nhlducks35 must have been right ahead of me at every table lol! ---
Anyways, here's the impressions:
1. The parking was super-easy and FREE! Just park over at South Coast Plaza. If you're near SEARS/Forever 21, simply take the bridge across the street, head right towards the entrace of the hotel, enter, left, and right to go up the elevators. Just like last year, you can also park at South Coast next to the street (Bristol), and simply cross at the lights as well.
2. The check-in table was right in front of the hallway, so can't miss it. That said, it wasn't clear which side of the table to start from for check-in. Not a lot of pens, like one staffer said, so he had to loan out his own to let everyone write their info on the contest form. Do bring in free pens and drop them off if you're coming in Sunday to help out (my opinion). Check-in, printing of badges, and getting the lanyard was super-fast - under a minute. No need to worry about long lines here. Just enter your name on the tablet, press one button, badge prints. Thank the friendly staff, too =)
3. Path for those that don't need to sit at the presentations and merely want to see equipment (my opinion):
Head to check-in table. Turn left, see both rooms to either side. Return to table, face check-in table, turn right, see everything there, leaving Cavalli last. Return to table, turn the other way, walk out the doors and head to the tent on your left. Tent is very comfortable and setup nicely to move people along. See everything. Return to elevators, head to 3rd floor, see everything there. Go home.
4. Expect to spend AT LEAST 4 HOURS if you want to visit every booth and try the major items briefly (a few dozen seconds to a few minutes).
Expect NOT to see much if you're coming after 3PM SUNDAY because you won't have enough time. There was someone commenting on how they just came within an hour of closing Saturday, and I was thinking, waste of money...
If you're new to all this, expect to spend 6+ hours going from table to table, learning and talking, etc. if you really want to enjoy the trip.
5. 1st room I went to, packed... but not like last year. Last year was only one floor, no tent, so it got CROWDED. This year, walking space and ability to move about without a traffic jam at all times. Never had to wait longer than 5 minutes to try out anything, so this was very good.
6. Peeps!! This is a public event and can be covered by the press, etc. If you're playing hookie from work like one person was and ddn't want photos showing you where you shouldn't be, don't come! As part of the community, I'll take down photos as requested, but news agencies, etc.have absolutely no reason to - if you showed up in public at an event, photo gets taken by a news reporter and published in the newspaper, sorry. Your job on the line.
This also reflects upon something called 'morals' - why are you playing hookie? Why is the job, which is paying you $$, not a priority? And why are we lying to the boss - not just you, but now you and me? This the right thing to teach your kids, too? Lie to come to CanJam, then tell someone else to help you lie... Reminds me why I don't hire young people nowadays...
7. Top Picks:
Audieze LCDs, Cavalli Tube Amps, Fong virtual room software, Nighthawks, ALO pocket tube and JDS pocket amps, Pendulumic bluetooth headphones, Red Audio Technica headphones (mostly just for the color), and oddly, a standard, high-end Sennheiser like the 650s. --------------------------------------------------------------
Visits of the booths
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* OPPO - Interesting design, nice headband texture, headphones didn't feel 'special' to me because of the padding and ear fit - materials felt 'tough'. Leather wrapped pocket amp was interesting for the design, but I didn't fall heavily in love with these.
* AURALIC - Yes, Audieze makes anything sound good, but today, coupled with the Auralic Taurus, there was something warm and special about this setup. Definitely something inside these boxes that make the music sound nicer than it should, so worth checking out, IMO.
^o^ One of my Take-Me-Home picks
* FONG - He's back! In 3D, 5.1, 7.1, etc!! Like last year, but better!, Fong's virtualization software is always a TREAT to listen to. You think you've got a nice stereo setup.. until you drop in his software and suddenly, a whole new world expands right in front of your face! Action movies ROCK using his software!! Handful of nice headphones to try out with the software as well. Definitely worth considering the $75 show price special!
Another one of my Take-Me-Home picks
* HiFiMan - Baby tube amps, cute, tried them on for a moment. A touch of warmth, something here worth listening to.
* SCHIT - Like last year, amps from tiny tubes to big ones. Something here for everyone and worth listening to for the experience of seeing what $ to $$$ will do to sound.
* WyWires - Headphone cables to help improve the sound. Only wish they had A/B listening pairs setup... and, the background noise level is high enough that it may be impossible to determine if you can hear a difference... Interesting concept, spend money on the nice pair of headphones first, then worry about the cables. This year, they're joined by other companies that have 'better cables'.
* final - Prettiest In-ear earphones I've seen in a long time. Real metals, some with expensive casting technology applied, and a big range of in-ears to try out. Torn over these - pretty, but due to the high background noise levels, hard to figure out if they're worth it for the audio quality. Mika Nakashima songs were warm, but seemed to lack that touch of something - but this was with the sound on my player turned up 3/4s just to be able to hear over the talk around me. Come early to try them out, and a fantastic idea for a present due to their unique designs.
* Adel/1964 Ears - Didn't stop by this booth. Just happened to be stuck waiting, custom in-ears don't excite me, so moved on.
* Nighthawk - Wowa. Not a Wow! like I first felt with the LCD-X, but there's a prettiness to the music and rendition that allows me to sit and simply enjoy a few tracks without worrying or thinking about anything else. New model, new technology, worth listing to for sure.
One of my Take-Me-Home picks ^o^
* Sennheiser - Urbanite headphones feel tough on the ears due to the clamping pressure and rough fabric, but twist and turn the headband any which way and they withstand abuse better than anything else I've encountered. Great for those that sit on their headphones. That said, 650's sound much better, IMO, than these.
650s and such are Take-Me-Home picks - solid choices, warm.
* Audieze - skipped right past. Already know I need $1600+ for the LCDs - amazing, drop dead sexy headphones, but realistically, that means the Cavalli amp, new daq, etc., so I'm not likely to truely enjoy them, IMO, without at least $8000 worth of gear, so I'll put that on my backburner.
Definitely Take-Me-Home! Please!! Since everything else pales in comparison.
* Focal - Tried the headphones, meh, moving on.
* Questyle - Ooh, an A&K competitor, BUT... still in beta. Seems to have a nice sound, but got a dropout in the middle of listening and they're not out yet. Watch some of the sharp edges around the dial - should be beveled or smoothed out, IMO.
* agrave/ograve (sp?) - Headphones were unique for their wood covers, but the headphone + their amp felt brittle. Need more breaking in? Or simply the sound signature?
* Hugo - Neat blue circle light, but nothing caught me ear's attention.
* Grace - ooh, wait a moment here. Yes, it's not tubes, but there's something warm and fuzzy in these boxes. Worth a listen and definitely worth checking out to hear something new this year. I definitely enjoyed listening to these even though they're not mind-blowing.
* Kern - mostly same as last year, but the big black box. Hmmm.... definitely a statement to be made. Solid devices across the board, up to you whether you like the hard, angular feel of their players. Worth checking out given the quality of the audio, but sad that they ONLY store up to 384GB of audio in the AK240 - would prefer 1TB =P
* Members room area - Slew of gear in one room this year. Worth coming to see the custom designs, listen to various headphones, and jump back in time to the LP/AM days based on how ancient some of the gear is. Favorite was the double-big tube amp in the far, back corner - nice handwarmer, too. 2nd as the old FM receiver on the table right across the tubes - ah, the days growing up as a kid...
* Cavalli - Just sit down with anything with tubes connected to LCDs and go WOWOWOOWOW! Then start saving up $$$$ for all the parts you'll need. Still the 'ultimate', IMO, and definitely worth stopping by. The new portable/smaller amps this year were also out for testing. IMO, it's mostly the headphones that make the biggest difference - LCDs vs Sony ZX110, like going from 100% uncompressed audio down to 192Khz MP3.
What I did notice however was a) the huge jump in quality when the LCDs are plugged into the Cavalli tube amps vs the portables (naturally) and b) how nice the ZX110 performed when the pocket amps were plugged into a portable audio source and A/B'd with the LCDs (ie. you're not starting off with HD audio, but with what there is and the lack of $$$$ and electronics in the portable Cavallis, you're not able to get OMG out of the LCDs, so they come down to the ZX110 level (or one could say the ZX110 comes up to the LCD level due to the Cavalli portable amp). No way to say for sure,but it's 100% LCD vs 90% ZX110 for a consumer rating plugged into the portable amps, IMO. Details get wiped out with the ZX110, much like going from WAV to 192 Mbps MP3, but both are quite nice, still (for a basic consumer).
* Wells Audio - range of headphones, etc. to listen to from this company, but similar to Enigma, nothing I was personally excited by during listening tests.
* Abyss - Liked these last year for their quaint design, still like them this year. Head heavy design, need to see if they fit you properly. Worth a listen, but I'd still pick LCDs any day.
* SpinFit - Distributor of various items including better fitting eartips, not excited at in-ears, moving on.
* Layla/Siren - In-ears, moving on.
* ifi - Cutest stacked components of the show, sound didn't excite.
* Kingsound - same here, sound didn't excite.
* Covalent - Grados. Hmmm, didn't I remember seeing more Grados, Koss, etc. (ie. affordable) headphones last year? I'm sure I did. This year's more about higher-end gear for sure. Even vendors like Sennheiser brought in a slew of cheap to expensive headphones for display last year, but this year is mostly about their beefier gear. Grados are worth listening to for sure. How much is due to the Covalent vs Grados? Don't know, but it's a nice combo.
* Centrance - didn't try, busy.
* Musica - foreign distributer. Lots of things to try out to see if you like something that isn't mainstream.
* ALO Audio - ooh, now that's a nice pocket tube amp!!! Nice pocket warmer, too. Must try. Like, Like!
One of my Take-Me-Homes!
* Rossi - Now that's a serious use of CAPACITORS!!! and a very nice modular design. Fun to listen to, enjoyable sound, worth a try!
* Sony - Just me, or their combo of HD player + HD headphones sound a bit 'crisp and analytical'? Audio T's are similar, but even the red AT's on display nearby sound slightly 'warmer' and more appealing. Moving on.
* EchoBox - In-ears, moving on. Portable amp shaped like a flask, interesting. Definitely worth a listen, though like he noted, beta and not out yet. Still prone to crashes, lol.
* Aurender - Cast-Fi7 is an interesting box - video screen and speaker. Must try it out and have a look. Unusual and unique, can be a nice present.
* JDS labs - ooh, now that's a nice portable amp! Something about their design that makes things come to life. Worth a listen!
One of my Take-Me-Home products, and pickup their free 3.5mm to 3.5mm short cable.
* Atomic Floyd - In-ears, moving on.
* lhlabs - Didn't see anything interesting, moving on.
* Noble Audio - tried these last year, in-ears, moving on. * Apogee One - Worth a look, unique design and dial. Nothing I'd scream about.
* Philips - Hmm, strong brand, but can't tell what's so special about their latest. Not warm, not harsh, not amazing. A normal pair of phones that don't seem to excite me unlike the LCDs or Nighthawk's.
* SoundBlaster - uh, we know - it's a soundcard among tons of recording/mastering quality, Pro Tools level sound cards out. If you have the time, worth a try, but don't expect a miracle since PCs have been doing 192Khz for years with pro level cards and software.
* Red Audio-Technica phones - not a store, just the Japanese-only headphones. Really nice color, comfy, crisp as all AT headphones sound like. Better than the HD Sony headphone here as well, IMO, but not as smooth as the LCD/Nighthawks. Up to you - for me, my ZX110's sound 'warmer' and more 'lively'.
* Ultimate Ears - In ears, tried them again, very good sound isolation, naturally, but not my type, esp. to spend $$$ on.They were doing custom fittings as well on site, so you can get them done at the show if you're willing. These are worth considering due to their nice sound.
* Pendulumic - Must buy as presents!! =D Only bluetooth headphone I've come across happy. Also, the softest, nicest earpads for an eyeglass wearer at this con. Smart volume, control knob, feels great, indents and push. My pick for something new this year. Fit is comfy, sound is great, feels like one can wear for hours, and a nice Xmas present idea.
Add to my Take-Me-Home picks.
* RHA - in-ears, moving on.
* Burson Audio - Nothing special to my ears, but a nice visual treat for the white glow.
* Vero - special cables for headphones. Something is different, but can't pin it down. Just sounds different. Probably needs more A/B in a quiet room for an hour to figure out exactly what's going on here - the physics in their handout seems to make sense, but not sure how much of a difference one can hear.
* Blue - One of the most unique headphone designs around, esp. how the arm articulates to adjust. But very heavy on my head and started hurting after a few minutes. Just hard when you're wearing headphones with solid metal, heavy arms and an integrated amp.
* Riva - Bluetooth speakers. Nice, not great. Can't say they're better than the other brands on the market, but definitely pushing it to say these mini-speakers are anything but good to very good. First thing I thought was a Bose Wave system would sound better, IMO..
* Ether - nice, but not better than LCD or Nighthawk.
