CanJam Singapore 2023 Impressions: Part 2

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CanJam Singapore 2023 Impressions: Part 2
By Sajid Amit

Final Day Impressions from CanJam Singapore 2023

If you have read the first part of my impressions on Audiophile Style, you will probably understand I made good progress on day one of CanJam Singapore with regard to trying new products. 

On day two, I aimed try to all that was left for me to. I moved between booths with purpose, stopping just long enough to formulate opinions. Of course, I indulged in banter with friends, brand representatives, and industry professionals. That’s usually half (if not most) of the fun for someone who is plenty satisfied with his present stable. Of course, my stable changed considerably post-CanJam but that is a story for another time. 

First and foremost, I stopped by the Noble table to say hello to the “Wizard”, i.e., John Moulton. John has a PhD in Audiology and is generally credited to having played a part in pushing innovation in the IEM industry. John is always easy to talk to, but I was pleasantly surprised when he offered to let me demo his soon-to-be-released flagship TWS earbuds, the FoKus Prestige. Other than the premium looks and feels, the Prestige is easily the most technically proficient of TWS buds in the market as of writing. The Prestige has very good midbass, decent resolution, and clarity in the upper frequencies without ever getting sibilant. This is an impressive TWS product!

Noble FoKus Prestige TWS

Next, I spent a good deal of time with the much-admired $32,000 Warwick Acoustics Aperio. Above all else, I was really struck by the Aperio’s balanced and pleasant tonality. It has some impressive bass for an electrostatic headphone with a strong midrange and well-extended treble. That said, given the price tag, the technicalities could have been a bit better. Resolution was perhaps only a minor step ahead of a properly amped Stax SR-X9000. The Aperio did have a thicker and meatier presentation than Stax. But the flipside is that the Aperio lacked the ethereal quality many electrostat aficionados have come to associate with and love about this sort of driver technology. 

Warwick Acoustics Aperio

Thieaudio is an impressive brand that tunes their IEMs well and then mostly underprices them. Their fans appreciate their value for money and in fact, Crinacle, at the time of writing this review, had ranked the Monarch MK2 as his number one IEM. Meanwhile, their detractors point that they all miss a secret sauce and can be a tad boring in their presentation. This time, I tried their flagships: the Divinity V16 ($1499) and the Prestige ($1299).

Thieaudio Divinity V16

Both the Divinity and the Prestige are decently tuned and technically-oriented IEMs but I liked the tuning of the Divinity more. It was a more balanced set with less but sufficient and good bass whilst having more clarity in the upper mids. This is worth a try if you like the brand.

I tried Project Red, a product being tuned by Crinacle. Crinacle is the most famous portable audio reviewer in the world and his collaborations have been lauded by the community. Therefore, there is great anticipation associated with Project Red. I must disclaim that I did not try the Project Red with the impedance adapter which boosts the bass. But I still found it to be a very competent IEM given that it will be priced at less $100. In fact, at sub-$100, it may become a game-changer. The Project Red will ship with the said impedance adapter and I could certainly see it enhancing the tuning by adding a bass shelf. 

Crinacle’s Project Red

It was also nice to see Ken Ball of Campfire Audio. Campfire’s IEMs have been iconic in the hobby. They are also eye-catching and disruptive in terms of IEM shell design and aesthetics.

Campfire Audio IEMs

Cliff notes for the three IEMs pictured above go something like this: the Andromeda 2023 is the best Andro yet (decent bass!). The new Solaris is Campfire’s best-tuned set across their entire product line-up. It is a solid all-rounder albeit lacking a tad in resolution. However, the Trifecta is still too zany for me. I like the looks of the Trifecta but cannot agree with the treble tuning. I admire Campfire though for taking risks with their tuning instead of churning out one target-hitter after another. 

Japanse brand Acoustone also makes some stunning-looking IEMs. Unfortunately, I did not agree with the tuning of any other their IEMs other than the HS1790Ti. Acoustone has a spin-off brand called Madoo and I tried their planar dynamic hybrid called the Type 512, which was the find of the Canjam for me. Such fast transients and such phenomenal bass slam! 

MADOO Type 512

The Madoo is a show-stopper for the price of $640. It has a lovely, warm and inviting midrange with a ton of note weight. It has just the right amount of treble sparkle. And man, it slams like nothing I have heard in this price range. For technicalities as well, it may be the best I have heard south of $1000, with the exception of the Symphonium Helios. Needless to say, I bought it and will drop a review soon. Stay tuned.

Next I moved on to the Nightjar Acoustics booth and spent some time with the soon-to-released Singularity and the upcoming Duality. I liked the Duality more, not just for the elevated bass, but for its superior timbre and technical chops. The Singularity will also be a popular IEM given it is expected to be priced sub-$1500 when it comes out in April 2023. The Duality will be higher-priced but will not be out until later in the year.

Nightjar Acoustics Duality Prototype

The folks behind Nightjar Acoustics, Symphonium Audio and Subtonic Audio are friends who collaborate on research, tuning and technology. They are all young entrepreneurs and manufacturers and if their early releases are anything to go by, they have a great future ahead. They were the talk of Canjam Singapore 2023, partially due to Subtonic’s latest release, the Subtonic Storm, which I talked about in Part 1. I did have revisit the Storm on Day 2. 

This time, Cornelius of Subtonic Audio suggested I try the Storm with the powerful FiiO Q7. I found that the Storm did scale well with the additional power of the Q7 and became more punchy, dynamic, and just more vivid with regard to its imaging. Soundstage also improved.

Subtonic Storm

I was also excited to try the brand new ZMF Atrium Closed. I spent some time with the Cherrywood version with Suede Pads and loved how open it sounded and how very authoritative the bass was. Mids are always good with ZMF so there is that. This may be the best closed-back headphone in the market. Stay tuned to my YouTube channel for a full review. 

ZMF Atrium Closed

Zach’s Meherbach’s headphones have a way of prettying up any audio show and this was no different, as may be evident from the photos below.

Stabilized Verite Closed

Stabilized Verite Open

I also spent some time at the 64 Audio booth. I was curious to try the new 64 Audio U4S. I concluded that it was a decent IEM for the price with good tuning and technicalities. However, it is not nearly as resolving as a Symphonium Helios which is still the benchmark for kilobuck IEMs. Moreover, the U4S transients are soft and mushy, which is not atypical for 64 Audio, but somehow became noticeable for the U4S. 

64 Audio U4S

As far as 64 Audio IEMs go, I liked the Fourte Blanc though, better than the Fourte OG. The Blanc is a bass cannon. Other than the solid subbass foundation, the Blanc is very resolving even if the tuning is a tad wonky in the treble. 64 Audio has a way of pulling off wonky tunings and still making them sound palatable and occasionally exciting.

64 Audio Fourte Blanc

My favorite full-size headphone of the show was the new Focal Utopia, i.e., Utopia 2022. The new Utopia is a tad more pleasing to me than the old Utopia (and I really liked the old Utopia). The new one slightly warmer and had some incredible synergy with my Sony WM1ZM2 (with a subbass shelf EQ). 

Focal Utopia 2022

I also liked the Unique Melody Mason Fabled Sound: their most expensive IEM at $5999. I do not know many who own it and I wonder why not. I may prefer it to the much-loved and similarly-priced Oriolus Trailli but not to the Aroma Audio Jewel.

Unique Melody Mason Fabled Sound

I have never liked the DCA Stealth or Expanse much, but the new electrostatic headphone DCA Corina was something interesting in offering a meatier and thicker presentation for an electrostat. I would not buy it however because I prefer the Stax headphones to it. And the Corina does not have the technical chops of a SR-009, let alone an SR-X9000.

DCA Corina

Last but certainly not the least, I tried the world’s most expensive headphone, the Sennheiser HE-1. I had tried it extensively a couple of years ago, but I liked it much more this time. In fact, I loved it this time.

Sennheiser HE-1

Maybe the stunning views of Marina Bay from the 35th floor Pan Pacific suite that Sennheiser booked, had something to do with how much I liked the HE-1. 

View of the Marina Bay

The HE-1 has the best bass of any electrostatic headphone on the planet, thicker and deeper and more impactful than the Aperio. The midrange sounds exceedingly natural which seems to be a hallmark of Sennheiser headphones. The treble walks a beautiful line between polite and sparkly. My only nitpicks are that the staging is not the widest (although stage depth is great!) and mid bass can be on the thinner side on certain tracks. But I loved it overall. Listening to the HE-1 was a sweet, sweet way to end an overwhelming and I dare say, emotional two days of “CanJamming”. 

However, my Singapore audiophile adventures did not end with CanJam. I stayed back for a few more days to try more products! 

The next morning, at 8:30AM, I headed to Effect Audio, the acclaimed IEM and headphone cable maker headquartered in Singapore. I loved their little studio. I spent some time trying their flagship as well as new and old offerings.

I have to say that the portable segment of the audiophile community tends to attract more cable-disbelievers and skeptics. In my experience, cries of snake oil do exist in two-channel but they are far more pervasive in the world of headphones and IEMs. That said, I have always maintained that IEM cables can be a considerable bottleneck to their sound, perhaps more so than over-ear headphones. 

While at Effect Audio, I first their new copper cable, the Code 23. I thought the Code 23 looked quite impressive in its shine and girth and I dug the color.

Empire Ears Odin with Code 23

Sonically, the Code 23 has decent clarity but is never bright or strident. It is reasonably priced at $799. Next, I tried their flagships, the Centurion and the Chiron hybrid. My favorite, however, was the Centurion at $4999.

Effect Audio Centurion with Empire Ears Odin

The Centurion just slays. It is somehow both revealing and lush at the same time, with details, a tight bass, and a more polite treble than the Chiron hybrid. 

After finishing up with Effect Audio, I headed over to Zeppelin & Co., the famed audio store. While at Zeppelin, I compared the Cayin N8ii to my trusty Sony WM1ZM2. I also tried Cayin’s amplifier, the C9. 

Cayin N7, N8ii and C9

I found the N8ii to be an outstanding DAP. Tonally and technically, it trades blows with the WM1ZM2. While the WM1ZM2 is more analog, richer, meatier, darker, and punchier with better-rounded subbass; the N8ii is lighter, airier, and faster. The Sony has better imaging. The N8ii has a deeper soundstage. The N8ii bass sounds a bit lighter than I like, however. 

Meanwhile, the C9 is an impressive piece of kit. It adds some coloration to the sound of DAPs, enhances soundstage depth, and improves bass slam. In terms of coloration, the C9 made the Cayin DAPs’ treble smoother and sweeter. Once you remove it from the chain, the staging feels flatter and the treble brighter.

After trying the DAPs, I holed myself up in the quieter Zeppelin listening room with the dCS Lina stack to test the stack with different headphones, including the Utopia 2022, the ZMF Caldera, the Final D8000 Pro and the Stax SR-009S.

Utopia 2022 and dCS Lina Stack

All the aforementioned headphones sounded great on the dCS Lina system. The Utopia, however, sounded glorious. The Utopia has always sounded special to me off dCS DACs. It sounded incredible on the dCS Bartok, which smoothened the Utopia treble, improved its timbre considerably, and made vocals more natural, while also improving bass impact.

Something very similar happened with the Utopia on the Lina stack. I may have never heard the Utopia do vocals as well on any other system. Second, the Utopia slammed hard on the Lina, but not to the point that it was distracting and overdone. 

I enjoyed acoustic music as much as rock on this chain. All the while, I was gently sipping the amazing mint latte that Zeppelin makes. Everyone at this store knows audio and how to make amazing coffee!

Zeppelin & Co. Mint Latte

After finishing up at Zeppelin, I visited the Project Perfection store at Adelphi, branded as a Furutech store. There, other than buying the Dita Perpetua and the Fir Audio KR5 from my friend, Darren, I also had a listen to the Stax SR-X9000. I am familiar with this headphone having reviewed it on my channel here, but the chain at the Furutech store was a killer. It was as follows. 

Roon Nucleus > Keces P8 Power Supply > Meitner MA3 DAC > KSL-M7 > Stax SRM-T8000 > Stax SR-X9000

The Kondo KSL-M7 is a $30,000 tube pre-amp. The pre-amp served as the central command center of this chain, enabling a wonderfully holographic and layered presentation while adding a sweetness and gentleness to the treble. Meanwhile, the Meitner DAC has a noticeably rounded and deeper bass presentation.

Kondo KSL-M7

The result was that the X9000 sounded bassier, punchier and larger than I remember. It was as revealing as I remember but just more fun on this chain. There was more holography, more meat on the bones, and a far sweeter treble. The guys at Furutech voluntarily swapped out the pre-amp to allow me to hear the X9000 directly from the Meitner to the T8000. Whilst the bass punch was still there, a lot of the stage depth, layering, treble sweetness, and spatial information vanished.

Stax SR-X9000

My final stop before completing this unexpectedly amazing audio journey was at my friend Gavin’s. I have known Gavin for years on HeadFi. In fact, I skipped a doctor appointment to listen to his Raal Requisite SR-1b setup in his comfortable apartment. 

Raal Requisite SR-1b and VM-1a

I am no stranger to the Raal Requisite SR-1b. I have owned the SR-1a, which is only cosmetically different from the SR-1b. However, the Meitner MA3 > Raal Requisite VM-1a tube amp made the SR-1b a rather complete headphone. The upper mids and lower treble were tamed, bass felt better extended and certainly punchier, whilst the SR-1b’s famed staging, imaging and resolution were retained. The VM-1a is certainly a special amplifier and I recommend it strongly for the SR-1b and the CA-1a. 

The trip to Gavin’s house marked a wonderful to end an eventful trip to Singapore. It was a watershed moment for me as an audiophile and reviewer, not just in terms of understanding the amazing innovation that is happening in Asia, but in experiencing the warmth and friendliness of a welcoming community. Pictured below are some friends I made, people whom I knew online for years, but can now call good friends. I also have a CanJam video playlist here. 

Please do join us at a CanJam somewhere in the world. 

Hope to see some of you in London in August! 

About the Author:

Sajid Amit is an academic and practitioner in international development by day, and audiophile day and night. His YouTube channel is called the Amplify Audiophile Show and is available here. His HeadFi thread is here.