[G8torbyte]

The best 3 tube amps I heard at CanJam was the Feliks Envy 25th anniversary edition, the Viva Egostia 845 and the Aegis. Spoiler alert there's only 1 on that list of 3 I could afford .

Jokes aside the Feliks did sound really darn amazing. Sorry that I do not have the vocabulary to even explain how it sounds. But definitely the best amp I heard at CanJam. Heard it with the Susvara and Heddphone 2 and they both sounded just sublime on it. I've never heard the regular Envy, so not able to draw comparisons between them.

ZMF did have the regular Feliks Envy with Western Electric tubes. I was in musical heaven for awhile paired to the Caldera Closed.

Yes, I think it will reveal all and yet, IMO, it is very natural.

--------

Anyone have impressions of the LTA equipment?

I met the LTA gentlemen on Saturday. Very nice guys from Maryland. I've been watching the Velo amp and I see owning it in the near future after I clear out some gear from inventory. Probably in a year or so. It's hard to let go of items but I'm out of room on my desk/playing area. The Velo sounded great with the DCA Aeon 2 Noire I brought with me and the Liric II they had on hand was very nice on it. Strong and full is best as I can describe with all the crowd noise around since you have to ramp up the volume. Likewise the Z10e at the ZMF room was performing well with the Caldera Closed. LTA also had the Aero DAC there I believe that is in development but did not try since I was not aware of it before CanJam. That'll be a goal on another CanJam!

 

[miketlse]

Did anyone hear the psychoacoustics talk? I wasn’t able to make it and was hoping for a synopsis!

Even better if it was recorded and made available.
I have a copy of her book on my reading pile, so I presume there were elements of the book in the talk.
The book was recommended to me by a friend who is a DJ, so I am looking forward to reading it.

 

[mattiastomas]

ZMF did have the regular Feliks Envy with Western Electric tubes. I was in musical heaven for awhile paired to the Caldera Closed.

Yeah. I was trying to get a session in with it but it was always occupied whenever I rolled around.

 

[Loftprojection]

The best 3 tube amps I heard at CanJam was the Feliks Envy 25th anniversary edition, the Viva Egostia 845 and the Aegis. Spoiler alert there's only 1 on that list of 3 I could afford .

Jokes aside the Feliks did sound really darn amazing. Sorry that I do not have the vocabulary to even explain how it sounds. But definitely the best amp I heard at CanJam. Heard it with the Susvara and Heddphone 2 and they both sounded just sublime on it. I've never heard the regular Envy, so not able to draw comparisons between them.

Where can we find this Aegis amp? Don't find much info from googling it!

 

[mattiastomas]

Where can we find this Aegis amp? Don't find much info from googling it!

There's 2 versions of it. One is a DIY version that you can find here https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aegis-diy-tube-headphone-amplifier.965530/

The other is a commercial version which is a collab between ZMF and L0rdGwyn which is releasing in the next couple of months. They had prototype units at CanJam of the commercial unit and they had one DIY unit there too.

 

[Loftprojection]

There's 2 versions of it. One is a DIY version that you can find here https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aegis-diy-tube-headphone-amplifier.965530/

The other is a commercial version which is a collab between ZMF and L0rdGwyn which is releasing in the next couple of months. They had prototype units at CanJam of the commercial unit and they had one DIY unit there too.

Hey thanks much, quite interested by the DIY since I am also looking at the Elekit stuff.

 

[goldwerger]

Unless you have $108,000 for that Audio-Technica amp...Wow that amp is gorgeous. I wonder how many they will make...

They made 10 and all were sold by the time the amp launched.. from this point on, these will be made-to-order (HE1 style I guess?)

 

[bmichels]

Here's some brief impressions from this past weekend, unfortunately a large majority of my photos won't upload to Head Fi so I'll just share a few.

Thursday night I got in quite late, had a late night dinner and went back to the hotel to get some rest.

Early Friday morning I went down to visit the 9/11 museum and memorial. Absolutely incredible and emotional place and exhibit but 100% worth seeing at least once if you are in New York. Shortly after that it was lunch at Carragher's bar and grill, being a Liverpool fan this was a MUST try for me. It's Irish-American cuisine and the chicken curry there was to die for! If you've had chicken curry in England and then chicken curry in America, you know they are not the same. This tasted just like how I expected it to be back in England and it was fantastic.

Friday night's view from the Summit @ One Vanderbilt, easily the best view I've had in Manhattan. Lovely atmosphere as well with a few exhibits and a nice cocktail bar on the 93rd floor.



Late night walk through Grand Central, absolutely beautiful inside here and my god this place is MASSIVE.



I headed into CanJam Saturday right at opening after an amazing breakfast with @bigbeans and his father.. naturally I shot straight to the MusicTeck table to knock out as much as I could ASAP.

UM Mason... This was fairly decent. It was a neutral warmer tonality with a good sense of body and texture, I found the upper mids a bit too relaxed for my tastes but overall a more library-friendly version of the Mason line. I still prefer the Multiverse Mentor.

Traillii Ti, I was quite impressed with this overall but I couldn't get over the price tag given the OG Traillii can be had for $3k now on the used market. It felt like this was a little leaner and more clarity based with less of a mid bass emphasis and more of a sub bass focus. It was still very excellent but again at $8.5k in 2024, no thank you.

Elysian Pilgrim, 1 DD 3 BA and I think priced around $400? This was a highlight of the show for the price to performance ratio. Very Elysian-esc in tuning but I largely prefer the bass quality here compared to the Annihilator or X, it didn't have that dryness or lack of texture that I associate with those two releases. I did find the treble a tad too energetic and missing some refinement but overall I think this one will be a hit when it's available.

QDC Emperor... a warmer tilted QDC-sounding IEM with lots of details and high resolution but I was quite disappointed by the DD bass in this set. It decayed incredibly fast and honestly I could have been convinced this was a BA driver handling the lows instead. Overall it was underwhelming for me.

Fatigue set in very fast for me Saturday, the show floor was packed and ambient noise levels meant you had to really crank up everything to be able to listen properly. As a quiet listener that isn't really my vibe when it comes to auditions. Shortly after the MusicTeck booth I left to go have a bottomless mimosa brunch with Head-Fi'er @tawmizzzzand some of his co workers.

After more mimosas than I can count we headed back to CanJam and the show floor was even more packed, it was a large contrast to the more relaxed vibes that were at CanJam Dallas. At this point I had lost interest in listening to anything else for the day so I left quite quickly and went to go meet up with some friends in the city for some beers and darts, followed by dinner at Hard Rock Cafe and some more cocktails with @tawmizzzz , I think I might have gotten him a little too tipsy but it was a great night with even better company.

Sunday morning the show floor was far less hectic but still overall busy, and I was able to really knock out a bunch of auditions.

The AK SP3000T was quite impressive, it was not your typical AK sound and went for something the was more musical and bodied which I think offered a very nice side grade option to the SP3000. Build quality was impressive and exactly what you'd expect from an Ultima product. I am looking forward to spending more time with this when demo units will be available, but I couldn't reach a conclusion regarding how much I enjoyed it with the show floor environment.

I also spend a little bit of time with the AK x EE NOVUS, this sounded like a warm tilted/mid bassy set with good tonal balance and high levels of details and technicals. As you'd expect from the w9+ drivers, sub bass was deep and well textured but I felt it was missing a bit of that "airy" bottom end I usually prefer. Regardless I thought it was very impressive but maybe a tad over priced. The IEM was on the larger side but I had no issues with fit and the build quality was by far the best I've seen from anything EE related.

The Lotoo Mjolnir, this honestly just blew me away almost instantly. The build quality is fantastic and it looks the part too. It's smaller in person than you'd expect from pictures but very much transportable/desktop sized. I already placed an order for this yesterday and I will receive this tomorrow. The was more neutral in tonality but the way this was able to capture levels of detail, resolution, transparency, and texture was just unlike anything I've experienced before with IEMs, and it did it all so effortlessly and in an organic nature that felt like it wasn't forcing you into hearing it but rather laying it out in front of you instead for you to enjoy. I have heard from some trusted ears who have more experience in desktop level gear that the price to performance on this isn't anything special, but I couldn't find myself caring because the emotional reaction I had listening to this was priceless. One of my test tracks "it's been a while" by Staind just left me speechless. The bass texture, the weight behind his voice while not needing added warmth to achieve it, the details and spacious imaging... it was one of the most overwhelming experiences I've had and I was fighting tears the entire time listening to it (or maybe I was just tired and needed more sleep after Saturday night's debauchery ) Either way I loved it and I can't wait to spend more time with it.

I spent the majority of my Saturday hanging out at the SG trio booth of Symponium, Subtonic, and NightJar. This booth was PACKED the entire time on both days and deservedly so. These companies are putting out some of the best products money can buy so seeing the lines of people waiting to audition stuff wasn't even remotely surprising. I cannot sing enough praise around this booth and everyone that was working it. They were all so wonderful and are genuinely some of the most kind souled and full hearted people I have ever met. The passion these guys have for the hobby is intoxicating and I am looking forward to giving these companies my business because I know it will lead to even better products down the road.

I finally got to hear the Crimson and upcoming model Titan. Crimson was awesome, depending on what tracks I was using it sat somewhere between a U shape and W shaped tonality but came off neutral in the mid range with an elevated sub bass response and slightly elevated treble. I could see the highs on this maybe being a bit too much for some people but using CP145 tips and DX260 I had no issues with it. The treble was elevated enough to give the top end some life and excitement but I didn't find it sharp or spicy. The bass was also incredibly impressive for BA drivers, what they've achieved here with a 4 BA setup is quite astonishing.

The Titan is their new IEM that should be out soon. This was warmer and smooth but with a massive DD bass response that was incredibly satisfying to listen to. Detailing was still fairly good as well and I can see this being popular amongst watercoolers. It also had a lovely looking blue shell and cable that I thought was really a looker.

The NightJar Duality was every bit as impressive as it was when I heard it in CanJam Dallas and my initial impressions of it were justified again after hearing it in New York. This is a must-buy for me and it should be available in June/July ish if everything goes well. This IEM is unbelievably fun with an addicting bass shelf but manages to still keep excellent timbre and impressive detailing for an all DD setup. I can't wait for this.

I like to stay open minded and I got curious and auditioned the Subtonic Storm again to see if my opinions would change on it. I've stated here before that I really don't like how the Storm stages, at least from the DAPs I have tried it with (SP3000, N30 LE, and DX260), but pairing this with the PB5 completely changed my opinion on it. Not only did it smoothen out the treble and reduce the slightly dry timbre but it also felt like the faceplates of the IEM were removed and it could finally stage/expand the way I wanted it to and no longer felt boxed in. The added width and more spacious imaging took this to a level that I thought is probably the highest fidelity sound available right now. I think the regular edition is going to be available in April or May and I have every intention to rebuy it after hearing it again with the PB5, I highly recommend that pair up. I did try it from the D16 straight but it didn't quite do it for me. It was still impressive in its own right but I felt it was missing personality. The dynamics felt softened and treble was a little too blunted for me and missing that vibrant detail that I enjoy with the Storm. I also got to test with with the 8 wire Sovereign which I think is a $13,000 cable and the MASSKobo 465 AMP, which is like $17,000? It was damn impressive especially in how the 465 was able to handle the bass and overall note weight but I just couldn't appreciate it enough given how strong diminishing returns are hitting here. Either way, I think Storm + PB5 is an endgame setup.

There were some other stuff I got to test but overall these are what stood out to me the most... the Mjolnir, Storm, and Duality are all products I want to own. Mjolnir has been purchased and I will be waiting for the release of the RE Storm and the Duality.

I got to meet so many new faces and most of these people I have been chatting to for years. I really had the best time and I am looking forward to linking up again in SoCal and Dallas later this year.

Thank you for this very detailed report. I am glad you enjoyed the Lotoo Mjolnir. Could you tell us with which IEM or headphone you tested it ? Thanks.

 

[wolfstar76]

They made 10 and all were sold by the time the amp launched.. from this point on, these will be made-to-order (HE1 style I guess?)

Insane!

 

[AudioDuck]

Huh, I almost thought that I was the only one, it's good to know that I am not.
It's kinda logical that red goes left.

Cheers!

To be fair, for those of us who have spent any time on a boat, port (left) = red, starboard (right) = green.

I always have to remind myself in audio, “Red is Right”!

 

[JerseyD]

Call me a grumpy old man, but am I the only one who thinks it would be cool if CanJam encouraged (and publicized) a "hushed tones" policy for show-goers and exhibitors talking at these events. It would be like a public library (in the olden days) and make demoing gear much more enjoyable and informative. Now GET OFF MY LAWN!

 

[fidgeraldo]

I always have to remind myself in audio, “Red is Right”!

And for those who can't pronounce "R", "Led is Light"

I just remembered..when I came back to Europe from the US (a long time ago).
I was on holiday one Summer...
I had problems, for about a good five minutes, to unlock the door.
I thought the lock was changed, or something was wrong with the key,
Then I realized that I was trying to unlock the door with the key holding upside down.

 

[mt-hifidelity]

Oh yes, this, yes.
Every time I read a review on this thread that conflicts with just about every other reviewer's take, it reminds me that CanJam is simply not a place you can do any real analytical listening and come away with a fair understanding of a product's strengths and weaknesses.

 

[aaf evo]

Thank you for this very detailed report. I am glad you enjoyed the Lotoo Mjolnir. Could you tell us with which IEM or headphone you tested it ? Thanks.

There were quite a few IEMs I tested with it and the overall transparent/neutral tone was consistent across the board.

Call me a grumpy old man, but am I the only one who thinks it would be cool if CanJam encouraged (and publicized) a "hushed tones" policy for show-goers and exhibitors talking at these events. It would be like a public library (in the olden days) and make demoing gear much more enjoyable and informative. Now GET OFF MY LAWN!

Man.. Saturday was SO loud but I guess the conversations with vendors/friends is also part of the fun.

 

[JerseyD]

Man.. Saturday was SO loud but I guess the conversations with vendors/friends is also part of the fun.

It definitely is part of the fun, but it must be possible to do it at a lower volume. BACK IN MY DAY, we had to walk ten miles through the snow to get to a CanJam! So we were quiet when we got there, and we liked it!