CanJam Singapore 2022 Show Report
Don't forget to buy a t-shirt.
CanJam Singapore 2022 Show Report By Kok Chieat Wong

  The interface is built to a high finishing standard and quality parts are used throughout. Cardas loudspeaker binding posts and Neutrik headphone socket are used from what we can see externally. However, as each amplifier and headphone are unique in their specifications, the interface remains a custom build product rather than an off-the-shelf product. You need to provide the details of your amplifier and headphone so that the power to headphone impedance ratio can be matched to ensure the highest sound quality is reproduced.

Coming from Malaysia, I was excited to see Elysian Acoustic Labs here. Elysian was incorporated in 2016, with a humble beginning of providing re-shelling services for Ultimate Ears Triple.Fi 10, the IEM that garnered legendary status in the head-fi community. As the Elysian X (middle) is getting discontinued, I listened to the next model up, Annihilator (right) instead. I was supposed to make a direct comparison between the Annihilator and the Diva (left), the latest offering from Elysian. But it was nowhere to be seen after I had finished with the Annihilator, everyone was trying their ears on the Diva.

The Annihilator was airy, detailed but slightly on the dry side. Although the bass was generated from dynamic drivers, it has no such plumpness normally associated with dynamic drivers. Even with two electrostatic drivers generating the highs on each side, there was no hint of sibilance from the vocals. The overall speed and frequency response remained cohesive and balanced, so much so that I would believe it is a full balanced armature drivers IEM. Upon talking to the founder, Lee Quan Min, I better understand the crossover was deliberately tuned for such BA-like characteristics.

The Annihilator has impressive clarity and gives a larger sound that stretched beyond its enclosures. Too bad, I did not get to listen to the latest Diva.

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