Below are a few impressions of mine over the three days I attended the show. Although I did listen to a ton of gear during that time, due to many issues, I only felt I could accurately, and to my ears, describe a few out of the many. The show isn't always the best listening environment and many times it can be hard to get really good impressions due to the noise levels in the room, especially with open back designs. Plus, everyone is using different sources, amps, and music collections, etc., except maybe those running something like Tidal. Not to even get into how you can notice your ears start to react after a few full days of intensive listening. So, there will be a mixture of physical and auditory perceptions throughout. As far as my listening preferences, I tend to prefer the warmer and tubey side generally, so if I describe something as being a bit bright for me, it may not be for you, etc.
Below are a few impressions I took away from the show, each corresponds in the order of my visit over the course of the show. One thing permeates throughout though, there is a lot of new gear!
Chord
One of the first places I stopped after I met up with a buddy was Chord Electronics. He has used their Mojo for several years now, after going through quite a few pieces of other gear prior to it. Great guys from Chord, I enjoyed chatting with them about audio, their gear, and their new technology, which I found to be both excellent and at the same time intriguing.
Hugo2
This was the first amp of theirs I tried and I'm glad I did. Unfortunately I don't have much if any time with the original Hugo, so I can't really compare. However, I thought the Hugo2 had actually quite a good balance and just felt right at many moments. To me and with my headphones, the Hugo2 wasn't doing anything bad at all, quite a bit good, while the remainder seemed more cohesive than others, giving a nice smoothness and sounding more natural than many at times, all with quite a nice extended treble. While I did at times wish maybe for something with a bit more flavor in other particular areas, what it did deliver was just a nice, slightly smooth, and neutral presentation on the particular music I listened to. I could see it being used for traveling, as you could even just stuff it in a small padded bag or something, however for truly mobile use, it was a bit large for a pocket. Otherwise really nice design in my opinion and looks great in black!
Dave
Wow! That is all I can really say about Dave. I listened to a few classical tracks with a pair of LCDs and was really blown away during particular parts. Very nice resolution, with what seemed like a ton of detail, yet was never too much, in your face, or overly clinical or shouty about it, and at the same time had great extension. Soundstage was excellent, compared to many, and something about it just made me smile while listening. Now, I'm sure they set up this pairing on purpose, there was a lot of classical hooked up to it as well, and I did only listen to that classical genre on it, but I really enjoyed the Dave for the short time I listened. I would have listened longer, but it is out of my price range and I got into a conversation regarding the technology in the Poly with the guys from Chord soon after, see below.
Mojo and the Poly
I've known a few Mojo owners over the years and have actually spent quite a bit of time auditioning with them, during which I've become somewhat familiar with its sound in general. However, I actually didn't really get a chance to listen to the setup myself, only about 30 seconds or so after my buddy had finished and when we got to talking about it. However, I did discuss the technology within the new Poly, a companion unit and I really liked where they were going with it. I really like many of the features on the new Poly adapter and it looked quite nice and was small enough that when attached to the Mojo, didn't make it crazy big. The fact that it includes playback off everything from a mobile device to a micro SD slot, that should be even able to take 1 terabyte cards soon (currently I believe they said 500 GB cards had been used), to streaming with wireless and Bluetooth technology, is all pretty amazing. I thought it would be really cool if it allowed a wireless connection transfer of music from a server directly to the SD card, instead of loading them, etc. Maybe some code to automatically update once connected would be cool, but not necessary. Anyway, my buddy seemed to really like it and although I wished I had tried it more than I did at the time, I can say that it seemed like the Poly wasn't causing any big issues with the Mojo's sound, if any that I could tell, so it should be a great addition for those wishing to have more options with their Mojos or those who would get the benefits out of a Poly to check out their Mojo as well.
Schiit Audio
The Gadget
Wasn't sure really what to think about the Gadget, but I knew that I wanted to try it! I finally got a chance to and while I believe it may be more track specific than other devices, my friend and I were able to pick out some of what it was doing during a particular part. Otherwise it was quite subtle at that time and almost nonexistent over the five minutes or so that we turned and twisted the knob. The listening environment wasn't good at the time and thinking back, we should have tried other songs as well. However, the part it did affect was a horn note, which upon finishing, rang out for a few extra seconds and on the ring out while turning the knob we could pick it out and it was very interesting. Very cool technology, but probably only useful for a select few.
Loki
I was also interested in hearing this new equalizer prior to the show and finally was able to. I thought the Loki was really fun to play with. I like to tweak the sound from time to time, so if you give me a couple of knobs that not only don't degrade the music when engaged, but allow me some control, than I'm going to enjoy it. Many times I find that I feel like I could benefit from some level of equalization that was more convenient, compared to swapping out things such as tubes and cables, and something that wasn't just entirely software based. The big racks are hit and miss often and can also be very expensive. I find that when I most often want a different level, it is on a track by track basis, as some songs just would sound a bit better with a little bump or dip here and there, especially older tunes and some using older recording techniques. All in all, I felt like the Loki did what it promised and I've added it my list of fun things to watch out for.
Focal
Clear
I was excited to hear the new Focal Clears at the show this year. Previously liking both their Elear and Utopia models, and I also thinking that something could sit between the two when I first heard them together. I was also interested in how close they were to the Utopias. To me, the Elears have a HD650 feel to them, but more fun in many ways, while not quite as neutral or detailed as many though. The Utopias on the other-hand, when amplified correctly can sound very nice and to my ears, a bit better than I've heard the HE1000s and others, mainly due to the treble region. I find that while the Clears were good in what they did, there was a little bit too much way up top for my general tastes in the end and some of the extra sparkle was quite much, however I did find it somewhere between both the Elear and the Utopia overall. They seemed more balanced and neural than the Elears, as well as more detailed overall, dare I say clearer. However, they also seemed it bit too bright for me in areas up top and also a bit thin in others, similar to a few of my experiences with the HE1000s on brighter equipment, whereas I've found, with good amplification, it to be much smoother. It seemed to have characteristics of both though, blended and molded together, so those looking for both this as well as a headphone with some more sparkle up top I think would appreciate them more. It will be interesting to read some proper impressions of them as time goes on and also with different types of amplification.
Audio-Technica
ATH-ADX5000
While I have never owned a pair of Audio-Technicas, I've actually come very close in the past and have always thought about it. Too my ears, they have their own flavor and do some interesting things in the mids and upper regions, so they are not for everyone. To me, the 5000 not only seemed to have this flavor right off the bat, but with more resolution, detail, and air than other models I have tried of theirs. Unfortunately it was a bit noisy at the time and they do not isolate, but I could tell there was some resolution there. However, it was a bit too much up top for me at times and also seemed a bit thin in parts of vocals, but in hindsight I really should have tried some Classical music instead as the air and space up there sounded really nice. This may have been because of the source as well, but I'm not sure as I've heard the excellent AT-HA5050H at prior shows and I don't remember this amp being extra bright or anything. I also found the ATH-A1000Z to not be bright at all on this setup, so other factors may have been involved. However, I did find myself wanting a bit more weight in various areas of the mids and even the upper end though, similar to what I've heard with the Utopias, when amplified well. Not that they were overly thin, but they definitely weren't thick. One to watch out for though if you are a fan of their house sound.
ATH-A1000Z
I kind of like these and actually went back the second day to try them out again. They were nice and smooth, with a warm texture and some good bass, plus I thought the price was pretty good on them. They lacked soundstage, which is hard with most closed designs, but they were surprisingly light, which many Audio-Technicas are, and comfortable. If you are looking for a good priced isolated headphone with a smooth and intimate presentation and soundstage size isn't a huge factor, than I would keep my eyes on these. If I didn't already have a pair of closed cans that I really like at the moment, I know I would be for the price, maybe even modding them a bit if needed.
E-MU
Purple Heart and Walnut
I was really impressed, once again, with the excellent build quality and enjoyable sound of their line of wooden headphones at this year's show. It was really great to meet them last year and I was glad to see them back again. I tried both their Purple Heart and Walnut on-the-ear offerings multiple times throughout the show and through my Cowon Plenue D player playing flac files. I've really thought about gifting either the Purple Heart or the Walnut since last year's show and I had a hard time this year trying to figure out which one I liked the best, for now myself, as well as for the receiver of the gift. I found that both were very nice in their own way, especially for their price and quality, but the Purple Heart was definitely more thick and syrupy, just oozing the mids and lows while taming the highs quite well, if not a little recessed in places. The Walnut, on the other hand to me was more balanced, with a bit more towards the high end and upper mids, however it sounded a bit thin at times, especially when compared to the Purple Heart.
I actually think I would ultimately really like a combination of the two, as the Walnut was just a bit too thin at times, while the Purple Heart was a bit too thick. All in all, I actually think this will be one thing I'll pick up after attending this year, and I'm thinking a Purple Heart for myself, as I'd use it for genre specific listening sessions as well as just selectively, and maybe the Walnut as a gift. I would need to find out their preferences before though, and if the low end is priority, than the Purple Heart may also be on the list for them. I think I would enjoy the Walnut a bit more, but would probably try to dampen it some and try to calm a few areas in the highs, or even just a bit of eq in the end. As far as the Purple Heart goes, I can see it doing some really great things with particular styles of music, but is probably a bit too thick and dark for most and most genres. The cool thing though, is you can change out the woodies on these and switch between the two! Very cool, great craftsmanship and prices!
ZMF
The Auteur
It was really great meeting Zach at last year's show and I enjoyed both chatting with him and trying out his in-house designs of the Atticus and the Eikon at that time. When I saw him announce the newest addition to ZMF's lineup, The Auteur, I was immediately intrigued. I've really enjoyed the time I've spent with both the Atticus and Eikon in the past, probably preferring the Eikon a bit more overall, but even the Atticus in it's own way as well, and was planning on trying them both again at this year's show, so I was excited to see the Auteurs at the last minute. Let me first start by saying how much I've enjoyed ZMF's table both last year and this year. Zach, Bevin, and Ren are always so great and welcoming each time I've visited them, including last year. They are all generally interested in what you think of the sound and are so welcoming to those who pass by. The great thing about their table is, just like last year, I found many albums off the playlists that are actually some of my favs, so it never feels to me somewhat like a chore listening at their table, while it just allowed me to simply sit back and enjoy, without searching for something or finally giving in to what they gave me. I actually ended up talking with Zach about music and live shows in-between listening sessions as we have some similar tastes in music as well. This is probably why I also really like the sound signature of his headphones so much, it sounded just right with music I'm familiar with. I have to add, Zach and the team over at ZMF are the type of people you feel you really want to support after meeting them and trying their headphones; humble and down to earth, just out there trying to catch that perfect sound like the rest of us.
The Auteurs appeared to me to deliver quite nicely. First, I found them to be comfy; they were big enough for what seemed like even larger ears, they didn't put unneeded headband pressure on my head, and they weren't crazy heavy or awkward feeling. I like the design, but they are not tight fitting, so you would only want to use them in certain ways, but overall it just felt more ergonomic off the bat than with many others. I believe Zach said that the limited edition blackwood were heavier than the planned normal Teak, but I do not know the specifics. At first I actually thought they were a bit too heavy, like some LCDs can be, but realized that the cable was just massive, so lifting it up a little and getting a sense for just the headphones, it was much better. I would say that where you feel the weight with a LCD after a bit, especially when you are not use to it, you don't really here with the Auteur, even with the heavier limited edition wood, they weren't crazy heavy as some wooden designs tend to be. Not that they feel really light, compared to plastic, etc., but it didn't seem to detract at all like others can at times. I also really like the way they fold down, onto the pads, so you can lay them flat and not worry about the wood getting scratched.
As far as sound, I tried them at one table, with a JDS Labs Element DAC/Amp stack, and also on all three amplifiers at ZMF's table. This was also over the course of the three days, listening each day. These included ones which had different pads installed, as well as cables that I can't really comment much on though. The first time I heard them it was unfortunately quickly out of the Element stack, but I remember thinking nice resolution, a bit warmer and thicker in areas than completely neutral, but close. Unfortunately, it was really just too quick of a listen to get a good picture in the end. Nice and smooth to say the least and with what appeared to be really good resolution, as far as I could tell on the stack, which was the first time I had heard it as well. It definitely got me intrigued though and wanting to hear more of it. At ZMF's table, I first tried them out of the Cavalli CTH - Compact Tube Hybrid amp and with this chain and with some music I was more familiar with, right away I was thinking, wow, this is different than before. I found them to have great speed and impact, actually giving some of the best impact on certain notes and songs that I've heard in a while, really good punch as well. At that time, I was thinking that this would be a great combo for drums or even just rock in general. The bass didn't seem to go down as far with this amp/source though, but it was still quite low even compared to the others at the table. I found that the high end was nicely extended, not crazy bright, but sharp and with good energy. However, I found this setup a bit fatiguing a times and with certain tracks, so I switched over to the Decware amplifier next, the model of which I do not know. I remember thinking right away, okay, I'm not crazy, this is at least similar as before with the Element stack, different but closer than the Cavalli in signature, and what I heard of the other two headphones last year. The Decware model they had there in my opinion really complemented the Auteurs in many positive ways and was my favorite amplifier to try them on at the show. I found the sound to be both full and lush, but with what seemed like a more neutral signature overall, as opposed to other headphones whom are definitely warm, bright, or curved. They were still a bit on the warmer side if I had to place them, but not by a large amount. They also seemed more balanced and neutral than I remember the other two newer offerings to be last year. Hard to tell as I was so occupied by the Auteurs at the time, that I didn't take the required effort to properly compare them to the Atticus/Eikon and I unfortunately don't own a pair of either for reference. However, they also had a nice amount of air and felt not only well extended, but at the same time smooth, open, and with clarity out of this Decware amplifier, with what seemed like just the right amount of detail, yet still having a nice fun factor and pop to them that the Cavarlli gave me, albeit in greater amounts than the Decware. When I came back later I also tried them on the Wells Audio Milo, but unfortunately it was towards the end of the show, so it wasn't for long. Right away I felt the place of the Milo was somewhere between that of the Decware and Cavalli. There was more attack and air, as I heard in the Cavalli, but with elements of the nice and smooth sound of the Decware mixed in, especially around the edges of notes. Probably more towards the Decware, but I think I still preferred the Decware overall.
Although I'd have to spend more time with the Auteurs in general to really get a good sense, the biggest takeaway for me was just how responsive I found them to be on the various amplifiers and audio chains at their table, which is both great and often what I look for in a headphone. Although I didn't compare them directly, even the pads seemed to impart a different sense of the sound and appeared simple enough to replace for preference. To me this is a great sign and I was seriously interested in pair as I got the impression that they would not only be great with multiple genres in general, but could also be another option to really help me when tube rolling and the such as well. One thing is for sure, I'll be keeping my eyes on these and are anticipating more proper impressions from others down the road. I've been wanting a new open pair for quite some time and the Auteurs left me with the sense of wanting to not only hear more of them, but just more music just in general, which is never a bad thing.
Sonoma Acoustics
Model One DAC/Amplifier and Electrostatic Headphones
I have never owned an electrostatic headphone before and my auditioning list is fairly short, so I although I didn't have much to compare, I still found myself really enjoying this system. I saw them at last year's show and chatted with a man at the booth for quite awhile about the technology, so I was interested in giving them another listen this year. One nice thing was that they were in a room this year, so it was a better listening environment in general, however it did take more time to go and find out where they were. As far as sound, I really liked a lot of what I was hearing and I remember thinking right away, as I often do with electrostatic headphones, yup, got to be probably the closest sound to speakers in my opinion. They are not thick, but also not crazy thin, just nice and airy all around with great imaging, although not much bass weight or extension. The only unfortunate thing for me was that I wasn't familiar with a lot of the music on the library they were hooked into, but I did listen to Daft Punk's newer album, Random Access Memories, and I thought it sounded excellent in this system. Now, they did tell me that this album was actually mastered using this setup and after hearing it, I can definitely hear that they compliment each other very well. For a few of the tracks I like more, I remember thinking the sound was just about as perfect as someone could really want with this album, and was the first time in a long time that I got a truly holographic image as well as the real sense of surrounding from a headphone. Nothing bad I could really say with this recording, except that I'm accustomed to having more a bit more weight in some notes and a fuller, if not a bit thicker, sound overall, with better bass, but I have to remind myself that these are different than the non-electrostatic headphones that I'm more familiar with. I later heard from others that they found them to break apart a bit at higher volumes in the past, but while I don't remember them doing so at all at the time, I wasn't blasting them or anything and wasn't directly testing this. All in all, I really like the technology around this setup and since they are electrostatic, it seems like it makes sense to pair the headphones with the amp, for compatibility and ease of use, as long as you like the signature when everything is combined.
Elekit
TU-8600 300B SE Tube Amp Kit
So, I'm not a stranger to the world of Elekit, owning their TU-8200DX model amplifier for the past three, almost four, years now and stopping by each year to see what's new since. I have also come to know Victor, of VKmusic, who sells these kits out of Canada, over the many years I have attended the show as well, so naturally I was very excited about one of their latest offerings, the TU-8600. This is a 300B based amp that, like the other kits from Elekit, has some truly great features. I won't get into all that this amp does, however I will try to tell you about its sound, at least what I could tell with my limited time with it at this year's show. I'm personally not very familiar with 300B amps in general, but I have tried a few over the years and this one seems like no slouch. I spent about an hour early Sunday morning over at Victor's table, using my own headphones, as well as CDs out of one of his really cool open CD players. Now, it is my understanding that the 8600, like other Elekit counterparts, does not use a separate or opamp based headphone output, but goes directly off the tubes and is essentially the same as when running it off speakers. Also, the model that Victor had for demo uses the highly regarded Lundahl (LL2770) output transformers instead of stock, which I'm sure made a difference, as well as a higher-end new production tube set. I probably spent the most amount of time continuously at the show with this single setup that morning, and it was early in the morning when the noise level was lower, so I was able to get what I think are some better impressions.
I was really impressed with the sound out of this amp overall right away, however not having a whole lot of experience with the 300B in the past, I'm not quite sure, but I suspect that the main culprit might be this tube type. The sound was very layered and seemed deep in resolution, but in what all seemed to just flow out in a very natural way. The music just seemed to billow out at times, in an unconstrained and natural way that was pleasant. This could have also been partially due to the CD player/transport that was being used in the setup at the time though. However the added resolution, when compared to the 8200 with a standard tube set, seemed to play even more effortlessly than it, and unlike several higher-end amplifiers, where I feel at times they can become a bit dry and sound even sterile often, this did not seem like the cost of resolution here. The depth and soundstage was also nice, not nearly as big as I've heard the TU-8200 be with a particular, and I'll add rarer, set of tubes, but to me it was nice enough on a live album I brought with me to put me out in the crowd, as it was on a more intimate female vocal piece, putting me up close, all without having to swap out tubes! The background of the 8600 also seemed dead quiet, I believe even more so than with my 8200, but it is hard to tell, it could have been those particular 300Bs that were being run at that time or something else unaccounted for, but I did have a feeling this would be true even with a slightly nosier set. One thing I did notice was that while I was cycling through one album I had brought with me, which has a few rock tunes at the beginning then some slower female vocals towards the end, that the 8600 was having a little trouble keeping up during the fast and harder parts of the rock tunes. Not that it was slow or sluggish really, but it didn't have quite the attack and speed that particular tubes with the 8200 tend to give me with these tracks in the past. Maybe this is somewhat the 300Bs or even burn-in time, I'm unsure, but as it was, I'm not sure if it would be the best for the rock genre generally as it would be for others. Think more sweet and seductive, than hard, fast, and powerful, but don't get me wrong, it was sure punchy and articulate along the way. Once I got to the female vocals, it was just excellent; nice tone, great air/breath, and both intimate as well as natural at many times. Throwing on the well recorded live album mentioned earlier, the 8600 gave me a really good sense of soundstage, even though the headphones I was using at the time don't have much really in them. I could tell it was there and just itching to get out, making me wish I hadn't left my HD650s back in my car. The acoustics sounded just right and the horns had a nice, full, rich tone to them overall. However, where the amp really shined for me was in the low end, which is one reason I was glad I hadn't left my custom Beyers in the car as well. Once I put on an electronic album with some great bass rolls, I really started to dig it. The bass was low, full, and controlled, giving some of the best bass punch I've heard with that album before, in both strength and impact. It was not slow or soft on the attack like the previous rock pieces, so maybe the upper-mids and high-end needed to tighten up a bit with more time, as the speed was there, but just not for the electric guitars. The bass had a really great pop/snap to it as well, which was very enjoyable and seemed to probably fit many genres today. I did find some of the notes in certain places to be a bit stiff overall though and after Victor mentioned this unit still needed several hours to burn in at the time still, and I could see where it would probably mellow a bit, smooth out, and tighten up as well over time. So, after hearing all of this great stuff from it, I walked away thinking how good it'll sound with just a little more time on it, or even what it would sound like if you had some really nice NOS 300Bs in there to maybe smooth some edges out. Essentially you could even use different caps and such to tweak the sound while building it. Overall, I really enjoyed the 8600 and would recommend it to someone interested in DIY, 300Bs, or running single driver speakers (which this amp could be great for), in addition to headphones. It is a new unit, so there should be more reviews of it out there soon and over time.
HIFIMAN
Sundara
I wasn't able to listen long, and unfortunately it was a really noisy environment, but I did like the sound of the Sundaras for the most part, they were also light and comfortable, which is a plus. Unfortunately these don't isolate in the least, so it was a bit difficult to get detail out of these at the time, but I believe it is there, at least in some capacity. I did find them a little too laid-back in the mid-range at points, but with a much smoother top-end than a few of the HIFIMAN's I've spent time with in the past. Maybe not as much extension as those other offerings, but still good and would satisfy many. I don't think they were my cup of tea in the end, but in hindsight, I should have gone back when it wasn't so busy around their table, to be able to get a better impression, and try it out of one of their other amplifiers they had there as well.
Well, that's all, at least for now. It's only been one week since the end of the show and I think I'm already excited for next year!
