SR8 bass sounds/feels pretty close to DD. Neon Pro on the other hand was way too soft and no air vents were not to my liking.
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Thanks!
I really care about bass quality, imaging and timbre. The rest is more or less tuning and Iâm just curious about this QC style tuning. I donât have a vocal specialist set yet.
If you have the chance to try songs by Bjork and by Habib Kite that would greatly appreciated. 
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Hi-Fi Tage 2023: Canjam Europe or CanâtJam Europe?
Greetings, seekers of the aural Holy Grail. I just returned from what was supposed to be the Mecca of headphonesâCanjam Europe, hosted within the larger context of Hi-Fi Tage 2023 in Darmstadt. Letâs just say it wasnât exactly the promised land. In fact, it was a desertâa literal sound desert with only one oasis in sight, provided by the laudable folks at audiotra.de.
The Last Table Standing
Yes, you heard me right. One table. Uno. Eins. It was less âCanjamâ and more âCanâtJam.â But props to audiotra.de for standing their ground, lest the whole event be nothing but echoes and tumbleweeds.
The Gory Details: A Peek at Pricy Perfection
Hereâs what was on the lone table for your auditory fiddling:
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Final Audio:
- IEMs: B1 (âŹ699), B2 (âŹ299), B3 (âŹ499), A8000 (âŹ1999)
- TWS: ZE8000 (âŹ329)
- Headphones: D8000 (âŹ3799), DT8000 Pro (âŹ4299)
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Stax:
- Headphones: SR-L300 (âŹ525), SR-L500 (âŹ900), SR-L700 (âŹ1700), SR-X9000 (âŹ7250), SR-009S (âŹ5250)
Electrostatic Extravaganza
Ah, the Stax lineupâeach one meticulously designed to expose every possible audio nuance. The SR-X9000 was as intricate as a Tolstoy novel, and as for the DT8000 Pro, it had enough engineering flair to make Tony Stark consider a career pivot. But letâs keep it in perspective, folks. These are headphones, not a means to secure a mortgage.
And while weâre on the subject, whatâs the deal with the build quality of the less-expensive Staxes? They felt like they could disintegrate if I so much as glanced at them sideways. Furthermore, why do some manufacturers still cling to the antiquated belief that hyper-detail is synonymous with âaudiophileâ? Thatâs like saying a microscope should replace the human eye; itâs missing half the plot.
The Law of Diminishing Auditory Returns
So, hereâs where the plot thickens. What do you truly gain after you go beyond the respectable territory of the Beyerdynamic DT Pro and Sennheiser HD 600 family or the below 1000 bucks Hifimans? Not a lot, folks, not a lot. Weâre swimming deep into the waters of diminishing returns, and unless you have the ears of a bat and the bank account of a small nation, youâre not likely to notice. Cue the torches and pitchforks, but come on, letâs keep it real.
The Final Frontier of Final Audio IEMs
Ah, the âFinalâ Audio IEMsâa brand name that practically writes its own punchline. The B3 was the standout, if we can call it that, but was effectively schooled by chifi IEMs that ask for half the ransom. And then thereâs the crĂšme de la crĂšme A8000. Itâs so focused on detail that you can practically hear the spaces between the atoms in your music. What we have here isnât a concertâitâs a musical dissection.
Sure, the A8000 boasts a beryllium driver, as if thatâs supposed to be the audio equivalent of a golden ticket. But letâs be real; this thing is missing a heart. The Wizard of Oz had a Tin Man with more emotional depth.
Wireless Woes: TWS Impressions
Before we venture back into the loudspeaker arena, letâs talk TWS, shall we? Final Audio ZE8000 and Denon Perl Pro graced my ears, and letâs just say, they didnât evoke any sonnets from me. Sure, they sound good, but not like âI want to marry this soundâ good. Huawei Freebuds Pro 2, priced as if they actually want people to buy them, still wear the crown for me. If that upsets your high-end sensibilities, you may want to sit down for this next part.
Speaker Row: The Good, The Great, and the Why-Am-I-Listening-To-This
Now, letâs talk about select big guns I auditionedâTriangle, Canton, and Bowers & Wilkins. Each brand had its merit, each had its moments. All were impressive; none were disappointing. But hereâs where it gets subjective: I loved Triangle the most. Maybe itâs because I own a pair of Triangle Comete speakers and adore their paper drivers and horn-loaded treble. Itâs like finding out your favorite indie band went mainstream but didnât sell out.
Musical Tastes or Lack Thereof
Now, a word about the demo tracks. Why, oh why, is it always classical, snooze-fest singer-songwriters with one guitar and a dream, or jazz that sounds like a musical traffic jam? Whereâs the rock, the grunge, the electronica? Apparently, those genres didnât get the invite to this hi-fi soirĂ©e.
A Little Disclaimer
Look, when I say youâre not missing out, I mean for typical, living-room stereo setups. Iâm not venturing into the labyrinthine world of home cinemaâmy expertise ends where the subwoofers begin to mimic earthquakes.
The Unveiling: The Aha Moment
You know what was the best part of this escapade? Realizing Iâm not missing out on anything by dodging these overpriced bullets. Big cheers to our chi-fi Prometheus figures for delivering us fire without the heavenly price tag. Itâs like dating a supermodel and finding out your high school sweetheart was the real catch. Less cost, more substance.
So, the next time someone tries to sell you a piece of the moon for a heavenly price, remember this: the real gems are often found down here, on Earth, priced in mortal currency.
Sound off, literally.
FYI, @Rinderkappajoe @n00kie
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The Japanese came to play
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Great write up. Itâs a breath of fresh and this hobby (and most other too) to hear this. Thank you!!
Yes!
I would love to try some triangle speakers one day.
Again, totally agree. Libraries are so important and busy genres like metal, baroque, electro, and so many others should be used more as to better discuss how these transducers reproduce sound.
Keep dodging âthoseâ bullets and make your own path.
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Looking for a bit of help from the community. How do I get in touch with Michael Bruce to order a Fat Earth set? Thanks 
Thanks for the report, glad I didnât miss too much! 
I think you are better off visiting High-End in Munich next year, even though itâs more of a Mecca for loudspeakers and not so much for Headphones and inears like a Canjam but youâll find lotâs of listening pleasure there aswell 
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Oh I forgot to mention; the location Darmstadtium gets a S-tier rating from me for the loudspeaker sound rooms these were a real joy to attend. Good isolation, room dimensions and considerate demo schedule planning between neighboring exhibitors. The Darmstadtium is the perfect location for such an event. Iâd loved to join some more demos but time ran out quickly.
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Iâve taken the set for an extended session and went through a couple of genres; first up, âJust the Two of Usâ by Grover Washington Jr.
Instrumental separation and Image is quite nice; I was able to pick out different parts of the track quite easily. Both male and female vocals sounded quite natural and had a certain (not overly) lush timbre to them.
Next, from Björk and 16-Bit, Hollow. While the deep hitting sub-bass in the Beginning of the Track doesnât reverberate quite in the same way as my Variations and Monarch Mk3 replay it, it still extends deep and does a very good job for a 4 BA set. The female vocals are clear and intimate. Separation and Layering is quite good once again.
Itâs Oh So Quiet, a personal favourite of mine. Excellent display of dynamic range. Track always renditions in my head as being performed on a sort of podium, like a musical stage. The Bravery overall replays the track quite well; I do miss a bit of the sparkle and sense of space the Variations and Monarch display when replaying this, but that comparison is a bit unfair, given that both have excellent Treble far beyond most sets.
Habib Koité was new for me, so I decided to just hit shuffle and listen to whatever comes up.
Vocals are lush again, but given that is one of the Braverys obvious strengths, Iâll stop commenting on it from now on. Instrumental rendition sounds quite natural to me once again. While it is a 4 BA set, the overall rendition is quite natural; nothing really sounds out of place.
Tracks with instrumentals in general get replayed quite well by the Bravery; itâs one of the most âorganicâ sounding all BA sets Iâve had listened to (including others I like, like the Symphonium Meteor, which is a good step up in Technicalities and Dynamics though in my humble opinion).
On to other genresâŠ
âŠwith All The Stars by Kendrick and SZA. Bass hits nicely from the beginning, with good snap and initial impact; it doesnât retain the body and weight quite like my best sets using DDs or Planars, but it also doesnât vanish into nothingness either. The âspaciousâ vibe the Track has gets displayed quite nicely. Again, especially the Monarch âpulls apartâ the space of the Track even more and provides a much larger stage, but that ainât a fair comparison once again.
Orchestral Arrangements next with âFateful Journey, Soaring Battleâ from the GBF Soundtrack. Timbre sounds correct to my ears, and the track also displays the Bravery being able to do the Treble regions well too. Again, I wouldnât call it excellent, but extension is there and rarely if ever sibilant (and you would have to turn up volume a bit for that; then again, I am not very treble sensitive and like me my sparkle, so take that with a grain of salt).
Last on todays session, one of my favourite Tracks by Disturbed: Meaning of Life.
Just love it. Drums have authority and hit with force while Davids voice comes through so well. Makes me wanna headbang.
Just some partial impressions, I plan to finish a writeup of a full review of the set eventually. Overall, I would give it a solid A; itâs a great set I am quite happy to have in my collection. That said, I cannot blind recommend it for a few reasons:
- Itâs an unvented IEM, and not everyone can deal with the pressure buildup or feeling of that
- The market has evolved, so I am not sure if I can recommend it at MSRP; itâs still a very good set, so when you could get it for off or second hand, I say give it a shot. There are simply much more IEMs in the price segment than there were on the Braverys release.
- Ultimately, try one yourself if and when you can. As I always say: Donât just take my review into account; what might sound nice to me might sound bad to someone else.
Overall a nice set that I really like. Not the most resolving nor spacious set, but overall good (enough) with a beautiful timbre and smooth tonality to boot. And it looks nice :3
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The pressure buildup from my Meteors were something I had to tip-roll to help solve. Usually I use spinfits so I tried CP100+'s and they didnât quite do the job - XELASTECâs did the trick.
They seal so goddamn good now and I can have em in for hours. Obviously the buildup is still there, but not a comfort issue since the seal is so good. I could see how some could find it annoying though.
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Hey everyone. I donât post much but some input would be appreciated on a new set.
The ideal pair would be
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Neautral/warm with good treble extenson.
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A bit of sub emphasis but nothing excessive. Moreso deep reaching and high quality sub bass. No mid bleed. I listen to a lot of deep bass electronic music but other genres too.
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Long Nozzles. For reference the yanyin canons fit like glove.
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In the 150-200 range.
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DD/BA hybrid
Cheers
ISN H30 would be a good fit and match
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If you specifically want a hybrid, then Iâd recommend (in this order):
- Juzear 41T
- Kinera Celest PhoenixCall
- Simgot EM6L
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Thank you so much for the impressions.
Looks like a great set to get for vocals, especially at used price.
Iâll have to listen to some of the songs that you tried.
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Juzear 41T is a good recommendation for sure
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A question for cable believers has anyone tried the Effect Audio Griffin? Iâm trying to weigh up the Griffin with full set of conect X and a full set of terminations vs a basic Ares S 8W with mmcx+2pin
Dude, have you tried the Orioles Szalyis (for powerful, quality bass and great timbre) or SoftEars Twilights (for dead on timbral accuracy and some of the most realistic low end presentation I have heard)? These are the two in the sub $1k bracket that really stand out to me for bass quality and timbral accuracy ATM.
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Edit: Nevermind back in business
Can anyone with a coupler chime in? Maybe @ToneDeafMonk, @Rikudou_Goku or @nymz . Mine all of a sudden doesnât want to register in REW. Upon inspection I noticed that a wire is not connected. Is this wire normally disconnected?
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Twilight interests me a lot. Several ppl have been praising them. I would have to find a good used deal to pull the trigger. Keep an eye out on the classified.
Szalayi never crossed my mind. I will look into it.
Thanks
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