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Visitors to the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest that ended yesterday got to see two shows in one. Not only did they get to hear some of the world’s finest high-end speakers, amps and source devices, they also got to walk through CanJam, a gathering of headphone manufacturers and enthusiasts.
CanJam collected 32 exhibitors in a single large hotel ballroom so enthusiasts could easily audition practically every significant headphone and headphone amp now on the market. Walking into CanJam can be a little jarring after strolling through the loud hallways of the Denver Tech Center Marriott that houses RMAF, because CanJam is dead quiet. Well, of course it is: It’s a headphone show!
The photo essay here collects some of the most interesting headphone-related products I saw at Can Jam, most of them introduced at the show or in the last couple of months.
Speaker geeks, don’t feel neglected: I’ll be filing a full report on home audio products from RMAF sometime in the next couple of days.
I like reasonable price headphone gear. Under $150 for in-ears, under $250 for over the ears. What I'd really be interested in though is ergonomics. With most hi-fi gear this isn't an issue for me (I only set up my speakers so often), but I take the headphones off and on several times throughout the day, they get stuffed into a pocket, the cords get wrapped up/tangled, they need to be durable, weather resistant to a degree (for those of us who don't live in So Cal), etc. These tend to take a back seat to "comfort and fit" in a lot of professional reviews, which is sad because it can really make or break a set of cans.
Hi, Nick. Point taken!
--Brent Butterworth