Yes, Jude is a top man.
Went to find out if the Blue Hawaii sound much different than the Stax amp with the 009s. It does. Bugger.
Went to find out if the Blue Hawaii sound much different than the Stax amp with the 009s. It does. Bugger.
:flag_gb: CanJam London 2015 Impressions Thread! August 29-30, 2015!
- Thread starter warrenpchi
- Start date
- Status
inthere
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Apr 11, 2012
- Posts
- 2,588
- Likes
- 1,003
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2001
- Posts
- 13,473
- Likes
- 1,813
Long story there - I really, no REALLY liked the Questyle QP1R it sounding significantly cleaner than the AR M2 that I have, and - me being the impatient person I am, I started scouring the show for something that could give me a similar clean, open and airy sound as what the Questyle does - that led me to the Pure II+ (seeing that I already had the DUO, thought I'd check it out, and - the rest is history !)Congrats- what happened to going to a combined dac/amp system?? - must have liked it then
...The headphone out of the M2 sounds congested, heavy, wallowy in comparison to the Vorzuge...
It is a hideous disease
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2013
- Posts
- 670
- Likes
- 67
This was defo a star of the show, but not partnered by a brighter headphone like the HD800....stick with a warmer phone and then voila! A cheap AK...but a bit more forward...
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2013
- Posts
- 670
- Likes
- 67
My friend was most interested and impressed....and tried to buy right there and then but stocks already sold out!I had brief listen and just thought....solid sound, full bass, energy and all the detail you'd want...a modders dream or nightmare....if you assume Fostex addressed most the issues with the mk2.
I could only make it for Saturday, but was there pretty much the entire day listening to as much as possible. It was great to catch up with friends, both exhibitors and attendees, and there was certainly no shortage of interesting gear to play with. The standouts for me were...
-- Noble Savant - A wonderfully balanced iem without that v-shape that so many (even high end) iems insist on presenting, and at a great price considering the performance. They sounded great out of the demo AK240 and also straight out of my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. If I can dig up the cash, these will probably be my next iem.
-- RHA T20 - A more neutral iem from RHA and definitely my favourite from them. In terms of performance per ££, the best iem I heard on the day no doubt. I was all set to get some but have decided to wait a bit longer to get the Savant (although still tempted by the T20 to keep me going in the meantime!).
-- MrSpeakers Ether C - As an Alpha Prime owner, and someone who's also curious about a potential upgrade to an Ether from my HE-560s, I was keen to listen to both Ether versions. I never thought I'd say it, but whilst both sounded great, I prefered the Ether C by some margin. Seemingly all the benefits of a closed headphone without the drawbacks...they sound as open (even more so) than many open headphones, they weigh very little and virtually disappear on your head, and they give the sound a little more body & weight that the open Ether. Just stunning. I think Dan has an absolute winner on his hands here. Incidentally, everyone I asked also preferred the closed Ether to the open (five of us at least).
-- Schiit Yggdrasil - My first listen to the Yggy and I now understand the hype. Listening via the Rag/Ether C combo, you can clearly hear what the DAC is bringing to the party...the word I kept coming back to was "natural". Just lovely, and now even more on my radar than previously.
-- HiFiMan HE-1000 - I listened to two of these on the Hifiman table via the Hugo TT and the EF-6 and one on the Headamp table via the GS-X. The first two sounded great, just what I was expecting/hoping to hear when compared to my HE-560...more bass extension and a wider soundstage...a solid upgrade However, the HE-1000 on the Headamp table left me cold, sounding dull and lifeless. The difference to my ears was too great to be an amplification issue...I have a suspicion that there is an issue with those particular headphones, perhaps a problem with production consistency (not the first time I've heard this mentioned). Anyway, it's enough to prevent me from risking an HE-1000 purchase right now (even if I had the money!!) until it's been out there in the market for a good 12 months.
-- Kennerton Odin - I only got a chance to listen to these right at the end of the day as everyone was packing up, but they definitely left an impression. Listening through one of the Viva amps, the Odin sounded extremely dynamic, punchy, clear...very engaging indeed. I wish I had longer with them. The fella at the table said they were 3500 euros, which after a quick search is not correct I think...more like 2500 I think. They do weigh a ton, but the weight amazingly disappears when you put them on...clearly there is some impressive design going on there. I shall definitely be seeking these out for further testing before any major headphone upgrade in future.
-- Oppo HA-2 - A super design, great price and decent performance. Not much else to say!
-- Oppo PM1 & 2 - Surprisingly, my first head-time with the top end Oppo cans and I really enjoyed them. I'm quite partial to headphones with smooth highs & these definitely fit the bill. Gorgeous.
-- Hippo Mu - A cute little $88 portable player that actually sounds pretty decent! Quite a little surprise!
-- Blue Hawaii / 009 combo - As always, just sublime. Preferred the 009 vastly to the 007 through the BH...and it was in another league to the GS-X / HE-1000 on that table (but, again, I feel there's a fault there somewhere).
-- Pendulumic S1 - a wireless headphone that actually sounds half decent, and at a really great price. A proper bargain IMHO.
Some random pics to follow soon!
-- Noble Savant - A wonderfully balanced iem without that v-shape that so many (even high end) iems insist on presenting, and at a great price considering the performance. They sounded great out of the demo AK240 and also straight out of my Sony Xperia Z3 Compact. If I can dig up the cash, these will probably be my next iem.
-- RHA T20 - A more neutral iem from RHA and definitely my favourite from them. In terms of performance per ££, the best iem I heard on the day no doubt. I was all set to get some but have decided to wait a bit longer to get the Savant (although still tempted by the T20 to keep me going in the meantime!).
-- MrSpeakers Ether C - As an Alpha Prime owner, and someone who's also curious about a potential upgrade to an Ether from my HE-560s, I was keen to listen to both Ether versions. I never thought I'd say it, but whilst both sounded great, I prefered the Ether C by some margin. Seemingly all the benefits of a closed headphone without the drawbacks...they sound as open (even more so) than many open headphones, they weigh very little and virtually disappear on your head, and they give the sound a little more body & weight that the open Ether. Just stunning. I think Dan has an absolute winner on his hands here. Incidentally, everyone I asked also preferred the closed Ether to the open (five of us at least).
-- Schiit Yggdrasil - My first listen to the Yggy and I now understand the hype. Listening via the Rag/Ether C combo, you can clearly hear what the DAC is bringing to the party...the word I kept coming back to was "natural". Just lovely, and now even more on my radar than previously.
-- HiFiMan HE-1000 - I listened to two of these on the Hifiman table via the Hugo TT and the EF-6 and one on the Headamp table via the GS-X. The first two sounded great, just what I was expecting/hoping to hear when compared to my HE-560...more bass extension and a wider soundstage...a solid upgrade However, the HE-1000 on the Headamp table left me cold, sounding dull and lifeless. The difference to my ears was too great to be an amplification issue...I have a suspicion that there is an issue with those particular headphones, perhaps a problem with production consistency (not the first time I've heard this mentioned). Anyway, it's enough to prevent me from risking an HE-1000 purchase right now (even if I had the money!!) until it's been out there in the market for a good 12 months.
-- Kennerton Odin - I only got a chance to listen to these right at the end of the day as everyone was packing up, but they definitely left an impression. Listening through one of the Viva amps, the Odin sounded extremely dynamic, punchy, clear...very engaging indeed. I wish I had longer with them. The fella at the table said they were 3500 euros, which after a quick search is not correct I think...more like 2500 I think. They do weigh a ton, but the weight amazingly disappears when you put them on...clearly there is some impressive design going on there. I shall definitely be seeking these out for further testing before any major headphone upgrade in future.
-- Oppo HA-2 - A super design, great price and decent performance. Not much else to say!
-- Oppo PM1 & 2 - Surprisingly, my first head-time with the top end Oppo cans and I really enjoyed them. I'm quite partial to headphones with smooth highs & these definitely fit the bill. Gorgeous.
-- Hippo Mu - A cute little $88 portable player that actually sounds pretty decent! Quite a little surprise!
-- Blue Hawaii / 009 combo - As always, just sublime. Preferred the 009 vastly to the 007 through the BH...and it was in another league to the GS-X / HE-1000 on that table (but, again, I feel there's a fault there somewhere).
-- Pendulumic S1 - a wireless headphone that actually sounds half decent, and at a really great price. A proper bargain IMHO.
Some random pics to follow soon!
- Joined
- May 3, 2009
- Posts
- 4,761
- Likes
- 579
I seems to have underestimated the slowness of trains on Sunday. I don't think I can arrive before 1200 thanks to it stopping on every single station on the way....
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2001
- Posts
- 13,473
- Likes
- 1,813
Haha, yes, I have engineering works on my line, a ten minute stretch of track took 45 minutes to traverse, haven't even reached the works yet...
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2010
- Posts
- 1,786
- Likes
- 506
The exact reason I went yesterday, Sunday transport in the UK always bad.
Anyway hope you get enough time to enjoy all the toys at CanJam when you arrive
Youth
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Dec 6, 2014
- Posts
- 2,478
- Likes
- 362
Did anyone try the T1.2 or DT 1770 Pro?
Hi Duncan, we got half way home yesterday from Liv Street to Southend when train stopped at Shenfield, and despite constant promises and announcements, nothing came for two hours. It was starting to get ugly, but we met two Spurs fans on way home from their match (ironic as we are Arsenal fans!) and shared 15 mile trip back as we found they lived a half mile away! Great talking to you yesterday. Excellent meet.
- Joined
- May 3, 2009
- Posts
- 4,761
- Likes
- 579
Finally at Waterloo, seems like I will be late today...
1770 very nice.
Mark (pedalhead) said most of what I was going to say!
My top 5
HE-1000 (driven out of HiFiMan amp at their stand)
Noble Savant
Ether C
Questyle QPR1
Pioneer SE-Master1
The first headphone I went to on the day was the HE-1000 at the HiFiMan table. It was the most natural presentation I've heard on any headphone. I didn't try it out with my own material, but there was a stupidly amazing jazz track playing on the track. I could almost smell the smoke and whisky--that is how realistic my front row seat was. Every instrument was perfectly placed and reproduced exactly as it would sound if it were right in front of me in a room with excellent acoustics. That said, I also tried the HE-1000 on the HeadAmp setup, and they sounded timid, like they were holding something back, soft. It was a night and day experience. I'd still do a happy conga line with every stranger I can find in Southampton if I won them. I was also quite impressed with the HE-400S. The bang per buck was absolutely exquisite on them, great dynamic sound, really engaging.
The Noble Savant was the best IEM I heard on the day, and I listened to the JH Audio Angie and Layla. The price just makes it a no brainer. They are a ridiculous bargain at $599. They have an open, natural sound with very precise imaging, and excellent decay on instruments. To my ears, the whole presentation was about as good as it gets. The Angie and Layla had a slightly superior sound, but they are monstrous and uncomfortable to wear. I think both of them would end up constantly falling out of my ear. I drove all the IEMs using my iBasso DX50 and stress tested all of them with this track: Katherine Bryan - Flute Concerto Alla Marcia II. If you want to see whether the treble is to your liking on any pair of headphones, this track will tell you. It is also great for the giant tympani strike it has in the middle. It flows outward and fills the room giving a good idea of whether you are getting proper decay.
Ether Cs are better than the Ether. For me the main reason to get an open headphone is for the increase in soundstage and feeling of air. The Ether C has just as big a soundstage as the Ether and has a more precise feel to the instrumentation. I like my bass notes rounded and well defined, because that is how bass sounds. When a drum strike happens it should feel compact, I'm not saying that the Ether doesn't have this feeling--it does in spades, but the Ether C has it more. This was the same reason that I liked the Audeze EL-8 closed over the EL-8 open. The EL-8 closed has more natural bass and drums and doesn't lose any of the soundstage or air of the EL-8 open. I felt that the EL-8 open gave an unnatural splashiness to drum strikes, like it was adding air that shouldn't be there. The EL-8 closed is on the top of my buy list, as I thought it was the most natural sounding headphone in it's price range. I don't know why anyone would buy an LCD-2 over an EL-8. The EL-8 is more comfortable, sounds better, and costs less.
I have liked the Sennheiser HD800 on less than half of the amps that I've played it out of. It is a temperamental beast that I'll never be buying. If I jump up to that price range, there are headphones that I'll enjoy more, like the Ether C or the OPPO PM2 (lovely engaging sound without any fatiguing elements, very natural and spacious for £699). I will say, though, that the HD800 sounded gorgeous out of the Questyle QPR1. The bass is very temperamental on the HD800 and the Questyle hits it just right. I listened to some DSD tracks on the Questyle and it really showcases how damn sexy DSD is. DSD needs to be played natively to get the full benefit of the sound, it loses some emotion when sent over DoP and even more when converted. Questyle knocks it out of the park on sound quality. It also had a good deal of juice to drive headphones. It was able to drive the Ethers well. The price is a relative bargain for this beautiful (loving the gold glitz) sex machine DAP. It has gorgeous lines and a good heavy feel in hand. This sucker means business. The only negatives were the wheel interface and the current lack of support for use as an external DAC. Questyle, if you are listening, add that feature now.
The Pioneer SE-Master1 has a hefty price tag of £1699, but I think it might justify it. It doesn't have the expansive soundstage of the HD800, but it beats it in every other fashion. It is more well built, it sounds like a planar magnetic (it's dynamic), and it has a really intoxicating sound. I was able to drive it really well out of my DX50, but didn't get a chance to hear what it would sound like with proper amplification as there were some technical difficulties with their big windows touchscreen interface. I probably should have tried to use my DX50s line-out, but it was near the end of the day and I was very very hungry. These headphones are priced at about the same price as the Ethers, and each are hand-crafted and well constructed, but these Pioneers are going to be super rare. There are have only been50 120ish made so far, and the set at the meet was 1 of 4 in the UK. Most of these will be going to the Japanese market and only 1000 will be made. These headphones should keep their value for resale, and they are an absolute delight to listen to. I'd love to get a chance to A-B with the Ether and Ether C, but that wasn't possible.
Best Bargains
The best bargains of the show were the Noble Savant, the RHA T20, the Hippo Mu (uses the mu symbol for the u in the name), and the Fostex T20RP MkIII. The Noble Savant is a giant killer, and even engages in fratricide (it gorily ripped out it's older brother, the Noble 6's, guts). The RHA T20 is superbly built and sounds excellent (thought it does have some strident treble on my treble murder track above). The diminutive Hippo Mu DAP is set to retail for only $88 (~£55) and sounded fantastic. It has some limitations, it has no internal storage, a simple text based LED interface, only plays to 24/96, and currently accepts only microSD up to 32GB (may be upgraded in a firmware update). I paired it with the 'Hyperdynamic Transducer' prototype IEMs at the table, and boy was that an excellent combo for under £200. The Hippo Mu also does something pretty cool, it has built in storage for extra microSD cards, so you can just make a few 32GB playlists and go. I'd take this camping or cycling, or give it as a gift to someone who hasn't yet heard great audio--it will blow them away. The Fostex T20RP MkIII is absolutely brilliant for £115 (£97.75 show price from Custom Cables), buy one! It sounds almost as good as my Sennheiser HD600, and that isn't even taking into account that there are sure to be some cool mods that make them sound even better.
Bits and bobs
The Abyss sounded absolutely gorgeous out of the Viva amp. It was heavy, and didn't touch my ears, but it had a wonderful natural sound with a huge soundstage. That said, I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing them for long as if I wanted to move my head forward any they would probably fall off my head and crush any hopes of having future progeny. These things are built like a tank and look like a medieval torture device, but they do sound like heaven. For the price, I'd rather go with a number of other headphones (you can see the list of them above).
I thought that the KEF M500 sounded better than all the other on ear headphones in it's class that I heard, and I told them so. There is the caveat that I had probably attenuated to those other headphones, as I had just done V-Moda and the top of the line Soul Combat headphone. The Soul Combat was pretty darn good for a sport headphone. They are sweatproof, lightweight and should stay on your head well while exercising. I thought the Soul Combat was very reasonably priced. They had an chart with price quadrants, with value and performance as the axes. I thought they were honest about their performance, but that they should have been lower on the price axis. Apparently, a friend of the guy at the stand is an ultra-marathon runner who has worn the Combat headphone for about 1000 miles, not too shabby.
Windows touch screen systems all had problems. The aforementioned pioneer had issues, as did the tablets at the Questyle table. I'd advise presenters to just bring a computer or bring an android or apple tablet, something more likely to just work.
If you love a mid-centric signature, the OPPO PM-3 has liquid silk mids and excellent overall performance for its £349 price point. I want to get a pair for my work headphones. I'll just put on the tunes and tell everyone to piss off, I'm busy.
A few of my favourite people
It was a delight to see Trev (takeanidea), Mark (pedalhead), and Iain (RHA Audio) again. It was a pleasure to meet Dillan (dill3000) and Vera. Dillan has the sexiest HE-6 headphones around (they beat the HE-1000, but are damn near impossible to drive compared to the HE-1000). I look forward to hanging out with all of you soon. It was also a pleasure to meet Jude and Warren, I hope the show is as successful as you want it to be. I can't wait to get involved with organising the next UK head-fi meet. This is just too much fun!
My top 5
HE-1000 (driven out of HiFiMan amp at their stand)
Noble Savant
Ether C
Questyle QPR1
Pioneer SE-Master1
The first headphone I went to on the day was the HE-1000 at the HiFiMan table. It was the most natural presentation I've heard on any headphone. I didn't try it out with my own material, but there was a stupidly amazing jazz track playing on the track. I could almost smell the smoke and whisky--that is how realistic my front row seat was. Every instrument was perfectly placed and reproduced exactly as it would sound if it were right in front of me in a room with excellent acoustics. That said, I also tried the HE-1000 on the HeadAmp setup, and they sounded timid, like they were holding something back, soft. It was a night and day experience. I'd still do a happy conga line with every stranger I can find in Southampton if I won them. I was also quite impressed with the HE-400S. The bang per buck was absolutely exquisite on them, great dynamic sound, really engaging.
The Noble Savant was the best IEM I heard on the day, and I listened to the JH Audio Angie and Layla. The price just makes it a no brainer. They are a ridiculous bargain at $599. They have an open, natural sound with very precise imaging, and excellent decay on instruments. To my ears, the whole presentation was about as good as it gets. The Angie and Layla had a slightly superior sound, but they are monstrous and uncomfortable to wear. I think both of them would end up constantly falling out of my ear. I drove all the IEMs using my iBasso DX50 and stress tested all of them with this track: Katherine Bryan - Flute Concerto Alla Marcia II. If you want to see whether the treble is to your liking on any pair of headphones, this track will tell you. It is also great for the giant tympani strike it has in the middle. It flows outward and fills the room giving a good idea of whether you are getting proper decay.
Ether Cs are better than the Ether. For me the main reason to get an open headphone is for the increase in soundstage and feeling of air. The Ether C has just as big a soundstage as the Ether and has a more precise feel to the instrumentation. I like my bass notes rounded and well defined, because that is how bass sounds. When a drum strike happens it should feel compact, I'm not saying that the Ether doesn't have this feeling--it does in spades, but the Ether C has it more. This was the same reason that I liked the Audeze EL-8 closed over the EL-8 open. The EL-8 closed has more natural bass and drums and doesn't lose any of the soundstage or air of the EL-8 open. I felt that the EL-8 open gave an unnatural splashiness to drum strikes, like it was adding air that shouldn't be there. The EL-8 closed is on the top of my buy list, as I thought it was the most natural sounding headphone in it's price range. I don't know why anyone would buy an LCD-2 over an EL-8. The EL-8 is more comfortable, sounds better, and costs less.
I have liked the Sennheiser HD800 on less than half of the amps that I've played it out of. It is a temperamental beast that I'll never be buying. If I jump up to that price range, there are headphones that I'll enjoy more, like the Ether C or the OPPO PM2 (lovely engaging sound without any fatiguing elements, very natural and spacious for £699). I will say, though, that the HD800 sounded gorgeous out of the Questyle QPR1. The bass is very temperamental on the HD800 and the Questyle hits it just right. I listened to some DSD tracks on the Questyle and it really showcases how damn sexy DSD is. DSD needs to be played natively to get the full benefit of the sound, it loses some emotion when sent over DoP and even more when converted. Questyle knocks it out of the park on sound quality. It also had a good deal of juice to drive headphones. It was able to drive the Ethers well. The price is a relative bargain for this beautiful (loving the gold glitz) sex machine DAP. It has gorgeous lines and a good heavy feel in hand. This sucker means business. The only negatives were the wheel interface and the current lack of support for use as an external DAC. Questyle, if you are listening, add that feature now.
The Pioneer SE-Master1 has a hefty price tag of £1699, but I think it might justify it. It doesn't have the expansive soundstage of the HD800, but it beats it in every other fashion. It is more well built, it sounds like a planar magnetic (it's dynamic), and it has a really intoxicating sound. I was able to drive it really well out of my DX50, but didn't get a chance to hear what it would sound like with proper amplification as there were some technical difficulties with their big windows touchscreen interface. I probably should have tried to use my DX50s line-out, but it was near the end of the day and I was very very hungry. These headphones are priced at about the same price as the Ethers, and each are hand-crafted and well constructed, but these Pioneers are going to be super rare. There are have only been
Best Bargains
The best bargains of the show were the Noble Savant, the RHA T20, the Hippo Mu (uses the mu symbol for the u in the name), and the Fostex T20RP MkIII. The Noble Savant is a giant killer, and even engages in fratricide (it gorily ripped out it's older brother, the Noble 6's, guts). The RHA T20 is superbly built and sounds excellent (thought it does have some strident treble on my treble murder track above). The diminutive Hippo Mu DAP is set to retail for only $88 (~£55) and sounded fantastic. It has some limitations, it has no internal storage, a simple text based LED interface, only plays to 24/96, and currently accepts only microSD up to 32GB (may be upgraded in a firmware update). I paired it with the 'Hyperdynamic Transducer' prototype IEMs at the table, and boy was that an excellent combo for under £200. The Hippo Mu also does something pretty cool, it has built in storage for extra microSD cards, so you can just make a few 32GB playlists and go. I'd take this camping or cycling, or give it as a gift to someone who hasn't yet heard great audio--it will blow them away. The Fostex T20RP MkIII is absolutely brilliant for £115 (£97.75 show price from Custom Cables), buy one! It sounds almost as good as my Sennheiser HD600, and that isn't even taking into account that there are sure to be some cool mods that make them sound even better.
Bits and bobs
The Abyss sounded absolutely gorgeous out of the Viva amp. It was heavy, and didn't touch my ears, but it had a wonderful natural sound with a huge soundstage. That said, I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing them for long as if I wanted to move my head forward any they would probably fall off my head and crush any hopes of having future progeny. These things are built like a tank and look like a medieval torture device, but they do sound like heaven. For the price, I'd rather go with a number of other headphones (you can see the list of them above).
I thought that the KEF M500 sounded better than all the other on ear headphones in it's class that I heard, and I told them so. There is the caveat that I had probably attenuated to those other headphones, as I had just done V-Moda and the top of the line Soul Combat headphone. The Soul Combat was pretty darn good for a sport headphone. They are sweatproof, lightweight and should stay on your head well while exercising. I thought the Soul Combat was very reasonably priced. They had an chart with price quadrants, with value and performance as the axes. I thought they were honest about their performance, but that they should have been lower on the price axis. Apparently, a friend of the guy at the stand is an ultra-marathon runner who has worn the Combat headphone for about 1000 miles, not too shabby.
Windows touch screen systems all had problems. The aforementioned pioneer had issues, as did the tablets at the Questyle table. I'd advise presenters to just bring a computer or bring an android or apple tablet, something more likely to just work.
If you love a mid-centric signature, the OPPO PM-3 has liquid silk mids and excellent overall performance for its £349 price point. I want to get a pair for my work headphones. I'll just put on the tunes and tell everyone to piss off, I'm busy.
A few of my favourite people
It was a delight to see Trev (takeanidea), Mark (pedalhead), and Iain (RHA Audio) again. It was a pleasure to meet Dillan (dill3000) and Vera. Dillan has the sexiest HE-6 headphones around (they beat the HE-1000, but are damn near impossible to drive compared to the HE-1000). I look forward to hanging out with all of you soon. It was also a pleasure to meet Jude and Warren, I hope the show is as successful as you want it to be. I can't wait to get involved with organising the next UK head-fi meet. This is just too much fun!
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2005
- Posts
- 3,871
- Likes
- 1,155
Saturday attendee reporting and just about managed to see the things I wanted to, hitting 90% of exhibits. Will have to attend both days next year and especially if CanJam London 2016 is bigger and badder Please wrap spoiler tags around photos if quoting this post! Select individual photos to view full-size. Apologies for any focus issues (blame me, not the Samsung Note 4). My writing is from memory only having not taken any notes and so may contain inaccuracies.
Leaving the house - so early!
Exiting Russell Square Station
Main entrance
Getting lost. Please just tell me which way??!!?
Preview behind the scenes before opening time. And the award for the biggest sign and best in show brand placement goes to...
IEM Clinic tables
Registered!
New HE400S and HE1000!!!
The good people of HFM explained that they normally do not attend shows with other manufacturer sources, but made an exception for the Chord Hugo TT. Convenient as i am already familiar with the Hugo TT sound (please see my six-page review in the Head Gear section). The chap in front of me (not the person in the photo) remarked he thought the soundstage was too much and did not like the HE1000. Booting up Bruno Mars the soundstage is very wide but without the occasional distracting jaggedness or pointedness of the HD800 soundstage. Good separation, killer bass, very good tonal quality and no peaks or troughs. Not a headphone that seeks to artificially attract your attention by boosting a frequency but rather a headphone that is confident in all areas. There is an effortlessness to the presentation that lot many headphones get quite right. This is a definite top-tier headphone with a price to match. Very comfortable to wear with the strap and in person the styling of the cups is alright.
Fostex! i just feel their adjacent neighbour HFM is pushing harder in the headphone arena right now and on the earphones front, RHA was opposite with cheaper and better earphones.
Questyle secured prominent placement in the Show Guide. Knowing nothing about them (my wallet has resisted the revival of 'audiophile' daps) this little device blew me away. Very solid build and nice weight. Colour is pretty. The control scheme could do with some work. Detection of gestures on the scroll wheel was inconsistent and for me any tech has to pass the "usability without reading the manual". The normal scrolling up and down a list and using the centre button itself was fine although could do with fast scrolling being built-into the software. All that aside the sound is really to my liking. I have always found A&K to be a touch too dark and low-end weighty for my personal tastes. The clarity of the QP1 sound was really impressive. Clear, good timbre, extended and just the right amount of fullness. No apparent boosting of different frequencies and very good balance. With my Shure SE846 the extension and impact is as good as i have ever heard them. Really enjoying the bass rumble.
Pendulumic's wireless headphone has a built-in rechargeable battery and also removable triple-AAA batteries giving an extra 8-hours playback. Despite this they felt very light. Still frustrated by my lack of a wireless headphone...
My man in front explained that he was queuing only for the Blue Hawaii. After patiently waiting and also accidentally losing my place because Peter manning the table who is absolutely delightful and charming (nothing to do with my being a Pico Power owner i am sure), the Stax combination is best of show for me. There is an effortlessness to the presentation that pulled it ahead of the GS-X and HE1000 setup. The previous poster mentioned there was a cold edge to the HE1000 and which is noticeable against the Stax system, which i would agree with though for me it was slight. This was not something i encountered with the earlier Hugo TT pairing so perhaps there is a system synergy consideration. I was not under the impression there is a production output factor in play. i did not ask about the price of the SR-009 and BH system . All other manufacturers need to pay attention to HeadAmp because as far as build quality and finish goes they are on it, right down to the accessories like the perfectly form-fitting leather portable amplifier case.
Currently in the market for new cables. This HK brand offers interesting cables and it was good to get the opportunity to test, even in such a short time. As someone who buys for ergonomics first, the silver and gold TOTL did enhance my SE846 bass whilst taming the hard treble edge of the stock cable. The copper wire was warmer sounding and quite nice. A toss-up between either.
Easily the hardest working guy at the show. Not the only exhibitor with a lone representative but nobody else had as many testing pods - and they at least sat down! Brannan thought it was funny that my CanJam spend will dictate whether i can get a PS4 and MGSV in September (the answer: no, due to subsequent purchases in the next suite, c'est la vie). Managed to secure the chair in front of the Chord Hugo, with Savant and K10. The Savant is more balanced sounding but not as flat as Etymotic. There is still a punchiness. Turning to the K10 (the show is not my first listen), my Shure SE846 has greater sub-bass quantity and impact. Some ears would perceive it as boosted. For all round balance, the K10 bass quantity is still good and could not be accused as boosted. The midrange on K10 is better than SE846 and there is an ethereal quality. Treble would go to the K10 again. Extended but without some of the annoyances of the SE846 treble presentation. BTS worked great with my Samsung Note 4. I did find the BT connection took some of the low end extension away from my Shure SE846 but of course you are measuring that against wireless convenience.
Speaking of which then, linum BaX cable purchased for my SE846. The Super BaX difference was very slight. i think what others have posted in the linum thread about what the current cable does to the SE846 sound is a touch overstated. I did sign up for the Super pre-order list also though.
Sennheisser know how to put on an exhibit. Busy busy, put it off hoping there would be a return chance.
i know i know, but next week finally my Fostex TH900 will be in a close encounter with Custom-Cable's demo Pioneer SE-Master1 for a mini-showdown (i think the Pioneer rep mentioned Custom Cable will secure a number of the UK units but please ask @PhilW rather than quoting me). Please look out in the Pioneer thread for the forthcoming ramblings. For now i will only add that Tidal was one of the winners of the show in that seemingly everyone with a computer or notebook were running Tidal
HFM and Oppo seem to be in their personal battle to improve on the ergonomics and comfort of planar technology, although there is clearly only one winner if we are discussing design. Audeze need to step up and their lack of recognition is bewildering. Since testing the PM3 earlier this year, Oppo have refreshed the blue and red colours. The red seemed more vibrant. I was advised that the paler blue was deliberate. Connection to Samsung Note 4 was automatic but i did find a touch of interference. Hmm. The build quality and finish of the HA-2 is really lovely. The form factor is perfect. Going to hit up the HA-2 thread about EMI
That is Andy Shiach, the founder of ACS. Privileged buyee. He should not wash that side of his face until at least Wednesday.
@moedawg140 posted a review about sesaphonics sleeve for his SE846. He dropped occasional mentions to sleeve up my SE846. Unfortunately sensaphonics are a US company. Fortunately snugs were in attendance at CanJam. They even had a demonstration half-sleeve and full-sleeve demonstration on each earpiece of the Shure SE846 that belonged to one of the employees. After patiently answering far too many of my questions sat down for a 3D scan of my ears. Quick and simple. Now the wait...
i was on the UK review tour of the T20 (link) so my attention was on the new budget S500i, which officially is debuting in Germany next month. My unofficial quick impressions of the S500i then are that it borrows many physical design cues of the RHA line. Cable still seems very long. In terms of sound i thought it was fuller than the thinner sounding Fostex earphones and with more bass. Still think the T20 at £179 - cheaper than other earphones - represents a fine purchase for anyone who does not want to shoot for four-figure universals. Woo Audio sadly was not in attendance but by a random quirk of happenstance, the RHA guys have a WA7 to take with them to every show
KEF brought new product in the M400 headphones and M100 earphones. The existing M500 was also in attendance. Just like the M500, the M400 and M100 need more juice than other manufacturer offerings to drive properly. I would like it if KEF made their line more sensitive. Anyway the M400 seems to be darker than the M500 in that the mid-range and treble is not as forward and lacks the quality and resolution of the M500. The M100 earphone shares the same colour scheme. Nice bass rumble although i still think the RHA T20 is a better sounding earphone
The guys at Audio-Technica asked if i know about the Sony MDR-1R. "Sure, i purchased the mk2 in Tokyo". There are definite physical design similarities. Without having my Sony to hand, the AT seems to have more of a treble lift, so it is a matter of preference. The headphone lacked the usual colouration of AT headphones (being an ex-ESW9 owner). This apparently was deliberate to go head-to-head with competitors and the Sony MDR-1R was again mentioned. AT say they are still working on the headband and are looking at one with more comfort and give. On that note i do think the 1R is still the comfort king.
Disappointingly the Usain Bolt inspired "yellow" edition was not present as from the flyer it looked much better than anything on the table. They say Usain consulted on the rugged sports version, so you can twist the headband (reminiscent of my previous German Maestro) and it is sweat resistant
i was quietly impressed by AKG's new headphone. After getting over the £1300 sticker shock, it was time to sit down for a listen. After the headphone scanned my ear to deliver a "personalised sound" i liked my brief listen. Very good passive isolation, no doubt assisted by the big comfortable pads that sit around the ear. Big soundstage. Good texture and impact to the bass. Good clarity to the vocal. Definitely something to explore further. i for one liked the colour scheme.
New product. User-replaceable cups. Different materials. Even 3D printing. The gold there is actually gold-plated brass, though apparently some rich Saudi Arabian customers have ordered solid gold cups. Did ask about scratches and apparently there is a VM screwdriver that will prevent shredding and accidents. After pairing with my Samsung Note 4 this is definitely a dark bass-heavy signature, though not to the extent of Beats. Can see this doing well for a certain demographic.
IEM clinic table! This is just a mere fraction of what was available. I cannot remember the top photo but really enjoyed the sound. Arrgh!
This side room completely passed me by (yes, i know it is on the map). The amp has lots of Creative technologies harnessed from their computing expertise. And you know what, it does make a tangible difference. The price of £170 was a surprise as i was expecting it to begin with a "2" such is the abundance of features and connectivity. N.B. Samsung smartphone owners should avoid updating to Lollipop if they wish to pair with this, no ETA on a Samsung fix and who knows if that will happen with new models recently announced...
HD630 VB checking in! In the background is my complete set of stamps (was not intending to participate in anticipation of only attending for one-day, but actually it was only 16-exhibitors to collect). Quite comfortable to wear despite being on the larger side. It was being driven easily by a tethered portable dap though it is more home headphone proportioned. The variable bass is a nice consumer touch though the show was a touch loud to fully verify anything. The effect was nevertheless tangible. Smooth and no distortion. Good job. For a closed headphone the soundstage was quite good. Presumably people will want to compare with the Fostex TH600. Isolation was respectable and the worst excesses of show conditions was filtered out.
Obviously had to go back to the HeadAmp table before heading home
Those droplets is the British weather right on cue. Think spread it out over two-days next year!
Back to the start of the day. This was taken a few moments before bumping into Jude, who wanted to make it clear he had taken a back seat and it is these guys (and a few others not pictured) that deserve the credit for making the show happen. Indeed. Great show to everyone involved!
Leaving the house - so early!
Exiting Russell Square Station
Main entrance
Getting lost. Please just tell me which way??!!?
Preview behind the scenes before opening time. And the award for the biggest sign and best in show brand placement goes to...
IEM Clinic tables
Registered!
New HE400S and HE1000!!!
The good people of HFM explained that they normally do not attend shows with other manufacturer sources, but made an exception for the Chord Hugo TT. Convenient as i am already familiar with the Hugo TT sound (please see my six-page review in the Head Gear section). The chap in front of me (not the person in the photo) remarked he thought the soundstage was too much and did not like the HE1000. Booting up Bruno Mars the soundstage is very wide but without the occasional distracting jaggedness or pointedness of the HD800 soundstage. Good separation, killer bass, very good tonal quality and no peaks or troughs. Not a headphone that seeks to artificially attract your attention by boosting a frequency but rather a headphone that is confident in all areas. There is an effortlessness to the presentation that lot many headphones get quite right. This is a definite top-tier headphone with a price to match. Very comfortable to wear with the strap and in person the styling of the cups is alright.
Fostex! i just feel their adjacent neighbour HFM is pushing harder in the headphone arena right now and on the earphones front, RHA was opposite with cheaper and better earphones.
Questyle secured prominent placement in the Show Guide. Knowing nothing about them (my wallet has resisted the revival of 'audiophile' daps) this little device blew me away. Very solid build and nice weight. Colour is pretty. The control scheme could do with some work. Detection of gestures on the scroll wheel was inconsistent and for me any tech has to pass the "usability without reading the manual". The normal scrolling up and down a list and using the centre button itself was fine although could do with fast scrolling being built-into the software. All that aside the sound is really to my liking. I have always found A&K to be a touch too dark and low-end weighty for my personal tastes. The clarity of the QP1 sound was really impressive. Clear, good timbre, extended and just the right amount of fullness. No apparent boosting of different frequencies and very good balance. With my Shure SE846 the extension and impact is as good as i have ever heard them. Really enjoying the bass rumble.
Pendulumic's wireless headphone has a built-in rechargeable battery and also removable triple-AAA batteries giving an extra 8-hours playback. Despite this they felt very light. Still frustrated by my lack of a wireless headphone...
My man in front explained that he was queuing only for the Blue Hawaii. After patiently waiting and also accidentally losing my place because Peter manning the table who is absolutely delightful and charming (nothing to do with my being a Pico Power owner i am sure), the Stax combination is best of show for me. There is an effortlessness to the presentation that pulled it ahead of the GS-X and HE1000 setup. The previous poster mentioned there was a cold edge to the HE1000 and which is noticeable against the Stax system, which i would agree with though for me it was slight. This was not something i encountered with the earlier Hugo TT pairing so perhaps there is a system synergy consideration. I was not under the impression there is a production output factor in play. i did not ask about the price of the SR-009 and BH system
. All other manufacturers need to pay attention to HeadAmp because as far as build quality and finish goes they are on it, right down to the accessories like the perfectly form-fitting leather portable amplifier case.Currently in the market for new cables. This HK brand offers interesting cables and it was good to get the opportunity to test, even in such a short time. As someone who buys for ergonomics first, the silver and gold TOTL did enhance my SE846 bass whilst taming the hard treble edge of the stock cable. The copper wire was warmer sounding and quite nice. A toss-up between either.
Easily the hardest working guy at the show. Not the only exhibitor with a lone representative but nobody else had as many testing pods - and they at least sat down! Brannan thought it was funny that my CanJam spend will dictate whether i can get a PS4 and MGSV in September (the answer: no, due to subsequent purchases in the next suite, c'est la vie). Managed to secure the chair in front of the Chord Hugo, with Savant and K10. The Savant is more balanced sounding but not as flat as Etymotic. There is still a punchiness. Turning to the K10 (the show is not my first listen), my Shure SE846 has greater sub-bass quantity and impact. Some ears would perceive it as boosted. For all round balance, the K10 bass quantity is still good and could not be accused as boosted. The midrange on K10 is better than SE846 and there is an ethereal quality. Treble would go to the K10 again. Extended but without some of the annoyances of the SE846 treble presentation. BTS worked great with my Samsung Note 4. I did find the BT connection took some of the low end extension away from my Shure SE846 but of course you are measuring that against wireless convenience.
Speaking of which then, linum BaX cable purchased for my SE846. The Super BaX difference was very slight. i think what others have posted in the linum thread about what the current cable does to the SE846 sound is a touch overstated. I did sign up for the Super pre-order list also though.
Sennheisser know how to put on an exhibit. Busy busy, put it off hoping there would be a return chance.
i know i know, but next week finally my Fostex TH900 will be in a close encounter with Custom-Cable's demo Pioneer SE-Master1 for a mini-showdown (i think the Pioneer rep mentioned Custom Cable will secure a number of the UK units but please ask @PhilW rather than quoting me). Please look out in the Pioneer thread for the forthcoming ramblings. For now i will only add that Tidal was one of the winners of the show in that seemingly everyone with a computer or notebook were running Tidal
HFM and Oppo seem to be in their personal battle to improve on the ergonomics and comfort of planar technology, although there is clearly only one winner if we are discussing design. Audeze need to step up and their lack of recognition is bewildering. Since testing the PM3 earlier this year, Oppo have refreshed the blue and red colours. The red seemed more vibrant. I was advised that the paler blue was deliberate. Connection to Samsung Note 4 was automatic but i did find a touch of interference. Hmm. The build quality and finish of the HA-2 is really lovely. The form factor is perfect. Going to hit up the HA-2 thread about EMI
That is Andy Shiach, the founder of ACS. Privileged buyee. He should not wash that side of his face until at least Wednesday.
@moedawg140 posted a review about sesaphonics sleeve for his SE846. He dropped occasional mentions to sleeve up my SE846. Unfortunately sensaphonics are a US company. Fortunately snugs were in attendance at CanJam. They even had a demonstration half-sleeve and full-sleeve demonstration on each earpiece of the Shure SE846 that belonged to one of the employees. After patiently answering far too many of my questions sat down for a 3D scan of my ears. Quick and simple. Now the wait...
i was on the UK review tour of the T20 (link) so my attention was on the new budget S500i, which officially is debuting in Germany next month. My unofficial quick impressions of the S500i then are that it borrows many physical design cues of the RHA line. Cable still seems very long. In terms of sound i thought it was fuller than the thinner sounding Fostex earphones and with more bass. Still think the T20 at £179 - cheaper than other earphones - represents a fine purchase for anyone who does not want to shoot for four-figure universals. Woo Audio sadly was not in attendance but by a random quirk of happenstance, the RHA guys have a WA7 to take with them to every show
KEF brought new product in the M400 headphones and M100 earphones. The existing M500 was also in attendance. Just like the M500, the M400 and M100 need more juice than other manufacturer offerings to drive properly. I would like it if KEF made their line more sensitive. Anyway the M400 seems to be darker than the M500 in that the mid-range and treble is not as forward and lacks the quality and resolution of the M500. The M100 earphone shares the same colour scheme. Nice bass rumble although i still think the RHA T20 is a better sounding earphone
The guys at Audio-Technica asked if i know about the Sony MDR-1R. "Sure, i purchased the mk2 in Tokyo". There are definite physical design similarities. Without having my Sony to hand, the AT seems to have more of a treble lift, so it is a matter of preference. The headphone lacked the usual colouration of AT headphones (being an ex-ESW9 owner). This apparently was deliberate to go head-to-head with competitors and the Sony MDR-1R was again mentioned. AT say they are still working on the headband and are looking at one with more comfort and give. On that note i do think the 1R is still the comfort king.
Disappointingly the Usain Bolt inspired "yellow" edition was not present as from the flyer it looked much better than anything on the table. They say Usain consulted on the rugged sports version, so you can twist the headband (reminiscent of my previous German Maestro) and it is sweat resistant
i was quietly impressed by AKG's new headphone. After getting over the £1300 sticker shock, it was time to sit down for a listen. After the headphone scanned my ear to deliver a "personalised sound" i liked my brief listen. Very good passive isolation, no doubt assisted by the big comfortable pads that sit around the ear. Big soundstage. Good texture and impact to the bass. Good clarity to the vocal. Definitely something to explore further. i for one liked the colour scheme.
New product. User-replaceable cups. Different materials. Even 3D printing. The gold there is actually gold-plated brass, though apparently some rich Saudi Arabian customers have ordered solid gold cups. Did ask about scratches and apparently there is a VM screwdriver that will prevent shredding and accidents. After pairing with my Samsung Note 4 this is definitely a dark bass-heavy signature, though not to the extent of Beats. Can see this doing well for a certain demographic.
IEM clinic table! This is just a mere fraction of what was available. I cannot remember the top photo but really enjoyed the sound. Arrgh!
This side room completely passed me by (yes, i know it is on the map). The amp has lots of Creative technologies harnessed from their computing expertise. And you know what, it does make a tangible difference. The price of £170 was a surprise as i was expecting it to begin with a "2" such is the abundance of features and connectivity. N.B. Samsung smartphone owners should avoid updating to Lollipop if they wish to pair with this, no ETA on a Samsung fix and who knows if that will happen with new models recently announced...
HD630 VB checking in! In the background is my complete set of stamps (was not intending to participate in anticipation of only attending for one-day, but actually it was only 16-exhibitors to collect). Quite comfortable to wear despite being on the larger side. It was being driven easily by a tethered portable dap though it is more home headphone proportioned. The variable bass is a nice consumer touch though the show was a touch loud to fully verify anything. The effect was nevertheless tangible. Smooth and no distortion. Good job. For a closed headphone the soundstage was quite good. Presumably people will want to compare with the Fostex TH600. Isolation was respectable and the worst excesses of show conditions was filtered out.
Obviously had to go back to the HeadAmp table before heading home
Those droplets is the British weather right on cue. Think spread it out over two-days next year!Back to the start of the day. This was taken a few moments before bumping into Jude, who wanted to make it clear he had taken a back seat and it is these guys (and a few others not pictured) that deserve the credit for making the show happen. Indeed. Great show to everyone involved!
- Status
Users who are viewing this thread
