CanJam Shanghai 2018 Impressions Thread (November 3-4, 2018)
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Nov 7, 2018 at 12:56 AM Post #32 of 54
My short auditions with the Flamenco left me disappointed considering I went into can jam with it at the top of my list. Not really sure what it was but it wasn't doing it for me, possibly the sound stage. The Trinity was a treat but didn't completely blow me away (though I found huge differences between balanced and non balanced-not enough time to really give detailed notes at the moment.) The Zeus was as awesome as I expected for vocals but the hiss is too much. I got to try something upcoming from Empire which was really suited to my tastes so I look forward to that release. As well the ACS Emotion had me lose myself in the music twice which no other IEM did.

These were just quick thoughts from my phone, will probably write something more detailed when I settle down, still in full tourist mode. I mostly tried all the flagship IEMs.

Shoutouts to Jack and Dean at Empire you guys were awesome.
New release from Empire ears? Do you mean the lx and phantom or something new that they been cooking in their lab.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 2:41 AM Post #33 of 54
My short auditions with the Flamenco left me disappointed considering I went into can jam with it at the top of my list. Not really sure what it was but it wasn't doing it for me, possibly the sound stage. The Trinity was a treat but didn't completely blow me away (though I found huge differences between balanced and non balanced-not enough time to really give detailed notes at the moment.) The Zeus was as awesome as I expected for vocals but the hiss is too much. I got to try something upcoming from Empire which was really suited to my tastes so I look forward to that release. As well the ACS Emotion had me lose myself in the music twice which no other IEM did.

These were just quick thoughts from my phone, will probably write something more detailed when I settle down, still in full tourist mode. I mostly tried all the flagship IEMs.

Shoutouts to Jack and Dean at Empire you guys were awesome.

Surprised you did not like the Flamenco! Also was waiting to hear more information about Trinity...
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 2:53 AM Post #34 of 54
Impressions from Canjam Shanghai (Sorry, no pictures!)
Opus
Lovely people here (everyone was, but this team especially) Listened to the #2 and the difference from my X5iii was very clear. Better staging, layering, detail, fluidity of interface. This is totally on my list. Fantastic hardware design as well. More impressed with this than with AK offerings (from memory). Loved it. Also got to listen to a product currently in concept/beta. #2 for me though.

the Opus#2 is an absolutely amazing player and punches well above it's asking price. Software leaves a bit to be desired for me however!
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 3:27 AM Post #35 of 54
InEar Prophile 8s
I've tucked these down here but honestly, everything else I listened to was being compared to the PP8s. When I'm demoing a set of earphones and I can't bring myself to go to the next track, because I'm so enthralled with what I'm hearing, it's a good sign. When the presentation of a song genuinely makes me want to sob because it's so stunning, they're probably the ones for me. When my WIFE is moved to tears and tells me emphatically that I can spend 10,000RMB on a pair of earphones....well....that has not happened before. These are hands down, the best IEMs I have ever heard. The staging, the balance, the naturalness of the sound...heavenly. Ridiculously comfortable AND the same for my small-eared wife who has great difficulty with IEMs (as opposed to bullets/earbuds). These, for me, are almost certainly the last pair of IEMs I will buy because I don't really see how sound could be better reproduced. I cannot believe that I am going to spend about 1000 pounds stirling on IEMs but I need these. I listened to them three times. Nothing else at the show came close except the Ananda. Maybe the 64Audio Tia Fourte was on the way, but really not the same. These earphones just get everything right. Endgame. Mic drop.

Great impression! Did you manage to try the wooden PP8 variant? I wonder if there is any audible differences between the regular PP8 and the wooden PP8L/PP8VS.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 4:09 AM Post #36 of 54
New release from Empire ears? Do you mean the lx and phantom or something new that they been cooking in their lab.

Not entirely sure what it was! I did enjoy listening to the LX and Phantom but wouldn't be able to use them daily.

Surprised you did not like the Flamenco! Also was waiting to hear more information about Trinity...

It's not that I didn't like the Flamenco, I think I was just too hyped up and a little let down that it wasn't perfect. I kinda flew from Canada to Shanghai to demo it, but the very first thing I went to was the Trinity.
Unfortunately I am still in full tourist mode for the next week and a half and have little time to write up a detailed review about all the IEMs I got to try but I had a wonderful experience despite not speaking Mandarin and being a complete noob in the audio game. I went with the intention of figuring out which CIEM I'd like to buy next and left still undecided.

10195201.jpg


The Trinity as I said had a huge difference between the 3.5 SE and 2.5 balanced cables. I'm not much of a review guy so forgive me as these are just jumbled thoughts that are of course completely subjective and from memory/notes. Also important thing to note I consider myself to be a low volume listener and I am used to customs so going to universal being in at a loud expo wasn't ideal but this is my first time experience and it was fun. Trinity needs a lot more power compared to what I normally listen to (Noble 4C, which is also very flat). I went into this Can Jam looking for something that is still very neutral but a little bit more fun and I think the Trinity does just that.

In the non balanced set up the bass was solid, very well controlled, presumably the DD putting in work. Male vocals were a tiny bit more back compared to higher voices. It had a little trouble keeping up with busy house tracks as far as clarity goes. Highs were very smooth, very fun IEM, electronic was my favourite genre to listen to with these for sure though I was a little ear fatigued (maybe due to the higher volume). Heavy metal was also a treat, I am a hobby guitarist and hearing distorted guitars via Trinity was incredible despite sounding a bit warm. Very good energy on faster tracks, kept up quite easily. Orchestral was less impressive, sound stage isn't very wide and instruments were not separated as well as I'm used to.

Balanced was a whole 'nother beast as the clarity shot way up. It didn't need as high volume which was nice. It felt a lot more treble focused which I am a big fan of... the highs sounded beautiful. Female vocals were brought up to the front on the same level as the male vocals and were probably second only to the Zeus. In my opinion it does vocals as good if not better than the Flamenco. The bass was less boomy but still very well controlled and the separation between instruments got better. The energy I was feeling from metal songs went up another level while still maintaining all details. Unfortunately it seems I didn't keep any notes during my orchestral tracks so I can't seem to recall if the soundstage opened up but from what I recall the instrument separation improved quite a lot along with the fullness.

Honestly I had a lot of fun with the Trinity, I probably listened to it the longest out of any IEM there. I think that it does everything very well and met my criteria for what I wanted, but perhaps I didn't get enough time to really fall in love with it. But at no point did I ever want to stop listening to it or skip a track.

Already thinking of going to New York next year!
 

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Nov 7, 2018 at 4:53 AM Post #37 of 54
Not entirely sure what it was! I did enjoy listening to the LX and Phantom but wouldn't be able to use them daily.



It's not that I didn't like the Flamenco, I think I was just too hyped up and a little let down that it wasn't perfect. I kinda flew from Canada to Shanghai to demo it, but the very first thing I went to was the Trinity.
Unfortunately I am still in full tourist mode for the next week and a half and have little time to write up a detailed review about all the IEMs I got to try but I had a wonderful experience despite not speaking Mandarin and being a complete noob in the audio game. I went with the intention of figuring out which CIEM I'd like to buy next and left still undecided.

10195201.jpg


The Trinity as I said had a huge difference between the 3.5 SE and 2.5 balanced cables. I'm not much of a review guy so forgive me as these are just jumbled thoughts that are of course completely subjective and from memory/notes. Also important thing to note I consider myself to be a low volume listener and I am used to customs so going to universal being in at a loud expo wasn't ideal but this is my first time experience and it was fun. Trinity needs a lot more power compared to what I normally listen to (Noble 4C, which is also very flat). I went into this Can Jam looking for something that is still very neutral but a little bit more fun and I think the Trinity does just that.

In the non balanced set up the bass was solid, very well controlled, presumably the DD putting in work. Male vocals were a tiny bit more back compared to higher voices. It had a little trouble keeping up with busy house tracks as far as clarity goes. Highs were very smooth, very fun IEM, electronic was my favourite genre to listen to with these for sure though I was a little ear fatigued (maybe due to the higher volume). Heavy metal was also a treat, I am a hobby guitarist and hearing distorted guitars via Trinity was incredible despite sounding a bit warm. Very good energy on faster tracks, kept up quite easily. Orchestral was less impressive, sound stage isn't very wide and instruments were not separated as well as I'm used to.

Balanced was a whole 'nother beast as the clarity shot way up. It didn't need as high volume which was nice. It felt a lot more treble focused which I am a big fan of... the highs sounded beautiful. Female vocals were brought up to the front on the same level as the male vocals and were probably second only to the Zeus. In my opinion it does vocals as good if not better than the Flamenco. The bass was less boomy but still very well controlled and the separation between instruments got better. The energy I was feeling from metal songs went up another level while still maintaining all details. Unfortunately it seems I didn't keep any notes during my orchestral tracks so I can't seem to recall if the soundstage opened up but from what I recall the instrument separation improved quite a lot along with the fullness.

Honestly I had a lot of fun with the Trinity, I probably listened to it the longest out of any IEM there. I think that it does everything very well and met my criteria for what I wanted, but perhaps I didn't get enough time to really fall in love with it. But at no point did I ever want to stop listening to it or skip a track.

Already thinking of going to New York next year!

Just wanted to pick ur brain before i made a decision too...
thank you for the info and have a great stay
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 10:58 AM Post #39 of 54
InEar Prophile 8s
I've tucked these down here but honestly, everything else I listened to was being compared to the PP8s. When I'm demoing a set of earphones and I can't bring myself to go to the next track, because I'm so enthralled with what I'm hearing, it's a good sign. When the presentation of a song genuinely makes me want to sob because it's so stunning, they're probably the ones for me. When my WIFE is moved to tears and tells me emphatically that I can spend 10,000RMB on a pair of earphones....well....that has not happened before. These are hands down, the best IEMs I have ever heard. The staging, the balance, the naturalness of the sound...heavenly. Ridiculously comfortable AND the same for my small-eared wife who has great difficulty with IEMs (as opposed to bullets/earbuds). These, for me, are almost certainly the last pair of IEMs I will buy because I don't really see how sound could be better reproduced. I cannot believe that I am going to spend about 1000 pounds stirling on IEMs but I need these. I listened to them three times. Nothing else at the show came close except the Ananda. Maybe the 64Audio Tia Fourte was on the way, but really not the same. These earphones just get everything right. Endgame. Mic drop.
Word up!

Great impression! Did you manage to try the wooden PP8 variant? I wonder if there is any audible differences between the regular PP8 and the wooden PP8L/PP8VS.
There is no wooden version of the PP8 unless they unveiled one at CanJam Singapore. Wooden versions only exist for the Stagediver series IEMs and those sounded just like the regular version last time I tried them.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 11:10 AM Post #40 of 54
Word up!


There is no wooden version of the PP8 unless they unveiled one at CanJam Singapore. Wooden versions only exist for the Stagediver series IEMs and those sounded just like the regular version last time I tried them.

Their Facebook page says that they unveil them on CanJam Shanghai: https://www.facebook.com/287218207940/posts/10156952941752941/

I'm not sure if they were available to audition there or not, but hopefully it is. Personally, I haven't heard the regular SD5 (only the Ebony one), but a couple of my friends prefer the SD5 Ebony over the standard one. Would be interesting to see if the new wooden PP8 sound any different, but even if they don't, it is a beauty. :)

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Nov 7, 2018 at 5:45 PM Post #41 of 54
Was the Opus #4 at the show? Any details or images?

I heard a DAP that Opus were working on, still in development. They didn't name it and, comparing the sound to the Opus #2, it was not ready for release yet.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 8:59 PM Post #42 of 54
Their Facebook page says that they unveil them on CanJam Shanghai: https://www.facebook.com/287218207940/posts/10156952941752941/

I'm not sure if they were available to audition there or not, but hopefully it is. Personally, I haven't heard the regular SD5 (only the Ebony one), but a couple of my friends prefer the SD5 Ebony over the standard one. Would be interesting to see if the new wooden PP8 sound any different, but even if they don't, it is a beauty. :)


I believe these were it in Shanghai? Didn't try them unfortunately.

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Nov 7, 2018 at 9:27 PM Post #43 of 54
Hey, yeah I’m in Shanghai but only visiting and helping out my partner who is here for work. I was at the China International Import Expo yesterday, insane, I swear there was a whole Olympics worth of people in that expo center.

I’m only here for today and tomorrow, then off to Yunnan province for a holiday :) Not sure what the next few days will be like so best not organize anything around me, but if the rest of you arrange a meet-up let me know and I’ll see if I can make it.

That's a pity as I won't be in town until the weekend.
Anyhow, enjoy your trip.
 
Nov 7, 2018 at 11:51 PM Post #44 of 54
I believe these were it in Shanghai? Didn't try them unfortunately.

10195517.jpg

Man, what a beauty... I believe the two on the front are the new PP8. Hopefully we'll see some impression soon.
 
Nov 8, 2018 at 2:26 AM Post #45 of 54
Wow, the InEars guys were super non-pushy then. They didn't even mention these, just let me sit there multiple times loving the PP8s
I figured these were some SD model so I didn't inquire....silly me!
 
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