CanJam @ RMAF 2018 has come and gone and it was enlightening, fun and wallet RIP-inducing to be certain.
I was stoked to join everyone at the event, which was my first official CanJam. Gear was tested, lots of music was played, great conversation (and knowledge exchange) abounded and it turned out to be a memorable experience for this audiophile neophyte. I’ve compiled my impressions below.
HEADPHONES
Ether 2: The Ether 2 has the distinction of being my first headphone audition on setup day. It was as dreamy as I had imagined, imparting great detail AND warmth to both the Shpongle track that Dan Clark selected for me as well as my Ry Cooder test track. Adding to the magic was the legendary Cavalli Liquid Glass Amp powering the Ether 2. I was impressed by the light weight of the headphone, and it was one of the most comfortable cans I auditioned at the show.
ZMF Auteur: Remember that meme from Pulp Fiction involving the super enigmatic briefcase? There was a similar sense of awe when the good folks at ZMF brought out their presentation case containing custom steampunk-inspired ornate brass inlay Auteur headphones. They were easily some of the most stunning headphones at the show. But along with their good looks came great sound too! The Auteur proved to be a well-balanced headphone, both highs and lows shining without feeling overpowered in any one area. All the while, providing faithful renderings across the various genres of music I tested with.
Focal Clear: Driven by an SPL Phonitor Amp. I found the Clear to be a mid-centric headphone with a decent soundstage depending on the track. The mids in Michael Jackson’s "Another Part of Me" felt recessed and the track lacked a big soundstage, although my Warren Zevon test track fared better in that regard.
Focal Utopia: Utopia indeed! I had a chance to listen to the blissful Utopia on 2 different setups: Focal’s booth which utilized a Auralic DAC and Manley amp, as well Questyle’s booth with the technically impressive CMA Twelve. Both setups delivered phenomenal sound that is damn near perfect to my tastes: clean, analytical, and DETAILED sound with an extra punch of bass for good measure. One of my favorite auditions by far at CanJam and on my dream list!
Abyss Diana Phi: The search for the Diana Phi was initially an elusive one, as there were rumored to be only a couple units floating around CanJam. When the headphone appeared at the Abyss booth, I made a quick beeline to check out what was probably one of the most talked about headphones at the show. While not my personal favorite audition, the Diana Phi performed strongly, with bright detail, large soundstage and a sound signature that seems to skew towards mids. It sounds fantastic for weighing next to nothing, and aesthetically was one of the sleekest looking headphones at the show.
Audeze Mobius: As a gamer, I was totally impressed by this headset from a gaming perspective - I can imagine how fun and immersive it would be to play an MMO or FPS with the 3D enhancement provided by the Mobius. However, to me, listening to music was a tad bit disappointing, and my tracks sounded cavernous and hollow, both with the 3D setting on and off. If I purchased this item, which is certainly tempting, I would be inclined to use it solely for gaming purposes, which makes it more of a limited product, in my opinion.
Sennheiser HD 800S: Late to the audio game, I had my first (and very memorable) encounter with the 800S a few months back at the Audio Video Boutique in Las Vegas, NV. At the time, it was far and away, the best thing I’d ever put to my ears. So after having listened to some of the other headphones at CanJam, I wanted to revisit the experience. Once again, I found the sound to be extremely clean and detailed, with a grand soundstage, although now lacking in bass comparatively speaking to some of the other headphones I auditioned at the show. I was limited to listening to the tracks available at the booth so was unable to have a longer audition using my own familiar test tracks.
Sennheiser HD 820: I was impressed by the interesting design of the 820 with it’s gorilla glass encased drivers, and was surprised by it’s warm sound and deceptively large soundstage that felt liberating considering I typically prefer the privacy of a closed can headphone. Having listened to both the 800S and 820, if I had to choose one headphone, I’d go with the 820 as it seems to have more bass, which I favor, than the 800S while still maintaining a large soundstage.
Meze Empyrean: As a newcomer to the audiophile world, I am still discovering manufacturers and product brands. So I want to preface this by saying I knew little to nothing about Meze, except that I had seen a photo beforehand of the Empyrean, and it looked aesthetically stylish to my eye. So I had no performance bias as I sat down to what would become 3 separate auditions of the forthcoming Empyrean. In a word, this headphone is MAGIC. It was the only product at the show that gave me that x-factor feeling - I had an emotional reaction with this one bordering on supernatural! The Empyrean skews very differently from my usual taste for analytical and clean sounding headphones. Make no mistake, it has a ton of detail, but also conveys a sense of warmth, intimacy of the music and this oneness with the sound that can only be explained by saying, you have to hear it for yourself! Everything I threw at it sounded beautiful, across all genres from Dave Brubeck to Michael Jackson to Sarah McLachlan. It’s also worth mentioning, the Meze booth setup including the Schiit Yggdrasil, Auris Nirvana and Empyrean was an absolutely drool-worthy combo. I may just sell an organ on the black market for this most amazing headphone - I am totally hooked.
IEMS
Alclair Electro: Billed as the first electrostatic hybrid IEM, the Electro’s were one of the first IEM’s I auditioned at CanJam, and made such a great impression they stayed on my mind during the entire show. In fact, if you spoke with me at the show, chances are I probably directed you to the Alclair booth for a listen! I auditioned the Electro with my trusty AK320 player, and the sound was sublime, powerful and detailed. Days later, I am still thinking about the Electro and am certainly craving a longer audition with this fantastic IEM.
InEar ProPhile 8: This was a last minute audition at the urging of fellow Head-fier
@drgajet who insisted I simply must have a listen. So glad I did! The ProPhile 8 delivers with a large soundstage, detailed sound and as a bonus, adjustable bass and treble. Although I didn’t take the time to try the different settings, even on the base neutral setting, the IEM’s sounded pretty amazing.
InEar Stagedriver 5: Another fantastic IEM from InEar. Although not as beefy as the ProPhile 8, this IEM had many great characteristics including detailed sound and an airy soundstage but with tighter punching bass.
AMPS/DACS/PLAYERS
Sony DMP-Z1: I certainly hyped myself up for this particular item - a high-end all in one unit from Sony (what is this sorcery?). I didn’t get to spend too much time auditioning the unit, but I was a bit underwhelmed by its performance, especially given the price point, with my test tracks lacking separation, sounding a bit fuzzy as well as with weak mids. Bass sounded marginally better. To me, the aesthetics, not the output sound is the strongest feature of the DMP-Z1.
JDS Labs Element Amp/DAC: Not only did I appreciate the sleek good looks of the Element, I was also impressed by the powerful, detailed sound coming through as I tested some rather quirky music including Ween’s "Buckingham Green" and Jocelyn Pook’s "Dionysus", which I have found challenges some gear. The Element added a great boost of energy, detail and separation to my LCD-X headphones.
Chord Mojo/Poly: Being new to the hobby, I’m probably one of the last people to discover the Chord Mojo/Poly, but I am so glad I did! I am a sucker for portables, but add to this the fact that the Mojo/Poly sounds and performs tremendous and my admiration for this item just shot to the next level. The device packed a wallop of power, has a bunch of cool features and brought my Audeze LCD-X to life with warm and detailed reproduction. Nick Cave’s “I Need You” sounded gloriously gloomy, and The Clash’s “Straight to Hell” rendered with amazing separation and imaging. The Mojo/Poly (mo-jah-paly?
) has rocketed straight up to the top of my wishlist!
Chord Hugo 2: While at the Chord booth, I also auditioned the Hugo 2 with my LCD-X and was pretty stoked about what I heard. Lows and Mids feel pronounced with the base settings, but enabling the onboard crossfeed filters created a very noticeable enhancement to mids as well as imparting a warmth that made my various test tracks feel inviting and more detailed.
Schiit Lyr 3 Amp with built in DAC: I spent some time with my LCD-X and the same two test tracks (Nine Inch Nails’ “Gave Up” and Oingo Boingo’s “Dead Man’s Party”) throughout Schiit’s booth, discovering their lineup of gear for the first time, and was quite impressed by the Lyr 3. Both tracks kicked my ears with powerful bass, good detail and separation. As someone currently in the market for a mid-priced yet powerful desktop DAC/Amp, I found the Lyr 3 to be a strong contender.
Things I Missed (But Wish I Didn’t)
- Astell & Kern - Billie Jean IEM
- Questyle CMA Twelve - would like a longer audition
- Westone line of IEMS
- Fostex line
- Chord Hugo 2 TT and M Scaler
- Focal Elegia
- HiFiMAN line
- iFi line
I’d like to send kudos to the Head-FI and RMAF staff as well as exhibitors for putting on a fantastic show. It was certainly a memorable way to begin my CanJam experience! I had a great time helping the Head-Fi guys setup and it was cool hanging out with you all - Warren, Jude, Ethan, Joe and Brian!
I was impressed by how friendly and welcoming the community is, especially from my perspective as a newcomer, and during the show I had the pleasure of chatting with numerous Head-Fi members including
@Stillhart @drgajet @musicman59 @Hansotek @fzman and even got to meet one of my childhood heroes - David Robinson, as well as industry members Owen Kwon of Astell and Kern, Amy and Tony of Schiit Audio, Jeff Fowler of Westone, John Marshall of The Audio Video Boutique, David Solomon of Qobuz, Mike Dias of Domo Audio, Steve and Heather Rochlin of Enjoy the Music, Bill Leebens of PS Audio, Tyler Folsom of Alclair, Bruce Ball of Questyle and the lovely people of JDS Labs and ZMF Headphones who were booth neighbors to Head-Fi.
What else can I say, CanJam - you were a blast, and I look forward to seeing y’all in NYC next February for more adventures in audiophilia!
