[riverground]

And huge shoutout to these big tables made available for fast A/B tests

While the audiophile in me is just drooling over those gear… the photographer in me is lusting over that M10

 

[jwbrent]

While the audiophile in me is just drooling over those gear… the photographer in me is lusting over that M10

Love Leica!

 

[sp33ls]

2. For customer(s) asking what amps are powerful enough for the LCD-5?
Pass Labs (but not if you want to listen really loud

I believe the Pass Labs HPA-1 delivers nearly 4W into 15 Ohms, right? That wouldn't be really loud..?

 

[Audio Addict]

What estat amplifier are you using today with the SR-009?

Nevermind, I see in the footnotes it is a Mojilnir Audio.

 

[XLR2XLR]

...and probably many others I’ve missed. Apologies to those manufacturers whose amps I might have left out; but I’m certain many Head-fiers have other suggestions that would be welcomed. Perhaps the important thing to note here is that yes, you can plug the LCD-4/5 into a less powerful amp and yes, music will come out. However, if you really want them to “get up and dance,” more power is always the answer.

The Volot from Flux Labs should have been on that list. It's hard to beat it in terms of power with its 16W per channel.

 

[driftingbunnies]

I believe the Pass Labs HPA-1 delivers nearly 4W into 15 Ohms, right? That wouldn't be really loud..?

The HPA-1 isn't really in line with the sound quality of other Pass Labs gear. I'd skip it if possible.

 

[warrenpchi]

Just got home and need to decompress from a fantastic weekend, but there are a number of people I have to thank right away.

First, thanks to everybody that came! This year has been more challenging than most, and for everybody that made it out, thank you! Y'all are the reason why there's even a CanJam to begin with, so .

Second, to all of our seminar guest lecturers, thanks so much for taking the time out to do what you can for the community. Specifically, Michael Goodman (@mgoodman), Justin Webber (@ampsandsound), Everett Manns (@Evshrug) and Dan Clark (@mrspeakers) - y'all rock!

And finally, my Head-Fi bros... @jude, @joe, @AxelCloris, @HF_Ryan, and especially @third_eye - the hero behind CanJams all over the world - dreamwork makes the teamwork y'all!

For me, the biggest thrill was to meet those of you who are relatively new to the hobby, that I hadn't met yet. NGL, seeing your excitement and passion for the hobby, and music, gave this old Head-Fier the feels.

 

[wazzupi]

Depends on what you want to drive. Pro-audio is workhorse that will not fail you, but streamer is never going to be a part of a pro equipment. I love the RME ADI-2 which many here might hate for its price and not being an audiophile product. There is the DAC version and the Pro version. Pro can driver two HPs in parallel with separate EQs and volumes, or you can join the two channels for a more powerful balanced amplifier. Has a lot of DSP power. It is very neutral sound without coloring. No elevated bass or lushed out mids. If you want more power a Benchmark HPA4 or an SPL amplifier will do the job. Here is a great listening station with ADI-2 (link to the photo from @donkeywalker):

And my setup I am listening to as I am writing this (though my photo sucks):

best way I can explain listening through the RME ADI-2 is like describing "baby poo". I'm not a fan of AKM dacs period.

 

[sp33ls]

best way I can explain listening through the RME ADI-2 is like describing "baby poo". I'm not a fan of AKM dacs period.

RME recently switched to ESS due to the AKM shortage.

Note: I don't own an RME.

 

[wazzupi]

RME recently switched to ESS due to the AKM shortage.

Note: I don't own an RME.

good to note thank you, as I didn't know of this information as I owned the AKM version.

 

[warrenpchi]

For @warrenpchi too, I came to CanJam looking to purchase a new Tube amp to replace my bottlehead crack. I decided to buy the Rockwell. I hemmed and hawed about the Agartha and Nautilus, but it was a bit more amp than I wanted to buy right now.

That means you can buy the Nautilus at CanJam SoCal 2022! Yes, indeed... I am that friend that your wife doesn't like.

CEntrance Hifi M8 V2, $749. Compared to iFi micro Black Label, this portable DAC/amp unit delivered a pleasingly superior analogue experience, resolution and dynamics than my iFi I compared it to using the same audio source & same test track.

IIRC, there was a show special for that. I don't remember the exact price but it was under $600. So, you know, if you feel like selling the ifi, might be doable?

Also a special thanks to @warrenpchi for letting me have his Utopia XLR cable for two days which made many of my A/B tests possible.

You are so welcome! Just remember, years from now, there'll be a new Head-Fier wanting to do their first CanJam... and then you'll be able to pay it forward! Also, lemme know what cable you eventually decide on getting. I'd be curious as to which and why.

Wow there was so much awesome gear at the show, and this has been my first ever CanJam! It was awesome to get a chance to finally attend, so a big thank you to the entire Head-Fi and CanJam team who put this together. After 18 long months it was excellent to get a chance to see a lot of old friends again and meet some of ya the first time in person. It's crazy to think this May will be 10 years for me here on Head-Fi!!! Only took me 9 years to make it to my first CanJam but hey it was well worth the wait.

Okay, now I'm mildly pissed that we didn't get to talk or hang out. I know I only have myself to blame as I was busy/tired... and though I saw your real name on your badge, I didn't make the connection. But dammit, I could have met mshenay, and I didn't. Fuuuuuu.

Here’s the info from our CSO Mark Cohen

"For the first day of the show, we used Weiss 502 DAC/amp which is one of the very best DAC/amps in the galaxy. FYI, this DAC has a huge amount of DSP power and has so many additional features, you really need to visit their web site to see them all. It truly is the ultimate “tweak-o-phile’s DAC/amp. It even includes all our Reveal target EQ curves! For more info, see: https://www.weiss.ch/assets/product/23/Stereophile-502-Review.pdf. The 2 professional mix engineers who visited our booth were very excited to see us use this product. If you want to talk directly to us for more info about this product, email: demo@Audeze.com. But it’s not cheap…

Interesting, this is basically a Bartok competitor with streamer, dac and headamp all in one.
With very powerful EQ on top.

For $9.8K it better be good!

Due to sheer coincidence and serendipity... the next two reviews I'll be working on are the Weiss DAC502 (which arrived here just days before I left for CanJam), and the @Audeze LCD-5, which should arrive in just a few days from now. So while I didn't get a chance to listen to that pairing at the show, I'll be able to replicate it soon enough, and in a quiet environment to boot. If you guys want, I'll be happy to start adding impressions of that rig as soon as I get it up and running?

That said, for anybody considering the DAC502 (or it's brethren the DAC501 - which is the same thing but without the balanced headphone amp included) apart from an LCD-5 pairing, I have heard it before in a 2-channel speaker system, and I can already say that it is very, very, very good. I am a detail-head more than anything else, and the DAC502 has not disappointed me yet in terms of transparency and detail retrieval. Also, I can readily admit that, in a blind test, I'd not be able to tell you that the Weiss employs ESS in its digital stage - which is to say that I detected none of the negative attributes that some people attribute to ESS, via the DAC502. Is it $9.8K good @Wildcatsare1? We'll see. But I'll be comparing it to the Chord Dave, which I also have here at the moment, so at least we'll have somewhat of an apples-to-apples comparison in terms of feature set and price point.

 

[Undun]

2. For customer(s) asking what amps are powerful enough for the LCD-5?

Hugo TT2 (even their portable Hugo2)

Obviously not the ideal use-case, but any other portables you've found that do the job reasonably well (specifically the iFi or Centrance trans/portables)?

 

[deuter]

It was a great demo system for the Abyss 1266 Phi TC.

What is the power output for the Weiss DAC ?

 

[linshu1992]

You are so welcome! Just remember, years from now, there'll be a new Head-Fier wanting to do their first CanJam... and then you'll be able to pay it forward! Also, lemme know what cable you eventually decide on getting. I'd be curious as to which and why.

Absolutely! And yes, I'll let you know. I'm currently considering Norne Audio's Vykari because they look so pretty... but the look is something I have a hard time justifying for their price (I think at least $600+). They do have much cheaper line up that also looks nice, and is currently available for order. As for sound differences, I had experience where I def heard changes A/B test cables, but they're really minor compared to changes you get from rest of system. And I don't have a way to test different TOTL cable sounds, so yeah.. it's down to mainly looks and ergonomics for me. Any tips from you?

BTW, would you be able to connect me with someone from HeadAmp at the CanJam? I really want to know if they were using any secret weapon (for DAC) with their Susvara in the smaller show room. Much appreciated!
[Edit] Oh just when I posted this reply, third_eye replied my PM and gave me Makiah's contact!

 

[adrianm]

But I'll be comparing it to the Chord Dave, which I also have here at the moment, so at least we'll have somewhat of an apples-to-apples comparison in terms of feature set and price point.

Would be nice if you'd also throw the M-scaler in there for relevance (most people end up finding it a considerable improvement, not to mention there's a new one coming soon ) .