CanJam 08: Team Florida Invites All Their Friends... - Page 33  

Having compared both the E500's and SA6's fairly extensively I'd say they're both in the same league, which one a person prefers will probably end up being more about personal preference and/or features than one being clearly better. I know for myself on sonic merits alone it was a bit of a toss up, there were aspects to both where one bettered the other, but throwing in price, versatility and the potential of the SA6's into the mix and for me the SA6's became the clear winner. Teamed up with a Pico they really shine.

well...

that shure looks like a great meet! I'd really like to be there..

All those pics are great, you get to see the ppl behind the posts
I like that.

but... i see all those pics of the most rare headphones out there.
Sony R10's and AKG K1000's are lying around as if they were cookies...

Though I don't see any Ultrasones? No ED9's? Were there really no Ultrasones?

very nice meet though!! I'm jealous as hell!! I'd really really really like to be there....

Greetz

There were a few pairs of ED9s there...

So, I just want to mention that at dinner on Saturday night, I was proclaimed Prince of Head-Fi by Tyll himself... he might not remember though..

Glad the Florida crew has given you something to scratch, Steve. Aren't you forgetting something though? I'll give you a hint ...... it starts with Smyth.

Headphones suck! I only use them when there's no alternative. Would rather have a real surround system. But I did hesitate for a few minutes before placing the order.

I sold my E530s when I got the SA6 home. I was able to tune them to my liking and with the wireless option not too far away, it was a no brainer for me. I really like the E530 but I have the bass tuned in just right that I think the SA6 has the edge. I like the lighter, less bulky cable as well. I'm still trying different tips to see which fits best and provides the best isolation. The question is whether to move to the customs or wait to see what they have up there sleeve in terms of new products. It's also nice that they are in Florida which means I will be seeing them more at our local meets.

Absolutely dude.

I'm using small black olives on mine. Normally I've used medium tips in the past but something about the form factor/fit of the SA6's allows for the best fit I've had in an IEM, I barely even notice they're in and isolation is excellent.

I'm really curious about the customs myself, I saw pics but no one has said much about what's going in them. Given the great fit I'm getting with the SA6's though I'm not sure if I will go that route or not.

Oh yeah, and I agree, I really love the cable as well, it's like the antithesis of the Shure cable.

Actually its a SA6 with the specs you tell them.what treble & bass port.
Once you figure out what your final configuration is ,You tell them and they build the custom with those specs.
Also the customs come with a detachable cable.

Oh cool, thanks for the info!

Dom, those cases were very nice. There were a few different ones, all made to perfectly fit different daps with an amp. They were well designed for lods and cables to have their place. I'm pretty sure Hippo is the company, and a guy by the name of Hungarian Rob was there with Uncle Wilson to show them off. I also scored a couple excellently made and designed Senn cases from Hippo and Uncle Wilson. I'm not sure when jaben will be selling them, but I'll get one of the portable cases for sure.

Uncle Wilson was one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet. I think Jude even asked what drugs he was on so he could have some. I was also suprised by his line of highly affordable amps, dacs, and iems. I checked out the iems (ball park $50), and though some were too bassy for my taste, I found a pair that was quite nice (don't remember the model, sadly).

I've had my Ety's since long before I found Head-fi, and other than being tempted by the Shure 530s and 420s a year or so ago, I've not heard any other iems, not felt the need to upgrade. I actually listened to quite a few. I liked the Klipsch Image, and preferred the 5 (not yet out) over they current 10 as I thought it had better balance. I love their tips. Super comfy. I also checked out the Sleek SA6, and listened to Edwood's on Sunday night. Although I thought they looked cheap, and I am sure I would lose all those little pieces in a minute flat, they sounded great, and not too far off from my loved Ety's, but you could customize their sound. I think they're going to be a major contender in the iem world. I then made the wonderful mistake of stopping by the UE table, and listened to the UE 7 pro, then the UE 10 pro, and then the UE 11 pro. I completely fell in love with the UE-11s, and with the 20% off deal somehow convinced myself I needed them

I guess I might as well cover my favs now since it's been a week:

The TTVJ 307A amp by Pete Millet with the Meridian 808 was stunning. My first wow moment of the meet.

n_maher's DIY Menace, designed by Nate and Pete, was also impressive. The first time I heard it, it was being powered by an ipod and still sounded better than most amps I've heard.

HeadRoom's Max amp powering the K701s was another wow moment, and made me feel a bit sad for folks who hadn't heard these headphones with a really good amp.

I also quite liked Philodox's Massive Attack (with swt61's gorgeous woodwork) with his K340s once he changed sources to Moon Audio's modded Original (I think he ended up buying it). This balanced amp was designed specifically for his K340s, and when I first heard it, I didn't think it sounded much different or better than my K340s, single-ended, in my swiss army knife of amps, the Extreme Platinum. Once he made the change, it was pretty wonderful.

What was really impressive along with commercial offerings was the quality of DIY amps: Voltron's Beta 22 built by Thrice, asr's beautiful beta built by naamanf (only saw it), grawk's tooleaudio balanced mosfet amp, and Nate's Menace were all really good. Even though the planned DIY panel and workshop ended up having to be cancelled, I think some of the best representatives of this side of the hobby were all there.

I had an interesting experience with grawk's rig. I first learned I wasn't really a HF1 person, then I was so busy checking out and getting into his music I didn't think about his gear at all, then later starting laughing, realizing that was the whole point. Really nice.

Now the wallet killer: The Headamp KGBH SE/O2MK2 combo. I already knew I liked the Omegas after the MOA meet after hearing them out of a couple different Stax amps and neilvg's ES2. I stopped by Justin's table, listened for about 2 minutes and walked away on purpose. I liked it way too much, and knew I was in trouble. On Sunday night, he had it set up in his room, and I hung out there a little too long and got totally sucked in. End result, I'm about as excited as I've ever been about getting something new to the point of selling off most of my favorite gear.

Ah well. CanJam damage report over. I think I'm finally recovered. Mini meet at my house in a few months!

Oh, and I can't believe you opened up that box of nikongod's modded Denons without me knowing! Shame on you!

Not to mention the cost of the custom is within $30 of the universal SA6. That and the Wireless Adapter works with the custom as well.

Having lived with the SA6 for a few days, they have well balanced sound, huge soundstage, and great imaging. While they lack the detail and resolution of higher end IEM's like the Triple.Fi, they are considerably cheaper, so they are not really in the same league for comparison.

But the wireless option is a real asset to their modular system.

-Ed

Hey HighLife, checkout the CrossRoads video I made. Wilson talks about that case.

Thank lan, just watched it....great job on the videos btw =) You caught my excitement from the Smyth surround setup hehe.

The bag is called the AmpSack, looks like its made only for a ipod since the center is cut round to match the scroll wheel.

Curse you Ipod people ehhe