[CL14715]

I won’t be at the show till tomorrow, but I am dying to know impressions of the odyssey? No one got a chance to take a listen to it?

Oh.. it was heard. I’m sure all that’s coming soon.

 

[drftr]

So you’re enjoying the 18t?

Tell us more about your experience.

The U18t was 1 of 3 survivors from my 22 IEM shoot-out in Singapore exactly 1 month ago; the other 2 being the Mason FuSang and the Traillii. Since I admire a linear sounding IEM as a classical music lover the U18t had a plus over the last 2 from the start. On top of that I felt I had to pump a lot of money in cables and probably the source in overcoming what for me were the major-ish gripes for the other 2: The Mason FuSang being a bit too coloured, boxy, slightly nasal, slightly veiled mids, and borderline too bright, while I thought the Traillii combined with the stock cable needed slightly fuller mids/upper mids, was a bit spicy and possibly whispy up top, and needed a quite a bit fuller and more impactful low end. The U18t on the other hand sounded more wrong BUT had the benefit that it still sounded very linear and that it was just the tilted FR (from too little bass via thin-ish mids to too bright treble) that I thought should and could be improved without another major investment. I thought it was the polar opposite of the U12t that I had just divorced that for my ears had a FR that sloped down instead of up with too much focus on the low end, full but veiled mids, and too dull up top.

So far I have tried 5 different Apex and Atom modules on the U18t, 4 different cables with 3 more to come tomorrow, and 7 different eartips, and I'm already hearing where this will lead to: To exactly what I was looking for. Happy camper here; even though I haven't reached the camping yet.

I see your CJ SoCal 2022 badge. Nice!

I assume by now you have finished the design for our CanJam Singapore 2023 event, right?

Absolutely love the photos! I adore them more than photos of audio gear

We will soon have our own taken in Singapore!

drftr

 

[Skyediver]

What a great day. Showtime is done, folks are meeting up to eat/rest, but excitedly... potential for more listening at informal hotel room meetups. Love CanJam!

For those reasons, not able to really dive deep with impressions, but a few highlights for me from first day:

• I came in hoping to whittle down a few potential IEMs to expand beyond the my beloved Bird and provide a complimentary listening experience, and I think I've uncovered a few. First, after multiple listening sessions at each US-based CanJam, I've come to the conclusion that the Jewel is a beautiful listen, but for me, even with the DD base, it's just not different enough for me from the Traillii, especially considering the cost. Happy to come to that conclusion now, don't need to continue wondering/lusting after it. The shortlist of IEMs did surprise me though: the Phonix, the Xe6, and (surprise, surprise), the UM Multiverse Mentor (what a name). Last entrant? @HiFiHawaii808's Annihilator, borrowed briefly for a listen that left me wanting more. I'm in no rush, likely to buy during holiday season, but right now I think it's the Xe6 and the Annihilator that have me most interested in learning/hearing more.
• The Ode to Laura sounds amazing as a complimentary cable to my Orphy. Clean and clear, with some nice top-end sparkle, which is exactly what I'm looking for as a different sound to the Orpheus. A GREAT sounding cable, the Ode to Laura, but what also sounded great was Eric's Socrates 8 that he has coming out I think he said next month. About 90% of what I was hearing from the Ode to Laura, and I think he said the Socrates 8 will be around that $1300 range. Still a lot, but for us cable-crazy folks, almost able to call that a "decent price".
• The new AK SP3000 didn't shine as strongly as I expected, especially compared to my Cayin N8ii. Very nice UI, much faster than previous models, and that traditional "AK sound" (clean, crisp, great with details), but slightly underpowered to my ears. Quick listen though, don't take this as gospel. I DID really like the Empire Ears Odyssey, when I A/B'd it on my N8ii. I'm focused on the IEMs listed above as my next purchase, but this Odyssey I think is going to be popular.
• CanJam is upgrading its game with the seminars. I actually like attending them to gain some self-knowledge, but speaking honestly, the last few years many of the sessions seemed stale, some of them repeated from previous CanJams. This year, there was still some of that but definitely a few that were stronger than past offerings, with updated information that I think would resonate with even grizzled, veteran audiophiles. I didn't attend them all (concern over lost listening time is always the friction with these seminars), but the two highlights for me were Justin of ampsandsound provided a nice, deeper than the basics overview of tube amps and the scientific considerations to think through depending on the sound you're going for, and Jude's end of day overview of the latest Technology re: frequency charts, scientific studies on what we know (and don't know, and there's still a LOT we don't know) about human hearing, and particularly, how modern reviewers "misuse" FR charts to the detriment of all that are looking to learn. His main message: FR charts are NOT the end-all to understanding how a headphone sounds, not even close.
• It was SO COOL hanging at Andrew's MusicTech booth, which became the unofficial listening spot for many of us WaterCooler gents throughout the day. Every time I popped by (and I was there a lot of the day), someone else from our friendly forum was already planted, stopping by themselves (again), or all of us just hanging out to share feedback on something we heard elsewhere. Fun times.

Overall, the vibe today was fantastic, lots of great energy, and genuine excitement that people have come out to the event. MUCH better attendance here than either CanJam Chicago or NYC. Today was mostly portable focus. Tomorrow, is gonna be all headphone/desktop setups, and it should be glorious based on what is all here. Cheers!

 

[dmphile]

What a great day. Showtime is done, folks are meeting up to eat/rest, but excitedly... potential for more listening at informal hotel room meetups. Love CanJam!

For those reasons, not able to really dive deep with impressions, but a few highlights for me from first day:

• I came in hoping to whittle down a few potential IEMs to expand beyond the my beloved Bird and provide a complimentary listening experience, and I think I've uncovered a few. First, after multiple listening sessions at each US-based CanJam, I've come to the conclusion that the Jewel is a beautiful listen, but for me, even with the DD base, it's just not different enough for me from the Traillii, especially considering the cost. Happy to come to that conclusion now, don't need to continue wondering/lusting after it. The shortlist of IEMs did surprise me though: the Phonix, the Xe6, and (surprise, surprise), the UM Multiverse Mentor (what a name). Last entrant? @HiFiHawaii808's Annihilator, borrowed briefly for a listen that left me wanting more. I'm in no rush, likely to buy during holiday season, but right now I think it's the Xe6 and the Annihilator that have me most interested in learning/hearing more.
• The Ode to Laura sounds amazing as a complimentary cable to my Orphy. Clean and clear, with some nice top-end sparkle, which is exactly what I'm looking for as a different sound to the Orpheus. A GREAT sounding cable, the Ode to Laura, but what also sounded great was Eric's Socrates 8 that he has coming out I think he said next month. About 90% of what I was hearing from the Ode to Laura, and I think he said the Socrates 8 will be around that $1300 range. Still a lot, but for us cable-crazy folks, almost able to call that a "decent price".
• The new AK SP3000 didn't shine as strongly as I expected, especially compared to my Cayin N8ii. Very nice UI, much faster than previous models, and that traditional "AK sound" (clean, crisp, great with details), but slightly underpowered to my ears. Quick listen though, don't take this as gospel. I DID really like the Empire Ears Odyssey, when I A/B'd it on my N8ii. I'm focused on the IEMs listed above as my next purchase, but this Odyssey I think is going to be popular.
• CanJam is upgrading its game with the seminars. I actually like attending them to gain some self-knowledge, but speaking honestly, the last few years many of the sessions seemed stale, some of them repeated from previous CanJams. This year, there was still some of that but definitely a few that were stronger than past offerings, with updated information that I think would resonate with even grizzled, veteran audiophiles. I didn't attend them all (concern over lost listening time is always the friction with these seminars), but the two highlights for me were Justin of ampsandsound provided a nice, deeper than the basics overview of tube amps and the scientific considerations to think through depending on the sound you're going for, and Jude's end of day overview of the latest Technology re: frequency charts, scientific studies on what we know (and don't know, and there's still a LOT we don't know) about human hearing, and particularly, how modern reviewers "misuse" FR charts to the detriment of all that are looking to learn. His main message: FR charts are NOT the end-all to understanding how a headphone sounds, not even close.
• It was SO COOL hanging at Andrew's MusicTech booth, which became the unofficial listening spot for many of us WaterCooler gents throughout the day. Every time I popped by (and I was there a lot of the day), someone else from our friendly forum was already planted, stopping by themselves (again), or all of us just hanging out to share feedback on something we heard elsewhere. Fun times.

Overall, the vibe today was fantastic, lots of great energy, and genuine excitement that people have come out to the event. MUCH better attendance here than either CanJam Chicago or NYC. Today was mostly portable focus. Tomorrow, is gonna be all headphone/desktop setups, and it should be glorious based on what is all here. Cheers!

Thanks for sharing! I love the Phonix. One of the most grand sounding IEMS that really surprised me. So much air, space, and depth for an all BA setup, the bass was still very good. Very curious to hear Viking Ragnar, Evo, odyssey, and multiverse mentor and see how it differs from Indigo.

 

[wolfstar76]

My first CanJam ever, was late due to my work and have to leave early due to my wife

Some initial impressions:

1. Just like many people complained in previous CanJam, the Susvara setup on hifiman booth is such a dissappointment. It was driving by a dCS stack, and I turned the volume to Max only to have the silent music drown by the noisy ambient sound in the crowded main showroom. Can't comment anything for this TOTL headphones.

2. Big surprise from ZMF, I never heard ZMF before and all the headphones I tried sound fatastic. Will come back tomorrow. On the other hand, Audeze LCD5 and Focal Utopia are good but not impressive.

3. IEMs are relatively easy to demo in this busy environment, the most anticipated IEM: AK/EE Odyssey. Before I tried Odyssey/SP3000, I demoed Odin and EVO on the EE booth the first time. I have to say I am a little bit dissapointed. EVO is very tip dependent and with the provided tips, I need to push the EVO deeper into my ears to hear the bass from the legdendary weapon II. Odin is better in this regard. Unfortunately, Odyssey shares the same DNA in design and I need to push the IEM to hear the proper bass.

4. Best bone conductor drivers are still from Unique Melody. I tried the Multiverse Mentor and Mason FS, they are both wonderful, best IEMs I heard so far. I am especially impressed with the Mids from Mason FS. With Multiverse, the Mids is a little too much in your face to me. It's like what I love about Mason FS, Multiverse simply increases it to a level I feel like probably a little too much? Again, I will go back tomorrow to UM. The bass from both Multiverse and Mason FS are so good, I can't tell they are BA bass or wishing they have DD in them.

5. Very interesting line of products from MusicTeck, I tried Fir Xe6 and its bass is amazing. However, for some music with very strong sub-bass, Xe6's bass is rumbling just too much, so much so to the degree of being low quality bass. I domoed the famous "bird" and Jewel, two most beloved TOTL IEMs among Watercoolers. With the short period I got, I still need more time tomorrow to understand their appeal.

To summarize the bone conductor drivers used by UM, EE, and Fir. I feel like UM still have the best one, followed by Fir, and EE really needs some serious tip rolling to make them work for me.

Continue with my impression.

6. Abyss AB1266 TC driven by Woo audio tube amp is amazing, unfortunately the waiting is extremely long and I did not spend enough time there. The baby 1255 Diana is also very nice. Tomorrow I will visit Woo audio's tube amps for more impression.

7. RAAL CA-1a's cheap looking foam is indeed no joke. If I spend $2k for it without any ideal what it looks like, I will think it must be a cruel joke. However, I have to say the sound from RAAL is really unique and nice, especially the Mids. The guys from RAAL was actually explaining to bystanders why it is necessary to use foam as headphone pad to avoid unacceptable bass performance.

8. I will bring my own tips with me tomorrow.

9. For new audiophile going to CanJam the first time, those IEMs or HP who have special sauce are much easier to impress us. It may take more sophistication and experience to fully understand what the real gems are among the numerious products displayed in CanJam.

 

[Doug2507]

What a great day. Showtime is done, folks are meeting up to eat/rest, but excitedly... potential for more listening at informal hotel room meetups. Love CanJam!

For those reasons, not able to really dive deep with impressions, but a few highlights for me from first day:

• I came in hoping to whittle down a few potential IEMs to expand beyond the my beloved Bird and provide a complimentary listening experience, and I think I've uncovered a few. First, after multiple listening sessions at each US-based CanJam, I've come to the conclusion that the Jewel is a beautiful listen, but for me, even with the DD base, it's just not different enough for me from the Traillii, especially considering the cost. Happy to come to that conclusion now, don't need to continue wondering/lusting after it. The shortlist of IEMs did surprise me though: the Phonix, the Xe6, and (surprise, surprise), the UM Multiverse Mentor (what a name). Last entrant? @HiFiHawaii808's Annihilator, borrowed briefly for a listen that left me wanting more. I'm in no rush, likely to buy during holiday season, but right now I think it's the Xe6 and the Annihilator that have me most interested in learning/hearing more.
• The Ode to Laura sounds amazing as a complimentary cable to my Orphy. Clean and clear, with some nice top-end sparkle, which is exactly what I'm looking for as a different sound to the Orpheus. A GREAT sounding cable, the Ode to Laura, but what also sounded great was Eric's Socrates 8 that he has coming out I think he said next month. About 90% of what I was hearing from the Ode to Laura, and I think he said the Socrates 8 will be around that $1300 range. Still a lot, but for us cable-crazy folks, almost able to call that a "decent price".
• The new AK SP3000 didn't shine as strongly as I expected, especially compared to my Cayin N8ii. Very nice UI, much faster than previous models, and that traditional "AK sound" (clean, crisp, great with details), but slightly underpowered to my ears. Quick listen though, don't take this as gospel. I DID really like the Empire Ears Odyssey, when I A/B'd it on my N8ii. I'm focused on the IEMs listed above as my next purchase, but this Odyssey I think is going to be popular.
• CanJam is upgrading its game with the seminars. I actually like attending them to gain some self-knowledge, but speaking honestly, the last few years many of the sessions seemed stale, some of them repeated from previous CanJams. This year, there was still some of that but definitely a few that were stronger than past offerings, with updated information that I think would resonate with even grizzled, veteran audiophiles. I didn't attend them all (concern over lost listening time is always the friction with these seminars), but the two highlights for me were Justin of ampsandsound provided a nice, deeper than the basics overview of tube amps and the scientific considerations to think through depending on the sound you're going for, and Jude's end of day overview of the latest Technology re: frequency charts, scientific studies on what we know (and don't know, and there's still a LOT we don't know) about human hearing, and particularly, how modern reviewers "misuse" FR charts to the detriment of all that are looking to learn. His main message: FR charts are NOT the end-all to understanding how a headphone sounds, not even close.
• It was SO COOL hanging at Andrew's MusicTech booth, which became the unofficial listening spot for many of us WaterCooler gents throughout the day. Every time I popped by (and I was there a lot of the day), someone else from our friendly forum was already planted, stopping by themselves (again), or all of us just hanging out to share feedback on something we heard elsewhere. Fun times.

Overall, the vibe today was fantastic, lots of great energy, and genuine excitement that people have come out to the event. MUCH better attendance here than either CanJam Chicago or NYC. Today was mostly portable focus. Tomorrow, is gonna be all headphone/desktop setups, and it should be glorious based on what is all here. Cheers!

Did Eric say what the material composition is on the Socrates?

 

[theveterans]

Got to meet Jeff @Rockwell75 and try his Supermoon HK edition with Eletech Victoria!

My super quick thoughts: natural air timbre (different from the Sonion Electret drivers) and visceral while being extremely layered planar subbass. IMHO it's as if you take both Andromeda and Dorado strengths (Andro's coherency, delicate microdetails, wide soundstage, smooth treble and Dorado's holographic imaging, visceral DD presence), combine them and elevate their qualities even more especially on both treble air extension and subbass presence with exemplary definition. That's how the Supermoon sounded at my first listen!

 

[KuroKitsu]

Did Eric say what the material composition is on the Socrates?

Glorious Copper

 

[drftr]

Glorious Copper

Were you able to compare it to the OG? I liked both the low end and the top end plus its overall imaging abilities but felt the mids were too lean, making the overall package too V shaped. If the new one solves that then I'm interested in a demo for sure.

drftr

 

[Sifo]

Hope everyone had a fun first day! Missing CanJam vibes already, will make it out to SoCal one day. New goal is to hit up every CanJam at least once

 

[Sifo]

Were you able to compare it to the OG? I liked both the low end and the top end plus its overall imaging abilities but felt the mids were too lean, making the overall package too V shaped. If the new one solves that then I'm interested in a demo for sure.

drftr

Soc8 is still V, maybe W, been a while since we did the comparison (and of course I'm talking about the prototype, Eric has said he's gone above and beyond for the final version).

Everything the OG socrates did got dialed up to an 11, especially sub-bass and the airiness up top. Upper mids get a boost too, lower mids still might be considered a bit lean but perhaps it can be perceived as more balanced since every detail is being raised.

 

[Natesdailies]

Ordered the Noble Viking Ragnar! Excited to see how it'll turn out .

Thanks to @HiFiHawaii808 and @metaljem77 for the tips and @MusicTeck for the service as usual.

 

[FooFighter]

Ordered the Noble Viking Ragnar! Excited to see how it'll turn out .

Thanks to @HiFiHawaii808 and @metaljem77 for the tips and @MusicTeck for the service as usual.

Pls report once you got it.
Very interested in this one too

 

[metaljem77]

Ordered the Noble Viking Ragnar! Excited to see how it'll turn out .

Thanks to @HiFiHawaii808 and @metaljem77 for the tips and @MusicTeck for the service as usual.

All credit to the Cooler gang SoCal attendees congrats and hope it’s what you’ve been looking for

 

[drftr]

All credit to the Cooler gang SoCal attendees congrats and hope it’s what you’ve been looking for

I really think we made a mistake by not giving them a helmet with a camera for vlogging their experience, combined with a heartrate meter to instantly see how good it really was.

drftr