California Audio Show 2017 – Headphones and a Few Other Cool Things

I am not known as a headphones guy. At the California Audio Show, however, I had time to listen to some headphones and even came home with a pair to review. There were also a few things at the show that Becky and I thought was cool enough to share with you in pictures.

ESS was at the show on Saturday with four headphones from ESS ranging in price from $250 to $800. The pair on the far right uses a full-range Heil Air Motion Transformer driver. Next to it is a hybrid pair, and the two on the far left use dynamic drivers designed to sound like the AMT drivers. The only difference between those two is the headbands. I loved how the one on the far left fit and felt on my head, and that one is used in many recording studios.

Audio-Technica was showing two pairs of wonderful sounding headphones.

AudioVision of San Francisco was at the show with a great selection of headphones and headphone amps.

Schiit Audio was there with lots of their wonderful headphones and other products. Their products continue to amaze me.

OPPO was there with their wonderful headphone amp, their Sonica Streaming DAC, and some nice sounding headphones.

Now on to a few odds and ends I want to share with you. The first is the cool-looking Whammerdyne’s Ultimate 2a3 Amplifier.

Margules had a couple of products they were working on for a new less expensive line. I really like the look of this integrated amp.

This was the product Becky most wanted at the show. It too is a work getting close to market for their “Margules + Mutable” line. It is called the Monolith and is powered by a 100 W/channel. This stereo console integrates a phono preamp and wireless technology. The console is finished with FENIX NTM®, a super opaque nanotech material highly resistant to scratches. If you manage to scratch it, a little heat will fix any superficial scratches.

Additional Coverage on the California Audio Show: