Well once again a CanJam has come to a close and I'm left in a bit of an exhausted daze to gather my thoughts and feelings after an epic roller coaster of a weekend. My aim with this post is to hopefully capture something of the magic that always goes hand in hand with a CanJam event, however I know that will be in vain for the most part-- there is no way in mere pictures and words that one could capture the fellowship, excitement, adventure, thrill and, above all sheer
joy that invariably attends these shows. As with demoing gear there is no substitue for being there and experiencing it for yourself-- one must taste the fruit to know the flavor. I'm going to try something a little different with this impressions post and provide a more general narrative of the whole event, beginning with my journey to Irvine, California where the show is held. As such gear impressions will be only a part of what follows, and possibly not even the most important part as I and many others have found that the the gear is actually a strong second to the human bonds and connections which take place at a CanJam that are really keep us all coming back. For example, I had a lot of fun on the show floor on Saturday but I'm already way more nostalgic for the adventure many of us went through last night which which began with a group of Coolers trying to get a table for 20 for Korean BBQ and lead to an awkward segue into loud sports bar where some gave up & went somewhere else and those who persisted through the gauntlet of sports bar hell were eventually given a table at Baekejong Irvine where we enjoyed many laughs and feasted on cheese and corn (among many other great things)...you had to be there.
One thing that was definitely apparent is that our Cooler family is growing and thriving-- more so with each show. A group of us were invited to a preview of the show floor on Friday evening by
@warrenpchi and we had a chance to talk to
@jude for a few minutes during which time he expressed his appreciation for this thread and community and how it reminds him of the Head Fi days of old which were more defined by fellowship and community. It meant a lot to hear that from him as that is indeed always been the prime aim and strength of our Cooler familiy.
A few caveats regarding my show impressions.
1) IEMs are my wheelhouse so that is where I spent like 99% of my time.
2) There was SO MUCH stuff at this show-- it was simply overwhelming. Jude was telling us that the IEM contingent at these North American shows is finally catching up to the shows in Asia...and this was certainly evident. There was a super abundance of portable gear in every row, including many brands I'd never heard of. There would be no way to see all of it in two days so I had to use my time efficiently, which meant I that I gravitated towards stuff in keeping with my own tastes and inclinations and had to leave a whole bunch out. I would probably take me like 3 CanJams to properly digest everything just at this one show.
3) We are indeed living through a golden age of portable gear. In the ultimate sense everything I tried was excellent, with much of my impressions and thoughts being a matter of splitting hairs according to my own tastes, biases, perceptions and sensibiliites.
4) Ironically, the show environment is a poor setting for demoing new stuff. The noise, excitement, brisk pace...all make it hard to properly assess anything new. While I tried to be as efficient as possible, spending the first day taking it all in and the second more focused on stuff that really caught my attention, everything I say here should be taken with an appropriate grain of salt and I reserve the right to totally reverse my opinion on something pending further demos down the road.
So on with the recap of this wonderful weekend.
CanJam SoCal for me began on Friday on a beautiful day with a flight into my old hometown of Vancouver BC.
I had a couple hours to kill at the aiport and I wound up standing behind a woman who had something written on the backside of her pants.
I kind of chuckled at the import of that statement and half expected her to turn around with a shirt that said "Never Be The Same Again".
Upon arriving at the show a number of us met up for a delicous dinner at a local noodle house:
Pictured:
@warrenpchi @NovaFlyer @HiFiHawaii808 @Natesdailies @goldwerger @Zachik @buke9 @emdeevee, John Marshall and a couple ladies.
The next morning I woke up to some beautiful SoCal skies.
A group of us gathered in the lounge for breakfast and I got to experience two early show hightlights.
@HiFiHawaii808's Viking Damascus:
The Damascus through the LP6 stands as one of the most perfect IEM presentations I have experienced anywhere. Techicnically exceptional with great understated bass and some of the airiest and most well extended treble I've heard. I found the Ragnar too bright and lacking bass but the Damascus fixes both those issues, which I suspect are related as I found it to have an increase in perceived bass presence which took some of the focus off the treble thus making more tenable to me. This could also have something to do with the magic of the LP6, which happens to excel in this dept.
Following that I was finally able to cross something longstanding off my bucket list when courtesy of
@bigbeans I was able to finally demo the DMP-Z1:
Through my Trifecta, utter perfection and as it turned out nothing I heard in the actual show was able to top this combo for me. DMZ-Z1 + Trifecta synergize perfectly with each other-- pure analogue perfection. It's well known that Ken Ball used the WM1Z to tune the Trifecta and when you hear this most refined and beautiful of all Sony products (which is itself a super charged 1Z) it's totally believeable.
Finally, came time for the show itself...
First up for me was the Oriolus Manachaa (I think it's called).
When I heard there was going to be an Oriolus 4xDD at the show my excitement went through the roof and I probably overhyped myself a little for it. I went back to it 2-3 times throughout the show and eventually settled on it as a solid mid-centric set with great timbre and extension on both ends. Mids are skewed towards the uppers and at times I found it just a bit too much energy in that region. Unlike Trifecta I think you have 4 drivers doing different areas of the FR-- this IEM was not that big. Technicals and staging were ok. Highlight of this set is good bass, great timbre and seductive female vocals.
Next up I got to hear this mythical combo:
Amber pearl is a stunning IEM (sonically-- none of us were that fond of the color combo). This is my favorite UM IEM to date with arguably the breathiest and most seductive mids and vocals I've ever heard. In objective terms this was probably the best IEM at the show, even if, lacking a DD, it doesn't quite fall in line with my own tastes. Amber Pearl takes much of what I didn't like about the Mentor (bass & tonal balance) and fixes it as well as adding a hefty dose of its own secret sauce. Down side is that you're either paying $13k for a combo package or $8k for the IEM...eerrrm. UM also had a new prototype there and I made the mistake of listening to it right after the Amber Pearl...not good. It sounded awful in comparison, with glassy mids and an incoherent sig overall. YMMV etc.
While I was at it I did some a/b'ing with these two titans.
While I understand the accolades the N30 is getting the LP6 is still the superior sounding player to my tastes. N30 is a dash more technical, analogue flavor is comparable, but the LP6 has tighter & better bass and consistently gives me a more emotive response. I a/b'd these players with my Trifecta as well as the Amber Pearl. Amber Pearl, as with the Mentor, sounds positively stunning through the LP6.
Next up was the VE Aura.
As others have said Phonix LE with DD bass is pretty much what this is. Flat-ish sound, solid foundation of non-intrusive DD bass, VE midrange goodness. A little...dull? perhaps...but a very solid mids & bass set.
Next on my hit list was the VE 10, which did not disappoint.
I absolutely loved this. As I said elsewhere it kind of sits between the VE8 and EXT. More bombastic than the Aura, warm & syrupy sound, great mids. Compared to the Monachaa the midrange focus was a little further down the line, making it more of a male vocal specialist than a female as I found with Monachaa.
I also got to try the much-discussed EE Raven.
My first reaction was that the Raven is straight-up excellent. The first IEM that captured everything I love about the EE sound without falling into any pitfalls of overloaded upper mids (Evo, Odin) or overwhelming bass (LX). Tonal balance top to bottom was just right for me and the stage was nice and holographic. In many ways the Raven is not too unlike a hybrid version of the Trifecta. Incidentally I came in the next day and tried it with the RS8, and thought it sucked. The sound became congested and 2-D and a little lifeless. I plugged it back into my LP6 and all was well again. Clearly there is some great synergy there...though the LP6 does tend to elevate everything plugged into it.
Next up I heard the Storm with what I believe a NightJar flagship cable:
Great sound and it was interesting to hear Storm again. I certainly understand the accolades it receives and would probably go on record saying that it's the quintessential reference IEM out there-- beautiful transparency, inoffensive sound and magnificent technicals. Mids are a little dry for me and great BA bass is still BA bass. I also got to hear the Duality prototype, which I really really liked. Ultimately though it sound like a super charged Singularity with a larger sound and more bass. Not sure it will make my "buy" list as for me it's a little redundant alongside my Singularity.
A couple great surprises...
Campfire Audio turned up with their new "chromatic" series". This is the first CanJam I've been to where the brand has actually been present, which was a nice surprise. I was originally going to pass over these IEMs but I decided to sit down and listen to the Bonneville and Cascara (sp?). The latter is a decent $500 single DD with typical CFA bass driven sound. More technical and better extended than I was expecting. Not something I need but a solid bass-dominant single DD at its price point. The Bonneville, which I pre-judged as a Solaris clone, totally knocked my socks off. It's similar to the Solaris in its staging, technicals and timbre, but it's got more and arguably better bass, and is less fatiguing up top. This IEM I think finally earns the title "Andromeda with bass". A tremendously fun and engaging listen and one that was not even on my radar heading into ths show.
Fir Electron 12
This is another IEM that was not really on my radar at first but which totally blew my mind. The Electron 12 is a 12mm single DD prototype from FIr. Excellent top to bottom extension, massive sound, great and satisfying bass response and a surprising amount of air. The 64 Audio Volour (sp?) which demoed alongside it sounded a little flat and dull in comparison, though is itself a very competent IEM in its own right. The Electron 12 will likely stand alongside the Singularity as the best single DD I've ever heard. I'll be buying it some day.
I also got to hear
@theveterans' Pacific Blue Andromeda once again and once again I marveled at how relevant it is and how good it sounds all these years later.
I also heard the new Aroma flagship. It struck me as a more exciting Jewel with more energy up top and down below. My impressions ranged from totally loving it (which many I talked to did) to finding it a little fatiguing up top.
I'm not sure what this is exactly but it was noteworthy to me that reel-reel tape players are still a thing.
On day 2 I secured myself a session with the legendary Senny HE1:
This thing deserves all the accolades it gets and is one of the most stunningly natural presentations I've ever heard...though I have very very little experience with full size so my frame of reference is minimal. The whole package here is quite a marvel.
In the room me at the time was this vintage Sennheiser product:
It requires a lot of power but it sounds surprisingly good and natural in the mids with no bass to speak of. Sennheiser's house sound has evidently not changed much over the years.
The look of someone who has found his end game:
Towards the tail end of the show I went and introduced myself to Caleb from CFA and expressed my long-standing admiration for the brand. I also brought up that interview of his I often cite where he nailed the differences between BA and DD sound. Lastly, I showed him my Trifecta/LP6 setup and let him try it. I think he was more than a little blown away by how good the LP6 sounds.
I tried the Bonneville again and became even more infatuated with it-- preferring it even to the VE10 on day 2. Incidentlly, according to Caleb, it contains a new bass driver they have just developed. I was even able to secure a purchase of one of the floor units of the Bonneville, with a full purple complement. I officially have the first of these out in the wild as it's not officially released for a couple weeks yet.
Top 5 new to me at show, no order:
1) Fir Electron 12
2) Campfire Bonneville
3) Unique Melody Amber Pearl
4) Oriolus Manachaa
5) Vision Ears 10
That's about the sum of my weekend. An epic time all things considered and one that will linger in my heart for a while. As has been said it is the human connections that make these shows truly memorable. Shout outs to the cooler family, which is growing with every show. Much heartfelt thanks and gratitude for
@HiFiHawaii808 for everything he does for me and the group. Thanks to
@emdeevee for picking me up at the airport. I really enjoyed getting to know you this weekend. Another shoutout to
@bigbeans-- it was nice to finally meet you in person and our profound and lively conversation Saturday night touched me deeply and will not soon be forgotten. Until the next CanJam
Foamy comfortable innovative tips. They look nice like pebbles and have a great fit for my ears. This could be my main driver if I hadn't had a closet full of headphones and IEMs.
