CanJam 08 Pictures Part 2

Filed under: Headphones



This is part 2 of 2 of our Head-Fi.org CanJam 2008 coverage.

82 pictures



The current model Klipsch Image will become the Image X10 and the new slightly larger chrome earphone is the new Image X5. The new Klipsch image X5 has a retail price of $249 and will be released this summer. I was thoroughly impressed by the Image earphones. Their light weight and great sound make them super comfortable and I would have no problem wearing them for hours at a time.

The new Klipsch Palladium speaker. Pretty interesting driver designs and a beautiful finish.



Freq was showing off their new line of custom molded in-ear monitors. They have a 5-7 day turn-around time and offer extremely affordable pricing for custom in-ear monitors.




Shure was repping their well renowned earphones at the show as well. There is a reason they have such a great reputation.










Holy hell that was one sexy piece of gear.






NOS tube from the 1930's in the original packaging and being opened for the first time.





The CEO of HeadRoom, Tyll Hertsens.







One of the gems at the show, the new Audiophile Desktop System. You can read more about it at that link, but basically it is a nearfield monitor setup with bi-wired Harbeth speakers using a HeadRoom power supply and amplifiers. Pretty killer desktop setup for anyone who spends long hours in front of the computer. Definitely the best nearfield monitor setup I have heard to date.







Todd The Vinyl Junkie (love the name) had an assortment of goodies and had a variety of headphones with half of the room dedicated to Stax.









The most interesting demo at the show, the Smyth 5.1 surround sound simulation. The picture below shows the microphones placed in the user's ears for the system to calibrate itself to the individual's ear positions. You can see this happening in the next couple pictures below. Once the system is calibrated to you, it simulates a full 5.1 surround sound setup through the earphones.





The brain behind the whole system.

The small square piece you see sticking up from the headband is the motion sensor. It tracks head movement and keeps the simulated surround sound in one place as if you were to turn your head in a room with a real 5.1 setup. The sound will not move with your ears as it normally would with headphones. For example, the front right speaker will stay at the front right orientation even if you turn your head all the way to the left. It is pretty wild stuff and I got a chance to sit down for a few minutes and demo the setup. They had the headphones setup so that when they were tilted at a certain angle they would cut off and the speakers would come on. If you timed it right, there was no way to tell the difference between the speakers and the headphones. This is a bit tough to explain, but it really messes with your head in person. Someone even kept telling them the system wasn't working because they could still hear the speakers when the headphones were put on. It took him a while to realize that the headphones were reproducing the sound so close to the actual speakers that he couldn't tell the difference. I have to admit, I couldn't tell the difference either. Very cool technology and expect to see the Smyth research package retail for about $3,000 with the Stax headphones later this year.