Will be leaving my Day 1 impression here.
First stop for P/P
They were showcasing Final Audio and Stax
Final audio D7000
Good clarity and dynamics. Bass impact is really good. Though the bass texture it feels not really refined. Mids are good and clear. The mid highs has some sibilance for me. The highs are very crisp and relatively detailed.Overall fun to listen.
Stax X9000 with T8000 amp
As much clarity as the environment can give. Generally neutral bright tone. Bass is punchy and clean. Sub bass is pretty good for a electro static. Mids and highs are great. Vocals for females are really nice and extended. Quite minimal in sibilance while highs are still quite extended. Sound stage is big. The headphone is fully open and need more test in the future. This is my second best headphone listening experience in terms of sound for canjam
Stax SR-001 & D10II
Version 2 amplifier. Surprisingly good. I enjoyed the mid renders for voice. Bass is not the hardest hitting. Highs are really nice with good details. Low glare and sibilance makes it enjoyable even at higher volumes. Light and smooth for females vocals. Really hard to wear and keep on the ear. There is suppose to be some hook or band for it but was not on display.
Stax X1 with D10II amp
This is still in final stages of refinement I believe. Really good mids and high. Bass alittle low in terms of quantity and impact. Very clear and detailed. Not much sibilance. Alittle high in treble energy and may fatiqgue some. Smooth female vocals with good extension and air. Overall very enjoyable listen if not into bass. Sound stage also not quite big compared to its bigger x9000 brother. Turning the head causes weird distortion like the diagram being pushed by air so need keep still while listening. Very light and easy to wear.
Final audio a3000
This is actually more enjoyable then a8000. It doesn’t give as much of a weird radio like tone with good clarity. Bass is not as much as some of the preferred sound signature today like u12t but definitely a decent listen for a different render. Also the mid highs are very pleasent, won’t be fatiguing to listen.
Kotori audio dauntless
A treble focus iem. High in clarity. Not too sibilant but way too much treble energy for me. For people who likes it though for that analytic high clarity sound. I’m not really into this honestly.
Continuing on the adventure!
There’s something about the mids that didn’t quite sit well with me. It sounds very radio like tone.
Kotori audio zephyr
This is the inbetween for the IEMs at Kotori Audio Booth. Alittle low on bass but great for vocal only songs. Generally if you into female vocals heavy sound will probably be nice.
Raal immanis
It sounds like the previous RAAL but with more body and thicker mids. Quite different. I think it's extremely balance and I love it really. In the show, this is probably my most favourite sound. It also needs less power, my m17 can run it. According to RAAL, it only needs 1/4 the power of previous ribbon headphones.
RAAL Magna
It feels like a lighter and brighter version of the immanis. It maybe due to the amp too. This sounds closer to the CA-1A I have. Bass has good impact and treble has great extension. The headphone does have a little more sibilance then what I remember off my CA-1A. In terms of sound, I prefer the Imanis little more as it sounds more "right" and is less aggressive.
Subtonic Storm
Open sound, very clear and neutral sounding mids. Bass is good textured and punchy but not the most in quantity. Highs are nicely extended, smooth and surprisingly low in fatigue. There are more exciting headphones but the subtonic storm is nicely balanced. Compared to the U12T, it has treble that I feel is more balanced and realistic, a larger sound stage but less bass energy. The u12t to me sound like a great iem while the Subtonic felt more headphone like sounding. This thing requires some decent amp to run else may sound abit thin.
Running it on wireless, the Ifi Go Pod is just powerful enough for a mid volume level listener. For loud listener, wireless is probably not possible for the Storm.
ZMF Caldera Close
On Enleum HPA-23RM: very warm and thick sounding mids with good base. Details don’t feel that great and the tonality has like some sort of a snuffling like sound. It doesn't work on the Enleum.
On Fiio M17: Less warm and thick. The sound signature feels more balanced. Bass lacks impact and quantity but there’s some some subtle bass. Mid and highs are well extended. Clarity is good. Alittle sibilance for female vocals. Highs are sparkly and bright. Just a little too much high for me. On general, I prefer the Caldera Open.
ZMF Bokeh Open
On Enleum HPA-23RM: some elavated mid highs. But doesn’t sound sibilant. Bass impact is clean but lacks quantity. I like the vocals for female, alittle light, smooth and extended feelings. It’s relatively exciting sounding but sound stage is alittle small for an open can. Alittle lower mids focus with more body sounding.
On Fiio M17: alittle more balance but things felt even more closed in together. Bass quantity is still on the lower side though impacts are clean. Tonality wise on the neutral side. An overall neutral, balance sounding headphone.
Overall I may prefer the Bokeh Close for that warmer sound with abit more bass.
Thieaudio monarch 2
Very strong bass with clean impact. Maybe overpowering to some. Mids and high are really clear. Decent soundstage for a IEM. Treble is pretty much just nice . It feels like a cleaner version of variation. A touch of sibilance for me but it’s in the acceptable region. V shape sounding with slight pushed back in mids. A touch on the warm side with good amount of body to the sound .
Theiaudio Monarch 3
Less bassy than the Monarch 2 with an airier mids and a slightly more open mids. The difference between 2 and 3 is mainly in the bass and mids being more neutral and with a slightly more open sound. Very little if any sibilance. I like this more overall compared to the Monarch 2 for the more balance sound
Was told this is a Dune Prototype Headphone
It’s actually a very pleasant headphone. Limited listening as it’s in the main hall. Overall sound is a little more emphasis in the treble. Relatively open sounding with a lot of details. Not for people who can’t take sibilance or treble else quite enjoyable .
Aroma Audio Fei Wan
Very punchy. Very clean bass. Extended treble with slight emphasis. Powerful sounding mids. Alittle warm with body type of sound for mids. Mid size sound stage and overall very enjoyable. I do think this is better than Subtonic Storm for me.
Tang Zu Xuan Wu Gate
Generally pleasant sound with bass that’s good impact yet not too much, really nice mids and good amount of highs. Alittle sibilant but overall the signature is for people who want alittle more treble energy and alittle less bass in their listening experience yet not deviating too much from the common tunings of today.
7hz aurora
A very fun sounding iem. The only one I ordered unplanned. It has a bright yet really bassy tuning. Very high in clarity, large soundstage and airy in female vocals, but still slams hard. Really interesting of a IEM and worth trying. I bought the first copy at Canjam itself!
The two things I purchased! ZMF bokeh closed limba and 7hz Aurora