[reeltime]

Thank you for your impression...need to start making space for a two stack as well as the crunching $8K entry price.

Whant I want to ask you is...the WA33 setup that you've heard was with stock or upgraded tubes? Its a different dish altogether if one need to cough out a further couple of thousands for the ideal setup

Upgraded. They had a Takatsuki 274B rectifier. That will run $800 dollars. I don't know which power tubes were installed.

 

[miceblue]

At least from an event last month, Sennheiser chose demo tracks that were recorded with Neumann (acquired by Sennheiser) microphones.

 

[Zachik]

Here are my notes and impressions, while trying to avoid repeating identical impressions from others.
 
I attended both days, and it is my 2nd CanJam (been to RMAF 2016). Let me start by thanking Ethan (@third_eye) for organizing such a great event, and @jude for being such a great guy.  I had amazing long conversations with him on audio but also totally unrelated subjects 

@jude - thanks again for the great single malt you treated me with at the party!  

 
I will also add that I am relatively new to this hobby (a year or so), and do not believe my hearing is perfect...
 
So without further ado, here are my notes at no particular order:

1. Mr Speakers - had the pleasure to meet @mrspeakers Dan (again) and test the AEONs that I pre-ordered couple weeks ago. Suffice to say I have NO buyer's remorse
   
     Dan is a great guy, BTW, and so was everyone at their booth. Not sure why someone complained earlier in the thread they were not friendly. I had the opposite experience!
2. ZMF - Zach and Bevin were so nice! Spent some time chatting with them on Eikon and Atticus (obviously), but also Hockey and other subjects. Great couple and great people!  That was my 1st time with ZMF headphones, which I have read about quite a bit before.  From reading - I was certain Eikon would be my favorites, but boy was I wrong... I way preferred Atticus (in Padauk). They just sound "more fun". Eikon sounded more accurate or detailed, but not nearly as much of the fun factor... At some point I gotta have one (maybe get it used from fellow Head-Fier at some point).
3. Sony - I wanted to test their Z7, Z1R, and the 1000X.  At first, the Z1R sounded MUCH better than Z7. After 10-15 minutes, though, I became fatigued and my ears / brain begged me for a break...  Z7 felt like SQ was a notch below, but I thought I could listen to them for hours with no brain fatigue. Maybe that's just me...  Regardless, I think the new Mr. Speakers AEON, that cost same as the Z7, are much better!  The 1000X sounded good, and ANC was amazing, but listened wired (not over BT) so cannot judge BT quality.
4. Audio-Technica DSR7BT and DSR9BT - I tried both over BT from my iPhone 6S (so no AptX). The 7BT sounded good, but the 9BT was noticeably a notch above! Passive noise isolation was pretty good. Would be interesting to A/B 9BT to the Sony 1000X, mostly for flights. On paper, Sony is better (ANC vs. passive isolation, and $400 vs. $550). However, I have not A/B them, and from memory - the 9BT might have sounded better. Not sure, though...
5. MEZE 99 Classics & 99 Neo - tested and A/B'd both at The Source booth. Bruce, Wayne, Dan, and the really cool young guys (so sorry I forgot your names
   
   ) were awesome and fun to chat with comparing headphones. Bottom Line: both were new out of the box, so not burned-in. Having said that, to my ears, out of my FiiO X3-II DAP,  they sounded very close... I could not pick a favorite between them until... I played Brothers in Arms (Dire Straights).  The long intro with thunders and rumble  sounded so much better on the 99 Classics. I just had to get them (and I did!)  Amazing $300 headphones. Period. Not to mention great looking!! They look so... classic!! 
   
6. Cavalli - had a chat with Warren (yet another great guy!), and listened to the "baby liquid xxxx" prototype that was in the middle. Unfortunately, I do not remember which was the big brother, but I remember it was $3000 amp, and the baby brother has half the circuitry and will be (I am guesstimating) half the price, which actually approaches an amount I could afford to pay for an amp. I liked it a lot, BTW 
   
     Maybe my very first tube amp? 
7. Pioneer & Onkyo new DAPS - almost identical to my AK70 in size, but the screen is MUCH smaller... 
   
     I did not like the feel of the volume knob at all, but loved the dual microSD slots (my biggest complaint against the AK70).  Someone asked about prices earlier in the thread... $399 for Pioneer version, $499 for Onkyo according to the rep at the booth. 
8. 1More - I have and love the triple and wanted to test the quad. To my ears, they had a little more bass, but I like the triple's bass so extra bass was not an advantage to me. Otherwise, to my ears, not worth the extra $100.  Also, I am ALWAYS struggling to get a good fit with IEMs, and to my problematic ears - triple fits better.
9. FiiO - spent some time at their booth, mostly playing with the new X5-III. I really like it. Might get it eventually to replace my X3-II as my travel companion. Very nice GUI, very responsive, 2 x microSD (yay!!), and amazing SQ (for $399).
10. Smyth Realiser - my first time auditioning it, and all I can say is WOW! Definitely one of my highlights of the show.  A great solution for watching movies with my GF at home, but quite an investment... I figure $1700 (pre-order price) plus 2 x HD800 (recommended cans by the Smyth guys) for a total investment of almost $4000. 
11. Sennheiser HE-1 - there is nothing I can say that others have not said before! Never heard "Come away with me" or "Brothers in arms" quite like that...
    
      sigh.
12. Audeze - tried their LCD-XC and the first thing to come to my head: wow, it is so heavy... Anyhow, not for me!  Tried the new open back SINE which sounded nice (for its price range) but I am not a big fan of on-ears.  No idea how I managed to miss the new LCD-Pro.  I am bummed. 
    
13. HiFiMAN - had a long discussion with Peter, and spent some time with the Edition X V2 (HEX2). I missed Angel (feel better soon my friend!).  As for the HEX2, I like them a lot, and they're so different from everything I own!  Maybe will get a pair when their price drops some more... Cannot justify it right now...
14. AQ NightOwl - not impressed! Very comfy, sounds good, but for $700 - there are better choices, such as Mr. Speakers AEON, which I pre-ordered 
    
15. Blue - tested their Ella and Sadie. They both felt heavy and the top band was very noticeable on the top of my skull. Cannot see myself wearing them for more than 30 minutes at a time... showstopper for me right there and then!

 
Also, I ran into Patrick Norton who is a really nice guy hosting several tech related podcasts (I am following This Week in Computer Hardware).  Had a long chat with him towards the end of day 1 to exchange notes... I like his down to earth non-pretentious views of this hobby / equipment (and I share many of them with him).  
 
Was great to also run into Kevin Sussman (actor playing Stewart in Big Bang Theory)!  Such a nice guy and such a pleasant surprise!!! 
 
Feel free to ask me any question, and I will try to answer to the best of my ability 

 
Zachi.

 

[Mediahound]

Did anyone record the seminar talk(s)? I missed them but would like to tune in if possible. 

 

[deserat]

Mm...different experience during CanJam Singapore. Even during the busy hours, I managed to listen to both headphones and in-ears with little annoyance. The listening rooms on the second level were specially good (less busy). The highlight, of course, was the Sennheiser suite, far removed from the main exhibit floor, where my 15 minutes of HE 1 audition was absolutely perfect. On the last hour of CanJam, I was able to listen to the Fourte with no problem. Sorry that you did not enjoy. In any case, the nature of the event is not meant to be a perfect listening environment. For critical listening, a follow-up visit to a dealer's place is better.

HE-1 audition was absolute spectacular wasn't it. Even with the door open to the atrium and the people talking outside. It seemed like magic to me, and then it occurred to me  that the guy giving the presentation was a recording engineer... who thought about the set up of the room, thought about the songs chosen for me to listen to, and who when I suggested that he ad something classical to his list quickly added added a couple of minutes to my session and played a piece - that piece blew everything on pre-planned play list away.  While the Paul Simon piece had been the highlight, Mozart was ... well ... well... sublime. And what was beautiful is that like Schiit there was no sales pitch, just enjoyment. I couldn't afford the system, I'm guessing the demo guy knew it, but he was respectful of my listening and seemed to enjoy that I enjoyed it. That room was beyond any expectation I could have had.

 

[buke9]

If you could only choose 4 songs for a demo, you could do a lot worse than this list!

I love Nora Jones but hearing Elvis on the HE-1's was so great.

 

[deserat]

Sorry that you did not enjoy. In any case, the nature of the event is not meant to be a perfect listening environment. For critical listening, a follow-up visit to a dealer's place is better.

It's odd that anybody would suggest going to the dealer. I live in LA, you'd think I'd be within an hour of dealers of many of the products. But that's not the case. Schiit just opened a store (trust me I'll be going there ) about 2 hours from here. That's the only place I can think of to demo Schiit.  There are two stores in LA that carry Woo, one that carries Chord. I was looking for a venue that while not "quiet room" quality in the main exhibition hall could answer a couple of simple questions. "Hugo 2 or WA8?", "Keep Lyr 2 or upgrade to MJ2?", "Keep Mr. Speaker Ether  or upgrade to Flow?" ... This was not the venue for that. I think Can Jam missed the mark here, I think they missed it pretty seriously. 

It is easy to say "Not for critical listening." but imagine going to a food show with incense burning at every table, or a Meditation Retreat with Slayer reigning blood on your Chakra's... I'm being hyperbolic... but only to illustrate the point. Zero thought was put into what makes an Audio show different than CES. The key to a show like this is that, it's the only place an audio geek can sit down and experience and make judgments about a wide variety of audio equipment in a time period that leaves even a tiny bit of objectivity in the mix. It's simultaneously the only place that most  Headphone Companies have the opportunity to connect with their customers.
 
Honestly reading others impressions, I'm amazed. I'm left wondering... is there some secret sauce to managing ones time? A strategy for getting the best listening session out of a loud room that I don't know? Nobody has a criticism of anything,  not even constructive.  I've seen more honesty at a faith healing.  

My Mother once told me, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." The only reason I don't live in a trailer park or prison is because I ignored her. Be appreciative, but be critical so that we can all be better.  Awash in sea of self affirmation... I'm glad to be the guy saying, here are the problems, take 'em for what it's worth... I hope it was helpful.

 

[drbobbybones]

Honestly reading others impressions, I'm amazed. I'm left wondering... is there some secret sauce to managing ones time? A strategy for getting the best listening session out of a loud room that I don't know? Nobody has a criticism of anything,  not even constructive.  I've seen more honesty at a faith healing.  
My Mother once told me, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." The only reason I don't live in a trailer park or prison is because I ignored her. Be appreciative, but be critical so that we can all be better.  Awash in sea of self affirmation... I'm glad to be the guy saying, here are the problems, take 'em for what it's worth... I hope it was helpful.

Get there really early.  I went to the Sennheiser, Woo Audio, Stax, Mr. Speakers, and Smyth Research rooms almost while they were setting up.  I heard most of everything there in silence.  

 

[buke9]

Did anyone record the seminar talk(s)? I missed them but would like to tune in if possible. 

The one I went to was being filmed so they are somewhere just don't know where. It was very interesting talk I hope you find it as I wouldn't mind hearing portions of it again.

 

[Mediahound]

Get there really early.  I went to the Sennheiser, Woo Audio, Stax, Mr. Speakers, and Smyth Research rooms almost while they were setting up.  I heard most of everything there in silence.  

For me these events are more about interacting and talking to the manufactures and asking questions etc. for me the listening is secondary because I just can't get an intensive or accurate listening session in this type of environment with potential equipment and or source material I am not familiar with.

 

[BassicScience]

  It's odd that anybody would suggest going to the dealer. I live in LA, you'd think I'd be within an hour of dealers of many of the products. But that's not the case. Schiit just opened a store (trust me I'll be going there ) about 2 hours from here. That's the only place I can think of to demo Schiit.  There are two stores in LA that carry Woo, one that carries Chord. I was looking for a venue that while not "quiet room" quality in the main exhibition hall could answer a couple of simple questions. "Hugo 2 or WA8?", "Keep Lyr 2 or upgrade to MJ2?", "Keep Mr. Speaker Ether  or upgrade to Flow?" ... This was not the venue for that. I think Can Jam missed the mark here, I think they missed it pretty seriously. 

It is easy to say "Not for critical listening." but imagine going to a food show with incense burning at every table, or a Meditation Retreat with Slayer reigning blood on your Chakra's... I'm being hyperbolic... but only to illustrate the point. Zero thought was put into what makes an Audio show different than CES. The key to a show like this is that, it's the only place an audio geek can sit down and experience and make judgments about a wide variety of audio equipment in a time period that leaves even a tiny bit of objectivity in the mix. It's simultaneously the only place that most  Headphone Companies have the opportunity to connect with their customers.
 
Honestly reading others impressions, I'm amazed. I'm left wondering... is there some secret sauce to managing ones time? A strategy for getting the best listening session out of a loud room that I don't know? Nobody has a criticism of anything,  not even constructive.  I've seen more honesty at a faith healing.  

My Mother once told me, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." The only reason I don't live in a trailer park or prison is because I ignored her. Be appreciative, but be critical so that we can all be better.  Awash in sea of self affirmation... I'm glad to be the guy saying, here are the problems, take 'em for what it's worth... I hope it was helpful.

The Source AV in Torrance deals Woo and Chord (and a ton of other brands).
 
Honestly (no pun intended), I'm not sure what to make of a post that accuses every other poster of being "dishonest". It's certainly not a perfect environment, but turning up the volume some can overcome a fair amount of background noise. Regarding time management, specifically assess what you want to accomplish and make a first pass through the venue to see which tables are best set up to allow the comparisons you'll want to make. When in doubt, favor vendors with Tidal so you can hear the same identical tracks on the various equipment you audition. You should have a handful of favorite test tracks in mind that will help you assess whatever qualities you deem important in the gear you are after.
 
I skipped the vast majority of vendors because I was in the market for high end headphones and didn't want to get distracted looking at IEMs, DACs, etc. I went back to several tables multiple times to reassess and/or confirm previous impressions.

 

[BassicScience]

 
Get there really early.  I went to the Sennheiser, Woo Audio, Stax, Mr. Speakers, and Smyth Research rooms almost while they were setting up.  I heard most of everything there in silence.  

Or maybe get there late, as in Sunday afternoon. Seemed like Saturday was more crowded.

 

[deserat]

   
Honestly (no pun intended), I'm not sure what to make of a post that accuses every other poster of being "dishonest".

 
I usually make of them that they are grumpy old men who would do better to go live in cave.  I've been told that a few times. Thanks for the heads up on A/V. 

 

[Mimouille]

   
I usually make of them that they are grumpy old men who would do better to go live in cave.  I've been told that a few times. Thanks for the heads up on A/V. 

The poster raised some fair points, saying that a loud environment made it difficult to truly compare differences between equipement. Maybe he was a bit blunt about it, but he just stated that he was surprised people could give such precise impressions in such an environment.
 
I don't think calling "grumpy"anyone who criticizes the event (in a constructive manner, with recommendations).
 
It is indeed sad (and useless) if these forums are just for mutual congratulations.

 

[bmichels]

Saw an add for a LCD i4 in-ear at 2450$ available in May !! were they showed or talked at SoCal ???