CanJam NYC 2025 Recap

CanJam NYC has once again come and gone. The 2025 NYC edition of the world’s biggest headphone show was packed with audiophiles ready to hear the latest and greatest in hifi gear. And on top of that, I was once again amazed by the forward-thinking and excellent sounding products different manufacturers brought to the show. Below, you’ll find some of my favorite products of CanJam NYC 2025, with a major emphasis on the future of hifi.

Headphones:

Fiio FT7 Over-Ear Headphones

The open-back FT7 over-ear headphones from Fiio was one of the exciting new headphones at CanJam NYC. Though it is not expected to be released for a while longer, it was exciting to get my eyes – and ears – on the new headset from the Chinese brand. With a slate of entry-level headphones like the FT1 Pro, they look to add a new set of cans to the top of their roster. The FT7 takes design to the next level, featuring zebrawood grills and ear pads made from either lambskin or suede. Using a large 106mm planar-magnetic driver, the FT7 accomplishes a more mature sound with great detail retrieval and a slight sense of warmth to keep things interesting. Look forward to this headphone later this year. 

Meze Audio Poet Over-Ear Headphones

Meze Audio’s new open-back over-ear headphone, the Poet, was one of CanJam NYC’s biggest stars. You could find it on several tables as amp and source manufacturers used them to show off their devices’ capabilities. Though I’ve already reviewed the Poet on Youtube, I stopped by the Audio46 table to give the pair another listen (though the photo above is actually from the Meze booth). The warm and delectable sound of the Poet along with its exquisite build made it a showstopper. For more information on the Poet, you can find a full written review here.

Audze CRBN 2 Electrostatic Over-Ear Headphones

There were plenty of high end electrostatic headphones at the show. One of my favorites had to be the yet to be released CRBN 2 from Audeze. The original CRBN was a big hit, and the new model, which uses Audeze’s patented SLAM technology to bring their signature warmth to their highly detailed electrostatic drivers. The sound was fantastic with a holographic soundstage and musical sense of detail. It can be hard to get a sense of quality when listening on a crowded showroom floor. That said, the sound of the CRBN 2 stood above the noise, leaving me quite impressed. 

IEMS:

Letshuoer Mystic 8

Letshuoer released the Mystic 8 earlier this year, and CanJam made the perfect opportunity to listen to these fresh IEM’s for the first time. With an 8-balanced armeture driver design, I was skeptical at first. Oftentimes, I find all-BA configurations to feel boxy with some peakiness in the midrange. But the Mystic 8 turned out to be one of the smoothest BA IEM’s I’ve heard in this price range. Detail retrieval is fantastic and the sound signature is balanced across the entire frequency range. Its beautiful design was great to see up close, with its cat and mist symbols on the shells. 

Campfire Audio Clara

Designed in collaboration with Italian musician Alessandro Cortnini (known for working with acts like Nine Inch Nails), Campfire Audio’s Clara mixes musicality with accuracy in a way that seems to be more common in current headphones. It uses a dual magnet dynamic driver, a dual-diaphragm balanced armature driver, and two super tweeters for the top end. With a slight bass boost and otherwise neutral sound signature, it provides plenty of detail with just a taste of flavor and an overall smooth texture. 

Gear:

Questyle M18i and QCC Dongle 

The newest member of Questyle’s highly regarded line of dongle DAC/amps was present at the show as well. The M18i DAC/amp sounded and looked excellent, with its OLED screen leading the way. But what stole the show for me was its accompanying Bluetooth dongle called QCC. The QCC and QCC Pro offer advanced wireless connection and Hi-Res audio specifically for Apple devices. Just connect it through its USB-C termination and voila! I was able to listen in LDAC on Bluetooth 5.4 from my iPhone, so call me impressed by this tiny, but game-changing device. 

Eversolo DMP-A6 Gen 2 Master and Upcoming New Amp

I’m a huge fan of what Eversolo has been doing with their DACs and streaming music players. I was happy to see the new DMP-A6 Gen 2 Master edition, which has become super popular for audiophiles. Using it as a source for music playback is seamless and intuitive. But the most exciting product at their table was an amp that is still in development. As such, there weren’t too many details yet, but it sounded and looked phenomenal with features like headphone-detection and automatic EQ’ing. I think Eversolo will continue to find really cool ways to push the audio industry forward in the years to come. 

Final Verdict

Overall, this was another memorable year for CanJam NYC. The best part about the audio world is its sense of community, and it was great to see listeners and manufacturers in one room all together, sharing their thoughts on the devices they love. Most importantly, I couldn’t be more excited about the future of hifi. With so much ingenuity and inventiveness happening all around, it’s sure to be a great year for high end audio.