FAQ: Questions about the National Meet.

This page is meant for general "newbie" kinds of questions, and also as an overview to point to the other pages.

Post those other Frequently Asked Questions and answers here.

• To register for the meet, and find out where and when the meet is held, see the Registration thread.
• To find a hotel or travel agency, see the Second Annual International Meet Travel Thread.
• For general discussion, use the main meet thread.
• To keep up with any really important changes, subscribe to the 2007 International Meet Announcements Thread
• Member table sign up
• The Meeting suggestion thread has some more useful tips.

Note: Highlighted Questions still need answers. Please provide them if you can.

Questions and Answers
Where and when is the meet and how do I get there?

April 21-22, 2007. Sat. 10:00a.m. to 6:00p.m. Sunday 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. Saturday dinner and amp maker panel discussion starting at 7:00p.m. Sunday BBQ lunch at lunchtime.

More information is in post #1 of

the main meet thread and post #2 of the announcements thread. What should I expect at the meet?

As I was reminded before my first meet: this is a "meet," not a trade show and the members make the meet (lol, that sounds funny to me). So you are encouraged to bring some gear.
The range will run the gamut, which is what makes it so cool--from budget to top-of-the-range; from portable to massive. And make sure to bring some of your own cans so you can try out different sources, amps, etc. Of course there will be many different headphones there, but it's great to be able to plug your own into some of the rigs to really hear the difference a component can make.

If you want to get a better feel for the meet, you can look at the

(2006) OFFICIAL NATIONAL MEET IMPRESSION THREAD. You can also read a humorous extract of the web cast from the 2006 National Meet.
I don't know if the meet webcast itself is still available. .

I'd like to attend. Do I need to register or do anything else to attend? Can I bring a friend?

Yes you need to register and pay the admission fee. You can also sign up friends (non-members). See the

Registration thread for full details. Who's attending the meet?

Vendors Attending the Second Annual International Meet

list of members that have registered What gear will be at the meet?

See the

Member table sign up thread Can I buy gear at the meets?

Yes. While meets are primarily for members to share their gear and ideas, the National meet is an exception. We purposely encourage large vendors to attend and offer products for sale there.

I make gear. Can I attend and bring gear for sale?

Yes. See the

Vendors thread
Who should they contact? Do I have to bring gear?

No. If you have no gear or just can't bring it for whatever reason, just bring your ears.
Don't leave your headphones at home just because they're crappy and think no one else wants to hear them. It might be helpful for you to use them to compare with something familiar.

Is my gear safe? Do I need to watch it all the time?

Maybe we've been lucky, but most head-fi members would agree that the head-fi community is trustworthy and you can leave your gear unguarded at a meet. So far noone's lost any gear at a meet except little things like cables, adaptors, and CDs. These inevitable get mixed up by accident. You might want to clearly label your cables and adapters so people don't forget and pack it by accident when they break down. If you're concerned, watch your gear, or ask someone you trust to watch it. If you do lose something, just post in the meet impression thread. There's a good chance you'll get it back.

Is it OK to leave my gear at a table with someone? How was security handled last year at NY? Were there any problems? What are the security plans this year?

At the 2006 National Meet we had a security guard at the door. Members showed identification at the front desk and were handed a badge to identify them.

This year each member gets a custom badge printed with their head-fi name and avatar.

Other than the normal losses like connectors and CDs, there were no problems, and no gear went missing. I did forget my umbrella and jacket on the coat rack and the umbrella did go missing that rainy Saturday night--there were 2 or 3 weddings going on that night along with the meet--but my treasured Babylon 5 jacket was still there the next morning.

Do most vendors take credit card? Or would people suggest bringing cash (I shudder at how much) for the spending that we plan on doing.

Ask the vendors what they take, usually i check out stuff and then buy it sometime later.

Tips for Newbies and Oldies Alike
Personal Hygene is important.

• Wash your hair and your ears--and behind your ears.
• Clean out your ears so you can hear better.
• If you clean the canal with peroxide, do it a few of days before the meet--give those stray waxed klingons time to leave.
• Don't forget the deodorant (THIS goes for Oldtimers as well). Baby powder & cologne are not adequate substitutes.
• With all the gear & other members, it gets warm in the room. Dress accordingly.

The most important thing of all is to have fun.

• Meets are Great, so be prepared to have a great day with fellow Head-fi members.
• Bring whatever gear you want. If you don't have any, thats OK. Just bring your ears.
• You can try whatever gear you want.
• If you have any questions about gear, look for the owner and ask. Or just ask whoever's listening (after they're done).
• Everyone is very friendly and will be glad to answer you.
• Most of us know each other for some time now so dont think that people are ignoring you... unless you didnt take a shower before the meet and smell.
• Do not be shy.
• Mingle.
• You will find everyone to be very friendly & helpful.
• Most of all enjoy yourself & take the opportunity to hear gear you normally wouldn't get a chance to, or are thinking of buying.

Get organized.

• Take a mental (or written) list of what you want to hear. If do this before the meet, leave some time to look around and listen to some surprises.
• You'll be overwhelmed with the amount of gear that will be at the meet.
• Read the impressions thread afterwards. You'll realize you missed listening to something you wanted to hear.
• Time Flies at these meets.

Remember that you're trying out another member's gear.

• Treat all gear with the utmost respect.
• Ask if you're not sure how to operate any gear, or you're just curious about the system setup.
• Some gear is really, really, really, really expensive.
• Other gear... the owner only thinks it's precious. Respect the owner's wishes.
• Give it all the velvet cushion treatment.
• If you have any doubt or questions, ask.
• Do not place headphones on top of other gear--if you're not sure where to put it, ask the owner.
• Do not remove any gear from a setup without the owner's permission.
• Do not remove any cables or make any other changes to the setup without the owner's permission.
• If you do take gear away from a table, or borrow cables, adapters, or power strips, try to remember where you got it from, and bring it back when you're done. In all the excietement, it's easy to forget where you got that 1/8" to 3.5mm headphone adapter. I know. I managed to misplace 3 at my first meet.
• If you're unsure how loud you can play the headphones safely, ask the owner.
• If you do listen loud, remember to lower the volume for the next person.
• Be careful about plugging in your headphones or other equipment. You may need to turn off the amp or lower the volume before pulling or plugging in a cable. Also, be careful about special-purpose systems. Some are designed for specific types of headphones, such as electrostatic, specific impedances, balanced wiring.
• If you don't know or are just curious about something, ask someone. Anyone. Someone knows, or knows someone who knows.

If you're bringing gear

• The more equipment we have, the more everyone gets exposed to, that otherwise wouldn't be available to them.
• At a minimum, everyone needs to bring their own power strip, and probably an extension cord. Extras are also needed, so if you have any extra, please bring them. Don't forget to pack them and bring them with you.
• You might want to set up a card or something by your gear with your name on it so people know whose gear is on the table. For portable gear especially, you might want to label every piece of gear. People will walk around with your portable equipment (hopefully after asking permission), especially to test it out in combination with other gear. Not that we've had any serious problems, but there's usually someone with an extra or missing cable when we're busy trying to break down.

Keep it quiet.

Here's one additional etiquette request, which will probably go unheeded, but I'll throw it out anyway. Some people go to meets to hear the gear; some go to schmooze with friends old and new; some go to do both. It's all good. However, in the past, I've found it hard to hear what I was listening to because there was so much yak in the room. Obviously, some talk revolves around a particular piece of gear and needs to take place there. But would it be possible for pure meeting, greeting, old times and chit-chat to move to an adjacent space? In other words, can we try to keep it kinda quiet so those who are auditioning gear can hear the subtle nuances that differentiate the Tung Sol with the green getter from the pinched-waist Amperex?

With only four weeks left (yippee!! ), people are going to start thinking about the meet, and asking a lot of questions. Hopefully we can divert the flurry of questions away from the main threads to this thread and keep the main thread focused on more important topics, like where we're going to drink on Friday, and who is or isn't selling their snowboard.

Please post questions and answers here. I'll update the first post so people, especially newbies, know what to expect, how to prepare, etc, etc, and etc.

If you think something should be added, just post here.

That's one way to keep the meet quiet.