Sajid Amit

Audio: Listen to this article. Looking Back at Singapore Canjam 2024: Part 2 By Sajid Amit 
If you have read Part 1 of this piece, you may have obtained a sense that my day one of Singapore Canjam was spent in checking off Canjam bucket-lists; and trying those wonderful audiophile products that I have been hearing about without having had the opportunity to experience. It was a fun-filled and fulfilling day, so I woke up bright and early on day 2, excited. The day started with some Kaya toast, which is just lovely in its simplicity. 
Then I made a beeline to the show floor proceedings. I have been searching for a cable for my Aroma Audio Jewel which is subtly but definitively cable-sensitive. I picked up this Flash Acoustics cable after much cable-rolling. The cable is called the Catalina and it sounds very good and can be had at a decent price as well, sub-$500. I have driven the Jewel with $5000 cables, but I have decided it’s more about synergy than price points with IEM cables, so that is that. I also adored the gold color which I don’t usually go for, but it matches the color of the lettering on Jewel’s faceplates. 
 
Next in line was the Chinese brand Kinera’s flagship, the Loki, which is a first yet impressive effort at a flagship from an otherwise ChiFi brand, trying to punch above its weight class. I expected it to have a fair amount of treble presence and it did, but it was more sparkly than bright. I believe it had the sort of treble one would call “articulate”. The Loki also had a nice, fast, and textured bass, and made for an overall a good, clean listen. I hope to get it in for a review.
 
I also tried a Kinera sister-brand called Queen of Audio (QoA) and the IEM is a prototype of what will be called the “Adonis”. There were two versions of the Adonis and I was happy to try the bassier one. Expected to be priced at $180, the Adonis was exceeded my expectations. What a beautiful sound, even if I wasn’t feeling the shell design! 
Another relatively new brand called Ice Labs audio had two very interesting IEMs, the Prismatic and Prismatic Gold. They were both strong performers, but the Gold was very good and was better across the spectrum with some high-quality BA bass, a tonally rich midrange, and a well-done treble. Overall, the Gold is a good buy for $1800.
 
Next, I checked out the Noble Audio booth to experience the new flagship called the Onyx. My first impressions were positive in that the tonality was spot on; the bass reminded me of the fantastic Sultan bass; and it was overall very pleasant-sounding. However, it was too short a listen to determine how resolving it is for the price, but this is worth a look for Noble fans. The highlight for me and my wife was the incredible full gold and diamond Sultan, still my favorite Noble product.
 
In addition to the gold and diamond Sultan, the Noble both had another Sultan made of stainless steel and black diamond. Have to hand it to Noble for their out-of-the-box choice of materials, aesthetics and finishing! 
 
I also finally got to try the mythical Rhapsodio Supreme V3. And I loved it. The V3 is a close-to-perfect sounding set with incredible bass and holography. It is a single driver design, but I was informed that the driver type is neither dynamic driver, nor balanced armature or planar. The V3 uses a proprietary 12mm Ultramag 5G Magnetostatic (MST) driver. Many may not want to shell out $6400 for a single driver design and I could never argue that this one is worth the price, but it is truly fantastic, and I would buy it if I could get it at a reasonable discount. It has genuine all-rounder credentials, given my preferences. This was a definite show highlight for me.
 
While on the topic of unique tech, the Soranik MEMS IEM was also quite enjoyable. What stood out was how much its sound varied depending on whether you were driving it directly from its portable energizer amp or whether the energizer product was connected to a separate amp, a Topping A90 in this case. It was full-bodied and bassy on the energizer and brighter and colder with the A90 in chain. The difference was far from subtle: like listening to two different IEMs. I enjoyed both experiences, but I understand some people may have decided that it is bright based on the Topping chain. But it actually has a pretty decent bass shelf.
 
I also tried the Nostalgia Audio Tesseract which looks really cool and was paired with an equally attractive Flash Acoustics Cable. The experience was good without necessarily being great. No part of the frequency response nor technical performance stood out for me, with this combo.
 
The Elysian Pilgrim Noir, however, was quite impressive for the price. This is a new set from the famed Malaysian-Singaporean brand Elysian, and it definitely retains the Elysian house sound but offers a more generous bass, much better than what is found on their current flagship, the Annihilator 2023. The bass on the Noir is more tactile, “bouncy”, and impactful. Overall, it is a very nice IEM. Note that the shell design isn’t final at the time of writing this piece. 
 
I had a re-listen to the Sony WM1ZM2 + Osprey PB5 stack and although amps make a small difference to the sound of IEMs (and yes, the delta varies between IEMs); for many it may be a decisive difference. I am still trying to decide how much I care about this difference having bought and sold a Tsuranagi paying full price then losing on the sale. I also listen to IEMs mostly lying down or in the car or at the gym and none of these use cases are conducive to daisy-chaining.
 
The purple cable pictured above and below is a total beauty and it’s called the Thanos and it’s also from Flash Acoustics.
 
The Mass Kobo 475 continues to be a delight but I probably prefer the PB5 to it for the latter’s richness of presentation and largeness of stage.
 
Lastly, I wanted to see how much the Jewel scales on some of the hottest solid-state amps in the business: the Mass Kobo 465 and the Zahl HM1. Surprisingly, although the Jewel scales very noticeably on the Hifiman Serenade on my nightstand, it did not offer any noticeable increment in performance on either the 465 or the HM1. It sounded rather clinical on the HM1 and overly smooth and rich on the 465, which goes to show how insufficiently synergy is correlated with price.
 
 
Having experienced all the IEMs I wanted to (I couldn’t find the Monachaa or the Traillii Ti; these two still evade me), I went on to try Sony’s new entry-level headphones, the MDR-MV1. I was so impressed that I immediately bought a pair. What a beautifully studio neutral sound with great bass, a certain width to the stage, and impressive levels of resolution for the price! It’s also so light. Before I bought it, I made sure to try it off different sources and it impressed on all of them!
 

Of course, I spent more time with the best product of Canjam Singapore 2023, the Raal 1995 Immanis. Two of my friends, who are serious summit-fi headphone collectors and enthusiasts immediately placed their orders. After listening to it for the third time today, I am 99% certain that they are a step above in performance from the Susvara or the TC or the X9000.
 
These headphones do what no IEMs can. I recently brought in the Susvara and the Utopia and I prefer my IEMs to both. But the Immanis are a different beast. They are probably the best headphones on the market at present. Aleksandar of Raal also spent a great deal of time hanging out with us, taking lots of photos, and his passion for the hobby and the community was as clear as day. He takes the exceeding praise his headphones received, with humility, calm and a striking normalcy. Kudos, mate.
 
We wrapped up proceedings and then went to our customary audiophile dinner between a small group of friends. We had some quintessential Singaporean cuisine thanks to the super awesome @Roasty. 
 Thus ended Canjam Singapore for me and although I did not make a whole lot of purchases, it was rewarding to see friends, old and new. See you all in 2025. About the Author: 
Sajid Amit is an academic and practitioner in international development by day, and audiophile night and day. His YouTube channel is called the Amplify Audiophile Show and is available here. His HeadFi handle is here.

Audio: Listen to this article. Looking Back at Singapore Canjam 2024: Part 1 By Sajid Amit Singapore Canjam is special to me for several reasons. Being a modern history buff, I have always been fascinated by Singapore’s meteoric rise from its humble beginnings to its current status as one of the wealthiest countries on the planet with progressive policies towards the environment while being doggedly business-friendly. I also love my Singaporean friends because how erudite, worldly, and invariably, polite, they are. The education system in Singapore is one of the best in the developed world. Last but not least, I adore Singaporean food, the unrelenting cleanliness on the streets, a burgeoning luxury watch market, Singaporean architecture, and of course, the plethora of stores selling high-end audio. However, before diving into audio impressions, first, a few photos of the cityscape in all its glory. So, I reached Singapore a day before Canjam Day 1, which is what I tend to do. I took the time on day zero to roam around Singapore, trade watches, meet some watch resellers, and also connect with some audiophile friends who were already there. It was a fun day and, in the evening, right before heading up to my room at the Pan Pacific, I stopped by the show floor where Raal Requisite had booked a listening room. I wanted to spend some quiet and quality listening time with the Raal Requisite 1995 Immanis, which according to early reports from listeners, was a contender for the best headphone on the planet. Pictures don’t do this headphone justice as it is really striking beautiful and oozes luxury. I have a YouTube short below showing how the metal yoke is somehow impervious to permanent scratches. Aleksander, the brains behind Raal, was a superb host as he explained the technology and the philosophy behind the Immanis. I must say I got quite absorbed in the listening and over the course of the hour, I realized that the experience was as emotional as the first time I had tried the Susvara. Worth mentioning that before the Susvara, I had not tried many high-end headphones so that for that experience to be emotional and memorable is easily understandable. However, with the Immanis, my experience with it came after years in this hobby, having tried hundreds of high-end headphones, speakers, IEMs, DACs, amps, and cables, so to have a “wow moment” of the same magnitude was completely unexpected. I wrote the following on HeadFi to explain my experience with the Immanis. While they are unmistakably Raal in their speed, texture, resolution, and airiness; these babies have a very realistic bass impact, a tonally rich midrange, and a certain spookiness to how images just materialize from an inky black void. Everything just seems to just flow, with vivid lifelike imaging, and certain cohesiveness that for the first time in 2 years made me miss full-size headphones. The Immanis, ladies and gentlemen, are probably the best headphones on the market at present. After trying the Immanis, I went to bed, excited and full of anticipation for the day ahead. The next day started with classic Pan Pacific breakfast which is always, always excellent. Although that photo probably shows an odd smorgasboard, the sandwich in the front is an Indian street snack called a Vada Pao, and I was impressed with how well-made it was in Singapore, more delectable the versions I have had in Bombay! 

After a bit of Kaya toast and Singapore Kopi, I finished breakfast and promptly headed down to the event floors and my day started with a re-listen of the Subtonic Storm with the rather smooth sounding Sovereign Symphony cable. This IEM is as impressive as always, but I still find it ever-so-slightly dry and clinical. The new faceplates look much better in person although I do much prefer the original faceplates. This is an impressive IEM with great texture, speed, airiness, spaciousness, resolution, and coherence. But I find the tonality ever-so-slightly bright-leaning, lean, and lacking richness. I understand and appreciate the hype but it is not for me, especially because I like myself a dynamic driver (or two) for bass. Balanced armature bass just does not do it for me. Right next to the Storm was the Nightjar Duality. The Duality was more up my alley with its richer overtones and midrange, and while the bass was noticeable, I wouldn’t exactly call it a basshead IEM, which is what the fans are calling it. My Campfire supermoon hits harder and better. But the Nightjar guys supply you with an impedance adapter, and with it, the bass gets bigger and better, and overall, the imaging seems to benefit. 
Also, at the same table, was the Symphonium Titan, the new sub-$1000 release from Symphonium Audio, famous for their IEM known as the Helios. The Titan is uncharacteristically warm, but again, the bass did not strike me as particularly hard hitting. I do have a lot of bassy IEMs at home such as the Campfire Trifecta, so it is entirely possible that my frame of reference has been skewed. However, the Titan has nearly an opposite sound profile to the Helios. Now, I absolutely loved the Helios for its brazen yet beautiful treble. The treble divided audiophiles. So now the Titan plays way too safe in the treble. 
I came across a new cable brand called Verus audio, and I liked the sound of their cables a lot paired with my Jewel. They are Indonesian, I understand. 
 
Next I spent quite a bit of time at the Zeppelin booth. They had everything but jam packed into a tiny room which made movement difficult. In this photo, you see me testing the iBasso Osprey PB5 and the D16. Both devices are quite stellar. 
The iBasso Osprey PB5 blew me away, bi-amping with my trusty Sony WM1ZM2. This is what I hoped the Cayin N30LE would sound like: big, bold, lush, and timbrally flawless.
 
I also love green. It is the season for green in luxury. Along with the Raal 1995 Immanis, the PB5 are the most impressive pieces of kit I came across that day, among those I listened to for the first time. Fair warning: I am a reviewer and I had listened to a lot of the good stuff already, prior to the show.
 
Meanwhile, I finally got to spend some time with Cayin’s $5000 limited edition DAP, the N30LE. I have to say while it improves significantly on the N8ii in terms of bass and thickness of notes, the treble still has the brittleness and dryness of its predecessors. Maybe it is a house sound thing, and I am sure there are those who love it.
 

At the Zeppelin table, there was also gilded Raven. And I adored it. Not sure what Jack Vang did with this one, but it sounded bassy yet well-balanced. Its bass is as beautiful and ballsy as bass should be, but the best part is that midrange and treble timbre also sound natural. Le Chef’s kiss.
 
Moving on, I also tried the Dunu Glacier, which, to me, was underwhelming at best. It did not quite perform up to its price point of $1350, but it looks really cool though. 

On the other hand, this new IEM called Alter Ego from a hitherto unknown brand, Melodic Artification, really impressed. It had some of the most beautiful treble known to man, and some decent bass with the bass switch turned on. I would love a re-listen.
 
I spent a bit of time with the Mass Kobo 465, the amp every summit-fier worth her salt is now talking about. It does have great synergy with the also-Japanese Final D8000 Pro but oh man with the Susvara, it is near perfect. The bass!! No speaker amp I have tried has delivered me this level of realism with bass on the Susvara.
 
It was nice to also finally meet the Flipears creator Aries, and what a gentleman he is. I also met his wife, and they are a truly lovely couple, and I would like to see them do well, not just because of how kind they are, but also because how amazing every Flipears product I have tried, has turned out to be. I even included their Artha in my top 10 IEMs for 2023, below. 
After spending some time catching up with Aries, I tried his absolute flagship Aurora XXIV in its gold-plated version. It is incredibly beautiful, and photos do not do it justice. 
Also beautiful were the new Unique Melody Mason Soleil (red) and Nuit (blue).
 

I do not want to get into too much detail with my impressions on these $9000 IEMs because owners are likely to feel possessive about such expensive products, but I would not buy either at far lower prices. They both sound solid in midrange, but for $9000, I would rather buy an Immanis, or several excellent IEMs at a fraction of the cost. Also, on display at Canjam was a new boutique leather case manufacturer called “ALT-R” that has some picturesque textures and prints, unlike anything I have seen before in the portable section of the hobby. I believe they were being represented by Jaben during the show, and pictured below is HeadFier, Pulkit, standing behind these leather goods. The person behind these creations is an audiophile named @Visveswaran Umashankar. 
It was also nice to spend some time with the cool young people at the Fatfreq booth. Fatfreq loves their bass and they love to chat and I always have a good time at their booth. They are arguably Singapore’s finest, along with my other favorite, Dita Audio.
 
 
After Fatfreq I was tired, and I needed food and I wanted to spend some quiet time near the Singapore harbor so I took a Grab to one of the nearby malls and had a dinner of bbq ribs near the water. Thus ended my day 1. It was a day of great discovery, listening to new products and trying products I have long meant to, as well as a day of conversations and camaraderie. Canjams in all their excitement do take a lot out of you and I can’t tell you readers how well I spelt that night. 😊 In any case, that is it for this part. Stay tuned for the second and final part where I take you through my experiences on day 2 of Canjam Singapore 2024. About the Author: 
Sajid Amit is an academic and practitioner in international development by day, and audiophile night and day. His YouTube channel is called the Amplify Audiophile Show and is available here. His HeadFi handle is here.

Audio: Listen to this article. Audiophile Travel Musings from Jakarta, Indonesia By Sajid Amit Hello Audiophiles! As you may know, if you have been a regular reader of this wonderful publication, I post occasional audiophile travel blogs. This one captures moments and experiences from my recent trip to the wonderful country of Indonesia, particularly in the lovely city of Jakarta. 

 Of course, Jakarta is not “lovely” in the sense in which Bali is lovely. It is a city with traffic, great steel and concrete structures, and frenzied folks trying to augment wealth and incomes, as they should. But the city has friendly and hospitable people, the traffic magically seems to have lessened compared to the last time I was here, and the food continues to be one of the best in the world. I am, though, particularly biased towards South East Asian cuisine. Even variants of the noodle soup, between Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand get me excited, so there’s that. I do think it is an acquired taste though.
 

Speaking of acquired tastes I spent a bit of time hanging out at the luxury watch reseller market which is somehow rather impressive in Jakarta. Indonesia is a trillion-dollar economy mind you, and is forecasted to become one of the drivers of global growth in the coming decades, along with India and a few others. Rolexes, APs, and Pateks go for higher prices in the used market (several models do), but Jakarta prices were far better than prices in many countries.
 
 
But, of course, I digress. The real purpose of this post and the enjoyment of this trip was derived at a fantastic little audio store in South Jakarta, known as Beyond the Music, or BTM, in short. We were joined by a select group of audiophiles in Jakarta including a few HeadFi regulars.

 A high point for me was getting to try some of the newer headphone releases which have evaded me ever since I waded into the IEM kiddy pool. Of course, I jest. IEMs are for grown-ups as much as headphones or speakers. But without further ado, photos of some fine products I got to audition.
 
I posted impressions on the Canpur 622B earlier and while I appreciated its tonal balance and very-impressive-for-BA bass, let’s just say that I wouldn’t personally buy it based on a first listen. The treble was a bit too kind for my liking. I don’t like my treble too kind. I like spice but not so much that I get gas.

 Next, I got to try Hedd’s very, very, very-impressive-for-the-price, HEDDphone V2.
 

The HEDDphone V2 is light, comfortable, super ergonomic, with a tonal profile that is somehow airy for days without getting bright, very resolving, and even has a bit of punch and impact! And it way outperforms most contenders at $2000. It is definitively flying under the radar for most headphone-first audiophiles. 

I do have to say I figured out that the chain in question had something to do with unlocking the might of the HEDD V2, namely the Cengrand Silverfox and DS DAC.
 
 
I understand that this brand has elicited mixed feelings in the community. The thing with this set up, particularly, the amp, is that it has different settings to elicit different sonic profiles, but the chain I listened to was just the Bee’s knees. It was smooth yes, but not in-your-face smooth. It was on the right side of smooth. So, it still sounded very textured, with a wonderfully extended treble, a rich organic midrange, and a very dynamic bass. I understand there are disagreements about its bass, but in my listening, the bass was gorgeous. And you all know by now how much I like my bass.

 Overall, there were plenty of wonderful DAC Amps at BTM including the venerable Feliks Envy and Rockna Wavedream, the “punchy DAC”. I have always appreciated the Wavedream with the HIFIMAN Susvara.
 
Meanwhile, I did get to change my mind on Dan Clark headphones. Basically, so far in my audio journey, I have not met a single DCA headphone that I wanted to own. That’s largely why I have never reviewed a DCA headphone. I just couldn’t be bothered. The reasons are more than one but it mostly came down to the non-existent bass impact, at least given my preferences for bass. However, the DCA E3 is a phenomenal closedback, and the hype is very well-deserved. Thankfully, it is not flying under the radar like the HEDD V2. I love how airy it sounds (partly a result of the tuning and partly the Cen Grand chain) and it finally has some proper bass slam!
 

I also got to try the Abyss Diana MR which was all right. But nothing to write home about. Yes, they fixed some of the issues of the previous Diana models, but Diana shaped headphones just don’t work for me sonically, somehow. Yes, the treble is better but still metallic, and the bass is powerful, but the mids are odd and peaky and timbrally off. The MR did stage incredibly well but I wouldn’t buy this headphone with my own money. 
The highlight for me, as far as IEMs go, was the Vision Ears VEX. If you are treble sensitive or otherwise prefer a warm tuning, then look absolutely no further, especially if you can afford its price tag of $3000. It is well-priced though and likely outperforms technically and given my subjective preferences for DD bass, tonally as well, many Unique Melody IEMs far more expensive. I just loved the VEX in its fit, finish and sort of being able to culminate the VE sound. Top IEM this one.
 
The cable is rock solid as well, at least as far as stock ones go.
 
I also had listening time with the Astell&Kern X Empire Ears Odyssey. I was surprised to find an unsold unit in Jakarta and as always, it delivers some incredible EE bass.
 

Last but not least, I got to try Hiby’s R8 II DAP. The Alcantara on the back of the unit reminded me of Microsoft Surface laptops and given my subjective preferences for aesthetics and design, I did not enjoy the use of the Alcantara at all. Creative, yes. But not a design aesthetic that is likely to catch on. I also did not connect with the red colorway. The shade of red or crimson did not work for me but of course this is hyper-subjective territory.
 

Sonically, the DAP was a pleasant surprise in being able to trade blows with my trusty Sony WM1ZM2. I quite liked it. But I prefer the vintage sound of my Sony still. It has a Sony sound and I cannot get enough of it.

 There was plenty more to try and perhaps talk about, but I will end here, since the goal was to share some immediate thoughts, in case they are of help to some of you.

 A big shout out to the Nico Demond once again. He is an influential audiophile in Indonesia and has built a community around him.
 
 It was great to meet the lovely folks who turned up to hang out with me and I hope to run into some of them at HeadFi’s Canjam Singapore, which is just around the corner! Till then. Adios! About the Author: 
Sajid Amit is an academic and practitioner in international development by day, and audiophile night and day. His YouTube channel is called the Amplify Audiophile Show and is available here.