CanJam SoCal 2021 Part 2

Continuing my coverage of CanJam SoCal 2021 I visited the hospitality suite hosted by the Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society. T. K. Lee was demonstrating a pair of home-built speakers using a Schiit Vidar ($699), Schiit Sega+ ($399), and a Schiit Fulla ($109) to drive them, the ultimate in a low budget Audiophile system.

Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society Hospitality Room, Schiit Vidar Stereo/Mono Power Amplifier, Schiit Sega+ Passive or Active Remote Tube Hybrid Preamp, Schiit Fulla DAC/Headphone Amp For Gaming and CommunicationCanJam SoCal 2021
Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society Hospitality Room, Schiit Vidar Stereo/Mono Power Amplifier, Schiit Sega+ Passive or Active Remote Tube Hybrid Preamp, Schiit Fulla DAC/Headphone Amp For Gaming and Communications
Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society CanJam SoCal 2021
Los Angeles & Orange County Audio Society

Etymotic

Etymotic CanJam SoCal 2021

Returning to the main floor I started with Etymotic, who were showing their new EVO In-Ear Monitor ($499.95), their first dive into multi-driver IEMs featuring Dual Balanced Armature Low-Frequency Drivers and Single Midrange / Treble Balanced Armature Driver which provides a much more musical presentation than their Studio focused single driver offerings.

Benchmark DAC3 HGC DAC/Headphone Amplifier, Etymotic ER2 SE IEM, Etymotic ER2 XR IEM, Etymotic ER3 SE IEM, Etymotic ER3 XR IEM, Etymotic ER4 SE IEM, Etymotic ER4 XR IEM CanJam SoCal 2021
Benchmark DAC3 HGC DAC/Headphone Amplifier, Etymotic ER2 SE IEM, Etymotic ER2 XR IEM, Etymotic ER3 SE IEM, Etymotic ER3 XR IEM, Etymotic ER4 SE IEM, Etymotic ER4 XR IEM
Etymotic ER3 SE IEM, Etymotic ER3 XR IEM, Etymotic Etymotion BT Cable, Etymotic ER4 SE IEM, Etymotic ER4 XR IEM, Etymotic EVO IEM, Benchmark DAC3 B DAC, Benchmark HPA4 Headphone/Line Amplifier CanJam SoCal 2021
Etymotic ER3 SE IEM, Etymotic ER3 XR IEM, Etymotic Etymotion BT Cable, Etymotic ER4 SE IEM, Etymotic ER4 XR IEM, Etymotic EVO IEM, Benchmark DAC3 B DAC, Benchmark HPA4 Headphone/Line Amplifier
Etymotic EVO In-Ear Monitor CanJam SoCal 2021
Etymotic EVO In-Ear Monitor

Westone Audio

Westone Audio CanJam SoCal 2021
Westone Audio

Westone Audio was showing their famous Pro X20 ($299.99), Pro X30 ($399.99), Pro X50 ($649.99), and WA80-V3 ($999.99) In-Ear Monitors. I was told that Lucid has great plans for Westone and new things loom on the horizon.

Benchmark DAC3 HGC DAC/Headphone Amplifier, Westone Audio WA80-V3 IEM, Westone Audio Pro X20 IEM, Westone Audio Pro X30 IEM, Westone Audio Pro X50 IEM, Benchmark DAC3 B DAC, Benchmark HPA4 Headphone/Line Amplifier CanJam SoCal 2021
Benchmark DAC3 HGC DAC/Headphone Amplifier, Westone Audio WA80-V3 IEM, Westone Audio Pro X20 IEM, Westone Audio Pro X30 IEM, Westone Audio Pro X50 IEM, Benchmark DAC3 B DAC, Benchmark HPA4 Headphone/Line Amplifier

HeadAmp

HeadAmp CanJam SoCal 2021

HeadAmp remains one of the great headphone amplifier manufacturers, the HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE Tube Hybrid Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier ($5,995) stands as the best sounding Electrostatic headphone amplifier I have ever heard, so despite having a large presence in booths all over the show, no CanJam would be complete without a showing of HeadAmp themselves. Their latest model the GS-X Mini Balanced Headphone Amplifier/Pre-Amp ($1,795) is a favorite here at Headphone.Guru and counts itself among the reference amps of both Frank and Peter. And for the budget-minded, the Gilmore Lite mk2 is no slouch either.

Audeze LCD-4z Planar Magnetic Headphones, HeadAmp GS-X Mini Balanced Headphone Amplifier/Pre-Amp, HiFiMan HE-R10P Planar Magnetic Headphones, HeadAmp Gilmore Lite mk2 with HeadAmp Golden Reference Power Supply, Meze Audio 99 Classics Headphones, Mytek Audio Manhattan DAC II DAC/Preamp/Streamer, STAX SR-X9000, HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE Tube Hybrid Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier, STAX SR-009S CanJam SoCal 2021
Audeze LCD-4z Planar Magnetic Headphones, HeadAmp GS-X Mini Balanced Headphone Amplifier/Pre-Amp, HiFiMan HE-R10P Planar Magnetic Headphones, HeadAmp Gilmore Lite mk2 with HeadAmp Golden Reference Power Supply, Meze Audio 99 Classics Headphones, Mytek Audio Manhattan DAC II DAC/Preamp/Streamer, STAX SR-X9000, HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE Tube Hybrid Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier, STAX SR-009S
GS-X Mini Balanced Headphone Amplifier/Pre-Amp, Focal Celestee Headphones, HiFiMan HE-400i Planar Magnetic Headphones, STAX SR-009S, HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE Tube Hybrid Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier, STAX SR-X9000, Mytek Audio Manhattan DAC II DAC/Preamp/Streamer, HeadAmp Gilmore Lite mk2 with HeadAmp Golden Reference Power Supply, Meze Audio 99 Classics Headphones CanJam SoCal 2021
GS-X Mini Balanced Headphone Amplifier/Pre-Amp, Focal Celestee Headphones, HiFiMan HE-400i Planar Magnetic Headphones, STAX SR-009S, HeadAmp Blue Hawaii SE Tube Hybrid Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier, STAX SR-X9000, Mytek Audio Manhattan DAC II DAC/Preamp/Streamer, HeadAmp Gilmore Lite mk2 with HeadAmp Golden Reference Power Supply, Meze Audio 99 Classics Headphones

Ferrum Audio/Atlas Cables

Ferrum Audio/Atlas Cables CanJam SoCal 2021

Ferrum Audio was showing their OOR Headphone Amplifier ($1,995) with their Hypsos Outboard Power Supply ($995), and Atlas Cables Zeno Harmonic Headphone Cables. The OOR is a fully balanced discrete amplifier capable of outputting a whopping 8 Watts into 60Ω, easily capable of driving almost any headphone. The Hypsos is a Linear/switching hybrid with a variable output of 5V to 30V and is compatible with a host of products. Atlas Cables Zeno Harmonic Headphone Cables employ a true dual balanced design with their Grun Coherent Earthing System which provides a reference earth point when attached to either your amplifier or mains ground offering noise-free listening.

OOR Headphone Amplifier, Hypsos Outboard Power Supply, Atlas Cables Zeno Harmonic Headphone Cable, Focal Stellia Headphones CanJam SoCal 2021
OOR Headphone Amplifier, Hypsos Outboard Power Supply, Atlas Cables Zeno Harmonic Headphone Cable, Focal Stellia Headphones

Dunu

Dunu CanJam SoCal 2021

Dunu were on hand to show their various In-Ear Monitors with an emphasis on their Falcon Pro IEM ($219) which features a 10mm Diamond-Like Carbon Dome Dynamic Driver with Fully independent Suspension Surround and 1.6 T Neodymium Magnet, Stainless Steel Housings with Dual-Chambered Resonance Control employing Multi-Path Airflow Damping, and Interchangeable Tuning Nozzles. They were also showing their Never Switch IEM cables with a host of swappable connectors.

Dunu Never Switch IEM Cables and Connectors CanJam SoCal 2021
Dunu Never Switch IEM Cables and Connectors
Dunu Driver Diaphragms CanJam SoCal 2021
Dunu Driver Diaphragms
Dunu Falcon Pro display CanJam SoCal 2021
Dunu Falcon Pro display
Dunu Falcon Pro IEM, Dunu Zen Pro IEM CanJam SoCal 2021
Dunu Falcon Pro IEM, Dunu Zen Pro IEM
Dunu EST112 Dynamic/BA/Electrostatic Hybrid IEM CanJam SoCal 2021
Dunu EST112 Dynamic/BA/Electrostatic Hybrid IEM

Wells Audio

Wells Audio CanJam SoCal 2021

My good friend Jeff Wells was there demonstrating his new Dragon Tube Headphone Amplifiers, which comes in three flavors, Level I ($1,500), Level II ($2,500) and Level III ($5,500), and his Cipher Tube DAC ($5,000 Level I and $13,000 Level II). As with all of Wells Audio gear, the Levels denote upgrades to the base unit and their attached costs, rather than different designs. Another item of extreme interest on display was the Wells Audio Looking Glass II Power Line Conditioner ($2,500 Level I and $7,500 Level II) which employs a “gas module” protection circuit that breaks connection for overcurrent situations, and then automatically resets when the condition has passed.

Wells Audio Dragon Level I, HiFiMan Susvara Headphones CanJam SoCal 2021
Wells Audio Dragon Level I, HiFiMan Susvara Headphones
Wells Audio Dragon Level I CanJam SoCal 2021
Wells Audio Dragon Level I
Wells Audio Looking Glass II Power Line Conditioner, Wells Audio Headtrip II Headphone Amplifier,  Wells Audio Cipher Tube DAC CanJam SoCal 2021
Wells Audio Looking Glass II Power Line Conditioner, Wells Audio Headtrip II Headphone Amplifier,  Wells Audio Cipher Tube DAC

Continued in Part 3 of Headphone.Guru’s coverage of CanJam SoCal 2021

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Gary Alan Barker

Gary Alan Barker is a writer who has been a member of the Audio Industry since 1978, having acted as technical writer for several high-end audio companies, and been an electronics hobbyist since 1960. He has also been a musician and writer since the mid 1960s.

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