CanJam London 2026 Report
OSCAR AND KELLY HEAD TO THE CAPITAL FOR CANJAM LONDON 2026
Our resident HeadFi expert Ocar heads to his happy place at CanJam London 2026, find out what he found there and of course, who won his CanJam London 2026 Golden PiG Award!
Well, it feels like only yesterday that we were at the 2025 show, and now it’s time for CanJam London 2026, where has time gone?
Please note, all content and photos are the copyright of HiFi PiG Magazine/Big Pig Media LLP and must not be copied or reproduced in any way without the prior, written consent of the editor.
CANJAM LONDON 2026 REPORT
CanJam London is the UK’s largest headphone and portable audio show, and it’s a brilliant event if you are into all things headphones. Without further ado, lets get in to the coverage of this excellent event, that felt busier this year with plenty of new faces at the show.
Naim + Focal
Naim and Focal had a display of their Bathys and Bathys MG, alongside the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone edition streaming amplifier, Stellia, Azurys, and Utopia. Nothing new from Focal or Naim this year, however the Utopia does pair nicely with the Uniti Atom HE, offering up a punchy and dynamic sound. It’s crisp and clear, yet not fatiguing and a great start to the show.
AZLA
AZLA make a wide range of eartips, I personally use their Crystal and Sednafit tips a lot when reviewing earphones, and testing earphones at shows.
Status Audio
Status Audio have collaborated with Cameron from Goldensound for a version of their Pro true-wireless earphones. These have been tuned in collaboration with Cameron to a specific target curve, more aligned with what audio enthusiasts will enjoy. I did get to give them a listen, playing Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana, and they do have quite a clean and engaging sound, the midrange comes across natural, the bass is tight and punchy, whilst the treble is extended yet never harsh. The tuning works well, and is both well balanced, without losing energy.
Meze
The Arta are the star of the show here of course, and I was lucky to have a bit of time with them in Vienna. Here at CanJam I got to hear them paired with an Allnic stack, with their ASRA DAC and Valve headphone amp. I listened to my own music and Toronto (unabridged) by Silverstein came on, and it was delivered with incredible realism, effortless air and dynamics, full bodied acoustic guitar, and crystal-clear midrange. This is a truly superb headphone, and one that aligns with a lot of my personal preferences when it comes to sound.
Luxsin
HEA were showing off the range of Luxsin products, look out for my X8 review coming very soon. They had the X8 and X9 on demo, alongside a prototype of a new DAC/amp that uses their new BOGDAC R2R DAC module instead of the delta-sigma DACs in other models. Again, I had a quick listen in Vienna, and the sentiment is the same here, the Luxsin R2R DAC module is natural, yet exceptionally clean and detailed. It is not a warm blanket of a DAC, it is just natural and open sounding.
Campfire Audio
HEA were also at the show with Campfire Audio, and I had a listen to their new Chimera model which is a lot going on inside it. So, I decided to test it with something a little more complex, My Plague by Slipknot, and they handled it with ease. The bass is full and thick with excellent body and presence, the vocals cut through cleanly, and the treble is crisp and well extended. These are a high-energy earphone, that want to have some fun, and work well with engaging music, with a real sense of impact and clarity.
Astell & Kern
HEA also had Astell & Kern with them, and they had plenty on demo at the show, I decided to listen to their new Clarus earphones with 10 drivers per side. Coming from the Chimera, these are a more refined and linear sounding earphone, with a focus on linearity, detail, yet with enough body to prevent them from sounding too clinical. They have good energy still, but are a bit more controlled and detailed, with great spatial imaging and articulate bass – this is a model for those looking for refinement without lacking body.
Final
Final had their new DX10000 CL, I heard these in Vienna and the diamond driver is something quite special. They are very revealing, yet don’t come across as harsh or sharp, definitely worth a listen if you enjoy a more controlled and open sound. They also had their DX4000 CL, and DX3000 CL on demo, with the excellent A10000 earphones there too.
Letshouer
Letshouer had a great array of products on demo, I listened to the new Eber first which has a slightly darker sound signature with a focus on the lower ranges, an easy listen that’s not fatiguing in the slightest. I personally prefer a little more mids and treble, yet these will definitely appeal to some listeners. Next up was the Sonata, which is the same as the EJ10 with a different build. These are more to my taste, with a cleaner, more even-handed sound that works with multiple genres with ease. Deep sub-bass presence, natural mids, and crisp treble all in an open and airy presentation that is energetic yet never fatiguing. I also got to listen to a prototype they are working on, which has a slightly more open sound that the Sonata, still retaining a balanced sound signature but with a little more detail in the mids and treble, and more controlled low end. A good middle ground between technicalities and natural presentation, a highly technical earphone that doesn’t throw that in your face as such.
Jcally
A new brand for me, they have a small range of earphones and also dongle DAC/Amps – the new JM98MAX2 is quite cool with an anime design on it, along with a hidden screen. I had a listen to this with their new earphones, that currently don’t have a model name, and they were a great pairing out of my phone. This is affordable kit, yet offers up a punch and engaging sound with quite a few built-in EQ profiles on the dongle to suit your own personal preference. I then had a listen to their Space earphone, which also comes as a kit with a cable and boom-mic for gaming. The Space have an easy-going sound signature, smooth yet punchy they deliver up good control and tonality, I did enjoy listening to Welcome To The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance through these.
CanJam-London-2026-Oscar- (128) > (139)
Flowztone
Another new brand here, Flowztone are from Hong Kong and this F-R1 headphone uses a true ribbon diaphragm, there are not many headphone companies doing this. Having a listen to them paired with an SMSL DAC and their own F-A1 amplifier, and I’m impressed. They have clearly done a lot of work on making these sound this way, they are super snappy (to be expected), yet are not missing out on the body and punch. These hit hard, with good impact and body, and good tonality too, Pneuma by Tool sounded superb with plenty of weight to the sound, and snappy transients, the F-R1 didn’t miss a beat here. These are one of the highlights of the show for me, impressive stuff.
Amoenus
Amoenus Audio make software that aims to recreate a more natural sound from headphones, using DSP and specific crossfeed settings. The demo used a Beetles track as they are well known to be hard-panned in terms of L/R stereo imaging – and turning the DSP on/off makes a big difference in terms of the presentation of the music. It doesn’t mess with the headphones natural tonality, in this case the HiFiMAN HE1000, yet turning it on does give you a more natural presentation in terms of instrument placement within the soundstage. I’m not personally a big user of this kind of tech, however there are plenty of people who don’t like the traditional headphone sound and this kind of tech goes a long way to helping headphones sound more natural.
Sivga / Sendy
Sivga and Sendy had a table with lots of their headphones and earphones on demo, alongside the Sendy Kylin DAC/Amp. I listened to the Lyrebird earphones, which come in at £149, and use a single DD driver, alongside 1 BA, 1 micro planar driver, and a piezoelectric ceramic driver. A lot of tech in this affordable earphone, and it’s well tuned too, with crisp treble, snappy transients, and good body in the bass, a highly enjoyable listen.
Audma
Audma had their Brioso PHPA1 DAC/Amp on demo, alongside their full size HPA1, driving a pair of Susvara. I listened to the Brioso PHPA1 with the Meze Elite, and it drives them very well for a portable device, yet this little portable device has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. It has a bass boost built in, alongside some propriety tech that allows you to adjust the stage and angle of the sound, to dial in the sound you like. These settings are subtle but increase how natural the headphones can sound, and it works well if you are in to that sort of thing. Audma do this kind of thing very well, and the full size HPA1 also has a ton of functionality built in to ensure headphones are both driven with ease, as well as sounding natural.
Noble
Noble had their two new full-size models on demo, the Fokus Pro and Fokus Artemis, alongside the Osprey true-wireless earphones. Wired wise they had their Kronos, Iris, Van Gogh, Vanguard, and more. I listened to the two newest models, starting with the Vanguard which are quite a fun and engaging listen with great energy and punch. These are an ever so slightly leaner sounding earphone, but the bass comes out when called for, and they can’t be called thin or bright. Next up, I listened to the Iris, a single DD driver earphone, and I enjoyed listening to this model a lot. They have great coherency, clarity, and depth to the sound, bringing out plenty of bite in the midrange, and impact down low – with airy and well extended treble.
Fosi
Fosi have been releasing plenty of products and had a new DAC/Amp on demo, alongside a small little DAP. The new DAC/Amp is rather nice, it’s not your conventional black box and looks great on a desk. They also had their planar headphones, desktop DAC/Amp, dongles, earphones, CD Player, and more.
Grado / Burson
Grado and Burson shared a stand, curtesy of Armour Home, and Rich Grado was over to help man the stand. Grado recently released their Classic line of headphones, and as a fan of the SR325, I did have a listen to the SR325 Classic. These are a little fuller sounding than the Grado of old, and will certainly appeal to many listeners. They are smoother, and fuller sounding, which will please many, but they do lack a tiny bit of that “Grado” tonality that many love. Either way, the SR325 Classic are a brilliant headphone and still retain a lot of the sound that many love.
Spirit Torino
Spirit Torino are an interesting brand from Italy, they make a few interesting models of headphones with quite different sound signatures. Their main dynamic driver headphones use an isobaric bass system that gives them a hefty amount of low end, whilst still retaining detailed across the board. They also make a planar model which is a little more linear, along with some earphones that also have a bit more of a bass heavy signature. In Vienna I had a listen to their upcoming earphone, Vermiglio, and these seem very promising.
Audeze
Here you had the new MM-520 from Audeze, alongside their wider range of headphones, including the Maxwell, CRBN 2, and LCD Series. Audeze know how to make a great headphone, and they had some excellent source equipment to pair them with too.
Fiio
The cadence at which Fiio release new products is mad, they are releasing all sorts in different categories, yet CanJam is all about the headphones. So here we had their new Class-A amp on demo, alongside the CD player we saw back in Vienna, and the K17 R2R. There is always so much to see on the Fiio table, from earphones, dongle DAC/Amps, DAPs, and products from their sister brands Jade Audio and Sky.
Ferrum
Ferrum had their new Broen streamer, paired with their usual stack consisting of the Hypsos, Wandla Goldensound Edition (Gen 2), and Oor – these were paired with the Susvara Unveiled and drives them very well indeed.
EPZ
EPZ are a Chinese brand that make earphones, the first model I listened to was their P50, a 5-driver model with 1 DD, 2 x BA, and 2 x planar drivers. These are a great sounding earphone, with a well-balanced sound signature. Some old Asking Alexandria came on (metalcore), and it was incredibly fun to listen to, with deep punchy bass, and a clean overall signature. Next up I listened to their 550 model, using 5 BA drivers, and these have a tighter sound, that still have great bass impact and presence. This is a more neutral leaning earphone, yet it doesn’t lack energy or body, with impressive detail retrieval across the board, a very transparent yet punchy earphone. Lastly, I spent some time with their P40, a 4 driver model with 2 DD, 1 planar, and 1 piezoelectric ceramic driver, these are tuned with a slightly fuller sound signature that has deep and full bass, whilst the midrange retains good detail, and the treble is smooth and well extended. It’s interesting to listen to the different models from one brand, and how they all appeal to different listeners.
Fatfreq
A brand that tells you what you’re getting in the name, yet not all their models are super bass heavy. I listened to their new Founders Edition model that is made in collaboration with Effect Audio, and it is still quite a dark tuning (to be expected) yet it is done in a full yet controlled manner. There is still good detail, but these are an earphone that will appeal to those treble averse listeners, who want a full and thick sounding earphone. Whilst not necessarily my cup of tea, I can appreciate what Fatfreq are doing here, and they do know how to tune a dark sounding earphone very well.
Ultimate Ears
Ultimate Ears had plenty of their models on demo, which fit the pro-audio world well but also cross-over into audiophiles in many ways. I’m a big fan of their RR model, it’s a brilliant reference model, and has been tweaked to the RR+ now. I had a listen to the UE6+ which now features 2 DD drivers, and a single BA. These are one of the more “entry” level models from UE, and they have a healthy dose of bass presence and body, that is great for monitoring on stage. The mids and treble are well presented, with good clarity and detail, yet the bass response makes them perfect for bassists, drummers and the like. UE have been doing this kind of stuff for years, and it’s great to still see them in the market, continually refining what they make.
Qobuz
It’s always great to see the guys from Qobuz, I use their streaming service and it is excellent.
Orff Cables
I first met Orff at CanJam a couple of years ago, and last year I did a full review of their Earl cable, which is an excellent with a slightly warm tilt. This year they announced the Alexander, using graphene within it, it’s a cable that has a more linear and neutral presentation, it doesn’t try to change the sound much, it does subtly increase the detail and open up the sound a little. These cables are extremely well made, and sound excellent, it’s great to see them continuing to innovate.
Austrian Audio / Loewe
UK distributor Henley Audio were at CanJam with both Loewe and Austrian Audio. They had the Loewe Leo on demo, alongside the Austrian Audio Composer and Arranger headphones, alongside their Full Score One headphone amp, and a couple of Pro-Ject headphone amps on the table too.
Electromod
Mark always puts a lot into CanJam London, and this year was no different, with a huge range of products Topping, Violectric, Dan Clark Audio (including the new Aeon Core), Grell OAE2, and Ecoute – alongside a ton of accessories from Dekoni. There were also a couple of Truthear models on display, as well as some PowerHD bits too. I reviewed the Grell OAE2 when they came out, and they do things a little differently which is good, and I’ve also tried the Ecoute wireless headphones with integrated valves, and the new model coming soon are a nice step up over their first model. It’s also worth mentioning the Dan Clark Aeon Core, these offer a lot of what Dan Clark Audio is all about, for a lower cost, and seem to be very good value for money.
Unique Melody
Well here’s a name I haven’t seen in a while, they had quite a good range of products on demo and I sat down and listened to the Maven III – a 12-driver earphone. These are impressively detailed and open sounding, with great depth and insight overall. Vocals are clean and cut through with impressive detail and clarity, the sub-bass has a tasteful boost giving a sense of fullness, and the treble is snappy yet controlled. An engaging listen that could verge on the edge of becoming fatiguing to some ears, they do have a fun and punchy sound, though.
SoftEars
Softears are quite an established earphone brand, and had a few new models on demo here. I had a listen to their new Karma first, coming from the more energetic UM model, these are more rounded, and better balanced overall. They have more controlled bass, with a slightly leaner midrange and treble region, giving them a more reference tuning. This is a tight, controlled, yet well-balanced earphone that works well with multiple genres, they are also not fatiguing, even though there is excellent detail retrieval and layering. Next up I tried the Edge, this uses a single DD driver and has a bit more oomph down low, and more vivid vocal presentation. This isn’t as well-balanced, but comes across with excellent energy and a slightly smoother treble presentation, the coherency from the single DD driver is excellent too. This is an earphone you can crank up a little and rock-out to, it wants you to have fun, rather than pick apart a recording, yet still gives you great layering, separation, and detail.
Hongshu Audio
This is another new name for me, this company make electrostatic headphones, and their EH-1 & EHA-1 combo comes in at £520, one of the most cost-effective ways to get in to the electrostatic side of things. The EHA-1 amp has it’s own balance control, as well as a built-in bass boost, something that helps overcome the usual weak point of electrostatic headphones. For the price, these are comfortable and easy to listen to, with the bass-boost off they are clear and snappy as you would expect with great balance overall – turn the bass boost on and they gain an extra helping of bass energy and punch without upsetting the overall balance. They also had a prototype of a new power amplifier for their headphones, the EPA-1.
Faith Audio Labs
I have heard of this brand before, and listened to some models before too, at the show they had their new U1000 limited edition model, alongside their E1000. All models use a single DD driver, and the E1000 is an incredibly controlled and detailed earphone, with superb separation across the board. This is one of those models that showcases how a good single DD driver can compete, and surpass many multi-driver setups. When done right you get plenty of headroom, separation, detail, and these have all of that in spades, whilst also being incredibly fun to listen to. The U1000 Limited Edition it a s little smoother than the E1000, whilst very similar on a technical level, the U1000 is a bit more organic sounding, without losing the snappy transients and excellent timing. It’s the one I would pick for longer listening sessions, as it’s easier to listen to in the long run and just more engaging.
Linsoul
Linsoul had their usual assortment of brands, including Kiwi Ears, Thieaudio, and ZiiGaat. I tried the new Kiwi Ears KE4 MKII which don’t have the final faceplate, but the tuning is complete. These have good bass articulation, with a slightly darker tuning, that’s easy to listen to and lacking any fatiguing properties. A smooth, easy listening earphone, with enough technicalities to prevent them from sounding boring. Next up were the Linsoul Avant, a 6 driver model, with a nice and spacious presentation with a natural midrange and quite pleasant treble presentation that is airy and well extended without sounding boosted in any way. The bass is fun, with good impact, and deep extension with a little sub-bass lift that gives them an added bit of body without taking over the midrange. These are pretty fun sounding earphones, with good energy and detail overall. Lastly, I listened to the Thieaudio Clairvoyance 2 – this is also a prototype with a near-final tuning, however they mentioned the cable might change, a shame as I like the pink. This is another fairly smooth tuning, with snappy transients that can keep up with rock music with ease, the midrange is quite tame, with just enough bite for crunching guitars. All of these models have great technicalities, and this particular model does grungy bass lines well, and out of the Linsoul models I tried it is a little more engaging without coming across bright. This is a great tuning for everyday listening, and one that will appeal to a wide range of listeners.
HiFiMAN
The big news here was the HiFiMAN HE6 Remastered – These do have a lot of what the OG HE6 was loved for, but it is still a little different. There is great energy and a little added presence in the upper mids, and great bass punch and depth. These are always going to be a punchy headphone, yet they don’t quite have the same physical slam of the OG, but they are a little cleaner and separated. These are also a headphone that are going to be very amp dependent, and still require a huge amount of wattage behind them to drive them properly, with the GA-10 amp only just managing to get good levels out of them. Still, these are a modern retake on a classic, and it gives you a good flavour of what the OG did, and I do like the new headband and weight compared to the OG.
Elise Audio
Elise represents a ton of brands in the UK, and you could spend all CanJam just at their tables listening to earphones and headphones. Auribus had a new model here, so I did want to listen to those, a closed back headphone called Laguna. These were hooked up to an SAEQ Perseus headphone amp, with Henry audio DAC, and listening to With You by Linkin Park was great fun. The Laguna have controlled yet full bass, that digs deep and comes out when called for, yet never overwhelms the rest of the sound. Vocals come across naturally, and the treble is detailed and well extended, the main thing that stands out though is the soundstaging, these have quite an airy sound for a closed back model, and there is great separation throughout too. This is a very good closed-back headphone, and whilst open-back will always win in terms of realism, these are punchy and engaging, and overall, very fun.
Mass Kobo
Here is a brand that needs no introductions in the headphone world, and I am envious of those who have one of these amps in their system. Each amp is hand-built in Japan and they sound so effortless and natural, they blow pretty much all other solid-state amps out of the water. I got to listen to the new 491 with a pair of ZMF Caldera Closed (a headphone I know well) and it drives them effortlessly, whilst sounding tonally natural and real whilst doing so. These are truly aspirational amplifiers, and I always enjoy seeing them at CanJam, it is always an experience listening to music through one of these amplifiers.
Melodic Artification
Another new name here, they make a few products including an earphone, a headphone amp, and a pair of full-size headphones, they use composite beryllium drivers in the earphones and headphones. I listened to the Infinitum headphones paired with their Eternitum headphone amp, and they have a good level of detail and control without sounding thin. The headphone amp has a bass boost, however I did prefer the headphones without the bass boost enabled, they sound balanced and articulate with good extension and great presence when listening to female vocals (Pale Waves).
Syphonium / Nightjar Acoustics
Symphonium had their new Zenith on demo, alongside a lot of other kit, these have a bit of a bass boost yet vocal clarity is still good, and the treble is well presented yet not boosted. Soundstaging is good, and these are quite a good set for general everyday use, sounding fun and engaging yet not over-the-top or too in-your-face.
Viking Weave
It’s always great seeing Sebastian at the show, he started many years ago making cables and has now branched out into a headphone that was first shown 3 years ago. These are very unique in their construction, and are also fully tuneable, with various bass settings as well as earpad rolling to give them even more. They can be well-balanced, or utter bass cannons, depending on what you personally want from them, and I do like this about them. His cables are also stunning, the build quality is superb and the norse mythology link is super cool too.
Hercules Audio
This brand debuted last year at the show, and this year they had a new model, the Moses Legend. I enjoyed the normal Moses, and Noah at last years show, and the Moses Legend take it up a notch – there is fuller bass, alongside slightly better separation and detail. They are tuned with a slightly darker sound, the bass hits hard and with great depth, yet there is good clarity across the frequency range, with great soundstaging and layering.
Hifonix
Hifonix had a few brands with them this year, including LAiV, Viva, RAAL, Feliks Audio, Moon, and others. I briefly listened to the RAAL Magna Evo 1 with the Viva amp, and they do have a very effortless and natural sound, this is a combo that works very well together. Everything is in its right place, and it’s a sound I could spend quite a lot of time simply enjoying.
Chord Electronics
Chord had their new Quartet upscaler paired with Dave, and I listened to this setup with a pair of Meze Elite. It was easy to A/B the setup with the Quartet doing its thing, and without, and the difference really isn’t that subtle. The sound gains extra air and space, as well as the edges of notes being more defined and clearer. They were using an Innuos streamer as the source, and it was an excellent system to listen through, the Quartet definitely adds an extra layer to the sound and you do have to listen to it to really understand it.
ZMF
I’m pretty sure I nearly always leave ZMF till last, but it is always well worth a visit, with a huge array of headphones, and sources to test them with. Earlier this year ZMF released the Tessidera, and I hadn’t had a chance to properly listen to them yet, so I had to change that. For a ZMF they are quite controlled sounding, yet still have that special little something that still makes them a very ZMF headphone. The bass is textured and full, the midrange is superbly rendered with plenty of emotion and great tonal accuracy, and the treble is wonderfully detailed and extended without ever sounding sharp. I tested the Tessidera with a Ferrum stack in this case. After this, I listened to the Caldera Open paired with the Allnic ASRA headphone amp, and these are headphones that really do their best when driven by something fairly powerful. The weight and power of the bass, the clarity across the range, it is a cleaner and crisper headphone than the Tessidera, and would appeal to those who enjoy a more neutral sound. The Tessidera are a little laid back in comparison, yet both are excellent headphones and will appeal to different people. The Allnic 300B amp brings things up a notch with the Caldera open, a little added body, but mostly the separation and control are also better, it’s more natural sounding with a ton of energy – this amp is a bit crazy, yet pairs incredibly well with the Caldera open. It would be way too easy to spend a lot of time in this room, testing multiple models with differing sources, and ZMF always put the effort in when it comes to CanJam London.
CANJAM LONDON 2026 GOLDEN PIG AWARD
Giving out the Golden PiG award at a headphone show is slightly more difficult, as it is arguably harder to dress up a table in a communal room, however there is one exception. This year I decided to award to Golden PiG to Electromod, Mark and his son put a lot of effort in to this show, and their stand always stands out – it was consistently busy throughout the show, and Mark is always on hand to talk to people and answer any question on the kit. This year he also had Kendal from Ecoute on hand to help, and he was also engaging with people wanting to know more about the headphones, the team did a stellar job at both welcoming listeners, putting together kit that sounds great together, and building a fantastic – stand out – stand.
Please note, all content and photos are the copyright of HiFi PiG Magazine/Big Pig Media LLP and must not be copied or reproduced in any way without the prior, written consent of the editor.
A huge thank you to the organisers, exhibitors, and attendees for making CanJam London such a brilliant showcase of all things Head-Fi, and also a shout out to HiFiMAN for sponsoring our coverage. See you all at CanJam London 2027!
Oscar Stewart
Additional photography by Kelly Bowden
