Apos Goes to CanJam SoCal 2024!

Irvine, California—a hub for sunshine, surf, and this year, the epicenter of the audiophile universe. Representing Apos, I had the pleasure of diving right into CanJam SoCal 2024. 

A warm welcome back to normalcy

The first thing I noticed about CanJam 2024 was how bustling it was compared to my last visit in 2021. Back then, the shadow of COVID-19 still loomed large, and the event was much more subdued. This year, the energy was incredible. The hall was packed with vendors big and small, and attendees thronged the aisles ready to dive into all things audio.

Let's go!

Flying the Apos flag

In my day-to-day role as the creative head at Apos, I do copywriting, product planning, photography—you name it. At CanJam, I just wanted to connect with fellow audio lovers and showcase two of our new and upcoming products: the Apos x Audio-Technica R70x Refine Headphone and the Apos x Community Gremlin Tube Amp.

It was super rewarding to see attendees light up when they tried out the R70x Refine and the Gremlin. The Gremlin, which will be available for pre-order later this month, turned a lot of heads. I can’t wait to unleash this naked, powerful beast into the world (a sentence I have only said once before in a very different context). 

Probably the most gorgeous booth in the entire world

Friends new and old

While there wasn't a single standout moment, the sheer number of positive interactions made for an amazing event. Conversations flowed effortlessly and covered everything from headphones and tube amps to video games like Elden Ring and Baldur's Gate 3. I met Andrew, a fellow Kennerton fan eager to try the Apos Caspian headphone—we didn't have one on hand, but I was happy to send him a pair to audition at home after the show. I had a delightful conversation with audiophile Bob Casso about the R70x Refine and his favorite headphones, and catching up with CeeTee (Christian Tanimoto, III), one of the greatest people you could ever meet, is always a highlight. 

A recurring theme in my conversations was the shift away from strictly objective, linear audio towards tube amplifiers, R2R DACs, and point-to-point wiring—essentially, gear that adds its own character to the sound. Personally, this trend thrills me, and it resonates with what we're doing at Apos, especially with the Gremlin tube amp and the R70x Refine, which is amazing when paired with tube amplification. 

Headphones.com bringing the heat

Gear that blew my mind

I need to preface this section by saying that I had precious little time to browse the hall and check out gear. Most of my time was spent behind the Apos booth, and I’m sure there’s loads of good gear that escaped my attention. There’s always next time!

SJY Horizon Closed-Back Headphones

I was totally floored by the SJY Horizon Closed-Back headphones. Jeffrey Yin, the owner of SJY, has poured his heart into these cans, iterating them based on feedback from various events. He kindly let me take them back to our booth for a half-hour listen on Sunday, and I couldn't stop smiling. They're my ideal sound signature. Must. Have. 

HiFi For All Dahlia

Nick and Ann from HiFi for All are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet, and their Dahlia open-back headphones are a real beauty. I first heard it at the Bay Area Audio Meetup in San Jose this past summer, and it's been on my mind ever since.

Sivga's Upcoming Dynamic Driver Headphone

Collin from Sivga walked me through their entire lineup, but the standout was a new $199 dynamic driver headphone set to release next month. Keep an eye out for it—it's a heavy-hitter that's sure to make waves.

Sonic Standards' EQ and Phase Correction Service

John Zweifel of Sonic Standards offers a unique service where he applies EQ and phase correction to your headphones and provides a DSP loaded with the custom settings. The difference in sound quality is astonishing. 

Sonic Standards' Magic Box of Magic

Headphone or prop from a TOOL music video? 

This man was trapped in here for hours. His panic was cringe. 

The wild world of Heapdhones.com 

I spent way too much time at the Headphones.com table. They had a ton of gear on display, ranging from heavy-hitters to some experimental headphones. The lineup was wild—in addition to top-tier models, they showcased designs like a viking horn headphone, a "tube" headphone, and even a barbell headphone. Honestly? They didn’t sound half bad. And they sparked conversations and drew crowds. You gotta love when someone in the audiophile world brings peoples’ playful side out. 

We love a portable headphone. 

No one knows I'm listening to Big Willie Style on repeat. 

The sea calls me home. 

Noble's Apollo Fokus ANC Over-Ear Headphone

I also spent some time at the Noble booth, where I listened to the Apollo Fokus ANC Over-Ear Headphone. It's undoubtedly the best ANC headphone I've heard, and it made me excited to see someone pushing that category forward in terms of audio excellence.

Meeting the Big Boys

One of the perks of the event was finally meeting some of our longtime affiliates in person. I had a blast with Zeos Pantera—we instantly fell into joking around, and it felt like catching up with an old friend. Joshua Valour was just as personable and honest as he is in his videos, and I felt an instant connection (bromance?). It was also great to connect with Ryan Ho and Joe from Gadgetry Tech, even if they were there to meet Apos’ affiliate marketing manager, John, and not me 😭

Lessons learned and looking ahead

This being only my second show representing Apos, I picked up some invaluable lessons. For one, you can never have too many cables and dongles. Two: the Wifi situation. No matter how good a hotel’s Wifi is, hundreds of people all streaming lossless files at once is going to put a major strain on it. John from Audio-Technica showed me an ingenious portable Wi-Fi setup housed in a Pelican case, enabling all their devices to use a mobile hotspot. It's next-level stuff that I might just have to replicate in the future.

But perhaps the most significant takeaway was realizing that events like these aren't really about making sales or promoting products. They're about building relationships and sharing our mutual love for audio. It's the people—enthusiasts new and seasoned—that make this community so special. 

A supposedly fun thing I’ll do again in February 

We're thrilled with the positive reception of the R70x Refine and eagerly anticipate the official launch of the Gremlin tube amp. 

Looking ahead, we're planning to attend CanJam NYC in February next year. We're hoping to debut a new IEM and unveil some other exciting projects we've been working on. Stay tuned!