[Rockwell75]

What the heck, Jeff! Check out the hanging light directly left of the sign in my and your pic. 100% the same! What are the chances???

drftr

I was just noticing that lol

 

[PrestonSturgesEnthusiast]

Second time going to Canjam SG. I had an absolute blast this year, much more stuff to try compared to last year.

Below are my quick impressions of various stuff I tried during the two days. My personal reference is:

• Source used at the show: Sony WM1Z
• Inear: Empire Ears Odin, Custom A12t, Campfire Solaris
• Headphone: Audeze LCD-5, LCD-X to Hugo TT2

Please take the impression with a grain of salt, as I listened to each IEM for 10-15 minutes only (except for a few).

Let's start.

1. Empire Ears' Project Raven. 1 Bone Conductor W10, 2 W9+, 5 BA & 4 Estats. A more evenly tuned Odin, with better bass, less forward upper midrange, more even mid to treble. Overall I would take this over the Odin anyday. Special shoutout to Jack for being super friendly!
2. Empire Ears' Legend Evo. First time I tried this, and yeah it has a lot of bass, with excellent extension & rumble. Didn't feel suffocated like the last time I tried Legend X. The mid & high of the LE is still clear & doesn't get drowned out by the bass.
3. FIR Audio’ Xenon 6. I once was close to blind-buying the Xenon 6, but still decided not to because of mixed reviews from people I trust. After listening to their entire line up today, I understand why. Very non-fatigue (read: non-exciting, non-moving) tuning, with a lot of bass & lower mids that seems to cloud the entire frequency response. Can certainly see the merit of this tuning, as one can really listen to it all day long, and it doesn't grab your attention. Key difference between this & the Legend Evo is the LE's is muscular, flexing, hits hard whereas this is fairly laidback.
4. Krypton 5: After trying Xenon 6, I switched to Krypton 5. And wow, now I know why people love this. The sound is so lively, dynamic, exciting. I literally was tapping my feet constantly when I listened to this. Bass hits hard, mid & treble both seems decently forward. All contribute to a very musical experience.
5. Radon 6: Vlad said Radon 6 is his most favorite in the line-up. It basically combines the Xenon 6's bass with Krypton 5's mid & highs. For me it's a Krypton 5 but one notch up everying, and quite a bit more treble (which hmmm actually makes the Billboard's pop way less listenable) => Tempted to get a Krypton 5 for myself after this experience.
6. Elysian's Annihilator. Details, details, a lot of details, more than any other IEMs I have heard, maybe more than LCD-5 as well. Bright tunning, lack lower mids but upper-mid to treble is so amazing. The vocal in songs appear crystal-clear, it's like singers singing to your ears. It's too good that I got overwhelmed! Having said that, I can also foresee getting fatigue after 20 30 mins listening to this.
7. Elysian's Prototype. I got so shocked when I listened to this. Polar-opposite to the Annihilator, with a lot of bass, ton of subbass while the rest of the spectrum remains clear. Think EE's LE but with softer bass & bass rumble.
8. Elysian's DIVA. Well I listened to this right after the Annihilator, so it's easy to be underwhelmed. Yet, DIVA is a well tuned, balanced IEM with no part of the sound really jumped out on me.
9. Subtonic's STORM. Best IEM I have ever heard. Bar none. Best of the show. A true reference signature WITHspeaker-like soundstage (rectangular, not spherical) AND exceptional dynamic (think Focal Clear / Utopia dynamic). Very well controlled bass, hits hard. Everything is good, nothing to fault, at all. For more praise, I can confirm this impression FC Construct's impression to be exactly what I heard. Massive respect to Subtonic for creating this. Special shoutout to Toranku for being super friendly!
10. QDC Anole VX, 8SS. Balanced, neutral, very studio sound. Nothing jumped out on me but I can see myself owning one due to its pure reference signature (Sony IER M9 but supercharged).
11. QDC Anole V14. Their new flagship. Plenty fun, plenty bass even in the default configuration. Still without any coloring.
12. Vision Ears VE8. Tight solid bass. Very coherent, musical, liquid midrange. Upper mids / lower-treble is a bit shouty.
13. Vision Ears Blue Prototype. A lot of bass that dominates the signature, but it didn't bleed into the mids, and the rest of the spectrum is still clear. No irritating peaks. The visceral impact of the bass is great, and can really move you. Downside is the bass is a bit bloated.
14. Vision Ears Red Prototype. A more balanced signature compared to the Blue. With considerable brigher mid & treble, bass takes a step back but still hits hard. Treble can be bright at times. Still very engaging, even more so than the Blue. I have equal preference of both the Blue & Red.
15. 64 Audio Tia Fourte Blanc. Sounded nothing like the Fourte. It's a bass canon, perhaps the best done bass canon for my ears. The rest of the FR still remain clear & the bass / rest of FR balanace is better than that of Vision Ears Blue. Very enjoyable.
16. 64 Audio Tia Trio. Used to be my favorite in the 64audio family, but after listening to the Foute Blanc I don't know why I should bother about the Trio anymore.
17. Sony IER-M9. I had owned M9 for 2 years then sold it to begin the high-end journey. Listened to it again today, and it was a very reliable sound, balanced, neutral, did nothing wrong, nothing exceptional. Will probably buy it again for permanent ownership as my reference.
18. Effect Audio’s Code 23. Wow a very thick copper cable, created a deeper & more air for my Odin. Got one for special show price after 5 hours of fun negotiation & deliberation.
19. Abyss 1266 Phi TC on Eleven Audio Stack + Hugo TT2. First time demoing this set-up properly. 1266 has a remarkably roomy, speaker like sound, with exceptional quality bass. Upper mid & treble is quite sharp and requires you to listen to strictly well recorded albums (Come Away With Me, Random Access Memory ...)
20. DCS Lina Stack. Well, what can I say? Worth the money? I don't know, but the stack certainly sounds exceptional! The transparency, staging is unmatched, and it's very evident.
21. ZMF Artrium Open on Cayin Tube Amp. Very analog sounding, maybe the most analog sounding inear / headphone I have ever heard.
22. Dan Clark's Stealth & Expanse. They sounded “correct”, but nothing jumped out. I will need way more time to appreciate the combo.
23. Inear ProMission X. Pleasant warm-neutral tuning. Very relaxed sounding. Would say it’s like Sony M9? I kept coming back to this after 2 Canjams.

Personal conclusion for me:

• Empire Ears’ house sound is about the flexing, powerful sound
• Each model of FiR has its own unique tuning, like nothing else in the market
• If only the STORM is same price as Odin I would get one for myself, right at the show.

Finally, I won the first giveaway ever in my life, a Vision Ears EVE20, which marked the end of an incredible Canjam! See everyone next year!

What are your impressions on the tia fourte blanc and STORM sub-basses?

Thanks!

 

[donkashyap]

Do plan to, in the next couple of days. Will post on this thread if I do.

Thanks

Eagerly waiting

 

[CL14715]

I see a lot of positivity about Storm. Do they have a ton of pre-orders?

 

[yaps66]

This was posted in The Watercooler thread.

Ok. This was my first CanJam event and what a high bar it has set for any future CanJam I attend!

I thought I would take the lazy way of sharing my experience in pictures instead of words so here goes! What this consists of are pre-show photos, show photos and post-show photos. Enjoy!

Pre-show photos

Vietnam eagle has landed! Met up at Pan Pacific for some Dim Sum lunch but @klyzon and I arrived early and so we got the chance to hear some things!

Lunch! Thanks @metaljem77 for hosting! An amazing start to the week's festivities!

Visiting Effect Audio. Thanks for the great hospitality @JordonEA and Heley!

No visit to Singapore is complete without chicken rice! Then in the evening we hung out at Tonic to have our minds and necks blown away by Brise Audio stuff!

Midnight satay anyone?

Hearing more Brise Audio stuff and @Sifo getting the ear treatment by Uncle Wilson for some fitears!

Pre-show dinner. Bak Kut Teh! Apparently has a more kinky name in Dutch!

Show photos

Lunch on the first day hosted by Eletech Eric followed by @HiFiHawaii808 singing the praises of the upcoming Dio.

DCA Corina, bunch of us finding a quiet spot at a food court in Orchard Road to hear more stuff (it was closed already!) and hearing the HE-1 with the Singapore financial district skyline backdrop.

Catching last minute auditions before having to return to Singapore. U4s, SP3000cu, MASS-Kobo model 465 (it really made the Susvara sing).

Post-show Photos

@HiFiHawaii808 visiting Vietnam for the first time. He is pictured here taking a night scooter food tour!

Edit:

I thought I would insert what audio stuff I heard in case anyone thought all I had was fun! Haha!

IEMS

Subtonic Storm
Campfire Audio Trifecta
Noble Audio Ronin and Ragnar
AuR Neon Pro
FiR Audio Rn6
Elysian Diva & Annihilator 2023
FatFreq Grand Maestro
Vision Ears Phonix LE and EXT
Empire Ears Odin
Sennheiser IE600
64Audio U4s
FitEar DC Ti and MH334SR


Pre-release/Prototype IEMS

Subtonic/Nightjar (?) Singularity and PamAn
Elysian Dio
Vision Ears Blue and Pink
Eletech A, B & C
Empire Ears Raven
Soranik xMEMS (x2) + BA hybrid

Cables

Verus Truffle 8
Various Brise Audio Cables including the much heralded 8wire Ultimate, the monstrous Murakumo 2 and the BSEP for Z1R
Various Effect Audio Cables
Various Eletech Cables

Headphones

Sennheiser HE-1 and HD660s2
ZMF Atrium
Audeze CRBN
Dan Clark Audio Corina
Hifiman Susvara
Abyss AB1266 Phi TC
Stax SR009-S
Warwrick Acoustics Aperio Headphone System (Aperio Limited Edition Black + Sonoma Model One)

Overear

Grado Hemp

DAP/Amplifier

Brise Audio Tsuranagi
A&K SP3000cu
iFi Diablo X

Desktop

MASS-Kobo model 465
Chord Hugo TT2/Mscaler

 

[IgeNeLL]

Any impression on Brise Audio Silver Concept

 

[Visveswaran Umashankar]

When looking for breakfast I walked by a place with this name. Decided to go for other fruit instead.




Have you tried Orpheus on Ragnar, Vishy? I'd think that combination would make for improved note weight, attenuated treble, and a warmer/smoother sound overall.

drftr

Thanks for the response @drftr bro, I'll just read up on Orpheusbin detail, and try to identify the difference between FTS and Ragnar. Thanks a lot for the recco. Also, I think the tonal weight could become even better with my incoming amp14 card. Not that I have any complaints now, but who says no ever to improvements.

Regards,
Vishy

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

What a fantastic experience CanJam SG has been. I was only in SG for 4 days which turns out to be the same number of days I was in NYC. Both were great and action packed. The main difference is that NYC was more spontaneous and SG was more planned. My time there was scheduled from the time I woke up before dawn until the moment I went to sleep mostly after midnight (Thanks @metaljem77). All I had to do was look at the daily itinerary and wait for someone to pick me up. We got to see Effect Audio, Jaben, Zeppelin, Subtonic, Aur Audio and Eletech before CanJam officially started. Since I had heard most of the new portable gear in NYC, I got to focus my attention on hearing prototypes for future product releases, talk in depth with product manufacturers about their products and businesses, and cable roll various IEMs to find optimal synergies. I even got to hear many of the IEMs that I usually skip like 64 Audio and QDC. This is the first CanJam that I got to hear everything I wanted to hear. I did focus mostly on portable, but did get some headphone listening in.

First, here is the SG Watercooler Contingent for this show with some extras:

From left to right: The Famous Ethan (@Ethanmusic7), Weihao (@klyzon), BTS Steve (@SteveK27), Jemy (@metaljem77), Jordon (Effect Audio), Daniel (@Deezel177), Jim (@HiFiHawaii808), Ben (@yaps66), Kiats (@Kiats), Joop (@drftr), Heley (Effect Audio), Simmy (@Sifo), Albert (@AxLvR), Sajid (@Sajid Amit)

We had a very nice lunch with Eletech. Eric (Eletech) is in the center of the picture between Jemy and Simmy. We probably have a dozen more pictures like this one for all of the wonderful meals we shared together. I will save those for the foodie post.

Due to space limitation in this post and the many impressions already provided on various products. I am going to focus my commentary on the products that had the most impact on me. Since I did not do an impressions post from NYC, this is going to be combined one focused on SG.

Here are the IEMs that I definitely plan to purchase or have purchased. They are amongst the many getting recognition from the extended watercooler team.

1. FIR Audio RN6. I fell in love with this product at CanJam NYC where it was my Best in Show. It takes my favorite IEM, the XE6, and reduces the lower mids to improve overall clarity in its musical presentation. For me, this makes the XE6 and RN6 a perfect combination to cover my entire library. The XE6 presents music like a rock concert, so it is great with Modern Pop music, R&B, Funk and anything that requires an energetic presentation. The RN6, with its improved clarity covers Jazz and Classical genre better where a more neutral leaning bright presentation works best. Favorite DAP pairing is with RS8 and cable is Iliad. I bought this in a CIEM and will hopeful take delivery within the next few weeks. When I have this, I will have XE4, RN6 and XE4 all in custom. Just need the KR5 to complete the set.

2. Noble Audio Ronin. I am a big fan of Noble Audio. I first bought the Ragnar at CanJam Socal because it is a resolution and clarity monster. Subsequently, I purchased the Kublai Khan due to its great bass. The Noble Audio Ronin focuses on tonality to make it my favorite all arounder. It has the best BA bass I have heard and the tuning is right in the pocket for me. The set is about tuning, tonality and timbre. So, I can listen to my whole range of music from Pop to Jazz and Classical. It is slightly less resolving than Ragnar, but it has superior tonality. I love this IEM. Runner up in NYC where I bought it. It is still a stand out in CanJam SG.

Fumie. My friend from Noble Audio

Jim and John Moulton. The Brains behind Noble Audio

3. Subtonic Storm. This IEM has been several years in the making. It is a technical monster that really attempts to redefine the sound quality that comes from a reference monitor. It is a kind of chameleon that will take on the best and worst characteristics of what it is playing back. It is brutally honest. If you have flaws in your recording, this will pick it up. It requires a lot of power to drive and it can be fine tuned with cables and DAPs. I really got to spend a lot of time with it. I found it to be best with sophisticated music such as my bebop jazz collection and large piece orchestral music. Pop music can sound average since much of it is poorly recorded.

I got to hear it with the Brise 8w and Python, 1950s Shielding, an Effect audio hybrid Chiron / Horus cable, and a custom cable made by NightJar called Symphony. It sounded the best with the Symphony cable. Then, the 1950s shielding, then the Chiron/Horus. Any of those 3 cables make my library sing. This is using the RS8 as source which has sufficient power and the natural sound I love. This will be one of two IEMs I purchase at CanJam SG. It is paired in this picture with EA Chiron. Lovely pairing.

Ken and Chang from Subtonic

4. NightJar Singularity. This is a special single DD IEM. I am a big fan of single DDs because they have such great tonality and timbre. Usually, where a single DD struggles in competing with TOTL offerings is in bass/treble extension, resolution and bass level. You automatically get coherence and timbre. The ultimate sound is always a trade off by optimizing one feature over another. Singularity defies this principle. It delivers a very nice elevated bass level which would normally result in muddiness in the mids and highs, but as I understand it, the chamber NightJar created for the driver allows it to maintain clarity in the mids and highs as if it has dual drivers with a crossover. So, with Singularity, you get an elevated bass shelf which is very satisfying to my taste, clarity in mids and highs and glorious DD timbre throughout. This IEM has instant and broad appeal. I think this IEM is going to be broadly loved by the community. Definitely buying this one when it is released.

The Singularity shell is not yet finalized, but we got a peak at to what it might look like:

5. Empire Ears Raven. I have been anxiously awaiting this product to be announced and released. I had the opportunity to hear this from the first prototype after CanJam Socal and throughout its development cycle. All I can say is that Empire Ears knocked this one out of the park. The way I hear Raven is as a bass head IEM. Its bass is like a combination of EVO and LX. EVO is more energetic. LX is more laid back. Raven is in between but at a bombastically elevated level. And then, the rest of the FR sounds nothing like an EE IEM. It's coherent and balanced with good clarity and extension. So, it's not L-shaped. More U-shaped if anything. What makes it EE to me is its bombast. Bombastic Bass that will satisfy any basshead. I will be purchasing this when it becomes available around the CanJam Chicago timeframe.
Picture Courtesy of Sajid Amit

6. Elysian Acoustic Labs DIO Prototype. This product is my best in show for CanJam SG. IIFC, it is a single DD, 4 BA and 4EST implementation. For the longest time, the Elysian Accoustic Labs Annihilator was in my top 3 IEMs. It fell out of the top 3 due to its poor bass driver which gave it pretty weak bass. Well, Lee went out an built a Custom bass driver which took him 7 attempts and 3500 samples. All I can see is that he nailed the bass. When you couple it with the brilliant treble and mids that Elysian is known for, this future flagship product is going to be a contender along with all of the IEMs in this post for IEM of the Year. I immediately fell in love with this IEM. I tried to put in a pre order, but Lee wouldn't take my money. Instead, I am on the pre pre order list. This is one I am going to buy when it becomes available near the end of the year hopefully in time for CanJam Socal.

I completely agree with @Deezel177 who said this about Dio and how it compares to Annihilator: "Dio has a similar tonality, but ups the scale across the board. Bigger stage, bigger instruments, and it’s especially more visceral in impact. I’m fairly sure it had more sub-bass."

The Famous Lee Quan Min

There were several other IEMs that really resonated with me and apparently are carving out space in the market.

Eletech really did a great job of collecting input from NYC on 2 prototypes for a flagship level IEM. In NYC, I really did not find the prototype to be good at all. Eric took all of the feedback he got and delivered some outstanding IEMs. Prototype A had a more open signature with nice treble. This was the new version of what I heard in NYC and it is stunning. I thought for sure I was going to like this the most. Then, heard Prototype B and to my ear, it was even better. It has a very nice warm presentation which supports its bass nicely and makes it very inviting for vocals. Both were fantastic though.

I did get a chance to hear the Vision Ears Prototypes in NYC. I really liked the Red prototype best. But, the Blue prototype was neck and neck in the NYC vote.

Electech Prototype A

Eletech Prototype B

In our onsite visit of Jaben, I got to hear the whole line of Fitear IEMs. By far my favorite of the bunch is the Fitear 334SR. It turns out that Simmy and I have very similar taste in IEMs. He liked it so much, he bought a custom. Thanks to Uncle Wilson for hosting us and letting us demo anything we wanted.

Here is a picture of Simmy getting his ear impressions for his Fitear 334SR. This was a great way to do impressions.

In addition, I got to hear for the first time the entire 64 Audio line up. Based on that listen, my order of preference is
1. U12t
2. Trio
3. U18s
4..U4s
5. Fourte Blanc
6. Fourte
7.. Nio

The U4s at $1099 USD is a great value for money. I would recommend any beginning into Audio to try it. It has a wide range. With the M20 module, it has great bass and with the new M12 module it really has a signature with well extended treble

In addition to IEMs, I got to spend a lot of time auditioning cables. Since SG is cable heaven, we got to hear great pairings.

Here are some of my favorite of the show.

Effect Audio Chiron / Horus. Not only does it sound great, but it looks great too.

<I realize this cable is not the Chiron/Horus, I will substitute the correct picture when I get it.>

Uncle Wilson was so kind to allow us to demo the entire Brise cable line. And, it is stunning it both build quality and sound quality. Here were my 2 favorites. I will be buying these:

Brise Audio BSEP for IER-Z1R

Brise Audio Yatano 8W Ultimate. I will be pairing this with Red Halo because it really enhance the treble and bass which provides great synergy for this midcentric IEM

Miscellaneous other Headphone Products

Sennheiser HE-1. I got to hear this set up in NYC. So, I knew it was stunning. But, I still couldn't believe how great it sounded. This time I got 15 minutes with a full Tidal / Roon set up. So, I got to hear a whole range of music.

That's it. Another epic CanJam in the bank. I want to once again provide a shout out to my baby sister in Headfi @metaljem77 for the hospitality and logistics for the watercooler gang. It was seamless and we could not have as much without your help and unwavering support. We love you.

And, we can't forget about Mr Style himself, little brother to Jin of BTS and the fashion Icon of headfi, @SteveK27.

Until we meet again!

 

[boromcom]

What a fantastic experience CanJam SG has been. I was only in SG for 4 days which turns out to be the same number of days I was in NYC. Both were great and action packed. The main difference is that NYC was more spontaneous and SG was more planned. My time there was scheduled from the time I woke up before dawn until the moment I went to sleep mostly after midnight (Thanks @metaljem77). All I had to do was look at the daily itinerary and wait for someone to pick me up. We got to see Effect Audio, Jaben, Zeppelin, Subtonic, Aur Audio and Eletech before CanJam officially started. Since I had heard most of the new portable gear in NYC, I got to focus my attention on hearing prototypes for future product releases, talk in depth with product manufacturers about their products and businesses, and cable roll various IEMs to find optimal synergies. I even got to hear many of the IEMs that I usually skip like 64 Audio and QDC. This is the first CanJam that I got to hear everything I wanted to hear. I did focus mostly on portable, but did get some headphone listening in.

First, here is the SG Watercooler Contingent for this show with some extras:

From left to right: The Famous Ethan (@Ethanmusic7), Weihao (@klyzon), BTS Steve (@SteveK27), Jemy (@metaljem77), Jordon (Effect Audio), Daniel (@Deezel177), Jim (@HiFiHawaii808), Ben (@yaps66), Kiats (@Kiats), Joop (@drftr), Heley (Effect Audio), Simmy (@Sifo), Albert (@AxLvR), Sajid (@Sajid Amit)




We had a very nice lunch with Eletech. Eric (Eletech) is in the center of the picture between Jemy and Simmy. We probably have a dozen more pictures like this one for all of the wonderful meals we shared together. I will save those for the foodie post.



Due to space limitation in this post and the many impressions already provided on various products. I am going to focus my commentary on the products that had the most impact on me. Since I did not do an impressions post from NYC, this is going to be combined one focused on SG.

Here are the IEMs that I definitely plan to purchase or have purchased. They are amongst the many getting recognition from the extended watercooler team.

1. FIR Audio RN6. I fell in love with this product at CanJam NYC where it was my Best in Show. It takes my favorite IEM, the XE6, and reduces the lower mids to improve overall clarity in its musical presentation. For me, this makes the XE6 and RN6 a perfect combination to cover my entire library. The XE6 presents music like a rock concert, so it is great with Modern Pop music, R&B, Funk and anything that requires an energetic presentation. The RN6, with its improved clarity covers Jazz and Classical genre better where a more neutral leaning bright presentation works best. Favorite DAP pairing is with RS8 and cable is Iliad. I bought this in a CIEM and will hopeful take delivery within the next few weeks. When I have this, I will have XE4, RN6 and XE4 all in custom. Just need the KR5 to complete the set.





2. Noble Audio Ronin. I am a big fan of Noble Audio. I first bought the Ragnar at CanJam Socal because it is a resolution and clarity monster. Subsequently, I purchased the Kublai Khan due to its great bass. The Noble Audio Ronin focuses on tonality to make it my favorite all arounder. It has the best BA bass I have heard and the tuning is right in the pocket for me. The set is about tuning, tonality and timbre. So, I can listen to my whole range of music from Pop to Jazz and Classical. It is slightly less resolving than Ragnar, but it has superior tonality. I love this IEM. Runner up in NYC where I bought it. It is still a stand out in CanJam SG.


Fumie. My friend from Noble Audio



Jim and John Moulton. The Brains behind Noble Audio



3. Subtonic Storm. This IEM has been several years in the making. It is a technical monster that really attempts to redefine the sound quality that comes from a reference monitor. It is a kind of chameleon that will take on the best and worst characteristics of what it is playing back. It is brutally honest. If you have flaws in your recording, this will pick it up. It requires a lot of power to drive and it can be fine tuned with cables and DAPs. I really got to spend a lot of time with it. I found it to be best with sophisticated music such as my bebop jazz collection and large piece orchestral music. Pop music can sound average since much of it is poorly recorded.

I got to hear it with the Brise 8w and Python, 1950s Shielding, an Effect audio hybrid Chiron / Horus cable, and a custom cable made by NightJar called Symphony. It sounded the best with the Symphony cable. Then, the 1950s shielding, then the Chiron/Horus. Any of those 3 cables make my library sing. This is using the RS8 as source which has sufficient power and the natural sound I love. This will be one of two IEMs I purchase at CanJam SG. It is paired in this picture with EA Chiron. Lovely pairing.



Ken and Chang from Subtonic



4. NightJar Singularity. This is a special single DD IEM. I am a big fan of single DDs because they have such great tonality and timbre. Usually, where a single DD struggles in competing with TOTL offerings is in bass/treble extension, resolution and bass level. You automatically get coherence and timbre. The ultimate sound is always a trade off by optimizing one feature over another. Singularity defies this principle. It delivers a very nice elevated bass level which would normally result in muddiness in the mids and highs, but as I understand it, the chamber NightJar created for the driver allows it to maintain clarity in the mids and highs as if it has dual drivers with a crossover. So, with Singularity, you get an elevated bass shelf which is very satisfying to my taste, clarity in mids and highs and glorious DD timbre throughout. This IEM has instant and broad appeal. I think this IEM is going to be broadly loved by the community. Definitely buying this one when it is released.




The Singularity shell is not yet finalized, but we got a peak at to what it might look like:




5. Empire Ears Raven. I have been anxiously awaiting this product to be announced and released. I had the opportunity to hear this from the first prototype after CanJam Socal and throughout its development cycle. All I can say is that Empire Ears knocked this one out of the park. The way I hear Raven is as a bass head IEM. Its bass is like a combination of EVO and LX. EVO is more energetic. LX is more laid back. Raven is in between but at a bombastically elevated level. And then, the rest of the FR sounds nothing like an EE IEM. It's coherent and balanced with good clarity and extension. So, it's not L-shaped. More U-shaped if anything. What makes it EE to me is its bombast. Bombastic Bass that will satisfy any basshead. I will be purchasing this when it becomes available around the CanJam Chicago timeframe.
Picture Courtesy of Sajid Amit


6. Elysian Acoustic Labs DIO Prototype. This product is my best in show for CanJam SG. IIFC, it is a single DD, 4 BA and 4EST implementation. For the longest time, the Elysian Accoustic Labs Annihilator was in my top 3 IEMs. It fell out of the top 3 due to its poor bass driver which gave it pretty weak bass. Well, Lee went out an built a Custom bass driver which took him 7 attempts and 3500 samples. All I can see is that he nailed the bass. When you couple it with the brilliant treble and mids that Elysian is known for, this future flagship product is going to be a contender along with all of the IEMs in this post for IEM of the Year. I immediately fell in love with this IEM. I tried to put in a pre order, but Lee wouldn't take my money. Instead, I am on the pre pre order list. This is one I am going to buy when it becomes available near the end of the year hopefully in time for CanJam Socal.

I completely agree with @Deezel177 who said this about Dio and how it compares to Annihilator: "Dio has a similar tonality, but ups the scale across the board. Bigger stage, bigger instruments, and it’s especially more visceral in impact. I’m fairly sure it had more sub-bass."



The Famous Lee Quan Min



There were several other IEMs that really resonated with me and apparently are carving out space in the market.

Eletech really did a great job of collecting input from NYC on 2 prototypes for a flagship level IEM. In NYC, I really did not find the prototype to be good at all. Eric took all of the feedback he got and delivered some outstanding IEMs. Prototype A had a more open signature with nice treble. This was the new version of what I heard in NYC and it is stunning. I thought for sure I was going to like this the most. Then, heard Prototype B and to my ear, it was even better. It has a very nice warm presentation which supports its bass nicely and makes it very inviting for vocals. Both were fantastic though.

I did get a chance to hear the Vision Ears Prototypes in NYC. I really liked the Red prototype best. But, the Blue prototype was neck and neck in the NYC vote.

Electech Prototype A


Eletech Prototype B



In our onsite visit of Jaben, I got to hear the whole line of Fitear IEMs. By far my favorite of the bunch is the Fitear 334SR. It turns out that Simmy and I have very similar taste in IEMs. He liked it so much, he bought a custom. Thanks to Uncle Wilson for hosting us and letting us demo anything we wanted.

Here is a picture of Simmy getting his ear impressions for his Fitear 334SR. This was a great way to do impressions.




In addition, I got to hear for the first time the entire 64 Audio line up. Based on that listen, my order of preference is
1. U12t
2. Trio
3. U18s
4..U4s
5. Fourte Blanc
6. Fourte
7.. Nio

The U4s at $1099 USD is a great value for money. I would recommend any beginning into Audio to try it. It has a wide range. With the M20 module, it has great bass and with the new M12 module it really has a signature with well extended treble



In addition to IEMs, I got to spend a lot of time auditioning cables. Since SG is cable heaven, we got to hear great pairings.

Here are some of my favorite of the show.

Effect Audio Chiron / Horus. Not only does it sound great, but it looks great too.

<I realize this cable is not the Chiron/Horus, I will substitute the correct picture when I get it.>


Uncle Wilson was so kind to allow us to demo the entire Brise cable line. And, it is stunning it both build quality and sound quality. Here were my 2 favorites. I will be buying these:

Brise Audio BSEP for IER-Z1R


Brise Audio Yatano 8W Ultimate. I will be pairing this with Red Halo because it really enhance the treble and bass which provides great synergy for this midcentric IEM



Miscellaneous other Headphone Products

Sennheiser HE-1. I got to hear this set up in NYC. So, I knew it was stunning. But, I still couldn't believe how great it sounded. This time I got 15 minutes with a full Tidal / Roon set up. So, I got to hear a whole range of music.


That's it. Another epic CanJam in the bank. I want to once again provide a shout out to my baby sister in Headfi @metaljem77 for the hospitality and logistics for the watercooler gang. It was seamless and we could not have as much without your help and unwavering support. We love you.



And, we can't forget about Mr Style himself, little brother to Jin of BTS and the fashion Icon of headfi, @SteveK27.

Until we meet again!

Great written bro!

 

[drftr]

What a fantastic experience CanJam SG has been. I was only in SG for 4 days which turns out to be the same number of days I was in NYC. Both were great and action packed. The main difference is that NYC was more spontaneous and SG was more planned. My time there was scheduled from the time I woke up before dawn until the moment I went to sleep mostly after midnight (Thanks @metaljem77). All I had to do was look at the daily itinerary and wait for someone to pick me up. We got to see Effect Audio, Jaben, Zeppelin, Subtonic, Aur Audio and Eletech before CanJam officially started. Since I had heard most of the new portable gear in NYC, I got to focus my attention on hearing prototypes for future product releases, talk in depth with product manufacturers about their products and businesses, and cable roll various IEMs to find optimal synergies. I even got to hear many of the IEMs that I usually skip like 64 Audio and QDC. This is the first CanJam that I got to hear everything I wanted to hear. I did focus mostly on portable, but did get some headphone listening in.

First, here is the SG Watercooler Contingent for this show with some extras:

From left to right: The Famous Ethan (@Ethanmusic7), Weihao (@klyzon), BTS Steve (@SteveK27), Jemy (@metaljem77), Jordon (Effect Audio), Daniel (@Deezel177), Jim (@HiFiHawaii808), Ben (@yaps66), Kiats (@Kiats), Joop (@drftr), Heley (Effect Audio), Simmy (@Sifo), Albert (@AxLvR), Sajid (@Sajid Amit)




We had a very nice lunch with Eletech. Eric (Eletech) is in the center of the picture between Jemy and Simmy. We probably have a dozen more pictures like this one for all of the wonderful meals we shared together. I will save those for the foodie post.



Due to space limitation in this post and the many impressions already provided on various products. I am going to focus my commentary on the products that had the most impact on me. Since I did not do an impressions post from NYC, this is going to be combined one focused on SG.

Here are the IEMs that I definitely plan to purchase or have purchased. They are amongst the many getting recognition from the extended watercooler team.

1. FIR Audio RN6. I fell in love with this product at CanJam NYC where it was my Best in Show. It takes my favorite IEM, the XE6, and reduces the lower mids to improve overall clarity in its musical presentation. For me, this makes the XE6 and RN6 a perfect combination to cover my entire library. The XE6 presents music like a rock concert, so it is great with Modern Pop music, R&B, Funk and anything that requires an energetic presentation. The RN6, with its improved clarity covers Jazz and Classical genre better where a more neutral leaning bright presentation works best. Favorite DAP pairing is with RS8 and cable is Iliad. I bought this in a CIEM and will hopeful take delivery within the next few weeks. When I have this, I will have XE4, RN6 and XE4 all in custom. Just need the KR5 to complete the set.





2. Noble Audio Ronin. I am a big fan of Noble Audio. I first bought the Ragnar at CanJam Socal because it is a resolution and clarity monster. Subsequently, I purchased the Kublai Khan due to its great bass. The Noble Audio Ronin focuses on tonality to make it my favorite all arounder. It has the best BA bass I have heard and the tuning is right in the pocket for me. The set is about tuning, tonality and timbre. So, I can listen to my whole range of music from Pop to Jazz and Classical. It is slightly less resolving than Ragnar, but it has superior tonality. I love this IEM. Runner up in NYC where I bought it. It is still a stand out in CanJam SG.


Fumie. My friend from Noble Audio



Jim and John Moulton. The Brains behind Noble Audio



3. Subtonic Storm. This IEM has been several years in the making. It is a technical monster that really attempts to redefine the sound quality that comes from a reference monitor. It is a kind of chameleon that will take on the best and worst characteristics of what it is playing back. It is brutally honest. If you have flaws in your recording, this will pick it up. It requires a lot of power to drive and it can be fine tuned with cables and DAPs. I really got to spend a lot of time with it. I found it to be best with sophisticated music such as my bebop jazz collection and large piece orchestral music. Pop music can sound average since much of it is poorly recorded.

I got to hear it with the Brise 8w and Python, 1950s Shielding, an Effect audio hybrid Chiron / Horus cable, and a custom cable made by NightJar called Symphony. It sounded the best with the Symphony cable. Then, the 1950s shielding, then the Chiron/Horus. Any of those 3 cables make my library sing. This is using the RS8 as source which has sufficient power and the natural sound I love. This will be one of two IEMs I purchase at CanJam SG. It is paired in this picture with EA Chiron. Lovely pairing.



Ken and Chang from Subtonic



4. NightJar Singularity. This is a special single DD IEM. I am a big fan of single DDs because they have such great tonality and timbre. Usually, where a single DD struggles in competing with TOTL offerings is in bass/treble extension, resolution and bass level. You automatically get coherence and timbre. The ultimate sound is always a trade off by optimizing one feature over another. Singularity defies this principle. It delivers a very nice elevated bass level which would normally result in muddiness in the mids and highs, but as I understand it, the chamber NightJar created for the driver allows it to maintain clarity in the mids and highs as if it has dual drivers with a crossover. So, with Singularity, you get an elevated bass shelf which is very satisfying to my taste, clarity in mids and highs and glorious DD timbre throughout. This IEM has instant and broad appeal. I think this IEM is going to be broadly loved by the community. Definitely buying this one when it is released.




The Singularity shell is not yet finalized, but we got a peak at to what it might look like:




5. Empire Ears Raven. I have been anxiously awaiting this product to be announced and released. I had the opportunity to hear this from the first prototype after CanJam Socal and throughout its development cycle. All I can say is that Empire Ears knocked this one out of the park. The way I hear Raven is as a bass head IEM. Its bass is like a combination of EVO and LX. EVO is more energetic. LX is more laid back. Raven is in between but at a bombastically elevated level. And then, the rest of the FR sounds nothing like an EE IEM. It's coherent and balanced with good clarity and extension. So, it's not L-shaped. More U-shaped if anything. What makes it EE to me is its bombast. Bombastic Bass that will satisfy any basshead. I will be purchasing this when it becomes available around the CanJam Chicago timeframe.
Picture Courtesy of Sajid Amit


6. Elysian Acoustic Labs DIO Prototype. This product is my best in show for CanJam SG. IIFC, it is a single DD, 4 BA and 4EST implementation. For the longest time, the Elysian Accoustic Labs Annihilator was in my top 3 IEMs. It fell out of the top 3 due to its poor bass driver which gave it pretty weak bass. Well, Lee went out an built a Custom bass driver which took him 7 attempts and 3500 samples. All I can see is that he nailed the bass. When you couple it with the brilliant treble and mids that Elysian is known for, this future flagship product is going to be a contender along with all of the IEMs in this post for IEM of the Year. I immediately fell in love with this IEM. I tried to put in a pre order, but Lee wouldn't take my money. Instead, I am on the pre pre order list. This is one I am going to buy when it becomes available near the end of the year hopefully in time for CanJam Socal.

I completely agree with @Deezel177 who said this about Dio and how it compares to Annihilator: "Dio has a similar tonality, but ups the scale across the board. Bigger stage, bigger instruments, and it’s especially more visceral in impact. I’m fairly sure it had more sub-bass."



The Famous Lee Quan Min



There were several other IEMs that really resonated with me and apparently are carving out space in the market.

Eletech really did a great job of collecting input from NYC on 2 prototypes for a flagship level IEM. In NYC, I really did not find the prototype to be good at all. Eric took all of the feedback he got and delivered some outstanding IEMs. Prototype A had a more open signature with nice treble. This was the new version of what I heard in NYC and it is stunning. I thought for sure I was going to like this the most. Then, heard Prototype B and to my ear, it was even better. It has a very nice warm presentation which supports its bass nicely and makes it very inviting for vocals. Both were fantastic though.

I did get a chance to hear the Vision Ears Prototypes in NYC. I really liked the Red prototype best. But, the Blue prototype was neck and neck in the NYC vote.

Electech Prototype A


Eletech Prototype B



In our onsite visit of Jaben, I got to hear the whole line of Fitear IEMs. By far my favorite of the bunch is the Fitear 334SR. It turns out that Simmy and I have very similar taste in IEMs. He liked it so much, he bought a custom. Thanks to Uncle Wilson for hosting us and letting us demo anything we wanted.

Here is a picture of Simmy getting his ear impressions for his Fitear 334SR. This was a great way to do impressions.




In addition, I got to hear for the first time the entire 64 Audio line up. Based on that listen, my order of preference is
1. U12t
2. Trio
3. U18s
4..U4s
5. Fourte Blanc
6. Fourte
7.. Nio

The U4s at $1099 USD is a great value for money. I would recommend any beginning into Audio to try it. It has a wide range. With the M20 module, it has great bass and with the new M12 module it really has a signature with well extended treble



In addition to IEMs, I got to spend a lot of time auditioning cables. Since SG is cable heaven, we got to hear great pairings.

Here are some of my favorite of the show.

Effect Audio Chiron / Horus. Not only does it sound great, but it looks great too.

<I realize this cable is not the Chiron/Horus, I will substitute the correct picture when I get it.>


Uncle Wilson was so kind to allow us to demo the entire Brise cable line. And, it is stunning it both build quality and sound quality. Here were my 2 favorites. I will be buying these:

Brise Audio BSEP for IER-Z1R


Brise Audio Yatano 8W Ultimate. I will be pairing this with Red Halo because it really enhance the treble and bass which provides great synergy for this midcentric IEM



Miscellaneous other Headphone Products

Sennheiser HE-1. I got to hear this set up in NYC. So, I knew it was stunning. But, I still couldn't believe how great it sounded. This time I got 15 minutes with a full Tidal / Roon set up. So, I got to hear a whole range of music.


That's it. Another epic CanJam in the bank. I want to once again provide a shout out to my baby sister in Headfi @metaljem77 for the hospitality and logistics for the watercooler gang. It was seamless and we could not have as much without your help and unwavering support. We love you.



And, we can't forget about Mr Style himself, little brother to Jin of BTS and the fashion Icon of headfi, @SteveK27.

Until we meet again!

Dang... Already missing you guys... Shall we just fly back to have seconds???

Didn't realize you made a limited offering of only 300 IEMs even more limited with ordering a CIEM! Indeed Rn6 was the biggest surprise of the show for me, while Ronin consolidated its top position.

Tnx for totally living up to the extremely kind and fun person I thought you would be, and I definitely hope to run into you again some other day.

drftr

 

[Acts]

What a fantastic experience CanJam SG has been. I was only in SG for 4 days which turns out to be the same number of days I was in NYC. Both were great and action packed. The main difference is that NYC was more spontaneous and SG was more planned. My time there was scheduled from the time I woke up before dawn until the moment I went to sleep mostly after midnight (Thanks @metaljem77). All I had to do was look at the daily itinerary and wait for someone to pick me up. We got to see Effect Audio, Jaben, Zeppelin, Subtonic, Aur Audio and Eletech before CanJam officially started. Since I had heard most of the new portable gear in NYC, I got to focus my attention on hearing prototypes for future product releases, talk in depth with product manufacturers about their products and businesses, and cable roll various IEMs to find optimal synergies. I even got to hear many of the IEMs that I usually skip like 64 Audio and QDC. This is the first CanJam that I got to hear everything I wanted to hear. I did focus mostly on portable, but did get some headphone listening in.

First, here is the SG Watercooler Contingent for this show with some extras:

From left to right: The Famous Ethan (@Ethanmusic7), Weihao (@klyzon), BTS Steve (@SteveK27), Jemy (@metaljem77), Jordon (Effect Audio), Daniel (@Deezel177), Jim (@HiFiHawaii808), Ben (@yaps66), Kiats (@Kiats), Joop (@drftr), Heley (Effect Audio), Simmy (@Sifo), Albert (@AxLvR), Sajid (@Sajid Amit)




We had a very nice lunch with Eletech. Eric (Eletech) is in the center of the picture between Jemy and Simmy. We probably have a dozen more pictures like this one for all of the wonderful meals we shared together. I will save those for the foodie post.



Due to space limitation in this post and the many impressions already provided on various products. I am going to focus my commentary on the products that had the most impact on me. Since I did not do an impressions post from NYC, this is going to be combined one focused on SG.

Here are the IEMs that I definitely plan to purchase or have purchased. They are amongst the many getting recognition from the extended watercooler team.

1. FIR Audio RN6. I fell in love with this product at CanJam NYC where it was my Best in Show. It takes my favorite IEM, the XE6, and reduces the lower mids to improve overall clarity in its musical presentation. For me, this makes the XE6 and RN6 a perfect combination to cover my entire library. The XE6 presents music like a rock concert, so it is great with Modern Pop music, R&B, Funk and anything that requires an energetic presentation. The RN6, with its improved clarity covers Jazz and Classical genre better where a more neutral leaning bright presentation works best. Favorite DAP pairing is with RS8 and cable is Iliad. I bought this in a CIEM and will hopeful take delivery within the next few weeks. When I have this, I will have XE4, RN6 and XE4 all in custom. Just need the KR5 to complete the set.





2. Noble Audio Ronin. I am a big fan of Noble Audio. I first bought the Ragnar at CanJam Socal because it is a resolution and clarity monster. Subsequently, I purchased the Kublai Khan due to its great bass. The Noble Audio Ronin focuses on tonality to make it my favorite all arounder. It has the best BA bass I have heard and the tuning is right in the pocket for me. The set is about tuning, tonality and timbre. So, I can listen to my whole range of music from Pop to Jazz and Classical. It is slightly less resolving than Ragnar, but it has superior tonality. I love this IEM. Runner up in NYC where I bought it. It is still a stand out in CanJam SG.


Fumie. My friend from Noble Audio



Jim and John Moulton. The Brains behind Noble Audio



3. Subtonic Storm. This IEM has been several years in the making. It is a technical monster that really attempts to redefine the sound quality that comes from a reference monitor. It is a kind of chameleon that will take on the best and worst characteristics of what it is playing back. It is brutally honest. If you have flaws in your recording, this will pick it up. It requires a lot of power to drive and it can be fine tuned with cables and DAPs. I really got to spend a lot of time with it. I found it to be best with sophisticated music such as my bebop jazz collection and large piece orchestral music. Pop music can sound average since much of it is poorly recorded.

I got to hear it with the Brise 8w and Python, 1950s Shielding, an Effect audio hybrid Chiron / Horus cable, and a custom cable made by NightJar called Symphony. It sounded the best with the Symphony cable. Then, the 1950s shielding, then the Chiron/Horus. Any of those 3 cables make my library sing. This is using the RS8 as source which has sufficient power and the natural sound I love. This will be one of two IEMs I purchase at CanJam SG. It is paired in this picture with EA Chiron. Lovely pairing.



Ken and Chang from Subtonic



4. NightJar Singularity. This is a special single DD IEM. I am a big fan of single DDs because they have such great tonality and timbre. Usually, where a single DD struggles in competing with TOTL offerings is in bass/treble extension, resolution and bass level. You automatically get coherence and timbre. The ultimate sound is always a trade off by optimizing one feature over another. Singularity defies this principle. It delivers a very nice elevated bass level which would normally result in muddiness in the mids and highs, but as I understand it, the chamber NightJar created for the driver allows it to maintain clarity in the mids and highs as if it has dual drivers with a crossover. So, with Singularity, you get an elevated bass shelf which is very satisfying to my taste, clarity in mids and highs and glorious DD timbre throughout. This IEM has instant and broad appeal. I think this IEM is going to be broadly loved by the community. Definitely buying this one when it is released.




The Singularity shell is not yet finalized, but we got a peak at to what it might look like:




5. Empire Ears Raven. I have been anxiously awaiting this product to be announced and released. I had the opportunity to hear this from the first prototype after CanJam Socal and throughout its development cycle. All I can say is that Empire Ears knocked this one out of the park. The way I hear Raven is as a bass head IEM. Its bass is like a combination of EVO and LX. EVO is more energetic. LX is more laid back. Raven is in between but at a bombastically elevated level. And then, the rest of the FR sounds nothing like an EE IEM. It's coherent and balanced with good clarity and extension. So, it's not L-shaped. More U-shaped if anything. What makes it EE to me is its bombast. Bombastic Bass that will satisfy any basshead. I will be purchasing this when it becomes available around the CanJam Chicago timeframe.
Picture Courtesy of Sajid Amit


6. Elysian Acoustic Labs DIO Prototype. This product is my best in show for CanJam SG. IIFC, it is a single DD, 4 BA and 4EST implementation. For the longest time, the Elysian Accoustic Labs Annihilator was in my top 3 IEMs. It fell out of the top 3 due to its poor bass driver which gave it pretty weak bass. Well, Lee went out an built a Custom bass driver which took him 7 attempts and 3500 samples. All I can see is that he nailed the bass. When you couple it with the brilliant treble and mids that Elysian is known for, this future flagship product is going to be a contender along with all of the IEMs in this post for IEM of the Year. I immediately fell in love with this IEM. I tried to put in a pre order, but Lee wouldn't take my money. Instead, I am on the pre pre order list. This is one I am going to buy when it becomes available near the end of the year hopefully in time for CanJam Socal.

I completely agree with @Deezel177 who said this about Dio and how it compares to Annihilator: "Dio has a similar tonality, but ups the scale across the board. Bigger stage, bigger instruments, and it’s especially more visceral in impact. I’m fairly sure it had more sub-bass."



The Famous Lee Quan Min



There were several other IEMs that really resonated with me and apparently are carving out space in the market.

Eletech really did a great job of collecting input from NYC on 2 prototypes for a flagship level IEM. In NYC, I really did not find the prototype to be good at all. Eric took all of the feedback he got and delivered some outstanding IEMs. Prototype A had a more open signature with nice treble. This was the new version of what I heard in NYC and it is stunning. I thought for sure I was going to like this the most. Then, heard Prototype B and to my ear, it was even better. It has a very nice warm presentation which supports its bass nicely and makes it very inviting for vocals. Both were fantastic though.

I did get a chance to hear the Vision Ears Prototypes in NYC. I really liked the Red prototype best. But, the Blue prototype was neck and neck in the NYC vote.

Electech Prototype A


Eletech Prototype B



In our onsite visit of Jaben, I got to hear the whole line of Fitear IEMs. By far my favorite of the bunch is the Fitear 334SR. It turns out that Simmy and I have very similar taste in IEMs. He liked it so much, he bought a custom. Thanks to Uncle Wilson for hosting us and letting us demo anything we wanted.

Here is a picture of Simmy getting his ear impressions for his Fitear 334SR. This was a great way to do impressions.




In addition, I got to hear for the first time the entire 64 Audio line up. Based on that listen, my order of preference is
1. U12t
2. Trio
3. U18s
4..U4s
5. Fourte Blanc
6. Fourte
7.. Nio

The U4s at $1099 USD is a great value for money. I would recommend any beginning into Audio to try it. It has a wide range. With the M20 module, it has great bass and with the new M12 module it really has a signature with well extended treble



In addition to IEMs, I got to spend a lot of time auditioning cables. Since SG is cable heaven, we got to hear great pairings.

Here are some of my favorite of the show.

Effect Audio Chiron / Horus. Not only does it sound great, but it looks great too.

<I realize this cable is not the Chiron/Horus, I will substitute the correct picture when I get it.>


Uncle Wilson was so kind to allow us to demo the entire Brise cable line. And, it is stunning it both build quality and sound quality. Here were my 2 favorites. I will be buying these:

Brise Audio BSEP for IER-Z1R


Brise Audio Yatano 8W Ultimate. I will be pairing this with Red Halo because it really enhance the treble and bass which provides great synergy for this midcentric IEM



Miscellaneous other Headphone Products

Sennheiser HE-1. I got to hear this set up in NYC. So, I knew it was stunning. But, I still couldn't believe how great it sounded. This time I got 15 minutes with a full Tidal / Roon set up. So, I got to hear a whole range of music.


That's it. Another epic CanJam in the bank. I want to once again provide a shout out to my baby sister in Headfi @metaljem77 for the hospitality and logistics for the watercooler gang. It was seamless and we could not have as much without your help and unwavering support. We love you.



And, we can't forget about Mr Style himself, little brother to Jin of BTS and the fashion Icon of headfi, @SteveK27.

Until we meet again!

How did u feel about Aür Audio iems

 

[warrenpchi]

1. FIR Audio RN6. I bought this in a CIEM and will hopeful take delivery within the next few weeks.

You have chosen wisely brotha!

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

How did u feel about Aür Audio iems

They weren't exhibiting at CanJam SG. It's unfortunate because they are missing an opportunity to get more exposure for their products. I offered to have them tour their product through the watercooler, but they didn't want to do it. Penny wise, pound foolish.

 

[yaps66]

They weren't exhibiting at CanJam SG. It's unfortunate because they are missing an opportunity to get more exposure for their products. I offered to have them tour their product through the watercooler, but they didn't want to do it. Penny wise, pound foolish.

Shame though. Whoever tuned it is quite good and knows what he is doing.

 

[metaljem77]

What a fantastic experience CanJam SG has been. I was only in SG for 4 days which turns out to be the same number of days I was in NYC. Both were great and action packed. The main difference is that NYC was more spontaneous and SG was more planned. My time there was scheduled from the time I woke up before dawn until the moment I went to sleep mostly after midnight (Thanks @metaljem77). All I had to do was look at the daily itinerary and wait for someone to pick me up. We got to see Effect Audio, Jaben, Zeppelin, Subtonic, Aur Audio and Eletech before CanJam officially started. Since I had heard most of the new portable gear in NYC, I got to focus my attention on hearing prototypes for future product releases, talk in depth with product manufacturers about their products and businesses, and cable roll various IEMs to find optimal synergies. I even got to hear many of the IEMs that I usually skip like 64 Audio and QDC. This is the first CanJam that I got to hear everything I wanted to hear. I did focus mostly on portable, but did get some headphone listening in.

First, here is the SG Watercooler Contingent for this show with some extras:

From left to right: The Famous Ethan (@Ethanmusic7), Weihao (@klyzon), BTS Steve (@SteveK27), Jemy (@metaljem77), Jordon (Effect Audio), Daniel (@Deezel177), Jim (@HiFiHawaii808), Ben (@yaps66), Kiats (@Kiats), Joop (@drftr), Heley (Effect Audio), Simmy (@Sifo), Albert (@AxLvR), Sajid (@Sajid Amit)




We had a very nice lunch with Eletech. Eric (Eletech) is in the center of the picture between Jemy and Simmy. We probably have a dozen more pictures like this one for all of the wonderful meals we shared together. I will save those for the foodie post.



Due to space limitation in this post and the many impressions already provided on various products. I am going to focus my commentary on the products that had the most impact on me. Since I did not do an impressions post from NYC, this is going to be combined one focused on SG.

Here are the IEMs that I definitely plan to purchase or have purchased. They are amongst the many getting recognition from the extended watercooler team.

1. FIR Audio RN6. I fell in love with this product at CanJam NYC where it was my Best in Show. It takes my favorite IEM, the XE6, and reduces the lower mids to improve overall clarity in its musical presentation. For me, this makes the XE6 and RN6 a perfect combination to cover my entire library. The XE6 presents music like a rock concert, so it is great with Modern Pop music, R&B, Funk and anything that requires an energetic presentation. The RN6, with its improved clarity covers Jazz and Classical genre better where a more neutral leaning bright presentation works best. Favorite DAP pairing is with RS8 and cable is Iliad. I bought this in a CIEM and will hopeful take delivery within the next few weeks. When I have this, I will have XE4, RN6 and XE4 all in custom. Just need the KR5 to complete the set.





2. Noble Audio Ronin. I am a big fan of Noble Audio. I first bought the Ragnar at CanJam Socal because it is a resolution and clarity monster. Subsequently, I purchased the Kublai Khan due to its great bass. The Noble Audio Ronin focuses on tonality to make it my favorite all arounder. It has the best BA bass I have heard and the tuning is right in the pocket for me. The set is about tuning, tonality and timbre. So, I can listen to my whole range of music from Pop to Jazz and Classical. It is slightly less resolving than Ragnar, but it has superior tonality. I love this IEM. Runner up in NYC where I bought it. It is still a stand out in CanJam SG.


Fumie. My friend from Noble Audio



Jim and John Moulton. The Brains behind Noble Audio



3. Subtonic Storm. This IEM has been several years in the making. It is a technical monster that really attempts to redefine the sound quality that comes from a reference monitor. It is a kind of chameleon that will take on the best and worst characteristics of what it is playing back. It is brutally honest. If you have flaws in your recording, this will pick it up. It requires a lot of power to drive and it can be fine tuned with cables and DAPs. I really got to spend a lot of time with it. I found it to be best with sophisticated music such as my bebop jazz collection and large piece orchestral music. Pop music can sound average since much of it is poorly recorded.

I got to hear it with the Brise 8w and Python, 1950s Shielding, an Effect audio hybrid Chiron / Horus cable, and a custom cable made by NightJar called Symphony. It sounded the best with the Symphony cable. Then, the 1950s shielding, then the Chiron/Horus. Any of those 3 cables make my library sing. This is using the RS8 as source which has sufficient power and the natural sound I love. This will be one of two IEMs I purchase at CanJam SG. It is paired in this picture with EA Chiron. Lovely pairing.



Ken and Chang from Subtonic



4. NightJar Singularity. This is a special single DD IEM. I am a big fan of single DDs because they have such great tonality and timbre. Usually, where a single DD struggles in competing with TOTL offerings is in bass/treble extension, resolution and bass level. You automatically get coherence and timbre. The ultimate sound is always a trade off by optimizing one feature over another. Singularity defies this principle. It delivers a very nice elevated bass level which would normally result in muddiness in the mids and highs, but as I understand it, the chamber NightJar created for the driver allows it to maintain clarity in the mids and highs as if it has dual drivers with a crossover. So, with Singularity, you get an elevated bass shelf which is very satisfying to my taste, clarity in mids and highs and glorious DD timbre throughout. This IEM has instant and broad appeal. I think this IEM is going to be broadly loved by the community. Definitely buying this one when it is released.




The Singularity shell is not yet finalized, but we got a peak at to what it might look like:




5. Empire Ears Raven. I have been anxiously awaiting this product to be announced and released. I had the opportunity to hear this from the first prototype after CanJam Socal and throughout its development cycle. All I can say is that Empire Ears knocked this one out of the park. The way I hear Raven is as a bass head IEM. Its bass is like a combination of EVO and LX. EVO is more energetic. LX is more laid back. Raven is in between but at a bombastically elevated level. And then, the rest of the FR sounds nothing like an EE IEM. It's coherent and balanced with good clarity and extension. So, it's not L-shaped. More U-shaped if anything. What makes it EE to me is its bombast. Bombastic Bass that will satisfy any basshead. I will be purchasing this when it becomes available around the CanJam Chicago timeframe.
Picture Courtesy of Sajid Amit


6. Elysian Acoustic Labs DIO Prototype. This product is my best in show for CanJam SG. IIFC, it is a single DD, 4 BA and 4EST implementation. For the longest time, the Elysian Accoustic Labs Annihilator was in my top 3 IEMs. It fell out of the top 3 due to its poor bass driver which gave it pretty weak bass. Well, Lee went out an built a Custom bass driver which took him 7 attempts and 3500 samples. All I can see is that he nailed the bass. When you couple it with the brilliant treble and mids that Elysian is known for, this future flagship product is going to be a contender along with all of the IEMs in this post for IEM of the Year. I immediately fell in love with this IEM. I tried to put in a pre order, but Lee wouldn't take my money. Instead, I am on the pre pre order list. This is one I am going to buy when it becomes available near the end of the year hopefully in time for CanJam Socal.

I completely agree with @Deezel177 who said this about Dio and how it compares to Annihilator: "Dio has a similar tonality, but ups the scale across the board. Bigger stage, bigger instruments, and it’s especially more visceral in impact. I’m fairly sure it had more sub-bass."



The Famous Lee Quan Min



There were several other IEMs that really resonated with me and apparently are carving out space in the market.

Eletech really did a great job of collecting input from NYC on 2 prototypes for a flagship level IEM. In NYC, I really did not find the prototype to be good at all. Eric took all of the feedback he got and delivered some outstanding IEMs. Prototype A had a more open signature with nice treble. This was the new version of what I heard in NYC and it is stunning. I thought for sure I was going to like this the most. Then, heard Prototype B and to my ear, it was even better. It has a very nice warm presentation which supports its bass nicely and makes it very inviting for vocals. Both were fantastic though.

I did get a chance to hear the Vision Ears Prototypes in NYC. I really liked the Red prototype best. But, the Blue prototype was neck and neck in the NYC vote.

Electech Prototype A


Eletech Prototype B



In our onsite visit of Jaben, I got to hear the whole line of Fitear IEMs. By far my favorite of the bunch is the Fitear 334SR. It turns out that Simmy and I have very similar taste in IEMs. He liked it so much, he bought a custom. Thanks to Uncle Wilson for hosting us and letting us demo anything we wanted.

Here is a picture of Simmy getting his ear impressions for his Fitear 334SR. This was a great way to do impressions.




In addition, I got to hear for the first time the entire 64 Audio line up. Based on that listen, my order of preference is
1. U12t
2. Trio
3. U18s
4..U4s
5. Fourte Blanc
6. Fourte
7.. Nio

The U4s at $1099 USD is a great value for money. I would recommend any beginning into Audio to try it. It has a wide range. With the M20 module, it has great bass and with the new M12 module it really has a signature with well extended treble



In addition to IEMs, I got to spend a lot of time auditioning cables. Since SG is cable heaven, we got to hear great pairings.

Here are some of my favorite of the show.

Effect Audio Chiron / Horus. Not only does it sound great, but it looks great too.

<I realize this cable is not the Chiron/Horus, I will substitute the correct picture when I get it.>


Uncle Wilson was so kind to allow us to demo the entire Brise cable line. And, it is stunning it both build quality and sound quality. Here were my 2 favorites. I will be buying these:

Brise Audio BSEP for IER-Z1R


Brise Audio Yatano 8W Ultimate. I will be pairing this with Red Halo because it really enhance the treble and bass which provides great synergy for this midcentric IEM



Miscellaneous other Headphone Products

Sennheiser HE-1. I got to hear this set up in NYC. So, I knew it was stunning. But, I still couldn't believe how great it sounded. This time I got 15 minutes with a full Tidal / Roon set up. So, I got to hear a whole range of music.


That's it. Another epic CanJam in the bank. I want to once again provide a shout out to my baby sister in Headfi @metaljem77 for the hospitality and logistics for the watercooler gang. It was seamless and we could not have as much without your help and unwavering support. We love you.



And, we can't forget about Mr Style himself, little brother to Jin of BTS and the fashion Icon of headfi, @SteveK27.

Until we meet again!

Oh this post gave me the feels, thank you for the undeserving shout-out, I want to keep my response here short and thought this says it all:

“Through music we may wander where we will in time, and find friends in every century.” – Helen Thompson