CanJam NYC 2026

Final thoughts.

As I mentioned every year, attending 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 for hearing everything in person. It’s always great to see old friends and to meet new faces, including our diverse Watercooler group from Head-Fi. And the same goes for manufacturers and retailers, many of whom I stay in touch with throughout the year via email and PMs, and only see face-to-face during the show.

And speaking of the Watercooler, this year we held the 2nd official awards ceremony for various manufacturers of portable and desktop gear, based on the end-of-the-year survey in the Head-Fi thread. It was a very touching moment hearing some of the acceptance speeches. At the end, we took a traditional group picture, though I believe not everyone from the Watercoolers group who attended the show was in that group shot. I’m in the 2nd row, closer to the middle from the left, wearing my traditional black Twister6 Reviews t-shirt.

Again, I can only speak from my experience of nine NYC shows I have visited so far, and this was the biggest CanJam NYC show I have seen to date. Some of the HF staff told me it was probably the biggest CanJam show overall. I saw people from the East Coast and West Coast, Canada, the EU, and Asia. It was also great to see the balance of products at the NYC show continue to shift toward more portable gear, even more than desktop gear, as you can see from the showroom pictures. It’s one of the reasons the NYC CanJam show now attracts more manufacturers and retailers from Asia.

Now, with CanJam NYC 2026 over in the blink of an eye, again, the waiting game for 2027 begins! It is always my wishful thinking to have two shows a year in NYC, but with other Global CanJams around the corner, including Hong Kong, SGP, London, and SoCal, 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, the Head-Fi founder Jude, and the entire Head-Fi crew, including Brian, Warren, Joe, and all the volunteers, for bringing CanJam to us and allowing us to enjoy this hobby to its full potential!