mark88888
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Final Day Impressions from Canjam Singapore 2023
On this day, I basically aimed try to all that was left for me to. I moved between booths with purpose, stopping just long enough to formulate opinions. Of course, I indulged in banter with friends, reps, and industry professionals. That’s usually half (if not most) of the fun for someone who’s plenty satisfied with his present stable.
First and foremost, I stopped by the Noble table to say hello to the Wizard. I was pleasantly surprised when he offered to let me demo his soon to be released flagship TWS earbuds, the FoKus Prestige. Other than the premium looks and feels, this is easily the most technically proficient of TWS buds out there! Good midbass, decent resolution, and decent clarity without ever getting sibilant. Impressive one this, if you like a mid-bass punch.
Next, I spent a good deal of time with the Warwick Acoustics Aperio. What a lovely tonality! Some solid bass for a stat, strong midrange, and decent treble. However, I wasn’t as blown away as I thought I would be with the headphone system’s technicalities. Resolution was perhaps only a minor step ahead of a properly amped 009/009S/X9K. It had some meat on the bones compared to Stax but lacked the ethereal quality many stat aficionados have come to associate with and love about stats. I liked the HE-1 better, but more on that later.
Next, I tried some Thieaudio IEMs, their flagships: the Divinity V16 ($1499) and the Prestige ($1299).
Both decent IEMs but I liked the tuning of the Divinity much more. It was a more balanced set with less bass and more clarity in the upper mids. This is worth a try if you like the brand.
Next, I tried Project Red from @crinacle. I didn’t try it with the impedance adapter which will boost the bass, but I, like most others, found it to be a very competent IEM given that it will be priced at less $100. In fact, at sub-$100, it may become a game-changer. Keep an eye out for this if you are looking for a budget set. You may need the impedance adapter (which I understand it will ship with), if you like more bass than the stock tuning.
I then spent some time chatting with Ken Ball of Campfire Audio. As always, his IEMs are gorgeous and disruptive in the good sense, in terms of aesthetics.
Cliff notes go something like this: the new Andro is their best one yet (decent bass!), the new Solaris is their best-tuned set (solid all-rounder lacking a tad in resolution), whilst the Trifecta is still too zany for me. I like the looks of the Trifecta but can’t agree with the treble tuning. I admire the brand though for taking risks with their tuning instead of churning out one target-hitter after another.
Acoustone makes some stunning-looking IEMs. They all have a more or less wonky tuning though other than the HS1790Ti, which is absolutely a well-tuned IEM and I would love to spend more time with it. They have a spin-off brand called Madoo and I tried their planar dynamic hybrid called the Type 512, which was interesting indeed. Such fast transients! Made me want to own one just for novelty’s sake.
Next I moved on to the Nightjar Acoustics booth and spent some time with the Singularity and the Duality.
I liked the Duality a lot more, not just for the bass, but it had some superb timbre and technical chops. The Singularity will also be a popular IEM given it’s expected to be priced sub-$1500 when it comes out next month. The Duality will be higher-priced but will not be out until later in the year.
The Lotoo PAW Gold Touch Ti is a good DAP and I understand why people consider it to be neutral in its presentation. It sounds far less colored than the L&P P6 Pro but I prefer the P6 Pro and the Sony WM1ZM2 to the LPGT Ti. The Ti is a tad airier than the regular LPGT.
Meanwhile, the Atrium Closed is Zach’s best closed-back yet. I spent some time with the Cherrywood with Suede Pads and loved how open it sounded and how damn authoritative the bass was. Mids are always good with ZMF so there’s that. Mids are always good with ZMF so there’s that. Mids are always good with ZMF so there’s that. This may be the best closed-back in the market, especially if you like the ZMF house sound. I may bring one in for a full review.
The 64 Audio U4S was not my jam. I understand its priced around $1000 but even in that price range, its not resolving enough and the transients are soft and mushy.
I liked the Fourte Blanc though, better than the Fourte OG. Solid subbass foundation and damn resolving even if the tuning is a tad wonky in the treble. 64 Audio has a way of pulling off wonky tunings and still making them sound palatable and occasionally exciting.
The new Utopia is a tad more pleasing to me than the old Utopia. And I really liked the old Utopia. Solid synergy with my Sony WM1ZM2 with a subbass and 2KHz boost.
Rosson Audio has a winner in their hands with the MPL-0. At $1799, this is Rosson’s best work yet. Fun tuning yet quite natural-sounding.
@ElysianAcousticLabs’s yet-to-be released Dio will be their best IEM yet. They have fixed the bass with this one. Sounds damn tacticle and textured whilst retaining a lot of the treble quality that made the Anni so popular. Looks like the Anni in current prototype form but likely will look different when released later this year.
I didn’t like the MEST MK3 much. Odd treble. I prefer the MK2, although the MK3 is more resolving. I liked the Mason Fabled Sound however: Unique Melody’s most expensive IEM at $5999. I don’t know many who own it and I wonder why not. I may prefer it to the Trailli but not to the Jewel.
I have never liked the DCA Stealth or Expanse much, but the Corina was something interesting in offering a meatier and thicker presentation for a stat. I wouldn’t buy it however because I prefer the Stax headphones to it. And the Corina does not have the technical chops of Stax.
Last but certainly not the least, I tried the Sennheiser HE-1 (for the second time). I liked it much more this time. In fact, I loved it this time.
Maybe the stunning views of Marina Bay from the 35th floor suite that Sennheiser booked, had something to do with it.
The HE-1 has the best bass of any estat on the planet, thicker and deeper and more impactful than the Aperio. The midrange sounds more natural than the Aperio and the treble walks a beautiful line between polite and sparkly. The only nitpicks are that the staging is not the widest (although stage depth is great!) and midbass can be a bit thin on certain tracks. But I loved it overall and the @Sennheiser rep hosting us, Mr Wee Hong, was great to chat with.
Listening to the HE-1 was a sweet, sweet way to end an overwhelming and I dare say, emotional two days of audiophiling.
CanJam was a blast. Singapore is audiophile city and it was awesome to experience and contribute to the passion of the local and global Head-Fi community.
So grateful for the experience.
Until next time. Hope to see some of you in London!
Thanks, I loved reading this post and great photography.
Dunno if they still have it, but I love their Congee station. We have nothing like that here in the States. 
Do you know the price and where to order it?
