CanJam SoCal 2024 Impressions Thread (September 28-29, 2024)
Oct 5, 2024 at 10:50 PM Post #361 of 531
what brand is this amp
Here are a few of my pictures from the show. It was a great event! Over at the ZMF booth it was great to catch up with @reeltime and check out the new ZMF Bokeh Open. I thought the Bokeh open was a real stand out for its price/performance. It was great to hear the Aegis again (awesome amp with Bokeh) and talk with @L0rdGwyn the designer. Conversely at HiFiMan doing an A/B with the Susvara Unveiled vs OG led me to the conclusion that they are different, not better (when properly driven) at least to my ears. I'm also curious to compare both with the same aftermarket pads. I was impressed with the Noble Fokus, though I did encounter one blown unit (likely over driven). I checked out another pair, and was very impressed with the sound, I like these better than the Bathys I think (they are close but different sound profiles).

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Oct 5, 2024 at 10:55 PM Post #362 of 531
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Oct 5, 2024 at 11:01 PM Post #363 of 531
what brand is this amp

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It's an OTL amp I sold on a limited basis for a short period of time, only six were made before I called it quits. I pretty quickly realized I couldn't support a side business building amplifiers from scratch while working a demanding full time job. But ultimately I think it was a good exercise, as it pushed me to come up with an alternative solution to get an amp out there, and the Aegis amplifier was borne from that.
 
Oct 6, 2024 at 12:35 AM Post #364 of 531
It's an OTL amp I sold on a limited basis for a short period of time, only six were made before I called it quits. I pretty quickly realized I couldn't support a side business building amplifiers from scratch while working a demanding full time job. But ultimately I think it was a good exercise, as it pushed me to come up with an alternative solution to get an amp out there, and the Aegis amplifier was borne from that.
How does buying stuff from you work ? Do you have a store front or is it an occasional drop in this thread?

Props for making this stuff on the side you ever think about taking off with this as a full time or is it more of a hobby ?

I saw that 2a3 amp and it looks so cool I’m guessing it’s turbo rare?
 
Oct 6, 2024 at 4:01 AM Post #365 of 531
It's an OTL amp I sold on a limited basis for a short period of time, only six were made before I called it quits. I pretty quickly realized I couldn't support a side business building amplifiers from scratch while working a demanding full time job. But ultimately I think it was a good exercise, as it pushed me to come up with an alternative solution to get an amp out there, and the Aegis amplifier was borne from that.
will we see a DIY Airmid OTL?

maybe without the rare stuff, but something more attainable with commonly found parts?
 
Oct 6, 2024 at 7:05 AM Post #367 of 531
How does buying stuff from you work ? Do you have a store front or is it an occasional drop in this thread?

Props for making this stuff on the side you ever think about taking off with this as a full time or is it more of a hobby ?

I saw that 2a3 amp and it looks so cool I’m guessing it’s turbo rare?

I don't do any one off custom work anymore for the reasons above, just not enough time to balance working two jobs. I have thought about it, but right now it doesn't make sense for me. I have a career in healthcare, and for a lot of reasons, I'm not willing to give that up. Maybe the situation will change in the future, but right now any amps I release would be on a collaborative basis with ZMF, like ZMF Aegis. That 2A3 amp is turbo rare in that there is only one of them! I built it for Zach, the wood headphone master.

will we see a DIY Airmid OTL?

maybe without the rare stuff, but something more attainable with commonly found parts?

Not likely. Aegis was developed from the start as a DIY friendly circuit, easy to build and troubleshoot, which also makes it a viable commercial design. Airmid, on the other hand, is not beginner friendly. It has surface mount components, complex power supply circuitry that would be near impossible for the average DIYer to troubleshoot, it would be a mess. DIY Aegis is probably the first and last DIY project I will release. It was, and continues to be, a major time sink. I don't regret it, but it has taken a lot of time to support. Some Airmid ingredients may appear in a future ZMF collaboration however, TBD on that front.
 
Oct 6, 2024 at 7:49 AM Post #368 of 531
Annual report from the Director's Garage (IYKYK. If ya don't, well, maybe next year! LOL.) Warning: Disaster lies ahead! It will make sense, just follow along or look at the pretty pictures.

I had specific targets in mind for this year's CanJam-- and boy was it packed! My first stop was the Audeze table. I'd been inundated with emails from everyone playing up the new Audeze CRBN 2. What is SLAM? And how do I get it?!!

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SLAM (a reverse-engineered acronym if ever there was one) is some voodoo that allows pressure to permeate or maybe enter the nanotube structure of the diaphragm giving the electrostatic a slam-like experience. Whatever. What's it sound like? Not exactly slam in practice, more like slam-light (SLIGHT?) but it was a thrill to feel bass on an e-stat, all the same. Two notes here: There is an UPGRADE path for original CRBN owners like me-- Just $1000 will make it happen. Genius. Rep says not until December. But I suspect OG CRBNs just got a bit more valuable on the Head-Fi classifieds! The other note I'm saving for my coming video (It's called a tease, folks.)

ONWARD! There's a new Susvara in town and it's NAKED.

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Who does this insanity? Hifiman. No one should do this! This is an accident waiting to happen-- but not today, thankfully. I was ready to bash this headphone on principle. I thought-- even if it's a little bit better than the OG nothing can justify...

Oh my these are good.

I hated myself immediately for loving this headphone. It just gets everything right-- and it's easy to drive? So what if you're basically signing up for an $8000 train-wreck-in-waiting! Until you put a hole in the side of this thing, you're golden. I hate myself for loving these.

With a heavy dose of self-loathing flowing through my veins, I cheered my spirits by declaring: THIS IS THE YEAR! I'm finally going to do it-- I'm getting into that damn cone of silence and check out the Warwick Acoustics Aperio-- there's some new GoldenSound thing and surely this early it can't be busy...

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FFFFUUUUuuuudddge. (OK maybe I said something a bit more colorful).

Yeah this line was an hour long all day long. Better luck next year!

So I tucked my tail between my legs and scurried off to Fostex. Now I love me a Fostex. I've owned a bunch and still have a couple of TH-X00 Massdrop editions in my stable. They have 2 new headphones-- the TH1100RP open back and the TH1000RP closed. Typical of Fostex-- these things are gorgeous-- but they're... planars?

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The pictures don't do these justice. I was hoping for a TH-900-like bass response-- ready for impact!

They fell a little short. Still a nice sounding headphone with out-of-this-world looks.

Circling around, I spotted an opening for the Focal Utopia 2022. Now I've missed this headphone in the past, and I owned the OG. Brilliantly detailed with a bit too much brightness for my taste-- and a bit lean down low. I had no idea what to expect.

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The bass was a complete surprise to me. Wonderfully detailed with more presence than I remembered. The top end is a bit too bright still-- at least for my preference. But this is a step forward in sound for the Focal flagship. I appreciate that they kept the red center, but I think the OG looks better-- am I nuts? (Don't answer that.)

Now the entire Focal setup was driven by an army of these NAIM Uniti Atoms. I fell in love with this thing.

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The volume knob on top is massive and inspired. Unfortunately, the WiFi gave up the ghost and performance was hampered. But this thing is seriously cool, and a blast to operate.

Time to step out of the big room and head over to Zach and Bevin at ZMF. I can talk to these folks for hours-- wonderful people and I'm sure I made an annoyance out of myself (when don't I?) but all eyes were on ZMF's big new release-- the Bokeh open back.

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ZMF can't seem to make a bad product lately. I've said this before-- they're on a streak that we will one day look back on with awe. Think about this run of products: Atrium, Caldera, Atrium open, Bokeh, Homage, Caldera closed, Aegis, and now the Bokeh open. Any one of these products would be a sensation. To do this many great products back-to-back? I mean even Shohei Otani strikes out once in a while. I can't remember a better string of successes. Kudos.

The Bokeh open sounds like a brother to the Atrium. Phenomenal bass response, clear and stunning treble, lush mids. I wouldn't even call this a baby brother to the Atrium, these things stand on their own as a marvelous headphone. I paired it with the Homage amp and I left thinking for around 2K, you'd have a righteous end-game-worthy system. Simply brilliant.

Side Note: If you're heading there-- make certain you check out the Aegis tube amp and... AND do not miss the Ray Samuels B-21 Raider. It's the best solid state amp I've heard for the OG Susvara-- oh and it also happens to be a top-tier e-stat amp, too-- for about 2/3rds the cost of the Mass Kobo 465. It is unapologetic pure power-- and there's fewer than 10 of these things on the planet right now-- give it a listen!

One of my prime targets of this CanJam was the RAAL 1995 Immanis. I stopped at the VIVA room where one of the two at the show were set up. Now the VIVA amps look impressive as hell-- I'd auditioned a red one last year, which was paired with a reel-to-reel deck. No spinning reels this year.

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But lots of tube-y goodness-- for the price of a decent Honda. Paired with the RAAL-- I'm not sure my marriage would survive if I brought this setup home.

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I heard the original RAAL many years ago. These things have evolved significantly! The tonality and response of this headphone-- simply breathtaking. Massive stage-- even in show surroundings. Quite impressive! The strange thing about the ribbons-- there are 3 of them inside this blingy structure-- they present to me like sound emitters. I can't get used to the lack of air movement inside the cups. Like-- shouldn't I be feeling impact from the bass or something? I don't-- I guess it takes some getting used to. You experience this dome of delicious sound around your head. Not that I can afford them-- but I wonder if I might get a little bored of these over time? I will likely never know! Terrific stuff.

This was not an IEM trip for me, but I did make time to check out the MacBeth from Forte Ears at the insistence of a friend. Never heard of them before, but I suspect everyone will know about these in short order.

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To be? Or not to be? (OK, wrong play. There goes my career in the arts...) $4000 will get you a hand made, blinged out IEM with bass for days. Supreme sparkle through the treble. 5 B/A, 2 Bone Conduction Drivers, 4 E-Stat Tweeters, and a Sonion Bass Driver-- all inside this tiny little shell. I don't know how these IEM makers are doing it-- but they keep topping themselves and this is one of the best I've heard.

But then... disaster struck.

My camera fell off the table and hit the floor, breaking the lens mount. To be? Or not to be? Definitely NOT TO BE! Severe shame and depression followed.

Left with a complete disaster on my hands, I did make time for the Empyrean II. This is something of a departure from the original Empy and the Elite. I had to swap to a macro lens to get this one:

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The technicals might be better on this headphone, but there's a bit of bloom down low-- along with a ton of bass. I don't think these would replace my Elites. I'd need more time with them-- and I was still hurting from the death of my beloved lens.

Dinner at night with some friends and the long-ass drive back to LA. CanJam SoCal '24? It's a wrap!
Wow........great to see one of my favorite Audio YouTuber at the show............was hoping to her your take on the Aperio. Why not contact Martin Roberts at Warwick and ask for a demo unit.........he is a really good guy. I think people would like to hear your opinion as your pretty straight forward guy without the HYPE. Plus Aperio is very special and most interesting your viewers I think would enjoy it. I love it and its an "All in one" stopped me from running crazy with pairing $$$$$$ at least for a while. Its and end game thing for sure INHO if ever was one .BTW I'm not affiliated in any way just one guys opinion......
 
Oct 6, 2024 at 9:08 AM Post #369 of 531
CanJam SoCal 2024 was another great one. I put some more faces to online ear friends which is always fun.
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Disclosures:
- I'm a ZMF guy who enjoys more soulful tunings over the pursuit of purity. My favorite headphone for the past couple years has been the Caldera Open.
- I really don't like putting stuff down or saying something is better. It's all subjective and kind of silly.

- I can't fit IEMs into my weird ear canals. I tried for a while again at the Noble booth. They were patient with me. I really liked the Sultan and Ronin when I held them exactly in the right spot. I skipped most IEM stuff, but one day I'll figure it out.


When I got in I went straight for the ZMF room where they always have a really well curated collection of amps and beautiful ZMF rarities. It's always a treat to chat with @zach915m, Bevin, and the ZMF team. This year @L0rdGwyn himself of Aegis design fame was hanging out with his fan club. I've been rocking the ZMF Aegis since launch and it is a constantly evolving and rewarding journey into NOS tube chaos. It is definitely one of my favorite amps ever at this point. I'm listening to it while I write this with a smile on my face.

I quickly grabbed a seat at the Cayin Soul 170HA to see how it stacked up to my HA-300mkii. It wasn't going for the big lushness of 300b. It was clean, dynamic and had very nice separation and staging. Impressive micro detail for tubes. On my listening sessions in the loud show environment I preferred the Ultralinear mode toggled to Dynamic. I listened with various ZMFs and my personal Calderas I had slung around my neck all weekend. It felt natural / neutral / got out of the way - one of the best amps I heard at the show.

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Scooted down to the Ray Samuels B-21 @reeltime has been gushing over in the garage. Yep, it's good. BIG sound with lots of detail on Calderas, but the top end was warmer than I had expected on that pairing. It was nice as someone who cringes when treble is dramatically emphasized for the sake of pulling out detail. I hate to repeat myself with this over and over, but it just felt natural. I think that is my highest praise. The power of this thing is FUN. Luckily the director stole it back to his garage.

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Having already tested out and written about most of the ZMF library, I jumped over to the new Bokeh Open. I absolutely loved this headphone. I wrote a rave review of the Boke Closed and my opinion of the Bokeh Open is perhaps even more positive. Most everything I thought about the Closed applies here. It is warm and cozy, but definitely not leaving you missing detail. It moves air in a tactile way that tethers you to the notes. The BO shares a lot of DNA with the Atrium Open, but the LCP driver has a unique flavor. Clearly this is going to be another big hit and super competitive with anything in this price bracket. I think ZMF collectors are going to jump on it. Again, one of my favorite listens at the show.

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The Susvara Unveiled - was fantastic. I actually think I much prefer the top end of this to the OG although I admittedly did not A/B. It retained the ethereal quality of the original, but the treble felt more realistic to me / less enhanced or intense. The MSRP is way too expensive for me, but I totally get it. It didn't melt my mind like the HE-1 did years back, but this is certainly at the top of the summit.

HE1000 Unveiled - was a really interesting one. It had more of what I’d consider the HIFIMAN sound to it than the Susvara. Very detailed treble tuning, but lots of beefy low end. More hifi v-shape. The upper mids seemed more forward on whatever combo I was hearing it on. Curious to see what else will be unveiled over time. The era of HIFIMAN timeline known as the GREAT UNVEILING. HE-400 unveiled. Then the inevitable re-veiling in the modesty series.

Empyrean 2 - As an OG Empy owner I wanted to hear this new tuning. It was cleaner and tighter for sure. I wasn’t missing much of the mid-bass when I was listening. I didn’t back to back, but I still love the OG for its enveloping warmth with a sprinkle of twinkle. Sometimes I use Elite pads on the original Empyrean to clean up the mid bass bloom. I liked these new hybrid pads and the overall tuning of Empyrean Strikes Back.

105 AER - At like half the price of the 109 this seems like a great deal for people who really dug that tuning. Another fun and amazingly comfortable headphone in the Meze lineup.

Dunu Arashi and V Model 53 - This combo really surprised and delighted me. I haven't seen a whole lot of chatter about this one, but don't sleep on it. The fit and finish really stood out on both the headphone and amp, but they weren't just about looks. Very nice extension, tasteful midrange, and nice detail and dimension. Great tuning overall. I sensed a hint of planar flavor up top, but it wasn't distracting. I think at $1500 for the headphone these are going to be well received by reviewers.

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Zeos Eris - I was steeled against the incoming bass violence. The tuning wasn't shockingly weird. This is a headphone that unabashedly embraces extremes for the fun of it. If you wear it for long enough you'll start cursing at things performing animated hand gestures in first person POV. I think the people saying they are fun for gaming and movies are probably spot on.

Viking Weave Draupnir - I heard this right after Zeo’s Eris in the tasting flight of bass violence. Two drivers per side on this thing! Very visceral and fun headphone. Having those two drivers angled at your ears creates an interesting sense of space inside the cup. The top end was smooth, the upper mids were a bit darker, gobs of mid bass. A fun combo of syrupy and explosive. Love seeing new ideas like this.

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Fostex TH1000RP and 11000RP - were very pretty, but they weren't satisfying my TH-X00 itch. These were much less about bass impact. The upper mids into the treble seemed a bit emphasized, but they weren't troublesome. The tuning was unique and not what I had anticipated.

Airbus Acoustics Sierra - This headphone brings me to my thesis statement about the future of the audiophile hobby. We are going to see so many more interesting 3d printed headphones. I was very impressed with what this headphone was doing with soundstage using a 50mm dynamic driver. I talked the founder and designer Juan and his team/fam who created the headphone locally here in Long Beach. They explained that, among other cool things, the 3d printed baffle is pointing the driver at the ear to hit the sweet spot of the pinna. This trick isn't new, but the implementation was impressive. The bass extension was noticeable, but the top end detail balanced it out creating a tuning that felt a bit enhanced in a way that wasn't unrealistic. This was a headphone I had to come back and listen to several times. Hard to argue with it at 900 dollars. I think these are going to impress people.

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This bridges into Hifi For All Dahlia - another amazing 50mm dynamic driver utilizing 3d printed parts. I absolutely loved the tuning of this one. I heard the Dahlia on the amazing NITSCH DSHA-3FN. Very natural vocal midrange, fun punchy low end and great detail on top. Similar to DMS’s Project Omega, you can tell the creator has an affinity to the 600 series style of sound. Another startup sitting at 900 dollars with a price to quality ratio that is something to talk about. The cool factor here is that each headphone comes with two tuning rings called “Earpad Resonators” that go inside standard ZMF pads. I mostly preferred the dynamic resonator over the balanced, but both were great. This 3d printing revolution is letting creators quickly iterate on their tuning ideas and we are getting some very cool products as a result.

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A distant 50mm dynamic cousin was nearby in the DMS Omega - I wrote about this one last CanJam. Love this headphone. I’ve almost bought it a couple times. I think he’s created exactly what he set out to create. It is all the best parts of a 600 series, but more dynamic and more everything. It is an incredibly fun headphone that I’ve enjoyed on all the chains I’ve heard it on at the two CanJams. I would love to listen to Sierra, Dahlia and Omega back to back on the same chain. All unique and wonderfully tuned 50mm dynamics from creators thinking outside the box. Good job everyone!

If you want to hear the heights that the 600 series can scale to, you have to check out NITSCH's JAR600. Christian let me check them out on the new WOO Audio WA24 and that is some of the best scaling I've heard. I love my 660s2, but the JAR600s are special. The new anniversary WA24 amp sounds fantastic. I don't have a strong enough background knowledge of the WA23 to go into differences, but with the beefier transformers the WA24 was damn good. I plugged my Calderas into it and Christian said it was one of the best pairings he'd heard with them. If I had 11-15k to spend on a headphone amp I'd be sweating with these new unobtanium choices.

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In that same room I found the new Abyss Dianna DZ. I haven't loved every Dianna tuning, but the DZ was one of the non-ZMF flagship highlights for me. It was doing everything right and put the warmth in all the right places. The bass is obviously super fun, but the treble was an equal standout for me. It was perfectly non-fatiguing and highly resolving. I moved between the WA23 and the fancy Abyss DCS Lina stack and was thoroughly impressed. Great job Abyss team.

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Scaling up 8mm from all the innovative 50mm drivers to a 58mm dynamic is the Audio Technica ATH-ADX3000. I checked this out back to back with the 5000 and came out thinking I may slightly prefer the tuning of the 3000. I heard this on a ZMF Aegis and the tubes did some nice things on M impedance. It seemed like both the 3000 and 5000 have a bit of a treble focus. Bass weight was nice, but more focused and nimble.

Moving over to the very pricey ATH-AWKG I can report that I enjoyed this year’s inclusion of ZMF hybrid pads. I think the new pads helped smooth out some of the treble and upper mids. This headphone sounds very wooden to me. I was aware of the material resonance in a Fostex closed type of way. I think I’d really need to experience this headphone for an extended session to let the brain burn-in happen.

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Moondrop Cosmo - This is another super competitvely priced planar option. Cosmo seems to be expanding on the Venus lineage with its tuning. The treble came across as being pretty laid back and even a touch warm which surprised me since I had read it was bright leaning. Maybe by day 2 my ears had no more treble left in them? I like the sci-fi look of these heavy metal headphones.

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HEDDPHONE 2 GT - Wow, they really fixed a lot of what people had issues with last time. This was warmer than my memory of the original. Great impact on the Burson Voyager with those AMT drivers drop kicking your brain. Nice instrument separation. There was a lot of dynamic range between the two poles of the spectrum. Very unique treble presentation which felt both smooth yet capable of crisp details at the tippy top.

Final D8000 Pro DC - I haven’t spent a lot of time with the original of this. The DC seemed a little intense in the presence region. I heard it right after the HEDDPHONE 2 which comparatively felt more natural in the midrange in the moment. The bass on the voyager pairing was a little light on the tracks I heard. I wonder if this would be nicer paired with tubes that chill it out a little.

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Metaxas & Sins Ethereal Reel to Reel - Almost as crazy conceptually as a Pud’s Small Batch creation. The reel to reel on headphones is something special. Loved the novelty of hearing the tape come up to speed. The system was very detailed and full of strata of sound to discover. The Metropolis inspired manakin amp may have provoked the unveiling arms race we find ourselves in. If you've ever wanted your attenuators at attention or desired dialing channel volume via purple nurple this is probably what you need to save up for.

Dan Clark E3 - I'm late to this, but I had to check it out in person. I used to own the Aeon Closed RT and this is probably the closest of the Flagship DCA tunings to that. I definitely prefer it to the Stealth. It seemed more about the mid bass than the sub. It did indeed feel pretty spacious for a closed back. Needs a lot of juice as compared to something like the Bokeh Closed. I’m hoping this is the direction DCA things are moving. On the shortlist of best closed backs.

Audeze CRBN2 - I think they've increased the punch with the new SLAM system, but it didn't feel quite up to Caldera level on first listen. Luckily CRBN avoids the treble forward tuning some electrostatic headphones adopt in pursuit of maximum speed and detail. I was sensing some elevation in the upper midrange in the horn zone on some tracks. Sometimes the vocals felt a little deep in the mix giving it a darker overall sound. Soundstage had nice width and there was tons of micro detail to get lost in. I didn't notice the STAX flatulence.

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Headamp CFA3 - I absolutely love this amp. Probably top 3 solid state amps I’ve heard my Caldera on. I don’t have a ton written down on specifics because I was just loving it. Feels very accurate, but with much welcomed tonal richness. If I could just keep buying amps this would be a quick purchase. Lots of power and authority.

SCHIIT STUFF - I listened to the upcoming Gungnir 2 DAC, the size companion to the MJOLNIR, paired with that amp. It sounded great and authoritative with the Caldera. I didn't take any notes, but it was a very positive reaction.

LTA (Linear Tube Audio) - Checked out the Aero DAC with a tube stage feeding their amps. I really like the sound of the LTA stuff. The chain at their booth had a lot of soul. I also heard their amp at a couple other booths and always enjoyed it.

RAAL IMMANIS and MAGNA - My gosh these are fantastic. Like previous RAAL headphones they present themselves in a unique speaker-y way that maybe only ribbon drivers can achieve. They have the speed of estats, but with the right amount of low end power. I loved both of these. The Immanis was technically superior and had a huge grandiose sound, but the Magna was not far behind. Magna actually had some things about the treble tuning that were a little easier on my ears on first listen. I’d love to hear these in a quiet environment and just get lost in the music.

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PUD's Small Batch Headphones - Got to try out some of these wild creations and present praise to Pud in-person. A lot of these sound as interesting as they look.

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I had to go check out the ZMF talk about starting up a headphone company. Key takeaways: The ADS system is really a Smucker's Uncrustable. ZMF is the Pringles of headphones.

I've left out a bunch of other cool stuff, but I know these are some of the hot ticket items people want impressions on. The biggest 2024 takeaway for me is that 3d printing is offering enthusiasts a lane to jump into the fold and start making interesting things. The Bokeh Open is probably the headphone I'm most excited about, but these creative 50mm dynamic headphones are very cool and should be watched / listened to.

Thank you to the Headfi team and all the amazing sponsors that make this event come together and set records each year.

Also shoutout to my dad who has been coming out every year to make SoCal CanJam a father son tradition.
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Good stuff man! Thanks for sharing.
 
Oct 6, 2024 at 9:09 AM Post #370 of 531
Has anyone had a chance to compare the Feliks Envy with the Auris Headonia 300b?
 
Oct 6, 2024 at 10:20 AM Post #371 of 531
Not likely. Aegis was developed from the start as a DIY friendly circuit, easy to build and troubleshoot, which also makes it a viable commercial design. Airmid, on the other hand, is not beginner friendly. It has surface mount components, complex power supply circuitry that would be near impossible for the average DIYer to troubleshoot, it would be a mess. DIY Aegis is probably the first and last DIY project I will release. It was, and continues to be, a major time sink. I don't regret it, but it has taken a lot of time to support. Some Airmid ingredients may appear in a future ZMF collaboration however, TBD on that front.
that makes sense; would be looking forward for that for sure
 
Oct 6, 2024 at 11:39 AM Post #373 of 531
Has anyone had a chance to compare the Feliks Envy with the Auris Headonia 300b?

Heard them both but with different headphones so can't really make a good comparison. From my unreliable 5 minute impressions the Headonia is definitely along with the same sound path as the Envy and the new Woo WA24 though: dynamics, impact and fast transients rather than emphasis on dense tonality. Definitely on the other side of the Cayin tube house sound as well as the Woo WA23 Luna
 
Oct 6, 2024 at 12:09 PM Post #374 of 531
Has anyone had a chance to compare the Feliks Envy with the Auris Headonia 300b?
I heard them one after another with my Caldera in London. Obviously, a lot depends on the tubes, but in general the Envy felt more neutral, very clean, crisp and detailed. The Headonia took a step towards the Egoista 845 and Primavera in tonality and 'denseness'. Headonia was detailed as well and spacious, but felt a little warmer and thicker, weightier than the Envy. I preferred the Egoista 845 and Primavera over them, those offered a little more nuance and refinement with the same dense, weighty and even more spacious sound. My favourite out of the four was the Primavera, but all four are fantastic amplifiers. Headonia felt like a more 'modern' tuning, with ever so slightly emphasised bass and treble, Envy felt the most 'traditional', most linear. Viva did everything well, but I couldn't really justify the enhanced price versus the others. Primavera had some tonal magic going on which I found really captivating.
 
Oct 6, 2024 at 12:20 PM Post #375 of 531
Headonia felt like a more 'modern' tuning, with ever so slightly emphasised bass and treble, Envy felt the most 'traditional', most linear.

This! Thanks for articulating what I couldn't!
 

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