[buke9]

Quick highlights (detailed impressions will follow later):

Amps

1. Mass-Kobo - yea, it’s really fantastic. Very powerful, effortless, neutral tuning
2. Riviera AIC-10 - it’s been around but I find not many folks have listened to it. It’s at the cross-zone desk right to the left of Mass-Kobo, the Riviera distributor has the amp there to try - beautiful, sweet, smooth, a touch warm but very clear (hybrid amp: 2 x 12ax7 tube gain, with solid state output stage)

IEMs

1. 64 Audio Volur - I really liked it. Great timbre, good bass. Was fun from first note

Quick note to echo what @reeltime mentioned - tried to auditor the HEDD2, but it’s so open and was too noisy. The rep asked me what I thought, and I answered truthfully that it seems like it may be good, but I really couldn’t tell. Hope there may be a chance for quieter audition setting tomorrow

I’ve had more people today stop to introduce themselves to me from head-if threads than ever before, it was an utter blast to meet all of you. Love these in person connections. And reconnecting with so many others. Biggest highlight of my day above all

The Volur was one of my favorites as well just very fun and the Amber Pearl is probably my favorite IEM I’ve heard to date.

 

[04gto]

You didn't try the FATfreq Grand Maestro?

I would have but for two reasons: 1. Someone was hogging it for like 40 minutes. 2. My ears were tired and needed a little break after listening to the somewhat overstimulating FF Scarlet

Did you try the Grand Maestro?

I would have but for two reasons: 1. Someone was hogging it for like 40 minutes. 2. My ears were tired and needed a little break after listening to the somewhat overstimulating FF Scarlet

 

[SCYJ]

I would have but for two reasons: 1. Someone was hogging it for like 40 minutes. 2. My ears were tired and needed a little break after listening to the somewhat overstimulating FF Scarlet

That is truly a shame. I think the Grand Maestro is a step up over the MSE. If you liked MSE then you might love the GM..

 

[ericpalonen]

No built in pre-amp for my turntable but I would absolutely be more than happy to bring everything over (every single tool and equipment needed) and figure it out! Pretty sure we can find some dusty vinyls at a local store nearby.

Thanks again for the hospitality. Looking forward to seeing you/the team again next year.

If we ever do this (we will at some point), it could be fun to curate a "community collection potluck". I've got a Frank Sinatra "rookie card" set I've never played, and the wax is in almost mint condition (from the 40's!) that I'm saving for an occasion like that. Thx again for the visit and kind words. Cheers!

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Had a queue of people waiting to experience WA33 + @Abyss Headphones 1266 TC and Diana MR.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cx1P-yqyK1j/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

set up a table side system with WA8 eclipse.

 

[DecentLevi]

Day 2 of my CanJam audio journey brought very unexpected paths that have already started to shape my future trajectory. (Day 1 impressions here for anyone who missed it)

Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies small tube electrostatic energiser with Stax Lambda SR-L700
I was quite impressed with the sheer performance of this small tube energiser. On the Stax L700's I got a vivid, lush sound with good dynamics, great sense of lifelike quality and soundstage. Treble not quite perfect but that could change depending on source (this used a standard USB cable into its' internal DAC but it also accepts analogue RCA). IMO, tubes are a vital part of any e-stat experience!

Mass Kobo 465-0000 with HifiMan Susvara
(med size SS amp with Topping D90 DAC connected via aftermarket cable)
This folks is THE BEST solid state amp I have ever heard. And that's saying a lot having been in this hobby for around 15 years. This little marvel of a boutique custom made Japanese amp managed to not only bring an incredibly special audio X-factor to the table, but to do so with a mid-fi Chinese DAC, and sounding great with music I wasn't familiar with, Japanese jazz ballads IIRC.

The sound? Nothing short of spine-tingling. Uncanny pinpoint accurate soundstage and sense of openness, effortless driver control, perfect dynamics that are delicate and fast, wonderfully linear and amazingly analogue. The closest I've heard a solid-state amp come to a tube amp, and blows over all but maybe the WA-33. I met the guy behind Mass Kobo (shown below from his website) and he said this amp design was custom built by very stringent standards for the bass player of Madonna IIRC (if I recall correctly). Is it worth $17,000 USD? Yes if I could afford it.

Of course I also tried his portable battery powered Mass Kobo amp. The sound came close IMO, but I noticed some distortion on all frequencies on higher volumes with hard to drive headphones such as the Susvara. He even agreed it's true.

ArpegEar / Topping Hane IEM
Unreleased IEM from Chinese company ArpegEar / Topping.

Amazing detail, immediate dynamics, very linear, detailed, lush, natural and linear and big soundstage. One of the best IEMs I've ever heard.
Price not yet determined

URD from Kinera Imperial
Unique Hong Kong made IEMs with combination of dynamic, balanced armature and electrostatic drivers (I believe at least 6 drivers each). Very neutral, exceptionally balanced and detailed without being fatiguing. Perfect bass definition. Comparable to perhaps HD 800 but maybe with even faster detail. Price around $650.

QDC IEMs
I tried their whole line-up and found myself preferring the original QDC Anole V3 from 2021. Great detail, dynamics, neutral vs. most of the newer ones which although had more expansive soundstage and detail, seemed too bright or revealing for my tastes. The new ones such as Anole V14 are so superior that it highlighted faults of the V3 such as smaller soundstage and somewhat bloomy bass. Verdict still out there on this one.

TruthEar Zero
I tried most of the IEMs on the table of this Chinese company and liked one that was fairly expensive, but when I saw the price of TruthEar Zero, a purchase was a no-brainer. The sound coming in close to another costing about 10x more, the $35 show price they offered left me with a smile on my face. These things finally replaced my faithful TFZ Exclusive One budget IEMs which I've had for 6 years and an A/B comparison shows these deliver a far better sound picture with instrument separation and resolution, nice rich yet linear sound, good dynamics, FR range and bass that's thumpy but controlled.

 

[jurumal]

CanJam SoCal 2023 Notes and Highlights
Another amazing year at CanJam SoCal in the books! Thanks to all the exhibitors and community members that made it a great experience. Shoutout to my local dealer TSAV and Marcelo for extending the event to those who couldn’t be there in person. Just wanted to share my notes and highlights on several of the products I was able to get my ears on.

Abyss Diana MR
Connected to Lina stack. Among the best imaging headphones I heard at the show. Timbre seems artificial. No sub extension. Tight/fast speed/attack. Not fastest. “Let Go” sounded amazing. No glare. Lacks sub bass extension. Timbre improved moving headphone forward from middle position. Background instrument layers are clear. Could use more vocal saturation/presence/body. It’s definitely worth taking time to move headphone into a position until timbre sounds natural. Experience will be contingent on having the proper position.

Ampsandsound Mogwai
I forgot which headphone I listened to this with (either Audeze or ZMF). An amazingly liquid and incredibly resolving headphone amp.

Audeze MM-100
Slight brightness. Possibly from Qutest or Enleum HPA-23RM. Also, tried with my iPhone dongle DAC. Good macrodynamics. Great microdetail for the price. Great natural timbre although slightly dry. Narrow to average headstage but great separation of images. Best price-to-performance in the Headphone category. Got my eye on that Enleum.

Canpur CP54E
Canpur as a whole is possibly the sleeper of the show. Listened with iPhone dongle DAC. It’s got so much control and completely free of any type of glare. Also despite the bass elevation, the mids and treble are still very clear.

Canpur CP622B
Criminal how much of a sleeper this brand is; much more this IEM. More midbass prominent but still has exceptional clarity. Despite the midbass emphasis, it also sounds cleaner / images better than the CP54E. Room reverb is apparent. Seriously among the best IEMs I heard. They might even beat out my favorite (Odin).

Chord Anni
Connected to Qutest. Listened with HE6SE. Neutral-warm-leaning. Sound remains agreeable when turned up. Detailed but not as engaging at lower volumes.

Chord Hugo2
Surprising driving ability on the HE6SE. Despite having the same DAC as Qutest, it had a preferable treble elevation than the Qutest/Anni stack.

Chord Mojo2
Also, surprised with how consistent it was able to drive the HE6SE at several volume levels and remain non-fatiguing. Headphone still sounds better out of Hugo2.

DMS Omega
Excellent timbre and macrodynamics. Tasteful mid saturation. Nice bass elevation without taking away from the air region. Details are the weaker aspect but what detail there is is good; possible driver limitation. Per Douglas, cup angle can be rotated 3 different positions for cable ergonomics. Also notable that this positional tilt will affect the tuning “tilt” of the FR. I listened to it with position of the cable connection at 6 o’clock FWIW. Headphone is light. Overall, tuning is exceptional. I don’t want to steal Warren Chi’s thunder, but he had the most dead-on description of the tuning. I’ll let him say it though. High praise.

Drop + Grell OAE1
Treble glare. Decent imaging. Very good soundstage and decent dynamics.

Dunu Mirai
Seb’s baby. Neutral (for me) tuning. Surprisingly detailed at times, also slightly hazy at times.

Empire Ears Odin
Still one of my faves. Wide headstage. Mids are sweet. Perfect bass region implementation for my preferences. Treble is slightly unnatural.

Empire Ears Raven
In-your-face subbass shelf but clean. Amazing imaging and timbre. Sounds great out of iPhone dongle DAC.

Ferrum Audio Oor
Great driver control. Engaging. About average headstage with HE6SE. Great pairing.

HEDDphone 2
Somewhat bass shy, very detailed, more natural compared to V1, good midbass presence. Natural timbre regardless of position on head

Hifiman Arya Organic
Best version of Arya. Increased bass presence and macrodynamics than previous iterations. Great timbre, dry-leaning. Still sounds like an Arya overall. Excellent microdetail, wide headstage, recessed mid presence, leans bright.

Holo Audio Bliss/May (Kitsune Tuned Edition)
Strictly speaking as a DAC/Amp combo, it is the best DAC/Amp I heard at the show. The internal wiring uses sliver conductors and it’s apparent in the quickness of the initial attack. What’s significant is that you get all the transient speed and it doesn’t sound thin. Lifelike timbre but warm-leaning. Just enough midrange presence. Incredible control over the Caldera.

Modhouse Tungsten (Mimic Audio)
Double magnet. Roomy sound. Great imaging. Amazing bass texture detail and treble clarity. Mids were colored / not natural sounding possibly due to the chain it was connected to (didn’t get the name, it was a huge stack at the Headphones.com booth).

Nightjaw Singularity
Narrow headstage. Images within my glasses. In-your-face bass shelf. Fun tuning, but obviously bass predominant. Could use a little air. Kinda stuffy.

NITSCH DSHA-3FN
Very detailed and musical. Midrange timbre keeps it from sounding completely natural, not enough body in vocals. DAC might have influenced the end tuning. Listened with Bokeh.

Schiit Midgard
Upper mid glare. Could use more vocal presence. Listened with HE6SE.

Schiit Mjolnir 3
Great control. Neutral with slight glare to lower treble. SE Class A mode tames this slightly but also tames mid bass also. Listened with HE6SE.

Sennheiser HD 660s2
Connected to HDV 820. More bass and mid presence, less air than HD 600, which I was able to compare side-by-side at the booth. More euphonic, slightly better detail.

Symphonium Crimson
Wide, spacious headstage. Tuning remains agreeable at lower volumes. Tastefully elevated bass emphasis, doesn’t take away from mid and treble. Slow-ish bass response. Great imaging. Small images. Perfectly airy. Amazing, natural timbre. Treble blurring/haziness at times. Dongle DAC is the MVP.

Warwick Bravura
Unable to listen with my own music; limited to booth’s pre-downloaded selection. Amazing detail, clear room reverb, great air. Not as bassy as expected. Better tuned than the Aperio, which lacked treble presence by comparison (too dark).

Wells Audio OTL
Gruve DAC paired with new OTL amp has incredible resolution and imaging. Neutral bright-leaning. Sounded best with Auteur OG. OTL is going to ship with NOS tubes in its stock configuration. ZMF owners/enthusiasts would do well to stay tuned-in about news on this upcoming OTL.

Woo Audio 3ES with Phantom DAC Cable / Stax SR-X9000
Most resolving system I heard at the show. Blackest background. Lifelike timbre. No glare. Lacked subbass extension. Impressed me more than comparable E-Stats at the show; might’ve helped that I was able to use my own music. The Phantom DAC cable deserves the spotlight in this set up. The energizer/headphone was able to extract all that detail and blackness from this $400 DAC(!). Some say 009(S?) sounded better out of this set up.

ZMF Bokeh
Fun-neutral on Arcadia amp. Great mid bass presence. Decent detail retrieval at the projected price range ($800-$1100). Timbre coloration noted in the upper mids and treble. Overall, impressive timbre consistency for a closed back. Definitely beats the likes of Liric and VC in this area IMO. On Ferrum Oor, it seemed to be on the drier side (output impedance difference?).

ZMF Caldera
Still a near-perfect headphone to me. From comfort, aesthetic, and sonic qualities, it meets every one of my preferences. Neutral-dark-leaning. Great macrodynamics for a planar and easily reveals microdetail. Coherent headstage with well separated images. Goes without saying that this headphone is at the tippy top of my wish list.

ZMF x JDS Labs Arcadia
Smaller than expected. Should fit among a desk setup nicely. Looks like a bread box. Units with the wood paneling looked especially dapper. The VU Meter is fun. ZMF Bokeh sounded great out of the XLR out (didn’t hear SE out). Neutral, fun with just enough wetness.


TL;DR Show Highlights

Headphone

• ZMF Caldera
• DMS Omega
• Audeze MM-100

IEM

• Canpur IEMs
• Empire Ears Odin
• Symphonium Crimson

Amp

• Ferrum Oor
• ZMF x JDS Arcadia

Tube Amp

• Wells Audio OTL
• Ampsandsound Mogwai

DAC

• Chord Hugo2
• Chord Mojo2
• Woo Phantom DAC

DAC/Amp Combo

• Holo Audio Bliss/May (Kitsune Tuned Edition)

E-Stat System

• Woo 3ES / Stax SR-X9000

Test Songs

• "Still Feeling You" by Couch
• "Dopamine" by Franc Moody
• "Riverton" by Elijah Fox
• "Goose" by Polyphia
• "Let Go" by stories (feat. Amelia McLean)
• "In My Pocket" by Young Gun Silver Fox
• "golden hour" by Magaziine, Anilee List, Erin Bentlage, Beane
• "Traingazing - Acoustic" by Sam Wills (feat. Honey Mooncie)
• "What More Can I Say" by Teddy Swims
• "These Are the Memories" by Emmaline
• Pre-downloaded songs available at the booth when I was unable to use my own music.

 

[smodtactical]

Headphone impressions for headphones that I tried for the first time this weekend. In order of personal preference. I heard plenty more headphones, but none moved the needle enough, good or bad, to be mentioned here.

• ZMF New "portable" prototype 'Bokeh' (Pronounced-'Boca')- This was the best new headphone I heard. Zach said this prototype was most likely the final tuning. The warmest ZMF with the best overall tuning. Warm/ bass boosted/ yet balanced. All day comfort, light weight. ZERO sibilance. LCP driver. Best tuned closed back at any price for me. E-MU Teak bass but cleaner and smoother treble. I will own these when they go on sale in December. Est- $900-$1000 80ohm 103 db sensitivity.
• Arya Organic- Should be called Super Arya. Best overall Hifiman (for me). Bigger/better soundstage than HD800? Yes. Headphone value of the year. I love this headphone.
• Atrium Closed- Good to great bass . Way better stock tuning than my Eikon. Standard, very good ZMF stage. Fully optimized Eikon?
• MM100- Maybe the best tuned Audeze. Nice, low frequency, high quality bass shelf. Not small stage. Not big. Maybe a little peaky 5/6 k? Best Planar under Arya/LCD-2 price range.
• HE-1- Bass is the best bass of any Estat I have heard (CRBN, SRX9000, SR009S, SRL700). Stage is average size globe shaped like an Audeze, but very good for positional accuracy.
• Drop+Grell- Very aesthetically pleasing prototype. Sounds very spacious. Did I mention I love the design? Maybe a very promising HD800 evolution. We will have to wait for the final build and tuning to find out.
• D8000 Pro. Very analog sounding planar. Doesn't sound like a planar, sounds like a hybrid. Great bass and note weight. Lower mids tuning is off. Lacks air?
• Meze 109 Pro. The best Meze easily for me. All day comfort. Sounds good with everything. Evolved HD6XX?
• Heddphone 2- Not for me. Different for sure. Bass sounds a little poofy/pillowy? . Nice sense of space though. Stage is track appropriate. The new headband design amazing though. Super comfortable.
• Austrian Audio- good Harmanish tuning. Great build quality and comfort. Average stage. Good bass. Smooth mids and highs. Maybe too smooth? Highs lack detail. Overpriced though. Dramatically overpriced. Build quality is $1200 territory. Sound Quality is $700 territory (these are in the same vicinity or just below the Meze 109 Pro). Very nice guys though.

did you like bokeh more than he1?

 

[griZZly64]

My Short-n-Sweet CanJam SoCal 2023 Highlights:


Questyle M15 ($249) - I really loved the way this dongle sounded. When I compared it directly to my iBasso DC04Pro, the M15 had the same level of resolution but virtually all of the digital glare that you usually get with a compact dongle was completely gone! It sounded so smooth but also still sounded very resolving. I only wish it had a dedicated volume control on it.

Timsok TS-316 ($499) - This IEM was a pleasant surprise. I was told by the rep that Timsok is an OEM for quite a few well-known IEM brands and this is their current TOTL IEM that they are releasing themselves. It uses a single 10.2mm DD driver. While that's as common as dirt in the Chi-Fi market, what wasn't common was it's overall SQ. I really thought they nailed it with the TS-316. I really liked their simple yet elegant design, and while I told them I thought that $500 was perhaps a bit on the pricey side for a 1DD IEM from an unknown brand, it's excellent SQ would embarrass quite a few other IEMs from many more famous brands that cost waaaaaay more than $500. They definitely get a big thumbs-up from me.

Letshuoer Cadenza 12 ($2299) - I'm currently in the market for an end-game (for me) IEM that's under $2500, and I listened to quite a few at the show at all different price-points and I heard a lot of great-sounding contenders, but unfortunately I'm quite sensitive to 'BA-timbre' and almost all of the hybrid IEMs that I heard had a bit too much of it for me to be able to live with them long-term. But when I auditioned the Cadenza 12, I knew that this was probably the one for me. It has a wonderfully balanced Harmon-ish tuning with excellent resolution that also maintains the tone and texture of the music as well, and its BA-timbre stayed low enough even at high SPLs that it never bothered me, which is a heroic accomplishment in and of itself!! Just a superbly voiced IEM and one of the few where I felt its relatively high price was justified.

Schiit Midgard ($219) - When the Magnius was first released, I bought one, and within just a few minutes I quickly realized it was the worst-sounding amp Schiit had ever made! And if I recall correctly, I went on a bit of a rant about it. Well thankfully, I'm happy to report that Jason has totally redeemed himself!! The Midgard sounded great from it's balanced output. It's has a fully-discrete circuit design (the Magnius only used op-amps) and it's gonna be a great addition to Schiit's amp line-up.

Audio-Technica ATH-ADX5000 ($1999) - Now this wasn't the first time I heard the ADX5000. I had heard it before at past shows, but I obviously hadn't heard it powered by a proper amp that could handle its 420 ohm impedance. But that changed at this CanJam. An AT-DAC100 DAC and a AT-BHA100 hybrid amp were being used to drive it and it sounded significantly better than I remember it sounding in the past. It had a nice amount of bass for an open-back and it just sounded 'dynamically alive' in a way that really impressed me. So now it's back on my radar.

Austrian Audio The Composer ($2699) - OK, this headphone has been getting a lot of hype for the past few days. And it many ways, it totally delivers. It has a fantastic industrial design, it's really light, it's really comfortable, it's also really efficient and easy to drive. But just like every headphone ever made, SQ-wise, it's not going to be for everyone. It's super-resolving, and while it has a really nice and punchy bass range, to my ear it has a noticeable "W-shaped" sound signature and therefore everything sounds a bit amped-up. But some of this was definitely coming for the Full Score One amp it was connected to because when I connected it to my DC04Pro with a 4.4mm cable, some of that hyped-up SQ went away, and it sounded more well-balanced. So the jury is still out on it, but I thing with the right DAC and amp pairing, The Composer could become something quite amazing sounding.

Drop x Grell OAE1 Signature ($TBD) - This is another very interesting upcoming headphone. While I wasn't crazy about the headband design and its adjustment mechanism, or how stiff the earpads were, I was told that the demo units they had were not the final production versions, so those things could potentially improve on the final version. But as for their SQ, they sounded pretty darn good overall. They had nice punchy bass, and a bit of a V-shaped signature, but they had good overall tonality from top to bottom. Somewhat surprisingly for how crazy their drivers are angled, their soundstage was only average in size. But I'm really curious how the final version is going to turn out.

NITSCH x JupiterAudioResearch JAR600N ($TBD) - I think this one definitely slipped under the radar at the show. There was only one at the Schiit booth for only a few hours of the first day. I think this will be NITSCH's first headphone collab and even though I only got a quick listen to them, I was really impressed by what I heard. Imagine a turbo-charged HD 600 with virtually none of the 'Sennheiser veil' but with all of it's famous silky-smoothness still intact! I think I literally said "Whoa!" like Neo in The Matrix! But I was told they won't be cheap, and are primarily for the few die-hard HD 600 lovers out there (you know who you are) that would love to see their favorite headphone taken to the next level!

I had a ton of fun! It was so nice seeing my old (and new) Head-Fi Friends and just seeing how much genuine enthusiasm and positive energy there was at the show. And I can't wait to do it all over again next year!!

I've been googling Timsok since I heard them on Sunday. You're the first I've seen that mentioned them. I walked up and figured I'd give them a try. They blew me away. I'm not in the camp that you cannot charge a lot for a single DD. I pay for sound, not for tech. The sound is worth more than the asking price. I'm glad you have some good ears. I thought maybe I was crazy. I spent a long time at their booth. Listened to the TS-316 twice. I plan on purchasing one soon.

 

[04gto]

did you like bokeh more than he1?

Yes, I did. I probably wouldn't put the HE-1 in my top 10 headphones I have heard. Estats don't really impress me much overall.

 

[DenverW]

My first two day canjam experience! It was a ton of fun, so please allow me some Can-ramblings of the experience. Last year I was ascending into summit fi, and this year I was more at the summit looking into the endless wallet eating mountain that is high end audio.

So without further silliness, I'll try to break this into three sections: headphones, amps, and iems.

Headphones:
Winners: 1. The ZMF Atrium closed. Doing a head to head with the Verite I came away preferring the AC, but more so with a slightly harder wood. I have always preferred hard wood with ZMF gear, and the AC was no exception. As always, Zach, Bevin, and the team (Kevin!) were fantastic and helpful, no matter how busy they got. A pair of AC are in my future.

2. The Modhouse Tungsten double magnet. Now, I heard this on a massively powerful and expensive Viva amp, but it was extremely impressive. In fact, a friend mentioned he preferred in this combo to the Susvara. Wide, clear, and impactful. With a sensitivity of 74 it will take some real oomph to drive but seems to have a great pay off.

3. HE-1. What a surprise, right? Imagine you take your favorite natural sounding headphone and add perfect placement, speed, and separation. And when the tubes rise up out of the amp I felt like I was on the deck of the Enterprise. Also, Eric from Sennheiser was just so gracious it made the whole things a fantastic experience. Thank you to the no-show that turned my 10 minutes into 15!

Oks: 1. Austrian Audio Composer: Very comfortable, and the quality of the sound was there. Reasonable bass for being so open, and the highs were crisp. Excellent soundstage and a unique cup design. You can hear the pedigree from the AKG 812. Why just ok? Well one, can I mention how much I HATE proprietary cables? And two, for $2699 there is just too much competition.

2. Heddphone 2: don't get me wrong, this was MUCH better than the heddphone. I could actually stand this to be on my head! The tonality improved and the bass was good. But where does it fit for me? Another culprit of having other preferred headphones near the same price point.

3. The Bravura: I really liked what I heard! Sonically this would be high in the winners section. However, I have to doc them a bit for having a playlist that really seemed geared to bravura’s strengths (where is my alternative?!) and because the max cable length is 2 meters. Just under what I need. Bummer, but these are great.

Loser: 1. VZR: Just overall unmemorable.
2. Stax: Trying the l700M2 and 009S and while estat fast, there was just no engagement factor.

Stay tuned for the amp breakdown...

 

[djentbat]

Yes, I did. I probably wouldn't put the HE-1 in my top 10 headphones I have heard. Estats don't really impress me much overall.

That’s a wild take. I think HE-1 is far better than the Bokeh. I also don’t care for Estats though.

The Bokeh for the projected price is quite good entry level ZMF though

 

[zach915m]

Yes, I did. I probably wouldn't put the HE-1 in my top 10 headphones I have heard. Estats don't really impress me much overall.

That’s a wild take. I think HE-1 is far better than the Bokeh. I also don’t care for Estats though.

The Bokeh for the projected price is quite good entry level ZMF though

I'll have to see if the Sennheiser guys are cool with doing a joint room next canjam so we can do a real shootout.

 

[linshu1992]

My first two day canjam experience! It was a ton of fun, so please allow me some Can-ramblings of the experience. Last year I was ascending into summit fi, and this year I was more at the summit looking into the endless wallet eating mountain that is high end audio.



So without further silliness, I'll try to break this into three sections: headphones, amps, and iems.

Headphones:
Winners: 1. The ZMF Atrium closed. Doing a head to head with the Verite I came away preferring the AC, but more so with a slightly harder wood. I have always preferred hard wood with ZMF gear, and the AC was no exception. As always, Zach, Bevin, and the team (Kevin!) were fantastic and helpful, no matter how busy they got. A pair of AC are in my future.

2. The Modhouse Tungsten double magnet. Now, I heard this on a massively powerful and expensive Viva amp, but it was extremely impressive. In fact, a friend mentioned he preferred in this combo to the Susvara. Wide, clear, and impactful. With a sensitivity of 74 it will take some real oomph to drive but seems to have a great pay off.

3. HE-1. What a surprise, right? Imagine you take your favorite natural sounding headphone and add perfect placement, speed, and separation. And when the tubes rise up out of the amp I felt like I was on the deck of the Enterprise. Also, Eric from Sennheiser was just so gracious it made the whole things a fantastic experience. Thank you to the no-show that turned my 10 minutes into 15!

Oks: 1. Austrian Audio Composer: Very comfortable, and the quality of the sound was there. Reasonable bass for being so open, and the highs were crisp. Excellent soundstage and a unique cup design. You can hear the pedigree from the AKG 812. Why just ok? Well one, can I mention how much I HATE proprietary cables? And two, for $2699 there is just too much competition.

2. Heddphone 2: don't get me wrong, this was MUCH better than the heddphone. I could actually stand this to be on my head! The tonality improved and the bass was good. But where does it fit for me? Another culprit of having other preferred headphones near the same price point.

3. The Bravura: I really liked what I heard! Sonically this would be high in the winners section. However, I have to doc them a bit for having a playlist that really seemed geared to bravura’s strengths (where is my alternative?!) and because the max cable length is 2 meters. Just under what I need. Bummer, but these are great.

Loser: 1. VZR: Just overall unmemorable.
2. Stax: Trying the l700M2 and 009S and while estat fast, there was just no engagement factor.

Stay tuned for the amp breakdown...

Nice impressions but which one of us should tell the rhino that headphones will sound better if they are *actually* over their ears?

 

[04gto]

I thi

That’s a wild take. I think HE-1 is far better than the Bokeh. I also don’t care for Estats though.

The Bokeh for the projected price is quite good entry level ZMF though

I think in a blind test most people (and I don't mean audiophiles, audiophiles are kinda weird tbh) would not pick the HE-1. If people didn't know the price or see all the marble and tubes etc. Just went in completely blind and chose on sound alone.