[danielik]

I attended the two-days Paris Audio Video Show 2023 this weekend, and I would like to share my impressions with the forum. Please be patient as it was my first show, this is my first post, and anyway I will express only personal opinions or emotions - no absolute judgements, I am quite novice in the field, so I cannot make definitive statements even if I wanted.

So this is a photo of my morning run, just to show that I actually live in Paris, France:

Photo is taken from the Bir-Hakeim bridge - every time I pass by there are tourists (and very often newlyweds in white dresses) being photographed by some professional photographer...

The show location was in the Palais de Congrès at Porte Maillot, in the West periphery of Paris, next to the Hyatt Regency Hotel (whose name was Concorde Lafayette until 2013). Porte Maillot is one of the eight "doors" of the Bois de Boulogne, an immense park next to Paris, not far from the Arc de Triomphe.

So let's get inside the show (at the 3rd floor), and the very first stand is McIntosh:

Of course I am looking for headphones, and on the left there is Meze Audio. It is a Romanian company, and they showed their full fleet of headphones (at 30% discount, by the way). People were nice and allowed me to listen to the Meze Liric, their flagship closed-back headphone, developed with planar technology by Rinaro.
Note that being next to McIntosh and high-volume speakers, it was almost impossible to hear anything from open-back headphones, so I preferred to concentrate on closed-back ones.

And my impression was: WOW !
I listened to (somewhat random choice as I had to browse through their DAP):
- Mariah Carey, Without you: clear voice, strong basses, powerful drums, wide soundstage
- Linkin Park, Numb: I actually don't like this song so...
- Hooverphonic, Mad about you (live at Koningin): globally warm, round, not spiky. Applauses sound right.
- Hans Zimmer, Time (from Inception): first minute is actually inaudible due to external noise, rest is good
- Francesco De Gregori, La leva calcistica del 68: guitar is crystal clear, as the voice of the singer and the harmonica
- Fleetwood Mac, Dreams: full sound, I used to hear more trebles in this song (with other cans), but trebles are actually there.
So, you understood that my first impressions were "amazing" - fit was also OK on my head, they are quite light (390g) and thought for portable use. In fact the only negative remark is that their look is not so "luxurious" such as other can (see the following), even other Meze models, they are just nice all-black, not be noticed by walking.
Final point the price: they are listed at 2000€, with special -30% during the show. I was tempted...
Thanks to the nice people of Meze Audio coming from Romania:

(rest of the show in following posts)

 

[danielik]

Second stop was at the stand of Son-Video.com, which is a web site as well as a chain of very nice shops in France.

Many headphones exposed, I tried a big open-back Fiio - I didn't note the exact reference and the Fiio website is quite slow, so I hope that you can recognize it [later found out that there are FiiO FT5 Planar Magnetic Headphones]:

The sound was coming from a Fiio DAP. As anticipated, the environment noise was quite impacting on an open-back. I listened to:
- Gregory Isaacs, Love is Overdue: voice was OK, basses maybe a little muddy
- Coldplay, Madness: not very spacious, still impression of muddy basses
- Madame, Il mio nuovo maestro: little bit dark, voice was not as clear as I used to hear it
- Eurythmics, Sweet Dream: nice, sounded good.
Overall, good fit and good sound, but no "wow" effect.

 

[danielik]

As I was standing at the Son-Video.com stand, I wanted to try some IEM's. There were the Ponderosa by Campfire Audio, an American company, connected to a DAP by Shanling.

So I went on trying this - the foam tips did not fit at all in my ears, the lady was very kind to take some silicon tips instead. The external noise isolation was reduced (with respect to foam tips) but at least the buds stayed (more or less) in place. I listened to:
- Michael Jackson, Don't stop 'til you can get enough: very nice, but wait a moment ... where are the basses??
- Adele, Easy on me: voice is beautifully rendered, but again, almost no basses.
Overall, I am a little bit disappointed, I like the warm renderings and powerful basses, so these IEMs are not for me.

 

[danielik]

Next stop was at the Qobuz stand - Qobuz is a music streaming service that puts quality above all the rest, and different headphones were available to test this.
The fist that I noted was from the German manufacturer Hedd - don't ask the exact model, here it is:

Of course it is open-back, this means no isolation at all, which is quite disturbing in a show. I tried to listen:
- Depeche Mode, Enjoy the silence: well, in fact, enjoy the noise around me
- Marc Lavoine, Elle a les yeux revolver: seems ok, I recognize that he's speaking French...
- Pink Floyd, Breathe: seems nice, but cannot be sure.
The fit is OK, with a sensation of warm ears which is unusual for an open-back phone.

I notice a business card if the shop Headonist. I discovered from the website that it is in the center of Paris, and from the description of the owner (Pierre de la Caffinière) it seems well worth a visit - will try to get an appointment when possible. I wonder how it is affiliated with the Qobuz stand, but I do not have the answer.
Here is a photo of the nice amplifiers at the Qobuz stand:

 

[danielik]

While still at the Qobuz stand, I wanted to try the new Audeze LCD-XC Carbon model (I actually own a pre-2021 "Bubinga wood" version).

The first impression is that they are actually heavy, more than the Bubinga I believe. Once on my head this did not disturb me, the fit was quite good. I notice that the new headband remains in any case very close to the head, unlike e.g. Hifiman headbands that remain a few centimeters higher.
Isolation was OK (they are closed-back), strangely enough they were directly connected to a tablet. I listened to:
- Erykah Badu, On & on: basses are good, voice is clear
- Depeche Mode, Enjoy the silence: ah, now I hear the music! Loud and clear, beautiful, maybe not as many basses as I would like
- Mariah Carey, Without you: very beautiful
Ok, this confirms that I like these headphones, I can continue my trip... By the way, they are listed at 1399€.

I notice a pair of Hifiman HE-1000. I've read a lot about these as being very good, so I tried them, but as with other open-back headphones it is impossible to give a judgement ...

The wonderful headphone stand is an Omega Walnut, sold for 139€.
I notice that all the material is lent by Elite Diffusion, which will be my next stop.

 

[danielik]

So next stop was at Elite Diffusion, that imports in France headphones from US (Audeze) and Japan (Final).

I notice the big picture announcing the new X8000... but for now, I wanted to try the mythic planar magnetic Final D8000 Pro - they were connected to an iFi Audio Pro iDSD Signature.

They are open-back but not so open, I had the feeling that they were isolating a little bit. However the pads seemed "cheap" (not memory foam, not leather-like), and the design ... well, you have to like the design (or not). The welcoming Japanese guy on the stand said that all design is done in Japan, and while cheaper Final models are manufactured in China, premium ones are all built in Japan as well.
The playlist went as follows:
- Sufjan Stevens, To be alone with you: basses very present (maybe a little bit muddy?)
- Mariah Carey, Without you: very good
- Elsiane, Nobody knows: lot of basses, the overall rendition is a bit dark, but voice is clear and nitid
- French 79, Foix: another song full of basses, nicely rendered
- Lana del Rey, Wildflower wildfire: piano is very good, sound is full and voice is clear
Overall, a very good impression. We are talking of a 4299€ headphone anyway, so it is normal.

I wanted to try some IEMs as well. The first was the rose-gold Final B1 model (listed at 699€). The fit was very good from the first try. I listened to two songs:
- Madame, Il bene nel male: good rendition in the mids
- Madame, Il mio nuovo maestro: basses are good, voice as well

But I wanted more, I wanted to try the flagship model, Final A8000 (listed at 2000€). The Japanese guy told me that in Japan they are the top model in this range, in competition with the Sony IEM-Z1R. They are small and in mirror-finished stainless steel, they fit nicely in the ear. So, let's start again the playlist:
- Madame, Il mio nuovo maestro: yes, it is clearly better than the B1. Crisper, clearer, basses are more precise.
- Jimmy Sax, Seventeen: optimum spatialisation, crispness
- Hans Zimmer, Dream is collapsing (Inception): very very good, although a sensation that the very deep basses are recessing
- Salah Sue, This world: OK
- Daft Punk, Doin' it right: clear and crisp, bass are there but I want more
- Fleetwood Mac, Dreams: OK
- Goblin, Profondo Rosso (this is from the soundtrack of an horror movie by Italian director Dario Argento): very very good, trebles are perforating my head, as intended!
Overall, quite satisfied by these IEMs, although I prefer over-ears for home use.

This is the full range of headphones available - I did not have the time to try the wireless ones:

 

[danielik]

Time was almost up (show closes at 7pm) but I noticed a large table with many many headphones on it - instead of just one pair per seat as in other stands. (I discovered later that this stand is run by Pierre Charles of Casques Headphones - more on that in tomorrow's visit).
I was particularly attracted by a very beautifully-looking headphone, of the brand Kennerton that I did not know about (Pierre explained me later that it is Russian, and the wood comes from trees that grow only in Russia, and a special treatment give it the special look). This is the ROGNIR Karelian Birch model, that I find amazing:

So I put these on, just to try, they are very light and fit very well.
- Julien Doré, La fièvre: piano and basses are OK
- Daft Punk, Giorgio by Moroder: at the good moment basses are there, equilibrated, ok
- Mariah Carey, Without you: nice basses, beautiful voice
- Hooverphonic, Mad about you; perfect.
Overall, I must say WOW for these headphones, I liked them very much, both aestethically and acoustically.
Later, I discovered that they are worth in the 3000€ and more... so, well, this justifies that.

So Day 1 (Saturday) is finishing ... before leaving, I noticed on the table a Hifiman Audivine, that I was curious about. In fact, everybody talks about Hifiman (at least in American forums), but most of the models are open-back, while I look for closed-back. So I put the Audivine on my head and ... they were isolating nothing! It was like having open-back cans on my head. The cable was not connected, but I decided not to bother to connect it (the show was closing anyway).

Bye bye Paris Audio Video Show 2023, see you tomorrow (Sunday).

 

[danielik]

So I was very excited after the Saturday visit, and I decided to spend few more hours on Sunday.
First visited stand was from Hany Sound, distributor based in Courbevoie. He had a few Fostex headphones available for test:

I tried the Fostex TH900 MK2, a closed-back dynamic headphone from this Japanese manufacturer. The fit is good, although a little bit loose, and I have the impression that it does not isolate so much. Tested songs:
- Selah Sue, This world: OK, but not WOW
- French 79, Foix: basses are there but not so strong
- SBTRKT, Wildfire: beautiful
- Jimmy Sax, Seventeen: beautiful
- Jimmy Sax, No man no cry: good, the saxophone is nice and the basses sound right
- Fly of the Bumblebee (from Shine Motion Picture): clear but lower notes are a little backed off
- Vivaldi, Gloria (from Shine Motion Picture): wow, the chorus sounds "full"

To be clear, this stand was dedicated to speakers, and there were two installations that could be listened to - sound was divine... as an example:

 

[danielik]

Next stand was the one by Focal, a quite known French manufacturer. I own the Radiance "Bentley Limited Edition", a closed-back model which was not in the stand, and the Focal guy confirmed me that it is out of production and out of stock - only few remaining in the shops. I took the occasion to listen to the Focal Stellia which is the flagship closed-back model. I found it quite similar to Radiance, no main difference at least in the listening conditions of a show.

I also listened to Focal Utopia (one of the best open cans, according to many) and the Focal Clear MG. In both cases, they were at a deafening volume level, as the guy manipulating the DAP was listening to Final Fantasy VII Opening at full volume. I finally managed to take control of the DAP and listen to
- Annette Askvik, Liberty: very nice voice, and saxophone
- Mariah Carey, Without you: warm, very good. Maybe voice is more recessed than other headphones
- Hans Zimmer, Dream is collapsing (from Inception): good as expected.
No surprises here, I know the Focal's, their fit is perfect and very well looking. Here is the Clear MG:

and here is the Celestee, probably the intended replacement for the Radiance (at a lower price, though):

 

[danielik]

So I went back to the Pierre Charles' stand, the one where I had seen this beauty:

Pierre explained me that his shop "Casques Headphones" is in Lyon and he imports in France various brands. I will try to make a visit if I pass by Lyon. Indeed, his stand was full of beautiful cans, including electrostatic from Stax, and tube amplifiers:

I asked him about some nice IEM's presented there, and he proposed me to listen to the FIR Audio XE6, flagship model of the American brand FIR.
Ok, you know the playlist, I also listened to some classical music - overall they sound very very good, with a strong emphasis on bass (which is rare for an IEM), also thanks to "Kinetic Bass", which is a special "mini-speaker" that uses bone conduction to enrich the sound. See the description on the box:

 

[danielik]

The last headphone that I tests was at Sennheiser stand. In fact, there was a HD800S (300Ohm dynamic driver with balanced cable) laying there - I find it quite ugly and cheap-looking (something like the Final), and when I put it on my head I also found it uncomfortable. Then I plugged in the cable, in the second output of a DAP where someone was already listening Keith don't go (live) by Nils Lofgren Band - and then - WOW - I was teleported into a music hall, listening to a wonderful guitar and voice ...

I could not test other songs - but I was impressed by the power and the openness transmitted by the HD800S, that clearly deserve their fame.

 

[danielik]

My report of impressions of the Paris Audio Video Show is almost completed.

There was a stand by Devialet (French brand specialized in the hi-fi), but dedicated only to their connected speaker Phantom. So I could not listen to their true wireless IEMs Gemini II, released few time ago.

There was a closed cabin where, according to Yamaha, one could listen to the "best headphone of the world", namely the Yamaha YH-5000SE. This sounded a little pretentious, but I could not verify as I did not want to stay in the queue...

However, Yamaha had a nice stand, the only one with real instruments to produce music (guitars, pianos, ...) instead of just re-producing music.

Audio-Technica had a beautiful stand with two couches and they were offering wine to people. Notice the LP player with a mirror to look at it from the couch:

Missing headphones: Sony was present with a stand dedicated to video, but I did not see any headphone to test. And I did not find any Dan Clark nor ZMF nor Abyss nor Grado nor Denon nor AKG nor Philips (nor Bose) headphone to test.

Of course the show was also full of speakers and other hi-end equipment worth in the tens of K€... just a few photos below:

Final remark: almost all audience (I would say 99%, maybe more) was masculine. Why girls are not attracted by hi-fi audio equipment?

I will remember the Meze Liric and the Kennerton Rognir as closed-backs, the Sennheiser HD800S as open-back, and the Final A8000 and the FIR XE6 as IEMs. And I also discovered some new music (thanks to other people's selections) that I will use for personal listening and further tests...
And that is the end of the report.