuller, meatier, and slightly warmer side of neutral sound signature. I also put a huge emphasis on soundstage and presentation, more so than tonality which I wouldn’t know the first thing on if its “correct” or not. I’m weak on the audiophile jargon and explanations and can only speak from how it sounds to me, how it draws me in, and the emotional connection to the music.
With that said, here’s a rough list of everything I heard and spent time with over the weekend:
HPs: Susvara, X9000, CRBN, LCD-5, Empyrean, Empyrean Elite, Lyric, Verite Closed, Verite Open, HEDDphone, Diana TC, 1266 TC, DCA Stealth
Gear: WA-23, WA-33, WES, DCS Bartok, A&S Forge, A&S Nautilus, EF-1000, Questyle Fifteen, Fe Oor, Pro iCan, Dave, TT2/Mscaler, Centrance Hifi m8 v2 & Ampersand...among others I’m forgetting.
These were the show standouts to me:
Empyrean Elite – Hands down the best HP I’ve ever heard and I enjoyed it more than anything I listened to this weekend. I heard it on a couple of different setups, DCS Bartok (yikes), TT2/Mscaler, and Questyle Fifteen. Man this thing is special. If you find the original Empyrean to be great but just a little boring for lack of better words, this is a whole different ballgame. There was nothing I didn’t like about it. Gorgeous full sound, deep powerful bass, clear vocals, and fantastic presentation. As a side note, don’t sleep on the Questyle. I know people look down on all in ones but that thing sounded fantastic. Not missing much to my ears compared to TT2/Mscaler, albeit in meet conditions.
HEDDphone – Heard these off the tiny Centrance Hifi m8 v2/Ampersand combo… biggest surprise of the show for me. These were awesome. They had such an effortless, yet punchy and crisp sound. Felt like the music was coming from a deep, dark hole out of nowhere. Nothing was offensive to me. Soundstage width and depth were excellent and I got really into the music. Many will not be able to get over the size and weight of these and that is totally understandable. I didn’t mind it. I sat there for a long while enjoying these… As much as I was floored by the Elite’s - $4k is a tough sell. I think at current used prices, the HEDDphone is what I took from the show that I will be going to seek out.
Everything else:
X9000 - I heard these out of the WES in the Woo room. Really cool experience. DAMN those things are comfortable, like literally unreal how comfortable they are. I got to try them alongside the CRBN going back and forth. The CRBN were a bit more in my wheelhouse, they had a fuller bottom end to my ears and sounded much more natural and life-like. I liked the presentation of the X9000s better, unreal speed – there’s nothing else like it. I just think they were a little bright for me. I winced pretty hard when the trumpet kicked in on “Flemenco Sketches”. I think if you’re an analytical listener you’ll prefer the X9000s, if you’re more into musicality the CRBN is the choice. I did not compare with the 009s unfortunately.
Susvara – These didn’t live up to the hype for me. Comfort wise they were excellent. Heard them off of a bunch of setups but the best one was the EF-1000 at the Bloom Audio table. Don’t get me wrong, they’re awesome, I just didn’t think I was missing much of anything versus my HE6SE V2. They sounded eerily similar to me, but brighter and maybe some more resolution. They also seemed to handle busy passages a little better where the V2s sometimes get a little bogged down. They had a “soft” quality to them that’s hard to explain. Didn’t get that slam I was expecting. I’d probably be singing a different tune if I didn’t have the V2s, but I feel like they’re so close to the overall sound that I couldn’t justify moving up.
LCD-5 – I love Audeze. My reference for the last 10 years has been pre-fazor LCD-3s. It’s a shame but I wasn’t feeling these whatsoever. Heard them off of a Burson GT, Forge, and something else that’s escaping me. Holy BRIGHT Batman! Super clear sounding with lots of detail, but man these were fatiguing, ear piercingly so. I also was surprised how closed in they are - almost sounded like a closed back in terms of width. There is mile wide difference in soundstage and presentation between the 5s and all the other TOTLs I heard. I’d love to hear these EQ’d to see how they can change, but I wouldn’t buy them just to try that. Not for me.
Verite Closed & Open – Really liked the VC off the Nautilus. Had a very nice reverb effect, almost like a 3D quality to them that was very unique and frankly intoxicating. I could see these getting a bit bright and fatiguing if used with a more neutral solid state setup. Great presentation, easy to get lost in the music which is what this whole game is all about. Wish they weren’t so expensive. I was less impressed with the Opens driven by the iDSD/pro iCAN combo. I thought they had less bass than the VC, and sounded a little flat. I felt they weren’t as dynamic or special. Could be the gear pairing though.
Diana TC – Heard these off the brand new WA-23. The thing looks like it was designed for royalty. An absolute sight to behold. Wish I had an extra $9,500 lying around lol. I liked the TC a lot, very punchy with a tremendous amount of impact. Something about the Abyss is just raw, but not in a bad way. I know there are many people that want to listen at low volume but keep that full impact and slam…these are your huckleberry.
DCA Stealth – Gorgeous build, felt great. Not feeling these though. They sounded good, very coherent in busy passages, a lot of nice detail, but nothing stood out as special in my opinion. They didn’t transcend the typical closed-back characteristics to my ears.
Looking forward to next year!
Day 2 thoughts:
It seems Hifiman was having trouble with their amplifier yesterday when I tried to listen to Susvara, but I’m happy to report that it was working perfectly today. Susvara sounded fantastic. I got there early this morning and snagged some time with both Susvara and lcd-5 while the floor was still empty and quiet. Susvara is every bit as spacious, detailed, and natural sounding as advertised. lcd-5 is slightly more intimate, and similarly detailed & natural sounding. Bass on them sounded about equal to my ears, but again this was only a brief listen.
I really liked the Abyss Diana TC. It seems much easier to live with vs the 1266 while giving up very little. The mids are still a bit wonky, but you’re not getting a TC for the mids anyway. It’s all about that bass.
DCA Stealth is impressive. If you’re looking for a closed back planar, this is the winner by a country mile. Think Arya but closed back. No small accomplishment technologically, I’m sure.
Absolutely LOVED the Rosson RAD-0. Way more than I thought I would. Definitely on my radar now as a potential eventual upgrade from my Arya.
IEMs: JH Audio Jolene and Empire Ears Legend EVO both impressed. Jolene’s mids are thick and lush with loads of detail. Legend EVO is every bit as skull-rattling as they say it is, and its treble was more extended and detailed than I expected. I couldn’t decide whether I like the Anole VX or U18t more - both impressed with their incredible detail and punch.
Overall, the winner of day 2 for me, once again, was the Audeze CRBN, this time paired with the eksonic T2. I can only describe the sound as “transcendent”. This has thrown my whole endgame roadmap into question. (Cheers to the eksonic room for being the highlight of the weekend for me!)
It seems Hifiman was having trouble with their amplifier yesterday when I tried to listen to Susvara, but I’m happy to report that it was working perfectly today. Susvara sounded fantastic. I got there early this morning and snagged some time with both Susvara and lcd-5 while the floor was still empty and quiet. Susvara is every bit as spacious, detailed, and natural sounding as advertised. lcd-5 is slightly more intimate, and similarly detailed & natural sounding. Bass on them sounded about equal to my ears, but again this was only a brief listen.
I really liked the Abyss Diana TC. It seems much easier to live with vs the 1266 while giving up very little. The mids are still a bit wonky, but you’re not getting a TC for the mids anyway. It’s all about that bass.
DCA Stealth is impressive. If you’re looking for a closed back planar, this is the winner by a country mile. Think Arya but closed back. No small accomplishment technologically, I’m sure.
Absolutely LOVED the Rosson RAD-0. Way more than I thought I would. Definitely on my radar now as a potential eventual upgrade from my Arya.
IEMs: JH Audio Jolene and Empire Ears Legend EVO both impressed. Jolene’s mids are thick and lush with loads of detail. Legend EVO is every bit as skull-rattling as they say it is, and its treble was more extended and detailed than I expected. I couldn’t decide whether I like the Anole VX or U18t more - both impressed with their incredible detail and punch.
Overall, the winner of day 2 for me, once again, was the Audeze CRBN, this time paired with the eksonic T2. I can only describe the sound as “transcendent”. This has thrown my whole endgame roadmap into question. (Cheers to the eksonic room for being the highlight of the weekend for me!)
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Actually, from what I have been told by Tom, DUNU started Vulcan with a bassier version as their initial tuning. That one has more bass emphasis, fuller body mids, and less treble emphasis. Then, next version had less sub-bass, more transparency in mids and higher resolution upper frequencies. And even that one is not finalized yet, I believe they are still putting finishing touches.
Oops. That means I must have thought Version 2 was Version 1 and vice-versa.
With euphoria and audio bliss still permeating the air and the ear, I want to thank Jude, Joe, Ethan and all of the organizers of CanJam New York 2022. It was an absolute triumph and such a pleasure to be with like-minded music lovers. I've always noted that people who love music and the gear that reproduces it faithfully and well tend to be the nicest people, and that certainly was true these last two days. I am visiting family here but in a few days when I am back home I will share some impressions. I know there will be many great photos and attendee reviews to give the whole headfi community a sense of participation. Thanks again.
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iamsms
New Head-Fier
any impressions of the new hifiman dac/amp?
The new Hi-Fi man ES400 was definitely appealing, especially in high gain non-oversampling mode driving a variety of Hi-Fi man headphones it sounded great. No real coloration to speak of but did have a very organic natural timber particularly in non-oversampling mode, and perhaps also in part due to R2R architecture. Pretty impressive power output too from a relatively compact and moderately priced unit.
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