This year marks the ninth CanJam SoCal I have covered, my CanJam SoCal 2016 coverage being the first thing I wrote for Headphone.Guru. I would like to extend special thanks to Noble Audio for making this coverage possible, not only do they make incredible IEMs and now Headphones, they have always been a great supporter of the Personal Audio community in general, often sponsoring our coverage of these events. With around 70 booths and twelve rooms, Ethan, Jude, and the gang have done a spectacular job of providing visitors with an opportunity to experience all that is new in personal audio.
With the passing of Frank Iacone, I was left to cover this year’s show by myself, hence I focused on those vendors with the most exciting offerings.
NOBLE AUDIO
My first stop was my good friends at NOBLE AUDIO, who were demonstrating their captivating products with an even split between wireless offerings and spectacular reference-grade wired IEMs, including the launch of three new fantastic units. At the top of the heap lies the NOBLE AUDIO KRONOS ($4,500) fitted with 1 × 7 mm dynamic driver (bass), 1 × 10 mm dynamic driver (sub-bass), 1 × dual‑membrane bone conductor driver (tactile depth and resonance), 2 × Knowles balanced armatures (mid frequencies), 2 × Knowles balanced armatures (high frequencies), 2 × Sonion electrostatic drivers (ultra-high frequencies) tied together via a 6‑way crossover, for one of the most sonically accurate IEMs I have heard. Then, as a colorful entry, there was the NOBLE AUDIO Van Gogh ($699), a more affordable IEM that, with its 1 x 8mm dynamic driver with magnesium-aluminium diaphragm and dual-magnetic circuit, 2 x Sonion E Series balanced armature drivers, and 1 x Knowles RAD Series balanced armature driver, was as beautiful musically as it was in appearance. Most impressive of the lot was the new NOBLE AUDIO FoKus AMADEUS True Wireless IEM ($320), which put forth the look, feel, and sound of a serious high-performance IEM.
HIFIMAN
HIFIMAN was showing four new exciting products, the HIFIMAN Edition XV Open Back Planar Headphone ($399) and the HIFIMAN AUDIVINA LE Closed Back Planar Headphone ($399) making inroads on the budget side of things, the HIFIMAN HE600 Open Back Planar Headphone ($799) marking the updated return of an all-time favorite among personal audio enthusiasts, and a reference quality version of another crowd favorite, the HIFIMAN ANANDA UNVEILED Open Back Planar Headphone ($549).
qobuz
Once again, Qobuz was the official streaming service of the show. Unlike other notable high-end streaming services, Qobuz has thrown in full support for the high-end audio community, that makes their product relevant.
beyerdynamic
beyerdynamic was showing two new products, which perform far above their price point: the beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO X Open Back Dynamic Studio Headphone ($229.99) and the beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO X Closed Back Dynamic Studio Headphone ($229.99). In a reversal of the norm, the DT 770 PRO X not only offered a more linear tonal balance, but a larger soundstage also.
SCHIIT AUDIO
Schiit was on hand, demonstrating the latest improved versions of their famous DACs, Headphone Amplifiers, and slew of other audio components. Most notable was the Schiit Jotunheim 3 Modular Nexus™ and Continuity S™ Balanced Headphone Amp and Preamp ($499-$649 price based on module selection), which offers internal modules for a Sigma Delta DAC, a True Multi-bit DAC, or a Phono Stage, the Schiit Valhalla 3 Fully Modern Tube Headphone Amp ($499), and the amazing Schiit Gungnir 2 Balanced Multiform™ DAC ($1,599), which stands as the best sounding DAC under $5,000 that I have listened to.
CARDAS AUDIO
Cardas Audio was custom-terminating cables in person to show the care and quality that goes into the process. It is not for nothing that Cardas Audio has been my favorite cable manufacturer since the ’80s.
So that wraps up part 1 of my coverage of CanJam SoCal 2025, thanks to Noble Audio for providing sponsorship. Stay tuned for part 2.
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