CanJam SoCal 2025 - Coverage Sponsored By Noble Audio Pt.2

Thank you for returning for part 2 of my CanJam SoCal 2025 coverage. 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.

GRADO

After taking a quick break to check into the hotel, I did a run of the independent listening rooms starting with my good friends at Grado. For decades, up until the early ’90s, if you wanted an audiophile headphone, you had one option: STAX. For me, dynamic headphones were relegated to the studio where isolation trumped accuracy, and final mix was usually done with cheap speakers like the NS10, so the recordings would sound best on the Low-Fi gear that represented the bulk of consumers. Enter Grado, who saw the digital age take a large bite out of the phono cartridge market.

On hand was a rare appearance of John Grado, principal designer, and Richard Grado (pictured below), who is responsible for many of the latest innovations at Grado. On display for demo were the varied classic Grado offerings as well as their latest Grado Signature HP100 SE Open Back Open Air Dynamic Headphone ($2,495) and Grado Signature S950 Open Back Open Air Dynamic Headphone ($2,195), the first two Grado headphones to offer detachable cables.

Dan Clark Audio

Next stop was Dan Clark Audio who was sharing a room with HeadAmp. Dan was on hand to demonstrate his full line of headphones, focusing on those currently in production, like the award-winning Dan Clark Audio CORINA Electrostatic Headphone ($4,499.99), which I finally had the opportunity to review recently, and their most recent offerings the amazing Dan Clark Audio NOIRE X Closed Back Planar Magnetic Headphone ($999.99) and Dan Clark Audio NOIRE XO Open Back Planar Magnetic Headphone ($1,299.99). It is not for nothing that I count the entire Dan Clark Audio Headphone line among my reference headphones.

HeadAmp

HeadAmp was showing off their full line of stellar headphone amplifiers including the world-beating HeadAmp Blue Hawaii Special Edition Electrostatic Headphone Amplifier ($6,995), with special focus on their HeadAmp CFA3 Headphone Amp ($3,995) and HeadAmp CFA3 Deluxe Edition Headphone Amp ($4,995) which I learned is able to switch between Super Symmetry (SS) and Zero Feedback (ZF) modes to offer differing sonic signatures for different listeners.

DEKONI Audio

Dekoni Audio broke the mold by setting up a mini accessory retail space offering their plethora of products, including Custom Ear Pads, Headphones, and their incredible Dekoni Audio Ensemble Cables featuring Dekoni Modular Cable System Technology that allows a mix and match approach to headphone cables, permitting a minimal amount of cables to service a wide variety of headphones and headphone amplifiers.

DARK MATTER

Sharing the room with Dekoni was Dark Matter Audio Labs, a new Custom IEM manufacturer created by Dave Friesema, who was previously Technical Director for Etymotic/Westone Audio. They offer a range of CIEMs beginning at $699.99 and ranging up to $1,699.99.

grell

Also sharing the room with Dekoni was grell, and their grell OAE1 headphone ($169), which offers a unique driver placement designed to improve imaging. They shared with me a look at their next design, which is yet to be announced but looks promising.

AUDEZE

Returning to the main room, no personal audio show would be complete without AUDEZE, who, as usual, had their full line available for sampling, including their exceptional AUDEZE CRBN² Electrostatic Headphone ($5,995). New on the block was the AUDEZE LCD-S20 Closed-Back Planar Headphone ($499), the latest addition to their pro line headphones, featuring acoustically dampened earcups to block out external noise and prevent microphone bleed.

MEZE AUDIO

MEZE AUDIO, as usual had an arresting display with their unusual headphone stands supporting their unusual headphones. The headphone that impressed me the most was their MEZE AUDIO POET Rinaro Isodynamic^® Hybrid Array MZ6 Planar Magnetic Headphone ($2,000), though one can’t go wrong with their inexpensive dynamic headphone offerings like the MEZE AUDIO 105 AER ($399) and MEZE AUDIO 105 SILVA ($499).