The annual Stockholm High End Show (Highend Mässan) is perhaps the largest hifi show in Scandinavia. The show took place in central Stockholm on April 2-3 2022, after a two year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic.
The show is spread out over two locations within walking distance (10 min) from another. The show is strongly rooted in the traditional hifi world and many of the exhibitors show up with stereo setups, i.e. speakers, pre-amps, power amps, integrated amps, cd-players, network streamers, vinyl players etc. But the head-fi portion of the show has been growing increasingly stronger over the last few years. I will focus on the head-fi related parts of the show in this post.
Before I start, I just want to say something about my background and my preferences. I generally prefer a "neutral warm" sound. I currently own a ZMF Eikon, that I EQ a bit, and an Auteur that I just listen to straight up without any EQ. I tend to prefer tube amps over SS amps. But I will say that specific synergy within a chain is more important than the type of transducer, dac or amp.
I find head-fi to be a very personal experience and what I think about something may not be what you experience. From a technical standpoint all these headphones have their strengths, so while I may not appreciate a specific model, that probably comes down to personal preference. Keep this in mind when you read on.
Beyerdynamic were present with six models from their lineup:
DT880 (semi-open back)
DT990 (open back)
Amiron Wireless (closed back)
Amiron Home (open back)
T1 (open back)
T5 (closed back)
All headphones were driven by a Peachtree integrated amp, I forgot which exact model it was, but it was one of their models in the Nova line.
I mainly spent time with the T5 as I have been interested in exploring BD's closed back offerings. I have to say that the T5 felt pretty decent for a closed back. Comfort is very good, both the low weight, the headband and the plush pads make for a very soft and comfortable feeling on the head without any obvious hot spot. Sound is definitely on the warm side and not the most detailed, but I didn't have any problem with the treble region. No dreaded Beyer spike. I was pleasantly surprised by this headphone, it performed better than I expected.
Having owned the DT990 for a short while, but finding it was not for me, I was also curious about its sibling the DT880. Compared to the T5, the DT880 is considerably more neutral. But overall I found the sound a bit too thin and uninteresting.
Next up: Stax and DCA
The first time I visited the HEM show, back ni 2018, I got totally hooked on the Stax sound in this very same demo room. One of the show organisers AudioConcept always bring an interesting lineup of Stax gear to try. This year they had the SR-007 mk II 2.9, L500 and L300. They had the SRM-700S, SRM-727II and SRM-353X driving the earspeakers. All amps were daisy chained from a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+.
Having owned the L700, SR-007 MkII and SR-009 it was nice to be able to audition a few Stax models again. The SR-007 mkII impressed me the most this time. It had speed, clarity, a good amount of detail and a very pleasant, easy listening presentation that never gave me a sense of fatigue. This is a sound I can listen to for a long time without getting tired. This time around I found the L300 and L500 to just be too thin sounding, lacking bass presence and a sense of warmth all around. It was not as easy to relax into the sound as with the SR-007.
I got the opportunity to listen to DCA's latest closed back offering in the Stealth. The open back Ether 2 was also available. Both headphones were powered by the very capable Nimbus US5 amp.
The stealth had good headstage for a closed back, the sound was farly detailed and clear. But I felt that the bottom end lacked body and weight. What bass was there felt light. The presentation on the Ether 2 was detailed and a bit on the delicate side IMO. While the sound overall was very detailed and clean I felt that it lacked body and presence in the lower registers. On both headphones the presentation came of as a bit muted, with blunted transients. Not my cup of tea.
The Focal Clear Mg and Naim Uniti Atom.
The Naim unit was very compact, responsive and versatile. I just plugged in my USB-stick and controlled the playback via the control app on an Iphone. The wheel on top is probably the largest volume control I have ever used.
I very much looked forward to try the Focals. I had just briefly listened to the OG Clear a few years ago, but that was in a noisy environment with music I didn't recognize. Now I had my own music and this was in a calmer area of the show. The Clear Mg has sort of good clarity and detail, but the presentation feels very much "projected" at you, like the music is coming from a very strong point source. You are well aware of that you are listening to headphones.
Chord had a presentation where they demoed the Hugo TT2 and Mscaler. We got to listen to the same track twice on speakers on the TT2 and then they switched on the Mscaler and we listened again. I got to hear this comparison with two or three different tracks and while there was something there when they added the Mscaler to the chain, it was not se easy to put your finger on it. I would have to listen for a longer time and also with headphones I know well to be able to say for sure what difference it makes.
Just outside the Chord demo room there was the Chord Qutest and Anni together with a pair of Focal Stellias. I have heard so much about the Stellia, so I was very keen on trying this setup. What immediatley bacame apparent to me is that the Stellia is just too dynamic for my liking. I just can't listen to this type of sound. It is fatiguing, but it's also the sense that the musical information in the track just gets swallowed up any time there is a hard hitting instrument. I felt like I was listening to a nice part of the track and then *THWACK*, a drum would hit and overshadow everything else.
Now this, this is where we get to the nice parts. The Feliks Audio Envy 300B tube amp.
This was the Performance Edition with the Full Music 300B power tubes. It sounded glorious. Smooth, holographic, well layered. I have the Feliks Euforia at home, so the sonic benefits of a tube amp were easily recognized to me and the Envy brings a very nuanced and lifelike presentation to the music.
The Feliks Envya was fed from a Rockna Wavelight DAC. First I listened to the Meze Audio Elite. This setup sounded very nice. Big staging, effortless presentation, smooth and well balanced. Comfort was very good, excellent ergonomics. I could enjoy this for hours. Next up were the Final Audio D8000 Pro. The Envy had no problem with driving these planar headphones. The increased clarity and detail over the Elite were apparent. The D8KPro are also more sensitive to the source material. First I listened to some classical music and it sounded very harsh and unpleasant on the D8KPro, but the guyes running the table pointed this out and switched to a female vocalist, a singer-songwriter type of music and it was a much more pleasant experience. I have great respect for the technical abilities of the D8Kpro. I had a hard time choosing between them and the Meze Elite. The Elite being the more forgiving, easy listening type of headphones and the D8KPro being super detailed with excellent clarity. Actually, they make for a good set of complementary headphones.
I also got the chance to demo the Meze Empyrean and Liric. I plugged both headphones into a Violectric DHA V226. But these headphones were not for me. The Empyrean just felt muddy and dark and the Liric was all over the place, it did not sound balanced. Maybe the tonal balance of the Liric works better for portable use, the way many ANC headphones are tuned with way too much bass. I quickly moved back to the previous setup for some more sonic bliss.
I did not spend much time in the rooms demoing speakers. So when I was satisfied with the headphone demos I took a short walk to a close by audio shop, "Ljudmakarn" (loosely translates into "The Sound Maker").
Here I got a very nice welcome from the staff and they were happy to let me audition whatever headphone I wanted. They had a nice little room in the shop especially set up for headphone listening.
I listened from an Atoll ST200 dac/network streamer into an Atoll HD120 single ended solid state pre-amp / headphone amp. Let me just tell you what a surprisingly nice little headphone amp this was. Well balanced with a sweet midrange. It is a Class A design that delivers 1.4W @ 32 Ohm. It had the power and control to drive all headphones with grace. At ~750 Euro it is an affordable little unit that I think more people should try to seek out.
At the store I auditioned the Focal Utopia, the Audeze LCD-X and the Hifiman Arya Stealth. First up was the Utopia, I wanted to hear it for myself as it is a headphone that many people talk about or reference in the head-fi community. While I could definitely hear its technical chops, the presentation reminded me a bit too much of the Stellia. Everything sounds nice, until the sharp dynamics hit. It just becomes too much for my ears for any longer sessions.
I moved on to the LCD-X. While it was not as dynamically challenging as the Utopia, for me this is a headphone that needs EQ. I just couldn't enjoy the tonal balance of this headphone, too dark and hard to hear the details.
On to the next contender: the Hifiman Arya Stealth.
This was the star of the day for me. What a pair of headphones!
Great balance on all fronts. There is detail, there is layering, the timbre is excellent.
The bass is textured and reaches far down. Treble is present and easy to follow without being sibilant.
There is punch, but it doesn't get in the way of the rest of the musical presentation.
Comfort is good, they are light and don't create hotspots.
If I had to nitpick I would say that the ear cups reach down a bit too far for me, but this design is necessary to house the huge planar driver inside. So I won't complain too much about that. I found a comfortable fit on the second lowest notch on the headband. The soundstage felt tall, but I am not sure how wide or 3D it felt. I will have to listen more for that the next time I get to hear them.
I am very tempted to get a pair of Arya Stealth for myself. These and the Atoll HD120 amp were two nice little suprises. Very good products that don't reach into the stratosphere price wise.
If you made it this far, I thank you for your time and wish you much happy listening!
Over and out.
The show is spread out over two locations within walking distance (10 min) from another. The show is strongly rooted in the traditional hifi world and many of the exhibitors show up with stereo setups, i.e. speakers, pre-amps, power amps, integrated amps, cd-players, network streamers, vinyl players etc. But the head-fi portion of the show has been growing increasingly stronger over the last few years. I will focus on the head-fi related parts of the show in this post.
Before I start, I just want to say something about my background and my preferences. I generally prefer a "neutral warm" sound. I currently own a ZMF Eikon, that I EQ a bit, and an Auteur that I just listen to straight up without any EQ. I tend to prefer tube amps over SS amps. But I will say that specific synergy within a chain is more important than the type of transducer, dac or amp.
I find head-fi to be a very personal experience and what I think about something may not be what you experience. From a technical standpoint all these headphones have their strengths, so while I may not appreciate a specific model, that probably comes down to personal preference. Keep this in mind when you read on.
Beyerdynamic were present with six models from their lineup:
DT880 (semi-open back)
DT990 (open back)
Amiron Wireless (closed back)
Amiron Home (open back)
T1 (open back)
T5 (closed back)
All headphones were driven by a Peachtree integrated amp, I forgot which exact model it was, but it was one of their models in the Nova line.
I mainly spent time with the T5 as I have been interested in exploring BD's closed back offerings. I have to say that the T5 felt pretty decent for a closed back. Comfort is very good, both the low weight, the headband and the plush pads make for a very soft and comfortable feeling on the head without any obvious hot spot. Sound is definitely on the warm side and not the most detailed, but I didn't have any problem with the treble region. No dreaded Beyer spike. I was pleasantly surprised by this headphone, it performed better than I expected.
Having owned the DT990 for a short while, but finding it was not for me, I was also curious about its sibling the DT880. Compared to the T5, the DT880 is considerably more neutral. But overall I found the sound a bit too thin and uninteresting.
Next up: Stax and DCA
The first time I visited the HEM show, back ni 2018, I got totally hooked on the Stax sound in this very same demo room. One of the show organisers AudioConcept always bring an interesting lineup of Stax gear to try. This year they had the SR-007 mk II 2.9, L500 and L300. They had the SRM-700S, SRM-727II and SRM-353X driving the earspeakers. All amps were daisy chained from a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+.
Having owned the L700, SR-007 MkII and SR-009 it was nice to be able to audition a few Stax models again. The SR-007 mkII impressed me the most this time. It had speed, clarity, a good amount of detail and a very pleasant, easy listening presentation that never gave me a sense of fatigue. This is a sound I can listen to for a long time without getting tired. This time around I found the L300 and L500 to just be too thin sounding, lacking bass presence and a sense of warmth all around. It was not as easy to relax into the sound as with the SR-007.
I got the opportunity to listen to DCA's latest closed back offering in the Stealth. The open back Ether 2 was also available. Both headphones were powered by the very capable Nimbus US5 amp.
The stealth had good headstage for a closed back, the sound was farly detailed and clear. But I felt that the bottom end lacked body and weight. What bass was there felt light. The presentation on the Ether 2 was detailed and a bit on the delicate side IMO. While the sound overall was very detailed and clean I felt that it lacked body and presence in the lower registers. On both headphones the presentation came of as a bit muted, with blunted transients. Not my cup of tea.
The Focal Clear Mg and Naim Uniti Atom.
The Naim unit was very compact, responsive and versatile. I just plugged in my USB-stick and controlled the playback via the control app on an Iphone. The wheel on top is probably the largest volume control I have ever used.
I very much looked forward to try the Focals. I had just briefly listened to the OG Clear a few years ago, but that was in a noisy environment with music I didn't recognize. Now I had my own music and this was in a calmer area of the show. The Clear Mg has sort of good clarity and detail, but the presentation feels very much "projected" at you, like the music is coming from a very strong point source. You are well aware of that you are listening to headphones.
Chord had a presentation where they demoed the Hugo TT2 and Mscaler. We got to listen to the same track twice on speakers on the TT2 and then they switched on the Mscaler and we listened again. I got to hear this comparison with two or three different tracks and while there was something there when they added the Mscaler to the chain, it was not se easy to put your finger on it. I would have to listen for a longer time and also with headphones I know well to be able to say for sure what difference it makes.
Just outside the Chord demo room there was the Chord Qutest and Anni together with a pair of Focal Stellias. I have heard so much about the Stellia, so I was very keen on trying this setup. What immediatley bacame apparent to me is that the Stellia is just too dynamic for my liking. I just can't listen to this type of sound. It is fatiguing, but it's also the sense that the musical information in the track just gets swallowed up any time there is a hard hitting instrument. I felt like I was listening to a nice part of the track and then *THWACK*, a drum would hit and overshadow everything else.
Now this, this is where we get to the nice parts. The Feliks Audio Envy 300B tube amp.
This was the Performance Edition with the Full Music 300B power tubes. It sounded glorious. Smooth, holographic, well layered. I have the Feliks Euforia at home, so the sonic benefits of a tube amp were easily recognized to me and the Envy brings a very nuanced and lifelike presentation to the music.
The Feliks Envya was fed from a Rockna Wavelight DAC. First I listened to the Meze Audio Elite. This setup sounded very nice. Big staging, effortless presentation, smooth and well balanced. Comfort was very good, excellent ergonomics. I could enjoy this for hours. Next up were the Final Audio D8000 Pro. The Envy had no problem with driving these planar headphones. The increased clarity and detail over the Elite were apparent. The D8KPro are also more sensitive to the source material. First I listened to some classical music and it sounded very harsh and unpleasant on the D8KPro, but the guyes running the table pointed this out and switched to a female vocalist, a singer-songwriter type of music and it was a much more pleasant experience. I have great respect for the technical abilities of the D8Kpro. I had a hard time choosing between them and the Meze Elite. The Elite being the more forgiving, easy listening type of headphones and the D8KPro being super detailed with excellent clarity. Actually, they make for a good set of complementary headphones.
I also got the chance to demo the Meze Empyrean and Liric. I plugged both headphones into a Violectric DHA V226. But these headphones were not for me. The Empyrean just felt muddy and dark and the Liric was all over the place, it did not sound balanced. Maybe the tonal balance of the Liric works better for portable use, the way many ANC headphones are tuned with way too much bass. I quickly moved back to the previous setup for some more sonic bliss.
I did not spend much time in the rooms demoing speakers. So when I was satisfied with the headphone demos I took a short walk to a close by audio shop, "Ljudmakarn" (loosely translates into "The Sound Maker").
Here I got a very nice welcome from the staff and they were happy to let me audition whatever headphone I wanted. They had a nice little room in the shop especially set up for headphone listening.
I listened from an Atoll ST200 dac/network streamer into an Atoll HD120 single ended solid state pre-amp / headphone amp. Let me just tell you what a surprisingly nice little headphone amp this was. Well balanced with a sweet midrange. It is a Class A design that delivers 1.4W @ 32 Ohm. It had the power and control to drive all headphones with grace. At ~750 Euro it is an affordable little unit that I think more people should try to seek out.
At the store I auditioned the Focal Utopia, the Audeze LCD-X and the Hifiman Arya Stealth. First up was the Utopia, I wanted to hear it for myself as it is a headphone that many people talk about or reference in the head-fi community. While I could definitely hear its technical chops, the presentation reminded me a bit too much of the Stellia. Everything sounds nice, until the sharp dynamics hit. It just becomes too much for my ears for any longer sessions.
I moved on to the LCD-X. While it was not as dynamically challenging as the Utopia, for me this is a headphone that needs EQ. I just couldn't enjoy the tonal balance of this headphone, too dark and hard to hear the details.
On to the next contender: the Hifiman Arya Stealth.
This was the star of the day for me. What a pair of headphones!
Great balance on all fronts. There is detail, there is layering, the timbre is excellent.
The bass is textured and reaches far down. Treble is present and easy to follow without being sibilant.
There is punch, but it doesn't get in the way of the rest of the musical presentation.
Comfort is good, they are light and don't create hotspots.
If I had to nitpick I would say that the ear cups reach down a bit too far for me, but this design is necessary to house the huge planar driver inside. So I won't complain too much about that. I found a comfortable fit on the second lowest notch on the headband. The soundstage felt tall, but I am not sure how wide or 3D it felt. I will have to listen more for that the next time I get to hear them.
I am very tempted to get a pair of Arya Stealth for myself. These and the Atoll HD120 amp were two nice little suprises. Very good products that don't reach into the stratosphere price wise.
If you made it this far, I thank you for your time and wish you much happy listening!
Over and out.
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