I’m serious about headphones, what can I say?
CanJam SoCal 2022 Impressions Thread (September 17-18, 2022)
- Thread starter AxelCloris
- Start date
I flew from Miami to LAX drove 3 1/2 hours to tulare met a long time internet buddy, hung out for like 4 hours drove another 4 hours to my hotel in Irvine does that count ?!? XD yes it was all the same day !
Yes the classics are so good at $1500 !!
I thought I'd drop some impressions. I left some on the Auteur thread, but wanted to leave a more complete list here. This was only my second CanJam, and I was only there on Saturday, but what a crazy show! I spent the whole morning in the ZMF room hanging around with friends and headfi-ers, but I did make it to the main space to make some interesting observations in the afternoon.
First, from the ZMF room, after chatting with Zach and Bevin (I'm gonna say it, even though it doesn't need to be said - two of the nicest people in the whole business!), I managed to try the Caldera, Atrium, and Auteur Classic. The Atrium had a big, very present low end and extremely smooth sound. Imaging was unreal. You don't normally associate smooth, natural response with detail and separation, but it was strangely there. I get it now when people say it's "psychedelic." Auteur Classic felt very similar, without quite as good imaging, separation, or detail, but with a more mid-forward sound that I've grown to love from the OG's. As soon as I dove into the ZMF room (at like 10:02 am), I snagged the prettiest Ambrosia Maple set they had available and took it home for myself. The Caldera was very different. The sound was just HUGE. One might even say..."explosive." My first impression was that it did what the Atrium did technically, but in a more exciting way, with larger sound images and better (or maybe just more forward) detail. Very lively. I didn't think overall detail wasn't quite up there with the planar giants like the LCD-5 and Susvara, but it definitely mixed resolution and euphony in a way only Zach knows how to do.
My show money spent, and all pressure off, I wandered into the super high-end to see what I could never afford.
The two most impressive things I heard in the whole show: the LCD-5 on the Ampsandsound Nautilus, and Stax X9000 on a Blue Hawaii SE. So TOTL I can't even...but the LCD-5 was such a treat. I couldn't find any fault with it on the Nautilus. The midrange was perfectly in line, and the sense of note weight, detail, impact, and timbre were so perfectly balanced. It's the first time I'd heard a sound like that from a planar, with all the planar benefits but none of the drawbacks. And then the Stax on the Blue Hawaii...holy moly. It was so fast and dynamic that it sounded more real life than real life. I don't know how else to say it.
Two things thing I was wow-ed by but didn't quite make it to completely bonkers mode: the DCA expanse and T+A Solitaire P (and SE). I thought the Expanse was a marvel in its staging, detail, and naturalness, but it was just a bit muted to my ears. The finale of Mahler 2 was epic, and everything was laid out SO friggin precisely in front of me (I felt like I could hear each individual singer in the choir), but it missed some grunt and body to the sound. Still, it managed to bring a tear to my eye. And it was so cool to chat with Dan about some of our favorite Mahler recordings! The Solitaire P was impressive, with more body "edge" than the Expanse, but it sounded a little more fatiguing and intense. It got better the more I listened, but I don't think I would ever want to own it. I didn't like the Solitaire P SE much. It was too bright and unnatural.
Three things I tried but didn't "get": the dCS Lina stack, the new Utopia and the AB-1266 . The Lina actually sounded quite smooth to me, with some serious power, but it doesn't seem to be a system one would use to change a headphone's sound in any way. I heard the HD 800S on a bunch of setups, and the Lina stack did nothing to fix its soft and slightly boring nature (to me) like some other setups did. I felt like it just presented each headphone as it was designed to sound, with no intention to "wow." And something like the HD 800S needs a little *more* IMO. I'm sure it's an incredible piece of technology, but I don't think I spent enough time to see exactly what it was doing. The Utopia and 1266 went in the opposite direction. I never heard the OG Utopia, but the new version just sounded too aggressive and forward. I'm just not into that signature. Not enough bass and too much in-your-face detail for my liking. The AB-1266 was just weird. Clearly planar-like, unnatural timbre, absolutely bonkers bass response (with the seal broken), and a strange soundstage. I heard both on the Lina stack.
Anyway, it was tons of fun, and I'm grooving to the Auteur Classics as I type!! And so good to run into some friendly and familiar faces from around the world!
First, from the ZMF room, after chatting with Zach and Bevin (I'm gonna say it, even though it doesn't need to be said - two of the nicest people in the whole business!), I managed to try the Caldera, Atrium, and Auteur Classic. The Atrium had a big, very present low end and extremely smooth sound. Imaging was unreal. You don't normally associate smooth, natural response with detail and separation, but it was strangely there. I get it now when people say it's "psychedelic." Auteur Classic felt very similar, without quite as good imaging, separation, or detail, but with a more mid-forward sound that I've grown to love from the OG's. As soon as I dove into the ZMF room (at like 10:02 am), I snagged the prettiest Ambrosia Maple set they had available and took it home for myself. The Caldera was very different. The sound was just HUGE. One might even say..."explosive." My first impression was that it did what the Atrium did technically, but in a more exciting way, with larger sound images and better (or maybe just more forward) detail. Very lively. I didn't think overall detail wasn't quite up there with the planar giants like the LCD-5 and Susvara, but it definitely mixed resolution and euphony in a way only Zach knows how to do.
My show money spent, and all pressure off, I wandered into the super high-end to see what I could never afford.
The two most impressive things I heard in the whole show: the LCD-5 on the Ampsandsound Nautilus, and Stax X9000 on a Blue Hawaii SE. So TOTL I can't even...but the LCD-5 was such a treat. I couldn't find any fault with it on the Nautilus. The midrange was perfectly in line, and the sense of note weight, detail, impact, and timbre were so perfectly balanced. It's the first time I'd heard a sound like that from a planar, with all the planar benefits but none of the drawbacks. And then the Stax on the Blue Hawaii...holy moly. It was so fast and dynamic that it sounded more real life than real life. I don't know how else to say it.
Two things thing I was wow-ed by but didn't quite make it to completely bonkers mode: the DCA expanse and T+A Solitaire P (and SE). I thought the Expanse was a marvel in its staging, detail, and naturalness, but it was just a bit muted to my ears. The finale of Mahler 2 was epic, and everything was laid out SO friggin precisely in front of me (I felt like I could hear each individual singer in the choir), but it missed some grunt and body to the sound. Still, it managed to bring a tear to my eye. And it was so cool to chat with Dan about some of our favorite Mahler recordings! The Solitaire P was impressive, with more body "edge" than the Expanse, but it sounded a little more fatiguing and intense. It got better the more I listened, but I don't think I would ever want to own it. I didn't like the Solitaire P SE much. It was too bright and unnatural.
Three things I tried but didn't "get": the dCS Lina stack, the new Utopia and the AB-1266 . The Lina actually sounded quite smooth to me, with some serious power, but it doesn't seem to be a system one would use to change a headphone's sound in any way. I heard the HD 800S on a bunch of setups, and the Lina stack did nothing to fix its soft and slightly boring nature (to me) like some other setups did. I felt like it just presented each headphone as it was designed to sound, with no intention to "wow." And something like the HD 800S needs a little *more* IMO. I'm sure it's an incredible piece of technology, but I don't think I spent enough time to see exactly what it was doing. The Utopia and 1266 went in the opposite direction. I never heard the OG Utopia, but the new version just sounded too aggressive and forward. I'm just not into that signature. Not enough bass and too much in-your-face detail for my liking. The AB-1266 was just weird. Clearly planar-like, unnatural timbre, absolutely bonkers bass response (with the seal broken), and a strange soundstage. I heard both on the Lina stack.
Anyway, it was tons of fun, and I'm grooving to the Auteur Classics as I type!! And so good to run into some friendly and familiar faces from around the world!
Last edited:
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2009
- Posts
- 447
- Likes
- 882
Met up with Zeos after the show Saturday and he flew into Vegas, drove in for show, then driving back to Vegas for a redeye out tonight. I think he got you beat
From the early impressions so far, I am glad people are getting to try the SR1a/b off their tube amp and reporting extremely favorable impressions. I loved the SR1a off my PrimaLuna EVO 200 and their speaker amp interface (curiously much more than on my EVO 400). Also nice to see positive impressions of the new Meze cans, the ZMF Planar, and the Empire Ears Odyssey.
Hope to see more impressions of the Utopia 2022 in the coming days. Some of the early impressions are not as favorable as I was hoping, lol.
Hope to see more impressions of the Utopia 2022 in the coming days. Some of the early impressions are not as favorable as I was hoping, lol.
Last edited:
headband
Head-Fier
What a great CanJam! It was my first, but there were so many unicorn bucket list things I was able to listen to. I think since I live 2 hours away and the tickets are cheap, I'll try to go again next year. Anyways, I thought E-Stats were the most impressive thing for me. I've never heard them, it's not like I would just jump into the hobby with such an expensive choice, but I was really impressed by them. Everyone says they are thin in the bass dept, but the X9000's on the WooAudio 3ES, Linear Tube Amp Z10e, and Blue Hawaii SE had a rich and detailed low end. I had mixed results with the Audeze Carbon, but it was still very fun to listen to. The Carbons were everywhere it seemed. I heard an attendee's Sennheiser HE60's which were simply excellent, vocals were so natural, highs were crisp, and the bass full and controlled. The most impressive cans I heard were the Warwick Aperio... another e-stat, but way out of my range. Also warwick uses a custom voltage and connector so that's a downside. Their Bravura system also sounds very good. I was very impressed by the new Focal Utopia's. I had never heard any Focal headphones, and ppl say the old ones were bright with little bass, but these were excellently tuned and very lively. I'd say they were the best Dynamic Driver headphones I've ever heard. I'd put the ZMF Atriums in 2nd place as dynamic drivers go. They live up their name in terms of staging and I got to try them on an upcoming ZMF/Decware collab amp which together was maybe my favorite DD experience (the utopia's were better across a wide range of sources, I think the decware was just able to offer up something magical... too bad I couldn't try it with the Utopia's). ZMF's new Caldera is also something special. I got to try it on many sources like the Felix Audio Envy, which is a very clean and spacious sounding amp, a wells milo, a glen something or other tube amp, and some kind of balanced amp I've never seen before had a logo like a sideways capital "A"? was silver and wood and relatively low profile. Anyways, the DCS room was somewhere I hung out for a long time. Their Lina system was everywhere and I felt spoiled that it was one of the official sponsors and I could listen to Susvara's, Diana TC & V2, Abyss 1266, LCD-5 and more all on the lina stack so many places. I also got to try out the Abyss 1266 on the WooAudio WA33 and that setup had fantastic synergy-- so musical and fun! Honestly, I don't have the money for any of these setups and there were even more I got to try like the Ampsandsound Nautilus + ZMF Caldera (planar) combo which was another great synergy. Looking forward to next year's CanJam already.
Last edited:
headband
Head-Fier
The SR1a/b was a nice standout surprise. I couldn't get over how the sound just "existed". Seemed a bit like magic.
Yeah. I have always insisted that the EL34 tubes have magic with the SR1a.
The midrange forwardness and treble energy tames to the point that it becomes such a natural listen.
Vocals are just wow on a properly tubed SR1a/b.
NiGHTS4EVA
100+ Head-Fier
Maybe my ears are broken but listening to the Stealths and Expanse back to back they just didn’t do it for me. I felt the same with the Stealth back at the Texas Audio Roundup, don’t sound bad but doesn’t get my toes tapping. The Noire on the other hand sounded like magic, for the price that’s a future purchase most likely.
The star of the show me for though was the Schiit Folkvangr. I hated how the HD800 sounded in my prior listens but on that amp I thought were modded somehow to sound that good. I kept finding myself going back to that combo all weekend long. Shoutout to the Susvara, as an ARYA owner the smooth treble was appreciated. Funnest headphone I heard were the Fostex TH900, the legends are true y’all, BASS!
The star of the show me for though was the Schiit Folkvangr. I hated how the HD800 sounded in my prior listens but on that amp I thought were modded somehow to sound that good. I kept finding myself going back to that combo all weekend long. Shoutout to the Susvara, as an ARYA owner the smooth treble was appreciated. Funnest headphone I heard were the Fostex TH900, the legends are true y’all, BASS!
@skedra and I flew 12 hours from the UK
Our friend Jay flew from Alaska
@tjcaustin drove 21 hours from texas
@SpeleoFool and @skipperic came 6 hours from Arizona
Last edited:
That’s me! So much driving with so much gear!@skedra and I flew 12 hours from the UK
Our friend Jay flew from Alaska
@tjcaustin drove 21 hours from texas
tamahome77
1000+ Head-Fier
My personal system ranking from the show according to my personal taste from brief listening sessions. Please take it with a huge grain of salt.
Biggest winner of the show for me was the T+A HA200 dac/headamp and the solitaire P combo. Ultra macro and micro detail with effortless clarity without being overly bright or clinical. Rich sounding that’s involving and quite musical. Rumbling Bass was tight , taut with great heft without overwhelming the rest of the frequencies. Very fast headphones, perhaps as fast as the SR-0009s but the X9000 is faster. The lower model solitaire P-SE has a similar sound signature with less extensions on both ends, less overall clarity, slightly smaller soundstage but mid range quality only lags a little.
The T+A HA-200 dac/head amp has a reference level dac inside and imo rivals the chord mscaler Dave’s headphone out from brief comparison with my trusty yuin G1a earphones.
Loved the dcs Lina stack with the susvara . I could hear the timing of the music really well with this dcs dac as it made listening more effortlessly. It feels like the timing appears to be superior my wave dream. The dcs headphone amp is the more capable headphone amp at driving the susvara a bit better than the benchmark hp4a head amp. Bass was more controlled and tighter.
I expected the spirit Torino valkyria to have some similar sound qualities to the grado GS/PS1000 but it actually sounded great, especially with rock and heavy metal. Microdynamics are excellent. Sound stage as big as the ps1000 and feels like you’re in a chamber hall. I didn’t detect any of those nasty sibilance present in the gs/ps10000 but the highs are way extended than the grados. The valkryia sounded musical and soothing especially when reproducing string instruments, which I think is its main strength. Unfortunately, the pricing at $12k is outrageous when it sounded like a pair of $4k headphones.
1. T+A HA200 > T+A solitaire P (10/10)
2. DCS Lina stack > Susvara (9.5/10)
3. Woo wds-1 > woo 3ES > stax x9000 (9.5/10)
4. Chord Dave > bhse > SR-009s (9/10)
5. Aurender A20 > BA alpha dac3 > Ferrum OOR > Susvara (8.5/10)
6. Mid-fi audio-gd Dac > spirit Torino amp > spirit Torino valkyria (8.5/10)
7. Warwick audio aperio (8/10)
8. Yggdrasil > ecp dsha 3F > zmf caldera (8/10)
9. Yggdrasil > A&S nautilus > dca stealth (7.5/10)
10. Denafrips term.2 > Mal valve amp > Audeze crbn (7.5/10)
11. Warwick bravura (7/10)
Biggest winner of the show for me was the T+A HA200 dac/headamp and the solitaire P combo. Ultra macro and micro detail with effortless clarity without being overly bright or clinical. Rich sounding that’s involving and quite musical. Rumbling Bass was tight , taut with great heft without overwhelming the rest of the frequencies. Very fast headphones, perhaps as fast as the SR-0009s but the X9000 is faster. The lower model solitaire P-SE has a similar sound signature with less extensions on both ends, less overall clarity, slightly smaller soundstage but mid range quality only lags a little.
The T+A HA-200 dac/head amp has a reference level dac inside and imo rivals the chord mscaler Dave’s headphone out from brief comparison with my trusty yuin G1a earphones.
Loved the dcs Lina stack with the susvara . I could hear the timing of the music really well with this dcs dac as it made listening more effortlessly. It feels like the timing appears to be superior my wave dream. The dcs headphone amp is the more capable headphone amp at driving the susvara a bit better than the benchmark hp4a head amp. Bass was more controlled and tighter.
I expected the spirit Torino valkyria to have some similar sound qualities to the grado GS/PS1000 but it actually sounded great, especially with rock and heavy metal. Microdynamics are excellent. Sound stage as big as the ps1000 and feels like you’re in a chamber hall. I didn’t detect any of those nasty sibilance present in the gs/ps10000 but the highs are way extended than the grados. The valkryia sounded musical and soothing especially when reproducing string instruments, which I think is its main strength. Unfortunately, the pricing at $12k is outrageous when it sounded like a pair of $4k headphones.
1. T+A HA200 > T+A solitaire P (10/10)
2. DCS Lina stack > Susvara (9.5/10)
3. Woo wds-1 > woo 3ES > stax x9000 (9.5/10)
4. Chord Dave > bhse > SR-009s (9/10)
5. Aurender A20 > BA alpha dac3 > Ferrum OOR > Susvara (8.5/10)
6. Mid-fi audio-gd Dac > spirit Torino amp > spirit Torino valkyria (8.5/10)
7. Warwick audio aperio (8/10)
8. Yggdrasil > ecp dsha 3F > zmf caldera (8/10)
9. Yggdrasil > A&S nautilus > dca stealth (7.5/10)
10. Denafrips term.2 > Mal valve amp > Audeze crbn (7.5/10)
11. Warwick bravura (7/10)
Attachments
-
8D9BF049-981B-401C-9ADB-452607F889C5.jpeg -
3904EBD4-B1EF-429F-AD03-EE521F8D930C.jpeg -
798CA692-A299-4598-9E8E-C7872B5A7B34.jpeg -
C3D6FF7D-EA2E-4F95-BF2A-0D7A5D19C09B.jpeg -
97F49AC2-01D0-4154-8CE6-AE3A6191362E.jpeg -
8F5F9F89-05FB-46D1-80E8-95F4403DEA64.jpeg -
4F74E726-F7A6-4974-A6E2-94914A60EB44.jpeg -
ED3149C6-0C02-4090-B28D-5B3920C8C028.jpeg -
F37029C9-76FF-4CB6-B965-F889CE356B0B.jpeg -
CB90ACAD-E408-452A-896B-15CD0789CAE9.jpeg -
FB2AC3A0-A363-4B05-A3CD-16ED5899F229.jpeg -
658048EC-7C64-4B74-BE8B-6EC5B47AA62F.jpeg -
C6EF6AA5-C7DC-425B-B043-4BCED1003B13.jpeg -
3A3ECC18-24A9-4A36-88CC-629A4D3E837B.jpeg
Last edited:
Hell yeah! Seeing all you guys flying crazy internationally and driving cross country makes me proud to be a part of such a dedicated community. Definitely going to the next one in the states! We’ll see about international lol I am a busy person.
ThanatosVI
Headphoneus Supremus
Never heard it this way, usually everyone shares the opinion that the CRBN has the better Bass.
T+A stuff is amazing!
Users who are viewing this thread
