Audiophile Travel Musings from Jakarta, Indonesia

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Audiophile Travel Musings from Jakarta, Indonesia
By Sajid Amit

Hello Audiophiles!

As you may know, if you have been a regular reader of this wonderful publication, I post occasional audiophile travel blogs. This one captures moments and experiences from my recent trip to the wonderful country of Indonesia, particularly in the lovely city of Jakarta. 



Of course, Jakarta is not “lovely” in the sense in which Bali is lovely. It is a city with traffic, great steel and concrete structures, and frenzied folks trying to augment wealth and incomes, as they should.

But the city has friendly and hospitable people, the traffic magically seems to have lessened compared to the last time I was here, and the food continues to be one of the best in the world. I am, though, particularly biased towards South East Asian cuisine. Even variants of the noodle soup, between Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand get me excited, so there’s that. I do think it is an acquired taste though.




Speaking of acquired tastes I spent a bit of time hanging out at the luxury watch reseller market which is somehow rather impressive in Jakarta. Indonesia is a trillion-dollar economy mind you, and is forecasted to become one of the drivers of global growth in the coming decades, along with India and a few others. Rolexes, APs, and Pateks go for higher prices in the used market (several models do), but Jakarta prices were far better than prices in many countries.



But, of course, I digress. The real purpose of this post and the enjoyment of this trip was derived at a fantastic little audio store in South Jakarta, known as Beyond the Music, or BTM, in short. We were joined by a select group of audiophiles in Jakarta including a few HeadFi regulars.



A high point for me was getting to try some of the newer headphone releases which have evaded me ever since I waded into the IEM kiddy pool. Of course, I jest. IEMs are for grown-ups as much as headphones or speakers. But without further ado, photos of some fine products I got to audition.



I posted impressions on the Canpur 622B earlier and while I appreciated its tonal balance and very-impressive-for-BA bass, let’s just say that I wouldn’t personally buy it based on a first listen. The treble was a bit too kind for my liking. I don’t like my treble too kind. I like spice but not so much that I get gas.



Next, I got to try Hedd’s very, very, very-impressive-for-the-price, HEDDphone V2.




The HEDDphone V2 is light, comfortable, super ergonomic, with a tonal profile that is somehow airy for days without getting bright, very resolving, and even has a bit of punch and impact! And it way outperforms most contenders at $2000. It is definitively flying under the radar for most headphone-first audiophiles.



I do have to say I figured out that the chain in question had something to do with unlocking the might of the HEDD V2, namely the Cengrand Silverfox and DS DAC.



I understand that this brand has elicited mixed feelings in the community. The thing with this set up, particularly, the amp, is that it has different settings to elicit different sonic profiles, but the chain I listened to was just the Bee’s knees. It was smooth yes, but not in-your-face smooth. It was on the right side of smooth. So, it still sounded very textured, with a wonderfully extended treble, a rich organic midrange, and a very dynamic bass. I understand there are disagreements about its bass, but in my listening, the bass was gorgeous. And you all know by now how much I like my bass.



Overall, there were plenty of wonderful DAC Amps at BTM including the venerable Feliks Envy and Rockna Wavedream, the “punchy DAC”. I have always appreciated the Wavedream with the HIFIMAN Susvara.



Meanwhile, I did get to change my mind on Dan Clark headphones. Basically, so far in my audio journey, I have not met a single DCA headphone that I wanted to own. That’s largely why I have never reviewed a DCA headphone. I just couldn’t be bothered. The reasons are more than one but it mostly came down to the non-existent bass impact, at least given my preferences for bass. However, the DCA E3 is a phenomenal closedback, and the hype is very well-deserved. Thankfully, it is not flying under the radar like the HEDD V2. I love how airy it sounds (partly a result of the tuning and partly the Cen Grand chain) and it finally has some proper bass slam!




I also got to try the Abyss Diana MR which was all right. But nothing to write home about. Yes, they fixed some of the issues of the previous Diana models, but Diana shaped headphones just don’t work for me sonically, somehow. Yes, the treble is better but still metallic, and the bass is powerful, but the mids are odd and peaky and timbrally off. The MR did stage incredibly well but I wouldn’t buy this headphone with my own money. 


The highlight for me, as far as IEMs go, was the Vision Ears VEX. If you are treble sensitive or otherwise prefer a warm tuning, then look absolutely no further, especially if you can afford its price tag of $3000. It is well-priced though and likely outperforms technically and given my subjective preferences for DD bass, tonally as well, many Unique Melody IEMs far more expensive. I just loved the VEX in its fit, finish and sort of being able to culminate the VE sound. Top IEM this one.



The cable is rock solid as well, at least as far as stock ones go.



I also had listening time with the Astell&Kern X Empire Ears Odyssey. I was surprised to find an unsold unit in Jakarta and as always, it delivers some incredible EE bass.




Last but not least, I got to try Hiby’s R8 II DAP. The Alcantara on the back of the unit reminded me of Microsoft Surface laptops and given my subjective preferences for aesthetics and design, I did not enjoy the use of the Alcantara at all. Creative, yes. But not a design aesthetic that is likely to catch on. I also did not connect with the red colorway. The shade of red or crimson did not work for me but of course this is hyper-subjective territory.




Sonically, the DAP was a pleasant surprise in being able to trade blows with my trusty Sony WM1ZM2. I quite liked it. But I prefer the vintage sound of my Sony still. It has a Sony sound and I cannot get enough of it.



There was plenty more to try and perhaps talk about, but I will end here, since the goal was to share some immediate thoughts, in case they are of help to some of you.



A big shout out to the Nico Demond once again. He is an influential audiophile in Indonesia and has built a community around him.


It was great to meet the lovely folks who turned up to hang out with me and I hope to run into some of them at HeadFi’s Canjam Singapore, which is just around the corner! Till then. Adios!

About the Author:

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