FreeWheelinAudioLuv2
Headphoneus Supremus
I can't wait for Can Jam SoCal!
CanJam Singapore 2025 Impressions Thread (April 5-6, 2025)
- Thread starter AxelCloris
- Start date
TheMiddleSky
Headphoneus Supremus
My impression from from CJ SG 2025 (posted in Watercooler thread before):
Definitely so many surprises in this canjam! Especially after read a lot of impression from Canjam New York for some summit stuff:
- Elysian Dio with Apex Cable is truly awesome, especially for "enormous" soundstage presentation, crystal clear treble with smooth character. Vocal is really clean and fluid, has a bit wetness in sound that make it more "emotional". Bass has good body and punch, with "just enough" quantity to make overall sound presentasion as balance. I feel that using external amp such Brise Tsuranagi or EA4 help to make all leading notes become more solid, more focus imaging structure, and expand the soundstage even more.
- Mefisto + Temptation Cable indeed a solid performer. Energetic, engaging, fuller and punchier than Macbeth with more forward vocal, but retain the lively treble bite and the Soundstage quality almost as good as Macbeth + Ambition. For my personal taste, I like Mefisto Temptation better than its sibling, better in term to connect me to music. Even though Macbeth still provide better refinement at micro detail and imaging quality.
- Moses is indeed a fun and allround IEM, love the bass, the smooth yet clean treble and vocal, with big imaging.
However, there are several other IEMs that didn't got attention from Canjam NY (I think because some of them did not revealed yet there):
Mystic Craft Hex. Close to neutral presentation with extremely good at provide density of notes through all spectrum. Brilliant treble without harshness, love how natural and smooth the Vocal, and bass is simply weighty, controlled, with a pack of fun factor and satisfying punch. Crazy good technicalities blend really nicely with musical feeling. Easily become one of my most favorite IEM in this Canjam.
Dita Audio Ventura, the biggest surprised for me. Simply the best Single DD IEM I ever experienced by far. There are several units, all of them with different sound. What I prefer the least is the black one due to some "muffle" feeling at lower mid area. The others Ventura sound more perfect for my taste. Big soundstage and great pin point imaging, sweet presentasion of treble and vocal, a bit at relax side, combine with full body bass, that has good impact but far from boomy or bloated. Now I just hope they release the one version that I like lol.
PMG V3 Prototype. Compare to PMG Apx SE I feel the V3 deliver more energy at bass area. More weighty, more "aggressive" presentation on bass freq. Low treble/upper mid also got some additional energy at the same time, make V3 feels more toe tapping, but also less silky smooth than the SE.
Craft Ear Omnium Titanium. I like this better than the Omnium OG. More solid attack notes, combine with fuller body tonality, but retain clean and rich of texture through all spectrum. Vocal is kind of neutral with just a hint of wetness to create natural presentation, smooth and crisp treble, with weighty solid bass. Also come with prototype Impedance Adapter to adjust the thickness in tonality. I like this even more than the excellent Moses.
Volk Audio Etoile. A bit remind me of "near field" monitor speaker presentation. Vocal presentation is excellent, big imaging at Midrange area, rich of texture and quite neutral here (neutral in really good way). Somehow Etoile reminds me a little of LCD-5's presentation (not tonality). Detail treble is quite complete, bass also solid and dense, but again, in more neutral way, so no "extra" bite or punch to deliver "extra" musical feel.
Noble Shogun. I like the midrange and treble tonality here, bass also provide great punch energy. Soundstage is wide, and separation quality is good, even though the competition out there is quite tough, and some of other Summit Fi IEM do these 2 things better.
Soranik Prototype "Green Board". Set aside from Dio, this is also one of the biggest soundstage performer, very wide and spacious, great airiness feeling on top, combine with fluid and silky smooth full body vocal. Bass may rather a bit weak though. If only the bass may improve a bit like the "Red Board" prototype, this would be perfect.
I couldn't believe I didn't get chance tried Canpur 622 Titanium. Came to their booth 4-5 times but the demo unit always busy.
Will upload photos later, along with some other impression for stuff that I like such 7th Acoustics Asteria, Elysian Apostle, UM Jet Black, Thieaudio Valhalla, Fir Project K, Nine YU9, and Crin Meta.
P.s: Within my personal taste, I still value Brise Fugaku as my most favourite IEM ever, but still, many other brands able to surprised me to send such exciting and beautiful sounding IEM as well (and without need to use external amp). We truly live in the era of Golden age for IEM indeed!
Definitely so many surprises in this canjam! Especially after read a lot of impression from Canjam New York for some summit stuff:
- Elysian Dio with Apex Cable is truly awesome, especially for "enormous" soundstage presentation, crystal clear treble with smooth character. Vocal is really clean and fluid, has a bit wetness in sound that make it more "emotional". Bass has good body and punch, with "just enough" quantity to make overall sound presentasion as balance. I feel that using external amp such Brise Tsuranagi or EA4 help to make all leading notes become more solid, more focus imaging structure, and expand the soundstage even more.
- Mefisto + Temptation Cable indeed a solid performer. Energetic, engaging, fuller and punchier than Macbeth with more forward vocal, but retain the lively treble bite and the Soundstage quality almost as good as Macbeth + Ambition. For my personal taste, I like Mefisto Temptation better than its sibling, better in term to connect me to music. Even though Macbeth still provide better refinement at micro detail and imaging quality.
- Moses is indeed a fun and allround IEM, love the bass, the smooth yet clean treble and vocal, with big imaging.
However, there are several other IEMs that didn't got attention from Canjam NY (I think because some of them did not revealed yet there):
Mystic Craft Hex. Close to neutral presentation with extremely good at provide density of notes through all spectrum. Brilliant treble without harshness, love how natural and smooth the Vocal, and bass is simply weighty, controlled, with a pack of fun factor and satisfying punch. Crazy good technicalities blend really nicely with musical feeling. Easily become one of my most favorite IEM in this Canjam.
Dita Audio Ventura, the biggest surprised for me. Simply the best Single DD IEM I ever experienced by far. There are several units, all of them with different sound. What I prefer the least is the black one due to some "muffle" feeling at lower mid area. The others Ventura sound more perfect for my taste. Big soundstage and great pin point imaging, sweet presentasion of treble and vocal, a bit at relax side, combine with full body bass, that has good impact but far from boomy or bloated. Now I just hope they release the one version that I like lol.
PMG V3 Prototype. Compare to PMG Apx SE I feel the V3 deliver more energy at bass area. More weighty, more "aggressive" presentation on bass freq. Low treble/upper mid also got some additional energy at the same time, make V3 feels more toe tapping, but also less silky smooth than the SE.
Craft Ear Omnium Titanium. I like this better than the Omnium OG. More solid attack notes, combine with fuller body tonality, but retain clean and rich of texture through all spectrum. Vocal is kind of neutral with just a hint of wetness to create natural presentation, smooth and crisp treble, with weighty solid bass. Also come with prototype Impedance Adapter to adjust the thickness in tonality. I like this even more than the excellent Moses.
Volk Audio Etoile. A bit remind me of "near field" monitor speaker presentation. Vocal presentation is excellent, big imaging at Midrange area, rich of texture and quite neutral here (neutral in really good way). Somehow Etoile reminds me a little of LCD-5's presentation (not tonality). Detail treble is quite complete, bass also solid and dense, but again, in more neutral way, so no "extra" bite or punch to deliver "extra" musical feel.
Noble Shogun. I like the midrange and treble tonality here, bass also provide great punch energy. Soundstage is wide, and separation quality is good, even though the competition out there is quite tough, and some of other Summit Fi IEM do these 2 things better.
Soranik Prototype "Green Board". Set aside from Dio, this is also one of the biggest soundstage performer, very wide and spacious, great airiness feeling on top, combine with fluid and silky smooth full body vocal. Bass may rather a bit weak though. If only the bass may improve a bit like the "Red Board" prototype, this would be perfect.
I couldn't believe I didn't get chance tried Canpur 622 Titanium. Came to their booth 4-5 times but the demo unit always busy.
Will upload photos later, along with some other impression for stuff that I like such 7th Acoustics Asteria, Elysian Apostle, UM Jet Black, Thieaudio Valhalla, Fir Project K, Nine YU9, and Crin Meta.
P.s: Within my personal taste, I still value Brise Fugaku as my most favourite IEM ever, but still, many other brands able to surprised me to send such exciting and beautiful sounding IEM as well (and without need to use external amp). We truly live in the era of Golden age for IEM indeed!
Canjam SG 2025 PART 2
And so the impressions continue, please refer to Part 1 here
And that's a wrap for this year!
And so the impressions continue, please refer to Part 1 here
FIR Project K
This might be my favourite implementation of FIR's kinetic bass by a large margin. Project K had a wildly physical bass presence with incredible texture, it stood out more so than the Flipears Aegis. It was visceral yet distinctly separated from everything else. Mids and treble were on the safer tuned side compared to FIR's older Frontier lineup models, closer to my perception of neutral. It takes after the Rn6's safer tuning but with less thickness in the mids. I believe that the treble was also more present, boosting air and separation compared to the Rn6.
This might be my favourite implementation of FIR's kinetic bass by a large margin. Project K had a wildly physical bass presence with incredible texture, it stood out more so than the Flipears Aegis. It was visceral yet distinctly separated from everything else. Mids and treble were on the safer tuned side compared to FIR's older Frontier lineup models, closer to my perception of neutral. It takes after the Rn6's safer tuning but with less thickness in the mids. I believe that the treble was also more present, boosting air and separation compared to the Rn6.
Audiorif XR4
Bogdan shared that these were designed for pro-audio. Coming hot off the trails of the Project K, XR4 sounded muddy. I think there might have been an element of FIR's tactile bass technology at play because a touch of physicality was the first thing that hit me upon pressing play which was nice. Build is solid as expected of FIR Audio but the XR4 could've done with more midrange clarity and energy to be more competitive at about 750USD. Shell designs are not final.
Bogdan shared that these were designed for pro-audio. Coming hot off the trails of the Project K, XR4 sounded muddy. I think there might have been an element of FIR's tactile bass technology at play because a touch of physicality was the first thing that hit me upon pressing play which was nice. Build is solid as expected of FIR Audio but the XR4 could've done with more midrange clarity and energy to be more competitive at about 750USD. Shell designs are not final.
Symphonium
In the weeks leading up to Canjam, I had the chance to familiarise myself with Symphonium's lineup. You can check out that writeup here where I go into more detail. In short, the newly released Giant effectively uses some clever chamber systems to achieve a big spacious warm sound. However, the mids were too laidback for me. Treble was nicely balanced but I would've preferred more energy in the upper mids.
The prototype was one of the last few products I listened to at the show. Yet it managed to impress me again with its tasteful take on neutrality, the kind that ain't boring. Really looking forward to this one.
Forgot to snap a pic of the Giant or the prototype at the show. However, I did manage to get some close ups of possible faceplates that may be used in their upcoming flagship. I was told that they were ?handmade by Viking Weave. The flagship is a different product from the prototype, nothing is confirmed as far as tuning direction goes.
In the weeks leading up to Canjam, I had the chance to familiarise myself with Symphonium's lineup. You can check out that writeup here where I go into more detail. In short, the newly released Giant effectively uses some clever chamber systems to achieve a big spacious warm sound. However, the mids were too laidback for me. Treble was nicely balanced but I would've preferred more energy in the upper mids.
The prototype was one of the last few products I listened to at the show. Yet it managed to impress me again with its tasteful take on neutrality, the kind that ain't boring. Really looking forward to this one.
Forgot to snap a pic of the Giant or the prototype at the show. However, I did manage to get some close ups of possible faceplates that may be used in their upcoming flagship. I was told that they were ?handmade by Viking Weave. The flagship is a different product from the prototype, nothing is confirmed as far as tuning direction goes.
Elysian apostle
I was surprised that they did not have a demo of the final retail metal shells though they had a pair for display purposes only, pictured below. The demo unit itself was still the 3D printed version used when the model was first announced at one of the Canjams last year. Impressions were lukewarm, similar to my experience with the Lime Ears Terra - not bad at all but just a generic mild V-shape with no particular standout features for the price.
I was surprised that they did not have a demo of the final retail metal shells though they had a pair for display purposes only, pictured below. The demo unit itself was still the 3D printed version used when the model was first announced at one of the Canjams last year. Impressions were lukewarm, similar to my experience with the Lime Ears Terra - not bad at all but just a generic mild V-shape with no particular standout features for the price.
Jomo Nautic Gleam
The Nautilus's smaller sibling with an acrylic shell. Seemed to be yet another generic V-shape that can't really go wrong.
The Nautilus's smaller sibling with an acrylic shell. Seemed to be yet another generic V-shape that can't really go wrong.
Jomo Viper
A new entry into Jomo's custom line. Jomo's signature thick upfront vocals paired with a big warm bass response. I didn't pay much attention to the treble because of how the bass and mids dominated the stage. From memory, the Nautilus can also be described using similar adjectives but I recall the Nautilus having more treble presence.
A new entry into Jomo's custom line. Jomo's signature thick upfront vocals paired with a big warm bass response. I didn't pay much attention to the treble because of how the bass and mids dominated the stage. From memory, the Nautilus can also be described using similar adjectives but I recall the Nautilus having more treble presence.
Jomo Serenity
Just one for the picture because I only had it for a hot minute before it was time for the exhibitors to pack up. Nothing jumped out as particularly impressive in the tiny bit of eartime I had with it. Would like to spend more time with it with fresh ears sometime
Just one for the picture because I only had it for a hot minute before it was time for the exhibitors to pack up. Nothing jumped out as particularly impressive in the tiny bit of eartime I had with it. Would like to spend more time with it with fresh ears sometime
And that's a wrap for this year!
I liked the perpetua a lot but the new venture sounded shouty and bright to me but it’s a still a prototype and they didn’t choose the tips for it yet.Eh, where are the impressions?!Particularly eager to hear more about DITA Ventura
very underrated iem I actually was the only one to take the only unit of the show to my room to listen to it extensively very very well tuned iem, I like it better than the original omnium. Essentially, when Jedrak sent me the Omnium three months ago to try it I wasn’t a fan but because he sent me a new unit and it was not properly brunt in so I given him my feedback. When he saw me at CanJam last weekend He told omnium Ti is the improvement upon my feedback and others feedback as well, so he told me to come after the show to have the Omnium TI to give it a listen until next day and I’m impressed man.
Not the best pictures but you get an idea, they fit very well and they have a magnetic module system that could be adjusted by using a metal tool to take out the module or install it back cool idea.
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CanJam Singapore 2025 Impressions
Hi Friends.
So, Canjam this year was even better than before. And to think I was considering not attending, because I had a feeling nothing would wow me!
But so many things did!
First and foremost, I was wow-ed by Singapore. This never fails. No matter how many times I visit. I connect with the city, far more than other major cities in Asia or the West. I spent a lot of time in New York and London and a bit of time in Paris, but Singapore, I just like. I like the cityscape, the colonial architecture, the meticulous cleanliness, the people, the food and everytime I visit, the city seems to be getting greener and greener, and I love it for that. Did you know Singapore has tree doctors who go around checking the health of major trees in the city? Pretty cool, right? In terms of accommodation, we stayed at the Pan Pacific for the duration of Canjam because it is super convenient then one night at Fullerton to experience this historically-significant building.
My Canjam started with a pre-Canjam at the lovely house of @Roasty, who is a hardcore audiophile with one of the coolest setups in the business.
At Gavin's, I tried the Abyss JOAL. It is easily the best headphone for the price, and I don't like any Abyss headphone other than the 1266, prior to trying the JOAL. Considering that a summit-fier like Gavin likes the JOAL, that gives you a sense of how good it is. I would own it but I already have an outstanding all-rounder in the Focal Clear OG, which I love more and more, the longer I spend on the hobby. But yes, do try the JOAL, it may be all you need!
The audition at Roasty's helped me decide to buy the Riviera Labs AIC-10. It is a ~$20,000 headphone amp and its pricing is a crime against humanity but of course you can get good deals if you can strike up a rapport with a Riviera dealer. I got my unit after months of back-and-forth with an extraordinary gentleman named Mohan Veloo who runs a store called Audio Exotics. Singaporeans always strike me as a particularly "worldly" lot and the depth and richness of the conversation I had with Mohan was worth a visit to his incredible audio showroom alone, not to mention the fact that I got to listen to his $1.0 million setup comprising of Cessaro Acoustics Horn Speakers and Subs, Robert Koda Amps and Pre-Amps, and the Wadax Reference DAC and Server. Insane experience: surreal, hyper-real, better than real, in terms of how tall, wide and deep the staging was, the thunderousness of the bass hitting my chest, and the minutest of details being spoon-fed to me like it simply does not happen with actual musicians. I firmly believe that our hobby has the ability to take us not just to the venue of recorded music, but embellish it in ways that make it even more visceral, emotional and rewarding than live music itself, on occasions. Maybe that's just me!
Moving on to a discussion on the AIC-10 itself, it is a rather unique sounding amp in how meaty, thunderous, powerful, and frankly, dense it sounds. I do like my relatively lower priced Audma Maestro HPA1 amp more with my Immanis and I do think this amp is flying under the radar for Immanis owners who may be predisposed towards buying the better known AIC-10 which has been around for a while, may be percieved as "higher-end" due to build, pricing and brand recognition, and also the fact that more people have bought and owned the AIC for a while (of course the AIC sounds great as well). But purely synergistically, the Immanis performs better on the Audma because the Audma gives it an assist in terms of forward staging, while maximizing the width capabilities of the Immanis (and I am not even someone who ordinarily indexes for soundstage width with headphones). The Immanis also sounds crystalline on the Audma, more so than ever before, on any amp. The cleanliness of the leading edge is astounding, simply. And the slam is also next level.
Meanwhile, the AIC-10, I have on good authority comes alive on the speaker outputs. Off the headphone output, while I am still trying to get used to how it works with the Immanis, let me just say though that it made my Focal Clear OG the most visceral, impactful, dynamic, and resolving it has ever sounded. This is a special amp but there are different levels of synergies in this hobby. That's just how it is, and no amount of synergy-skepticism is going to change the reality for those that know it, live it, and love it. It's all about the synergy.
Moving on to actual show floor impressions, very quickly, my top headphones were as follows, among the news I heard - in no particular order.
The Dunu Arashi is just a very very solid headphone for the price. It is warm titled, has thick bass, upper mids, an airy treble and just a wonderfully done headphone. Somehow, these first-time headphone manufacturers are just knocking it out of the park. The other first-time headphone manufacturer that wow-ed me was the Melodic Artification Infitum which hasn't been released yet.
The Infitinum has proprietary planar drivers and a very interesting grill design that is not a derivative of existing planar designs, which I appreciated. It sounds so warm and bassy yet so open and wide! I believe the pricing is yet to be determined. I am really hoping it's not astronomical and I don't believe it will be. But this is a headphone to keep an eye out for.
I was also very impressed with the Final Audio D8000 DC Pro. This thing weighs like a feather! And the earpads are so comfortable! Loved the entire frequency spectrum and I think this headphone is worthy of being a flagship just for tonality alone and I would definitely pick it up over most flagships these days, with the exception of the Immanis and the 1266. I might take it over the Utopia 2022 for example, which never jived with me, and these days, subbass seems to have become a must-have for me.
Another impressive headphone I tried was the Austrian Audio Composer. I loved how sweet its midrange sounds and its overall tonal and technical performance for the price. Easy buy, maybe even a blind-buy.
Two other headphones impressed me. First, the Audeze CRBN 2.
Second, the Yamaha YH500SE.
While the CRBN 2 is probably the most complete e-stat in the market (may not have the best synergy with the also warm and bassy Phantom), the Yamaha is a very good and well-rounded headphone that should have been likely priced at closer to $3000 rather than $5000. The CRBN 2 will do likely, once more reviews of this headphone comes out.
A final headphone that deserves a mention is the Sendy Peacock. It had this romantic sound that was still engaging and a beautifully realistic staging. I might get one in at some point.
Moving on from headphones to electronics, the following devices stood out for me:
First, the CenGrand Silver Fox amp for its robust and impactful bass, smooth top-end, and overall warmish, natural sound profile with great staging. I can see this performing well with everything from the 1266 to the Susvara to the Immanis.
Second, the Viva Egoista 845 which has a grip on Susvara drivers like very few headphones I have heard. Powerful, airy, timbrally rich, and ultra-resolving.
Third, the Woo Audio WA24. Something about Woo Audio prevents me from actually owning one of their amps. I am not sure what it is. They all sound marvelous though. The WA24 looks so beautiful and sounds so good. There are no issues with bass - not sure why some thought that it was bass-light. It's not!
I am happy with my Audma Maestro HPA1 and the AIC-10 Riviera but in a different life, I could live happily ever after with the WA24, especially when you interface with a volume dial as sexy as this.
Also worth a mention is Dunu's upcoming CD player. It has a beautiful sounding DAC and amp and it looks robust and feel premium. I would buy this for looks and feel alone.
The Raal VM1a at my friend Roasty's sounds so transparent! Like there is no impedance adapter between it and the Immanis. I really hope Raal 1995 comes out with the tube amps next year.
And last but not the least, the master of all trades, the iFi Phantom, which is pretty much a bargain for its ability to drive everything under the sun, noiselessly, with ample power, and the classic iFi sound which is warm, rich, and tonally dense, like music sounds in real life.
So that’s it for part 1. Stay tuned for part 2 where I discuss IEMs that impressed me. Also, apparently, 25 images is the max I can upload per post.
Hi Friends.
So, Canjam this year was even better than before. And to think I was considering not attending, because I had a feeling nothing would wow me!
But so many things did!
First and foremost, I was wow-ed by Singapore. This never fails. No matter how many times I visit. I connect with the city, far more than other major cities in Asia or the West. I spent a lot of time in New York and London and a bit of time in Paris, but Singapore, I just like. I like the cityscape, the colonial architecture, the meticulous cleanliness, the people, the food and everytime I visit, the city seems to be getting greener and greener, and I love it for that. Did you know Singapore has tree doctors who go around checking the health of major trees in the city? Pretty cool, right? In terms of accommodation, we stayed at the Pan Pacific for the duration of Canjam because it is super convenient then one night at Fullerton to experience this historically-significant building.
My Canjam started with a pre-Canjam at the lovely house of @Roasty, who is a hardcore audiophile with one of the coolest setups in the business.
At Gavin's, I tried the Abyss JOAL. It is easily the best headphone for the price, and I don't like any Abyss headphone other than the 1266, prior to trying the JOAL. Considering that a summit-fier like Gavin likes the JOAL, that gives you a sense of how good it is. I would own it but I already have an outstanding all-rounder in the Focal Clear OG, which I love more and more, the longer I spend on the hobby. But yes, do try the JOAL, it may be all you need!
The audition at Roasty's helped me decide to buy the Riviera Labs AIC-10. It is a ~$20,000 headphone amp and its pricing is a crime against humanity but of course you can get good deals if you can strike up a rapport with a Riviera dealer. I got my unit after months of back-and-forth with an extraordinary gentleman named Mohan Veloo who runs a store called Audio Exotics. Singaporeans always strike me as a particularly "worldly" lot and the depth and richness of the conversation I had with Mohan was worth a visit to his incredible audio showroom alone, not to mention the fact that I got to listen to his $1.0 million setup comprising of Cessaro Acoustics Horn Speakers and Subs, Robert Koda Amps and Pre-Amps, and the Wadax Reference DAC and Server. Insane experience: surreal, hyper-real, better than real, in terms of how tall, wide and deep the staging was, the thunderousness of the bass hitting my chest, and the minutest of details being spoon-fed to me like it simply does not happen with actual musicians. I firmly believe that our hobby has the ability to take us not just to the venue of recorded music, but embellish it in ways that make it even more visceral, emotional and rewarding than live music itself, on occasions. Maybe that's just me!
Moving on to a discussion on the AIC-10 itself, it is a rather unique sounding amp in how meaty, thunderous, powerful, and frankly, dense it sounds. I do like my relatively lower priced Audma Maestro HPA1 amp more with my Immanis and I do think this amp is flying under the radar for Immanis owners who may be predisposed towards buying the better known AIC-10 which has been around for a while, may be percieved as "higher-end" due to build, pricing and brand recognition, and also the fact that more people have bought and owned the AIC for a while (of course the AIC sounds great as well). But purely synergistically, the Immanis performs better on the Audma because the Audma gives it an assist in terms of forward staging, while maximizing the width capabilities of the Immanis (and I am not even someone who ordinarily indexes for soundstage width with headphones). The Immanis also sounds crystalline on the Audma, more so than ever before, on any amp. The cleanliness of the leading edge is astounding, simply. And the slam is also next level.
Meanwhile, the AIC-10, I have on good authority comes alive on the speaker outputs. Off the headphone output, while I am still trying to get used to how it works with the Immanis, let me just say though that it made my Focal Clear OG the most visceral, impactful, dynamic, and resolving it has ever sounded. This is a special amp but there are different levels of synergies in this hobby. That's just how it is, and no amount of synergy-skepticism is going to change the reality for those that know it, live it, and love it. It's all about the synergy.
Moving on to actual show floor impressions, very quickly, my top headphones were as follows, among the news I heard - in no particular order.
The Dunu Arashi is just a very very solid headphone for the price. It is warm titled, has thick bass, upper mids, an airy treble and just a wonderfully done headphone. Somehow, these first-time headphone manufacturers are just knocking it out of the park. The other first-time headphone manufacturer that wow-ed me was the Melodic Artification Infitum which hasn't been released yet.
The Infitinum has proprietary planar drivers and a very interesting grill design that is not a derivative of existing planar designs, which I appreciated. It sounds so warm and bassy yet so open and wide! I believe the pricing is yet to be determined. I am really hoping it's not astronomical and I don't believe it will be. But this is a headphone to keep an eye out for.
I was also very impressed with the Final Audio D8000 DC Pro. This thing weighs like a feather! And the earpads are so comfortable! Loved the entire frequency spectrum and I think this headphone is worthy of being a flagship just for tonality alone and I would definitely pick it up over most flagships these days, with the exception of the Immanis and the 1266. I might take it over the Utopia 2022 for example, which never jived with me, and these days, subbass seems to have become a must-have for me.
Another impressive headphone I tried was the Austrian Audio Composer. I loved how sweet its midrange sounds and its overall tonal and technical performance for the price. Easy buy, maybe even a blind-buy.
Two other headphones impressed me. First, the Audeze CRBN 2.
Second, the Yamaha YH500SE.
While the CRBN 2 is probably the most complete e-stat in the market (may not have the best synergy with the also warm and bassy Phantom), the Yamaha is a very good and well-rounded headphone that should have been likely priced at closer to $3000 rather than $5000. The CRBN 2 will do likely, once more reviews of this headphone comes out.
A final headphone that deserves a mention is the Sendy Peacock. It had this romantic sound that was still engaging and a beautifully realistic staging. I might get one in at some point.
Moving on from headphones to electronics, the following devices stood out for me:
First, the CenGrand Silver Fox amp for its robust and impactful bass, smooth top-end, and overall warmish, natural sound profile with great staging. I can see this performing well with everything from the 1266 to the Susvara to the Immanis.
Second, the Viva Egoista 845 which has a grip on Susvara drivers like very few headphones I have heard. Powerful, airy, timbrally rich, and ultra-resolving.
Third, the Woo Audio WA24. Something about Woo Audio prevents me from actually owning one of their amps. I am not sure what it is. They all sound marvelous though. The WA24 looks so beautiful and sounds so good. There are no issues with bass - not sure why some thought that it was bass-light. It's not!
I am happy with my Audma Maestro HPA1 and the AIC-10 Riviera but in a different life, I could live happily ever after with the WA24, especially when you interface with a volume dial as sexy as this.
Also worth a mention is Dunu's upcoming CD player. It has a beautiful sounding DAC and amp and it looks robust and feel premium. I would buy this for looks and feel alone.
The Raal VM1a at my friend Roasty's sounds so transparent! Like there is no impedance adapter between it and the Immanis. I really hope Raal 1995 comes out with the tube amps next year.
And last but not the least, the master of all trades, the iFi Phantom, which is pretty much a bargain for its ability to drive everything under the sun, noiselessly, with ample power, and the classic iFi sound which is warm, rich, and tonally dense, like music sounds in real life.
So that’s it for part 1. Stay tuned for part 2 where I discuss IEMs that impressed me. Also, apparently, 25 images is the max I can upload per post.
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cbonao
New Head-Fier
crazyy i hope i can attend canjam next year!
FreeWheelinAudioLuv2
Headphoneus Supremus
I got the Terra and I enjoy it quite a bit. The treble is extended, crisp, and airy, without venturing into metallic or unnatural, with solid to above average resolution. The midrange is also crisp, resolute, and have really sweet reverb and presence. Now is it a bassy set or bass first? Nope. The bass is more sub bass focused vs mid bass, and there's some thinness in the lower midrange, but I don't think it affects note weight (too much)? Just lacks energy punch, but there's sufficient attack in the upper mids/lower treble. I wouldn't call the sonics generic at all. I'd call then balanced and on the side of neutral bright vs bassy warm or lush, which I like for jazz, instrumental rock, and prog.Canjam SG 2025 PART 2
And so the impressions continue, please refer to Part 1 here
FIR Project K
This might be my favourite implementation of FIR's kinetic bass by a large margin. Project K had a wildly physical bass presence with incredible texture, it stood out more so than the Flipears Aegis. It was visceral yet distinctly separated from everything else. Mids and treble were on the safer tuned side compared to FIR's older Frontier lineup models, closer to my perception of neutral. It takes after the Rn6's safer tuning but with less thickness in the mids. I believe that the treble was also more present, boosting air and separation compared to the Rn6.
Audiorif XR4
Bogdan shared that these were designed for pro-audio. Coming hot off the trails of the Project K, XR4 sounded muddy. I think there might have been an element of FIR's tactile bass technology at play because a touch of physicality was the first thing that hit me upon pressing play which was nice. Build is solid as expected of FIR Audio but the XR4 could've done with more midrange clarity and energy to be more competitive at about 750USD. Shell designs are not final.
Symphonium
In the weeks leading up to Canjam, I had the chance to familiarise myself with Symphonium's lineup. You can check out that writeup here where I go into more detail. In short, the newly released Giant effectively uses some clever chamber systems to achieve a big spacious warm sound. However, the mids were too laidback for me. Treble was nicely balanced but I would've preferred more energy in the upper mids.
The prototype was one of the last few products I listened to at the show. Yet it managed to impress me again with its tasteful take on neutrality, the kind that ain't boring. Really looking forward to this one.
Forgot to snap a pic of the Giant or the prototype at the show. However, I did manage to get some close ups of possible faceplates that may be used in their upcoming flagship. I was told that they were ?handmade by Viking Weave. The flagship is a different product from the prototype, nothing is confirmed as far as tuning direction goes.
Elysian apostle
I was surprised that they did not have a demo of the final retail metal shells though they had a pair for display purposes only, pictured below. The demo unit itself was still the 3D printed version used when the model was first announced at one of the Canjams last year. Impressions were lukewarm, similar to my experience with the Lime Ears Terra - not bad at all but just a generic mild V-shape with no particular standout features for the price.
Jomo Nautic Gleam
The Nautilus's smaller sibling with an acrylic shell. Seemed to be yet another generic V-shape that can't really go wrong.
Jomo Viper
A new entry into Jomo's custom line. Jomo's signature thick upfront vocals paired with a big warm bass response. I didn't pay much attention to the treble because of how the bass and mids dominated the stage. From memory, the Nautilus can also be described using similar adjectives but I recall the Nautilus having more treble presence.
Jomo Serenity
Just one for the picture because I only had it for a hot minute before it was time for the exhibitors to pack up. Nothing jumped out as particularly impressive in the tiny bit of eartime I had with it. Would like to spend more time with it with fresh ears sometime
And that's a wrap for this year!
SYNERGY. IS. EVERYTHING.CanJam Singapore 2025 Impressions
Hi Friends.
So, Canjam this year was even better than before. And to think I was considering not attending, because I had a feeling nothing would wow me!
But so many things did!
First and foremost, I was wow-ed by Singapore. This never fails. No matter how many times I visit. I connect with the city, far more than other major cities in Asia or the West. I spent a lot of time in New York and London and a bit of time in Paris, but Singapore, I just like. I like the cityscape, the colonial architecture, the meticulous cleanliness, the people, the food and everytime I visit, the city seems to be getting greener and greener, and I love it for that. Did you know Singapore has tree doctors who go around checking the health of major trees in the city? Pretty cool, right? In terms of accommodation, we stayed at the Pan Pacific for the duration of Canjam because it is super convenient then one night at Fullerton to experience this historically-significant building.
My Canjam started with a pre-Canjam at the lovely house of @Roasty, who is a hardcore audiophile with one of the coolest setups in the business.
At Gavin's, I tried the Abyss JOAL. It is easily the best headphone for the price, and I don't like any Abyss headphone other than the 1266, prior to trying the JOAL. Considering that a summit-fier like Gavin likes the JOAL, that gives you a sense of how good it is. I would own it but I already have an outstanding all-rounder in the Focal Clear OG, which I love more and more, the longer I spend on the hobby. But yes, do try the JOAL, it may be all you need!
The audition at Roasty's helped me decide to buy the Riviera Labs AIC-10. It is a ~$20,000 headphone amp and its pricing is a crime against humanity but of course you can get good deals if you can strike up a rapport with a Riviera dealer. I got my unit after months of back-and-forth with an extraordinary gentleman named Mohan Veloo who runs a store called Audio Exotics. Singaporeans always strike me as a particularly "worldly" lot and the depth and richness of the conversation I had with Mohan was worth a visit to his incredible audio showroom alone, not to mention the fact that I got to listen to his $1.0 million setup comprising of Cessaro Acoustics Horn Speakers and Subs, Robert Koda Amps and Pre-Amps, and the Wadax Reference DAC and Server. Insane experience: surreal, hyper-real, better than real, in terms of how tall, wide and deep the staging was, the thunderousness of the bass hitting my chest, and the minutest of details being spoon-fed to me like it simply does not happen with actual musicians. I firmly believe that our hobby has the ability to take us not just to the venue of recorded music, but embellish it in ways that make it even more visceral, emotional and rewarding than live music itself, on occasions. Maybe that's just me!
Moving on to a discussion on the AIC-10 itself, it is a rather unique sounding amp in how meaty, thunderous, powerful, and frankly, dense it sounds. I do like my relatively lower priced Audma Maestro HPA1 amp more with my Immanis and I do think this amp is flying under the radar for Immanis owners who may be predisposed towards buying the better known AIC-10 which has been around for a while, may be percieved as "higher-end" due to build, pricing and brand recognition, and also the fact that more people have bought and owned the AIC for a while (of course the AIC sounds great as well). But purely synergistically, the Immanis performs better on the Audma because the Audma gives it an assist in terms of forward staging, while maximizing the width capabilities of the Immanis (and I am not even someone who ordinarily indexes for soundstage width with headphones). The Immanis also sounds crystalline on the Audma, more so than ever before, on any amp. The cleanliness of the leading edge is astounding, simply. And the slam is also next level.
Meanwhile, the AIC-10, I have on good authority comes alive on the speaker outputs. Off the headphone output, while I am still trying to get used to how it works with the Immanis, let me just say though that it made my Focal Clear OG the most visceral, impactful, dynamic, and resolving it has ever sounded. This is a special amp but there are different levels of synergies in this hobby. That's just how it is, and no amount of synergy-skepticism is going to change the reality for those that know it, live it, and love it. It's all about the synergy.
Moving on to actual show floor impressions, very quickly, my top headphones were as follows, among the news I heard - in no particular order.
The Dunu Arashi is just a very very solid headphone for the price. It is warm titled, has thick bass, upper mids, an airy treble and just a wonderfully done headphone. Somehow, these first-time headphone manufacturers are just knocking it out of the park. The other first-time headphone manufacturer that wow-ed me was the Melodic Artification Infitum which hasn't been released yet.
The Infitinum has proprietary planar drivers and a very interesting grill design that is not a derivative of existing planar designs, which I appreciated. It sounds so warm and bassy yet so open and wide! I believe the pricing is yet to be determined. I am really hoping it's not astronomical and I don't believe it will be. But this is a headphone to keep an eye out for.
I was also very impressed with the Final Audio D8000 DC Pro. This thing weighs like a feather! And the earpads are so comfortable! Loved the entire frequency spectrum and I think this headphone is worthy of being a flagship just for tonality alone and I would definitely pick it up over most flagships these days, with the exception of the Immanis and the 1266. I might take it over the Utopia 2022 for example, which never jived with me, and these days, subbass seems to have become a must-have for me.
Another impressive headphone I tried was the Austrian Audio Composer. I loved how sweet its midrange sounds and its overall tonal and technical performance for the price. Easy buy, maybe even a blind-buy.
Two other headphones impressed me. First, the Audeze CRBN 2.
Second, the Yamaha YH500SE.
While the CRBN 2 is probably the most complete e-stat in the market (may not have the best synergy with the also warm and bassy Phantom), the Yamaha is a very good and well-rounded headphone that should have been likely priced at closer to $3000 rather than $5000. The CRBN 2 will do likely, once more reviews of this headphone comes out.
A final headphone that deserves a mention is the Sendy Peacock. It had this romantic sound that was still engaging and a beautifully realistic staging. I might get one in at some point.
Moving on from headphones to electronics, the following devices stood out for me:
First, the CenGrand Silver Fox amp for its robust and impactful bass, smooth top-end, and overall warmish, natural sound profile with great staging. I can see this performing well with everything from the 1266 to the Susvara to the Immanis.
Second, the Viva Egoista 845 which has a grip on Susvara drivers like very few headphones I have heard. Powerful, airy, timbrally rich, and ultra-resolving.
Third, the Woo Audio WA24. Something about Woo Audio prevents me from actually owning one of their amps. I am not sure what it is. They all sound marvelous though. The WA24 looks so beautiful and sounds so good. There are no issues with bass - not sure why some thought that it was bass-light. It's not!
I am happy with my Audma Maestro HPA1 and the AIC-10 Riviera but in a different life, I could live happily ever after with the WA24, especially when you interface with a volume dial as sexy as this.
Also worth a mention is Dunu's upcoming CD player. It has a beautiful sounding DAC and amp and it looks robust and feel premium. I would buy this for looks and feel alone.
The Raal VM1a at my friend Roasty's sounds so transparent! Like there is no impedance adapter between it and the Immanis. I really hope Raal 1995 comes out with the tube amps next year.
And last but not the least, the master of all trades, the iFi Phantom, which is pretty much a bargain for its ability to drive everything under the sun, noiselessly, with ample power, and the classic iFi sound which is warm, rich, and tonally dense, like music sounds in real life.
(Part 2...to be continued...since I can't upload more than 25 photos per post).
Agreed wholeheartedly. Seeking synergies is like seeking the meaning of life. Through music.
Great for the folks on the island, but UK is not EU, an actual EU dealer would be great, same for Mysticraft.
pawdiophile
100+ Head-Fier
Moses against Valhalla impressions?
Liked both but wondering if its a big jump considering one being x2 the price..
Liked both but wondering if its a big jump considering one being x2 the price..
I tried both. Moses handily wins not just by its own merits, but also due to the Valhalla's shortcomings. Valhalla is severely lacking in details vs the Moses, Moses has much more impactful bass thanks to its DD.
But yeah 2x price jump from the Valhalla is so hard to swallow. I'll settle with the Mysticraft Tribrid, thanks
Moses is noticeably better than Valhalla when it comes what I look for in an iem, Valhalla is nice but sounds flat to me.
Moses is a beast has one of the smoothest treble that’s similar to the Annihilator, and the bass of the Canpur CP622B.
Moses more of a balanced set natural that’s not an extremely engaging listen, more of a relaxing listen that can do all genres imho.
Thank you asking.
Elise Audio will be responsible for both UK and EU. Few weeks ago folks at Paris managed to get a Moses demo unit from Elise Audio for a offline gathering. I am confident that they will help you with your audition in the EU region.
Those who are in Germany and will be attending Munich High End 2025, you may also contact Elise Audio to organize a private meet for audition.
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pawdiophile
100+ Head-Fier
This!I tried both. Moses handily wins not just by its own merits, but also due to the Valhalla's shortcomings. Valhalla is severely lacking in details vs the Moses, Moses has much more impactful bass thanks to its DD.
But yeah 2x price jump from the Valhalla is so hard to swallow. I'll settle with the Mysticraft Tribrid, thanks
But hearing rumours of a quabrid coming out from Mysticraft...
Moses demo was brought to the meet from UK. It’s not about audition but paying import taxes up to 24% on a purchase depending on the EU country you are in. Last time I checked Elise is still shipping from UK.
UK is not a part of the European Union.
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