[Terco]

 

[Roasty]

A huge thank you to head-fi and all the event sponsors and organisers for CanJam Singapore 2022! This is my first ever CanJam and I had been really looking forward to attending it. It was very well attended, very well organised, and everyone was masked up.

Got there around noon and there was already a decent crowd. The wait to listen to headphones was short, mostly just one person in line before getting your turn. More people started to pour in around 2 to 3 pm, so am thankful I managed to get all my listening done before then.

There were many exhibitors of daps, iems, and aftermarket cables but I gave them all a miss. Instead, I concentrated only on full sized headphones and amps, and only listened to those I had never listened with before.

The Kaldas research RR1 electrostatic was somewhat of a hidden gem.. it sounded quite balanced tbh. I quite liked the overall sound but perhaps lacking on layering and width. it doesn't have the typical estats presentation ie really airy and clear and spacious, but reminded me more of a dynamic driver. build wise is nothing to shout about but probably what I'd expect for 500 bucks. Not sure what the target audience is but for those already on Stax/CRBN I doubt this will ever be in your radar.

I can't 100percent remember what this hp was.. I think Altait cal1r or something like that. decent build quality and sound wise was rather soft on the edges and a bit of a flat presentation. rather forgettable but the reason I'm including this in here is because this was a prime example of burn-in... I tried the wood cup one first and the sound was unbearable; no low end and really shrill highs. I had to put it down rather quickly because it was so offensive to my ears. the guy at the booth told me to try the white set and it was a completely different sound, so much better that it'd be more than night/day difference but blackhole/sun. apparently the white set has been used for a few hundred hours and the wood one was fresh out of the box. if you didn't believe in burn-in/running in of drivers, these headphones will certainly make you think otherwise.

managed to demo the dca Stealth which was paired to the Nimbus US4+. I am looking for a closed headphone for work and a complement to the Stellia. I don't think the Stealth is for me though.. it sounds alright in that if neutrality is what you're looking for then yeah this is a good hp. but I do wish it had more low end and lower mids. isolation from outside sound is rather poor relative to Stellia and VC. build quality is impressive; feels nice to hold and no creaking anywhere. pads are soft but a bit more clamp force than I would like.

not sure if the sound I got was due to the nimbus though, as I've tried it before with the 1266 TC Phi and I didn't like that pairing much. not in my list of amps I would like to own, especially not at the list price.

the formula stack was hooked up to the sagra and the 1266 TC Phi. First time I've ever heard the formula stack. it is bigger than I thought! the pics I've seen online don't seem to portray the actual size. It actually pairs quite well with the TC. the thing that immediately struck me was how tight and controlled the bass was. the TC on my setups have more bass amount but not as tight, a bit bloomier. the mids and highs also seem cleaner and with a darker background than I get with the WA33. I now understand what people mean when they say the Formula stack has a good grip on the drivers. I'd say the formula stack would be a really good buy if you can find a set on the used market which I have seen go for really good prices before.

the Diana TC was hooked up to a Woo Audio WA11 which gave a lot of issues with volume. the guy at the booth had to spend a fair bit of time connecting and reconnecting the WA11 and turning it on and off to get decent volume from the unit. I feel this was a waste and the Diana TC should have been paired with a proper desktop amp. I personally don't find the Diana range comfortable to wear; the design choice for lack of swivel on the cups is perplexing to me. pads were soft but I don't like how it never seems to feel like it is sitting well on the head or properly surrounding your ears. sound wise, this is a bit far from 1266 TC level so keep your expectations in check if you're buying blind. decent everything, nothing glorious, but still an improvement over the Phi. not worth the asking price, imo.

the lcd5 was paired to a burson conductor. this hp was a huge disappointment for me. it had the updated headband but the clamp was immediately apparent, and soon after really quite annoying and uncomfortable. my temples and sides of face were throbbing. May be an issue for people with wider than usual heads (like me?). build quality seems a step down from the likes of lcd4. sound wise.. sounded constrained, closed in, rather shrill up top like having excessive sharpening applied. I played some of my usual bass tracks but was waiting for the bass to kick in and it never did. either needs some EQ work or massive tuning revision.. i almost purchased these blind a while ago but am relieved I didn't.

had to wait a bit longer to try the Audeze CRBN because these were quite the popular headphone in the show. I like the build quality on these. looks premium and so comfortable to wear. it was paired with an lta z10e which was, like the formula stack, much larger than I expected. sound wise, the CRBN are really quite good. Nice punchy bass, just the right amount of bloom and extremely luscious mids. Goodness, the mids on these are crazy good. After my friend and I had a listen, the first thing we said to each other was "oh man, the mids...!". the top end however does not reminisce of estats though. but nevermind that because the mids on the CRBN are the star of the show. interestingly, I didn't hear a single stat fart at all...

the zmf atrium was super popular. so many people wanting to hear this. I didn't want to wait around so walked around the floor a few times listening to other stuff before returning for this. initially, it was hooked up to a questyle ss amp and I have to say that must have been the worst pairing of the entire show. flat, flat, no bass, dead. sounding highs. I could not believe my ears and knew something was wrong. I told the booth guy I wanted to change amps, so I took the atrium to the next table where there was a cayin ha6a and hooked it up. BAM all the goodness came pouring back in.

the Atrium was one of the best headphones I had tried today. very light headphones (cherry wood), and thus so light on the head. total opposite of VC Leopardwood or VO desert Ironwood. sound wise, I like these more than the VC and VO. I think it has a very open sounding presentation with a really good amount of detail up top, whereas my previous VO sounded veiled and almost blurry, the Atrium was the total opposite. Atrium has really nice separation and space, in comparison to VO which sounds like there is music/sound filling up all the gaps and spaces. it was really great listening to rock on these headphones! it has nice punchy tight bass too, which extends down low. I have had 4 zmf headphones and was wondering if I would ever give zmf another try and now I know, if I did, the Atriums would be it. now to decide if I'm going to go for these or wait till the Atrium Closed...

dcs had their own room upstairs. they had 4 bartoks, of which one developed a fault and could not be used. they had a Susvara so I hooked it up, and well, the Bartok hp amp drives it to volume but definitely feels like it isn't being driven to its full potential. bass felt a bit anaemic and overall sounded somewhat dull; definitely not what I am accustomed to with the Susvara on my own setup. hooked up a pair of meze Elites and it was much better; the Bartok didn't need to break a sweat driving these.

Bartok looks really cool, and sound wise is good but I'm not sure it is 20+k (SGD) good. I was expecting angels singing but my friend and I both concurred it reminded us both of the chord Dave (and he has a bluDave combo). if I'm not wrong, it's sgd25k with the hp amp. I think for that price, a Holo May and nice hp amp and TOTL headphone would be a more logical use of the money.

I think I saved the best for last. Stax X9000r oh man if there is one headphone that would make me want a stat setup, this is it. lightweight, nice (decent) build but perhaps fragile, superbly comfortable on the head. the clarity, detail, airiness, space, is really amazing. and the best part is how it all seems to sound so unforced, so effortless. I was half expecting the mids and low end to be lacking and anaemic but I was so, so wrong. the low end on these are truly enjoyable. not TC level bass (but then again, what hp is), but also not too far behind. if I had to make a comparison analogy, I'd say a slightly thinner Susvara mids, with better extension up top, slightly wider than Solitaire P, decent layering, and 90percent TC bass.

it was driven by the Stax t8000; I'm not accustomed to the estats world but people I know keep saying stats shine when paired with some DIY T2 amp etc etc but man, if it sounds so good already with the t8000, I have no idea how much better the T2 will/can make this. the CRBN may have more luscious mids, but the X9000 have a better overall presentation, and sounds more reminiscent of the usual stat sound. After listening to these headphones, I do wish I had a stat setup.

so that's all I have to share.. I bought a two day pass but don't think I'll be dropping in tomorrow. I managed to listen to everything I wanted to, and feel content to leave it at that.

am a bit disappointed of some of the dac/amp/hp pairings they had going on in the show; I'd wish they would have paired their best headphones with the best amp/dac etc but quite often it felt like there was some poor matching going on. didn't see any t+a presence. didn't see the new wa23.. didn't see any feliks audio stuff. didn't see Raal or their new tube amp (which I was really hoping to try). I do wish that every booth/setup had a proper source ie tablet connected to roon/tidal/qobuz etc rather than having a slow laggy dap with a limited amount of songs which I have never heard of.

as always, these are my personal thoughts and opinions. hope no one gets offended by what I've written. have a great weekend, everyone!

 

[earfonia]

Some very impressive sounding IEMs that I've tried in CanJam Sgp today:

BGVP DM8 - Relatively balanced with slight warmness, very nice mids, super engaging.
Elysian DIVA - Impressive tuning with 3 level tunable bass level. the mid bass level sounds good for me. Balanced with good spaciousness and 3D holographic imaging.
Moondrop Variation - Balanced with mild V shape tuning, pretty close to my neutral target, good dynamic, very engaging.
Moondrop Illumination - Neutral tuning with lean but sufficient bass.
SeeAudio Kaguya - Pretty close to my perceived neutral target tuning, impressive detail, instrument separation, and 3D holographic spaciousness.
SeeAudio Neo - slightly warmer with more midbass than Kaguya.
Symphonium Triton - Relatively balanced tuning, slightly warm, engaging mids and bass. Silky smooth yet extended treble. Very well tuned.
Tanchjim Ola - Surprisingly very good sounding budget IEM, very close to my perceived neutral tuning, very good perceived detail and clarity. At this price, a must try. But fitting might be tricky for some, not the best ergonomic.

 

[OldRoadToad]

A huge thank you to head-fi and all the event sponsors and organisers for CanJam Singapore 2022! This is my first ever CanJam and I had been really looking forward to attending it. It was very well attended, very well organised, and everyone was masked up.

Got there around noon and there was already a decent crowd. The wait to listen to headphones was short, mostly just one person in line before getting your turn. More people started to pour in around 2 to 3 pm, so am thankful I managed to get all my listening done before then.

There were many exhibitors of daps, iems, and aftermarket cables but I gave them all a miss. Instead, I concentrated only on full sized headphones and amps, and only listened to those I had never listened with before.



The Kaldas research RR1 electrostatic was somewhat of a hidden gem.. it sounded quite balanced tbh. I quite liked the overall sound but perhaps lacking on layering and width. it doesn't have the typical estats presentation ie really airy and clear and spacious, but reminded me more of a dynamic driver. build wise is nothing to shout about but probably what I'd expect for 500 bucks. Not sure what the target audience is but for those already on Stax/CRBN I doubt this will ever be in your radar.



I can't 100percent remember what this hp was.. I think Altait cal1r or something like that. decent build quality and sound wise was rather soft on the edges and a bit of a flat presentation. rather forgettable but the reason I'm including this in here is because this was a prime example of burn-in... I tried the wood cup one first and the sound was unbearable; no low end and really shrill highs. I had to put it down rather quickly because it was so offensive to my ears. the guy at the booth told me to try the white set and it was a completely different sound, so much better that it'd be more than night/day difference but blackhole/sun. apparently the white set has been used for a few hundred hours and the wood one was fresh out of the box. if you didn't believe in burn-in/running in of drivers, these headphones will certainly make you think otherwise.




managed to demo the dca Stealth which was paired to the Nimbus US4+. I am looking for a closed headphone for work and a complement to the Stellia. I don't think the Stealth is for me though.. it sounds alright in that if neutrality is what you're looking for then yeah this is a good hp. but I do wish it had more low end and lower mids. isolation from outside sound is rather poor relative to Stellia and VC. build quality is impressive; feels nice to hold and no creaking anywhere. pads are soft but a bit more clamp force than I would like.

not sure if the sound I got was due to the nimbus though, as I've tried it before with the 1266 TC Phi and I didn't like that pairing much. not in my list of amps I would like to own, especially not at the list price.



the formula stack was hooked up to the sagra and the 1266 TC Phi. First time I've ever heard the formula stack. it is bigger than I thought! the pics I've seen online don't seem to portray the actual size. It actually pairs quite well with the TC. the thing that immediately struck me was how tight and controlled the bass was. the TC on my setups have more bass amount but not as tight, a bit bloomier. the mids and highs also seem cleaner and with a darker background than I get with the WA33. I now understand what people mean when they say the Formula stack has a good grip on the drivers. I'd say the formula stack would be a really good buy if you can find a set on the used market which I have seen go for really good prices before.



the Diana TC was hooked up to a Woo Audio WA11 which gave a lot of issues with volume. the guy at the booth had to spend a fair bit of time connecting and reconnecting the WA11 and turning it on and off to get decent volume from the unit. I feel this was a waste and the Diana TC should have been paired with a proper desktop amp. I personally don't find the Diana range comfortable to wear; the design choice for lack of swivel on the cups is perplexing to me. pads were soft but I don't like how it never seems to feel like it is sitting well on the head or properly surrounding your ears. sound wise, this is a bit far from 1266 TC level so keep your expectations in check if you're buying blind. decent everything, nothing glorious, but still an improvement over the Phi. not worth the asking price, imo.



the lcd5 was paired to a burson conductor. this hp was a huge disappointment for me. it had the updated headband but the clamp was immediately apparent, and soon after really quite annoying and uncomfortable. my temples and sides of face were throbbing. May be an issue for people with wider than usual heads (like me?). build quality seems a step down from the likes of lcd4. sound wise.. sounded constrained, closed in, rather shrill up top like having excessive sharpening applied. I played some of my usual bass tracks but was waiting for the bass to kick in and it never did. either needs some EQ work or massive tuning revision.. i almost purchased these blind a while ago but am relieved I didn't.




had to wait a bit longer to try the Audeze CRBN because these were quite the popular headphone in the show. I like the build quality on these. looks premium and so comfortable to wear. it was paired with an lta z10e which was, like the formula stack, much larger than I expected. sound wise, the CRBN are really quite good. Nice punchy bass, just the right amount of bloom and extremely luscious mids. Goodness, the mids on these are crazy good. After my friend and I had a listen, the first thing we said to each other was "oh man, the mids...!". the top end however does not reminisce of estats though. but nevermind that because the mids on the CRBN are the star of the show. interestingly, I didn't hear a single stat fart at all...





the zmf atrium was super popular. so many people wanting to hear this. I didn't want to wait around so walked around the floor a few times listening to other stuff before returning for this. initially, it was hooked up to a questyle ss amp and I have to say that must have been the worst pairing of the entire show. flat, flat, no bass, dead. sounding highs. I could not believe my ears and knew something was wrong. I told the booth guy I wanted to change amps, so I took the atrium to the next table where there was a cayin ha6a and hooked it up. BAM all the goodness came pouring back in.

the Atrium was one of the best headphones I had tried today. very light headphones (cherry wood), and thus so light on the head. total opposite of VC Leopardwood or VO desert Ironwood. sound wise, I like these more than the VC and VO. I think it has a very open sounding presentation with a really good amount of detail up top, whereas my previous VO sounded veiled and almost blurry, the Atrium was the total opposite. Atrium has really nice separation and space, in comparison to VO which sounds like there is music/sound filling up all the gaps and spaces. it was really great listening to rock on these headphones! it has nice punchy tight bass too, which extends down low. I have had 4 zmf headphones and was wondering if I would ever give zmf another try and now I know, if I did, the Atriums would be it. now to decide if I'm going to go for these or wait till the Atrium Closed...



dcs had their own room upstairs. they had 4 bartoks, of which one developed a fault and could not be used. they had a Susvara so I hooked it up, and well, the Bartok hp amp drives it to volume but definitely feels like it isn't being driven to its full potential. bass felt a bit anaemic and overall sounded somewhat dull; definitely not what I am accustomed to with the Susvara on my own setup. hooked up a pair of meze Elites and it was much better; the Bartok didn't need to break a sweat driving these.

Bartok looks really cool, and sound wise is good but I'm not sure it is 20+k (SGD) good. I was expecting angels singing but my friend and I both concurred it reminded us both of the chord Dave (and he has a bluDave combo). if I'm not wrong, it's sgd25k with the hp amp. I think for that price, a Holo May and nice hp amp and TOTL headphone would be a more logical use of the money.




I think I saved the best for last. Stax X9000r oh man if there is one headphone that would make me want a stat setup, this is it. lightweight, nice (decent) build but perhaps fragile, superbly comfortable on the head. the clarity, detail, airiness, space, is really amazing. and the best part is how it all seems to sound so unforced, so effortless. I was half expecting the mids and low end to be lacking and anaemic but I was so, so wrong. the low end on these are truly enjoyable. not TC level bass (but then again, what hp is), but also not too far behind. if I had to make a comparison analogy, I'd say a slightly thinner Susvara mids, with better extension up top, slightly wider than Solitaire P, decent layering, and 90percent TC bass.

it was driven by the Stax t8000; I'm not accustomed to the estats world but people I know keep saying stats shine when paired with some DIY T2 amp etc etc but man, if it sounds so good already with the t8000, I have no idea how much better the T2 will/can make this. the CRBN may have more luscious mids, but the X9000 have a better overall presentation, and sounds more reminiscent of the usual stat sound. After listening to these headphones, I do wish I had a stat setup.

so that's all I have to share.. I bought a two day pass but don't think I'll be dropping in tomorrow. I managed to listen to everything I wanted to, and feel content to leave it at that.

am a bit disappointed of some of the dac/amp/hp pairings they had going on in the show; I'd wish they would have paired their best headphones with the best amp/dac etc but quite often it felt like there was some poor matching going on. didn't see any t+a presence. didn't see the new wa23.. didn't see any feliks audio stuff. didn't see Raal or their new tube amp (which I was really hoping to try). I do wish that every booth/setup had a proper source ie tablet connected to roon/tidal/qobuz etc rather than having a slow laggy dap with a limited amount of songs which I have never heard of.

as always, these are my personal thoughts and opinions. hope no one gets offended by what I've written. have a great weekend, everyone!

Stunning. VU Meters add to the looks of most any classically built device. 'tis truly a shame that some eschew them on their designs. When done correct, they are definitely right.
Thank you for the excellent photographs! Have fun!

ORT

 

[Andykong]

Stunning. VU Meters add to the looks of most any classically built device. 'tis truly a shame that some eschew them on their designs. When done correct, they are definitely right.
Thank you for the excellent photographs! Have fun!

ORT

Well, how about this? I hope we have done it correctly.

 

[jwbrent]

Hey you lucky guys at the show, if anyone gets a chance to listen to the new Meze flagship iem, impressions would be greatly appreciated!

Also, being a final fan, I'm hoping they have some new things to show, so any comments on this would also be great.

 

[Terco]

Some very impressive sounding IEMs that I've tried in CanJam Sgp today:

BGVP DM8 - Relatively balanced with slight warmness, very nice mids, super engaging.
Elysian DIVA - Impressive tuning with 3 level tunable bass level. the mid bass level sounds good for me. Balanced with good spaciousness and 3D holographic imaging.
Moondrop Variation - Balanced with mild V shape tuning, pretty close to my neutral target, good dynamic, very engaging.
Moondrop Illumination - Neutral tuning with lean but sufficient bass.
SeeAudio Kaguya - Pretty close to my perceived neutral target tuning, impressive detail, instrument separation, and 3D holographic spaciousness.
SeeAudio Neo - slightly warmer with more midbass than Kaguya.
Symphonium Triton - Relatively balanced tuning, slightly warm, engaging mids and bass. Silky smooth yet extended treble. Very well tuned.
Tanchjim Ola - Surprisingly very good sounding budget IEM, very close to my perceived neutral tuning, very good perceived detail and clarity. At this price, a must try. But fitting might be tricky for some, not the best ergonomic.

BGVP NE5 was there?

 

[dennarwhal]

To those going tomorrow, I will see you guys there!! Cannot wait to finally go CanJam after so many years!

 

[zach915m]

the zmf atrium was super popular. so many people wanting to hear this. I didn't want to wait around so walked around the floor a few times listening to other stuff before returning for this. initially, it was hooked up to a questyle ss amp and I have to say that must have been the worst pairing of the entire show. flat, flat, no bass, dead. sounding highs. I could not believe my ears and knew something was wrong. I told the booth guy I wanted to change amps, so I took the atrium to the next table where there was a cayin ha6a and hooked it up. BAM all the goodness came pouring back in.

the Atrium was one of the best headphones I had tried today. very light headphones (cherry wood), and thus so light on the head. total opposite of VC Leopardwood or VO desert Ironwood. sound wise, I like these more than the VC and VO. I think it has a very open sounding presentation with a really good amount of detail up top, whereas my previous VO sounded veiled and almost blurry, the Atrium was the total opposite. Atrium has really nice separation and space, in comparison to VO which sounds like there is music/sound filling up all the gaps and spaces. it was really great listening to rock on these headphones! it has nice punchy tight bass too, which extends down low. I have had 4 zmf headphones and was wondering if I would ever give zmf another try and now I know, if I did, the Atriums would be it. now to decide if I'm going to go for these or wait till the Atrium Closed...

Oh hey thank you for trying them!!!! I was particularly excited for you to hear them because I knew they might be more your flavour than our more warm verite line-up.

I will write @Kristy Song and the Zepp team a note about pairings, but yes to anyone else trying our headphones at CanJam the impedance matching can be fairly important as our headphones are meant to show the character of the system they are plugged in to, we typically don't recommend headphone amps that have microscopic impedance that are like .001 or anything like that, as amps that are even 1 or above will lessen that damping factor and make our headphones sound much more "alive." Sounds like I may need to hit up my buddy @Andykong to check out that Cayin!!!

Wish we were there! CanJam is the best!!!! Thanks Ethan for the pics!

 

[helljudgement]

the zmf atrium was super popular. so many people wanting to hear this. I didn't want to wait around so walked around the floor a few times listening to other stuff before returning for this. initially, it was hooked up to a questyle ss amp and I have to say that must have been the worst pairing of the entire show. flat, flat, no bass, dead. sounding highs. I could not believe my ears and knew something was wrong. I told the booth guy I wanted to change amps, so I took the atrium to the next table where there was a cayin ha6a and hooked it up. BAM all the goodness came pouring back in.

the Atrium was one of the best headphones I had tried today. very light headphones (cherry wood), and thus so light on the head. total opposite of VC Leopardwood or VO desert Ironwood. sound wise, I like these more than the VC and VO. I think it has a very open sounding presentation with a really good amount of detail up top, whereas my previous VO sounded veiled and almost blurry, the Atrium was the total opposite. Atrium has really nice separation and space, in comparison to VO which sounds like there is music/sound filling up all the gaps and spaces. it was really great listening to rock on these headphones! it has nice punchy tight bass too, which extends down low. I have had 4 zmf headphones and was wondering if I would ever give zmf another try and now I know, if I did, the Atriums would be it. now to decide if I'm going to go for these or wait till the Atrium Closed...

Thanks for the writeup. The weird thing I noticed as I'm listening to the Atrium is it's tuning seem just as warm/dark as the VO but is somehow clearer sounding than the VO but at the same time doesn't seem resolve finer details as well as the VO. I'm guessing the clarity of VO has more to do with it's midrange dip and the Atrium is noticeably more even sounding in that region and is also more open and airier sounding than the VO which further boost the sense of clarity. I have a feeling that the Atrium's tuning will be agreeable with more people and there's also the option to switch to a vented mesh or even remove it completely which reduces the dampening. It is one of the most satisfying listening experience with rock. Not to draw any conclusions from just a couple of days of listening but I do find this a better first impression than I had with the Verite and the utopia.

It does seem odd that the questyle make it sound as bad as it did but I digress.

 

[OldRoadToad]

Well, how about this? I hope we have done it correctly.

Aaaaaaaaah...Excellente'! Gorgeous. Classic and very classy. Would that a plebeian toad such as I could afford such a gorgeous device. I am certain it reproduces music superbly and its looks are nigh on nonpareil in the same way Audrey Hepburn and Katherine Hepburn shared a surname but were both beautiful in their own, classic way .
Well done, sir! I have no problem with those that can afford such quality and looks, and to me, such equipment is some thing to strive for. I my self am saving for an LSA VT-70 which I find equally entrancing and at approximately $1299 one that will take this seasoned citizen ( I am olde!) some time to save for but I think it is worth it. Again, well done, sir. Well done, indeed.

ORT

 

[Andykong]

Oh hey thank you for trying them!!!! I was particularly excited for you to hear them because I knew they might be more your flavour than our more warm verite line-up.

I will write @Kristy Song and the Zepp team a note about pairings, but yes to anyone else trying our headphones at CanJam the impedance matching can be fairly important as our headphones are meant to show the character of the system they are plugged in to, we typically don't recommend headphone amps that have microscopic impedance that are like .001 or anything like that, as amps that are even 1 or above will lessen that damping factor and make our headphones sound much more "alive." Sounds like I may need to hit up my buddy @Andykong to check out that Cayin!!!

Wish we were there! CanJam is the best!!!! Thanks Ethan for the pics!ave two tube amplifier d

Glad to know Cayin is part of the well-recevied combo. The HA-6A mentioned in the Atrium impression is a very versatile tube headphone amplifier, it allows you to switch between EL34 and KT88, all their compatible variants, and you can also select ultralinear or tiode mode to further find tune the performance, so there are four sound signatures in one amplifier. I have zoom into @Roasty photo and noticed that he used KT88 in Triode mode. The amplifier also offered three impedance matched headphone output, ZMF headphone probably work best with the H setting, which was optimised for 250ohm and above headphones.

By the way, You heard the original HA-300 at AXPONA and if I remembered it right, you have a pecial passion for 300B Direct Heated Triode amplifiers. Just so happened that Cayin debuts the all-new HA-300MK2 in this show, I am sure you can't resist this, be warned.

 

[Andykong]

Aaaaaaaaah...Excellente'! Gorgeous. Classic and very classy. Would that a plebeian toad such as I could afford such a gorgeous device. I am certain it reproduces music superbly and its looks are nigh on nonpareil in the same way Audrey Hepburn and Katherine Hepburn shared a surname but were both beautiful in their own, classic way .
Well done, sir! I have no problem with those that can afford such quality and looks, and to me, such equipment is some thing to strive for. I my self am saving for an LSA VT-70 which I find equally entrancing and at approximately $1299 one that will take this seasoned citizen ( I am olde!) some time to save for but I think it is worth it. Again, well done, sir. Well done, indeed.

ORT

Glad you like it. The Hepburns are unattainable, we are honoured to be associated even remotely.

This is our HA-300MK2, it is a bit more expensive than the VT-70, but since we are talking about a 300B SETA with outboard tube regulated power supply, this is one of the lower-cost amplifer, if not the lowest, among comparable designs.

 

[OldRoadToad]

Glad you like it. The Hepburns are unattainable, we are honoured to be associated even remotely.

This is our HA-300MK2, it is a bit more expensive than the VT-70, but since we are talking about a 300B SETA with outboard tube regulated power supply, this is one of the lower-cost amplifer, if not the lowest, among comparable designs.

By Grabthar's Hammer, that is beautiful. Thank you for the photograph and for your company making it.

ORT

 

[baskingshark]

Hey you lucky guys at the show, if anyone gets a chance to listen to the new Meze flagship iem, impressions would be greatly appreciated!

Also, being a final fan, I'm hoping they have some new things to show, so any comments on this would also be great.

I am not into Headphones, but the booth for Final IEMs (under Project Perfection) showcased most of existing their IEM lineup, from the B series to E series to A series. They had some TWS IEMs there too, but didn't have time to dabble with the wireless gear. Don't remember seeing any prototype IEMs (but perhaps there were for the TWS side).

Managed to test the A3000, A4000, A8000 and E4000 at Can Jam yesterday. Already have the E5000 and E3000 so didn't test those, but they were present, with the B series IEMs.

BGVP NE5 was there?

Yeah I tried the NE5, it was at the Oardio booth (thanks to Mr Daniel for letting us audition BGVP gear there!). I thought the NE5 was quite meh. Soundstage was rather narrow and lacked height (depth is good), technicalities are pretty decent though. But the dealbreaker for me was the timbre was off with nasal vocals.

I was quite impressed with the BGVP EST12 though. Has switches to change the sound signature, and at the balanced tuning, the tonality is quite neutral. Technicalities are excellent with a very textured and speedy bass. Very comfy too, pretty all rounder since u can swap tunings on the fly also.