Above: Mori, Adam, and Satoshi Yamamoto from Final Audio show off their in-ear, closed-back and open-back headphones.
Harris Fogel spent a lot of time listening to headphones at CanJam SoCal 2025, and hanging out with the manufacturers and people at the show. For more details, read Part One of his CanJam SoCal 2025 reporting in Issue 225.
Harris states that, “Ostensibly, we attend audio shows to listen to new gear, but I don’t think that’s the real reason. First of all, even the smallest shows have too much gear to listen to, so you have to pick and choose, which tends to bias us toward brands we know. Ironically, this contradicts what we are supposed to be there to do, which is discover new gear and music that we’ve had no exposure to.
I think the real reason we go is summed up with one word: “community,” which is what I think audiophiles need. It’s the reason people gather at openings for artists, why we attend movies in theaters, and so much more. Being an audiophile is admittedly a strange hobby, so events like CanJam bring together attendees where age, backgrounds, types of music, and passions aren’t just buzzwords; it truly is a varied and wide-ranging group of music lovers. Some folks seem to like equipment more than music at times, while others just view the gear as a means to an end, which is listening to music.
The point is, these events overflow with passion, from the manufacturers to the organizers to the participants. The equipment ranges from thirty to $50,000 dollars, so there's room for everyone, especially the dreamers. It will get used on the go, in planes, trains and automobiles, and for probably more than a few folks, while out fishing. Other audio systems probably require their own solar farm and oxygen-free transmission lines to run.
Either, way, seeing old friends, meeting new ones, gathering for a bite to eat or a drink after the show is over for the night, that’s what these shows are about. I for one, am pretty happy for that.”
Here are more photos from the show. (The next CanJams are coming up in Dubai on January 24 – 25, 2026, and in Manhattan on March 7 – 8, 2026.)
Dylan Scarzafva from Dekoni Audio was on hand to make sure everyone had upgraded replacement pads and in-ear headphone tips.
I’ve written about the radical new écoute vacuum-tube powered headphones in an earlier issue of Copper, and here are the faces behind the company: Kendal Liddle, Lisa Mahana, and Andy Regan.
Tania Ciochina of Meze Audio was there showing off their new models.
Audeze is a hometown favorite at CanJam SoCal 2025, since they're made in nearby Santa Ana.
Roger Fortier of Forte Distribution handles a variety of headphone brands as EverSolo, Zidoo, Shanling, Luxsir Audio, and more!
Eric and Jason Skubinski offered a superb selection of headphones from Abyss.
Jerry Del Colliano was there to report on the show for Future Audiophile.
Astell&Kern enjoy a stellar reputation for their no-compromise portable music players. Here Jason Henriques holds one of their latest models.
Kenneth Ball is the founder and president of Campfire Audio, “Nicely Done Earphones from Portland, Oregon!”
Many new products made their debut at CanJam SoCal 2025 including the Fosi Audio SK02 DAC and headphone amp, shown next to its sibling, the SK01. The author is testing the SK02 and finds it to be an amazing value, with smooth, open sound, and the ability to handle just about sampling rate you can throw at it while driving a wide variety of headphones and earphones. All for a suggested cost of $99. Further proof of why we are now in a golden age of audio.
The author has been meeting with bone conduction headphone specialists over the past year, and it was good to see these Shokz headphones with this design that are made for sports and fitness. Here are Dawn Mei, Karl Zhang, Milo Chan, and Rachel Chen.
Another Chinese company with a reputation for quality products with rich feature sets is FiiO. Yellow Huang and Bob Liu showed a wide variety of the company's products.
Alex Chavez of the Los Angeles and Orange County Audio Society was on hand to check out the latest gear.
Steve Boddy of Linear Tube Audio hangs out with with three members of the LAOCAS: Bob Levi, Alex Chavez, and Garrett Priluck.
The hard-working staff of CanJam SoCal 2025 kept the vibe mellow, easy, and flowing smoothly! Here are James Sun, Joe Cwik, Harold Perez, and Larry D.
Clover, Staffer, Viviar, and Jim from NiceHCK were showing off an interesting variety of earphones, DACs, and headphones.
Brian Mitchell of eCoustics was everywhere. You can’t keep those hard-bitten press types tied down!
Kris McDougall of American Music and Sound shows off a gorgeous set of ruby red Fostex headphones.
Bevin Mehbach, Tal Daniel Kocen (Dark Matter Audio Labs, Dekoni), and Zach Mehbach (ZMF Headphones) relax as they get ready to tear down their booth at the end of the show.
0 comments