[sup27606]

It would be nice to alternate the venue between downtown LA and Orange County. I spent one hour in traffic each way yesterday. Too exhausted to go back there again today.

 

[xirxes]

There are quite a few Audeze mentions in the thread, but I liked the MM-500 and LCD-X. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but something is off about the LCD-X, sounded like distortion? Weird because they have extremely low distortion numbers. Maybe it was the source.

Interestingly enough on the Lina stack with the 22 Utopia at Audeze setup yesterday I got something very close to massive distortion/clipping as well with fairly low volumes. Hope they iron out their bugs for today

 

[Drak3]

anyone tried the closed back sundara’s??
impressions???

will head down there noontime..

It would be nice to alternate the venue between downtown LA and Orange County. I spent one hour in traffic each way yesterday. Too exhausted to go back there again today.

there’s always a metrolink from union station LA and drop off at santa ana /tustin

 

[MRHiFiReviews]

We will go live at 11 am PST with @Frank I of Headphone Guru CanJam SoCal Sponsor and passionate headphone lover! Come hang out and chat with us and see what things from the show Frank loves!

 

[sup27606]

there’s always a metrolink from union station LA and drop off at santa ana /tustin

Yes, but minimum of 3 hours each way from where I live. This is SoCal. They punish people for using public transport .

 

[DenverW]

What a great day Saturday was! I was pretty excited to be there, and enjoyed meeting fellow head-fiers and head-fi staff . Without further preamble, I'd like to give some winners and losers for me from Saturday, entitled, "Denver's ascent into summit fi!"

Winner: My first stop was into the ZMF private room. This got crowded, FAST! Great opportunity to meet Zach, Bevin, and the rest of the great staff of ZMF. My goal was to try out the three flagships, and I was able to demo 2 of the 3, the atrium and the caldera. Loving both the Auteur and the Auteur Classic, I had already convinced myself that I was going to buy an Atrium at the show. I also got the chance to listen to both of L0rdgwyn's amps, which pair excellently with the Atrium!

So why did I end up with a Caldera? In a head to head, it was a battle of the clarity and cleaner sound of the Caldera vs. the soundstage and engagement of the Atrium. I loved them both, but in the end, on an amp that could power it well, the Caldera had a smoother bass response while maintaining the excellent mids I'm used to from the other ZMF headphones. And I found it slightly easier to wear. Win. Zach's customer service with a minor issue was, in a word, phenomenal.

Winner: Second stop was into the room next door loaded with DCA. I was able to demo the Expanse and simply enough, it is the best headphone to date to come from DCA. I was quite impressed. The DCA reference sound, VERY comfortable (perhaps the most comfortable higher end headphone I've worn) and with musicality + a slight hint of warmth. If you have the means, this headphone has a lot going for it.

Into the showroom! I'm going to move things along a bit faster:

Winner: Soltaire T+A. I had never heard a headphone from this manufacturer before, and it was on my list to try. Extremely resolving, and very fast! The model under this flagship was also very good, but the T+A outshone it. I choked a bit when I heard the price, but this headphone is competitive with anything out there.

Winner: Amps and Sound. I LOVE my Bigger Ben, but the Nautilus and Red October puts it to shame. Dead silent, authoritative and clean bass, and the impact and presence of the amps are so powerful Good times. I also attended Justin's tube seminar, which was a lot of fun and I learned a good amount. I may have hit him up after to pester him about his favorite tube substitutes for the Ben and to talk about a the preamps he was using at the show. Between ZMF and AmpsandSound I feel pretty fortunate to have my love of audio supported by some great people in the business.

Winner: Meze 109. I'll be honest. I haven't had the chance to demo Meze's upper end gear. One of the reasons they haven't been on my list is that I DO NOT like the 99 classics. Really don't like them. The 109 corrected the things I didn't like, such as the mud pit of bass on the 99 and kept the light weight and comfort. These are great sounding headphones I would consider in their price range. Compared to a focal elex or clear I'd probably go with the 109's at this point.

Winner: Susvara. Here's a tip, don't bother to demo the susvara at hifiman's table. Firstly, they only had one susvara out, but after waiting on the rude guy who was A/Bing the Sus and Arya OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER (sorry) they finally had mercy on me and set up another. Conditions were so tight I could hear the music from the person next to me, while listening. Two songs and out. But..right next to them is the headphones.com tables. Open chair with a Sus right there. Perfect. This is an amazing sounding headphone and deserving of the endless praise.

Loser: Heddphone. Awkward to wear and a little hot up top for me. Uncomfortable for both listening and wearing.

Winners: U12t, PP8 and Mest2. All great iems and more comfortable than my previous favorite, the Monarch Mkii. The mest has quite a bit of subbass which is fun. The PP8 was a reference surprise, better than I thought it would be.

Loser: Dunu SA6. It's fine, and less expensive, but the didn't do anything for me I hadn't heard before.

Loser: New Focal Utopia. Hot take here. At first I thought it was wider than the previous Utopia, but after a few songs I was no longer sure. Still has the intense, must pay attention to me, enclosed focal sound. Highest level of technicalities, but after listening to other headphones for the day I found it too hot and too intense. Listening fatigue.

Thanks again to everyone I met. Please remember that these are my impressions only, and on a show room floor!

 

[Drak3]

Yes, but minimum of 3 hours each way from where I live. This is SoCal. They punish people for using public transport .

did you do all the demoes yesterday. which one impresses you the most???

 

[sup27606]

did you do all the demoes yesterday. which one impresses you the most???

See my comment:
Post in thread 'CanJam SoCal 2022 Impressions Thread (September 17-18, 2022)'
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/can...ead-september-17-18-2022.964899/post-17149320

 

[ThanatosVI]

Quite impressed by the amount of negative Feedback for the new Utopia.
I was never a fan of Focal headphones but it's quite striking that so many don't like the new ones.

 

[warrenpchi]

@zen87192, where are you?

 

[Drak3]

anyone down for a meetup this afternoon??? coffee beer at the bar????

 

[rgbyhkr]

I have the Enleum mobile a good listen at the very end of day one, when it was quiet. This little device is hidden on the Headphones.com table next to the big brother Enleum 23R. It is a prototype and unfinished (The rep literally taped over one of the inputs that was not internally completed) but i will say that it is very close to the 23R sound in signature, with less power of course, so the same tones but not as much weight brought to the whole sound. I think it’s a good contender for the Hp market s it completely removes the loudspeaker boards and cuts half the price off the Enleum.

Thanks for the feedback. Definitely interested in this one and if anyone else gets a listen, please chime in.

Oh and yes, hidden indeed. Headphones.com posted this to their FB page and I can't even see it on the table! lol

 

[geoffalter11]

What a great day Saturday was! I was pretty excited to be there, and enjoyed meeting fellow head-fiers and head-fi staff . Without further preamble, I'd like to give some winners and losers for me from Saturday, entitled, "Denver's ascent into summit fi!"



Winner: My first stop was into the ZMF private room. This got crowded, FAST! Great opportunity to meet Zach, Bevin, and the rest of the great staff of ZMF. My goal was to try out the three flagships, and I was able to demo 2 of the 3, the atrium and the caldera. Loving both the Auteur and the Auteur Classic, I had already convinced myself that I was going to buy an Atrium at the show. I also got the chance to listen to both of L0rdgwyn's amps, which pair excellently with the Atrium!

So why did I end up with a Caldera? In a head to head, it was a battle of the clarity and cleaner sound of the Caldera vs. the soundstage and engagement of the Atrium. I loved them both, but in the end, on an amp that could power it well, the Caldera had a smoother bass response while maintaining the excellent mids I'm used to from the other ZMF headphones. And I found it slightly easier to wear. Win. Zach's customer service with a minor issue was, in a word, phenomenal.

Winner: Second stop was into the room next door loaded with DCA. I was able to demo the Expanse and simply enough, it is the best headphone to date to come from DCA. I was quite impressed. The DCA reference sound, VERY comfortable (perhaps the most comfortable higher end headphone I've worn) and with musicality + a slight hint of warmth. If you have the means, this headphone has a lot going for it.

Into the showroom! I'm going to move things along a bit faster:

Winner: Soltaire T+A. I had never heard a headphone from this manufacturer before, and it was on my list to try. Extremely resolving, and very fast! The model under this flagship was also very good, but the T+A outshone it. I choked a bit when I heard the price, but this headphone is competitive with anything out there.

Winner: Amps and Sound. I LOVE my Bigger Ben, but the Nautilus and Red October puts it to shame. Dead silent, authoritative and clean bass, and the impact and presence of the amps are so powerful Good times. I also attended Justin's tube seminar, which was a lot of fun and I learned a good amount. I may have hit him up after to pester him about his favorite tube substitutes for the Ben and to talk about a the preamps he was using at the show. Between ZMF and AmpsandSound I feel pretty fortunate to have my love of audio supported by some great people in the business.

Winner: Meze 109. I'll be honest. I haven't had the chance to demo Meze's upper end gear. One of the reasons they haven't been on my list is that I DO NOT like the 99 classics. Really don't like them. The 109 corrected the things I didn't like, such as the mud pit of bass on the 99 and kept the light weight and comfort. These are great sounding headphones I would consider in their price range. Compared to a focal elex or clear I'd probably go with the 109's at this point.

Winner: Susvara. Here's a tip, don't bother to demo the susvara at hifiman's table. Firstly, they only had one susvara out, but after waiting on the rude guy who was A/Bing the Sus and Arya OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER (sorry) they finally had mercy on me and set up another. Conditions were so tight I could hear the music from the person next to me, while listening. Two songs and out. But..right next to them is the headphones.com tables. Open chair with a Sus right there. Perfect. This is an amazing sounding headphone and deserving of the endless praise.

Loser: Heddphone. Awkward to wear and a little hot up top for me. Uncomfortable for both listening and wearing.

Winners: U12t, PP8 and Mest2. All great iems and more comfortable than my previous favorite, the Monarch Mkii. The mest has quite a bit of subbass which is fun. The PP8 was a reference surprise, better than I thought it would be.

Loser: Dunu SA6. It's fine, and less expensive, but the didn't do anything for me I hadn't heard before.

Loser: New Focal Utopia. Hot take here. At first I thought it was wider than the previous Utopia, but after a few songs I was no longer sure. Still has the intense, must pay attention to me, enclosed focal sound. Highest level of technicalities, but after listening to other headphones for the day I found it too hot and too intense. Listening fatigue.

Thanks again to everyone I met. Please remember that these are my impressions only, and on a show room floor!

Awesome Denver. Your words carry a lot of weight with me. I appreciate you taking the time for us plebeians who couldn’t make it.

 

[zen87192]

@zen87192, where are you?

The Force is with me... I'm at Galaxy's Edge... Had to go as I may stay in tomorrow for the Queens Funeral on TV so most of my Monday would be gone. Its a shame when one is in a rush...

 

[MRHiFiReviews]

Going live with @ampsandsound Justin Weber at 12 pm PST discussion his new Jinx Tube Amplifier, Red October, Nautilus, and tubes! Come join us live from CanJam 2022!