DFW meet - July 28, 2007

[pabbi1]

Another gathering, more of the same, more surprises, and more new freinds. My surprise (which shoukld not have been) was the Lambdas with the Blue Hawaii - game over. I also found very little difference (very surprised) in the BH and Gilmore Eloectrostatic (precursor to KGSS). But, alas, I also saved money, as I am just not sold on the Denon 5000, at least not yet - maybe balanced, or maybe not... to be continued.

Big thanks to all for coming out, and hope it was as illuminating for you, as it was for me. And an especial big thanks to those who sent their gear, even when they could not attend,.

ps: Mark, you are definitely on the path of a righteous man...

Oh, yeah, pics:

[Azure]

How were the bone-conduction headphones?

[pabbi1]

Well, unopened in the package says it all...

[krmathis]

Clean looking Blue Hawaii/HE60 rig.
I would like some impressions of those bone conducting headphones as well. if they ever made it out of the package that is...

[ironman64]

A couple of us passed the Alljoys around, and I think Dan Millheim's review just about sums it up. I guess none of us could get it to "work" correctly.

[eightbitpotion]

I can't believe I was late. It looks like it was fun.

[lawler]

the bone conducting headphones were the worst thing i have ever tried. ibuds were better. I thought the lambdas were spectacular. I was also impressed with the koss electrostatic system that alex brought.

[rwest1389]

Max the volume on you ipod and the bone conducting headphones and it makes sound. I found it interesting technology, but nothing more.

This was my first meet and thanks to everyone for being so helpful. I have to say I was most impressed by the black stax (what was the model?). It was my first time to try electrostats and it just seems like they have their own level of detail. The stax, koss electrostats, and he60s all blew me away and the soundstage, detail, and extension were so effortlessly amazing. This is probably old news to all of you, but as a beginner, it was a great experience.

Then to the next most impressive headphones. Having not heard high end closed phones, I thought they are doomed to boomy bass, muddy mids, and a small soundstage. For that reason, the denon d5000s were amazing. Oh yes it had bass and lots of it, but it was articulate, fast, and never bloated. Then the mids had such a sweet, smooth texture that was perfect for vocals. The soundstage on it was also impressive, especially its imaging. The whole sound was very thick and heavy, if that makes sense; it was something that was very attractive to me, as opposed to the light, airy sennheiser hd650s that were also there. For many types of music, the d5000s were amazing. However, as I am a rock lover and very used to grados, when guitars really hit their high notes, I found something missing. I found the highs too be a little too rolled off, and missed that sparkle I like. It was a minor flaw in my mind, but for my lack of money, I wouldn't spend it all on these. People say d2000s are most of the sound of d5000s for cheaper, would a recable help recover some of the difference? This may be a less expensive alternative for many who were so impressed by these at the meet.

Another big surprise for me were the ATH-A900 LTDs. The bass was very powerful, maybe not as articulate as the denons, but still tight and satisfying. The mids were also very smooth and natural, but I found them just slightly recessed. It had a nice soundstage, but the ability to separate instruments and place them so nicely all around you that the denons had, the A900s lacked. They were still great in this respect, just suffered from being heard after the denons. However, I found the A900s excel in their highs. They had great extension and just sparkled during the guitar solo of Comfortably Numb. That kind of sound is just addicting for me. I would miss out on the soundstage and some bass, but maybe the A900s LTD would be a good solution for me over the denons, as well as save some money. However, these were the limited edition A900s. Are they very different from the regulars? They don't get a lot of respect on head-fi which I found surprising. Is there a big difference? or maybe they fit my tastes just right.

As for the sennheisers: hd650s, 600s, 595s, and 580s. Let me just say that they are great headphones, but not for me. The detail in the 650s were amazing (before I heard the electrostats anyway) and airyness was great for classical. However, thats not my type of music, and sennheisers aren't my cup of tea. I really enjoyed sitting down with them for a while to relax and listen to Lord of the Rings soundtrack, but I wouldn't buy them.

Again, I'd like to thank Alex and everyone who brought great stuff to let this beginner try, as well as gladly answering my questions. It was a great experience. I focused mainly on headphones as I can pick out differences much easier with those, Ill let the professionals critique the beautiful amps there.

[Dan Millheim]

Hey,

It was great to meet everyone that went to the DFW meet this past weekend. I learned alot through your collective experiences! Some of it good and some damaging to the wallet. Here are some impressions from my first meet ever. FYI: Please don't get upset as these are only "my" impressions and I am sure they will change as I get more experience. I also am writing my comments from more of a headphone perspective as I am very happy with my present gear and so did not listen to a whole lot of other equipment. Let's jump in off the deep end:


My beloved Senn. 650's with Cryo'ed Moon Black Dragon cables can be improved on. The Zu cable is very nicely built in comparison, but still does not lift the vail any more then the BD's. Yes, there are nice improvments in both but I now understand what is meant by the "vail." At this meet I heard it for the first time as I had other headphones that made this issue very obvious. I was both excited and saddened by this. I am not a FOTM kind of consumer, nor do I desire to be a collector of headphones. Having heard the Senn 650's dethroned like this will mean I am moving on. Ahhh, darn you headfi!

The most expensive cans in the room, Hev 60, while very detailed, left me wanting more. I am not a "Bass Head" or at least I don't think I am, but all I could think of while listening to these lengendary headphones was; "where's the bottom on these bad boys?" I now understand a little more clearly that "expensive" can mean both better as well as just different. For me, these are not an option, though many really enjoyed them!

I also learned that Tube Amps appear to be high maintenance and very warm-how do you guys stand this living in Texas, ha? Tube Rolling is a myth? What I mean is, before the meet I thought it would be cool to pop tubes in and out to effect sound but it appears that it takes weeks to fully appreciate any changes made by swapping out tubes.

FOR ME, my maxed HR home amp still is my personal choice. I did not think it lacked anything compared to the tube rigs. I love the detail, air, instrument placement etc., I get out of this amp. I know this would not be shared by everyone at the meet. In fact, I find it interesting that at the meet in some ways but more so on this site, that HR equipment in general, seems to not be regarded too highly. I find this interesting given the contribution of HR to our hobby. Oh well, it's all good and I respect everyones choices in the gear they have chosen.

Oh, speaking of amps... The Meir "Move" was very, very cool and the build quality and sound were impressive for a portable! Is it just me? I can't hear crossfeed on this amp or the HR?????

On to more "Can" impressions or at least the two that did it for me:


Many of the cans in the $300-500 dollar range sounded uninteresting to me OR, I should say, did not offer an improvement on my Senn. 650's. I was also surprized by the loyalty to lower model Senn's to the 650's and this coming from guys who had experienced and owned very high end cans in the past. Why? I guess I need more listening time on each?

I do not understand the Grado excitement? I know I did not hear their best offerings but the ones present at the meet did nothing for me and I had so hoped they would. They felt like toys, looked like antiques, fit wierd and sounded just OK? Again, I do not know much but this was my first impression on a can that have a huge following. I need to hear more I guess?

The surprise headphones of the meet for me were the Denon 5000's. The fit, feel, and build quality are amazing for the money! FOR ME, they easily dethroned my much loved Senn 650's...it was not even close. The only reservation I had was in what sounded like too heavy of a bottom end. While very engaging and fun to listen to, I wondered if I would get tired of this apparent huge bottom end given my music preferences for jazz and vocals? If I was into rock or rap these cans would so do it for me. I know these are fairly new but given their price point I would think there would be a whole lot more "buzz" on these amazing headphones?

The ED9's stole my heart and wallet! This despite the fact that there were several experienced guys in the room that had heard them, owned them and were unimpressed. I respect their viewpoints but for me the Denons and ED9's were very special cans. I REALLY wanted to hate the ED9's and claim it was all hype...


At first it was hard to distinguish anything more then both these cans got my attention in a way the others did not. The first thing I thought, did the ED9's really sound $1000 better? I would have to say, from my limited experience, no. I might be VERY happy with the Denons but the more I listened to the ED9's the deeper they drew me into the music. The detailed mids were utterly amazing, the highs- solid, the bottom end- big, tight and just perfectly ballanced. I learned the Ed9's I was listening to did not have more them 50 hours or so on them and they still impacted me. Some word to describe my experience with these headphones would be "weight" and "slam." The notes I was hearing were delivered with an authority that left the Denons wanting. The more time I spent listening to this sonic "authority," the more I realized this is what top tier headphone deliver and where the extra money goes. Ahhhh, what an expensive little outing this was going to be.

To hold the ED9's and feel their build quality and weight of construction is impressive. They feel and look expensive...well, everything looked first class but the cable?!?!?!? What was ultrasone thinking on matching such impressive hand built quality with such a cheap looking/feeling cable? If/when I get these headphones I will have to have them recabled, ha.


The tie for clunker Headphones: The Pickering "Coconuts" that weighed so much my hair hurt, ha (They were really fun to look at though) and the NO-JOY "Bone Head for buying" Conductive Headphones. If anyone wants to purchase the ALLJOYS (in the Conus) just drop me an offer.


Well, forgive me for going on and on but these are just one guys impressions on some Headphones...and a Noob at that. Thanks again guys, I really enjoyed meeting you all!

dan

[spritzer]

It's nice to see such a strong electrostatic presence at a meet.

Btw. Isn't the Blue Hawaii picking up a bit of hum from the transformer with the input wiring so close to it?