Report from my first Canjam;
I arrived by 9:30 am (event opened at 10) and I was one of the first twenty or twenty-five people to go inside. To my surprise, everyone who went in did not immediately run to the Audeze display, so I was the second person at the show to listen to the LCD-5 and I was the third person to hear the CRBN. Arriving so early allowed me to have a very different experience than people who arrived maybe 30 minutes or an hour later. I got to listen to the heavy hitters on my list before the cacophony took over. Over the next two hours I went down my celebrity checklist- LCD-5, CRBN, LCD-4, Stealth, Elite, Empyrean (the beautiful Phoenix edition), Verite closed, Shangri-la Jr, HE1000SE, HE1000V1+V2, Susvara, and Abyss TC+CC.
Before I get into
my impressions, I must mention a few people or companies that I met and interacted with at CanJam who were really great.
@Audeze as usual were great as a company. I had a good, though brief, discussion with Sankar about the designs of both the LCD-5 and the Carbon. In the many video interviews of him he comes across as a bit awkward and robotic. In person he is very friendly, approachable, listens intently to your inquiries and gives thoughtful, detailed replies. I could talk with him for hours. I also had the pleasure of meeting with
@MadLustEnvy at the
@Audeze display. Who I already enjoyed interacting with here on head-fi and he was equally likeable in person. Very knowledgeable, with appropriate and obvious enthusiasm for the company he represents.
The people at
The Source AV had a TON of amazing Head-Fi gear and were very busy right away, but still took the time to answer my questions and the questions of the extreme novice who was parked next to me at there table.
So this was not a surprise after interacting with many different individuals at @Headphones.com on the forums or youtube etc. But these great enthusiasts, Taron and others, were super helpful and responsive to everyone. Additionally, they brought
everything to the show, including the ‘kitchen sink’. Seriously, they had so many amazing headphones and amps etc that they could have held there own CanJam show.
A great Head-Fier I met was a guy who goes by
@Speleofool on
@forum.headphones.com brought a set of Susvara and a beautiful set of green and brown stabilized Verite Closed. When I walked up to the FE (Ferrum) table he was there with a jovial group sampling the HYPSOS & OOR with his Susvara. This is where I discovered that he was one of the coolest dudes at the show. He let me and my son listen to his Susvara! This was my first Susvara experience and I will always remember his kindness for that. Thank you!
Jeff Wells at the @WellsAudio table, was supremely knowledgeable and made the my listening experience delightful. I did not get the name of the gentleman at the Centrance table, but he was very helpful and made the audition process quick and painless.
Last but certainly not least. My 14yo son attended the show with me and is interested in some IEMS for school. In his words “My ‘whatever they are called’ earbuds at school are trash! And I need better audio at school”. I am not an ‘IEM guy’, but throughout my time here on Head-Fi and elsewhere I have consistently heard one name brought up when it comes to budget friendly IEMs and a company that goes above and beyond when it comes to customer care. So me and my son stopped in to discuss the latest offerings at
DUNU. Turned out to be an excellent match. Tom Tsai and Kevin Sun helped my son audition the new entry level DUNU Falcon Pro. I also wanted him to hear something more top tier, so he also had a listen to the DUNU Zen Pro. While he did notice a considerable improvement from the Falcon Pro to the Zen Pro, he said the most significant differences were: The Zen Pro offered considerably better isolation, a little better soundstage and better bass quality. The Zen Pro are not within his budget anyway, but he mentioned that he could be perfectly happy with the “very, very good” sounding Falcon Pro. These are currently on pre-order. So I messaged DUNU this morning to see if they had them in stock and they had one left and offered to hold it for us! So we headed back to CanJam today to pick up a set.
Edit: My son today with our first CanJam purchase! And a pic of him listening the day before. He liked these and the guys at DUNU so much that he refused to audition additional IEMS.
Impressions from my listening experience will be limited mostly to gear that I have only heard at the show, with a couple of comparisons to gear I have already heard or owned. My playlist was: 1. Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane- Off Minor (Take 4). 2. Christian Scott- Kuro Shinobi (Interlude). 3. Blackmill- A Reach for Glory. 4. John Patitucci- Soul Of The Bass. 5. Patsy Cline- Crazy. 6. The Weekend, Daft Punk- Starboy. I listened to songs 1 through 3 on every single headphone I put on my head at the show, except where I could not use my own music. Below I have listed them in the order of MY preference. But the HE1000V2, CRBN and Verite Closed could easily be a tie depending on the genre and the use case. Please keep the pitchforks and torches in the barn where they belong. These are my opinions and impressions based on my preferences and experience.
- LCD-5 (Weiss 502 amp/DAC). First, I would like to say that I liked the way they looked in the early online pictures, but they look a lot different and better in person. The ‘Tortoise Shell’ pattern on the acetate ring is much more subtle in person. You must be pretty close to see the color pattern. Second, the weight loss over the LCD-X is shocking. And they feel even lighter in the hand than the specs suggest. Next, the fit, finish, build quality and comfort are exemplary. At least equal to the Meze Elite, which many people will agree sets the standard for build quality and comfort. Finally, the sound- Clean, tight, accurate, punchy and super detailed without being sterile or thin. Smooth without rounding off any details. Warm without being too thick or congested. Let’s get the bass question out of the way, I heard the LCD-4 (updated with 2021 ear pads on a Phonitor XE) just a few minutes after hearing the LCD-5 with the exact same tracks. Bass level was overall about the same, however, the mid bass was superior on the LCD-5 and the speed and accuracy of the bass was clearly better. LCD-5 wins the bass category over the LCD-4, it does not take a step back in any way. The midrange on the LCD-5 is waaaaay more natural and filled in, no EQ needed. LCD-5 by a mile. Treble, again, more natural, and more similar to the CRBN treble than any other Audeze. LCD-5, here again is easily better. If I owned the LCD-4 (which I like), I would sell it right now and get the LCD-5. Matter of fact you can see that I listed the LCD-5 first on my list. That is because I would choose it over any open back headphone I have heard. It is not only the best headphone for my ears, but maybe the best audio that I have heard anywhere.
- HE1000 V2 (Phonitor XE). I really like these a lot. For me these do most of what the Susvara does well, but with more weight and warmth. For me, they are better than the Susvara and about everything else. But not good enough to beat the LCD-5. Still too thin. The soundstage is bigger and better in all directions, but the LCD-5 is better in all other categories, especially build quality. HE1000V! was about as good, but heard that on the Wells Audio Dragon.
- CRBN (some un-obtainium set up). After hearing these I understand why some people warship e-stats. The CRBNs have a delicate presentation, but they don’t ever sound thin or lacking in body. The overall frequency response is very similar to the LCD-5, but the presentation is a lot different. The bass is excellent in texture and level, easily better than the Susvara. Not as punchy as the LCD-5 though. Midrange is equal to or better than anything here. More body to the vocals than the Susvara. Treble, comparing here again to the Susvara, the Susvara are pretty magical, but I like the texture of the CRBN a little better. The soundstage on these is larger, open and layered in a way where I could easily forget I was wearing headphones. The build quality and comfort here again are equal to or better than anything. As far as pure aesthetics, these are the best looking headphones I have ever seen. In person they are stunning.
- Verite Closed (Phonitor XE). I have been wanting to try these for a while now. It was definitely worth the wait. At first, I tried comparing them with my LCD-XC, but that was a little silly. Not because they are better, but because they are so much different. The better comparison is with the Stellia (which I love). In short, I like the Verite Closed better. The three reasons. One, the mid range reverb in the beautiful wood VC makes vocals sound awesome. Two the upper treble is airier and more natural. Finally, the look and feel of the VC, even without being ‘LTD’, is simply beautiful. I feel instantly comfortable and engaged when I put these on. I would still take my LCD-XC over these, but I really NEED both. I am really a ‘closed back guy’ anyway, so these will be in my collection soon.
- Susvara (FE HYPSOS/OOR and WA33). I am relieved that I don’t love these. They are just too crazy expensive and the build quality, while better than other Hifiman products, is not anywhere near any Audeze LCD series, Meze Elite, Focal or ZMF (to name a few). What did I like? Midrange and treble are so amazing, it nearly made me cry. Seriously listening to Patsy Cline ‘Crazy’ with my eyes closed was as though I was transported to the time and place of the recording. What didn’t I like? I was in the room…..except for the fact that the bass was too light and lacked body or weight. And the soundstage was very good but was not as natural or even as the best in show, the LCD-5, HE1000SE and CRBN. If you want maybe the best mids and highs, these are probably worth the price. In other areas, they may not satisfy.
- Abyss TC (Wells Audio Dragon). Listening to these was pure bliss. Not accurate, not neutral, not balanced. ****ing fun! If only I could listen to them without having to look at them first or have them touch my head. The most uncomfortable headphone I have ever encountered. A very effective medieval torture device in another life perhaps? The bass is amazing, the mids are romantic, wow! My head hurts, get these off of me!
- Elite (Phonitor XE and WA33). The all arounder. These are pretty good at everything. Not great in any one metric. They are not super detailed, but they could never be fatiguing. If it was my job to wear headphones all day long and listen to every genre and never be fatigued. This is it. They are beautiful, feel like the would last a hundred years, super comfy and a little overpriced.
- Stealth (Phonitor XE and WA33). The disappointment. Out of all the headphones in the show I WANTED to love these the most. I am from San Diego, they are built in my home town. I have seen a few interviews with Dan Clark and I really like him. The good- LOVE the way they look, maybe second best looking headphone after the CRBN? The materials, the color selection, the earpads! The comfort is superb. The new elastic suspension headband is perfect. They seem to weigh almost nothing. I previously owned the Ether CX and I loved all the same things about them. These are way better in every way. The bad- I heard these minutes after hearing the LCD-5, CRBN and HE1000V2 and I switched back and forth between these and the Elite. I though these would have the leg up in the noisy show environment due to being closed back. I think the DCA sound is just not for me. The shortcomings of the Ether CX remain. The lack of dynamics, impact, slam whatever you want to call it. Also, they do not sound natural to me. I am always very aware that I am wearing headphones when listening to DCA products and not in a good way. They don’t sound bad, but sorry, my 2021 LCD-XC are just better in every way when it comes to sound quality. Not close. I would be a player for these at $1000 to $1200. Reminder- This is just my opinion and my preference, so put away the torches and pitch forks. I was very disappointed. I think most people will be too.
- Shangri-la Jr. (Same). Smooth to a fault. Uninspiring, dull, forgettable, overpriced, sleep inducing, yawn. The good- Not fatiguing…….and………..smooth. The bad- No dynamics. No weight in the sound or the actual headphones. Bass vacancy. Rounded detail, cheap feeling, plastic looking, overpriced, does everything equally well (bad) and really boring. I have to stop thinking about this headphone now because it is inducing narcolepsy. Not for me?
My sons favorite headphones at the show were in this order. (He had is own playlist and auditioned all the headphones I did and more.)
- CRBN- Thought it sounded similar to the LCD-5 but had significantly better soundstage and was less congested than anything else he heard.
- LCD-5- Just lacked the sense of space of the CRBN (he loves the soundstage and space of the HD800S), but loved the bass.
- Abyss TC. Loved the sound, hated the look and feel on his head. Mentioned if he could get past the discomfort it ‘might’ be the one he would buy.
I won't spend much time on amplifiers as I only listened to a few.
Loved the Wells Audio Dragon. Very appealing industrial design. I will have one someday soon. Just a touch tubey goodness without the loose bass and lack of snappy dynamics. Perfect match with the HE1000V1 and Abyss TC.
Phonitor XE. This was the workhorse of CanJam, it was everywhere and I can see why. It seems like it can power anything and it has a warm and natural sound. Here again, I will have one very soon. As a bonus, I love the meters, the build and the looks. Just gotta pick a color!
The Centrance HIFI-M8 V2 and AMPERSAND. Both have desktop levels and quality of power. I slightly prefer the bass control of the less powerful M8 V2 over the more powerful AMPERSAND, but they sound really great together. When I start travelling more for work again, I will immediately order a HIFI-M8 V2 . Easily the best sounding and most versatile portable dac/amp I have heard and I love the level meters!
( I may edit or add to the equipment list later for accuracy)
