CanJam RMAF 2018 Show Report
Page 5

Hi-Fi At High Altitude
New personal audio products that impressed at CanJam RMAF 2018.
CanJam Denver Show Coverage By Dave Hanson

Woo Audio
Woo Audio always brings a buffet of audio goodies to every show, and RMAF was no different. In addition to their well-regarded existing product line, Woo was also introducing a new product I was dying to try: the WA11 Passport portable DAC and amplifier ($1,399). The WA11 is Woo Audio's first solid-state headphone amplifier, so fans of the Woo brand are understandably curious to hear how this non-tube venture pans out.

I spent quite a bit of time with the WA11 Passport and was very pleased with what I heard. It had good driving power for the HiFiMAN Susvara, giving it a full and balanced presentation. The WA-11 didn't get the hard-to-drive HiFiMAN up to ear-splitting levels, but it definitely got to a comfortably high volume with most recordings, and most importantly, it didn't come off with that wonky, underpowered sound weaker amps sometimes have. This is definitely high-quality juice.

The sound on the WA-11 was very much in line with the Woo house sound, which I consider to be neutral with a midrange that isn't particularly dry or wet – it just gives you the music at it is without much excess editorialization. I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more of this piece with a wider variety of headphones.

Questyle Audio
Just a table over from the Woo booth, Questyle Audio had a big pile of goodies on display, including their new CMA Twelve DAC/AMP. The CMA Twelve ($1,499) represents the 12th anniversary of Questyle's current-mode amplification technology. It runs in pure class-A and sports dual AKM4490 DAC chips along with True DSD support. There will also be a CMA Twelve Master edition available with a ceramic board and upgraded parts for $1,999.

As always with the Questyle gear, the hallmark of the CMA Twelve's sound is its crisp cleanliness, super quiet background and effortless detail retrieval. I listened on the Focal Utopia, and found the Questyle did a great job keeping in lock-step with the ultra resolving Utopia's capabilities.

Alongside the CMA Twelve, Questyle was showcasing the new SHB2 SuperHub Streamer ($1,999 standard version, $2,499 for Master edition), which was providing the CMA Twelve with its source material via a wireless 5G signal. It has a nice mounting station for a QP2R plus a bevy of digital and analog inputs and outputs on the back. It's a bit tough to evaluate a piece like this in a show environment, but I can say the streaming connection with the CMA Twelve was seamless during the time I spent testing it.

Astell&Kern
One of my favorite pieces of the show was the new A&Ultima SP1000M ($2,399). This nifty new piece pares down the elements of the SP1000 into a smaller package that is nearly half the weight, but is able to maintain most, if not all of the sound and sleek performance of the larger SP1000.

While Astell&Kern's players come at a premium price, it's hard to deny that their user experience and sound is a cut above the competition. Their players just feel good. I played several tracks on the SP1000M and found the sound to be punchy and detailed, much like that of its bigger brother. If there were differences, they were too nuanced to pick out in a few minutes of listening in a show environment. Really a very impressive sounding piece for such a compact size.

JDS Labs
Sitting down at a much more accessible price, the $99 JDS Labs Atom prototype was on display just across the aisle. This upcoming budget amplifier comes into an increasingly interesting and competitive entry level alongside the Schiit Magni 3 and the Cavalli Liquid Spark.

Atom splits the difference between the two aforementioned amplifiers sonically, not running quite as warm and laid back as the Liquid Spark, but not quite as aggressive sounding as the Magni 3. I'd call it a slightly warm sound that is still firmly in touch with dead-on neutral. It's a very likeable sound overall and the Atom also showcases some pretty nice staging.

Ampsandsound
Justin Webber was on hand sporting Ampsandsound's gorgeous collection of tube gear. Justin's amps have an old-school vibe and a sense of artisan craftsmanship that I really like.

Among the pieces on display was the Mogwai Special Edition ($2,500). I'm a big fan the sound of this amplifier. It is very warm and euphonic with a lot of power behind each note. The Kenzie Encore ($2,000) was also on display, which is a little bit more linear sounding for those who want a good tube sound without going down the warm and gooey route.

Auris
Speaking of tubes, Auris Audio made their way from Serbia to showcase some of the most eye and ear catching amplifiers at the show.  Love it or hate it, Auris certainly has their own visual aesthetic, and I personally find their gear very cool looking.

I got a chance to sit down and listen to their lineup, and I really liked what I heard. I started with the flagship Headonia, which runs ~$10,000. This amp is driven with a pair of 2A3 power tubes, which are some of the most spectacular sounding tubes around, in my opinion. The sound was predictably warm and dynamic, with gobs upon gobs of detail. The Headonia performed really well in every frequency range, but was especially glorious in the midrange, which was absolutely special in every way. This is definitely and amplifier I wouldn't mind having around if I had that kind of cash to drop, wow!

Another interesting piece at the Auris table (and several others) was the Nirvana ($6,000). This is an all Class A design that offers up to 6.5W/ch, giving it enough power to drive even the most difficult planars. I listened with several headphones, and especially enjoyed how the Nirvana paired with the HiFiMAN HE1000 and Meze Empyrean. Staging was terrific and the Nirvana seemed a bit closer to neutral in its presentation relative to the warm sound of the Headonia.

Finally, Auris brought their more accessibly priced HA-2 ($2,500) amplifier, which impressed me on some levels just as much as the other two. It certainly didn't feel like a massive step down, that's for sure. It kept the airy and open feel of the other higher-end models, but with a bit smaller soundscape overall. In spite of the slightly more intimate presentation, the stage retained a good shape and tight imaging, and I would certainly classify the stage size as well above average. The HA-2 also had plenty of power on tap, and was able to drive a HiFiMAN HE-6se easily with its 1W of squeaky-clean power.

Final Thoughts
Holy smokes, what a show! And those were only the highlights!

Usually at this point I talk about some kind of central theme or trend I noticed across the show. But one thing that I found so interesting about CanJam at RMAF this year is the growing sense of community at these events. The audio keeps getting better and better, but this year more than any other, when I asked people what they were most excited about at the show, the answer was, "Honestly, just hanging out with my buddies."

I think its kind of funny how a hobby that is so introverted in nature is actually able to connect so many people so closely together.

I also think that it isn't a coincidence that the brands that are most deeply involved with the community seem to be growing at the most exponential rate. See companies like Audeze, MrSpeakers, Campfire Audio and ZMF – all are highly active and have a well-known presence on the forums, and all of them are absolutely red hot right now. It helps that all of them keep launching killer product after killer product, of course. Perhaps they have a better handle on what their customers actually want. But now more than ever, the community has become an essential element of the personal audio sales cycle, and the companies that have embraced it the most had jam-packed booths all weekend.

Really, it was an incredibly fun weekend. It's always a blast picking the brains of manufacturers and customers alike when it comes to the advancements in the industry, the new products and whatever else seems to pop up in conversation. Plus, we've got tons of new stuff to review in the coming months!

Until next time, cheers and enjoy the music!

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