Hello, everyone. I've been striving all my life to visit London, and here is such a chance that I am here and have time to visit Canjam. Immediately disclaim that the author of the post for two days listened to so many devices that weakly perceived the reality and heard and, in general, does not have a medal in the shape of golden ears. It is also important to note that the narrator of these lines does not like the rise and boost of the mid-bass, gravitates to even graphs, and considers the middle in the face regular tuning.
Owns and has listened to everything on the exhibition, except the desktop solutions on:
Cowon Plenue L, Qudelix 5k, Phatlab Sassy
JVC 10k ,64 Audio u12t, Dita P71, Kenerton Rig Custom
If someone is stuffy and it is important to him, the ear tips almost everywhere were Azla vocal (purple) 85% of the time, spiral dot 10, Azla crystal.
Cables -lavricables master 22AWg silver , stock JVC , Dita.
It's not a financial recommendation.
Lottoo Mjolnir, I listened to different ones for the longest time on Focal Utopia 2023 because I know them quite well.
The video shows that the UI works quite well. Everything is fast and without delays, which is what you expect from a lot and a product for a lot of money. Visually, I expected a slightly terse look; it looks flashy in person, but still okay.
It squeezes almost everything you need out of the Focals. It is a solution for cottagers and those who don't want a big desktop bundle. It will give a head start to almost all players; it is very well-tuned.
Bottom with shelf, but fast, information in the low frequencies is read well. HF with the necessary length, without pepper and unnecessary aggression. Clean, without soap. A transitional option between the station and the port. It is not comprehensive, but those who have listened to utopias will understand why; it is a feature of the headphones, and it is essential to realize that the Lotoo does not artificially blow stage for enormous size as Chord Hugo 2 does, for example.
The dynamics are good. Susvaras did not play on it, but Meze Elite, Focals, and Torino played without question.
With the tremendous and terrible Cayin N30LE, I listened on the first day to my headphones and on the second day to UM Mentor, UM Mest mk3.
The most important thing you need to know about it is that it is incredibly vast and heavy, it was not very comfortable to use even sitting at the table.
The second fact is that on the second day its connector broke, it was very unexciting, the expensive flagship did not survive the second day.....
In terms of sound, it's a kind of rocker. It surprises you and tries to keep you interested the whole time you're listening to it. It's technically higher than N8-2; it's more elaborate but just as energetic.
I must admit that the two runs were insufficient because there are hyper, tube, and amp modes, and all this changes the sound tangibly; all I can state is that as well as it was with the N8-2, I like it more without tubes. The dynamics and attacks were excellent. It is very far from linear presentation, but to deny that it is well-presented, everything from bass to treble, would be strange; there is too much emphasis on everything. The tubes are not as muddy as with the N8-2; they have been refined.
But there are so many accents he tries to put at the same time, which is a little tiring. But as a solution, there are a bunch of modes that change the sound without spoiling it and making your collection variable - damn good. All that's left is to find a working, trouble-free sample and suspenders for pants.
X-Mems + the new Diablo, with a function for these very mems.
Unfortunately, Oni for 1600$ was not given out at the show; I listened to the one on the photo.
Mid dominates the sub, but the bottom is friendly and fast.
Trebles are pleasant and extended, but it will be tough to distinguish from the BA unquestioningly without revelations. Vocals are not squeezed.
Sibilants are present, and I think not everyone will like it because of their presence. I didn't listen to it for long; it's quite an annoying story. I didn't hear any super victories.
EE raven.
I never gravitated toward their tuning and the idea of a bone bass driver. There is no miracle here because EE has its fanbase, and a lot of people like this type of bass. I must admit that I thought it would be Odyssey or Evo in another variation, but surprisingly, it's something more like Odins, which are the ones in the pictures to compare the size of the shells. The shells are giant, sticking out of the ears, but still quite comfortable and light. In terms of sound, these are the Odins, which trimmed all the annoying parts of the range and added warmth perceptibly. The woofer is for company fans, but I can not say everything is terrible. They are my favorite from EE now. The middle is squeezed, and there is a lack of transparency; trebles are good. For such money, honestly, I'm not very much impressed. Odins sound more exciting but are unbearable for a long distance and cause fatigue. In Ravens, you can sit for hours without fatigue from the brightness on the upper treble if your ears will not against such giants.
Questyle. There is nothing much to write about the DAC-AMP combo; it's not bad. The headphones with a whistle built into the cable are excellent.
These are good dynamic headphones in the classic sense; they are not transparent, they don't have a ton of detail, but they are fun, give a good punch, and don't feel like a smear. The dongle is weightless, natively works with Apple lossless, and has lightning and USB-C connectors.
Singularity, Subtonic Storm, and Crimson.
I liked their booth - charming guys; they told me how they made tuning headphones, about the bass shelf and purity of the middle at the middle bass, about black Acoustunes, and many other exciting things. The sound of their ears is catchy.
I hope it's not the effect of 15 minutes of listening, which then tires me out
1)Crimson on the background of the other two dark tunings, not particularly sharp bottom, not particularly liked, listened for a short time, so
2) Storm - many details. Everything seems to be very beautiful but aggressive regarding the upper middle. After 10 minutes, I got used to it, but I know it can be rough for long sessions. At the same time, the bass is very vigorous and dynamic, excellent for BA, but you can not take it without listening to it. I, for fun, hooked them up in Phatlab Sassy GT amp - things became better, but still, even with a half-tube Sassy, someone may not be comfortable.
3) Singularity is unexpected here. I was expecting a ton of bass, bloat, and treble in the face, but no. Guys somehow manage to keep the balance, and the bass does not overwhelm me as I expected.
Singularity sounds not clamped but requires a lot of power, speed, and attacks on a reasonable level. Of course, they are not linear, not once, and it's a fan, but this is the type of fan when the creators did not go to all lengths and customized the product, which does not tire but gives a charge of positivity, given the price, then straight must-have. Bonus, of course, coherence because it's a single DD
To summarize the company - I recommend them to those with a powerful source because all their ears sounded significantly better with additional amplifiers or, for example, with m17 in desktop mode.
TBC tommorow
Campfire
1) Supermoon - rich, flowing, coherent, sub is pumped up.
I don't like the vocals at all - they sound unnatural. In general, I understand who may like them. A lot of my audio brothers gravitate to such tuning. Someone may be too sharp on high frequencies, but on a powerful quality source, it is not a problem.
2) Trifecta - sucks, to be honest; the worst price/sound ears on the show for me. Even on a little complex music, bass begins to flood everything, and control is not perceptibly enough. The mids are pushed back just right, just creepy. Headphones for EDM or rap, perhaps, have a terrible aftertaste, especially against VE that was before them
3) Solaris, surprisingly, there is no tininess in the low frequencies, the middle is not killed, and the treble is not pinched. Tuning for people is not bad.
Claim to the upper treble - sounded somehow plastic, as if sewn unsuccessful. One connector came off ...
Andro is still the most adequate from CA for me.
Finally some desktop
ZMF listened on Holo, May + Bliss stack.
Verite Open - the best among ZMFs in the speed of the dynamics, less weight among all in the low region, and plays openly. Mid is a little dull. They are good for fast tracks, but I prefer them to ATX5000 if we discuss speed and anger.
Zmf AU - the best ratio of impact and speed of ZMG dynamic driver headphones, still pleasantly push and envelope you, but do not go into the mud.
Caldera - planars from Zak, smooth ( after other ZMF especially), not bad resolution, dynamics, very much like current; Bakoon didn't make it. It's a bit boring but in a good way.
Aeolus, for me, too much meat, at 7 min, became tedious.
All models of Zak I recommend for audition as fans of bass heads and ordinary people ) forgive me, Kenerton, but his ears more competently fill the modern market.
Dcs stack( dac+ streamer, PSU,Amplifier )
Only google the price of the equipment with the understanding that it's next-level
First was Susvara, then there were Centauri and Focal's Utopia old revision, 800S
After Susvara, Spirit Torino is extremely doubtful sounding and has no sense of purity in the middle, which in Susvara is just on another level.
There is perfect bass in susvara, amazing control, extension, and much information. The upper treble region has a sense of brightness but no discomfort whatsoever.
The stack squeezes everything you can out of the headphones; this equipment will unleash everything you give it. All ears showed amazing control of the lower register, transparent mids, and excellent attack, and it didn't sound sterile. Certainly, there is no hint of any perverted upper-mid boost and metal/plastic clang in Topping, for example.
Everything sounds not boring, but not bloated. I would say elegant.
Susvara and Focal were the most popular ones.
Utopia gives an amazingly cheerful and juicy sound on sub and treble, complaining as always only to the stage. But this is the case with any equipment.
If we compare Susvara and Utopia on DCS.
Utopia:
It is a more powerful sub, information at the same time a little less buried in the layers of low frequencies, spicy on the upper treble as Susvara does not, but more highlighted treble.
The sound is more V-shaped against Susvara.
More human sound for longer sessions, no transparency, Susvara.
But you can only feel it on A/B tests.
It sounds tighter. Treble crispy and joyful
64 audio
for comparison thoughts on the 12t
The U12T is still just as saggy at the top middle, giving a sense of calmness but quite dull, deep-digging bass for those who like ratings and safe tuning.
Trio is not the fastest bass, but it's okay for slow jazz and blues.
There is some rustling at the top, which is not particularly enjoyable, but the lower register massages the ears well
64 Tia - massive at the bottom, not choked on complex tracks, vocals are a bit pushed back, male vocals are a bit stiff sounding
Dense and very dense sound, separation would like to have more.
64Audio, please, it is time to show something new.
Fiio k9pro and their dynamic full-sized headphones.
Pop sound, voluminous bass, Adele's voice sounds blurry and deafening
Involvement is present. After Susvara, it is difficult to estimate the middle of anything; here, everything is simple enough. I didn't listen for a long time.
The k9pro itself is very good looking for its price. The size is very compact. Fiio tuning is not difficult to recognize with their treble, but it is understandably more mature than in their portable solution.
Fiio's LPS really impacts the sound and confirms that the power supply must be done properly.
Fiio m15s.
Here, the design and ergonomics are very good. It does not like their same controversial solution in the face of M17, which came from the planet of Decepticons. M15S borrows design from Sony, probably? It's heavy well-built; the clicks are crisp and reliable.
The sound is fun and funky; it won't wow you with micro details, but it has drive. It's a solid dap without a lot of downsides. For me, these minuses are the quality of treble and the quantity and layering of low frequencies, and the bass seems to be deep but rather round rather than textured.
Feature with tube imitation works (audible normally) only in supergain.
It is best felt in desktop mode at high volume.
It scrubs off the extra spikiness, and if you change abruptly from level 0 to 2, it's really easy to hear.
If you have high impedance iems or listen loud (please don't do it), you get an extra mode to diversify your life.
Hugo Tt2, with Caldera, there is no sense of realism. Everything is very clean and polished but unnatural.
This again brings to mind the mood and state of mind during the auditions. As much as I was a fan of Hugo 2's sound, it was painful to realize that I don't like tt2.
Hugo Dave with Empirians is a great pairing. Even Empirians sound not muddy, but the price does not correspond to the sound in my understanding. It gives a great build and separation, good throughout the range, but against the background of other tops, it sounds not so involving. But as a pickup with the Primavera, it was extremely good.
Cadenza
We have a titanium case with the possibility of a custom version.
Finally, a normal human tuning (for me) after Noble was like mana in my ears. It has an excellent smooth mid, listen pleasant, a little boost sub, and a bit of sharpness at the top to compensate for their loss on the street on the move.
Swing and play easily from Qudelix, dongles, and other things, but also scales well when connected to a player.
Price is quite affordable for such tuning and technicality in 2023, I would say
Noble. Well, it's just not my peace of cake, I guess. Maybe it was my gear, but I don't like any of the iems.
Some of my friends praised Ragnars, but I don't understand how it's possible to listen to such an overwhelming type of sound. Yea, they are great in technicalities but still it's hard to listen for more than 10 minutes.
HEdd2. I was a fan of the Hedd one, but their weight was a killing factor. Now, this disadvantage does not exist. They are close to Hedd1 in terms of sound. I need to do an A/B test to be sure. But these headphones can give you so much joy with a good amp. Hedd is one of the best non-estat headphones in terms of dynamics.
And they still have the same price. Bravo!
MassKobo.
Desktop Amp is just brilliant; I like it with Susa; it has a body, speedy attacks, and the power to drive it fully. The resolution is good. Looks impressive. Don't like it with 1000SE, tbh but maybe I don't like the new 1000SE
Speaking of amps
At this point, I finally listened to everything I wanted except Tsuranagi, and for myself, I've summarized the following.
There is Matsuda-san and his MassKobo; if you need to sit at home or do not strain to carry a box, this is currently the best portative amp. Excellent dynamics, transparency, no hint of brightness increase, and other deviations in the form of bass softness. But it is a brick in size.
There is Phatlab, but as experience has shown - Chimera is still not Sassy GT, and the latter is already ancient and pops and rings without a mod when you touch it not carefully.
There is Bakun, I didn't take a picture, but I listened to ZMF on it; it's also a great amplifier, but it's also wild in size, and it's not good for iems.
There is Analog SQP, but there is a tru tube and everything that follows from it.
All the rest, Romi, Aroma, Cayin s9, and Vorzug, are not worth the time and money.
Tsuranagi is interesting in terms of size but too expensive.
Elysian Acoustic
Annihilator 23 and X. So, I like X more definitely. Anni is too warm and too busted in the mid-bass region. It may sound good for female vocals sometimes, but not always. X shifts this boost to sub-region, which is lacking when we talk about anni. Idk, but Anni is just too much of everything. X does everything just better to my taste, of course.
X is harsh in the upper treble but is not a deal breaker. Treble is delightfully good in both models
UE. Long story short, I like only one model. That is more close to linear representation. But it also was not kind of ok with fast, overloaded tracks... So, not for me
Svanar and R2R2000.
Gosh, the R2R2000 is so compact and cool-looking dap. Mid-region is just amazing. But It's resolution does not have many details if we talk about treble and lows. But it's still a very nice thing.
Svanar - addictive mid, not bad bass, but treble - they don't present in necessary quality and quantity.
This is one of my top 3 favorite combinations during the show.
Primavera + Susvara.
This Combo makes Susa sing and be analog but still shows every detail you need. It's a tube, but it's so transparent. The bass impact is so good. It makes Susa a bit less annoying with tricky and harsh tracks but keep this magnificent mid-clear. When it needs to, it slams so well that even people who say that Susa doesn't have bass will love it with Trafomatic.
Love this thing. For me, it's now number one for buying someday.
