[warrenpchi]

 

[kumar402]

Yeah, it was really nice getting to try it in such a quiet space. I also tried the Zähl HM1 in the main hall and that was similarly incredible, but hard to really test it due to the noise

Ya that amp is like 8K USD and with limited supply so impossible to audition except for shows

 

[eruilluvitar]

Ya that amp is like 8K USD and with limited supply so impossible to audition except for shows

Yeah, that's part of why I decided to pre-order it anyway. I'm hoping to get to try it at CanJam NYC in February in a quieter space, but if I can't, I can still hopefully "demo" it at home and sell it if I wind up not liking it.

 

[warrenpchi]

Yeah, that's part of why I decided to pre-order it anyway. I'm hoping to get to try it at CanJam NYC in February in a quieter space, but if I can't, I can still hopefully "demo" it at home and sell it if I wind up not liking it.

Man, the bug has bit you HARD!

 

[eruilluvitar]

Man, the bug has bit you HARD!

Oh, I know it! In all fairness, it bit me long ago, I just wasn't in a position to act on any of it. I'll probably only keep one though between the HM-1 and the WA23. Unless I sell a bunch of other stuff

 

[Hiker816]

Oh, I know it! In all fairness, it bit me long ago, I just wasn't in a position to act on any of it. I'll probably only keep one though between the HM-1 and the WA23. Unless I sell a bunch of other stuff

Seeing your gear, and that you are in Denver, I feel compelled to urge you to attend our next meet-up. In fact, no urging; you're just compelled to attend, as I really want to hear your amps. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/colorado-summer-meet-2022-july-16th.923970/page-13

 

[adrianm]

they have much better isolation from outside sound which makes them sound punchier

I’ve owned the first gen since they came out and they weren’t nearly as dynamic

Yeah, it was really nice getting to try it in such a quiet space. I also tried the Zähl HM1 in the main hall and that was similarly incredible, but hard to really test it due to the noise

Care to detail on specifics? i’ve also preordered it and everyone keeps saying that but no details.I know it’s really dynamic and neutral but curious on soundstage size,layering,rtc

 

[eruilluvitar]

Care to detail on specifics? i’ve also preordered it and everyone keeps saying that but no details.I know it’s really dynamic and neutral but curious on soundstage size,layering,rtc

It was really hard to hear the finer details at CanJam, to be honest. The show floor was just too loud. However, with the DCA Stealth, I was able to block out enough noise to get some sense and it was pretty spectacular. Those are already the most open-sounding closed back I've ever heard and that aspect of them really solidified on the HM1. You could really tell where things came from and it just felt like a very natural pairing. The thing that made the HM1 so magical really was it's dynamics - it made the Stealth slam like an LCD, even giving quiet passages a very concert-like impact and heft that I have only heard on much, much pricier setups. It really made me feel enveloped in the music, rather than apart from it.

 

[xmems]

35 pages of impressions and so little interest in xMEMS

Two gens from Headphones.com were kind enough to gave a few words in about xMEMS ... "electrostatic IEM is slow" "... straight to the endgame"

Mems didn't have a retail product there. They're licensing their tech to other manufacturers.

They did have a proof of concept prototype iem though which was very interesting.

We're certainly going to be seeing some awesome TWS stuff with this tech in future

xMEMS is a manufacturer. You may think of xMEMS as the maker of CPU which companies like Dell or HP ... or even DIY hobbyists for that matter ... buy and use to build computers.

 

[warrenpchi]

 

[soundofsingle]

Hurrà!!

 

[eruilluvitar]

I wanted to do a quick write up of some of my favorite things from the show, now that I've got a few moments.

First and foremost was getting to meet and hang out with so many amazing folks, including but not limited to @buke9, @warrenpchi, @HONEYBOY, @Zachik, and so, so many others. I have absolutely made some amazing friends and I can't wait for NYC!

Now, on to my favorite setups that I heard:

1. dCS Lina DAC > Woo Audio WA23 > ZMF Atrium - This combo absolutely blew my mind. It was detailed without being coarse, expansive without being vast, dynamic without being overwhelming, and it completely, utterly drew me in. I literally couldn't leave without ordering a WA23, and I am actually counting down the (approximate) days until it's slated to arrive (33-40). Thanks so much to @AcousticMatt for lending me his Atrium to try this!
2. Zahl HM-1 > DCA Stealth & Focal Radiance - This was another fabulous combination, although it was in the much louder main exhibition hall so it was hard to get a real sense of what it can do. From what I could hear, though, it had a lot of the same properties that the WA23 and Warwick Bravura had, but it didn't quite have the same musicality that the WA23+Atrium had. It definitely felt more analytical without actually being analytical. I have put in a pre-order for it, but I'm really hoping to get a better listen to it in NYC before it ships so I can decide if I really want it or not.
3. Warwick Acoustics Bravura - I heard this really early on in the show and absolutely loved it. It has incredible dynamics and remarkable detail, all without ever being harsh or pushy. I liked the Aperio, too, but not nearly as much as I liked the Bravura. The Aperio pushed too much detail forward in a way that made it feel like it was forcing you to pay attention to the music rather than to just enjoy it like the Bravura did.
4. dCS Lina DAC > Woo Audio WA23 > DCA Stealth & Focal Radiance - These combos were all fantastic, but I didn't have quite the same overwhelmingly awesome experience that I did with the Atrium. I also tried the DCA Expanse with this stack but it was difficult to really listen to it in a show environment, given that it is an open-back. That being said, I'll definitely post about it once I get the WA23 in.
5. Feliks Audio Envy > DCA Stealth & Focal Radiance - This was such a different experience from the WA23 it's hard to compare, but it was still fantastic. This amp has a linear cleanliness and midrange focus that the WA23 just doesn't have, but that also caused it not to be quite as enjoyable for me. It didn't have quite the same bass emphasis that the WA23 had, but again it's hard to really say on such a loud show floor.
6. WA8 > Meze Empyrean Elite - This was one of the first things I heard and I was really surprised by it! I went in to CanJam looking to revamp my take-to-the-office setup and this really ticked all the boxes. I was planning to go back to the Woo room looking to try it again and possibly purchase it when @HONEYBOY got me to try the WA23 (for better or for worse).
7. @xmems - I'm honestly not sure how to rank this, given that it was a demo unit to demonstrate their new driver to manufacturers and not in any way intended for consumers. But.... Holy s@#$ I can't wait to see what manufacturers do with this, if their demo units are anything to go by. I was lucky enough to get a chance to try their units privately and they are fantastic - even the lower-powered unit was spectacular. It has a speed and clarity that I didn't hear from any other IEM I tried - although I didn't try that many IEMs there, so take this with a grain of salt. I'll have more to post on this soon, though, so that's all I'll say here.

However, there were also some things that just didn't meet my expectations:

• dCS Lina stack - I really didn't feel that this was that much better than the RME ADI-2 Pro FS R Black Edition > Singxer SA-1 that I use at home.
• ZMF Caldera - Don't get me wrong, I actually really like these, they were just a bit too dark for my tastes, but everything else - especially their looks - was really good! They do have me quite excited for whatever the ZMF team winds up doing with their planar tech
• Meze 109 - These were too mid/upper bass heavy while simultaneously being too treble sharp for me.
• Riviera AIC-10 - This just didn't have the same clarity to me as the HM-1 did, but I'm hoping to give it another chance in NYC come February.

And finally, there were a few items I missed, namely:

• The PASS labs stuff - I've never tried any of this, but I'd love to!
• Wells Audio - I passed this once while it was empty without realizing what it was, but every time I came back, it was busy. Next time!

If you read this far, thanks and I hope to see you at CanJam NYC!

 

[HONEYBOY]

That’s a fantastic write. Really glad I ran into you too. Will be living vicariously through you with that WA23 for a while. I have been applying the KonMari method rather disingenuously so that I could get BOTH the WA23 and the Zähl HM1 Just hope I’ll have headphones at the end to listen with!

 

[xmems]

I wanted to do a quick write up of some of my favorite things from the show, now that I've got a few moments.

First and foremost was getting to meet and hang out with so many amazing folks, including but not limited to @buke9, @warrenpchi, @HONEYBOY, @Zachik, and so, so many others. I have absolutely made some amazing friends and I can't wait for NYC!

Now, on to my favorite setups that I heard:

1. dCS Lina DAC > Woo Audio WA23 > ZMF Atrium - This combo absolutely blew my mind. It was detailed without being coarse, expansive without being vast, dynamic without being overwhelming, and it completely, utterly drew me in. I literally couldn't leave without ordering a WA23, and I am actually counting down the (approximate) days until it's slated to arrive (33-40). Thanks so much to @AcousticMatt for lending me his Atrium to try this!
2. Zahl HM-1 > DCA Stealth & Focal Radiance - This was another fabulous combination, although it was in the much louder main exhibition hall so it was hard to get a real sense of what it can do. From what I could hear, though, it had a lot of the same properties that the WA23 and Warwick Bravura had, but it didn't quite have the same musicality that the WA23+Atrium had. It definitely felt more analytical without actually being analytical. I have put in a pre-order for it, but I'm really hoping to get a better listen to it in NYC before it ships so I can decide if I really want it or not.
3. Warwick Acoustics Bravura - I heard this really early on in the show and absolutely loved it. It has incredible dynamics and remarkable detail, all without ever being harsh or pushy. I liked the Aperio, too, but not nearly as much as I liked the Bravura. The Aperio pushed too much detail forward in a way that made it feel like it was forcing you to pay attention to the music rather than to just enjoy it like the Bravura did.
4. dCS Lina DAC > Woo Audio WA23 > DCA Stealth & Focal Radiance - These combos were all fantastic, but I didn't have quite the same overwhelmingly awesome experience that I did with the Atrium. I also tried the DCA Expanse with this stack but it was difficult to really listen to it in a show environment, given that it is an open-back. That being said, I'll definitely post about it once I get the WA23 in.
5. Feliks Audio Envy > DCA Stealth & Focal Radiance - This was such a different experience from the WA23 it's hard to compare, but it was still fantastic. This amp has a linear cleanliness and midrange focus that the WA23 just doesn't have, but that also caused it not to be quite as enjoyable for me. It didn't have quite the same bass emphasis that the WA23 had, but again it's hard to really say on such a loud show floor.
6. WA8 > Meze Empyrean Elite - This was one of the first things I heard and I was really surprised by it! I went in to CanJam looking to revamp my take-to-the-office setup and this really ticked all the boxes. I was planning to go back to the Woo room looking to try it again and possibly purchase it when @HONEYBOY got me to try the WA23 (for better or for worse).
7. @xmems - I'm honestly not sure how to rank this, given that it was a demo unit to demonstrate their new driver to manufacturers and not in any way intended for consumers. But.... Holy s@#$ I can't wait to see what manufacturers do with this, if their demo units are anything to go by. I was lucky enough to get a chance to try their units privately and they are fantastic - even the lower-powered unit was spectacular. It has a speed and clarity that I didn't hear from any other IEM I tried - although I didn't try that many IEMs there, so take this with a grain of salt. I'll have more to post on this soon, though, so that's all I'll say here.

However, there were also some things that just didn't meet my expectations:

• dCS Lina stack - I really didn't feel that this was that much better than the RME ADI-2 Pro FS R Black Edition > Singxer SA-1 that I use at home.
• ZMF Caldera - Don't get me wrong, I actually really like these, they were just a bit too dark for my tastes, but everything else - especially their looks - was really good! They do have me quite excited for whatever the ZMF team winds up doing with their planar tech
• Meze 109 - These were too mid/upper bass heavy while simultaneously being too treble sharp for me.
• Riviera AIC-10 - This just didn't have the same clarity to me as the HM-1 did, but I'm hoping to give it another chance in NYC come February.

And finally, there were a few items I missed, namely:

• The PASS labs stuff - I've never tried any of this, but I'd love to!
• Wells Audio - I passed this once while it was empty without realizing what it was, but every time I came back, it was busy. Next time!

If you read this far, thanks and I hope to see you at CanJam NYC!

Thanks for the kind words.

To summarize in phrase what makes xMEMS drivers different: because all of our drivers strive to achieve the ultimate temporal fidelity.

While the rest of the industry is focused on frequency domain almost exclusively, using measurements such as frequency response, THD, CSD, etc., a critical fact has been ignored: we are time domain beings, and music can not be music without time varying changes. So, the maintenance temporal relationships of all the changing parts of the sound should be important to human hearing.

Our MEMS drivers, with the fluctuation of electrical signal to mechanical movement latency within ±10uS (±1/100,000 sec), from below 20Hz to above 15Khz, all the temporal relationships recorded in the music will be faithfully converted into mechanical movements, allowing the earbud designers to pursue the ultimate listening experience that has never been realized until now!

 

[iamoneagain]

I wanted to do a quick write up of some of my favorite things from the show, now that I've got a few moments.

First and foremost was getting to meet and hang out with so many amazing folks, including but not limited to @buke9, @warrenpchi, @HONEYBOY, @Zachik, and so, so many others. I have absolutely made some amazing friends and I can't wait for NYC!

Now, on to my favorite setups that I heard:

1. dCS Lina DAC > Woo Audio WA23 > ZMF Atrium - This combo absolutely blew my mind. It was detailed without being coarse, expansive without being vast, dynamic without being overwhelming, and it completely, utterly drew me in. I literally couldn't leave without ordering a WA23, and I am actually counting down the (approximate) days until it's slated to arrive (33-40). Thanks so much to @AcousticMatt for lending me his Atrium to try this!
2. Zahl HM-1 > DCA Stealth & Focal Radiance - This was another fabulous combination, although it was in the much louder main exhibition hall so it was hard to get a real sense of what it can do. From what I could hear, though, it had a lot of the same properties that the WA23 and Warwick Bravura had, but it didn't quite have the same musicality that the WA23+Atrium had. It definitely felt more analytical without actually being analytical. I have put in a pre-order for it, but I'm really hoping to get a better listen to it in NYC before it ships so I can decide if I really want it or not.
3. Warwick Acoustics Bravura - I heard this really early on in the show and absolutely loved it. It has incredible dynamics and remarkable detail, all without ever being harsh or pushy. I liked the Aperio, too, but not nearly as much as I liked the Bravura. The Aperio pushed too much detail forward in a way that made it feel like it was forcing you to pay attention to the music rather than to just enjoy it like the Bravura did.
4. dCS Lina DAC > Woo Audio WA23 > DCA Stealth & Focal Radiance - These combos were all fantastic, but I didn't have quite the same overwhelmingly awesome experience that I did with the Atrium. I also tried the DCA Expanse with this stack but it was difficult to really listen to it in a show environment, given that it is an open-back. That being said, I'll definitely post about it once I get the WA23 in.
5. Feliks Audio Envy > DCA Stealth & Focal Radiance - This was such a different experience from the WA23 it's hard to compare, but it was still fantastic. This amp has a linear cleanliness and midrange focus that the WA23 just doesn't have, but that also caused it not to be quite as enjoyable for me. It didn't have quite the same bass emphasis that the WA23 had, but again it's hard to really say on such a loud show floor.
6. WA8 > Meze Empyrean Elite - This was one of the first things I heard and I was really surprised by it! I went in to CanJam looking to revamp my take-to-the-office setup and this really ticked all the boxes. I was planning to go back to the Woo room looking to try it again and possibly purchase it when @HONEYBOY got me to try the WA23 (for better or for worse).
7. @xmems - I'm honestly not sure how to rank this, given that it was a demo unit to demonstrate their new driver to manufacturers and not in any way intended for consumers. But.... Holy s@#$ I can't wait to see what manufacturers do with this, if their demo units are anything to go by. I was lucky enough to get a chance to try their units privately and they are fantastic - even the lower-powered unit was spectacular. It has a speed and clarity that I didn't hear from any other IEM I tried - although I didn't try that many IEMs there, so take this with a grain of salt. I'll have more to post on this soon, though, so that's all I'll say here.

However, there were also some things that just didn't meet my expectations:

• dCS Lina stack - I really didn't feel that this was that much better than the RME ADI-2 Pro FS R Black Edition > Singxer SA-1 that I use at home.
• ZMF Caldera - Don't get me wrong, I actually really like these, they were just a bit too dark for my tastes, but everything else - especially their looks - was really good! They do have me quite excited for whatever the ZMF team winds up doing with their planar tech
• Meze 109 - These were too mid/upper bass heavy while simultaneously being too treble sharp for me.
• Riviera AIC-10 - This just didn't have the same clarity to me as the HM-1 did, but I'm hoping to give it another chance in NYC come February.

And finally, there were a few items I missed, namely:

• The PASS labs stuff - I've never tried any of this, but I'd love to!
• Wells Audio - I passed this once while it was empty without realizing what it was, but every time I came back, it was busy. Next time!

If you read this far, thanks and I hope to see you at CanJam NYC!

That WA23 with the Expanse was just so great. I got to try when there were only a few people in the room, so didn’t have to worry about room noise. And the DCS Lina was a big let down with the Expanse. If I ever have a lot of spare cash, the WA23 would be my next purchase.