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A sneak peek at new audio gear debuting at CanJam Singapore 2023 *updated*

By Liu Hongzuo - on 8 Mar 2023, 3:31pm

A sneak peek at new audio gear debuting at CanJam Singapore 2023 *updated*

This article was first published on 7 March 2023.

We update this article when our audio distributor and brand friends step forward to share what they are bringing to CanJam Singapore 2023, so stay tuned for any new entries here.

Astell & Kern Acro CA1000T.

The sixth Singapore edition of CanJam 2023 is coming this month, which is excellent news for audiophiles and audio distributors in our region. As a major personal audio trade show, that also means seeing many interesting new audio toys, and having them all in one place for listening trials.

Some of our friendly audio folks have given us a sneak peek at what’s coming to the show, which we’ve highlighted below.

 

Audeze Maxwell

Audeze Maxwell.

Audiophile-branded gaming is a thing because Audeze said so. 

The Audeze Maxwell is a wireless gaming headset launching at CanJam Singapore 2023. While not much has been shared (beyond its appearance at its distributor’s booth, AV One), we know that the Audeze Maxwell packs core gaming audio needs (wireless connectivity, spatial audio, battery life) into one Xbox-and-PlayStation-friendly package.

It uses Audeze’s 90mm planar magnetic drivers, Uniforce voice coils, Fluxor magnets, and Fazer waveguides, on top of 24-bit/96kHz audio streamed wirelessly (2.4GHz) or via USB. Audeze claims 80 hours of battery life, with support for 20-minute fast charging.

Audeze Maxwell.

Other perks are Maxwell’s support for high-end audio codecs (LC3plus, LE Audio, LDAC), Dolby Atmos licensing (for Dolby Atmos support on your compatible systems), AI-powered noise filtering microphones, and Bluetooth Multipoint for swapping between different source devices.  

The PlayStation version of Audeze Maxwell starts at US$299. Local prices are to be revealed at a later time.

 

Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000

The Astell & Kern A&ultima SP3000 is a flagship-class digital audio player that packs two AKM AK4191EQ digital signal processors and four AK4499EX DACs underneath its 5.46-inch Full HD touch display. It also has Digital Audio Remaster technology built into the device, where you can upsample the source audio into PCM or DSD formats for enhanced listening. The device offers decoding up to 32-bit, 768kHz bit-to-bit playback, and costs S$5,799 locally.  

 

Astell & Kern Acro CA1000T

Astell & Kern Acro CA1000T.

Astell & Kern Acro CA1000T is a multi-function, all-in-one Headi-Fi audio system for driving headphones or IEMs with its dual-tube, triple amplifier configuration and ESS’s ES9039MPRO dual DACs. This audio system supports  3.5mm, 6.35mm, Unbalanced 2.5mm, and 4.4mm Balanced output jacks, on top of balanced Mini XLR, and unbalanced RCA output options. It’s highly versatile, covering many bases with diverse input and output alternatives while providing four levels of gain and 15VRMs output to drive even the most demanding headphones out there.

It’s not a new audiophile product, but you can try it out at AV One’s booth to see if it suits your listening needs – especially if you have many source devices and headphones to play around with. Acro CA1000T retails at S$3,499.

 

Cayin N7

Caiyin N7. Image courtesy of Zepp&Co.

The Cayin N7 (S$2,899) is an all-to-DSD, flagship-class music player that operates on an Android 12 fork for streaming and song storage compatibility. As a player, it packs 128 individual resistors on its discrete, 1-bit, FPGA-based DSD DAC. As an Android-based device, you can access Google Play Store and high-resolution streaming platforms (like Tidal Spotify, Apple Music). All formats are passed through as DSD via the Caiyin N7’s 1-bit decoding.

If you want to know whether its highly-customised FPGA logic and 1-bit decoding offer anything to your listening experience, there’s only one way to find out – and you can do that at Zeppelin & Co’s booth.

 

FiiO R7

FiiO R7.

The FiiO R7 is also distributed via AV One. This is a desktop, high-resolution audio player and streamer with Roon Ready certification, making it a competent digital music streamer, with a transmitter, decoder, preamp, amplifier, and playback features all housed within a single unit.

The FiiO R7’s front panel has 6.35mm output, 4.4mm balanced output, and four-pin XLR output, with a host of crucial input/output slots on its rear. It even has a USB host interface for plugging in USB hubs, external covers, hard disks, and keyboards, with support for both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and wired Ethernet connection.

The desktop audio streamer is making its local debut at CanJam Singapore 2023. 

 

Hiby RS8

Hiby RS8. Image courtesy of Zepp&Co.

Another Android 12-based digital music player with customised, FPGA-logic chips is the Hiby RS8 (S$4,899). It offers 184 individual resistors to decode PCM and DSD via separate non-oversampling (NOS) R2R paths, combined with several other noise-filtering tricks and a discrete Class A 4.4mm headphone amplifier with power to supply it.

We found it interesting how Hiby RS8 describes its conversion and playback capabilities, where “amidst minimal digital filtering, the format's analogue-like goodness gets delivered unmolested to your ears”. Perhaps we didn’t need to know our ears were molested constantly, but it’s a huge promise for audiophiles seeking something different from run-of-the-mill DACs and DAPs.

Give it a go at Zeppelin & Co’s booth when it arrives at CanJam Singapore 2023. Stocks arrive in the same month.

 

ZMF Headphones Atrium Closed

ZMF Headphones Atrium Closed. Image courtesy of Zepp&Co.

Headphone brand ZMF has a crowd favourite, open-backed, cherrywood pair called the ZMF Atrium (S$3,438). It uses a pair of 50mm biocellulose drivers with N52 magnets and a proprietary Atrium Dampening System to control backwave dampening for optimal acoustics.

Its closed-back variant is the ZMF Atrium Closed (S$3,699), which exclusively travels to different CanJam conferences (if you were to believe the organiser’s forum posts). ZMF fans and interested buyers can head over to Zeppelin & Co’s booth to give it a whirl at CanJam 2023 Singapore before it officially goes to international retail. According to its local distributors, Atrium Closed will also have 50mm biocellulose drivers and a high-impedance voice coil, on top of the same Atrium Dampening System.

 

More about CanJam Singapore 2023 

CanJam Singapore 2023 is a ticketed two-day event on 25 to 26 March 2023 (11AM to 6PM, and 10AM to 5PM, respectively), located at Pan Pacific Singapore (wedged right between Milennia Walk, Suntec City, and Marina Square). The tickets can be purchased online here

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