Head-Fi Atlanta Meet Impressions

[ingwe]

Originally Posted by paul_lindemann

The best I have heard so far! Just wish they were lighter in weight.

You must train--hard.

[krmathis]

Sure looks like you guys had a really nice meeting!

[ingwe]

^^^
Yes it was. Us Southerners (tee hee) exude breeding and class.

[sleeplessness]

I know you guys are waiting to hear, if anything, what the Newbie thought of the meet…

Sorry it has taken me so long, but I was totally overwhelmed by a number of things:

First, the generosity of everyone that welcomed me from the moment I walked in, everyone was eager to show me their “stuff” and there was lots of “stuff” to be heard.

Second, everyone without exception was willing to explain what they had, what their motivation was, and to try to explain the “why it sounds this way.”

Third, mass confusion set in…too much, too quickly!!

More specifically, Ingwe was sitting at a table by himself…it wouldn’t have seemed strange except for the fact that the whole area was glowing…the setup was fabulous, the sound insane…btw, how do I join Team OAF? I think I might qualify!!

When I set-up what little I had, I noticed the guy sitting next to me brought his NES…I’m thinking, huh? Well, Postal Blue had the most creative amps, one housed in a NES and the Starving Student Millet in a tin Sears truck…not to mention they both sounded great.

On the other side was mwallace573, thanks for all your info. Really made me feel part of the group…and I loved the Alessandro MS-2i, a fine sounding system…

Tomb had the sweetest sounding Millet MAXes, I really couldn’t tear myself away from it…gee, and I have this Mac 1700 that I haven’t tried yet…

The entire group opened my eyes as to how narrow my perception was…I’m already thinking about what I can put together for the next gathering!

Big Amish had my favorite set-up with the Mapletree and the Grado RS 1. by far one of the better headphones (although I’m not sure how much the Mapletree “colored” what I heard,) but the RS 1s are certainly on my list of “needs.”

PiccoloNamek had the exotic STAX…in a class by themselves…again, thanks to him for hosting the meet, and saving us from having to eat at Claude’s.

I missed MexicanDragon’s set-up…well, it might have been the fact that he was next to the RS 1’s…

And last, but not least, Fitz…he told me I couldn’t listen to his K 1000s until I had a few meets under my belt, (just kidding)…I recognized him from his amp…but I ran out of time…next time!!

Overall it was an awakening experience for me, I appreciate all the time people spent trying to help me understand…

[billbillw]

Looks like I missed a good time.

[catscratch]

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

Stax Sigma/404: Now these I liked. Out of all of the headphones at the whole meet, these had the most balanced and even frequency response, and clearly beat out all of the others in terms of speed, detail, etc. But seriously. I listened to every headphone there and none of them had the same combination of excellent qualities that my Stax headphones have. It seemed like each and every one of them had some kind of problem; peaks and dips in the frequency response, too slow, too bassy, too much treble, etc.

The only other 'phones that came close were the HD600s. The 600s and my Stax are very comparable in terms of overall presentation. The stats take everything good about the 600 sound and add in the speed and detail that only an electrostatic headphone can give. As someone there (I think it was Fitz) remarked "Senns with speed..."

"Senns with speed...?" Sounds like something I should listen to. This is, I take it, a Sigma enclosure with SR-404 drivers? So it's basically a Sigma Pro with updated drivers...

I think that most, if not all, of the SR-404's problems are due to the enclosure while the drivers themselves are excellent, so I can really see how the Sigma/404 could be an excellent headphone.

"Senns with speed" also sounds a bit like a well-driven O2; though the O2 - well, much like the Senns, actually - has the potential to sound quite bad in the wrong rig.

[PiccoloNamek]

No. 404 enclosures with Sigma drivers. It sounds similar to a Lambda, but different, and very different from a stock Sigma.

[ingwe]

sens with speed==well-driven sens

[MrSiki99]

Hmmm...I have a pretty modest setup when it comes to headphones but I am also a photographer...and being in Savannah...I think I will have to come to the next Atlanta meet and take some quality photos!

[mrarroyo]

Originally Posted by MrSiki99

Hmmm...I have a pretty modest setup when it comes to headphones but I am also a photographer...and being in Savannah...I think I will have to come to the next Atlanta meet and take some quality photos!

Savannah is one of my favorite towns! Love the historical significance and the forts. If I am lucky I will be attending a conference at the Hilton DeSoto by the river in November.

[en480c4]

Originally Posted by ingwe

sens with speed==well-driven sens

QFT!

[PiccoloNamek]

But still never as fast as a 'stat.

[krmathis]

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

But still never as fast as a 'stat.

True!