It is very good planar implementation, but to me I kinda felt there was that infamous planar wall of sound and I couldn’t plus my headphone is planar and I didn’t want that same sound I was looking for a little different hehe.
CanJam London 2022 Impressions Thread (July 30-31, 2022)
- Thread starter AxelCloris
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I owned the 7HZ Timeless which was my first exposure to planar tech-- it was good but felt a little half-baked. The Supermoon is just the IEM I was looking for after having my appetite whet by the Timeless. It's not perfect by any stretch but I happen to personally really jive with a well executed single driver planar sound and consequently the Supermoon is my favorite IEM right now.
I very much agree. It's been thoroughly enjoyable for me!
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So far so good, I appreciate the slightly smoother response of the Sundara CB in addition to the weight and BODY it has in it's bass. Happy to report it handles the iDSD Sig's bass boost wonderfully. If your in the market for a mid to entry level closed back I highly recommended giving these a listen!
I'll have more details soon when I get my London CanJam Show Report finished.
xMEMS was also a huge highlight of the show for me. Absolutely astounding. Etymotics are my personal reference sound (I'm a 4SR person) and the xMEMS demo unit did not suffer in comparison. And the xMEMs bass had noticeably more authority – when the drums came in on the Hell Freezes Over version of Hotel California, it was truly eye-opening.
All of this, mind, from a hand-assembed demo unit in a basic 3D-printed shell, with a pretty nondescript USB driver electronics package (because the xMEMS drivers require different excitation than standard analog drivers do). But it still amazed me. I'm very eager to hear what these will do once more established earphone makers start using them.
My other top hit was Etymotic where I listened to both Evo and to an upcoming prototype quad-driver. Evo is great. I had been skeptical of Evo since it was said to hew more to the 4XR sound than the 4SR, and the XRs are just not my thing. But Evo surprised me by sounding, to my ears, mostly like a just better and cleaner 4SR with just a little bit of warmth and richness lift. A little comparable to 3SR, actually, but better, more open-sounding, cleaner.
...and then I heard the prototype quad-driver, in a very similar shell design. This was absolute magic.
I remember the feeling when I first tried Etys, that goosebump feeling of at last I can hear what it really sounds like. That was quite a few years ago and I've been an Ety-centric listener ever since. And friends, let me tell you: coming to the new prototype quad-driver Ety gave me that same goosebump, coming-home-at-last feeling all over again. It is that much of an upgrade. I am very, very eager for these.
At both booths I said the same thing: When can I get some?
So: my wallet isn't lighter, because both the things I really loved and coveted are just prototypes right now. But it will be.
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Eagerly awaiting impressions on the Audeze MM-500 as it nears release. Can you elaborate on what you heard as it's strengths an weaknesses? Thanks @PankajBihari!
I liked the Supermoon, a very nicely tuned planar sound. The universal custom was a great fit for me without resorting to tip rolling. There is still some planar bite on the edges of vocals but I reckon a slightly warmer source could tame that. The rep told me that CA were considering releasing a universal model which I think would be hugely popular. Agree that this is the best thing CA have at the moment.
The LETSHUOER S12 comes quite close to the Supermoon, albeit with a hotter treble and some sibilance. Short nozzles (a common theme with LETSHUOER) make the fit a struggle.
Not that impressed by the Trifecta - warm, intimate with deep bass but hugely awkward fit. Striking to look at, they look like alien currency! The ribbon cable also deserves a mention for being soft and light.
Started with 64Audio's U12T, a good place to start for the rep to then make suggestions from. He gave me the U18s which was fabulous with both my Questyle M15 and Cayin RU6.
I'm going to go back and try some other 64Audio stuff today, and the Jomo Audio gear too.
Shame about Empire Ears but sudden family emergency naturally takes precedence.
I quite liked the Chord Mojo 2 sound but still disappointed with the microUSB for power. I understand microUSB has been retained for Poly etc. but perhaps the rep had heard it too often as he replied "there are other things to worry about". What? Known failure point on the thread which is why I let my Mojo 1 go. If Chord can add a USB C for data.....
Liked the clean sound of the ESS RME ADI FS2 but probably overkill for my needs.
I thought the Etymotic EVO was nice, in the way that the ER2XR is nice for a reference sound but aside from marginally increased separation and horizontal soundstage (but barely any increased depth) not sufficient to justify upgrading. Liked the 4BA prototype, clearer, deeper bass, less scratchy mids and highs. Not enough to consider it though.
Loved the FiR/Thieaudio/Lime Ears stand, where Ahmed did his best to keep up with sustained enquiries from all and sundry. The KR5 was my favourite, deep bass with a really wide soundstage. The XE6 needed more power than my Questyle M15 but the bass was a little too overpowering for me, at the cost of the other registers. The balance improved when using a CAYIN N8ii as source.
Lime Ears Aether was a lovely airy all BA set.
I thought the Thieaudio Divinity was OK but I think at that point I was saturated. Great bass for BA but the mids and treble sounded a little watery to me.
I'll dip my toes into headphones but don't know where to start. I prefer closed back with balanced or U shape sound. Any suggestions?
The LETSHUOER S12 comes quite close to the Supermoon, albeit with a hotter treble and some sibilance. Short nozzles (a common theme with LETSHUOER) make the fit a struggle.
Not that impressed by the Trifecta - warm, intimate with deep bass but hugely awkward fit. Striking to look at, they look like alien currency! The ribbon cable also deserves a mention for being soft and light.
Started with 64Audio's U12T, a good place to start for the rep to then make suggestions from. He gave me the U18s which was fabulous with both my Questyle M15 and Cayin RU6.
I'm going to go back and try some other 64Audio stuff today, and the Jomo Audio gear too.
Shame about Empire Ears but sudden family emergency naturally takes precedence.
I quite liked the Chord Mojo 2 sound but still disappointed with the microUSB for power. I understand microUSB has been retained for Poly etc. but perhaps the rep had heard it too often as he replied "there are other things to worry about". What? Known failure point on the thread which is why I let my Mojo 1 go. If Chord can add a USB C for data.....
Liked the clean sound of the ESS RME ADI FS2 but probably overkill for my needs.
I thought the Etymotic EVO was nice, in the way that the ER2XR is nice for a reference sound but aside from marginally increased separation and horizontal soundstage (but barely any increased depth) not sufficient to justify upgrading. Liked the 4BA prototype, clearer, deeper bass, less scratchy mids and highs. Not enough to consider it though.
Loved the FiR/Thieaudio/Lime Ears stand, where Ahmed did his best to keep up with sustained enquiries from all and sundry. The KR5 was my favourite, deep bass with a really wide soundstage. The XE6 needed more power than my Questyle M15 but the bass was a little too overpowering for me, at the cost of the other registers. The balance improved when using a CAYIN N8ii as source.
Lime Ears Aether was a lovely airy all BA set.
I thought the Thieaudio Divinity was OK but I think at that point I was saturated. Great bass for BA but the mids and treble sounded a little watery to me.
I'll dip my toes into headphones but don't know where to start. I prefer closed back with balanced or U shape sound. Any suggestions?
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Firstly I wanted to say a huge thank you to all those involved in making the show possible this year. It has been thoroughly enjoyable so far, and I will be returning today for more demos and hopefully a ToTL IEM purchase that has been delayed for a few years due to moving into the speaker world, and now having to move back.
I went in following demos at other locations with the U12T beating everything else to get to the top of my shortlist, but with a long list of new comparisons to try at the show. In no specific order, I will list my thoughts by table but for reference, my SQ preference is neutral (natural instruments, real-world presentation, etc.) and require true HF detail with realistic, powerful sub-bass (as opposed to "bloated' mid-bass):
64 Audio - The U12T was exactly as I remembered and extremely impressive but the U18T took it up a notch, refining elements of the 12's presentation that I did not think needed refining. That cost though...
Etymotic and Westone - I have solely been using ER4PTs with custom ACS tips for about 15 years. They are hard to beat for isolation (which for me is a basic part of the actual point of IEMs), respond well to EQ, but it is obvious that things can be improved. The Evo is good and fits well, but felt more of a sideways step than any sort of upgrade. Westone - putting it politely, muddy sound as always. Very small and light, but I had UM3 years ago and one channel randomly died due to a suspected cable failure. I think the new ones have removable cables (
) but they still feel fragile.
Vision Ears - VE8 felt very good, with the EXT perhaps being slightly more refined? I found the Phönix to be pretty bad; lacking clarity / muddy, nowhere near worth the price IMO.
Jomo Audio - 308 Spyder was good, and the GT600 was a bit better, but both seemed to be missing the last octaves of HF detail.
Meze Audio - Rai Penta (muddy, lacking lots of detail) and Advan (clearer but sibilant, thin sounding). Look far more expensive though, haha.
InEar PP8 - very good, but I had to engage both switches. I am sure I am in the minority here but something like this with switches always concerns me about the long term reliability, albeit I would be unlikely to move them once set. I prefer the 64 Audio "adjustments" with the modules as "mechanical" is more robust than "electrical" (work influence taking over here...
)
LETSHUOER - Really nice salesman! The EJ07 was extremely good, but perhaps with a slightly "polite" presentation. The EJ09 on the other hand had a sublime presentation: all the SQ detail I am asking for. Superbly detailed, no frequency particularly overloading others, sounded natural (to my ears). There is possibly the need to reign in the HF a tad with EQ, but it had actual intense clarity, not sibilance or any of those issues. Will be returning today.
Elise Audio - Way too many good options so it took ages to get a seat, but worth it as the guys were all fantastic. Full demo list (more to try today):
FIR - XE6 (too coloured / warm), KR5 (far better, but still bettered by others).
Yanyin Moonlight - Bargain of the show? Very good for the price, but I found them a tad too polite when compared with more expensive options.
Symphonium Helios - Now in my top 5 for reference sound, but perhaps a tad "leaner" than others. This could be due to being more neutral though, so will need a revisit today.
ThieAudio Monarch ii - Outstanding, at any price point, but incredible value for money at its own. Need to compare again but I would say at least 9.5 / tenths of the U12T, at less than ½ the price. At least in my top 5.
ThieAudio Voyager 16 - Voiced differently so hard to compare directly to the Monarch, but I think I preferred it. Need more time with both to be sure but likely in my top 5...
Depending on what else I discover today from the tables I am yet to visit, I expect to be purchasing my top choice, unless that ends up being the U18T, in which case I need to starve myself for a bit longer.
Will they be there today?
I went in following demos at other locations with the U12T beating everything else to get to the top of my shortlist, but with a long list of new comparisons to try at the show. In no specific order, I will list my thoughts by table but for reference, my SQ preference is neutral (natural instruments, real-world presentation, etc.) and require true HF detail with realistic, powerful sub-bass (as opposed to "bloated' mid-bass):
64 Audio - The U12T was exactly as I remembered and extremely impressive but the U18T took it up a notch, refining elements of the 12's presentation that I did not think needed refining. That cost though...
Etymotic and Westone - I have solely been using ER4PTs with custom ACS tips for about 15 years. They are hard to beat for isolation (which for me is a basic part of the actual point of IEMs), respond well to EQ, but it is obvious that things can be improved. The Evo is good and fits well, but felt more of a sideways step than any sort of upgrade. Westone - putting it politely, muddy sound as always. Very small and light, but I had UM3 years ago and one channel randomly died due to a suspected cable failure. I think the new ones have removable cables (
) but they still feel fragile.Vision Ears - VE8 felt very good, with the EXT perhaps being slightly more refined? I found the Phönix to be pretty bad; lacking clarity / muddy, nowhere near worth the price IMO.
Jomo Audio - 308 Spyder was good, and the GT600 was a bit better, but both seemed to be missing the last octaves of HF detail.
Meze Audio - Rai Penta (muddy, lacking lots of detail) and Advan (clearer but sibilant, thin sounding). Look far more expensive though, haha.
InEar PP8 - very good, but I had to engage both switches. I am sure I am in the minority here but something like this with switches always concerns me about the long term reliability, albeit I would be unlikely to move them once set. I prefer the 64 Audio "adjustments" with the modules as "mechanical" is more robust than "electrical" (work influence taking over here...
)LETSHUOER - Really nice salesman! The EJ07 was extremely good, but perhaps with a slightly "polite" presentation. The EJ09 on the other hand had a sublime presentation: all the SQ detail I am asking for. Superbly detailed, no frequency particularly overloading others, sounded natural (to my ears). There is possibly the need to reign in the HF a tad with EQ, but it had actual intense clarity, not sibilance or any of those issues. Will be returning today.
Elise Audio - Way too many good options so it took ages to get a seat, but worth it as the guys were all fantastic. Full demo list (more to try today):
FIR - XE6 (too coloured / warm), KR5 (far better, but still bettered by others).
Yanyin Moonlight - Bargain of the show? Very good for the price, but I found them a tad too polite when compared with more expensive options.
Symphonium Helios - Now in my top 5 for reference sound, but perhaps a tad "leaner" than others. This could be due to being more neutral though, so will need a revisit today.
ThieAudio Monarch ii - Outstanding, at any price point, but incredible value for money at its own. Need to compare again but I would say at least 9.5 / tenths of the U12T, at less than ½ the price. At least in my top 5.
ThieAudio Voyager 16 - Voiced differently so hard to compare directly to the Monarch, but I think I preferred it. Need more time with both to be sure but likely in my top 5...
Depending on what else I discover today from the tables I am yet to visit, I expect to be purchasing my top choice, unless that ends up being the U18T, in which case I need to starve myself for a bit longer.
Thanks, I though I was going mad as I was expecting to demo some of their models but could not find them.
Will they be there today?
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I don’t have a case or I’d have brought them yesterday. So I thought I’d check things out before committing and then working out how to get them to the show.Sorry to derail but what case are you using for your HD800S? Even though mine are permanently at home for Dolby Atmos duties I would like to stop using the original box to store them in...
Protect those babies, or do your best to remember what they sound like!
I always find this interesting as I grew up playing instruments so have a keen interest in replicating then perfectly, but I listen to every genre from classical to drum and bass, jazz to hip hop, pop to hard rock... I go with my mood. I do find that the headphone and definitely speaker worlds are not as fastidious as us, but maybe IEMs are simple more personal due to our physical ear structure having such a huge impact.
I do wonder if at times our preferences outweigh "real world" sound though...? e.g. I find most IEMs (at all price points) are really poor with HF detail, but instruments like triangles or cymbals "sparkle" in real life... So why are there so many really muddy sounding options then?
I guess genre choice influences this, but it seems an odd business choice to limit your customer base by not having options that effectively cover all genres?
Always important to understand that price is meaningless as I heard some for £3k at the show that IMO were bested by a few well under £1k, and I did not even demo mid-range options.
Buy for SQ not for the brand name, as "brand tax" heavily impacts business.
Looking forward to experiencing my first 'Jam today. Will be departing Dorset shortly with my TH900 and SE846 in tow. Bringing my dad along for the ride, too.
If anyone wants to try either of my phones I'm bringing and is going to be there today, just drop me a PM.
See you chaps later!
If anyone wants to try either of my phones I'm bringing and is going to be there today, just drop me a PM.
See you chaps later!
Yeah, the Audeze and Focals I auditioned had such good cases, but sound quality won on the dsy. No regrets until nowProtect those babies, or do your best to remember what they sound like!
Loved it yet will there be videos? These seminars are so informative!Headphones 101 Seminar just started on Level -1, Plaza Suite
12-13
@goldwerger when looking at the second picture in the middle, I almost thought you flew to UK lol
Wow, today was simply awesome! I had a blast getting to meet all of you today, and I have to say the highlight of the day was the non-stop wave of praise we got for our HeadAmp Blue Hawaii Special Edition!
Both the HIFIMAN Shangri-La and STAX SR-X9000 got a lot of head time, and I can't wait to hear firsthand which was your favorite.
ShangriLa JR is better for classical, and Jazz with better balance, clarity, speed, transience and High extension; X9000 suits for more genres like Pop and maybe perhaps Rock by contrast for its fuller sound with the rolled off highs?
It is funny when listening to Beyonce's new album, HD800s is so moving and making me dance and bounce while flagship Plannar with crazy sheer resolution just made me listen rather calmly lol. HD800s are perfect match to almost all summit fi amps.
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