[adrianm]

Wish I could demo something with more juice just to set my mind at ease though.

It's pretty unanimous that you give up transparency. That said i'm sure dynamics would be better on some amps regardless of the headphone. I'm just not willing to clutter my desk even more. It's getting ridiculous already.

the HEKSE less so but I don't think that's inconsistent with their character on any other amps.

No, definitely not, i meant tuning wise i didn't like it. I doubt another dac/amp would change that. The speed and imaging are awesome though.

 

[Sebastien Chiu]

FYI guys, one of the awesome hifiman reps just confirmed he tested COVID positive. Mild cold-like symptoms since he is vaccinated.

Please keep an eye on yourself, get tested, and stay safe.

So nice to meet you all at the show!

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

I don't know how you can classify Empyrean on Dave as "thin". Stellia sure, HEKSE , sure. I've had the Elite here for a weekend (which i hear is more neutral than Empyrean) and i feel like i'd like a leaner sound. My Z1R are anything but lean, but Meze house sound is a bit weird. Cohesive and musical, but it feels a bit forced. I feel like Utopias hit the perfect balance from a tuning perspective. The LCD-4z also sound pretty good, and they were tuned with Dave afaik.

It sounded thin on that dac. I heard it at home for a few weeks. I'm fully aware it isn't thin. The headphone itself. It was definitely the dac to me. It's honestly what I heard. I listened on that big Cayin tube amp immediately after the Dave and it was fine.

There's definitely a crowd of pro vs anti Chord sound from all of my research into them. Seems very much like a love/hate things haha

Quite possibly. I also had the tt2 at home and didn't like that at all. It's definitely personal. Lol. To each their own.

 

[TSAVJason]

Now set up in our headphone department ready for listeners

 

[PeteSTRADAMUS]

Now set up in our headphone department ready for listeners

Can I borrow it for a few? Haha. Looks rather nice.

 

[arnaud]

awesome reviewer and very credible person imho (a producer with a respectable body of work repertoire under him) -

hilarious and he indeed does not appear to have tin ears, subscribed immediatly

 

[hillbilly559]

I was wondering if there was any representation from ZMF?

 

[04gto]

I was wondering if there was any representation from ZMF?

Sadly no. ZMF as a company was not at the show, but several vendors did have some ZMF gear. I saw two sets of VC, an Aeolus and an Auteur.

 

[TSAVJason]

I was wondering if there was any representation from ZMF?

Not really. A couple amplifier manufacturers had one of his cans but that was all

 

[hillbilly559]

Sadly no. ZMF as a company was not at the show, but several vendors did have some ZMF gear. I saw two sets of VC, an Aeolus and an Auteur.

That's too bad. I was hoping Zach could enlighten us left coast folks.

 

[roycecooker]

This was my first CanJam and honestly it was so worth the plane ride over. I got to open my eyes and ears to all sorts of new experiences and it helped me make final decisions for future purchases!

Was great to hear Dunu's story as I snagged their Falcon Pro's.

Big shoutout to Source AV for being super helpful and easily approachable!

Now that I'm home, I think I can give a more fuller impression of the event. I still feel it was absolutely worth the expenses, though I was disappointed Schiit Audio didn't show up. But it was nice demoing everything, even if they were well out of my price range.

If I could pick personal "winners" for me, it was definitely Audeze, Dunu Audio, and CEntrance.

Starting off with Audeze, I was always gunning for dream $1000+ headphones for the future, and demoing out both the LCD-X's and Focal Clear MG's, I was able to pick out a winner so I can make an informed purchase. The winner for me was definitely the LCD-X's, not only because of the better bass presence but it was also a lot more comfy. The Focal's grabbed the sides of my head like my Drop Jubilee's do, and unfortunately because of my TMJ, it made it really uncomfortable.

Easily the best part about Audeze was getting to talk to Christian at the Audeze booth. I got so lost in conversation with him that I unfortunately missed the chance to drop my completed raffle ticket for the drawing. We bonded on retro anime waifus like Ryoko and old video games. If you're out there man, definitely hit me up!

Dunu's Falcon Pros really impressed me with just how modular they were. I also loved the sound of them, and they were so grateful when I took them up on their floor deal. That's the great thing about small businesses regardless of conversation, they're easy to talk to and super nice. Loved hearing their story too and I wish them great success!

CEntrance wowed me with just how much of a clown car their HIFI 8 V2 portable DAC/Amp was. For every feature I discovered about it while demoing it, the presenter showed me two more and I was totally floored with it. Definitely worth the $150 showroom floor discount. I will for sure test out if that waterproof case really does float.

One last shoutout I'd like to make is for Jake. If you're in here dude, big thanks for letting me demo your ZMF headphones on that ampsandsound tube amp. It was pure bliss listening to Nine Inch Nails on that thing. Never thought I would hear those dirty guitars in March of the Pigs sound so good.

Hopefully I can check out the bigger event in New York or go again to SoCal next year! It was a great time and I'd like to thank all the event coordinators and the companies for coming out to show off their stuff!

 

[catscratch]

hilarious and he indeed does not appear to have tin ears, subscribed immediatly

Been subbed to him for a while now. He's entertaining and knows his stuff, though his preferences are rather different than mine. But, he's upfront about them. Worth watching.

 

[sp33ls]

because of my TMJ, it made it really uncomfortable.

I've developed TMJ over the past few years as well. It's resulted in tinnitus The chiropractor does seem to help a bit. Any luck finding solutions to aid in relief?

One last shoutout I'd like to make is for Jake. If you're in here dude, big thanks for letting me demo your ZMF headphones on that ampsandsound tube amp. It was pure bliss listening to Nine Inch Nails on that thing. Never thought I would hear those dirty guitars in March of the Pigs sound so good.

That is one thing [out of many] that blew me away with the ZMF cans I've had -- they sound so damn good with rock and metal. Guitars sound amazing through the Aeolus and Verite.

 

[meomap]

Am I the only audiophile left that does not use EQ? Any EQ I do to ANY headphone- to my ears damages the transparency of the sound.

I have toneboosters EQ which is very highly rated. I must not know how to do it correctly.

True audiophiles don't EQ.......

 

[jlbrach]

I do not, I get a different HP if I want a different sound signature