jlbrach
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2005
- Posts
- 7,529
- Likes
- 7,927
nah, jazz at the pawnshop lolDid they also force you to listen to "Hotel California"?They seem to have been using that track from the live "Hell Freezes Over" album for years.
CanJam NYC 2023 Impressions Thread (February 25-26, 2023)
- Thread starter AxelCloris
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2010
- Posts
- 2,777
- Likes
- 2,137
Going to attempt to remember my impressions:
ZMF:
Tried the Atrium Closed vs. Verite Closed.
Felt the Atrium Closed had less soundstage, less dynamics, but a smoother, more cohesive sound.
Overall I preferred the Verite Closed due to the more engaging sound.
DCA:
Preferred the Stealth to the Expanse due to better bass.
Preferred the Corina slightly to the Voce. It wasn't quite as detailed but was much smoother with better bass impact while retaining some electrostat characteristics.
Did prefer the Stax SR-X8000 to the Corina though.
Audio-Technica:
Really liked the ATH-R70x. It's only $349 and I preferred it to their $2000 model due to having a lighter weight and less peaky treble. The $2000 model had deeper bass though.
Fostex:
Finally heard the TH909. From what I've seen most people prefer the TH900 to the TH909, but I preferred the TH909. Sounded more open and slightly more dynamic to me.
Yamaha:
Heard the new $5000 planardynamic.
I initially felt it was a little lacking in bass, but after switching from the suede to the leather pads it was near perfect.
It is particularly good with treble and soundstage. Excellent headphones.
The best headphones I think are the Yamaha, TH909, Stealth, Verite Closed, and the Stax SR-X9000. The ATH-R70X is great too for its price.
I also heard the latest Abyss model (no clue what it's called) and that was top tier too, especially for bass. Weird design though and not super comfortable.
ZMF:
Tried the Atrium Closed vs. Verite Closed.
Felt the Atrium Closed had less soundstage, less dynamics, but a smoother, more cohesive sound.
Overall I preferred the Verite Closed due to the more engaging sound.
DCA:
Preferred the Stealth to the Expanse due to better bass.
Preferred the Corina slightly to the Voce. It wasn't quite as detailed but was much smoother with better bass impact while retaining some electrostat characteristics.
Did prefer the Stax SR-X8000 to the Corina though.
Audio-Technica:
Really liked the ATH-R70x. It's only $349 and I preferred it to their $2000 model due to having a lighter weight and less peaky treble. The $2000 model had deeper bass though.
Fostex:
Finally heard the TH909. From what I've seen most people prefer the TH900 to the TH909, but I preferred the TH909. Sounded more open and slightly more dynamic to me.
Yamaha:
Heard the new $5000 planardynamic.
I initially felt it was a little lacking in bass, but after switching from the suede to the leather pads it was near perfect.
It is particularly good with treble and soundstage. Excellent headphones.
The best headphones I think are the Yamaha, TH909, Stealth, Verite Closed, and the Stax SR-X9000. The ATH-R70X is great too for its price.
I also heard the latest Abyss model (no clue what it's called) and that was top tier too, especially for bass. Weird design though and not super comfortable.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2008
- Posts
- 825
- Likes
- 79
Pretty impressed with below Stax and Eksonic amp.
I guess the headphone is Stax 007 Mk1
And will leave the show with wonderful memories of similar gears. Everything sounds good these days not good for our wallet
i missed the eksonic.......where was it?
Arcamera
1000+ Head-Fier
Speaking of expensive headphones, any more impressions on the Audio Technica ATH-W2022?
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2010
- Posts
- 2,777
- Likes
- 2,137
The treble seemed a bit peaky to me. Also sounded more closed-in than headphones like the Verite Closed or Stealth.
HeavyCn
New Head-Fier
Did they have the D8000 Pro LE there or just the D8000 pro?Yes, it was connected to the sigfrid.
New Yamahas sounded good but the Final audio D8000 pro was better in every way for me. Demo'd them back to back two days in a row. Yamahas sound thin by comparison but have the edge in sparkle.
Got a chance to demo the HE-1, it was a great experience. While I don't think they're worth the price, they do sound amazing.
It was the regular pro not the LE.
HeavyCn
New Head-Fier
Did you get any time with the LE? If so, how much different is it compared to the regular?
If you got some time with the Caldera how would you say it stacked up to the D8000 pro?
LeMoviedave
100+ Head-Fier
True, but if you are going to spend THAT much on a headphone system already, it seems silly to not have the DAC to bring out the best of the system. Either dive in, or stay out of the water!
Hahaha. Luckily noDid they also force you to listen to "Hotel California"?
The LE was at Final and the standard Pro was at Headphones.com and I heard them two different days.
Zhanming057
500+ Head-Fier
I only managed to be there for two half-days because of other commitments, and I spent most of the morning trying to critically evaluate the DCS Lina stack (which was much easier at 10 am, when the room was decently quiet). Overall - it's a fine system, but the amp sounds somewhat anemic for its nominal wattage ratings and price, and the DAC is much less special without the clock. At this level of equipment, obviously a lot (all?) of it is down to preferences - but I would personally much prefer my own MSB system, although it does run hotter, has fewer features, and takes up 2x as much space.
That said, it's a major step up from the Bartok (not having heard the Bartok Apex), and I would enthusiastically recommend it if it were...say 35% cheaper? I'd be really curious about what DCS would be capable of if they were to build a truly price-no-object system based on the Vivaldi stack.
As for headphones, I brought my own YH-5000SE's, and I was quite impressed by how they meshed with a number of high-end systems - the WA33e gets a shoutout, as well as the Viva 845. Most of the other new offerings didn't really leave much of an impression. The Valkyria was good, but doesn't really do anything beyond a crop of options at 1/3rd the price, and IMO being able to swap to a portable (or just different) cable is really important. I found the 2022 Utopia almost indistinguishable to the 2020 Utopia's all the way up to the mid-treble, and while I like the Utopias a lot, but the extra treble rolloff isn't a plus for me personally.
Small shoutouts to the Cadenza 12 and the Fourte Blanc. I would definitely pay for the latter if it came in a custom mold.
That said, it's a major step up from the Bartok (not having heard the Bartok Apex), and I would enthusiastically recommend it if it were...say 35% cheaper? I'd be really curious about what DCS would be capable of if they were to build a truly price-no-object system based on the Vivaldi stack.
As for headphones, I brought my own YH-5000SE's, and I was quite impressed by how they meshed with a number of high-end systems - the WA33e gets a shoutout, as well as the Viva 845. Most of the other new offerings didn't really leave much of an impression. The Valkyria was good, but doesn't really do anything beyond a crop of options at 1/3rd the price, and IMO being able to swap to a portable (or just different) cable is really important. I found the 2022 Utopia almost indistinguishable to the 2020 Utopia's all the way up to the mid-treble, and while I like the Utopias a lot, but the extra treble rolloff isn't a plus for me personally.
Small shoutouts to the Cadenza 12 and the Fourte Blanc. I would definitely pay for the latter if it came in a custom mold.
Last edited:
I did not end up going back today, and I'm kinda annoyed because I only this afternoon found out there was a HE-1 there. 
The Valkyria is gnawing away at my brain, though. $12k is absurd, almost obscene. But knowing how my brain works it's going to eat away at me until I find a way to justify it.
The Valkyria is gnawing away at my brain, though. $12k is absurd, almost obscene. But knowing how my brain works it's going to eat away at me until I find a way to justify it.
Users who are viewing this thread
