[eskamobob1]

Rögnir: I wonder which tuning was there at the show, because there are two (though I never heard anyone havig the first tuning, which should have more bass. thicker mids and less treble).

Glad that was answered below. Fwiw, I think I may actualy end up enjoying the rognir, the tuning was just uneven enough I dont want to make that call for sure off of the demo though. I dont realy mind jacked tunings so long as they end uo as a cool/good product (Soli P is a great example). That said, for the rrp im fairly doubtful I would not just chose iems (unless I could get that pretty blue version they had at the show as an art piece)

R10P: At least they got rid of that ridiculous headband and replaced it with something that reflects the HFM brand. It is not the build quality or the materials etc. It is that, that old type of rigid design belongs to the past century.

Lol. I'm not sure we should ve applauding them for not building a 4k can like a $30 one, but thats just me.

It would be a dreamland if you could get rid of the people and have a listen to all the gear by yourself...I understand why you may be envious, but honestly as glad as Im that I went, it was a pain in the butt, to be honest...Imagine taking the time and money to fly over, cab fare, hotel and you show up in a noisy room full of people trying to listen to all this gear you've been reading about for years. Very few signs and banners, so you find yourself leaning over people trying to figure out what amps and 'phones the exhibitor has to offer. Or you wait to listen to a headphone for 15 minutes, only to find out they are actually someones phones and you won't be able to listen to them...then you wait your turn, sit down, look at the music selection where you don't recognize anything, you look behind you and you have people waiting their turn themselves so you feel guilty spending too much time there....anyway, I found it tiring. Highlights, new Audeze C(a)RB(o)N driven by Mjolnir, and Wells Audio needs props for his highly musical, yet dynamic systems, especially the more expensive one (surprise).

This is why it's a good tip to bring your own source and a way to plug it in. Dont exoect yo he able to figure out what a dac does at the show and bring some known items so you can realy evaluate what you listen to. Plus it makes sure you have your own music which helps a lot

 

[Steve1976]

Anyone know if the STAX x9000 will be on show in the US anytime soon?

 

[austinpop]

I'm not a fan of the crowded, noisy CanJam format either, but it seems to be what at least a chunk of the demographic (and the Head-fi leadership) want and like, so it's hard to argue with that. It's similar to the offices vs. cubicles divide. You'll find proponents of both approaches.

The energy and camaraderie are undeniable, as is the pleasure of meeting and chatting with old friends. Whether that needs to occur right next to someone trying to listen to open-back TOTL headphones is obviously an issue on which opinions differ.

I personally would love a quieter environment, but I do understand the logistics and cost constraints to make an event like this financially successful. And particularly in these Covidian times, I'm glad this event was even held, so kudos to the team for making it happen.

That said, while I did not attend this CanJam, I've used strategies in past CanJams to at least partially avoid the noise.

First is to favor the "quiet rooms" that some exhibitors rent. Not sure if there were any this time, but I found these to be a lot better for listening. Second is to favor Sunday over Saturday, especially the first couple of hours. Beyond that, you just have to look for lulls, but that depends on luck.

It's not ideal, but it is what it is.

 

[Blackrao]

I spent alot of time at the hifiman booth to try them out since I own a he6se v2 and wanted to see what the rest of the lineup offered.

 

[LetTheKidsTechno]

Random question. How do I get the canjam emblem under my headfi username if I attended?

Nvm, thank you Joe!

 

[eskamobob1]

I'm not a fan of the crowded, noisy CanJam format either, but it seems to be what at least a chunk of the demographic (and the Head-fi leadership) want and like, so it's hard to argue with that. It's similar to the offices vs. cubicles divide. You'll find proponents of both approaches.

I dont think anyone want to listen in a noisy environment its just unavoidable if we don't want to be spending several hundred a ticket and possibly even severaely limit attendance due to the crazy overhead these kind of conventions entail. Imo canjam is something yo determine if you have interest in looking into something further, not to expect to make purchasing decisions or reviews off of.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

I dont think anyone want to listen in a noisy environment its just unavoidable if we don't want to be spending several hundred a ticket and possibly even severaely limit attendance due to the crazy overhead these kind of conventions entail. Imo canjam is something yo determine if you have interest in looking into something further, not to expect to make purchasing decisions or reviews off of.

Head fi needs to buy a bunch of these for the CanJam shows

 

[betula]

Perhaps little temporary booths could be set up with some minimal sound isolation. I think most participants would be happy to pay a little higher price for a ticket in this case.

 

[awhinyheadphone]

Imo canjam is something yo determine if you have interest in looking into something further, not to expect to make purchasing decisions or reviews off of.

Agreed except for IEMs. Every IEM I tried had more than enough isolation to do in-depth comparisons and determine if it was worth a purchase or not.

Even a relatively silent room like Dan Clark's booth was enough to realize how brilliant the Susvara is.

 

[earthtodan]

Perhaps little temporary booths could be set up with some minimal sound isolation. I think most participants would be happy to pay a little higher price for a ticket in this case.

Or perhaps rent some floor standing acoustic absorption panels to put on the sides of the exhibitor tables. They work surprisingly well. I have one leaning against my wall and when you put your head next to it, the room ambience on that side goes dead.

Tickets are cheap, and I'd pay more for this.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

This is why it's a good tip to bring your own source and a way to plug it in. Dont exoect yo he able to figure out what a dac does at the show and bring some known items so you can realy evaluate what you listen to. Plus it makes sure you have your own music which helps a lot

My mistake was I needed to bring a DAP with 3.5mm. The tube amps I auditioned were mostly RCA inputs, so they provided 3.5mm to RCA, but my DAP was only 4.4mm.

So, you need to bring your own source with downloaded music. And, you need to be able to connect it via USB-B, USB-C, 3.5mm, 2.5mm, 4.4mm, 6.3mm. I had my Hugo 2 with me, but it was a PINA having to set it up each time.

 

[THGM]

I'm not a fan of the crowded, noisy CanJam format either, but it seems to be what at least a chunk of the demographic (and the Head-fi leadership) want and like, so it's hard to argue with that. It's similar to the offices vs. cubicles divide. You'll find proponents of both approaches.

The energy and camaraderie are undeniable, as is the pleasure of meeting and chatting with old friends. Whether that needs to occur right next to someone trying to listen to open-back TOTL headphones is obviously an issue on which opinions differ.

I personally would love a quieter environment, but I do understand the logistics and cost constraints to make an event like this financially successful. And particularly in these Covidian times, I'm glad this event was even held, so kudos to the team for making it happen.

That said, while I did not attend this CanJam, I've used strategies in past CanJams to at least partially avoid the noise.

First is to favor the "quiet rooms" that some exhibitors rent. Not sure if there were any this time, but I found these to be a lot better for listening. Second is to favor Sunday over Saturday, especially the first couple of hours. Beyond that, you just have to look for lulls, but that depends on luck.

It's not ideal, but it is what it is.

At the last CanJam held in London, Warwick Acoustics hired a soundproof booth to demo their Sonoma Model One and Aperio headphone systems, which was well-received and allowed head-fiers the opportunity to listen to them in comfort and relative silence. Perhaps a block rental might be feasible and affordable for CanJam, exhibitors and attendees alike?

 

[betula]

Another idea is to have two separate areas: one for socialising and another for quiet auditioning. A bit like 'quiet zones' on trains.

 

[scs1346]

I spent 70% of the time at CanJam listening to IEMs. Didn't get to try any sources since I ran out of time and I barely had time for headphones. For some reason, even after auditioning headphones, I haven't heard one where I am like wow I gotta have that. IEMs are a different story.

I don't have detailed notes or anything and after auditioning a lot of IEMs, you kind of forget what each really sounds like so most of this will be a "good, meh, or pass" kind of notes. Some IEMs you'd probably expect to be on here like the U12t or MEST are not listed since I already owned/heard them extensively.

All listened on my Shanling M8.

Empire Ears:
I posted this on Empire Ears thread, but I'll post it here

EVO is definitely my favorite out of the whole line up. As an LX owner, I definitely think the EVO is an upgrade to the LX in every way except for comfort. On the LX, I wished it had a bit more to the low end and the EVO provides just that. It is on the large side, but it is pretty comfortable for how large it is and is fairly light weight. Although, after listening to the EVO, I don't regret buying the LX. It's still really good and tried it with better cables and surprisingly found there is a noticeable difference in sound quality. A really good paired cable opens up the LX quite a bit and starts to bridge the gap a little between a standard LX and EVO (although EVO still will be better don't get me wrong).

Odin I remember having high technical ability, but tuning is not quite for me. The upper mid-range is bit too forward to my liking and I wanted more out of the low end. I will try again tomorrow to see if I have the same opinions.

Bravado MkII seemed like a safer tuning, but I think it's good for the price. Doesn't have the technical ability of the other IEMs to be expected, but a great entry level for sure.

Hero was a pleasant surprise. I remember this being a fun IEM, but with some spice in the higher frequencies. Quite a unique sound.

Valkyrie MkII I like more than what I remember of the Valkyrie Mk1. Still definitely a V-shaped IEM, but there was a bit more weight in the mid range than in Valkyrie Mk1. Still too V-shaped for my tastes, but not as V-shaped as the Mk1 or as refined at least.

ESR MkII was the biggest surprise. I actually reaaally liked this one. I generally find neutral IEMs kind of boring and normally gravitate towards warm-neutral/warm/L-shaped IEMs. This sounded engaging, but it still had a reference frequency. If there was just a little more weight or oomph in the low end, this would be a fantastic complement to my LX. Like slap the U12t low end with this and oh my, insta-buy for sure. I'd potentially consider replacing my Andromeda with the ESR MkII.

64 Audio:
N8 Universal demo: I really liked this one. Had a musical full bodied sound to it. One of my favorite from 64 audio.

Tia Trio: I also liked this one. Don't remember much though besides hearing the nice decay of the dynamic driver. Might prefer over U12t.

U6t: Was fairly surprised. Aside from less technical ability than U12t, had a bit more filled out lower mid range and a bit more engaging or exciting than U12t since I consider U12t a pretty laid back IEM. Still an easy going listen.

Nio: Pretty laid back warm sound. Pretty good.

Duo: Pretty easy listen as well with a sense of openness. There is a lack of clarity to it. Solid IEM, but not my first choice. Interesting to have open back in an IEM.

Symphonium Audio:
Helios: Don't remember much regarding the sound. Nozzle is quite big

Campfire Audio:
Solaris 2020: Nice engaging listen, could see myself owning this tbh. Only had a quick listen, but am considering getting it over my CA Andromeda 2020

Vega 2020: Wasn't as dark as I was expecting. Fun listen. I preferred it over (Dorado 2020 w/ silicon tips). Dorado 2020 w/ foam tips is better than Vega 2020.

Honeydew: Comfortable. Quite bassy, I remember enjoying it a bit for its price range.

Noble:
FoKus Pro: Probably best TWS that I've heard based on a very brief listen. Ended up pre-ordering it.

Sultan: Had a very brief listen, remember enjoying it.

Jerry Harvey:
Jolene: Definitely surprised since I generally don't like the tuning of JH audio. First JH audio IEM I liked. Natural sounding monitor with a great mid-range and low-end. If you like JH Audio's house sound, probably the best IEM they offer.

Roxanne: After listening to Jolene, sounds thin and meh

Etymotic:
ER4SR: Fairly reference sound with emphasis on a good mid-range. Mid-range is the main focus for sure. Good detail.

ER4XR: Sounds like the BA is trying too hard with its increased low end impact. Doesn't sound as crisp as I'd expect.

EVO: Going from ER4SR and ER4XR, sounds like the sound has more breathing room comparatively. Upgraded Etymotic sound with a good clean mid-range, but you can tell low end still has BA bass. Cable is really thin.

ThieAudio:
Monarch/Clairvoyance: Great for the price and even above its price range. Personally prefer the tuning of Monarch for sure. Not sure if it's both or which one, but not quite as smoothed out of a sound as some great higher end IEMs. Hear a bit of shoutiness either in the upper-mids or somewhere in the treble. Would definitely recommend though.

"Noble: FoKus Pro: Probably best TWS that I've heard based on a very brief listen. Ended up pre-ordering it."

Did I read that correctly? You listened to bluetooth at a canjam & ended up buying it. Isn't that sacrilege?

If you could only pick one - Noble Fokus or IEM w/FiiO UTWS3 adapter - which would it be?

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Another idea is to have two separate areas: one for socialising and another for quiet auditioning. A bit like 'quiet zones' on trains.

this is what was so great about the Dan Clark Audio private room. He was smart in doing that.