The last time I headed into China was in 2017. A lot has happened since then, not least in the personal audiophile market, which has seen an explosion of brand names and products in the last 8 years.
The stalwarts are still there. HIFIMAN, FiiO, and Cayin, to name but a few, all arguably look over the domestic scene from a historical step or two above.
And it is HIFIMAN in particular that we will focus on in this show report: a company that has long been at the bleeding-edge of innovative high-end headphones and amps such as the Susvara and the Shangri-La Jr.
Shanghai
Shanghai is new to me from a tourism perspective. As a UK passport holder, the journey is somewhat complex, given we have yet to match our European brethren for direct access.
Instead, it’s a Transit Without Visa (TWOV) via a 3rd country, which in this instance was Korea, and an overnight in Seoul, which is nowhere near enough time to explore the city. I shall be back.
From there to Shanghai is a short 2-hour flight, processed on entry by some of the nicest and most polite immigration officials I have met in years. Onwards to the Marriott Marquis in the famous Huangpu District is about 90 minutes by car. This is a huge city; be prepared for traffic.
I arrived on the Wednesday before CanJam Shanghai, and unfortunately, it was wet and humid until Saturday, when thankfully the sun made a welcome appearance.
Despite its northerly location, Shanghai can get quite hot in June, around 28-30, but for the first few days, it was a welcome 23-25 Celsius, though still quite humid.
There were enough gaps in the downpours to stretch the legs and get a walk down the famous Nanjing Road Pedestrian area, which is a huge 5km stretch of shops from one end to the other and finishing with the magnificent view of the Bund and the iconic sight of the 632m Shanghai Tower and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower.
Everything is lit up in neon or LCD with every shade of color under the sun for 5km, and in particular, a vast collage of impressive lights emanating from the Bund. It’s also packed with people, noticeably so on the weekend, and even when raining.
Kunshan
Kunshan is a small city in Jiangsu, China. It is located about 50 km from central Shanghai and accessible by car via the highway. The total drive time is about 2 hours, depending on traffic.
It is a complete change of pace from the Shanghai central area and is home to some stunning ancient water towns, including Zhouzhuang, Qiandeng, Jinxi, and Bacheng.
This is the city of postcards for many outsiders, and I could have happily walked around all day, but for the fact that I had a bit of work to do.
HIFIMAN Factory Visit
And why am I choosing to go there instead of lounging around Shanghai in the lead up to the show? Well, that’s where one of HIFIMAN’s smaller factories is located, one that focuses on popular units such as the Serenade and the EF499/EF500/EF600 series of R2R amplifiers.
You can whizz through this factory in about 30 minutes, such is the small floor space. However, as in any good factory, 5S methodologies are visible everywhere with various colored markers on the floor for traffic lanes and finished goods.
From one end to the next, the units go through assembly from the chipsets, testing, final QC, packing, some more QC, then boxed and ready to ship out for distribution to dealers and customers worldwide.
The big news is happening further down the road where HIFIMAN is building a new all-purpose modern factory, which will house around 80% of their production output.
This is a huge move for the company, given the diaspora of employees and production locations spread across the country. The more locations, the higher the overhead, the more complex the logistics, the more diverse the culture.
Pulling them all together under one roof will harmonize all of the former and hopefully produce a leaner business in the process.
CanJam Shanghai
This is the 4th year that CanJam has hosted a show in Shanghai, and it first launched in 2018 (with a Covid pause), and the first time for me.
This is by no means a complete report, as I was not attending as a media sponsor, so consider the following more of a brief impression and some listening observations.
As far as I am aware, there were well over 100 brands represented by a mix of manufacturers and dealers inside a 20000sq. ft showroom on the Grand Ballroom on the 5th floor of the Marriott Marquis City Center Hotel.
It is not the biggest show on the map, and it has to compete with one of the busiest audio exhibition circuits of any country. Still, Saturday was quite busy from start to finish, with Sunday tailing off a little due to the heavy rains.
Interestingly, the organizers decided to levy a door charge this year, something they had not done before, and against the norm for most audio shows in China.
The thinking? If you are into this, you will pay the nominal fee to get in, thereby creating a more fervent and dedicated audiophile crowd and reducing the ‘tirekickers’ from the ‘gen pop’ invading the space.
Of course, those who went invited their friends, etc, so the room for audience growth is still there, thankfully.
beyerdynamic
Not that I spent time testing any beyer headphones at the Shanghai show, as I have a fair few here, but rather it was quite striking how large and ‘animated’ the buyer booth was at the entrance to the ballroom.
Chatting to a few in the know, I quickly discovered that the beyerdynamic brand recognition in China is stronger than I expected. So, it makes sense when the news broke recently of the Cosonic Intelligent buyout of beyerdynamic.
Cosonic Intelligent is a Chinese firm based in Dongguan and known for its OEM headphone manufacturing. You can tell from their heavy show presence that, aside from their new European presence, they see the domestic market as a lucrative region for growth.
HIFIMAN
HIFIMAN‘s booth at CanJam Shanghai 2025 was far more dynamic than what I am used to seeing from them in Singapore a few years back.
Animated LCD screens, models, and pretty much every current product model on the desk to try out, including the new Susvara Unveiled and HE1000 Unveiled.
Shangri-La
This was the setup I wanted to try at the Shanghai show, the Shangri-La (Sr). I have the Shangri-La Jr at home, but I rarely get to listen to this $50k electrostatic system, and mostly at shows. Even then, there is usually a lengthy queue of people waiting to try it.
Not this time, early bird got the worm, so I treated myself to about 30 minutes of listening to one of the most technically capable headphone systems out there.
It’s ‘huge’ sounding, precise, and incredibly resolving with some amazing imaging. There is a strong emphasis on speed and articulation, more so than the original Susvara.
The Unveiled version seems closer to the type of tone the HIFIMAN Shangri-La produces, but given it was tested in a show environment, it would need a bit more time in a quiet area to see how close the two might be.
It’s also very comfortable to wear, as with most HIFIMAN headphones that have the ovoid design. However, I would love to see the general frame upgraded a little since it’s been out for a while now.
Studer A730
One lovely surprise was the source feeding the Shangri-La amplifier, a Studer A730. This is a pro-level CD player, launched in 1988, and designed for broadcast use.
It’s built around a Philips TDA1541A-S1 DAC and a CDM-3 laser mechanism with a plethora of studio cue and speed options. However, for audiophiles, play is the only real button you want to find first.
The player looks very cool and retro, which is in keeping with the current trends, especially in China. It is also built like a tank and in pristine condition, so I presume HIFIMAN paid a fair amount to acquire it.
The amount? It costs between $3000 and $8000 used, depending on the condition of the unit on eBay. A fact I only found out when I got home and researched it. It seems fitting, then, that it should be the source to feed the Shangri-La.
Effect Audio
The Chinese wing of Singapore’s Effect Audio had a busy booth at the show, proving that audio cables are popular in China, or in Shanghai at least.
I had the opportunity to test a few new creations paired with the Melodic Artification Alter Ego, a $2499 universal IEM with a very intricate and attractive-looking TC4 Titanium shell.
The first was the Centurion II, a flagship high-end $6k cable that Nihal will be reviewing in the coming weeks. I have the original Centurion from a few years ago, and from my brief impressions, it’s a little different-sounding.
In short, it’s very revealing, very holographic, but also a little more natural and smoother sounding through the mids and highs of the Alter Ego.
I think it’s important to emphasize the smooth and natural because I had EA give me their cheapest cable, an Ares II variant to pair with the Alter Ego. It sounded a lot thinner and sharper compared to the Centurion II, with less noticeable depth to the soundstage.
From what I can see, you should get this flagship packed with a lot of goodies and accessories, which I am sure Nihal will enjoy unwrapping in due course.
Another new cable, yet to be announced worldwide but available for testing at the table at CanJam Shanghai 2025, is the Dionysus.
This is also high-end but not as high as the Centurion range. However, it performed really well with the Alter Ego, with a detailed but more neutral sound signature.
Noble Audio
The Noble Audio booth was a table I spent a lot of time at during the Shanghai show. Nancy and John are some of the most welcoming people on the circuit, and luckily, they had a ton of new gear on the table that I have yet to hear.
I can tell you that I will be reviewing the new flagship Shogun at some point, but while we wait, this universal IEM is a 13-driver mix of dynamic, BA, EST, and dual bone conduction.
All of this is tucked inside a very striking red and black striped 3D-printed resin shell and plenty of Japanese Shogun-type imagery on the integrated faceplate.
Performance-wise, the Shogun is probably the most balanced hybrid the team has produced to date. It delivers a crystal clear resolution, a deep but controlled bass response with a nice punch to it, and slightly less bite and aggression in the highs compared to the likes of the Ragnar.
A few more releases that sit below the Shogun include the Van Gough, the smooth-sounding Aegis II, and their new TWS, the Amadeus, which uses a new 8.3mm custom triple-layer diaphragm dynamic driver.
Nihal will be covering both of the new wired IEMs in due course, but yours truly took home an Amadeus to review and compare to the flagship hybrid Rex5.
The ‘TLDR’ from listening to the Amadeus at CanJam Shanghai 2025 is a striking red design packed with ANC, EQ options, about 10 hours of battery life, and a warm, more vocal-centric tuning compared to the Rex5.
Click on page 2 below for more of my impressions from CanJam Shanghai 2025.
