That pic at the wells booth was that Abyss using the Dana Lazuli ref plus? It looks like it. That booth would of been a must for me. To hear that dragon tube/hybrid.
CanJam SoCal 2021 Impressions Thread (September 25-26, 2021)
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There’s no doubt tons of great stuff here but I’m surprised at the lack of mention of the VZR Audio Model One. It’s only $350 but looks and sounds like a much more expensive pair. Plus it has a detachable mic if you want good audio in between work calls throughout the day (or a pretty amazing gaming headset for night time use). The price is misleading to me. On a blind listening test I’d imagine some would guess it has a higher price tag. I’ve been enjoying Focal, Audeze and RAAL, among many others, but the VZR Model One was a pleasant surprise that’s all. When my friends ask for an affordable good sounding headphone/headset this will always come to mind now.
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Had a lot of fun talking with Audeze about the tech behind the CRBN. I'm always amazed at how Audeze makes things outside of the hi-fi audio realm for something, and somehow connects it back to hi-fi.
I agree it was loud but I guess its to be expected with the setup of the show. Its loud enough, when I demoed the lcd5, people had turned the volume so high, I had to turn it all the way back down to -51
Wish there were a small quiet "show and tell" room 
. I might try finding a pair of earmuffs later to put over iems when listening.
This has me excited about the 5s, what did you think about them as far as bass and slam? I hope, also, that the 5s are not too far away from the CRBN for resolution.It’s the best Audeze planar without question. Stunning midrange timbre and incredibly comfortable. EQ will make the 5 a monster.
On a related note the CRBN was my favorite electrostat at the show. The way it conveyed bass plucks absolutely blew me away, and easily blew away the competing Shangri-La Jr. and Stax 007/009. Keep in mind this is my first time I’ve ever heard electrostats
Also sidenote: love the profile pic, lol.
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It was fun seeing a lot of you guys there. Hectic busy day, but I'd do it all over again (which I am tomorrow!).
Lots of positive energy.
Lots of positive energy.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure. That setup with the Dragon Level III sounded incredible though!
Nice! That amp is on my radar.Unfortunately, I'm not sure. That setup with the Dragon Level III sounded incredible though!
The LCD-5 is a better headphone IMO . The Elite would be a killer 2-3k unit.
Is the CRBN waitlist until January or do you mean the Stax SR-X900 is waitlisted until January?Quick thoughts:
* Audeze CRBN , silky, great low end for an estat, impressive soundstage, faster than the lcd-5 but without the same tactile feel. Sounded MUCH better out of the mjolnir audio than the Z10e. Very different than Stax, and I really enjoyed these. I may not even need to hear the sr-x9000 before deciding to put my order in. Sounds like the waitlist is until Jan … crazy.
5/5
* Audeze lcd-5 , supremely good headphone… but a departure from the classic lcd line. For me this a plus. Smaller soundstage than the CRBN. Weight is light, clamp still a little tough for me. 4.5/5
*focal utopia - great headphone with a lot of punch. I would expect these to cause ear fatiguing over time. 4/5
*Rad-0 - another stellar headphone that does most things right and reminds me a lot of the lcd-3. 4/5
* abyss - terrible fit for me, and not as resolving as I expected. 3/5
* raal sr1a - hard to tell from the environment background , but sounded pretty fun, outside of the bass which was weirdly 1 note. 3/5
* sr009s on BHSE - own the sr009s, BHSE really makes the high end sparkle 5/5
* sr007 on BHSE - a little bit too dark but I liked the flavor contrast to the sr009 4/5
* Dan Clark stealth -did not like outside of maybe the fit … 1/5 for the price
* Meze Elite - surprisingly excellent , awesome soundstage, price is a little too high given the competition but honestly better than I anticipated and the surprise win take home 4/5
I was told that the first batch has shipped for the CRBN pre-orders but if you put in order in now don’t expect one until end of the year. There are constraints with how many they can produce in addition with the units they need to supply for MRI machines (whole purpose of the initial R&D).
LCD-5 does not have this constraint.
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Yep.Quick thoughts:
* Dan Clark stealth -
They were a big disappointment for me as well. HUGELY overpriced for the SQ that they offer.
Where did the Rad-0 fit in between the LCD-5 and the Meze Elite?
That was a lot of fun! First Canjam for me.. hopefully first of many. It was my first time listening to many top end flagship headphones, so it was a pretty eye opening experience. Some standouts for me were the Meze Elite, Arya and and the LCD5. Wish I had more time with the 5 but as you can imagine it was a long line for it throughout the day so only got a few minutes.. It was very intense!! Bit difficult listening to open backs in an environment like that though. Got a chance to speak with Sankar, and a whole bunch of other people at the event. Just an overall great experience for people passionate about audio and headphones.
I was scared I'd walk out of there with a burning itch to spend money, but I'm home now listening to my LCD2's which honestly still sound amazing to me. My wallet lives to fight another day. Maybe an amp upgrade in the near future though
I was scared I'd walk out of there with a burning itch to spend money, but I'm home now listening to my LCD2's which honestly still sound amazing to me. My wallet lives to fight another day. Maybe an amp upgrade in the near future though
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