Note: This feature was first published on 8 April 2024.
CanJam is possibly the largest personal audio show in the world and the Singapore edition took place this year on 6 and 7 April at the Pan Pacific Hotel. The show is a good place not only to check out the latest and greatest in personal audio, it's also an opportunity for showgoers to meet the founders and people behind their favourite audio brands. There are headphones, IEMs, amplifiers, DACs, and more. Here are the highlights we saw at the show.
Astell & Kern A&Ultima SP3000T
Looking for a high-end digital audio player? Astell & Kern's new A&ultimate SP3000T might just fit the bill.
Astell & Kern recently debuted their new A&ultima SP3000T flagship digital audio player at CanJam NYC 2024 and it's the player's first showing in Singapore. According to the brand, the SP3000T features the world’s first integration of a vacuum tube amp in a high-resolution digital audio player.
The audio player comes with AKM’s latest DAC, the AK4499X, and an AK4499EX for clear separation of digital and analogue signals. A Snapdragon 6125 Octa-core processor with 8GB of DDR4 memory powers it and the player operates on Astell & Kern’s custom Android operating system.
This silver-plated stainless steel audio player includes 2.5mm balanced, 4.4mm balanced, and a 3.5mm single-ended input to meet your needs. The SP3000T is also ROON-ready and can be deployed in a home audio system.
Don’t mistake this for the SP3000 variant as the "T" in SP3000T refers to the inclusion of two Raytheon JAN6418 MIL-SPEC tubes in the amplification circuit. There is a triple amp system which consists of "Tube Amp Mode" (with 3-step current adjustment), "Op-Amp Mode" and the combination of both, "Hybrid Amp Mode".
The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000T is set to retail for S$4,799 and will be available on AV ONE's website.
Cayin iHA-8, iDAC-8, and iDAP-8
On left is the iDAP-8, while the iHA-8 is on the right stacked on top of the iDAC-8.
Longtime followers of Cayin will know what the various abbreviations mean. For those new to the brand, these three are Cayin’s newest desktop solutions for the discerning listener. It consists of a headphone amplifier, DAC, and digital network streamer, and each component was designed to complement each other.
Let’s start with the iHA-8, which is a balanced pure Class A discrete headphone amplifier. In its full-power “Hyper” mode, it is capable of delivering up to 9.5W of power for your headphones. In other words, it can drive virtually every headphone out there – including the extremely power-hungry Hifiman Susvara. For convenience, it has three outputs for your headphones: 6.35mm, 4-pin XLR, and 4.4mm balanced.
The iDAC-8 is a balanced DAC that uses AKM’s flagship AK1491 + AK4499EX DAC platform. It has the usual USB, coaxial, optical, and AES/EBU inputs and supports music up to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD music up to DSD512. What’s interesting about it is that both vacuum tube and solid-state output stages, so users can pick between the slightly warmer sound of tubes or the more accurate sound of solid-state.
The final piece is the iDAP-8 digital network streamer. It runs on Android and features a 5-inch Full-HD touch display on the front panel that users can use to directly navigate to their music. You can stream music over both Wi-Fi and LAN or play them directly off an external storage device like an SD card or flash drive. It even has a built-in drive bay that can accommodate 2.5-inch HDDs or SSDs up to 4TB in capacity.
The Cayin iHA-8 is S$1,499, the iDAC-8 is S$1,999, and the iDAP-8 is S$1,799. They are all available now from Zeppelin & Co..
Creative Zen Hybrid SXFI and Zen Air SXFI
This is the Creative Zen Hybrid SXFI headphone. Sony fans might find it oddly familiar-looking.
The most common complaint about Creative’s Super X-Fi technology is how it won’t work with streaming services like Apple Music, Netflix, and Spotify. As you can imagine, this limitation greatly reduces the utility of Super X-Fi technology and Creative’s devices that were designed for it. That’s about to change with the release of the Zen Hybrid SXFI over-ear wireless headphones and Zen Air SXFI true wireless earbuds because these two devices will have Super X-Fi built directly into them so that the technology can be applied to whatever content you choose to play. This means you can finally enjoy Super X-Fi with content from your favourite streaming services.
The Creative Zen Hybrid SXFI and Zen Air SXFI will be available sometime in May or June and will be priced at S$149 and S$119 respectively.
Dita Navigator
Spending plenty of time outdoors? This portable DAC/amp from Dita, the Navigator is one to add to your everyday carry.
Featuring an aluminium build, the Navigator uses dual ES9219 DAC chips. The Navigator also has the following technical specifications:
- Connectivity: Type-C input, 3.5mm single-ended, 4.4mm balanced outputs
- Power Output: 4.4mm – 340mW @ 32 Ohms 4.4mm / 3.5mm – 110mW @ 32 Ohms
- Supports: MQA 16x Native, PCM 768kHz/32bit, DSD256 Native
- Dual FPGA-independent crystal oscillator clocks
What captured our attention about the Navigator among the sea of DAC/amp solutions at the show was its unique design. It's made out of a 6000 series aluminium construction, which, according to the brand, is the kind of aluminium alloy that you would typically find in aircraft and marine construction due to its strength and resistance to corrosion.
Within the Navigator lies the dual FPGA crystal oscillator clocks that aid in lowering jitter and reducing distortion. This is paired with the ES9219 DAC chips for a true balanced audio output.
You can find the Dita Navigator over at Zeppelin & Co. for S$459.
Eletech Baroque Eartips
Improve your IEM listening experience with the Baroque ear tips from Eletech.
Pair your favourite IEMs with the Baroque ear tips from Eletech. The ear tips are made out of Japanese medical-grade silicon and are certified to be hypoallergenic. These ear tips feature a wide bore design and come in three sizes, small, medium, and large each with 11mm, 12.25mm, and 13.3mm diameter openings respectively.
The ear tips boast three innovations from Eletech for a comfortable listening experience. Featuring their Tria, Flexion and Satiné trademarked technologies, they are applied to the Baroque ear tips and are created for an enhanced listening experience. Tria disperses sound waves within the tip, minimising unwanted resonances for a clear, immersive soundstage. Flexion, inspired by origami, comfortably conforms to your ear for a secure fit and reduces vibrations for accurate audio reproduction. Finally, Satiné utilizes nano-wavy lines to create a smooth, satin-like texture for luxurious comfort. These combined technologies improve the performance for both comfort and sound quality.
The Baroque ear tips are available for sale for S$30.55 online at Jaben, the authorised reseller for Eletech in Singapore.
Flipears Aurora XXIV
One of the most impressive IEMs we've heard at the show was the Flipears Aurora XXIV. The Aurora has a "Tribrid" configuration that consists of 2 dynamic drivers + 6 balanced armatures + 2 electrostatic drivers. The two dynamic drivers are 9mm dynamic "Firewoofers" used specifically for sub-bass, resulting in tight bass response with deep extension.
The two electrostatic drivers handle ultra-high frequencies while the six balanced armature drivers are configured as two low-mids, two mids, and two mid-highs. For technical specifications, the Aurora 24 has a Sensitivity at 124dB @ 1mW, an impedance at 21 ohm @1kHz, and a claimed frequency response ranging from 5Hz to 70kHz.
The Aurora front and back plates have their custom design with patterns that appear like curtains, rays, and spirals akin to the Aurora Borealis. They come with a standard 8-core OCC copper cable in default 2.5mm terminations but also include free 3.5mm and 4.4mm adapters.
Based on our brief listening with the Flipears Aurora XXIV, they had crispy highs, transparent mids, and were highly detailed. In terms of tonality, the Aurora XXIV leans toward a V-shaped tuning. Its bass was tastefully elevated and the treble sounded clear and detailed.
The Flipears Aurora XXIV retails for USD$2,099 (~S$2,831) and can be found on their website here.
Meze Alba
Meze is set to launch the Meze Alba. According to the brand, Alba in this case refers to dawn or first light. The Alba uses a single 10.8mm dynamic driver (10.8mm) driver and based on our short time with the Alba, they appear to have a V-shape sound that most people will likely find appealing. However, what really stood out for us was its high build quality and the fact that they come bundled with high-quality braided cables, and a USB-C dongle-type DAC/amp so that owners can easily use them with their smartphones. The Alba looks like a good option for anyone ready to move on from wireless earbuds and want high-quality wired sound on the go.
No word yet on the exact launch date in Singapore, but we were told that the Meze Alba will retail for S$239 and will be available from AV One.
Raal 1995 Magna & Immanis
The Raal 1995 Magna and Immanis are unique in that they used ribbon drivers instead of your more common dynamic or planar magnetic drivers. The Magna is on the left, while the Immanis is on the right.
Lovers of ultra high-end headphones will no doubt have heard of the Raal SR1a, which was notable for two reasons. It was the world’s first headphone to use ribbon tweeters and it had an unorthodox construction where its drivers would sit on your head and at a distance from your ears. It delivered an out-of-the-world listening experience, but its design also posed some compromises.
Luckily, Aleksandar Radisavljevic, the designer behind the SR1a headphones, is back with the more conventional-looking and wearing Magna and Immanis. At first glance, these look like normal headphones. But like the SR1a, the Magna and Immanis feature ribbon drivers. The key difference between the two is that Magna has two ribbon drivers, whereas the Immanis has three. Otherwise, they are largely similar and have been developed and designed with the same guiding principles.
We had a listen and were impressed by their detail and dynamics. The sound was incredibly textured and life-like. What’s more important perhaps is that they wear like normal headphones, which means comfort is good and noise leakage, though still present, is minimised. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that because they use ribbon drivers, you either need an amplifier designed for ribbon driver headphones or a special converter that Raal 1995 calls a “Ribbon Current Drive Interface” that allows it to be paired with a traditional headphone amplifier. Happily, this converter is provided with every purchase.
The Raal 1995 Magna and Immanis are both available now and are priced at S$9,000 and S$13,000 respectively. You can find them at SLT Technologies.
Tangzu Xuanwu Gate
From the makers of the popular budget-level Tangzu Wan’er, Tangzu has just released its first flagship IEM, the Xuanwu Gate. It has a 1 dynamic driver + 4 balanced armature drivers +2 electro-static driver tribrid configuration, Tangzu says the Xuanwu Gate brings a neutral and pure audio presentation which complements a wide variety of musical genres.
At the heart of the Xuanwu Gate lies a 10mm carbon composite dynamic driver for powerful bass, four custom-designed balanced armature drivers for detailed mids and highs, and two Sonion electro-static drivers for extended ultra-high frequency response.
The Tangzu Xuanwu Gate are a visual treat with shells that are made out of CNC-machined aerospace-grade aluminium alloy and have a unique “Terrace Field” 3D design which gives them a distinctive and high-end look.
Tangzu includes a high-purity single-crystal copper cable with a finely woven 98-core 8-strand structure. The detachable 2-pin 0.78mm connectors offer additional flexibility, with interchangeable 3.5mm and 4.4mm termination plugs included in the package. This allows you to connect the Xuanwu Gate to a variety of audio sources with ease.
The Tangzu Xuan Gate is available now at Sam Audio for S$939.99.
Vision Ears 10
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, German company Vision Ears has launched the Vision Ears 10 which has a dual significance as it also features a 10-driver hybrid design. The VE10 combines an 8mm dynamic bass driver with 9 balanced armature drivers, configured in a 5-way system that consists of:
- 1 x 8 mm DD with acoustic low pass
- 2 x dual mid/low BA
- 1 x dual mid BA
- 1 x dual mid/high BA
- 1 x super tweeter BA
The Vision Ears 10 weigh just 4g each and each shell is made of anodized aluminum. Externally, the shell comes in a titanium finish with Vision Ear logos on the lower half. It uses non-recessed 2-pin 0.78mm sockets.
The VE 10 comes with a set of SpinFit CP145 ear tips and a uniquely created balanced (4.4mm) upgrade cable with a custom litz structure made out of high purity, 6NOCC copper and silver-plated wires. The cables have a silver colour finish which matches perfectly with the titanium finish of the VE10. It has a gold-plated 4.4mm balanced plug with the VE logo across its alloy housing.
Based on our listening experience, the VE10 has a balanced sound signature with punchy dynamic bass, detailed mids, and a natural and highly resolving treble.
The Vision Ears 10 are available now and they retail online for S$4,199 at AV ONE and Zeppelin & Co..
ZMF Caldera Closed
Like all other ZMF headphones, the Caldera Closed have gorgeous wood ear cups.
The Caldera is ZMF’s first planar magnetic headphone and it has an open-back design. Naturally, the obvious follow-up is a closed-back version and here it is – the Caldera Closed. These headphones haven’t been officially launched, but they have been making rounds at CanJam events around the world to give showgoers a tease of what to expect. Although show conditions are less than ideal for auditioning, our first impressions of the Caldera Closed are largely positive. We were surprised at how airy and wide they sounded. And of course, like most other ZMF headphones, the Caldera Closed has a beautiful construction and gorgeously-finished wood ear cups.
There’s no word yet on pricing, but the ZMF Caldera Closed is available now and is priced at S$5,199. You can find it at Zeppelin and Co..
7th Acoustics Supernova
If you’ve never heard of this brand, you’re not alone. 7th Acoustics is a small brand hailing from Indonesia and this is their flagship IEMs, the Supernova. Utilising 6 balance armature drivers, it features dual Sonion vented-bass BAs for deep bass, with separate Sonion BAs for the midrange and upper-midrange. Two Knowles BAs handle the treble and upper treble.
The Supernova has a 15-ohm impedance, a frequency response from 5Hz to 24kHz, and uses 2pin 0.78mm cables.
In terms of accessories, they come with five sets of Final Audio Type E tips and three sets of BGVP 07 ear tips in various sizes. It also comes with a metal carrying case and the stock cable is made out of high-quality braided copper with a 4.4mm termination.
If you’re interested in these IEMs, take note that they’re built-to-order and go for S$1,199 from Zeppelin & Co..
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