Final thoughts.

As I mention every year, attending the CanJam is a unique experience like no other because no matter how much you read about the audio gear or discuss it with your friends online, nothing can substitute the experience of being able to hear everything in person.  It’s always great to see old friends and to meet new faces, including our diverse Watercooler crew from Head-fi.  And the same goes for manufacturers and retailers, many of whom I stay in touch with throughout the year over emails and PMs and only get a chance to see face-to-face during the show.  This year, I was even able to meet some manufacturers for the first time after being in touch for almost a decade since they never attended the NYC show before.  Plus, it is priceless being approached by your readers and hearing warm appreciation words, and “thanks” for emptying their wallets 🙂

And speaking of the Watercooler, this year we had the official awards ceremony for different manufacturers of portable and desktop gear based on the end-of-the-year survey in the thread on Head-fi.  It was a very touching moment hearing some of the acceptance speeches.  At the end, we took a traditional group picture, though I believe it was still only half of the Watercoolers who attended the show.  FYI, I’m in the first row at the bottom on the left in my traditional Tw6 t-shirt.

Again, I can only speak from my experience of eight NYC shows I visited so far, and this was the biggest CanJam NYC show I have seen to date.  I saw people from the East Coast and West Coast, Canada, the EU, and even SGP.  But unlike previous years where the balance at the NYC show was shifted more toward the desktop amps and full-size headphones than DAPs and IEMs, this year I have seen a lot more portable gear, maybe even more than desktop, though don’t quote me on that.  Don’t get me wrong, CanJam NYC still has a way to go to reach the level of portable gear at the upcoming CanJam SGP with its dominating coverage of IEMs, cables, and DAPs.  But this year more portable gear manufacturers showed up for the first time or after taking a long break.

Now, with CanJam NYC 2025 over in the blink of an eye, the waiting game for 2026 begins!  It is always my wishful thinking to have two shows a year in NYC, but with other Global CanJams around the corner, especially in SGP, I’m already looking forward to more impressions and reports from other Head-fiers and Watercoolers!

And last but not least, a BIG Thank You to CanJam Show producer, Ethan, and the entire Head-fi crew including Jude (sorry you had to miss this show, and my condolences to your family), Brian, Warren, Joe, and all the volunteers for bringing CanJam to us and allowing to enjoy this hobby to its full potential!

Page 1 – Intro and Overview of the Showroom.
Page 2 – Effect Audio/Elysian Acoustics, Empire Ears, Azla.
Page 3 – Bloom Audio, Campfire Audio, 64audio, ddHiFi, Lunch Break.
Page 4 – Eletech, Forte Ears, Dunu, Moondrop, Tanchjim.
Page 5 – Noble, Shanling, Audio-Technica, DITA, Kotori Audio.
Page 6 – Musicteck (UM, Softears, qdc, FlipEars, Alpha Omega, Epic Audio, and more).
Page 7 – Final thoughts.