Here are my notes and impressions. Attended all 3 days, and it is my 3rd CanJam (been to RMAF 2016 and SoCal 2017).
Guys - those events are absolutely a blast! Seriously, make an effort and come try one if you never did. It is so worth it…
Let me start by thanking Ethan (
@third_eye),
@jude, Warren (
@warrenpchi),
@joe and Brian (
@AxelCloris) from Head-Fi for their hard work and making those CanJams possible. You guys rock!
Running into people I know from previous CanJams, as well as connecting a face to a Head-Fi name is so much fun. JD,
@MTMECraig and
@Muinarc to name a few
About myself (this part might explain some of my opinions / preferences afterwards):
* My hearing is not perfect, and I do NOT have golden ears.
* I love warm and smooth sound signature. I do not like super-detailed, sharp notes, analytical signature.
* I strongly prefer over-ear headphones over IEMs. Not sure if my ear canals are weird size or shape, but I can never fit IEMs properly or get a good seal
One day, I will just get custom IEMs… I did try a few IEMs (notes below), but compared to over-ears, they’re a minority.
* I listen mostly to rock music of all kinds (classic, soft, hard, metal, progressive, alternative, etc.). I might occasionally listen to pop and jazz, but very very seldom classical (and never opera). So, as much as I encourage people to ask me questions (and I would do my best to answer), do not bother asking the likes of:
“Could you tell a Stradivarius from el-cheapo Walmart violin on DAC X or amp Y”...
So without further ado, here are my notes at no particular order:
*
Mr Speakers - meeting Dan (
@mrspeakers) is always a pleasure! One of the nicest guys in the industry
OK, I already own the Ether Flow Open (EFO) and Aeon Flow Closed (AFC). Does the new Aeon Flow Open (AFO) sound any good? Absolutely! Are they better than EFO? No, IMHO. They are warmer / more fun signature.
Here is my “buyer’s guide” for Dan’s crazy good portfolio:
- For neutral and detailed: buy Ether Flow Open (if price difference is not an issue)
- Fun and warm great all-arounder: buy Aeon Flow Open
- Got to have closed headphones that sound great: buy Aeon Flow Closed
*
ZMF - Zach (
@zach915m) and Bevin are so great, and I am grateful I can call them my friends! Repeating my comment about Dan above - definitely among the very nicest people around
Auteur vs. Atticus - Auteur is great! Atticus is great! Sound signature is close (to my ears), which is great for anyone who likes Zach’s house sound. So how do they differ?
Auteur is a little more detailed and closer to neutral.
Atticus is smoother and warmer.
Both are very highly recommended!
*
HiFiMAN - Briana and Angel were a lot of fun to hang out with. I spent some time at HiFiMAN table, auditioning the new Sundara and the not-so-new Edition X v2 (HEXv2).
HEXv2 is easier to drive. Much more detailed. More bass slam. Not surprising it is much better than the $499 Sundara! The HEXv2 are still my favorite of the entire HiFiMAN lineup. Including the HE-1000v2... (call me crazy if you like, but for me - the HEXv2 are superior to the HE-1000v2)
Sundara's ear cups are round - not elliptical shaped like the HEXv2. Opening is enough for bigger ears but nowhere near the huge opening of the HEXv2.
Shabgri La - I was
not impressed at all. Didn't sound very detailed to my surprise!! A bit muffled even. I suspect that in blind testing, I would choose the $1300 HEXv2 over it...
*
Focal
Clear - first, as background, I was never impressed by Elear or Utopia. I never found them exciting personally (and tested them on any imaginable setup at CanJams).
The new Clear, to my ears and taste, beat both Elear and Utopia easily! For their price ($1500) - I can name a few headphones that match my personal taste better, but those are the first Focals I did not completely yawn at. Did not post any photo since many posted photos already...
Spark IEM
Good deal for $69
Nice low. High not shrieking or harsh. Not very detailed but for $69 that is forgiven. Comes with basic accessories (only silicone tips).
Sphear S IEM
Priced at $129
Definitely a step up. All the positives of the Spark, but more detailed. Comes with foam tips that worked much better for me.
*
Final Audio
D8000 - Coming out “in a few weeks” for $3800. Found them very bright and harsh! Did not sound right to me at all, to the point that I suspected maybe the pre-production set is broken! Tried the other demo pair - same! Personally, I would not buy those for $100, but each to his own…
E3000 and E2000 IEMs - with the infinite patience and help of Michael, I managed to get a reasonable fit and seal. Both IEMs are single dynamic driver value IEMs ($55 and $45 respectively). E3000 is more neutral, while the E2000 has more bass (and therefore more to my taste). The E2000 are very small. I liked them a lot!
F4100 - single BA driver. If you think the E2000 is slim, wait until you see the F4100. OMG - where did they fit a driver in this super-ultra-skinny IEM?!
Sounds very nice, too, but a significant step up in price. F3100 (identical but fixed cables) - $189. Good deal IMHO.
IEM assembly workshop - WOW! What a unique experience!! Participants got a single dynamic driver IEMs, with a tuning kit, and for an hour or so we tried various tunings… End result looks decent and sounds decent, too. How many of you can say “I built and tuned those IEMs myself”?
*
Abyss Headphones Diana
I could not even try them on!
Ear pads are way too small for over-ear, and weird size and shape for on-ear. Fit and comfort - Fail. Having said that, to quote Metallica: nothing else matters... I did not audition them at all.
*
BeyerDynamic DT 240 Pro
Supposed to be over-ear but unless you have tiny ears (I do not…) - they fit as on-ears. For $99 - they could be a good deal for some. Especially if they fit as over-ears.
*
Shure KSE1500
KSE1500 are awesome! Sound is great, but price is $3,000 - ouch
*
Schiit Audio
Bimby vs. Gumby - comparing DACs, in a show floor, when each is coupled with a different amp, is obviously impossible!! No point in even trying to A/B the DACs…
Loki Mini - very cool. Played with it a little, mostly adding bass and/or reducing highs. Will probably grab one at some point - definitely makes listening to music an interactive and fun experience
The Gadget - a tough one! Tried it with various random tracks… from various music genres… turned the knob right and left, but never had an “ahhh” moment as described by Mike from Schiit. It did change something in the sound, but I could not find a spot that made it better for me. Gadget definitely did something, so it worked! Maybe my ears (or brain) are broken…
*
Klipsch Heritage HP-3 ($1199)
Very comfy for the ears, but pressure on top of the head - needs more padding to headband, IMHO.
Scale very nicely from their new amp to the woo WA8. Would definitely NOT recommend their retro amp.
*
AudioTechnica Bluetooth receiver (with DAC and amp)
Due in Jan. for $129. Battery life: 8 hours. Sounded good for the price.
*
A&K AK70 Mk2
Look and feel just like the original. Was not able to A/B original vs. Mk2 (did not have one with me).
*
A&K L1000 Desktop Amp (& DAC)
Pre-production / prototype. Rep did not know much about it, and had to power cycle it twice before it worked properly (so obviously a little immature at the moment).
*
Crosszone CZ-1
Those sound very different, and I cannot decide if that is a good thing or bad… Feels like the sound stage moved?
I could not feel / hear the illusion of being in a room with loudspeakers, which I believe is their claim.
*
Audeze
New LCD-MX sound very nice and are comfy. Price: $2,995.
LCD X (now $1199) - maybe a bit less detailed.
Between the 2, due to huge diff. In price - I would definitely go with the LCX X!
*
iFi Audio
Guys, iFi iDSD Nano BL is coming! Should be out “in early November” for $199. Photo shows it next to its big brother, the iDSD Micro BL. (I did not audition it)
*
Fostex T60RP
Tried the 2 T60RP prototypes. Pretty close to my ears but I did pick my favorite, which “surprisingly enough” was the pair with more bass…
Sorry
@Allanmarcus, but some people do prefer the one with more bass...
*
Echo box
Headphones prototype called Vanguard.
Very comfy open back. Handled bass and sub bass very well. No harshness at all. Very fun listen.
Expected in 5-6 months for $349. I would very seriously consider adding them to my collection at that price!
*
E-MU Teak
$700 list. $500 show special.
Worked well for Coldplay and Dire Straits.
Lorde's low bass and sub bass was a little bloated / uncontrolled.
Feel very closed. Soundstage felt very narrow and small.
*
Koss
Pro 4S. $150 list price.
Supposed to be over-ear, but on-ear for me due to small ear pads. Soft pads - so not an issue.
Very pleasant warm sound. Not very detailed though.
Little harder to drive - cranked volume on the FiiO X3-II dap pretty high... Nice bass, but bloated sub bass.
*
Sennheiser HD569
Very nice for its price point of $179.
Played nice with Dire Straits and Coldplay.
Lorde’s “Royals” failed with its low bass and sub bass, though!
*
Rupert Neve amp
Very nice clean and neutral sound!
Definitely worth its $499 price.
*
HeadAmp Gilmore Lite Mk2
WOW. What a nice clean and neutral Solid State amp! Fell in love with it with ZMF Auteur. Tested it with several additional headphones, including ZMF Atticus (that I own) and Mr. Speakers Ether C Flow. Sounded awesome with all of them!
How much did I like it you may ask? Well, I bought the very first production unit (serial # 001) from Peter!!!
*
PSB Speakers M4U 8 and NAD Electronics VISO HP70
Two almost identical headphones with Noise Canceling. Different design but almost identical “insides”.
Basically, competitors for Bose and Sony Noise Canceling headphones. Definitely better sonically than Bose. Could not A/B with Sony, so cannot tell for sure which is better.
Both are coming out in a month for $399.
*
Advanced Alpha
Planars open back - $499 on MassDrop. Did not take any notes but from memory it sounded pretty nice for the price! Very comfy with plush ear pads.
*
CTM (Clear Tune Monitors)
CIEM company based out of Florida. Very nice people. Probably one of the best value in CIEM. I wish I would have run across them earlier - I am very tempted to choose one of their IEMs… To be continued on this one…
That concludes my notes and impressions from RMAF 2017. I am sure I forgot some things, but hopefully I remembered all the important ones!
Feel free to ask any questions
See you all, hopefully, at CanJam SoCal in April 2018
Zachi.
