“History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes.” That’s a line attributed to Mark Twain that came to mind at last weekend’s CanJam headphone fest in New York City because I was reminded of the hifi shows that once were a staple of the home audio scene. CanJam fans are of the same breed: predominantly male, on the young side of 30 and willing to spend lots of money for incremental improvements in performance. The main difference is that while yesteryear’s hifi lovers used massive amplifiers and speakers to fill a room with music, for today’s headphone enthusiasts it’s all in their heads. They are a little obsessed but so were the hifi lovers of old. It’s as if the pursuit of sound excellence has passed from one generation to the next with a knowing nod.
At CanJam, I sat down for a long chat with Andrew Lissimore, the founder and CEO of Headphones.com which has quietly become the go-to source for headphones and info about them, thanks in large degree to a 365-day return policy that takes the pressure off any purchasing decision. Lissimore gets his passion for music from his grandfather, Mart Kenney, who was known as Canada’s “Big Band King” over a career that spanned the 1930s to the 1990s. Two observations by Lissimore stuck with me. The first is that while Bluetooth wireless headphones are better than ever, they are still a notch below wired models in performance. The second is that headphone amplifiers are becoming more popular because some drivers inside the cans are simply harder to move than others—the extra power gets them moving to produce the sound at optimum levels. But we both agreed that a key appeal of amplifiers is that more power yields better performance at lower volume levels (See RT’s earlier review of the Audioengine DAC3).
What’s hot in cans at CanJam? There is a ballroom full of headphone makers at CanJam. Four-figure price tags are not uncommon, mid-to-high three figures are the norm and a high five is not out the question. Here are a few standouts:
Hifiman is a Chinese headphone manufacturer (it also makes high resolution portable audio players) that addresses the rising interest in desktop amplifiers with its new EF600 that’s designed to double as a headphone holder to reduce desktop clutter. The EF600 lets you make a wired or Bluetooth wireless connection for max versatility. ($799). Among the pros, Hifiman’s new Audivinia model drew high marks for its sound and looks. ($1999) hifiman.com
Focal is a French cult headphone maker that gave listeners in attendance an earful of its new Bathys wireless Bluetooth model. Bathys has two modes of noise suppression, one silent and one soft. Think “silent” for extremely noisy environments like airplanes and “soft” for anything less so. There are eight tiny microphones for clarity and ease of use with digital assistants as well as an app for custom settings. The overall design imparts a Euro cool and technical look at the same time. To my ears, the Bathys sounded quite nice and I’d be very happy owning a pair. $799. focal.com
Fir Audio introduces its newest Radon in-ear headphone on March 3 so I can’t say much about it ahead of time—but will you look at the density of electronics packed into such a small space! Small things often come in very expensive packages. But if history is any judge, high-priced technology eventually spirals downward to affordable levels. So this may be a preview of what ahead in headphones. More tech in tiny spaces. www.firaudio.com