CanJam SoCal 2017

I guess I should go. Might have a panic attack in LA traffic though. Is it worth going to test gear? Or is it too loud to get any real impressions?

 

Good to know. For these events, is it normal to walk around with your own headphones to try out dacs and amps? Just picturing myself fumbling around with the x00's ridiculous cable as I walk around.

 

Anyone have any news from CanJam SoCal 2017? Any news from Schiit on Eitr or Vidar?

 

The Vidar is insipid? Or the show? Any news on Eitr?

I do plan on visiting the Schiitr.....soon! If Vidar sucks there are other options.

 

I doubt I'll ever go to one of these again. Besides seeing a few friends which was great, the rest did not interest me at all. It was like going to a noisy shopping mall.

 

I thought the event was alright as I opted mainly for IEM's, so noise wasn't much an issue. The Fiio X3 3rd gen's nice and If I didn't own the zx2, it'd definitely be on my radar because of the more updated android lolipop and snappy ui. It was also my first time hearing the CA Andro and they're definitely a step up from the Orions. Shame CA wasn't selling any at the show due to back-orders.

 

I guess it was more fun when I didn't know much better. Meeting friends there is nice, but I don't have this need to "buy buy buy". Sure vendors have to do what they do, but meh. Also I'm at the point where my gear budget would just get me sidegrades or downgrades of anything new.

 

haha yeah that's a pretty eloquent way of putting it. i was surprised at how different it was from our meets where i feel like it's more about the people than the gear, but it certainly helps that we have lots of high quality stuff. Canjam definitely felt more like a trade show. I had never been to one, so I guess I'm no longer a Canjam virgin. I was took by Jude. Haha but anyway as sterile and mildly antisocial as it was, it was also fun . Got to chat with Ken at the campfire table, the Schiit guys, Alex at the cavalli table, the other Alex about his PMx2 and Darin at the OOYH table, the Headamp guys (which is how I was able to get in for free - thanks TMoney). Uh who else, Zach at the ZMF place, and the Ampsandsound guys. A lady at the MrSpeakers table was super nice, but their headphones were not so nice. Kinda avoided the rest, I did check out the Wells table (more on that in a sec), Kitsune table, and the Sony table (nothing new there, Z1R is still uninspiring to me) but those were also kind of uninspiring like the Sony. Ok so, meets like these are pretty terrible places to form reasonable and well-formed impressions, so all of what follows is probably open to revision and change. SBAF meets in my experience have been way way more conducive to lasting and more reliable impressions. Here my impressions feel murky and sometimes not at all well formed. So just skip the rest probably.

The Good

Schiit is good schiit. I'm always amazed at how good the Mjolnir2 and Raggy sound compared to amps costing twice or more. Both were paired with Gungnir Multibit and Yggdrasil. The Code-X sounded killer on them, as did the PMx2. Didn't plug the Utopia in there cause I didn't want to be judged by the proletariat. Definitely one of the best sounding rigs was either the MJ2 or Rag with the Gungnir Multibit or Yggdrasil with the Code-X and PMx2. Heard the HEK briefly on those rigs and I preferred the former headphones more, but you know, personal preferences and all that. Gotta stop by their Schittr to uh use the john.

Out Of Your Head and Audio Zenith. Darin is a super nice guy and loved hearing about OOYH and hearing it for the first time. Really fun, definitely going to download the demo at least to play with. Has a bunch of preset speaker rigs to mimic via your headphones, including super high end Marten Coltrane rooms, Magico speakers, Wilson something something etc etc. Had a great time chatting with Alex about the PMx2, which sounded just as even keeled as you'd expect from the measurements. I expected them to be way more laid back, but out of the Ragnarok it definitely had some nice grip and punch. Not expected. Really nice.

ZMF Zach Effron and Abacus. I had the Atticus on loaner, and my impressions held at his table. Definitely warmer and darker and (mid)bassier of the two. Hadn't heard the Eikon before, and really liked it. More subbass which added more impact or whatever without making them warm sounding, felt more neutral. Eikon was great out of the Decware amp he had at the table, and a huge Musette dac, assuming its the Pavane. Also Zach is a mensch.

Campfire audio. I own the Andromeda and won't part with them, and we talk about them to death here, so I won't say more. I didn't feel motivated enough to mess with the other IEMs. Ken did mention a cool collabo with LH labs to release a shuffle type ultra-portable player that you can plug different sd cards into and have it shuffle music or play albums or whatever. Looking forward to hearing that thing whenever it's completed. Unlike the rest of LH labs products, this is being made in collaboration and will be sold by Campfire, thank christ.

Cavalli's new amps. Actually the jury is still out on how good these really are, shoulda put this in the Neutral category. Because one of the amps is unobtainium, the Tungsten, costing ~6k. Unfair to put it in neutral just cause one amp is expensive (too rich for my blood so borderline irrelevant but still solid sounding). Direct coupled to tubes, plenty of power for Code-X, Utopia, whatever. Sounds alive and open and airy. All of his amps share a slight warmth but not all the way to warmfag territory. He had a new amp (two actually), one a balanced tube hybrid, basically a balanced Crimson. Plans are to have it cost ~1.5k so pretty reasonable compared to his previous generation amps. Unlike his previous gen amps though, this balanced hybrid tube amp (and another single-ended tube hybrid at the table) uses surface-mounted tech and rather than having huge linear power transformers and heatsinks and shit, these have smaller switching power supplies. Instead of the like 5-6W per channel, the balanced little guy has like 3W. Still lots of power and pretty engaging sounding, like the way Marv described the Crimson in his review, but not quite as beastly and large. Again I want more time to listen without people jabbering away at their table, which was always quite crowded. DAC used there was the Chord Dave.

The Neutral/Unknown

Ampsandsound. I tried to give these a fair shake but it was really tricky. First because the source was a little Fiio player with limited music -- don't know why people do this, just take a laptop connected to Wifi and a proper DAC, please. Second because I don't think the Kenzie or Mogwai provided enough juice to drive the Code-X comfortably but I might have been doing something wrong LOL. Had to crank the volume way up. Once I did that, things seemed tasteful but again, can't really say anything useful, which is sad. Didn't seem quiiite snappy or bitey enough, but had nice 3d layered whatever whatever. Want to like these amps, should listen again in a different setting. Update is that they have a Kenzie now that also has line-out. They had a 300B amp with speaker taps that I didn't get to hear, could be cool but is pricey, mid 3k i wanna say. The EC Aficionado is prolly gonna tear a lot of folks a new assholes.

The Not Great (At Least For Me)

Headamp GS-X mk2. First, the headamp folks were super nice, especially Peter who I chatted with for a bit. They also have a nifty headphone stand called the Bendy, forgot to pick one or two up cause I had to get home to my kid and was developing a really bad headache. Anyway, the GS-X has strengths, but it's a way too bright and lean amp for me to really appreciate, regardless of headphone (tested with a Utopia, LCD4 and HEK at their table). If i were to channel my inner Psalmanazar (we all have one, somewhere), I'd say the GS-X unhooded my monk and dragged it across a mile of coarse sand paper. They had a blue hawaii and stax stuff there but I chose not to listen so as not to become tempted by electrostats. I know i'm an idiot, one day i'll give a listen. Had limited time and had to get home.

Wells stuff. Plugged a few headphones into the Milo, didn't like that amp. Sounded flat, not punchy, had to crank it to even get acceptable volume on the Code-X. Believe the source was a Dave. For the same price as the Milo I'd get a Rag without giving it another thought. Don't wanna talk about it anymore.

MrSpeakers. Still don't like the Flow, open or closed or semi-hard or whatever. Bouncy, lean, wonky and weird. Nuff said. Dan had this funny lookin' leathery strappy worky thing around each shoulder with like a leatherman tool hooked to one side. You know, just in case. You never do know when you're gonna need it. MrSpeakers should be renamed MrInspectorGadget.

iFi iPro iCan Too-can. Stopped by the Kitsune table. Not gonna comment on the Holo stage 3/4 attack 2 Mountain 2 Plains casting cost DAC since how the f**k can you compare dacs at a show when they're each connected to different amps, headphones, and all that shit. Anyway, didn't really like the iFi iPro iCan Toocan amp. Lacked cojones aka ballz. Didn't listen long, so take with salt.

Sony Z1R. Still consider this pretty much like a slow-motion fade-away jump-shot air-ball at the beach at sunset. Looks great, feels great, smells great, sounds boring and bouncy and pillowy and limp dick soft. Sorry not sorry.

Most of the above open to revision with experience. Seriously how can you form impressions at shows like this. SBAF meets are more conducive to reliable and lasting impressions. I told you not to read to the end, but you did it anyway.

 

Very noisy venue, I developed a headache within 15 minutes of critical listening. Both new ZMF headphones are good but I prefer the Eicon.

New prototype THX amp simply blew my mind and I urge everyone to give it a good listen (guys at the table are accommodating so bring your cans and music).

Thanks to everyone who decided to stop by our table and don't be shy, come back tomorrow ;-).

 

I think what you really want, is to go and check out that THX amp. I will try to do a shootout with it and Jot and Rag even if it gives me a headache for the rest of the week.

 

Sounds like the THX AAA thing in the Benchmark AHB2 in headphone form?

Edit: SeemsGood.

 

I think Alex is talking about the Dual Mono version which I haven't seen any pictures of, unless I'm mistaken?

 

Sucks to hear about the noisy venue, especially since I'm so much more prepared this time with my notebook and a specific list of gear I want to hit! After spending a few months with a Yggdrasil > ZDS > SBAF/SDR modded HD800, I feel like I have a much better reference point on what to listen for when demoing different pieces of gear.

Definitely would be down for a concurrent SBAF event next time if it's anything like last fall's meetup (phenomenal).

 

So here are my impressions from my brief visit yesterday.

Honestly, the only thing CanJam is good for is meeting other enthusiasts and talking with the product designers. I had a great time chatting with a number of people at the show. That said, CanJam is a terrible place to demo gear. The smaller rooms that Schiit and Woo had were much better but the main hall was loud as f**k. Luckily, I had the loaner Atticus with me and it isolates very well so it wasn't too much of an issue but if you bring something like the HD800 to try gear on, your SOL.

That being said, I had a chance to try most of the big items at the show so here are my impressions in no particular order.

ZMF - Zach might be the nicest guy in the entire industry. Seriously, he goes above and beyond to make his customers happy and his products are first rate. Its awesome to see how far he has come from his days modding Fostex cans. The Atticus and Eikon also made appearances as demo cans at the Fiio booth and Source AV so the industry is quickly learning about these awesome headphones. I've had the Atticus for 5 days but it only took a few hours of listening to convince me to buy a pair. Zach was giving people a $100 show discount along with some other goodies included in the package. Did I mention he's a super nice and chill guy? I was able to demo the Eikon as well on Zach's Wells Milo and Deware amp. Technically, I would say the Eikon is the better headphone but I thought the less neutral tuning of the Atticus made it the more enjoyable listen. Its also $300 cheaper so that might have been a factor as well. The hype around these headphones is very real. It also feels really good to support such a great company. I think its Zach, his wife and his assistant, all of whom were there chatting with attendees. Go buy some.

Abyss - Abyss had their upgraded headphones at the show. It sounds stunning. Actually, it might be the best headphone I have ever heard. But there is a catch. Good Lord the comfort is horrible. It is one of the most uncomfortable headphones I have ever worn. This is why demoing gear before buying is so important. I had to take them off after 5 minutes because of the poor fit. The company rep adjusted them in every way but I just couldn't get a good seal on the pads and the weight is distributed so awkwardly on your head. Too bad. The sound is amazing but the comfort kills it. The obnoxious price is also a big turn off.

Schiit - Not much to say. Jason and the gang rock. I got to chat with Mike a little about Project Manhattan. He's a super nice guy as well. Manhattan is Coax in, coax out. Some kind of DSP and hardware magic going on inside a Modi sized box (at least for the first model). He says it affects some genres of music more than others. He thinks it could be hit or miss with the community but is very confident that treated tracks are a noticeable improvement over untreated. This is something to watch for sure. This was also my first time listening to the Ragnarok being fed by the Yggdrasil. More on that later.

Cavalli Audio - This was one of the busiest booths at the show. The Liquid Tungsten was the showstopper. It sounds great. Its like $5K so I have no interest in it. However, they had two prototypes that are interesting. The target price for the "Mini Tungsten" should be around $1500. The other prototype had no price but it looked very similar in terms of components so I'd imagine the cost is similar. I thought the "Mini Tungsten" sounded really really good, one of the better amps I heard at the show. Its a hybrid amp with two tubes, pretty compact, it is balanced but uses a phase splitter. I'm not sure about the power source, probably an external switcher. It was being fed by the Dave. I hope the amps sounds as good on more humble DACs. Its sorta annoying that they were feeding a $1500 amp with a $10K DAC, defeats the purpose of telling people how affordable your amp is. It should be on sale by the end of the year. It's probably the leading candidate at the moment for my Atticus amp but I need to hear it again in production form.

Ampandsound - These sounded pretty good. I listened to the Kenzie and the Mogwai. The Kenzie in particular had a really lovely tone but it seemed to have a little less detail then some of the other tube amps I heard. They guy behind the company was very friendly, sorry, can't recall his name. The build quality is very good as well and I really dig the looks. Like ZMF, they are a really small company but they put out a nice product. I wan't to give the Kenzie a proper listen at some point. Again, its hard to be confident with your impressions in such a noisy environment.

Sonoma Acoustics - I'll be brief. Not impressed at all. Its a $5K electrostatic rig. It should make sweet love to my ears. It didn't. It sounded fine but nothing really stood out. Its possible something was wrong with their chain. I had to max the volume all the way to listen at a normal level which means something was up. The other issue was the build quality and fit. The headphones are super light but they feel really cheap, and flimsy. These things cost $5k and the say "made in China" right on the headphone. Maybe they will be super comfy ... Nope. Holy clamp force Batman. Almost as uncomfortable as the Abyss. This was really a disappointing demo.

Wells Audio - I know people here have mixed feelings about the Milo but I dig it. I thought it was one of the better amps I tried with the Atticus. Zach thought it was a great match for the Atticus and Eikon and I would agree with him. However, I've heard that there are issues with the stepped attenuator versions that make them inconsistent from unit to unit. Stick with the base model without all the fancy upgrades, it sounded identical to my ears. They had a flagship headphone amp there that cost $15,000. Screw that. Anyone else find that stuff to be kind of a turn off? I didn't bother listening to it.

Darin Fong - This was my first time hearing his Out Of Your Head demo. Its really really cool stuff. It really does make the HD800's sound like speakers. Its spooky. The effect really only works with certain headphones. If you have an HD800 or another headphone with a vast soundstage, give this a try. I think this tech is going to be more popular in the future. Darin is also a super nice guy.

LFF CodeX - I bumped into @brencho at the Schiit booth and he had his LFF CodeX with him. Holy shit balls, these things are amazing. Honestly, one of the best headphones I heard at the show. I listened to it through the Ragnarok/Yggdrasil and I honestly thought it sounded better than the $15K Questyle Gold Stack / Focal Utopia I heard a few minutes before. No joke, same track and everything. The CodeX and Schiit Flagship were better. These are very special headphones, I'm bummed that I will never be able to own a pair unless someone decides to sell them which is extremely unlikely. He also had them measured at the show and the resulting measurements were impressive. I'd love to listen to them again. Thanks again to @brencho for the opportunity to hear them.

I can't think of anything else of note. This was my first time listening to a Stax rig (Blue Hawaii and 009). I need a quiet environment to see what all the fuss is about. This was a terrible place to do that. It actually bummed me out. A ton of nice gear that I'll probably never hear again but the listening environment is so awful that is sucks the magic out of the experience and ultimately makes these uber flagships seem much less impressive then they probably are. Maybe its for the best, I can't afford any of this shit anyways. I also really wanted to hear the Audio Zenith PMX2 but Alex was away from Darin's booth when I stopped by and I had to head out soon after. Bummer, I hear they are amazing. Next year.

All in all, it was pretty fun and I would go back next year. Getting to chat with everyone made it worth the trip and price of admission. I can't wait for the next SBAF meet though. You go to CanJam to meet the people who make the products. You go to SBAF meets to actually demo gear.

 

Could you go into detail on what it does? I always been interested in it, but seemed complicated to actually set up & use.
Does it just make the soundstage wider or is it like those VR devices where you turn can your head, but the sound is still coming from one direction?