[b0ssMax]

Today was my second SoCal CanJam and I was fortunate enough to win the Audio 64 A12t IEMS. I'm absolutely floored and still in shock. I posted about the experience over in the Audio 64 thread for anyone interested: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the...ia-technologies.826606/page-237#post-14158430

My notes from the day:

• I thought I wanted either a ZMF Auteur or Eikon coming into the day to pair with my HE1000v2. During a lengthy listening session today they both sounded amazingly engaging and refined, both extremely comfortable and I left knowing that I NEED an Eikon (probably teak or zebrawood... they were both significantly lighter than the blackwood which is important to me). I actually don't think much soundstage is sacrificed when comparing the Eikon directly against the Auteur and the isolation of the Eikon is really valuable to me. Even in the loud CanJam environment I could have closed my eyes and felt like I was in my quiet living room. Once again Zach and his lovely wife were wonderful and I really enjoyed my conversation with Zach. I'll be proud to spend my money with them.
• At the Schiit booth the Lyr 3 (DAC/amp) was the standout. I briefly previously owned and really enjoyed a Lyr 2 until i got the HE1000v2 and they were hugely underpowered for my liking. The Lyr 3 easily powered the HE1000v1 they had out today and it really sounded fantastic. Even at about 12pm-1pm on the volume dial it was plenty loud. I still use a Bifrost Multibit DAC, but I'm truly tempted to sell that and my expensive boutique amp in order to downsize and put some money towards other gear.
• I tried the Utopias again and they just don't do it for me. I actually enjoyed the Clears more but I didn't spend enough time with them to be able to articulate why. Just my initial impression. I can't get over the build quality of both though, stunning headphones.
• The Ultrasone Edition 15 were just OK. Not bad by any means, but not special either. Nice deep reaching low end, fun to listen to but it didn't have the finesse I was hoping for out of an expensive headphone. Not overly resolving to my ears either, just didn't reach deep into the details of the music for me to be pulled in. Great build quality and extremely comfortable. I was listening through a MyTek Brooklyn amp/DAC.
• I LOVE the Sennheiser 820 and this is coming from someone who is really not a fan of the 800. The 800 has some redeeming qualities no doubt, but it has no balls and just isn't enjoyable for me to listen to (for anything but classical and some jazz). The 820 retains the details, transparency, comfort and much of the soundstage (maybe 70% of it?) but is FAR more engaging. The isolation is pretty great. It sounded wonderful with every genre i threw at it including blues, classical, jazz, classic rock, hard rock (the only one I forgot to try was rap, yes I still listen to rap). If I wasn't so sprung on the Eikon for both sound and aesthetics this would be an easy choice for a closed back headphone to pair with my HE1000v2. I was listening out of the Sennheiser 820 amp.
• I had a better session with the HifiMan Susvara than at the last SoCal CanJam. It's so comfortable it's ridiculous. The sound is just effortless and a bit more dynamic than I remember. If I were a millionaire i'd own one for sure, but as an owner of the HE1000v2 I just don't think the increase in performance is enough to justify the extra price. The HifiMan booth was playing the Susvara out of the HeadAmp GS-X Mk2 stack which once again proved to me to be a powerful and musical amp. Oh and through a Dave DAC. Not a shabby setup.
• The Chord Dave is perfect. In case everyone didn't already know.
• The Westone 60 is a very nice and fairly neutral IEM with a little mid hump and I liked them a lot. They were a touch too polite for me at first straight out of my iPhoneX but they got a great overall boost in dynamics and warmth through my Mojo, it was an awesome paring.
• The Westone UM Pro 50 was ok, but too much bass for me that took away from other aspects of the sound. If i primarily listened to rap, pop or IDM they'd be a good option.
• The UE 18+ Pro is also a very composed and neutral IEM. However even through my Mojo it was kind of lack luster for me. Just not a lot of wow moments during my time with it. It did everything pretty well but nothing stood out.
• The UE Reference Remastered almost went home with me. It was very resolving, loads of detail, great vocals, nice 3D imaging, pretty good soundstage and was pretty engaging.. Felt a touch bright at times was my only concern. I was between buying this and the Westone 60 until i got lucky and won the A12t.
• The Audio 64 U12t was fantastic. I thought I really enjoyed the Westone and UE offerings until I heard the U12t. This may just be my personal sound preferences but it's just in a different league. Liked it so much it had me wondering how much time my HE1000v2 would get if I owned one. It actually shares most of the sound characteristics that I love so much about the HE1000v2, just feels like it does everything right and it's effortless. Like no matter how high I turn the sound it's going to stay composed and just get better. I am impressed and absolutely can't wait for my A12t to arrive. Played them through a Mojo/iPhoneX.

That's all I can remember. My only regrets were not getting time to try the new Audeze M4Z, Hifiman Sundara and Mr Speakers electrostat. Looking forward to impressions on these from others!

We hated you but happy for you at the same time.

Cheers! Hahaha.

 

[Whitigir]

Do we have lotto paw gold ? The next mkII ? Help, anyone

 

[musicday]

Do we have lotto paw gold ? The next mkII ? Help, anyone

Is Lotoo Paw Gold Touch.

 

[Imusicman]

Excited to hear about the Lotto Paw Gold Touch. Press conference looks information looks very interesting

 

[Mython]

Further to the above remarks, for anyone else reading this thread, who hasn't been aware of it, here's a link to the dedicated LPG2 thread, for convenience:

www.head-fi.org/threads/lotoo-paw-gold-touch-3000-4-4mm-balanced.875802/


Keep your CanJam impressions coming in, everyone!

 

[bigtim]

Subbed hoping for something about Beyerdynamic’s Amiron Wireless

 

[vigotone]

I had a great time yesterday. I went right to Ultimate Ears and compared my UERMs to the Reference Remastered and found it to have a "crispier" signature, more high end, possibly more detail, but not a more pleasant sound for me. Then I tried the 18+ and oh my... just incredible. It had the power, warmth and soundstage of an over-the-ear closed-back headphone. I was thrilled. They took my mold right then and there and I got them for $900. Incredible deal. Also, they've apparently just done a stealth upgrade on their midrange driver, so I'm curious to hear the difference. And they ship with an upgraded cable. Pretty cool.

I checked out I managed to compare the Fiio Q7 to my Oppo HA-2SE and was not blown away. The two were similar, but I give a slight edge to my Oppo (R.I.P.). I quite enjoyed the Sonarworks True-Fi app, but seeing as how I rarely play files from my computer, it wouldn't necessarily benefit me. They're apparently working on an iPhone app, but it would have to be its own player, as iOS doesn't allow for a system-wide change in its audio function.

Then I checked out the Chord Hugo2 and absolutely loved it. Definitely a desktop quality unit. I tried it with both my UERMs and their LCD-XCs (which I have at home), and both were phenomenal. I purposely neglected to audition the Dave, as there's just no sense in falling in love with something so unattainable. But the Hugo2 is just extraordinary and will most likely be replacing my Oppo HA-1 DAC/Amp as my desktop unit.

Also stopped by Sennheiser to check out the HD 820. It was being driven by the HDV820 DAC/Amp, which I'm not familiar with, and unfortunately they had several headphones plugged in to one unit, so if you wanted to raise the volume for yourself, it raised it for everyone else. The HD 820 sounded nice, but they're not nearly as isolating as the LCD-XC's, so in a noisy room, it was difficult for me to really get a sense of them (plus this is still not a final tuning). They are incredibly lightweight and beautiful look at though. Hoping to try them out again under better circumstances, but ever since I had the drivers upgraded on my 2014 LCD-XC's, I've fallen in love with them all over again.

Also ran into Jude and got to thank him in person for creating such a great environment for us geeks.

Hope everyone has a great time today!

 

[silverfishla]

I went to CanJam yesterday. I picked up a pair of Campfire Audio Comet earphones. Right up my alley for what I was looking for.
I thought that the Fostex/Dekoni Planar Magnetic headphone was interesting sounding. It was so dry sounding...then a really clear sounding sub-bass. Not for everybody, and not especially "expensive" sounding...but interesting to the ear.
I wish that the show was bigger with more companies involved. So cool to see some items that I've never seen in person. Astell and Kern were there with that copper player of there's and the teal KANN. Man, those things are ugly as sin in real life. You could actually cut meat with that copper Kern, it's edges are that sharp.
It was interesting listening to the Focal lineup. So neutral in the best way that neutral can be...my next studio phones for sure.

 

[rschoi75]

For the campfire atlas, do you mean the sound stage was too V shaped for your taste, or too much bass, or too much for price?

Too much in regards to sound signature. It was too much bass (particularly mid-bass), too much forward everything. The mids aren't drowned out as you'd expect from a standard "V" shape. Everything is up front and in your face. It's crystal clean all the way throughout the entire spectrum though. If you're looking for something to pump you up, and get you out of your chair, this is it.

 

[JVal]

Too much in regards to sound signature. It was too much bass (particularly mid-bass), too much forward everything. The mids aren't drowned out as you'd expect from a standard "V" shape. Everything is up front and in your face. It's crystal clean all the way throughout the entire spectrum though. If you're looking for something to pump you up, and get you out of your chair, this is it.

Cool, thanks for answering!

 

[greenmountain]

I wanted to go to listen to Mysphere @ Woo Audio but have absolutely no time. Any impressions?

 

[danny.ho]

Could anyone give us some impresions about the new Fiio FH5 IEM? I'm using the Fiio FH1 and more than excited to upgrade to the FH5. Just wondering if it's worth upgrading. Thanks

 

[MikeRight]

Would be great if anybody can give us more details about LCD-4Z.
Thanks in advance!

 

[moedawg140]

Here’s Shanling’s Frankie Bina putting on a Yo-Yo clinic!

 

[rantng]

I had a great time yesterday. I went right to Ultimate Ears and compared my UERMs to the Reference Remastered and found it to have a "crispier" signature, more high end, possibly more detail, but not a more pleasant sound for me. Then I tried the 18+ and oh my... just incredible. It had the power, warmth and soundstage of an over-the-ear closed-back headphone. I was thrilled. They took my mold right then and there and I got them for $900. Incredible deal. Also, they've apparently just done a stealth upgrade on their midrange driver, so I'm curious to hear the difference. And they ship with an upgraded cable. Pretty cool.

Can you elaborate regarding the midrange driver? I recently picked up the UE 18+ ToGo and am curious when this change was implemented. Or is this the change that UE spoke of in regards to the differences between the 18 and 18+, mentioned here

"Q: How is the UE 18+ Pro different from the UE 18 PRO?
Mike: Thanks to UE Pro’s proprietary True Tone drivers and optimized sound engine in the UE 18+ Pro, the sound is more alive and open, working even better as a live tool. The new flagship continues to use a 4-way crossover, but adds a newly designed bandpass filter on midrange drivers and highly customized, extended frequency response tweeters."

That is an incredible discount for SoCal attendees. I had hoped for a discount during the NYC CanJam, but UE was not there.