CanJam 2009 Impressions, Pics, Parties, etc...

[Edwood]

blubliss chillin' with his beer

I think that was a CocaCola.

Thanks, to Blubliss for the insane amount of Pizza that night. Including that weird Pizza with french frys spilled all over it.

[Asr]

Recap & Kudos

Man I'm still reeling after CJ09, 'twas a ball o' good times! As I've said before, HF-ers (and HC-ers too) are a cool bunch of people. I needed a break from the monotony of work lately and this was the perfect way to do it - lots of audio goodness and familiar faces with some tasty pizza (though I didn't get to try that fry-topped one, I was already full at that point) and more than ample selections of liquor to wash it down with. 'Twas a great party.

Ok so there are some people I want to thank. First, the all-star team of John, David, Greg, Ed, Luis, Aaron, and Peter. You guys rocked it big-time, this meet was pure win on multiple levels. So many vendors, the cool lectures, the great layout (if still confusing - that hotel needs a better interior designer, all the hallways look the same!), all the preparations, etc etc. There was so much awesomeness that two days was not enough to take it all in. I think if next year's CanJam is bigger than it should expand to 3 days! Rocky Mountain Audio Fest successfully pulls off 3 days, and if they can do it, then so can Head-Fi! I also have to thank Greg specifically for taking care of the equipment I shipped out to him, Justin for getting my BHSE done and shipped in time, and Andy/blubliss who'll be taking care of it for the next few weeks.

Oh yeah and I want to thank all the vendors who came - the legendary stalwarts HeadRoom, TTVJ, RSA, HeadAmp, Woo Audio, et al, and newcomers I had no clue about, like JH Audio (who I didn't discover until after I won that raffle prize), Comply (ok so I don't follow the IEM scene very much), Donald North Audio, and others. And Jude for Head-Fi too, without which this would not have been possible.

Most people I ran into were familiar faces and they all know who they are, but I also met a bunch of new people too who were all really cool and nice. I did not get to listen to much member gear at my own detriment.

What else...the Joe Harley (AudioQuest) and Steve Hoffman lecture was really cool, and it was great to listen to classic rare recordings on those amazing Von Schweikert speakers (though my speaker lust is still for Monitor Audio, drool). The speakers were awesome btw, I was impressed. That room was pretty big and the speakers more than filled it! Hoffman was both entertaining and informative at the same time.

The raffle was crazy. cetoole racking up 5 or 6 prizes, and zippy2001 got about as much too. Man I got so close to winning a couple more myself! There was a very cool spread of good stuff to go around.

I did not get to do an In-N-Out rush but I don't need an In-N-Out fix anymore because of this: LARKBURGER (woohoo!)

[CD44hi]

Equipment Impressions

Sennheiser HD800: I did actually get a chance to listen again, a few more times in fact, and I came away pretty excited about it. I definitely think this might replace my Qualia - not that I think the HD800 is better necessarily, but it's more of what I'd like to own from a relatively bright-sounding headphone. It has nice treble, mid-range, and most notably bass, which is pretty much the only thing I don't like about the Qualia. I like treble but I also need moar bass! (And mid-range.) I was also surprised at how quick-sounding the HD800 was despite its 300 Ohm impedance rating. I also read some posts over at HF about the HD800 and some people seem to be saying the HD800 is overpriced. Well, IMO those people have no idea what they're talking about and none of them seem to have a wide frame of reference. The Qualia is the only other dynamic can that sounds a little bit like it (I have heard all the major dynamic cans) and it's discontinued, and when it was in production it was $2.6K. I'd consider $1.4K a pretty good deal considering that. You can get either the HD800 or pony up for a Qualia for this kind of sound, and even then, there's going to be some SQ compromises either way since subjective perception will vary between people.

I was also able to compare the HD800 balanced vs single-ended briefly (using the HR Ultra Desktop vs the BUDA) and found a noticeable improvement in the areas I expected - bass, speed, soundstage, clarity.

This is really exciting to hear, given how much I miss my 010!

Also, thanks for the pics and rest of the impressions and congrats on the IEMs.

[Dreadhead]

I think that was a CocaCola.

Yup

The pizza was great

[postjack]

man am I the only one who didn't like the pizza? y'all ever heard of mellow mushroom? that is pizza!

[Hopstretch]

We were loaded, and you weren't.

[postjack]

[thrice]

Agreed, the pizza was good. The pizza with french fries on it... dangerous.

[laxx]

Damn, I want to try this pizza with fries on top. Sounds delicious.

[Iron_Dreamer]

Tyll grabbing the stripper's arse is an even better pic..umm iron_dreamer..you want to put that pic up

Hahahahahaha (NSFW)

Edited June 2, 2009 by Dusty Chalk
Just wanted to add the NSFW warning to people clicking from here, just in case they didn't read the context.

[Augsburger]

Jacob won an ALO Bamboo iPod dock at the raffle.

Priceless.

.

Probably the two most ironic raffle prize wins were Jacob winning the Bamboo iPod dock and the Ultimate Ears sales assistant winning the HD650s. I was sitting at Craig's table listening to his balancing act when she walked in and asked Craig if he had anything like the 650s to listen to because she had never heard of Sennheiser HD650. Craig said "well I have these" which were the 600s and he then sat her down in front of the Zana to give a listen. "Cool" was all she would say for the next five minutes.

[Augsburger]

Just bumped into Brooke Shields at LAX.*

She said she was mad that she missed CanJam.**

* Really.

** Not really.

Well I offered her a table at Can Jam for the going price of $700. Guess I should have comped her.

[guzziguy]

Recap & Kudos

...

What else...the Joe Harley (AudioQuest) and Steve Hoffman lecture was really cool, and it was great to listen to classic rare recordings on those amazing Von Schweikert speakers (though my speaker lust is still for Monitor Audio, drool). The speakers were awesome btw, I was impressed. That room was pretty big and the speakers more than filled it! Hoffman was both entertaining and informative at the same time.

...

Von Schweikert backed out of CanJam a couple of days before it started. They directed Greg (Augsburger) to somebody in San Diego that then provided the speakers. They were PBN Montana. I agree that the talks were nice and that the speakers sounded excellent, especially for such a difficult room.

[swt61]

Steve, you're missing really great times. When the date for next year's meet comes out, immediately mark it out on your calendar and let nothing interfere with it. We all want to meet you. Well, except maybe for the ones that already have.

Good advice! I need to do just that.

And yeah I'm sure Al and Marc are tired of seeing my mug by now.

[swt61]

Just bumped into Brooke Shields at LAX.*

I've wanted to "bump" into Brooke since Blue Lagoon.

That desire has not deminished with time.

[zippy2001]

The raffle was crazy. cetoole racking up 5 or 6 prizes, and zippy2001 got about as much too. Man I got so close to winning a couple more myself! There was a very cool spread of good stuff to go around.

The raffles were awesome, on Saturday I did win the Coldplay - Rush of Blood to the Head, which I gave to JP. And then I won the Freddie Redd - Shades of Redd which sounds great. Saturday was Cetoole's turn, Sunday was my turn. I started with the Crossroads Quattro iem and Go Vibe Martini amp, then an ipod dock, some UE4 pros, an ALO interconnect and finally the Lavry DA11. Now that was a good day

[Iron_Dreamer]

The raffles were awesome, on Saturday I did win the Coldplay - Rush of Blood to the Head, which I gave to JP. And then I won the Freddie Redd - Shades of Redd which sounds great. Saturday was Cetoole's turn, Sunday was my turn. I started with the Crossroads Quattro iem and Go Vibe Martini amp, then an ipod dock, some UE4 pros, an ALO interconnect and finally the Lavry DA11. Now that was a good day

I'm just glad that two of my hard-working volunteers who had to deal with the Saturday morning onslaught of guests ended up being the two biggest winners!

[LFF]

The raffles were awesome, on Saturday I did win the Coldplay - Rush of Blood to the Head, which I gave to JP. And then I won the Freddie Redd - Shades of Redd which sounds great. Saturday was Cetoole's turn, Sunday was my turn. I started with the Crossroads Quattro iem and Go Vibe Martini amp, then an ipod dock, some UE4 pros, an ALO interconnect and finally the Lavry DA11. Now that was a good day

That was a great day for you Steve! I'm happy that a nice guy I know won some great stuff!

[Iron_Dreamer]

[This is the first of a few double-posts across the HC-HF divide]

First of all, I had a great time organizing and executing this fantastic meet. I was so happy to help everyone enjoy such a fun weekend. Although I ended up running the check-in area nearly all of Saturday, I still had a great time greeting all of my friends, old and new, as they arrived for the biggest headphone meet ever. In the end, I am just proud to have been part of a team that worked so hard to make this meet the best we could.

A big thanks to all the volunteers who helped us get through that mad onslaught of head-fiers, especially morphsci and zippy2001 who also put in a lot more time than they originally planned for. Also a big thanks to blessingx for closing out the day in the booth, and letting me have the time to listen a few of the big ol' list of new products.

So for now, here are some audio impressions. Pictures will be coming up ASAP. More people pics than gear pics, I must warn you :evil:

JH Audio JH13

Where do I begin? It has been an extremely long time, if at all, since and audio product has truly wowed me like this one did. Knowing Jerry Harvey's history, I knew his new products had the potential to be great, but I had no idea. Listening to the "universal" version of the JH13, I was simply blown away by their speed, detail, amazing low distortion, and clear, clean, neutral tone. They sounded every bit as fast and detailed as the planar headphones I listened to just prior.

Every track from every genre I threw at them only further confirmed my suspicions: this might be the custom IEM that I'd give up traditional headphones for. Following my listening experience, I felt the compulsion to tell everyone I came across "go listen to the JH13, NOW!" And nary a person I spoke to who'd taken a listen was anything less than thoroughly impressed, including UE10 and UE11 owners.

By the time I'd heard the JH13, I'd already listened to the HD800 on several rigs, and was finally starting to agree with some of the hype. However, the JH13 impressed me more, and out of a portable rig (IHP-120/Headamp Pico) no less! Whereas the HD800 felt like an open window to the recording, the JH13 felt like a direct injection of music to the brain. I thought for a minute or so and concluded that not only was the JH13 more sonically impressive, it is also more comfortable (proper custom fit + no headphone to trap heat), much more easy to drive, much more transportable, and it is less expensive to boot. At that point, I knew, the JH13 had to be mine. Now time for the 2-3 week wait to have one of the first off the line!

On that note, thanks a bunch to Uncle Wilson of Crossroads Audio for taking many ear impressions, including my own, which will be the basis for fitting our JH13's. And Jerry, we're glad to have you back, even if you're not just down the road in Irvine. Congrats on the most significant product launch of CanJam 2009!

Audeze Planar Headphones

These were a big surprise to me, as their OEM'd headphone shell did not inspire confidence. However, once I started listening, I was quite pleased, by headphones with the lightning-fast response of electrostatics, without the ever-present amp or transformer box. At 20 ohms, they had plenty of power directly from my portable amp, and jumped to life with lightning dynamics. There is certainly a bit of room for improvement, in terms of making the soundstage a bit more continuous, and perhaps adding a touch more body or richness to the tonality. At around $400, they sound better than Stax SR404's (no graininess/etchiness to the treble), and don't require a separate, dedicated amp.

Headamp Pico Slim prototype

The new digitally-controlled analog volume attenuator of the Pico Slim was everything I expected it to be, delivering great sound quality down to the absolute lowest hearble volumes on my uber-efficient Shure SE530. This should be the new standard-bearer for volume control on amplifiers, replacing the muffling, occasionally scratchy or mis-aligned sound of potentiometers, and the unsatisfying coarse adjustments of most stepped attenuators. Time to put this in your home amps!

Neko Audio D100

Listening to this DAC with the GSX and L3000, it was rather clear that it is very much top class in its' price range. The high end was smooth, natural, and detailed in a way that your average sub-$3k DAC just can't match. The overall presentation was very balanced and relatively neutral, with great imaging. On sound quality alone, it is at the head of the class for $1300. Adding features like a USB input (direct to I2S) would really push it above and beyond.

Grado HF2

This is probably the best headphone John Grado has ever put out. I personally find the PS1 and PS1000 simply have too much bass. The GS1000 is too bright. The RS1 sounds great with some albums, but less than pleasing with others. The HF2 excels by providing that fun Grado sound, without any of the brightness/harshness/over-bassiness of the other models.

The HF2 is certainly a warm headphone, no doubt, but I didn't feel that warmth getting between me and the music. While a more neutral headphone would expose the greater differences in recordings, the HF2 just makes it all very listenable. Certainly one's liking of the Grado sound is conditional on taste, but the HF2 makes it easier to enjoy the Grado flavor thane ever before.

Lavry DA11

Without a DA10 side-by-side to compare, and not having owned one in over a year, it is hard to say exactly whether the DA11 made any significant changes to the basic sound. The spatial imaging processing is very cool, though, as it can significantly expand a headphones' soundstage given the right music (particularly with eletronica and orchestral music), with no significant degradation in detail or tonal quality. Dan Lavry also showed me that it can compress the soundstage of older records mastered such that instruments had only a presence in the right or left speaker alone. By removing that hard-right/hard-left channel separation, old recordings became much more listenable.

HifiMan HM-801

I listened to the DAC section of this unit, and it is quite impressive sounding, in addition to being a portable DAP. The sound quality has all the realism and detail of your average $800-$1200 home DAC, with a very nice, ever-so-slightly warm tone. Once the final details of production are worked out, this will, without a doubt, be the smallest complete high-end audio system around.

Features like the digital inputs, USB DAC capability, swappable battery, microSD card slot, and mass storage support make it a real digital audio hub. The swappable amp module is just icing on the cake, and makes this extremely unique product even more so. I've had a glimpse of the future of digital audio, and it is the HM-801.

Sennheiser HD800

Without a doubt, the HD800 was the most hyped and publicized product debut of CanJam 2009, and with good reason, as they are excellent headphones, perhaps some of the best ever made. However, I think the pre-show hype had grown a bit out of control.

The HD800 is not as fast or detailed as the Qualia 010, nor most of the better electrostatic and/or orthodynamic headphones. Their soundstage is not larger than that of the K1000. The HD800 does most remind me of the HE60, albeit a slightly slower HE60, with more bass. What the HD800 is, is a very close to neutral, very detailed, and very natural sounding headphone, given a good system behind it. It will likely not wow you in any one regard, but it will give you a very open and cleanly polished window on your system, and the recording you've chosen.

Where the HD800 succeeds is that while it may not be the absolute best in any given category of headphone performance, it does extremely well in just about all of them. It is a major step beyond the HD580/600/650 design, and one that can justify its' price. It performs much better than any sub-$500 headphone I know of, and definitely hangs with many at and above its' price range.

The HD800 did seem very sensitive to both the source and amp behind it. I only really felt that the HD800 was showing what it could do, when connected to 909's Reimyo CDP/Eddie Current HD2 rig. The other rigs I tried the HD800 in were lacking either in the source, amplification, or synergy department, and left me rather nonplussed. Of course, mileage will vary with different people, but make no mistakes, and please try the HD800 on different equipment if you are not initially impressed with it. You would be doing yourself, and the headphones a disservice otherwise.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Brief Impressions - Grado PS1000 and Sennheiser HD800

Source was Luxman DU-80 and amp was the TTVJ Millett 307A, in TTVJ's room. Ambient noise was minimal - there were people talking in the room but not many.

My brief session with the HD800 was both positive and negative. Granted I don't know the sound of the CDP or the amp, so all I could discern was the basic sound of the headphones. It has two key similarities with the Qualia 010 - it's about as "open" sounding (in terms of displacing virtual air in the soundstage), and it also has very good overall clarity. As in, every individual element is cleanly separated so you can hear everything going on. I'd say that's where the similarities end (at least that I could quickly hear), as the HD800 has stronger bass and weaker treble in comparison, and I found it rhythmically slower too - it didn't leap off bass as quickly as the Qualia does. That said, I delayed my order with TTVJ a few days ago so I could hear the HD800 first and decide if I wanted to still buy it, and I decided I'm going to keep my order in. It was definitely a promising session for me. I wasn't really pleased by the weaker treble as compared to the Qualia but I suspect I could easily rectify the issue in my own system. The stronger bass is something I definitely like though, it's one of the reasons I actually use my Qualia less than my Audio-Technica AD2000 (and on that note, I wouldn't say the HD800 has AD2000-like bass either - definitely different, though I can't say how yet).

The Grado PS1000 was a wham-BANG experience! It really reminded me of the PS-1, though since I've only ever heard the PS-1 in meet conditions, I can't be any more specific other than that the PS1000 has a kind of similar tackle & assault style in the mid-bass and mid-range. There was definitely some of that Grado-style forwardness. Really strong mid-bass too. I've never heard Porcupine Tree's In Absentia more powerful or growling than this, it was truly headbang-worthy. The PS1000 quickly lost my interest though due to: (1) too much mid-bass, (2) unsecure fit on head (primarily due to the bowl pads), and (3) something about the treble put me off. It's possible my complaints could easily be rectified by a change in earpads though....

I probably won't have time to listen to the HD800 again this weekend, though it won't matter since I'll be receiving my order soon from TTVJ now.

I agree completely with all of that. And yes, the HD800 treble can be very good (in detail, clarity, depth, transparency and speed) with the right amp and source. I spent more time at CanJam listening to the HD800 more than with any other phone, and it definitely sounds more different with a change in amps and SE vs Balanced. Regardless, the HD800 treble is an improvement over the HD600 which has been one of my favorite cans for a while.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Did Craig bring a ZDT? Any impressions on it?

Thanks much for the comments guys, I really wanted to be there but ultimately my money is just too tied up in other places to be able to afford the weekend trip.

I can assure myself I will be there next year...

Sadly the ZDT was a no-show because it was locked up at a friend's house who was out of the country. I was really looking forward to hearing it since I paid a deposit back in March for one. Craig offered to let me off the hook on the deposit, but I declined after hearing the ZD SE, BA and HD-2 and figure it will sound just fine.

[Edwood]

I didn't spend a lot of time listening to gear. Of the few that I was able to check out, here are my initial impressions:

IEMs - JH13. Jerry Harvey is back. The Head Master Chef of Ultimate Ears now has his own restaurant and has cooked up a new masterpiece (along with his other menu items). He has an amazingly diverse and large custom IEM line up. From a $399 Custom all the way up to his Flagship $1099 JH13. I have serial #1 heading my way in the near future.

Headphones - HD800, got a chance to listen to them again. My opinion is unchanged from January when I first got to hear them. I was hoping to like them less, so I could save a little money by not keeping my preorder. But, alas, I liked them even more. So, my preorder stays.

Magnaplanars were a big surprise to me. Never heard them before. Very electrostatic like in presentation, with plenty of Bass.

Portable Amps - Bye, bye, small analog potentiometers. Precision Digital Volume Control is the new hotness. No fewer than three of our favorite amp builders had their prototypes available for listening at CanJam. HeadAmp Pico Slim and Ray Samuels Audio Shadow were the tiny contenders, while TTVJ had a Peter Millet designed one that eschewed tiny size for extra power and battery life. Precision Digital VOlume control is a boon and must have for IEM users. You get a much bigger range of volume control, and perfect left and right channel balance at even the quietest of volumes.

DAP - Without a doubt the most hotly anticipated Digital Audio Player was the HiFiMan HM-801. I was surprised at how lightweight it was in person. I was expecting a pretty heavy brick, given the sheer amount of goodies crammed inside. There was unfortunate shipping mishap that caused damage to both prototypes, but fortunately, different parts were broken in each one, so overall, there was two halfway functional HifiMan HM-801's. I got to hear one with it's USB input as a DAC hooked up to my portable computer using Foobar. I also used the built in player with FLAC files loaded up on an SDHC card. And, yes you can browse folders. The overall UI will be familiar feeling to anyone used to Rockbox. Overall, the sound quality was not a let down. I'll reserve final judgement until I get a chance to hear the final product, but it's off to a fantastic start. Is up to quality of my Pico DAC I had there to compare to, if not even better in some regards.

The HM-801's hardware will be done towards the end of June, with the software possibly being finished then, or a bit later. One thing I talked to Fang at Head-Direct about was the possibility of having other Amp builders making their version for the modular Amp bay. Imagine having a HeadAmp, Ray Samuels Audio, or other Amp built into the HiFiMan HM-801? Now that would be THE ONE portable I would carry. Period!

Smyth Research - They came to the show again. And now their little black box of awesomeness is in production. Still amazing. I got a chance to get a custom measurement profile with something you can't do with regular speakers. I put the center channel speaker right up to the front/middle of the TV screen when doing the personalization/calibration sequence, so that the center channel would line up with the left and right channels. Not how you'd watch TV with a speaker blocking the view, but with the Smyth Research box, no need for speakers at all. They were saving out profiles to an SD card and giving them away. I took the card to their other smaller set up they had in another room, and had them load my profile. It worked perfectly on the other setup. I played some COD4. They had other people's profiles there, so for fun I switched back and forth. It's amazing how completely different the other profiles sounded like. Diffferent people's ears really are very different, and effect the way we hear things. (anyone with Custom IEM's will attest to this fact.)

Overall. I really wish I had more time to check out all the gear. But it would be a one week event.

-Ed

[Grahame]

Way too much fun!

[LFF]

Way too much fun!

That's an awesome picture! Too bad I wasn't there.

[penger]

Portable Amps - Bye, bye, small analog potentiometers. Precision Digital Volume Control is the new hotness. No fewer than three of our favorite amp builders had their prototypes available for listening at CanJam. HeadAmp Pico Slim and Ray Samuels Audio Shadow were the tiny contenders, while TTVJ had a Peter Millet designed one that eschewed tiny size for extra power and battery life. Precision Digital VOlume control is a boon and must have for IEM users. You get a much bigger range of volume control, and perfect left and right channel balance at even the quietest of volumes.

Can you say more about the TTVJ/Pete Millett portable? I don't recall seeing it in any pictures.