The CanJam Global Series of headphone shows has expanded in recent years to include London, Dallas, Singapore, and Shanghai — but there is always something special about the New York event that really brings out the diehard headphone and personal audio fans. Times Square might seem like an odd place to demonstrate the most advanced headphones and portable audio products in the world, but based on the rather dramatic increase in attendance since the end of the pandemic, CanJam NYC has become the epicenter for the Head-Fi crowd to audition what’s new — and even older products with a cult following that might not be so easy for the curious to finally try.
CanJam NYC 2025 was another triumphant success and while we only had one day this year due to a planned trip to Japan to experience the next generation of Sony’s RGB LED-backlight LCD TVs (and other stuff we can’t talk about yet) — there were some impressive new products like Audeze’s CRBN2 Electrostatic Headphones (read our review) and HiFiMAN’s Arya Unveiled (read our review) that had the crowd of thousands buzzing throughout the weekend.
HiFiMAN Arya Unveiled and Isvarna Hybrid Headphones
HiFIMAN always brings an extensive selection of its headphones, IEMs, wireless IEMs, and desktop amplifiers to every CanJam event across the globe and CanJam NYC 2025 was no exception. Dr. Fang Bian, President and CEO, of HIFIMAN Electronics loves to discuss what’s new and gave us a first-hand look at two of its latest headphones; the Arya Unveiled and Isvarna Hybrid. Neither headphone is inexpensive but high-end performance with unique drivers that deliver excellent sonic results are definitely worth a listen.
Focal Hadenys and Azurys Wired Over-Ear Headphones
The Focal/Naim booth is always extremely busy at any CanJam and the 2025 iteration in NYC required some patience if you wanted to try any of their latest headphones like the Hadenys and Azurys. Focal just introduced the Bathys Deep Black wireless ANC model this past week and there is something coming from the French manufacturer this week that we can’t discuss until it is officially released — but it’s going to solidify their position within the high-performance wireless category.
Focal is already living rent-free inside the heads of those who love premium wireless headphones and it’s going to get much worse (or better, if you don’t mind spending a bit of money to get the best sound).
Meze Audio Poet Planar Magnetic Headphones
2024 was a quiet year for the Romanian manufacturer with only two new product introductions; the 105 AER and Liric II (read our review) — which only meant that Antonio Meze and his team were cooking up something massive in Baia Mare.
If the state-of-the-art Meze Empyrean II fall outside of your price range, the Meze POET make that more of a reality — although $2,000 is still a significant amount of money for any pair of headphones.
The Meze Audio POET is very similar to the previously released Liric II which we referred to at the top of this article. The main difference between the two is that POET is Open Back and Liric II is Closed Back. Also, the POET incorporates a newer version Rinaro Isodynamic Hybrid Array.
The feeling at the show was that they offer something very different than its siblings and that the tonal balance is definitely tilted in a different direction than the more expensive Empyrean II.
Audeze CRBN2 and Maxwell Gaming Headset with Head Tracking
Audeze is firing on all cylinders right now and that was before the release of the CRBN2 electrostatic headphones that Will Jennings just reviewed. Just how good are these $6,000 headphones that require a dedicated electrostatic energizer or amplifier?
The original CRBN was Audeze’s most detailed sounding headphone so far, but didn’t quite have the bass quantity to compete with Audeze’s big planar magnetic designs so it was a bit polarizing in that regard.
The Head-Fi community is rather evenly split between the original CRBN and LCD-5 as their best headphone, and it is hard to knock either as they offer state-of-the-art performance. The reality is that they both offer something very different in terms of their presentation and it comes down to personal preference for most people.
The Audeze CRBN2 is the result of that pursuit with an improved diaphragm and their patent pending symmetric linear acoustic modulator system; which is one of the first things users will notice when they unbox the headphones.
They have all the typical strengths of electrostatic headphones while dramatically improving on bass impact which has been the biggest weakness of the entire category.
If the $6,000 CRNB2 fall outside of your budget (which I think applies to 99% of us), the award-winning Maxwell gaming headset might be well worth checking out, even if you’re not a gamer.
Back in 2023, Audeze announced the beta launch of a significant firmware upgrade to its award-winning Maxwell gaming headphones that includes head tracking support, which is compatible with the Dolby Atmos Renderer for professional mixing.
Utilizing built-in hardware already included in every Maxwell headset, this integration transforms Maxwell into a powerful tool optimized for content creators and audio engineers mixing in Dolby Atmos. I listened to a demo of head tracking in the Maxwell at CanJam and it was quick to track head movements and adjust the soundstage accordingly. For gaming and AR/VR apps, I could see this being a killer feature.
“We plan to use the head tracking capabilities of Maxwell for future collaborations, and expect to foster a growing community of Dolby Atmos creators,” said Sankar Thiagasamudram, Audeze CEO and founder.
Audeze also told us its software support for Dolby Atmos Renderer will be open source and free. However, Maxwell’s head tracking feature is ONLY supported in the Dolby Atmos Renderer, not in any consumer Atmos applications yet.
You can learn more about how this will work here.
Pud’s Small Batch Headphones
Philip Kaplan might seem slightly eccentric, but his unique headphones are are no joke. “Pud,” as he is know in headphone circles, takes concepts in acoustic physics and translates them into real world headphones with admittedly bizarre industrial designs. You can preview his entire collection here and it’s rather interesting how many people wish to purchase his off-the-wall designs. The Bass Medallion subwoofer with built-in 100W amp, adjustable crossover and high-excursion 6″ sub driver isn’t just a gimmick. I mean. yes, it’s gimmicky but it’s the only way we know to bring chest-thumping bass to any pair of headphones.
The Bass Medallion features a custom-made 170mm Dekoni earpad (chest protector) and all of the internal surfaces are sealed with laser-cut rubber gaskets to reduce vibration. See what it looks like in action – along with the rest of Pud’s creations – in the video below.
We also caught up with Pud at CanJam SoCal 2024, where you can check out even more of his crazy headphones.
Technics EAH-AZ100
The folks at the Technics booth at CanJam didn’t have much to say about the fantastic new EAH-AZ100 TWS earphones – they let these in-ear beauties speak for themselves. Attendees lined up to listen to a set of arguably the best in-ear ‘phones at or under $300.
The EAH-AZ100 feature a newly designed magnetic fluid driver with excellent linearity which practically eliminates distortion and extends the bass response below anything we’ve heard before in a $300 pair of in-ear ‘phones. The AZ100 supports Bluetooth 5.3 including the new Bluetooth LE Audio standard and Auracast features to pair and share audio, as well as the LC3 codec for low-latency audio when gaming and viewing videos.
Audiophiles on the Android platform will be happy to see LDAC support and the AZ100s are also compatible with Google Fast Pair for near instantaneous pairing to any compatible Android phone.
Read all about the AZ100s and why they earned an editor’s choice and Best in Show award in my AZ100 review.
The Bottom Line
With the Marriot Marquis ballrooms packed with enthusiastic music lovers, CanJam NYC 2025 showed us that the high-end headphone market is alive and well. While many consumers won’t be ponying up $6,000 for a pair of electrostatic headphones, the show had plenty of offerings in the $300 and below range, including the excellent Technics AZ100 TWS in-ears and the Audeze Maxwell over-ear planar magnetic headphones.
Anyone who loves to enjoy music and movies with the privacy of a pair or headphones or earphones should definitely make it a point to check out CanJam when it comes to a city near you.
Upcoming CanJam Shows:
- CanJam Singapore – April 5-6, 2025
- CanJam Shanghai – June 14-15, 2025
- CanJam London – July 19-20, 2025
- CanJam SoCal 2025 – September 13-14, 2025
- CanJam Dallas 2025 – November 8-9, 2025
More Information at: CanJam Global Events
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