[aaf evo]

Here she comes...

This is CanJam!

After a good warmup the day before, Saturday had finally arrived. Parting ways with the wife (at her request ) at the hotel, I was on a cab headed straight towards the Pan Pacific Singapore. Greeting my fellow ‘Coolers at the hotel cafe, we headed straight towards the show floor and… got kicked out ‘cus the show hadn’t started yet. So, we waited a little bit longer, then made sure that we were the first to go upstairs, where most of the noise-sensitive, desktop gear was located. The first room we arrived in was Project Perfection’s, and my round of demos kicked off with the…

Lotoo Mjolnir (with its lossless dongle)

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The first thing I heard at CanJam SG was the Lotoo Mjolnir, fed by their new, lossless, wireless dongle. It’s a device that accepts digital data from your iPhone or Android device, then feeds it to the Mjolnir through a proprietary wireless standard. It was still in beta, so it took a couple attempts to connect to my iPhone. But, I got it working eventually.

In terms of tone and presentation, I heard a lot of similarities to Lotoo’s PAW Gold Touch, which I recently retired after serving as my reference DAP for about 3 years. It’s virtually dead-neutral; neither too lean, nor too full, and neither too bright, nor too warm. The only attribute both these sources maintain is a more upfront delivery of music. They aren’t intimate or in-your-face per se, but they do inch a tad forward compared to more blasé-sounding players like AK’s SP3000 or the HiBy R8II.

The key difference between the LPGT and the Mjolnir is holography; the latter is leagues ahead. Instruments are positioned like they are on the LPGT, but the amount of room, detail and air behind them on the Mjolnir is extraordinary. The result is this wholly-convincing, 3D space that's neither too detached in its pursuit of depth, nor stretched in its pursuit of width. It’s a stunningly natural expansion that makes it, again, convincingly holographic and massively roomy without instruments having to be far away. This is further aided by the source’s effortless sense of detail. Notes are fully drawn without any tonal trickery. The treble is particularly impressive. You almost get the sense that a cymbal's sizzle is rendered to the nanosecond.

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Analysis isn’t the only thing it’s good at either. Despite its wealth of organized detail, the Mjolnir is a musically engaging source. Part of the reason is the note positioning I mentioned earlier. They’re placed a tad upfront, and they’re spread wide as well. Panning synths that travel from left to right do so far out of head. Then, there’s its far-reaching, lofty lows too. The Mjolnir has a deep bass that rumbles and thumps without the need for elevation; balanced in presence like it is on the LPGT.

When it comes to power, which is the reason why I retired my LPGT in the end, the Mjolnir had plenty. It drove my VE ELYSIUM without breaking a sweat. And, it was able to drive my planar magnetic DCA ETHER 2 plenty loud at 50% volume too.

So, in terms of overall performance, there are few pieces of gear that rivaled the Mjolnir at CanJam SG. Though it isn’t without some partial red flags (the main two being price and software), it has none (to me) when it comes to sheer craftsmanship and SQ. I look forward to seeing this tech trickle down to Lotoo’s players in the future, and I look forward to the day when owning devices like these aren’t but a distant fantasy to me.

RAAL 1995 Magna

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The RAAL ribbon headphones were up very high on my demo list; a combination of loving their SR1a and CanJam NY hype. As my fellow ‘Coolers (and @Chang ) called dibs on the Immanis, I decided to give their Magna a try while I waited. This one was driven by an Eversolo streamer into an Aune S17 Pro amp, then into RAAL’s interface (which allows their ribbon headphones to be driven by conventional amps, and also nicely doubles as a headphone stand).

The Magna is a step-down from the Immanis - having two ribbons, instead of three - but you can hear definite qualities that these two share. The first (and main one) is a combination of speed and impact. Usually, high speed comes with lighter punches and vice-versa. These headphones are two of the strongest exceptions to the rule. Notes come in as if slicing through wind, then roll out the red carpet for the next to arrive. It results in this uber-detailed, on-your-toes sorta sound that’s exhilarating to listen to. And, the amount of black background you can “see” between the notes as a result is absolutely top-class.

But, then, it also had substantial note weight, and nowhere was that clearer than its low-end. Kick drums struck with a satisfying thump, only to vanish without a trace right after. Lows this agile shouldn’t also be this hard-hitting, but the Magna pulled it off. The treble was similarly tactile. Listening to classical orchestras, you could practically feel the tension between the bows and the strings, and the same went for cymbals and hi-hats. There’s a tactility throughout the range that proved why ribbon tweeters are still a staple in recording studios to this day.

Now, when it comes to shortcomings, I felt the Magna wasn’t the most linear headphone in the world. The transition between the high-mids and the treble in particular was a tad awkward. It had a dip in the former, followed by sizzles at 5kHz and 10kHz. It wasn't a fatal flaw, but it did limit the genres and mixes that sounded great on it, in my opinion. Also, its imaging wasn't crazy expansive. It was out-of-head, but not exceedingly so. I found myself ever-so-slightly wanting to push notes out, especially in terms of depth. It could’ve been the show floor forcing me to pump the volume up a bit more that’s causing that. It might not be as big an issue in a quieter environment, but it’s an issue nonetheless.

Overall, as long as you can get over those slight spatial and tonal niggles, the Magna is a solid trickle-down from the Immanis, giving you most of the flagship’s magic tricks at the cost of some refinement and finesse.

RAAL 1995 Immanis

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And now, the main event. Immediately, the Immanis was more open than its two-ribbon sibling. It had greater dynamic range; capable of going softer than the always-zippy Magna. Its treble was more to my liking as well. It wasn't as pronounced at 5kHz, so the mid-to-high transition wasn't as awkward. Instead, the peak was shifted closer to 7kHz, so it articulated just as much as the Magna without the slight FR speed bump. For me, it’s still a little bit on the sharper side. Driving it out of RAAL’s tube amp (I can’t recall what it’s called) definitely helped refine it, but I’d still say it’s a dB or so over what I’d call neutral or natural.

The bass, once again, delivered superbly. Its timbre here was sinewy and thwock-y, but lighting-fast. It’s the best balance of speed and weight I’d personally heard in a headphone. And, imaging here was stronger than on the Magna too. Its ability to render a 3D space and everything within it was stunning. Whether it’s note placement, separation, microdetail retrieval or layering, it was nailed effortlessly. The one thing I’d say is, again, there’s a limit to how far it can throw its image. It’s out-of-head and further so than the Magna, but it’s still on the intimate side when it came to summit-fi headphones.

So, although I’d hesitate before recommending these to a staging head or someone who prefers warmth, I can’t deny the Immanis and Magna represent a new technical frontier for headphones. They do things I’ve never heard before, and the things I have, they pulled off extremely well. While it’s extremely unlikely I’d pick one up for myself, these are two of those products that do meet the standards they’re makers have set (in terms of price). I think any audiophile who jive with their tunings will love them to bits, and I can’t wait to see where RAAL goes from here.

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Heading downstairs, my first stop was the Jaben table, where I tried brands like...

FiR Audio E10

The E10 is the 2nd model in FiR’s Electron Series, featuring a 10mm DD and their proprietary technology suite. It had a warm-ish tuning with a down-trending FR curve, and I thought it had a more present midrange and a less-aggressive treble than the E12. Its lows were superb to me, delivering solid, satisfying and slamming thuds. And, I thought it had great imaging and detail for a 1-DD IEM too. Instruments were laid out tidily in a space that lined the head, then separated aptly for an in-ear of its price.

To me, its main weakness was one that it shares with the E12: An uneven, rollercoaster-y treble. Its awkward series of peaks and dips resulted in cymbals and hi-hats that came off unfocused to me. They had a brashy, almost-splashy timbre, rather than a sharper, more solid point. But, if that isn’t a dealbreaker, then you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option for a fun-sounding, tech-filled, well-made CIEM at its price point.

(I wanted to take a photo with both the E10 and E12 on display, but the opportunity never came. So, FiR's IG page, it is.)​

FiR Audio E12

Now, when I was handed the E10, I noticed that it had foam tips on. So, realizing that that’s the tip material the Electron Series were meant to be heard with, I decided to re-demo the E12 with foam tips. Compared to my initial demo with silicone tips, which I felt was far too V-shaped and peaky up high, the foam tips helped cushion the treble a lot more. It also solidified and added density to the midrange. To me, there’s still a bright sizzle (perhaps around 5-6kHz) that reared its head a bit too often. But, it’s a marked improvement over my original demo, and it’s probably more reflective of the custom’s sound too. To add, I thought the E12 also had a deeper bass, stronger resolution and stronger holography than the E10. I’d still recommend the E10, though, if you prefer a warmer, more linear, more natural tonality.

SoftEars Enigma

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After much anticipation, I had the chance to audition SoftEars’ tri-brid Enigma, and, I have to say, my experience was mixed. It was a U-shaped IEM with a centre-mid bias to its midrange, which meant its notes were clean, dense and not too vibrant (or brassy). Its low-end was elevated and had a slight mid-bass bias. And, its treble was linear and even-keeled; neither diffuse nor edgy. It checked every technical box you could think of - resolution, extension, stage expansion - but most impressive was its imaging. Its soundscape spanned impressively wide, it positioned notes accurately, and hard-panned sounds - synths, rhythm guitars, reverbs, etc. - all were comfortably out-of-head.

My only issue with the Enigma, and it’s unfortunately a big one for me, is that it was missing soul. It felt safe and restrained, which ultimately made it sound a tad boring to me. This was especially true in its midrange. It had neither warm, luscious allurement nor peppy, zingy vibrance. So, for me, despite being a capable IEM by all respects, at almost $4K, it lacked the personality to stand out in the increasingly-crowded TOTL landscape. Unfortunately, this one didn’t move me as much as SoftEars’ single-DD offerings typically do.

Unique Melody Mason FS Soleil Tombe

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The Soleil Tombe is the newest entry in UM’s flagship Mason line, and it’s already caused quite a stir on Head-Fi for its $8500 MSRP. As someone who’s long ignored UM due to their sky-high prices and crude behavior towards brands like EE, I came into this demo with an open mind, keen to experience something never-before-heard, in order to justify prices never-before-seen.

And, did !? Uhh… yes and no. Tonally, this Mason was warm and meaty with a shot of clarity up top. I pictured a steady FR graph with minimal space-creating, contrast-creating dips, resulting in a fuller timbre, followed by a healthy hill in the treble for cut. It wasn’t the most coherent in-ear I’d ever heard, but it wasn’t disjointed either. The treble actually tread the line between natural and clean quite well, though leaning slightly towards the latter. My favourite aspect of the in-ear was how weighty and muscular each of its notes were. Its mids were convincingly, tactilely 3D, and it’s a quality I loved in the Amber Pearl as well.

Unfortunately, for me, the midrange was disappointingly familiar in timbre. I talked about this on the Trailli some time ago, where, despite how well its midrange was tuned, I couldn’t help feeling like I’d heard these drivers before. It’s a recognizable timbre that constantly reminded me I was listening to an IEM, which hampered immersion a ton. Then, unlike the AP, which doubled down on its meaty, hefty colouration, I felt this Mason was stuck in the middle. It attempted to capture both the AP’s analog fullness and TOTL-style clarity. Its image was holographic, but fuller than it was open. Its stage was deep and tall, but not as wide. I felt a clash of priorities that made it less special than the AP, to my ears. But, if a more clarity-leaned AP is what you’re looking for, then maybe this is the in-ear for you.

Ultimately, as I said, the Mason FS Soleil Tombe was a bit of a mixed bag. I think no other brand has been able to replicate UM’s meaty, 3D midrange, but I feel the AP does it better. It managed holography despite its fullness, but I can’t say it’s that far ahead of its peers either. This is pretty much where I’m struggling with it. As an in-ear priced far above the majority of its competition, I didn't hear anything justifying that, to be frank. $2000-3000 ahead of everything else, it certainly was not. To state the obvious, high prices demand high standards, and you sleep in the bed you make.

Melodic Artification Alter Ego

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Melodic Artification (‘heck of a tongue twister) is a brand I was very vaguely familiar with after hearing some hype from China. And, to be completely honest, I probably wouldn’t have given their booth a visit, given my time constraints, if it wasn’t for @Crazeee and @AxLvR running over to me going, “YOU GOTTA TRY THIS!” simultaneously. And, after giving the Alter Ego a go (hehe), I’m pretty glad they did.

Now, at first listen, I had two prevalent thoughts:

1. Wow, this thing is so much high-quality fun.
2. It’s such a shame its tone is not exactly for me.

What I heard was a W-shaped tuning with thumping lows, tight, higher-pitched mids and a crisp, yet linear, airy treble. It was full of exciting textures and contrasts, which weren't just due to the tuning. The Alter Ego’s main strength, to me, was the opposite of what I talked about in the Mason section: A familiar, recognizable tuning, delivered in a fresh, new, exciting way. Whether it was the in-ear’s exhilarating PRaT, its evocative delivery, or the fact that it had excellent detail and separation to go with them, there was just something to its presentation that kept me listening, despite, again, not fully jiving with its tone. It was a tighter midrange than I’d like, which contrasted my preference for lushness and meatiness.

But, then, a switch was flicked… literally.

Flipping the Alter Ego’s switch, which I presumed to be a mere bass switch, revealed that it was actually a lower-half-of-the-FR switch; also elevating the lower-mids with the bass. Now, that once-lean midrange was suddenly filled out very naturally. Its FR was now bass and centre-mid forward, with the low-mids and treble right below in equal measure. And so, I was able to enjoy the in-ear’s punchy, vivid energy without compromising any of my favourite instruments.

So, despite a rocky start, the Alter Ego certainly won me over in the end. What I first presumed was a done-to-death gimmick actually gave the IEM far more versatility than I gave it credit for. Its ability to go from a tight, contrasty sig to one that’s linear, muscular and full-bodied, whilst flaunting a unique presentation and strong technique in both… was pretty darn impressive for $2500. But, whether or not that presents a good value to you will depend on how much you like either signature. If I allowed myself to get a UIEM over $1000 and bought the Alter Ego, I'm fairly sure I’d keep the switch in just one position. But, if you’re looking for a superbly-built IEM with two, complementary signatures, a unique presentation and stellar resolution, I think the Alter Ego is definitely one to consider.

Also, it’s worth noting that the in-ear’s open design didn't compromise its isolation at all, in my experience. It isolated just like any other sealed IEM on the busy CanJam floor. Though, there have since been reports of sound leaking outwards from the IEM. So, as long as you don’t mind people hearing your music (and they don't mind hearing your tracks too), then you should be good.

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After this round of demos, I headed back upstairs to visit Zeppelin & Co.'s packed suite. The theme in this section, ironically (if you know your history), was Indonesian and Dutch.

Verus Audio Lavender

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Verus Audio is a local (to me), Indonesian cable brand who I’m proud to say have made their CanJam SG debut. And, the first cable I heard from them there was the all-new, 4-wire Lavender. Paired it with my VE ELYSIUM, the cable imparted a vibrant, airy, open sound filled with dense notes. It was a bit U-shaped in FR, reflected by its imaging that felt concave, rather than convex. The resulting stage was arena-like; wide, out-of-head and, most of all, tall. It was especially immersive for live, ensemble recordings like Snarky Puppy’s tunes. The few qualms I had with it were note tactility and sub-bass presence. Despite the thickness or density of its midrange in tone, its instruments weren’t the most convincingly 3D or weighted. It also could’ve been a bit more guttural in its sub-bass for a more complete tonality. Overall, though, if you wanna add cinematic imaging and a bit of body to your IEMs, the Lavender is a good candidate.

Verus Audio Modi + Magni

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The next cable I tried was a mix of their entry-level Modi and Magni cables. This one traded in the Lavender’s thickness for tightness and clarity. It had a cleaner, brighter, upper-mid-biased tonality. This was also due in part to its treble; airy, sparkly and sharper on the transient (without being harsh). And, its low-end played more of a supporting role with a slight sub-bass bias, if anything. Spatially, I thought it had an involving, intimate presentation that was rich in detail. However, it did have a more conventional timbre than the Lavender, and it was also dwarfed in height. That aside, though, I think the Modi + Magni combo thrives in clarity and air; light and crystalline. So, if your monitors need a bit of sharpening and opening up without breaking the bank, this is one to consider.

7th Acoustic Asteria Prototype

Before I get to the impressions, ‘a bit of backstory on my relationship with 7th Acoustic.

7th Acoustic is another Indonesian brand I’m really proud to see make their CanJam debut, after initially finding success with the $1000 Supernova. Although its reception was generally positive, I thought they could’ve been braver with its tuning, personally. A jack-of-all-trades at $1000 is no sin at all, but I could feel they had more to offer, especially considering the amount of technique they gave the Supernova.

Now, imagine my disappointment when I heard an early Asteria prototype at the Portable Audio Party Indonesia last December, and I heard the exact same issue. It was organic in tone, it was decently technical, but it sounded like any brand could’ve made it. As someone desperate to see local brands thrive, when one of their staff members kindly asked for feedback, I basically shook it into them to be braver; to have more character and to make their flagship truly stand out.

Cut to 4 months and a full revamp of the Asteria's driver config later… they’ve finally done it.

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The prototype they brought to SG struck neutral with a bass boost, and it had one of the best low-pass filters I heard at the show. The way its bass lift (and its DD timbre) was shaped and cut-off allowed for a satisfying thump, ending right before any bleed came in. It’s a superb crossover that I don’t usually take notice of. But, the way 7th Acoustic had tuned it there was worth praise.

Those lifted lows dipped into a neutral lower-midrange; just full enough to sustain. To me, it’s a more ideal timbre for percussion and synths - tight, fast, compact - than vocals; similar to the leaner Alter Ego profile, but to a lesser degree. I felt it might’ve been too light for airier vocals like Sarah McKenzie’s, but it worked perfectly fine with naturally-husky voices, including female ones like Lianne La Havas' or Diana Krall's.

The Asteria’s treble was just as impressive as its lows. It was linearly-tuned with a sufficiently crisp edge, but it never exceeded the mids in presence. Moreover, ample headroom and extension delivered an incredibly spacious, open and clean image. The in-ear had air to spare, and it was a far cry from the flatly organic prototype from the previous year. This one had top-tier resolution and speed written all over it. So, after a ton of tough love, I’m really happy to see them deliver something distinct, and I can’t wait to see how they finish this thing up for launch.

Canpur 74E Prototype

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This prototype was something I very much looked forward to, because of how much I enjoyed the 54E and 622B I demoed last year. What I heard here was a safe-sounding, all-rounder of an in-ear with emphases in the bass and around 2kHz. Those colourations gave it an earthy, husky, bellowing timbre that was cut nicely with a clean, linear, well-leveled treble. Just like the 622B, I loved how controlled and well-resolved its lows were. They were always clean and easy to follow, despite the lift. And, it also had a focused, organized image with great stereo separation (resulting in convincing panning effects and accurate imaging), even though its expansion was just barely out-of-head.

For me, what the 74E currently lacks is character. It’s not dissimilar to the Enigma I talked about earlier (or the previous Asteria prototype) in that it lacked a thing that would pull me in. The 622B, for example, had that dynamic, 3D midrange where instruments genuinely felt like they moved back and forth. The 74E, in lieu of that, just came across like a fun, weighty-yet-clear, harmless listen. And, if it’s set to be priced between the 54E and the 622B, with the amount of competition in that price range already, I certainly hope that prototype wasn't its final revision.

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Audio-Technica Narukami

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Then, came arguably the biggest demo of the day. This was something I was interested in the second I saw their post on Head-Fi, even more so after I realized I could never afford it and therefore couldn’t be tempted by it. Almost as a metaphor for CanJam itself, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience where all you get to take home is the experience, and I couldn’t be more excited for it. So, at 3.30 PM sharp, I headed towards the Pan Pacific lobby, met with the Audio-Technica rep, then headed up to their private suite, where the Narukami system awaited.

As the doors opened, I was greeted by members of Audio-Technica SG’s team, including my mate Sean, who was once a regular at my old audio haunts and now is part of their team, as well as Cher, who was my e-mail correspondent for the Narukami demo, and who then took me on a tour of the system at hand.

Starting with the wood, he explained that the Kurogaki wood used to construct both the NARU amp and the NARU headphones isn’t something you can just buy off shelves. They’re a special strain that you can only acquire through live auctions, typically attended by the 1%.

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Following that, he showed us the TA-300B vacuum tubes from Takatsuki Electric, each worth a couple thousand dollars, at least. The NARU has 4 of them.

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Then, finally, he showed us the ALPS RK50 potentiometer, which, in itself, is worth about a grand.

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So, as much as people (myself, included) like to pull out the material cost argument against ultra-summit-fi products, Audio-Technica have definitely put up a strong case this time around.

Now, feeding the NARU amp via analog was an Audio-Technica turntable (the exact model, I can’t recall), and being fed by the amp were the NARU headphones, as well as Audio-Technica’s 60th anniversary model, the much-acclaimed, $9000 ATH-W2022. As Cher kindly showed me the LPs he had to offer, I immediately knew which one I was gonna pick, and the cover looked a little something like this:

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Putting the NARU headphones on and setting the volume knob, Cher dropped the needle, and off I went to the dark desert highway.

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Without going too far into sonic specifics, and speaking more generally of what the system had to offer, what I heard was honestly the most tactile, convincingly corporeal and physically weighted sound I’d ever heard from a head-fi product. This was especially true of the kick drums and tom hits near the start of the track. As someone who spends 2-4 hours a day on a drum kit multiple days a week, I’d never heard a headphone so realistically put one in the room with me.

The same was true of the midrange and treble. Even though those regions weren’t coloured in perfect accordance with my personal “targets” of natural or lifelike on this headphone, I couldn’t deny how solidly rendered and physically tactile they were throughout the track. It was just a different level of slam and presence, because of how weighted and solid its notes were, and I will definitely say that it was an experience unlike any other in the head-fi realm (having never heard the HE-1, or Bravura, etc.).

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Switching over to the W2022, I found out that it was an even bassier headphone. I discovered this after the first kick drum came in, and it shook me harder than my car subwoofers could ever hope to. While I preferred the airier, more extended highs of the NARU headphone, because they provided a cleaner backdrop to better sell the illusion that instruments were really there in the room, I can’t deny how friggin’ awesome the W2022’s bass response was. So, it ended in a draw.

Also, while we’re talking about the W2022, yes, the 3D, Urushi-inspired art on the cups was even prettier in real-life, if you can imagine that. Cher was holding votes for which side people preferred. I voted for the Sakura tree, which turned out to be the frontrunner.

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And, so concluded my 30 minutes with Audio-Technica’s Narukami system. Will I ever own one without winning the lottery? Heck no. But, again, experiencing unobtainium and creating otherwise-impossible memories is what CanJam is all about. As much as I love having constant access to a piece of gear at home, there’s something uniquely special about having no part of it to hold onto, but a singular memory that may one day fade away. That said, they did gave us a goodie bag with an Audio-Technica coaster and mug inside too, so I guess I didn’t walk away with nothing after all.

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Now that the elephant had left the room, I headed back downstairs for my final round of demos before I had to head for the airport.

Noble Audio Onyx

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Stopping by the Noble Audio booth, I was keen to give their Onyx a try. After finding the Ragnar too bright and the Ronin too mushy, I thought this one struck a very, very nice in-between.

The Onyx had a smooth, yet clean sound led by a solid, weighted bass. I thought it had a healthy mid-bass that (crucially) didn’t overtake the midrange, paired with solid sub-bass extension. Its mids were deep, earthy, husky and lush. They were dense and warm, but not wet or fat-sounding, really. Despite its mid-bass and reserved upper-midrange, vocals didn’t come off veiled on the Onyx, nor were they congealed together. I thought its treble extension (and perhaps some BCD magic) gave it a midrange that stood solidly against a stunningly black background and projected with great dynamic range; always open and free-sounding.

The Onyx’s treble was a tad reserved with 1-2 light, narrow peaks for cut. So, again, this was an earthier in-ear with dense, solid notes and just enough treble cut to come off clean. Compared to something like the VE X, I’d say the Onyx was more prim, proper and organized, while the VE X has a bit more sway and soul to it. Technically, the Onyx was impressive to me. Despite its warmer tonality, it, again, had dynamics and background blackness to spare. Because of its wide, open, holographic presentation, it was just easy to get immersed in. So, if you’re looking for a bold, weighty IEM that cuts and separates just as cleanly as its brighter peers, the Onyx is one to consider. ‘Probably my favorite Noble IEM to date.

Astell&Kern x Empire Ears Novus

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Over at AK’s booth, I gave their latest collaboration with EE, the Novus, a go. What I heard was a neutral, clean signature paired with a big bass shelf. The in-ear had tight, but elevated lows, with thump that we’ve all come to expect from EE’s DDs. To me, the bass did take up quite a bit of room. It wasn’t the most open or free-sounding IEM in the world. But, what its low-end didn’t impede was detail. I thought its clarity and resolution were top-notch, and so were its separation and image accuracy. It had a clean, linear midrange that sat beneath the lows, as well as the treble’s highest peak. It was almost a V-shaped IEM, but its treble remained linear enough to, again, qualify it more as a neutral + bass boost sorta IEM. So, although I agree with most reports that you’re paying heavy AK tax with this one, there really is no alternative if you want a clean all-rounder with massive lows, which also happens to look like a gold AP.

Astell&Kern SP3000T

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The last item I heard at CanJam SG was AK’s SP3000T. I was surprised to hear a different take on the tube sound vs. something like iBasso’s PB5 or Woo Audio’s WA8. It didn't have a warm or down-tilted FR. Its tube-ness was most audible in its midrange; vibrant, sweet and light, almost like a spring breeze. It’s relaxed, unforced, but intimate and sultry. Its extremes then played supporting roles. Its low-end was on the neutral side with a slight mid-bass bias; again, not too smoky in tone. Whereas, its top-end was mellow, refined, but effortlessly extended. In imaging, I’d say it’s wider than deep, due to its alluring, intimate, but not cloying mids. And, resolution was stellar as usual for a flagship AK player. I personally found it more of a specialist, and I really disliked its ergonomics. It’s borderline sabotage to give something that much width and that many sharp edges. But, if you love sweet, summertime mids, and you don’t mind a leather case at all times, then the SP3000T is definitely worth a listen.

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And, so another chapter closes in the book of CanJam Singapore. Ever since attending the very first one in 2016, it’s funny to see how my relationship to it has constantly evolved. It was once a candy store where I tried everything before making a big buy, then a gig where coverage came first and my well-being came second. And, now, it’s an annual reunion with the warmest, kindest, most passionate group of people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in the hobby. Year after year, one new face after another, this community just never seems to disappoint. So, once again, a huge shout-out to the Head-Fi crew for making every CanJam bigger than the last, and one to the WC gang for now making every trip to the Lion City better than the last. ‘Love you all, ‘hope you enjoy, and cheers!

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Amazing impressions and pictures! Please come out of your "retirement" already and start reviewing again. We tend to hear things very similarly and you are gifted with words. Your choice of words and the way you convey your thoughts make it so easy for me to relate to what you describe regardless of whether or not I have heard it.

 

[salwani8888]

I mean, I don't go to a Bugatti showroom saying that if I tune up my Corolla the driving experience would just be as good.

some others do apparently

 

[theintention]

accessories week for me, cables and tips galore incoming.

- Azla Origin
- Nostalgia XWB
- new Symbio W
- Seraphina Vortex cable

Hoping for an update on my 634ears set too.

 

[maegnificant]

I haven't really played video games in about 10 years but I was a huge Koji Kondo fan back in the day.



Windwaker was one of my ATF favorite soundtracks:







I also love this old school theme from Zelda 2:

Great picks!
Do you know about Smooth Mcgroove? He makes excellent acapella covers of those kinds of video game OSTs.

For example:








I bought all his albums on bandcamp

 

[ranfan]

Hmmm... did I already mention that I like blue?



A nice 'detail' (yep, sarcastic mode on) is that this combination also sounds fantastic (sarcastic mode off) to my ears

I'm loving mine as well Though in a different color coordination. The wooden faceplates turned out quite nicely with their twin colorway. The copper tubing also gives an accent to its overall design



Soundwise these are quite the midrange and timbre specialist. The way strings and acoustic instruments are rendered, organic analogue and lifelike. It's so addictive to listen to

 

[bukumurah]

Are any of the Brise Audio Tsuranagi users here planning on getting the V2 upgrade soon?

I have just gotten the refresh plan upgrade (battery, knob and casing change) recently.. so to have to spend another ¥100,000 to have them replaced again along with the actual electronics upgrade is, well..

 

[Valrhona]

Here she comes...

This is CanJam!

After a good warmup the day before, Saturday had finally arrived. Parting ways with the wife (at her request ) at the hotel, I was on a cab headed straight towards the Pan Pacific Singapore. Greeting my fellow ‘Coolers at the hotel cafe, we headed straight towards the show floor and… got kicked out ‘cus the show hadn’t started yet. So, we waited a little bit longer, then made sure that we were the first to go upstairs, where most of the noise-sensitive, desktop gear was located. The first room we arrived in was Project Perfection’s, and my round of demos kicked off with the…

Lotoo Mjolnir (with its lossless dongle)

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The first thing I heard at CanJam SG was the Lotoo Mjolnir, fed by their new, lossless, wireless dongle. It’s a device that accepts digital data from your iPhone or Android device, then feeds it to the Mjolnir through a proprietary wireless standard. It was still in beta, so it took a couple attempts to connect to my iPhone. But, I got it working eventually.

In terms of tone and presentation, I heard a lot of similarities to Lotoo’s PAW Gold Touch, which I recently retired after serving as my reference DAP for about 3 years. It’s virtually dead-neutral; neither too lean, nor too full, and neither too bright, nor too warm. The only attribute both these sources maintain is a more upfront delivery of music. They aren’t intimate or in-your-face per se, but they do inch a tad forward compared to more blasé-sounding players like AK’s SP3000 or the HiBy R8II.

The key difference between the LPGT and the Mjolnir is holography; the latter is leagues ahead. Instruments are positioned like they are on the LPGT, but the amount of room, detail and air behind them on the Mjolnir is extraordinary. The result is this wholly-convincing, 3D space that's neither too detached in its pursuit of depth, nor stretched in its pursuit of width. It’s a stunningly natural expansion that makes it, again, convincingly holographic and massively roomy without instruments having to be far away. This is further aided by the source’s effortless sense of detail. Notes are fully drawn without any tonal trickery. The treble is particularly impressive. You almost get the sense that a cymbal's sizzle is rendered to the nanosecond.

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Analysis isn’t the only thing it’s good at either. Despite its wealth of organized detail, the Mjolnir is a musically engaging source. Part of the reason is the note positioning I mentioned earlier. They’re placed a tad upfront, and they’re spread wide as well. Panning synths that travel from left to right do so far out of head. Then, there’s its far-reaching, lofty lows too. The Mjolnir has a deep bass that rumbles and thumps without the need for elevation; balanced in presence like it is on the LPGT.

When it comes to power, which is the reason why I retired my LPGT in the end, the Mjolnir had plenty. It drove my VE ELYSIUM without breaking a sweat. And, it was able to drive my planar magnetic DCA ETHER 2 plenty loud at 50% volume too.

So, in terms of overall performance, there are few pieces of gear that rivaled the Mjolnir at CanJam SG. Though it isn’t without some partial red flags (the main two being price and software), it has none (to me) when it comes to sheer craftsmanship and SQ. I look forward to seeing this tech trickle down to Lotoo’s players in the future, and I look forward to the day when owning devices like these aren’t but a distant fantasy to me.

RAAL 1995 Magna

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The RAAL ribbon headphones were up very high on my demo list; a combination of loving their SR1a and CanJam NY hype. As my fellow ‘Coolers (and @Chang ) called dibs on the Immanis, I decided to give their Magna a try while I waited. This one was driven by an Eversolo streamer into an Aune S17 Pro amp, then into RAAL’s interface (which allows their ribbon headphones to be driven by conventional amps, and also nicely doubles as a headphone stand).

The Magna is a step-down from the Immanis - having two ribbons, instead of three - but you can hear definite qualities that these two share. The first (and main one) is a combination of speed and impact. Usually, high speed comes with lighter punches and vice-versa. These headphones are two of the strongest exceptions to the rule. Notes come in as if slicing through wind, then roll out the red carpet for the next to arrive. It results in this uber-detailed, on-your-toes sorta sound that’s exhilarating to listen to. And, the amount of black background you can “see” between the notes as a result is absolutely top-class.

But, then, it also had substantial note weight, and nowhere was that clearer than its low-end. Kick drums struck with a satisfying thump, only to vanish without a trace right after. Lows this agile shouldn’t also be this hard-hitting, but the Magna pulled it off. The treble was similarly tactile. Listening to classical orchestras, you could practically feel the tension between the bows and the strings, and the same went for cymbals and hi-hats. There’s a tactility throughout the range that proved why ribbon tweeters are still a staple in recording studios to this day.

Now, when it comes to shortcomings, I felt the Magna wasn’t the most linear headphone in the world. The transition between the high-mids and the treble in particular was a tad awkward. It had a dip in the former, followed by sizzles at 5kHz and 10kHz. It wasn't a fatal flaw, but it did limit the genres and mixes that sounded great on it, in my opinion. Also, its imaging wasn't crazy expansive. It was out-of-head, but not exceedingly so. I found myself ever-so-slightly wanting to push notes out, especially in terms of depth. It could’ve been the show floor forcing me to pump the volume up a bit more that’s causing that. It might not be as big an issue in a quieter environment, but it’s an issue nonetheless.

Overall, as long as you can get over those slight spatial and tonal niggles, the Magna is a solid trickle-down from the Immanis, giving you most of the flagship’s magic tricks at the cost of some refinement and finesse.

RAAL 1995 Immanis

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And now, the main event. Immediately, the Immanis was more open than its two-ribbon sibling. It had greater dynamic range; capable of going softer than the always-zippy Magna. Its treble was more to my liking as well. It wasn't as pronounced at 5kHz, so the mid-to-high transition wasn't as awkward. Instead, the peak was shifted closer to 7kHz, so it articulated just as much as the Magna without the slight FR speed bump. For me, it’s still a little bit on the sharper side. Driving it out of RAAL’s tube amp (I can’t recall what it’s called) definitely helped refine it, but I’d still say it’s a dB or so over what I’d call neutral or natural.

The bass, once again, delivered superbly. Its timbre here was sinewy and thwock-y, but lighting-fast. It’s the best balance of speed and weight I’d personally heard in a headphone. And, imaging here was stronger than on the Magna too. Its ability to render a 3D space and everything within it was stunning. Whether it’s note placement, separation, microdetail retrieval or layering, it was nailed effortlessly. The one thing I’d say is, again, there’s a limit to how far it can throw its image. It’s out-of-head and further so than the Magna, but it’s still on the intimate side when it came to summit-fi headphones.

So, although I’d hesitate before recommending these to a staging head or someone who prefers warmth, I can’t deny the Immanis and Magna represent a new technical frontier for headphones. They do things I’ve never heard before, and the things I have, they pulled off extremely well. While it’s extremely unlikely I’d pick one up for myself, these are two of those products that do meet the standards they’re makers have set (in terms of price). I think any audiophile who jive with their tunings will love them to bits, and I can’t wait to see where RAAL goes from here.

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Heading downstairs, my first stop was the Jaben table, where I tried brands like...

FiR Audio E10

The E10 is the 2nd model in FiR’s Electron Series, featuring a 10mm DD and their proprietary technology suite. It had a warm-ish tuning with a down-trending FR curve, and I thought it had a more present midrange and a less-aggressive treble than the E12. Its lows were superb to me, delivering solid, satisfying and slamming thuds. And, I thought it had great imaging and detail for a 1-DD IEM too. Instruments were laid out tidily in a space that lined the head, then separated aptly for an in-ear of its price.

To me, its main weakness was one that it shares with the E12: An uneven, rollercoaster-y treble. Its awkward series of peaks and dips resulted in cymbals and hi-hats that came off unfocused to me. They had a brashy, almost-splashy timbre, rather than a sharper, more solid point. But, if that isn’t a dealbreaker, then you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option for a fun-sounding, tech-filled, well-made CIEM at its price point.

(I wanted to take a photo with both the E10 and E12 on display, but the opportunity never came. So, FiR's IG page, it is.)​

FiR Audio E12

Now, when I was handed the E10, I noticed that it had foam tips on. So, realizing that that’s the tip material the Electron Series were meant to be heard with, I decided to re-demo the E12 with foam tips. Compared to my initial demo with silicone tips, which I felt was far too V-shaped and peaky up high, the foam tips helped cushion the treble a lot more. It also solidified and added density to the midrange. To me, there’s still a bright sizzle (perhaps around 5-6kHz) that reared its head a bit too often. But, it’s a marked improvement over my original demo, and it’s probably more reflective of the custom’s sound too. To add, I thought the E12 also had a deeper bass, stronger resolution and stronger holography than the E10. I’d still recommend the E10, though, if you prefer a warmer, more linear, more natural tonality.

SoftEars Enigma

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After much anticipation, I had the chance to audition SoftEars’ tri-brid Enigma, and, I have to say, my experience was mixed. It was a U-shaped IEM with a centre-mid bias to its midrange, which meant its notes were clean, dense and not too vibrant (or brassy). Its low-end was elevated and had a slight mid-bass bias. And, its treble was linear and even-keeled; neither diffuse nor edgy. It checked every technical box you could think of - resolution, extension, stage expansion - but most impressive was its imaging. Its soundscape spanned impressively wide, it positioned notes accurately, and hard-panned sounds - synths, rhythm guitars, reverbs, etc. - all were comfortably out-of-head.

My only issue with the Enigma, and it’s unfortunately a big one for me, is that it was missing soul. It felt safe and restrained, which ultimately made it sound a tad boring to me. This was especially true in its midrange. It had neither warm, luscious allurement nor peppy, zingy vibrance. So, for me, despite being a capable IEM by all respects, at almost $4K, it lacked the personality to stand out in the increasingly-crowded TOTL landscape. Unfortunately, this one didn’t move me as much as SoftEars’ single-DD offerings typically do.

Unique Melody Mason FS Soleil Tombe

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The Soleil Tombe is the newest entry in UM’s flagship Mason line, and it’s already caused quite a stir on Head-Fi for its $8500 MSRP. As someone who’s long ignored UM due to their sky-high prices and crude behavior towards brands like EE, I came into this demo with an open mind, keen to experience something never-before-heard, in order to justify prices never-before-seen.

And, did !? Uhh… yes and no. Tonally, this Mason was warm and meaty with a shot of clarity up top. I pictured a steady FR graph with minimal space-creating, contrast-creating dips, resulting in a fuller timbre, followed by a healthy hill in the treble for cut. It wasn’t the most coherent in-ear I’d ever heard, but it wasn’t disjointed either. The treble actually tread the line between natural and clean quite well, though leaning slightly towards the latter. My favourite aspect of the in-ear was how weighty and muscular each of its notes were. Its mids were convincingly, tactilely 3D, and it’s a quality I loved in the Amber Pearl as well.

Unfortunately, for me, the midrange was disappointingly familiar in timbre. I talked about this on the Trailli some time ago, where, despite how well its midrange was tuned, I couldn’t help feeling like I’d heard these drivers before. It’s a recognizable timbre that constantly reminded me I was listening to an IEM, which hampered immersion a ton. Then, unlike the AP, which doubled down on its meaty, hefty colouration, I felt this Mason was stuck in the middle. It attempted to capture both the AP’s analog fullness and TOTL-style clarity. Its image was holographic, but fuller than it was open. Its stage was deep and tall, but not as wide. I felt a clash of priorities that made it less special than the AP, to my ears. But, if a more clarity-leaned AP is what you’re looking for, then maybe this is the in-ear for you.

Ultimately, as I said, the Mason FS Soleil Tombe was a bit of a mixed bag. I think no other brand has been able to replicate UM’s meaty, 3D midrange, but I feel the AP does it better. It managed holography despite its fullness, but I can’t say it’s that far ahead of its peers either. This is pretty much where I’m struggling with it. As an in-ear priced far above the majority of its competition, I didn't hear anything justifying that, to be frank. $2000-3000 ahead of everything else, it certainly was not. To state the obvious, high prices demand high standards, and you sleep in the bed you make.

Melodic Artification Alter Ego

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Melodic Artification (‘heck of a tongue twister) is a brand I was very vaguely familiar with after hearing some hype from China. And, to be completely honest, I probably wouldn’t have given their booth a visit, given my time constraints, if it wasn’t for @Crazeee and @AxLvR running over to me going, “YOU GOTTA TRY THIS!” simultaneously. And, after giving the Alter Ego a go (hehe), I’m pretty glad they did.

Now, at first listen, I had two prevalent thoughts:

1. Wow, this thing is so much high-quality fun.
2. It’s such a shame its tone is not exactly for me.

What I heard was a W-shaped tuning with thumping lows, tight, higher-pitched mids and a crisp, yet linear, airy treble. It was full of exciting textures and contrasts, which weren't just due to the tuning. The Alter Ego’s main strength, to me, was the opposite of what I talked about in the Mason section: A familiar, recognizable tuning, delivered in a fresh, new, exciting way. Whether it was the in-ear’s exhilarating PRaT, its evocative delivery, or the fact that it had excellent detail and separation to go with them, there was just something to its presentation that kept me listening, despite, again, not fully jiving with its tone. It was a tighter midrange than I’d like, which contrasted my preference for lushness and meatiness.

But, then, a switch was flicked… literally.

Flipping the Alter Ego’s switch, which I presumed to be a mere bass switch, revealed that it was actually a lower-half-of-the-FR switch; also elevating the lower-mids with the bass. Now, that once-lean midrange was suddenly filled out very naturally. Its FR was now bass and centre-mid forward, with the low-mids and treble right below in equal measure. And so, I was able to enjoy the in-ear’s punchy, vivid energy without compromising any of my favourite instruments.

So, despite a rocky start, the Alter Ego certainly won me over in the end. What I first presumed was a done-to-death gimmick actually gave the IEM far more versatility than I gave it credit for. Its ability to go from a tight, contrasty sig to one that’s linear, muscular and full-bodied, whilst flaunting a unique presentation and strong technique in both… was pretty darn impressive for $2500. But, whether or not that presents a good value to you will depend on how much you like either signature. If I allowed myself to get a UIEM over $1000 and bought the Alter Ego, I'm fairly sure I’d keep the switch in just one position. But, if you’re looking for a superbly-built IEM with two, complementary signatures, a unique presentation and stellar resolution, I think the Alter Ego is definitely one to consider.

Also, it’s worth noting that the in-ear’s open design didn't compromise its isolation at all, in my experience. It isolated just like any other sealed IEM on the busy CanJam floor. Though, there have since been reports of sound leaking outwards from the IEM. So, as long as you don’t mind people hearing your music (and they don't mind hearing your tracks too), then you should be good.

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After this round of demos, I headed back upstairs to visit Zeppelin & Co.'s packed suite. The theme in this section, ironically (if you know your history), was Indonesian and Dutch.

Verus Audio Lavender

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Verus Audio is a local (to me), Indonesian cable brand who I’m proud to say have made their CanJam SG debut. And, the first cable I heard from them there was the all-new, 4-wire Lavender. Paired it with my VE ELYSIUM, the cable imparted a vibrant, airy, open sound filled with dense notes. It was a bit U-shaped in FR, reflected by its imaging that felt concave, rather than convex. The resulting stage was arena-like; wide, out-of-head and, most of all, tall. It was especially immersive for live, ensemble recordings like Snarky Puppy’s tunes. The few qualms I had with it were note tactility and sub-bass presence. Despite the thickness or density of its midrange in tone, its instruments weren’t the most convincingly 3D or weighted. It also could’ve been a bit more guttural in its sub-bass for a more complete tonality. Overall, though, if you wanna add cinematic imaging and a bit of body to your IEMs, the Lavender is a good candidate.

Verus Audio Modi + Magni

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The next cable I tried was a mix of their entry-level Modi and Magni cables. This one traded in the Lavender’s thickness for tightness and clarity. It had a cleaner, brighter, upper-mid-biased tonality. This was also due in part to its treble; airy, sparkly and sharper on the transient (without being harsh). And, its low-end played more of a supporting role with a slight sub-bass bias, if anything. Spatially, I thought it had an involving, intimate presentation that was rich in detail. However, it did have a more conventional timbre than the Lavender, and it was also dwarfed in height. That aside, though, I think the Modi + Magni combo thrives in clarity and air; light and crystalline. So, if your monitors need a bit of sharpening and opening up without breaking the bank, this is one to consider.

7th Acoustic Asteria Prototype

Before I get to the impressions, ‘a bit of backstory on my relationship with 7th Acoustic.

7th Acoustic is another Indonesian brand I’m really proud to see make their CanJam debut, after initially finding success with the $1000 Supernova. Although its reception was generally positive, I thought they could’ve been braver with its tuning, personally. A jack-of-all-trades at $1000 is no sin at all, but I could feel they had more to offer, especially considering the amount of technique they gave the Supernova.

Now, imagine my disappointment when I heard an early Asteria prototype at the Portable Audio Party Indonesia last December, and I heard the exact same issue. It was organic in tone, it was decently technical, but it sounded like any brand could’ve made it. As someone desperate to see local brands thrive, when one of their staff members kindly asked for feedback, I basically shook it into them to be braver; to have more character and to make their flagship truly stand out.

Cut to 4 months and a full revamp of the Asteria's driver config later… they’ve finally done it.

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The prototype they brought to SG struck neutral with a bass boost, and it had one of the best low-pass filters I heard at the show. The way its bass lift (and its DD timbre) was shaped and cut-off allowed for a satisfying thump, ending right before any bleed came in. It’s a superb crossover that I don’t usually take notice of. But, the way 7th Acoustic had tuned it there was worth praise.

Those lifted lows dipped into a neutral lower-midrange; just full enough to sustain. To me, it’s a more ideal timbre for percussion and synths - tight, fast, compact - than vocals; similar to the leaner Alter Ego profile, but to a lesser degree. I felt it might’ve been too light for airier vocals like Sarah McKenzie’s, but it worked perfectly fine with naturally-husky voices, including female ones like Lianne La Havas' or Diana Krall's.

The Asteria’s treble was just as impressive as its lows. It was linearly-tuned with a sufficiently crisp edge, but it never exceeded the mids in presence. Moreover, ample headroom and extension delivered an incredibly spacious, open and clean image. The in-ear had air to spare, and it was a far cry from the flatly organic prototype from the previous year. This one had top-tier resolution and speed written all over it. So, after a ton of tough love, I’m really happy to see them deliver something distinct, and I can’t wait to see how they finish this thing up for launch.

Canpur 74E Prototype

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This prototype was something I very much looked forward to, because of how much I enjoyed the 54E and 622B I demoed last year. What I heard here was a safe-sounding, all-rounder of an in-ear with emphases in the bass and around 2kHz. Those colourations gave it an earthy, husky, bellowing timbre that was cut nicely with a clean, linear, well-leveled treble. Just like the 622B, I loved how controlled and well-resolved its lows were. They were always clean and easy to follow, despite the lift. And, it also had a focused, organized image with great stereo separation (resulting in convincing panning effects and accurate imaging), even though its expansion was just barely out-of-head.

For me, what the 74E currently lacks is character. It’s not dissimilar to the Enigma I talked about earlier (or the previous Asteria prototype) in that it lacked a thing that would pull me in. The 622B, for example, had that dynamic, 3D midrange where instruments genuinely felt like they moved back and forth. The 74E, in lieu of that, just came across like a fun, weighty-yet-clear, harmless listen. And, if it’s set to be priced between the 54E and the 622B, with the amount of competition in that price range already, I certainly hope that prototype wasn't its final revision.

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Audio-Technica Narukami

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Then, came arguably the biggest demo of the day. This was something I was interested in the second I saw their post on Head-Fi, even more so after I realized I could never afford it and therefore couldn’t be tempted by it. Almost as a metaphor for CanJam itself, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience where all you get to take home is the experience, and I couldn’t be more excited for it. So, at 3.30 PM sharp, I headed towards the Pan Pacific lobby, met with the Audio-Technica rep, then headed up to their private suite, where the Narukami system awaited.

As the doors opened, I was greeted by members of Audio-Technica SG’s team, including my mate Sean, who was once a regular at my old audio haunts and now is part of their team, as well as Cher, who was my e-mail correspondent for the Narukami demo, and who then took me on a tour of the system at hand.

Starting with the wood, he explained that the Kurogaki wood used to construct both the NARU amp and the NARU headphones isn’t something you can just buy off shelves. They’re a special strain that you can only acquire through live auctions, typically attended by the 1%.

​

Following that, he showed us the TA-300B vacuum tubes from Takatsuki Electric, each worth a couple thousand dollars, at least. The NARU has 4 of them.

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Then, finally, he showed us the ALPS RK50 potentiometer, which, in itself, is worth about a grand.

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So, as much as people (myself, included) like to pull out the material cost argument against ultra-summit-fi products, Audio-Technica have definitely put up a strong case this time around.

Now, feeding the NARU amp via analog was an Audio-Technica turntable (the exact model, I can’t recall), and being fed by the amp were the NARU headphones, as well as Audio-Technica’s 60th anniversary model, the much-acclaimed, $9000 ATH-W2022. As Cher kindly showed me the LPs he had to offer, I immediately knew which one I was gonna pick, and the cover looked a little something like this:

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Putting the NARU headphones on and setting the volume knob, Cher dropped the needle, and off I went to the dark desert highway.

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Without going too far into sonic specifics, and speaking more generally of what the system had to offer, what I heard was honestly the most tactile, convincingly corporeal and physically weighted sound I’d ever heard from a head-fi product. This was especially true of the kick drums and tom hits near the start of the track. As someone who spends 2-4 hours a day on a drum kit multiple days a week, I’d never heard a headphone so realistically put one in the room with me.

The same was true of the midrange and treble. Even though those regions weren’t coloured in perfect accordance with my personal “targets” of natural or lifelike on this headphone, I couldn’t deny how solidly rendered and physically tactile they were throughout the track. It was just a different level of slam and presence, because of how weighted and solid its notes were, and I will definitely say that it was an experience unlike any other in the head-fi realm (having never heard the HE-1, or Bravura, etc.).

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Switching over to the W2022, I found out that it was an even bassier headphone. I discovered this after the first kick drum came in, and it shook me harder than my car subwoofers could ever hope to. While I preferred the airier, more extended highs of the NARU headphone, because they provided a cleaner backdrop to better sell the illusion that instruments were really there in the room, I can’t deny how friggin’ awesome the W2022’s bass response was. So, it ended in a draw.

Also, while we’re talking about the W2022, yes, the 3D, Urushi-inspired art on the cups was even prettier in real-life, if you can imagine that. Cher was holding votes for which side people preferred. I voted for the Sakura tree, which turned out to be the frontrunner.

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And, so concluded my 30 minutes with Audio-Technica’s Narukami system. Will I ever own one without winning the lottery? Heck no. But, again, experiencing unobtainium and creating otherwise-impossible memories is what CanJam is all about. As much as I love having constant access to a piece of gear at home, there’s something uniquely special about having no part of it to hold onto, but a singular memory that may one day fade away. That said, they did gave us a goodie bag with an Audio-Technica coaster and mug inside too, so I guess I didn’t walk away with nothing after all.

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Now that the elephant had left the room, I headed back downstairs for my final round of demos before I had to head for the airport.

Noble Audio Onyx

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Stopping by the Noble Audio booth, I was keen to give their Onyx a try. After finding the Ragnar too bright and the Ronin too mushy, I thought this one struck a very, very nice in-between.

The Onyx had a smooth, yet clean sound led by a solid, weighted bass. I thought it had a healthy mid-bass that (crucially) didn’t overtake the midrange, paired with solid sub-bass extension. Its mids were deep, earthy, husky and lush. They were dense and warm, but not wet or fat-sounding, really. Despite its mid-bass and reserved upper-midrange, vocals didn’t come off veiled on the Onyx, nor were they congealed together. I thought its treble extension (and perhaps some BCD magic) gave it a midrange that stood solidly against a stunningly black background and projected with great dynamic range; always open and free-sounding.

The Onyx’s treble was a tad reserved with 1-2 light, narrow peaks for cut. So, again, this was an earthier in-ear with dense, solid notes and just enough treble cut to come off clean. Compared to something like the VE X, I’d say the Onyx was more prim, proper and organized, while the VE X has a bit more sway and soul to it. Technically, the Onyx was impressive to me. Despite its warmer tonality, it, again, had dynamics and background blackness to spare. Because of its wide, open, holographic presentation, it was just easy to get immersed in. So, if you’re looking for a bold, weighty IEM that cuts and separates just as cleanly as its brighter peers, the Onyx is one to consider. ‘Probably my favorite Noble IEM to date.

Astell&Kern x Empire Ears Novus

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Over at AK’s booth, I gave their latest collaboration with EE, the Novus, a go. What I heard was a neutral, clean signature paired with a big bass shelf. The in-ear had tight, but elevated lows, with thump that we’ve all come to expect from EE’s DDs. To me, the bass did take up quite a bit of room. It wasn’t the most open or free-sounding IEM in the world. But, what its low-end didn’t impede was detail. I thought its clarity and resolution were top-notch, and so were its separation and image accuracy. It had a clean, linear midrange that sat beneath the lows, as well as the treble’s highest peak. It was almost a V-shaped IEM, but its treble remained linear enough to, again, qualify it more as a neutral + bass boost sorta IEM. So, although I agree with most reports that you’re paying heavy AK tax with this one, there really is no alternative if you want a clean all-rounder with massive lows, which also happens to look like a gold AP.

Astell&Kern SP3000T

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The last item I heard at CanJam SG was AK’s SP3000T. I was surprised to hear a different take on the tube sound vs. something like iBasso’s PB5 or Woo Audio’s WA8. It didn't have a warm or down-tilted FR. Its tube-ness was most audible in its midrange; vibrant, sweet and light, almost like a spring breeze. It’s relaxed, unforced, but intimate and sultry. Its extremes then played supporting roles. Its low-end was on the neutral side with a slight mid-bass bias; again, not too smoky in tone. Whereas, its top-end was mellow, refined, but effortlessly extended. In imaging, I’d say it’s wider than deep, due to its alluring, intimate, but not cloying mids. And, resolution was stellar as usual for a flagship AK player. I personally found it more of a specialist, and I really disliked its ergonomics. It’s borderline sabotage to give something that much width and that many sharp edges. But, if you love sweet, summertime mids, and you don’t mind a leather case at all times, then the SP3000T is definitely worth a listen.

---

And, so another chapter closes in the book of CanJam Singapore. Ever since attending the very first one in 2016, it’s funny to see how my relationship to it has constantly evolved. It was once a candy store where I tried everything before making a big buy, then a gig where coverage came first and my well-being came second. And, now, it’s an annual reunion with the warmest, kindest, most passionate group of people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in the hobby. Year after year, one new face after another, this community just never seems to disappoint. So, once again, a huge shout-out to the Head-Fi crew for making every CanJam bigger than the last, and one to the WC gang for now making every trip to the Lion City better than the last. ‘Love you all, ‘hope you enjoy, and cheers!

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Epic 2 parts with great picts! This kind of made up for my inability to attend.

 

[thaslaya]

For those interested I posted a review for the Acoustune HS1790TI on Head-fi and my blog. Quite a unique iem design and they sound fantastic. Shoutout to @unuselessness for letting me borrow for review.

 

[DaveStarWalker]

lol wonder what tomorrow’s best IEM in the universe will be

Pmg APX

 

[Stu Paddasso]

accessories week for me, cables and tips galore incoming.

- Azla Origin
- Nostalgia XWB
- new Symbio W
- Seraphina Vortex cable

Hoping for an update on my 634ears set too.

Where did you buy the Nostalgia XWB?

 

[salwani8888]

Are any of the Brise Audio Tsuranagi users here planning on getting the V2 upgrade soon?

I have just gotten the refresh plan upgrade (battery, knob and casing change) recently.. so to have to spend another ¥100,000 to have them replaced again along with the actual electronics upgrade is, well..

Is V2 upgrade an option ? Mine too is shipping back soon with some under warranty fixes...

 

[timeslip]

Following that, he showed us the TA-300B vacuum tubes from Takatsuki Electric, each worth a couple thousand dollars, at least. The NARU has 4 of them.

​

Taks are great, but you HAVE to hear a Western Electric 274 tube.

 

[Simpeler]

This is one amazing impressions post, thank you! Which I could have been there when I read this


Luckily last Saturday I was at a shop that had the Mjolnir and also the Noble Onyx.
So I did get to experience those.
Your experience with the Mjolnir, resembles mine. And in my opinion you describe it perfectly, I just now have to save up for it

Also the Onyx was really nice, and somehow reminds me of the VE Aura ?

Anyways again thanks for the impressions

Also: the synergy with Enleum hpa 23rm and the aroma audio jewel is really good.

So good even that im considering getting this

 

[hAbIrAbI]

Are any of the Brise Audio Tsuranagi users here planning on getting the V2 upgrade soon?

I have just gotten the refresh plan upgrade (battery, knob and casing change) recently.. so to have to spend another ¥100,000 to have them replaced again along with the actual electronics upgrade is, well..

Is there a place with more information regarding the upgrade? I might be interested if I know what is changed and what process is like.

 

[yaps66]

Hey everyone! So, I realize my CanJam roundup is taking quite a while to finish, as usual. But, I didn’t wanna keep you waiting (or reading) for too long, so I’ve decided to split it into two halves: Pre-CanJam and CanJam Day!

This is Pre-CanJam.

So, going all the way back to the Wednesday my wife and I arrived in Singapore, the first pieces of gear I heard actually weren’t IEMs. They were STAX’s electrostatic headphones. Stopping by Plaza Singapura’s Stereo Electronics (one of my very first audio haunts when I moved here for college), I couldn’t resist auditioning the SR-009S and the L700MK2. Though their flagship, $6000 T-8000 energizer was there, I decided to test them with the $1300 SRM-400S instead, ‘cus I wanted to hear them in a setup I’d realistically buy. Feeding the energizer was the FiiO R7 DAC.

STAX SR-009S

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The 009s delivered that quick, agile, uber-detailed sound they’re renowned for. Clarity and air were plentiful, and not in a way that was sharp or digital. However, I personally couldn’t jive with its midrange. I felt it was lacking around 1-2kHz - the region that determines chestiness and density - which gave off a slightly hollow timbre. Instruments felt too light; lacking substance. And, no matter what genre or mix I played, that quality was always there. So, ultimately, it was a preference mismatch that I heard off the jump and couldn’t get over. I probably would’ve liked it better with one of their tube amps, but, again, I wanted to keep the chain realistic to my budget.

STAX L700MK2

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Now, this Lambda model was definitely more my speed. It had a warmer, fuller, more organic tone that rang truer to my ears. Its frequency response was a lot more even, and instruments came off meatier and fuller-formed. It didn’t quite have the agility, micro-detail retrieval or background blackness the 009S did. I think, aside from sheer technical differences, that’s inherent in their contrasting tunings too. But, honestly, I loved the headphone’s tonality enough to not care.

My only sonic qualm with the L700MK2 was a bit of treble glare around 7kHz, but a part of me feels it’s the R7’s Sabre DAC talking. I heard a similar treble timbre on FiiO’s M17. And, the ear pad openings also could’ve been a bit roomier to fit my wider ears. But, all in all, I thought it was a great headphone, and a solid buy if you want STAX's speed with a fuller, more organic tone.

---

The next day, after a long day out shopping and perusing with the wife, I decided to visit the famous Adelphi building - home to Jaben SG, AV One and Project Perfection - conveniently located right across our hotel. I stopped by AV One to get a balanced cable for my DCA ETHER 2 headphones, but I also decided to try a couple things while I was there. I auditioned the two DCA flagships - Stealth and Expanse - and found their tonalities not to my liking. One was a tad too bright, while the other was a tad too v-shaped. ‘Can’t recall which was which. But, before I left, I did try the Meze Audio Liric 2, which I liked far, far more.

Meze Audio Liric 2

(Photo taken from Moon Audio. ‘Forgot to take a photo of this one. Sorry.)​

The Liric 2 reminded me quite a bit of the 109 Pro I tried last year. I thought that headphone was balanced, neutral-natural and versatile, if it wasn’t for a sudden 5kHz peak that gave everything a permanent tizz. The Liric 2 solved that issue entirely. Its treble region was far more linear and refined. So, it’s a balanced, neutral-natural, versatile headphone with, to me, no weak points to speak of. It’s one of those that’s hard to describe ‘cus it’s just nice, musical and appealing with anything you play through them. I think they’re the perfect coffee table headphone, where you can just sit and shuffle through your library or consume media without a care in the world.

The only reason I’m not considering one right now is because its ear pad openings were, again, a bit too narrow for me. While they weren't immediately uncomfortable, I could tell that I’d find them tight after 30-40 minutes. Fortunately, one of the Liric 2’s improvements over its predecessor are swappable, magnetic ear pads. And, I did make my complaint known to the Meze guys at CanJam. So, if they ever decide to release XL pads in the future, I’ll be the first in that queue. The Liric 2 is an excellent all-rounder of a headphone at a decent price.

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Then, came Day 3, which is when I’d finally reunite with my fellow ‘Coolers. We rendezvoused in the Orchard area for lunch at my favorite fancy breakfast place, Wild Honey, and I was ecstatic to see faces; old and new. I had familiar hugs with @HiFiHawaii808, @yaps66 and @AxLvR, then shared new handshakes with @SkyWarrior and @AxLvR's friend, Bryan.

​

We caught up, had amazing food and watched @SkyWarrior get poisoned by the Fei Wan + Orpheus combo in real-time. Then, we all bunched up in a cab and made our way to Effect Audio’s headquarters for a big round of demos.

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Arriving there, we were graciously attended to by Suyang and the ever-lovely @JordonEA. And, we were very pleased to see Elysian Acoustic Labs’ Lee, Lime Ears’ Emil and Vision Ears’ Oliver, Amin and Marcel in attendance as well. After settling in, juice box and DAPs in hand, we started going at the in-ears they had on show, and first up was:

Elysian Acoustic Labs Pilgrim

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The Pilgrim is an enjoyable, safe-sounding monitor, and I do mean that in the best way possible. It had a neutral-natural tonality with thumpy, just-warm-enough lows, a clean, yet well-supported midrange and a linear, unintrusive treble. I was surprised by reports that it was on the drier or leaner side, because I personally thought it had a good amount of mid-bass. As always, YMMV. And, I thought its sub-bass extended very nicely; level with (if not a tad above) the mid-bass. I felt it had a nice, physical thump, so those who found the Anni’s bottom-end lacking should have no complaints here (especially given the price point).

Its midrange was tight, yet dense and present; indicative of a low-mid dip, followed by a 1-2kHz rise. Though, I felt the warmth of the mid-bass was more-than-enough to compensate. So, while vocals did seem tightened, they were always cushioned by a light, trailing shadow of mid-bass. Up high, I was impressed to hear a linear, decently-extended treble. I appreciated the fact that it had no sudden peaks in a desperate grasp for clarity. Instead, cymbals and hi-hats were even, refined and focused; ever-so-slightly soft on the transient, but effortless in cutting through the mix. The treble as a whole was positioned below the apex of the midrange to my ears, which, again, serves to boost both the in-ear’s naturalness and versatility.

Technically, I think the in-ear punched decently above its price point. Though its staging was a bit on the tighter side - barely out-of-head in width, and even less so in depth - I thought it had the accuracy and organization to not let it be a problem. Notes were well-separated and placed, and they were resolved decently well too. It’s not gonna pull any trees out the ground, but for the price, you’d be hard-pressed to ask for more. That’s not even to mention its lovely metal build. ‘Great work from Lee altogether.

Elysian Acoustic Labs x Effect Audio Pilgrim Noir (with a prototype shell)

​

Now, the Noir edition of the Pilgrim - with its additional mid-driver and more complex crossover - was a punchier, more saturated version of the IEM. Technically, I felt its left-right separation was improved. Stereo spread was a bit cleaner and more convincing. And, it had stronger dynamics too, both ‘cus of the fuller tuning, as well as a deeper sense of oomph overall. The Noir didn’t seem as bassy to me, because of its further-pushed midrange, the lower half of which sounded meatier, while the upper half gained vibrance.

To me, though, I didn’t feel the Noir was a strict upgrade over the original. Sure, it had technical improvements here and there, but it was enough of a tonal and presentational change that it felt more like a sidegrade than an upgrade to me. I personally think both versions are equally viable. Heck, ‘gun to my head, I preferred the overall balance of the OG. So, if you’re torn about which version to get or feeling any FOMO towards the pricier Noir, know that it’s not as clear of a decision as you may think. It’s ultimately down to what kinda sound you prefer more.

Lime Ears Terra (Green)

​

The next in-ear I tried was a prototype of Lime Ears’ upcoming (AFAIK, not-flagship) Terra. Emil brought a silver and a green prototype, the former safer-sounding - more subdued - than the latter, and I strongly preferred the latter. It was an addictively-musical, vividly-melodic singer of an IEM. Whether it was vocals, horns, keys or strings, the Terra made them beam in a captivating way; as if the performer was pushing that extra bit harder. It never got too upper-mid forward or forceful either. The in-ear had strong, open dynamics, which meant those ebbs and flows of energy felt natural and cohesive. To a degree, it was like a brighter (or lighter) version of the Vision Ears VE X; both adept at invoking soul out of every recording.

The in-ear’s spatial presentation reflected this as well. It’s not an in-ear where everything’s laid out super-evenly in a concave hall. It’s an intimate, groovy, you’re-on-stage-with-them kind of image. But, instruments remained well-separated, clean-cut and sufficiently organized. For me, the only thing Emil could improve is a tiny bit of sub-bass. I felt the lows were high-quality, and it didn’t necessarily need any more for, say, jazz or acoustic. But, to make it a stronger all-rounder, it wouldn’t hurt to have 1-2 more dB of sub-bass. When I told Emil this, he said that he actually took a couple dB of sub-bass away from this unit before he brought it to Singapore. So, as soon as he puts at least a little bit of it back, I think he’s got a winner on his hands; some of the most addictive mids I’ve heard in recent memory.

Lime Ears Anima V2

​

After the Terra prototypes, I heard the second revision of Emil’s flagship IEM: The Anima. I reviewed the original some time ago, and I found it expansive, spacious and ultra airy (almost too much so), but it was tough to fit and properly drive. With the V2, Emil cut down the shell’s size by 25%, and he replaced the ESTs with brand-new, easier-to-drive, BA supertweeters.

Sonically, the Anima V2 was somewhat U-shaped. It pushed its midrange back for that open, hall-like presentation. Its resolution and detail retrieval were top-notch like the V1’s were, which was a welcome sight. Its bass was also as impressive as the OG’s in my opinion; full, weighty and nicely-paced. It had a thumpy, thwock-y slam to it, which I found super-satisfying. Its vocals were neutral as mentioned, shining through detail and texture, rather than presence or soul like the Terra’s did.

My only qualm with the in-ear was its treble. I felt like the Anima V2 was headed in a downward trend from its centre-mids to its high-mids, only to suddenly jump up in presence as it hit the treble. Its highs were a bit too edgy for a midrange this neutral, I feel, and they needed to sorta meet in the middle. So, the Anima V2 had stellar detail, space and bass, but lacked cohesion between the mids and highs, unfortunately.

And, that wraps up everything I tried at Effect Audio’s HQ (or, everything I can publicly talk about, anyway ).

---

Next on the itinerary was Zeppelin & Co.’s massive, pre-CanJam event, and I think these pictures pretty much sum up how massive it really was:

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In attendance were folks from Jomo Audio, Flash Acoustics, Icelab HK, DITA, Nostalgia Audio, Canpur, HEDD, dCS, 7th Acoustic, Elysian Acoustic Labs, Nightjar Acoustics and Subtonic Audio. ‘Apologies, if I’m forgetting anyone.

​

Also in attendance was the man himself, @jude Mansilla.

​

And, joining us later in the event were Empire Ears’ very own Jack Vang, Vision Ears’ Amin, Marcel and Oliver, Lime Ears’ Emil and Mass-Kobo’s Matsuda-san.

The event was an awesome chance to hear each person talk about their brand, their ambitions and tease what they were bringing to CanJam Singapore. There were also a couple games that involved audience participation. And, I also got to meet @Crazeee for the first time, who, like all the other ‘Coolers, was just a pleasure to talk to and be around all weekend.

But, cutting right to the chase, there, Jack graciously gave us the opportunity to try out EE’s brand-new prototype: The Triton.

Empire Ears Triton

​

To me, the Triton is Empire’s first basshead IEM since their venerable Legend X. It’s a warm, thumping in-ear with a convex (or slow-falling) drop from the sub-bass to low-mids, resulting in a lush, syrupy timbre throughout. From its low-mids, it only rises slightly in its upper-mids, so you won’t get that brassy, saturated tonality that made the ODIN and Legend EVO such divisive in-ears. Instead, lead instruments here have a deep, earthy, husky tone; a bit darker than they are vibrant. The treble follows suit, opting for linear uniformity over sheer cut. I heard a slight 5kHz peak for clarity, a dip in the mid-treble to avoid etches and ticks, then a very stable, sufficiently airy upper-treble.

Despite its fatter, smokier notes and mellower transients, I found the Triton quite impressive in technical performance. It wasn’t the sharpest imager or the keenest detailer, but I thought it was superb in background blackness - allowing those huskier notes to still stand out and leap off the backdrop - and in staging. It was a wide, open in-ear with solidly-built, strongly-tactile notes. So, it probably won’t dethrone any of your more reference-y flagships, and it probably isn't the most versatile in-ear in the world. But, if you’re specifically after that basshead sound or, moreover, were an admirer of the OG Legend X, the Triton is as good a candidate (and successor) as you can get.

P.S. I’ve heard word that EE may seek to give the Triton a wee bit more balance, without losing its basshead sensibilities. If they can pull that off, my 2nd criticism may not even apply. Fingers crossed! Also, there’s reason to believe that it won’t have eye-watering, flagship pricing. So, do keep that in mind.

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And, that’s a wrap on Part 1! As always, I hope you guys enjoy what limited coverage I have to share. The CanJam Day portion is even longer, so please wait while I finish it up; hopefully, by the end of the week. In any case (and I’ll say this again in Part 2), I can’t express how much of a joy it was to spend time with the incredible individuals I’m honored to call my friends. Every new ‘Cooler I meet is always the kindest, warmest soul with a unique (and equally-fiery) passion for music, and I couldn’t be happier with how this community @Rockwell75 started has grown and developed. Again, I'll have more to say in Part 2, I hope you guys had a good time reading, and I’ll see y'all later!

Here she comes...

This is CanJam!

After a good warmup the day before, Saturday had finally arrived. Parting ways with the wife (at her request ) at the hotel, I was on a cab headed straight towards the Pan Pacific Singapore. Greeting my fellow ‘Coolers at the hotel cafe, we headed straight towards the show floor and… got kicked out ‘cus the show hadn’t started yet. So, we waited a little bit longer, then made sure that we were the first to go upstairs, where most of the noise-sensitive, desktop gear was located. The first room we arrived in was Project Perfection’s, and my round of demos kicked off with the…

Lotoo Mjolnir (with its lossless dongle)

​

The first thing I heard at CanJam SG was the Lotoo Mjolnir, fed by their new, lossless, wireless dongle. It’s a device that accepts digital data from your iPhone or Android device, then feeds it to the Mjolnir through a proprietary wireless standard. It was still in beta, so it took a couple attempts to connect to my iPhone. But, I got it working eventually.

In terms of tone and presentation, I heard a lot of similarities to Lotoo’s PAW Gold Touch, which I recently retired after serving as my reference DAP for about 3 years. It’s virtually dead-neutral; neither too lean, nor too full, and neither too bright, nor too warm. The only attribute both these sources maintain is a more upfront delivery of music. They aren’t intimate or in-your-face per se, but they do inch a tad forward compared to more blasé-sounding players like AK’s SP3000 or the HiBy R8II.

The key difference between the LPGT and the Mjolnir is holography; the latter is leagues ahead. Instruments are positioned like they are on the LPGT, but the amount of room, detail and air behind them on the Mjolnir is extraordinary. The result is this wholly-convincing, 3D space that's neither too detached in its pursuit of depth, nor stretched in its pursuit of width. It’s a stunningly natural expansion that makes it, again, convincingly holographic and massively roomy without instruments having to be far away. This is further aided by the source’s effortless sense of detail. Notes are fully drawn without any tonal trickery. The treble is particularly impressive. You almost get the sense that a cymbal's sizzle is rendered to the nanosecond.

​

Analysis isn’t the only thing it’s good at either. Despite its wealth of organized detail, the Mjolnir is a musically engaging source. Part of the reason is the note positioning I mentioned earlier. They’re placed a tad upfront, and they’re spread wide as well. Panning synths that travel from left to right do so far out of head. Then, there’s its far-reaching, lofty lows too. The Mjolnir has a deep bass that rumbles and thumps without the need for elevation; balanced in presence like it is on the LPGT.

When it comes to power, which is the reason why I retired my LPGT in the end, the Mjolnir had plenty. It drove my VE ELYSIUM without breaking a sweat. And, it was able to drive my planar magnetic DCA ETHER 2 plenty loud at 50% volume too.

So, in terms of overall performance, there are few pieces of gear that rivaled the Mjolnir at CanJam SG. Though it isn’t without some partial red flags (the main two being price and software), it has none (to me) when it comes to sheer craftsmanship and SQ. I look forward to seeing this tech trickle down to Lotoo’s players in the future, and I look forward to the day when owning devices like these aren’t but a distant fantasy to me.

RAAL 1995 Magna

​

The RAAL ribbon headphones were up very high on my demo list; a combination of loving their SR1a and CanJam NY hype. As my fellow ‘Coolers (and @Chang ) called dibs on the Immanis, I decided to give their Magna a try while I waited. This one was driven by an Eversolo streamer into an Aune S17 Pro amp, then into RAAL’s interface (which allows their ribbon headphones to be driven by conventional amps, and also nicely doubles as a headphone stand).

The Magna is a step-down from the Immanis - having two ribbons, instead of three - but you can hear definite qualities that these two share. The first (and main one) is a combination of speed and impact. Usually, high speed comes with lighter punches and vice-versa. These headphones are two of the strongest exceptions to the rule. Notes come in as if slicing through wind, then roll out the red carpet for the next to arrive. It results in this uber-detailed, on-your-toes sorta sound that’s exhilarating to listen to. And, the amount of black background you can “see” between the notes as a result is absolutely top-class.

But, then, it also had substantial note weight, and nowhere was that clearer than its low-end. Kick drums struck with a satisfying thump, only to vanish without a trace right after. Lows this agile shouldn’t also be this hard-hitting, but the Magna pulled it off. The treble was similarly tactile. Listening to classical orchestras, you could practically feel the tension between the bows and the strings, and the same went for cymbals and hi-hats. There’s a tactility throughout the range that proved why ribbon tweeters are still a staple in recording studios to this day.

Now, when it comes to shortcomings, I felt the Magna wasn’t the most linear headphone in the world. The transition between the high-mids and the treble in particular was a tad awkward. It had a dip in the former, followed by sizzles at 5kHz and 10kHz. It wasn't a fatal flaw, but it did limit the genres and mixes that sounded great on it, in my opinion. Also, its imaging wasn't crazy expansive. It was out-of-head, but not exceedingly so. I found myself ever-so-slightly wanting to push notes out, especially in terms of depth. It could’ve been the show floor forcing me to pump the volume up a bit more that’s causing that. It might not be as big an issue in a quieter environment, but it’s an issue nonetheless.

Overall, as long as you can get over those slight spatial and tonal niggles, the Magna is a solid trickle-down from the Immanis, giving you most of the flagship’s magic tricks at the cost of some refinement and finesse.

RAAL 1995 Immanis

​

And now, the main event. Immediately, the Immanis was more open than its two-ribbon sibling. It had greater dynamic range; capable of going softer than the always-zippy Magna. Its treble was more to my liking as well. It wasn't as pronounced at 5kHz, so the mid-to-high transition wasn't as awkward. Instead, the peak was shifted closer to 7kHz, so it articulated just as much as the Magna without the slight FR speed bump. For me, it’s still a little bit on the sharper side. Driving it out of RAAL’s tube amp (I can’t recall what it’s called) definitely helped refine it, but I’d still say it’s a dB or so over what I’d call neutral or natural.

The bass, once again, delivered superbly. Its timbre here was sinewy and thwock-y, but lighting-fast. It’s the best balance of speed and weight I’d personally heard in a headphone. And, imaging here was stronger than on the Magna too. Its ability to render a 3D space and everything within it was stunning. Whether it’s note placement, separation, microdetail retrieval or layering, it was nailed effortlessly. The one thing I’d say is, again, there’s a limit to how far it can throw its image. It’s out-of-head and further so than the Magna, but it’s still on the intimate side when it came to summit-fi headphones.

So, although I’d hesitate before recommending these to a staging head or someone who prefers warmth, I can’t deny the Immanis and Magna represent a new technical frontier for headphones. They do things I’ve never heard before, and the things I have, they pulled off extremely well. While it’s extremely unlikely I’d pick one up for myself, these are two of those products that do meet the standards they’re makers have set (in terms of price). I think any audiophile who jive with their tunings will love them to bits, and I can’t wait to see where RAAL goes from here.

---

Heading downstairs, my first stop was the Jaben table, where I tried brands like...

FiR Audio E10

The E10 is the 2nd model in FiR’s Electron Series, featuring a 10mm DD and their proprietary technology suite. It had a warm-ish tuning with a down-trending FR curve, and I thought it had a more present midrange and a less-aggressive treble than the E12. Its lows were superb to me, delivering solid, satisfying and slamming thuds. And, I thought it had great imaging and detail for a 1-DD IEM too. Instruments were laid out tidily in a space that lined the head, then separated aptly for an in-ear of its price.

To me, its main weakness was one that it shares with the E12: An uneven, rollercoaster-y treble. Its awkward series of peaks and dips resulted in cymbals and hi-hats that came off unfocused to me. They had a brashy, almost-splashy timbre, rather than a sharper, more solid point. But, if that isn’t a dealbreaker, then you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option for a fun-sounding, tech-filled, well-made CIEM at its price point.

(I wanted to take a photo with both the E10 and E12 on display, but the opportunity never came. So, FiR's IG page, it is.)​

FiR Audio E12

Now, when I was handed the E10, I noticed that it had foam tips on. So, realizing that that’s the tip material the Electron Series were meant to be heard with, I decided to re-demo the E12 with foam tips. Compared to my initial demo with silicone tips, which I felt was far too V-shaped and peaky up high, the foam tips helped cushion the treble a lot more. It also solidified and added density to the midrange. To me, there’s still a bright sizzle (perhaps around 5-6kHz) that reared its head a bit too often. But, it’s a marked improvement over my original demo, and it’s probably more reflective of the custom’s sound too. To add, I thought the E12 also had a deeper bass, stronger resolution and stronger holography than the E10. I’d still recommend the E10, though, if you prefer a warmer, more linear, more natural tonality.

SoftEars Enigma

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After much anticipation, I had the chance to audition SoftEars’ tri-brid Enigma, and, I have to say, my experience was mixed. It was a U-shaped IEM with a centre-mid bias to its midrange, which meant its notes were clean, dense and not too vibrant (or brassy). Its low-end was elevated and had a slight mid-bass bias. And, its treble was linear and even-keeled; neither diffuse nor edgy. It checked every technical box you could think of - resolution, extension, stage expansion - but most impressive was its imaging. Its soundscape spanned impressively wide, it positioned notes accurately, and hard-panned sounds - synths, rhythm guitars, reverbs, etc. - all were comfortably out-of-head.

My only issue with the Enigma, and it’s unfortunately a big one for me, is that it was missing soul. It felt safe and restrained, which ultimately made it sound a tad boring to me. This was especially true in its midrange. It had neither warm, luscious allurement nor peppy, zingy vibrance. So, for me, despite being a capable IEM by all respects, at almost $4K, it lacked the personality to stand out in the increasingly-crowded TOTL landscape. Unfortunately, this one didn’t move me as much as SoftEars’ single-DD offerings typically do.

Unique Melody Mason FS Soleil Tombe

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The Soleil Tombe is the newest entry in UM’s flagship Mason line, and it’s already caused quite a stir on Head-Fi for its $8500 MSRP. As someone who’s long ignored UM due to their sky-high prices and crude behavior towards brands like EE, I came into this demo with an open mind, keen to experience something never-before-heard, in order to justify prices never-before-seen.

And, did !? Uhh… yes and no. Tonally, this Mason was warm and meaty with a shot of clarity up top. I pictured a steady FR graph with minimal space-creating, contrast-creating dips, resulting in a fuller timbre, followed by a healthy hill in the treble for cut. It wasn’t the most coherent in-ear I’d ever heard, but it wasn’t disjointed either. The treble actually tread the line between natural and clean quite well, though leaning slightly towards the latter. My favourite aspect of the in-ear was how weighty and muscular each of its notes were. Its mids were convincingly, tactilely 3D, and it’s a quality I loved in the Amber Pearl as well.

Unfortunately, for me, the midrange was disappointingly familiar in timbre. I talked about this on the Trailli some time ago, where, despite how well its midrange was tuned, I couldn’t help feeling like I’d heard these drivers before. It’s a recognizable timbre that constantly reminded me I was listening to an IEM, which hampered immersion a ton. Then, unlike the AP, which doubled down on its meaty, hefty colouration, I felt this Mason was stuck in the middle. It attempted to capture both the AP’s analog fullness and TOTL-style clarity. Its image was holographic, but fuller than it was open. Its stage was deep and tall, but not as wide. I felt a clash of priorities that made it less special than the AP, to my ears. But, if a more clarity-leaned AP is what you’re looking for, then maybe this is the in-ear for you.

Ultimately, as I said, the Mason FS Soleil Tombe was a bit of a mixed bag. I think no other brand has been able to replicate UM’s meaty, 3D midrange, but I feel the AP does it better. It managed holography despite its fullness, but I can’t say it’s that far ahead of its peers either. This is pretty much where I’m struggling with it. As an in-ear priced far above the majority of its competition, I didn't hear anything justifying that, to be frank. $2000-3000 ahead of everything else, it certainly was not. To state the obvious, high prices demand high standards, and you sleep in the bed you make.

Melodic Artification Alter Ego

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Melodic Artification (‘heck of a tongue twister) is a brand I was very vaguely familiar with after hearing some hype from China. And, to be completely honest, I probably wouldn’t have given their booth a visit, given my time constraints, if it wasn’t for @Crazeee and @AxLvR running over to me going, “YOU GOTTA TRY THIS!” simultaneously. And, after giving the Alter Ego a go (hehe), I’m pretty glad they did.

Now, at first listen, I had two prevalent thoughts:

1. Wow, this thing is so much high-quality fun.
2. It’s such a shame its tone is not exactly for me.

What I heard was a W-shaped tuning with thumping lows, tight, higher-pitched mids and a crisp, yet linear, airy treble. It was full of exciting textures and contrasts, which weren't just due to the tuning. The Alter Ego’s main strength, to me, was the opposite of what I talked about in the Mason section: A familiar, recognizable tuning, delivered in a fresh, new, exciting way. Whether it was the in-ear’s exhilarating PRaT, its evocative delivery, or the fact that it had excellent detail and separation to go with them, there was just something to its presentation that kept me listening, despite, again, not fully jiving with its tone. It was a tighter midrange than I’d like, which contrasted my preference for lushness and meatiness.

But, then, a switch was flicked… literally.

Flipping the Alter Ego’s switch, which I presumed to be a mere bass switch, revealed that it was actually a lower-half-of-the-FR switch; also elevating the lower-mids with the bass. Now, that once-lean midrange was suddenly filled out very naturally. Its FR was now bass and centre-mid forward, with the low-mids and treble right below in equal measure. And so, I was able to enjoy the in-ear’s punchy, vivid energy without compromising any of my favourite instruments.

So, despite a rocky start, the Alter Ego certainly won me over in the end. What I first presumed was a done-to-death gimmick actually gave the IEM far more versatility than I gave it credit for. Its ability to go from a tight, contrasty sig to one that’s linear, muscular and full-bodied, whilst flaunting a unique presentation and strong technique in both… was pretty darn impressive for $2500. But, whether or not that presents a good value to you will depend on how much you like either signature. If I allowed myself to get a UIEM over $1000 and bought the Alter Ego, I'm fairly sure I’d keep the switch in just one position. But, if you’re looking for a superbly-built IEM with two, complementary signatures, a unique presentation and stellar resolution, I think the Alter Ego is definitely one to consider.

Also, it’s worth noting that the in-ear’s open design didn't compromise its isolation at all, in my experience. It isolated just like any other sealed IEM on the busy CanJam floor. Though, there have since been reports of sound leaking outwards from the IEM. So, as long as you don’t mind people hearing your music (and they don't mind hearing your tracks too), then you should be good.

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After this round of demos, I headed back upstairs to visit Zeppelin & Co.'s packed suite. The theme in this section, ironically (if you know your history), was Indonesian and Dutch.

Verus Audio Lavender

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Verus Audio is a local (to me), Indonesian cable brand who I’m proud to say have made their CanJam SG debut. And, the first cable I heard from them there was the all-new, 4-wire Lavender. Paired it with my VE ELYSIUM, the cable imparted a vibrant, airy, open sound filled with dense notes. It was a bit U-shaped in FR, reflected by its imaging that felt concave, rather than convex. The resulting stage was arena-like; wide, out-of-head and, most of all, tall. It was especially immersive for live, ensemble recordings like Snarky Puppy’s tunes. The few qualms I had with it were note tactility and sub-bass presence. Despite the thickness or density of its midrange in tone, its instruments weren’t the most convincingly 3D or weighted. It also could’ve been a bit more guttural in its sub-bass for a more complete tonality. Overall, though, if you wanna add cinematic imaging and a bit of body to your IEMs, the Lavender is a good candidate.

Verus Audio Modi + Magni

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The next cable I tried was a mix of their entry-level Modi and Magni cables. This one traded in the Lavender’s thickness for tightness and clarity. It had a cleaner, brighter, upper-mid-biased tonality. This was also due in part to its treble; airy, sparkly and sharper on the transient (without being harsh). And, its low-end played more of a supporting role with a slight sub-bass bias, if anything. Spatially, I thought it had an involving, intimate presentation that was rich in detail. However, it did have a more conventional timbre than the Lavender, and it was also dwarfed in height. That aside, though, I think the Modi + Magni combo thrives in clarity and air; light and crystalline. So, if your monitors need a bit of sharpening and opening up without breaking the bank, this is one to consider.

7th Acoustic Asteria Prototype

Before I get to the impressions, ‘a bit of backstory on my relationship with 7th Acoustic.

7th Acoustic is another Indonesian brand I’m really proud to see make their CanJam debut, after initially finding success with the $1000 Supernova. Although its reception was generally positive, I thought they could’ve been braver with its tuning, personally. A jack-of-all-trades at $1000 is no sin at all, but I could feel they had more to offer, especially considering the amount of technique they gave the Supernova.

Now, imagine my disappointment when I heard an early Asteria prototype at the Portable Audio Party Indonesia last December, and I heard the exact same issue. It was organic in tone, it was decently technical, but it sounded like any brand could’ve made it. As someone desperate to see local brands thrive, when one of their staff members kindly asked for feedback, I basically shook it into them to be braver; to have more character and to make their flagship truly stand out.

Cut to 4 months and a full revamp of the Asteria's driver config later… they’ve finally done it.

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The prototype they brought to SG struck neutral with a bass boost, and it had one of the best low-pass filters I heard at the show. The way its bass lift (and its DD timbre) was shaped and cut-off allowed for a satisfying thump, ending right before any bleed came in. It’s a superb crossover that I don’t usually take notice of. But, the way 7th Acoustic had tuned it there was worth praise.

Those lifted lows dipped into a neutral lower-midrange; just full enough to sustain. To me, it’s a more ideal timbre for percussion and synths - tight, fast, compact - than vocals; similar to the leaner Alter Ego profile, but to a lesser degree. I felt it might’ve been too light for airier vocals like Sarah McKenzie’s, but it worked perfectly fine with naturally-husky voices, including female ones like Lianne La Havas' or Diana Krall's.

The Asteria’s treble was just as impressive as its lows. It was linearly-tuned with a sufficiently crisp edge, but it never exceeded the mids in presence. Moreover, ample headroom and extension delivered an incredibly spacious, open and clean image. The in-ear had air to spare, and it was a far cry from the flatly organic prototype from the previous year. This one had top-tier resolution and speed written all over it. So, after a ton of tough love, I’m really happy to see them deliver something distinct, and I can’t wait to see how they finish this thing up for launch.

Canpur 74E Prototype

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This prototype was something I very much looked forward to, because of how much I enjoyed the 54E and 622B I demoed last year. What I heard here was a safe-sounding, all-rounder of an in-ear with emphases in the bass and around 2kHz. Those colourations gave it an earthy, husky, bellowing timbre that was cut nicely with a clean, linear, well-leveled treble. Just like the 622B, I loved how controlled and well-resolved its lows were. They were always clean and easy to follow, despite the lift. And, it also had a focused, organized image with great stereo separation (resulting in convincing panning effects and accurate imaging), even though its expansion was just barely out-of-head.

For me, what the 74E currently lacks is character. It’s not dissimilar to the Enigma I talked about earlier (or the previous Asteria prototype) in that it lacked a thing that would pull me in. The 622B, for example, had that dynamic, 3D midrange where instruments genuinely felt like they moved back and forth. The 74E, in lieu of that, just came across like a fun, weighty-yet-clear, harmless listen. And, if it’s set to be priced between the 54E and the 622B, with the amount of competition in that price range already, I certainly hope that prototype wasn't its final revision.

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Audio-Technica Narukami

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Then, came arguably the biggest demo of the day. This was something I was interested in the second I saw their post on Head-Fi, even more so after I realized I could never afford it and therefore couldn’t be tempted by it. Almost as a metaphor for CanJam itself, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience where all you get to take home is the experience, and I couldn’t be more excited for it. So, at 3.30 PM sharp, I headed towards the Pan Pacific lobby, met with the Audio-Technica rep, then headed up to their private suite, where the Narukami system awaited.

As the doors opened, I was greeted by members of Audio-Technica SG’s team, including my mate Sean, who was once a regular at my old audio haunts and now is part of their team, as well as Cher, who was my e-mail correspondent for the Narukami demo, and who then took me on a tour of the system at hand.

Starting with the wood, he explained that the Kurogaki wood used to construct both the NARU amp and the NARU headphones isn’t something you can just buy off shelves. They’re a special strain that you can only acquire through live auctions, typically attended by the 1%.

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Following that, he showed us the TA-300B vacuum tubes from Takatsuki Electric, each worth a couple thousand dollars, at least. The NARU has 4 of them.

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Then, finally, he showed us the ALPS RK50 potentiometer, which, in itself, is worth about a grand.

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So, as much as people (myself, included) like to pull out the material cost argument against ultra-summit-fi products, Audio-Technica have definitely put up a strong case this time around.

Now, feeding the NARU amp via analog was an Audio-Technica turntable (the exact model, I can’t recall), and being fed by the amp were the NARU headphones, as well as Audio-Technica’s 60th anniversary model, the much-acclaimed, $9000 ATH-W2022. As Cher kindly showed me the LPs he had to offer, I immediately knew which one I was gonna pick, and the cover looked a little something like this:

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Putting the NARU headphones on and setting the volume knob, Cher dropped the needle, and off I went to the dark desert highway.

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Without going too far into sonic specifics, and speaking more generally of what the system had to offer, what I heard was honestly the most tactile, convincingly corporeal and physically weighted sound I’d ever heard from a head-fi product. This was especially true of the kick drums and tom hits near the start of the track. As someone who spends 2-4 hours a day on a drum kit multiple days a week, I’d never heard a headphone so realistically put one in the room with me.

The same was true of the midrange and treble. Even though those regions weren’t coloured in perfect accordance with my personal “targets” of natural or lifelike on this headphone, I couldn’t deny how solidly rendered and physically tactile they were throughout the track. It was just a different level of slam and presence, because of how weighted and solid its notes were, and I will definitely say that it was an experience unlike any other in the head-fi realm (having never heard the HE-1, or Bravura, etc.).

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Switching over to the W2022, I found out that it was an even bassier headphone. I discovered this after the first kick drum came in, and it shook me harder than my car subwoofers could ever hope to. While I preferred the airier, more extended highs of the NARU headphone, because they provided a cleaner backdrop to better sell the illusion that instruments were really there in the room, I can’t deny how friggin’ awesome the W2022’s bass response was. So, it ended in a draw.

Also, while we’re talking about the W2022, yes, the 3D, Urushi-inspired art on the cups was even prettier in real-life, if you can imagine that. Cher was holding votes for which side people preferred. I voted for the Sakura tree, which turned out to be the frontrunner.

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And, so concluded my 30 minutes with Audio-Technica’s Narukami system. Will I ever own one without winning the lottery? Heck no. But, again, experiencing unobtainium and creating otherwise-impossible memories is what CanJam is all about. As much as I love having constant access to a piece of gear at home, there’s something uniquely special about having no part of it to hold onto, but a singular memory that may one day fade away. That said, they did gave us a goodie bag with an Audio-Technica coaster and mug inside too, so I guess I didn’t walk away with nothing after all.

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Now that the elephant had left the room, I headed back downstairs for my final round of demos before I had to head for the airport.

Noble Audio Onyx

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Stopping by the Noble Audio booth, I was keen to give their Onyx a try. After finding the Ragnar too bright and the Ronin too mushy, I thought this one struck a very, very nice in-between.

The Onyx had a smooth, yet clean sound led by a solid, weighted bass. I thought it had a healthy mid-bass that (crucially) didn’t overtake the midrange, paired with solid sub-bass extension. Its mids were deep, earthy, husky and lush. They were dense and warm, but not wet or fat-sounding, really. Despite its mid-bass and reserved upper-midrange, vocals didn’t come off veiled on the Onyx, nor were they congealed together. I thought its treble extension (and perhaps some BCD magic) gave it a midrange that stood solidly against a stunningly black background and projected with great dynamic range; always open and free-sounding.

The Onyx’s treble was a tad reserved with 1-2 light, narrow peaks for cut. So, again, this was an earthier in-ear with dense, solid notes and just enough treble cut to come off clean. Compared to something like the VE X, I’d say the Onyx was more prim, proper and organized, while the VE X has a bit more sway and soul to it. Technically, the Onyx was impressive to me. Despite its warmer tonality, it, again, had dynamics and background blackness to spare. Because of its wide, open, holographic presentation, it was just easy to get immersed in. So, if you’re looking for a bold, weighty IEM that cuts and separates just as cleanly as its brighter peers, the Onyx is one to consider. ‘Probably my favorite Noble IEM to date.

Astell&Kern x Empire Ears Novus

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Over at AK’s booth, I gave their latest collaboration with EE, the Novus, a go. What I heard was a neutral, clean signature paired with a big bass shelf. The in-ear had tight, but elevated lows, with thump that we’ve all come to expect from EE’s DDs. To me, the bass did take up quite a bit of room. It wasn’t the most open or free-sounding IEM in the world. But, what its low-end didn’t impede was detail. I thought its clarity and resolution were top-notch, and so were its separation and image accuracy. It had a clean, linear midrange that sat beneath the lows, as well as the treble’s highest peak. It was almost a V-shaped IEM, but its treble remained linear enough to, again, qualify it more as a neutral + bass boost sorta IEM. So, although I agree with most reports that you’re paying heavy AK tax with this one, there really is no alternative if you want a clean all-rounder with massive lows, which also happens to look like a gold AP.

Astell&Kern SP3000T

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The last item I heard at CanJam SG was AK’s SP3000T. I was surprised to hear a different take on the tube sound vs. something like iBasso’s PB5 or Woo Audio’s WA8. It didn't have a warm or down-tilted FR. Its tube-ness was most audible in its midrange; vibrant, sweet and light, almost like a spring breeze. It’s relaxed, unforced, but intimate and sultry. Its extremes then played supporting roles. Its low-end was on the neutral side with a slight mid-bass bias; again, not too smoky in tone. Whereas, its top-end was mellow, refined, but effortlessly extended. In imaging, I’d say it’s wider than deep, due to its alluring, intimate, but not cloying mids. And, resolution was stellar as usual for a flagship AK player. I personally found it more of a specialist, and I really disliked its ergonomics. It’s borderline sabotage to give something that much width and that many sharp edges. But, if you love sweet, summertime mids, and you don’t mind a leather case at all times, then the SP3000T is definitely worth a listen.

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And, so another chapter closes in the book of CanJam Singapore. Ever since attending the very first one in 2016, it’s funny to see how my relationship to it has constantly evolved. It was once a candy store where I tried everything before making a big buy, then a gig where coverage came first and my well-being came second. And, now, it’s an annual reunion with the warmest, kindest, most passionate group of people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in the hobby. Year after year, one new face after another, this community just never seems to disappoint. So, once again, a huge shout-out to the Head-Fi crew for making every CanJam bigger than the last, and one to the WC gang for now making every trip to the Lion City better than the last. ‘Love you all, ‘hope you enjoy, and cheers!

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Epic and such an immersive/enjoyable read! You're God's gift to audio and audio engineering. Thank you for helping me relive those wonderful memories that CanJam SG 2024 provided!