CanJam SoCal 2018 Show Report
Hi-Tech Hi-Fi: CanJam SoCal offers a sneak peek into the industry's future with loads of cool technology.
CanJam SoCal Show Report By Dave Hanson

Woo Audio
Woo Audio shared a nice side room with Stax and brought a plethora of high-end goodies to the show. I finally got to hear the flagship WA-33 ($7,999) paired with the Abyss Phi and I could have just sat there all day listening to it. The bass was absolutely perfect in every way, dynamics were big and unrestrained and the soundscape was wide open.

Another piece I've been dying to hear was the new flagship electrostatic amplifier, the Woo Audio 3ES ($7,699 preorder, $8,999 after release). Paired with the Stax SR-009 the sound was ultra detailed, but easy and sweet – a nice change of pace for the SR-009, which can sometimes sound overly aggressive and forward. The 3ES was able to restore some very nice musicality without sapping away any detail. Just easy and effortless all the way. 

ZMF
ZMF has been touring the audio show circuit hard, showcasing their new flagship Auteur I reviewed ($1,599). Their booth was absolutely flooded with traffic all weekend, as the brand is scorching hot right now and many people were anxious to get a listen to their popular new flagship.

ZMF also gave a little sneak peek at their new line of cables, the 7N OCC Auteur 2K Copper cable ($299) and the ZMF Silver Michanikos ($199). Both cables are absolutely lovely in their construction, hand braided to match the hand-crafted heirloom quality of the wooden headphones they are made for.

Final Thoughts
What a show! From hardware to software and everything in between, this show had something for everybody. Many thanks to all the manufacturers that came out, plus a major kudos to Ethan, Jude, Joe, Brian and Warren at Head-Fi for working tirelessly to put together a stellar show. And only days after returning from CanJam Singapore, to boot!

I think what we saw here is just a small inkling of things to come. I expect to see more manufacturers jumping on the wireless train very, very soon. I also think we can expect to see a lot more implementation of DSP related features along with that, as more digital aspects of the signal are handled within the headphones themselves.

It's an exciting time to be an audiophile, as it feels like we are at the dawn of a technological revolution within the hobby. We're seeing rapid improvement in areas that were completely taboo just a couple of short years ago. Where there was once a heavy sonic price to pay for convenience, now companies are finding better and better ways to use it as an opportunity to improve the sound.

To an audiophile crowd, convenience and novel features have always been secondary to the sound itself. So this little mini-revolution is quite exciting. Unlike mainstream consumer electronics, this is not just about the bells and whistles. It's about giving us even better ways to enjoy the music.

Cheers, and as always enjoy the music!

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Previous CanJam Show Reports
CanJam SoCal 2018 Show Report, CanJam NYC 2018, CanJam Denver 2017, CanJam SoCal 2017 Show Report, CanJam NYC 2017 Show Report, CanJam London 2016, CanJam Denver 2016, CanJam Denver 2015, and CanJam Denver 2014 during the RMAF.