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CanJam London 2017 show – part four

CanJam London 2017 show – part four

In the penultimate section of our definitive multi-part round-up of the best personal audio products on show at CanJam London, 2017, Chris Martens and Alan Sircom run from Noble to Sony!

Noble Audio

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

Who? Brannan Mason, co-founder, Noble Audio

What? Noble Sage universal-fit earphone

When available? Now

How much? £549 or $599

Description: The Sage earphone is directly descended from one of Noble Audio’s most popular design: the critically acclaimed but now discontinued Savant earphone. The Sage is, as was the Savant, a two-driver design that improves upon the Savant design formula in two important ways. First, the Sage uses purpose-built and Noble-specified balanced armature drivers sourced from Knowles, and second the low-end driver of the age incorporates a revised vented port said to increase low-end extension, provide a slight lift in overall bass response, and to improve rendition of low frequency textures. The result sounds like a fundamentally better Savant, yet with no increase in price. Welcome detail touches include precision CNC-machined aluminium earpiece faceplates anodised in – what else? – an attractive shade of sage green. The Sage is hand assembled and precision matched.

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

What are you listening to? A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Buggin Out’, from Anthology

RHA Audio

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

Who? Calum Gracie, Community Officer, RHA Audio

What? RHA MA750 Wireless Bluetooth earphone

When available? Now

How much? £149.9 or $169.95

Description: Leveraging the design of RHA’s very popular and critically acclaimed MA750 earphone, the MA750 Wireless is in essence an MA750 that has been fitted with an elegant, necklace-type Bluetooth amp/DAC. As always, the earpieces of the MA750 wireless are made of stainless steel, while the earphones are supported by an extensive set of various types of ear tips. The necklace-type amp/DAC incorporates Bluetooth, aptX, and AAC technologies and is very easy to use. The amp/DAC affords 12 hours of playback time per charge. A built-in universal multi-function remote is incorporated into the signal cable leads running from the necklace-like amp DAC to the earphones.

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

What are you listening to? Muse’s Absolution

Rupert Neve Designs

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

Who? Josh Thomas, Rupert Neve Designs

What? Rupert Neve Designs RNHP studio-quality headphone amplifier

When available? Now

How much? £469 or $549

Description: The Rupert Neve Design RNHP is a no-nonsense, minimalist, studio quality headphone amplifier that offers the wonderfully well-rounded analogue audio sound for which Rupert Neve products—including some of the greatest studio recording consoles ever made—are famous. The RNHP provides three analogue inputs: balanced, single-ended, and 3.5mm analogue. Neve describes the RNHP as a ‘high power, high headroom’ design and it certainly sounds the part.

What are you listening to: Etta James’ At Last! And Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take Five’ from Time Out

 

Pioneer

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

Who: Geoff Loveday, Pioneer UK product executive

What: SE-Monitor 5 closed back headphone

When available: Now

How much: £999

Description: Pioneer’s flagship, hand-made, Air Studios tuned SE-Master 1 open backed headphone is one of the true stars of recent headphone releases, but they are hard to get, expensive, and their open-backed nature means everyone can hear them. The SE-Monitor 5 is from the same stable and uses many common components, but eschews the Air Studios tuning and hand-built status, for a more affordable design, and its closed-back status means not everyone has to listen to your music. It’s also provided with three sets of cables for home, portable and balanced use.

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

What are you listening to: Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ from Random Access Memories

Roller

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

Who: Dina Guth and Andrew James Lee, Luzli.com (not pictured)

What: Roller MK01 closed back on ear headphones

When available: By application to waiting list

Price: $3,000

Description: Roller is different to other headphones. Swiss made, using Swiss parts developed for the Swiss watch industry, and designed by an English luxury design expert, this unique hand-crafted headphone uses a clever 22-spring mechanism to roll up when not in use (hence the name), takes three days to build and just 100 pairs of this aluminium design, featuring a single 30mm drive unit. Engraving is an option, and magnesium and titanium versions are in the pipeline.

What are you listening to: Mozart Clarinet Quintet

Sennheiser

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

Who: Linda Irvin, Sennheiser UK

What: HDV 820 headphone amplifier/DAC

When available: October

How Much: £2,099

Description: The HDV 820 is Sennheiser’s first digital headphone amplifier, as previous models lacked the digital conversion component. This 32-bit, 384kHz, DSD 12.3MHz supporting DAC/amp combination. The HDV 820 also features an unbalanced output through a combined Neutrik three-pin XLR/6.3mm socket for unbalanced output and a both a four-pin XLR and two 4.4mm Pentaconn connectors for balanced use. The amp is also supplied with a custom CH 800 P cable that connects a HD 800/800S to the HDV 820 using this new Pentaconn connection.

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

What are you listening to: Hans Zimmer, ‘Cornfield Chase’ Inception soundtrack

 

Sonoma Acoustics

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

Who? Andrew ‘Dem’ Demory, John Garrison, and David Walstra, Sonoma Acoustics

What? The Sonoma Acoustics Model One electostatic headphone system

When available? Now

How much? £4995 or $4995

Description: Sonoma Acoustics’ Model One electrostatic headphone system consists of a set Model One magnesium-framed and HPEL (High Precision Electrostatic Laminate) driver-equipped headphones, plus a companion Model One energiser/DAC/ADC/DSP engine. The DAC section can handle 32/384 PCM files and DSD64/DSD128 files, while incoming analogue signals are digitised through a 32-bit/384kHz AKM multi-channel ADC device. Finally, a 64-bit fixed-point processing engine provides DSP functions that gently shape the frequency response curve of the Model One headphones.  The system represents a technical tour de force and one that offers remarkable sound quality for its price (to get better performance, you’ll need to spend a lot more).

What are you listening to?

·      Andrew ‘Dem’ Demory: Håkan Hardenberger/Simon Preston ‘Non Morietur in Aeternum’

·      John Garrison: Any 1960’s and 1970’s Rolling Stones

·      David Walstra Iván Fischer, Dvorák Symphonies

Sony

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

Who: Tomoaki Sato, Project Leader & Senior Electrical Engineer, Sony Hi-Res Audio

What: NW-WM1Z Digital Music Player, TA-ZH1ES headphone amplifier, MDR-Z1R headphones

When Available: Now

How much? £3,000 (WM1Z), £1,640 (ZH1ES), £2,000 (Z1R)

Description: A lot has been said about Sony’s return to high-end audio with its three-component high-resolution personal audio system, but in fact it has rarely been shown in its full capacity to the public, and certainly not at a UK headphone show. The trio of fine products combine to make an outstanding sound, with all the detailing and precision we have come to expect from high-resolution audio. Most inspiring of all, perhaps, is that Sato-san and his colleagues are true enthusiasts, keenly listening to a number of other devices at the show.

, CanJam London 2017 show – part four

What are you listening to: Dire Straits Brothers in Arms

Tags: FEATURED

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