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NorCal 8/8/09 meet impressions - Page 2  

post #16 of 154
8/9/09 at 2:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikaronni View Post
I came across a set up consisting of the Wadia iTransport going to a Benchmark DAC1 then to Grado RS-1 and Grado HP-2. Those were my two favorite Grados. To my surprise, they were not as bright as I thought. I really enjoy that upfront in your face aggressive sound. Also, even though they were physically close to my ears, they still had a decent sound stage. I really want the HP-2, but unfortunately those are all gone so I'll have to settle for the RS-1.
Glad you enjoyed the set up. Did you have a chance to listen to the Grados through the Melos SHA-Gold as well? That would have given you a better idea of what these phones can do.

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post #17 of 154
8/9/09 at 3:13am
Great pics and impressions guys, kept em coming!
post #18 of 154
8/9/09 at 3:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pcf View Post
Glad you enjoyed the set up. Did you have a chance to listen to the Grados through the Melos SHA-Gold as well? That would have given you a better idea of what these phones can do.
I do believe that he tested those headphones with my extremely modified Melos Maestro (one level up from SHA-Gold).
post #19 of 154
8/9/09 at 3:39am
just got back from a few pints and dinner with Peter, thanks to all that attended and made this a great meet!!

My sole ( gear related) goal of this meet was to find the best home amp for my JH13s as I am one of the folks that think they best or equal all of the full sizers I've owned ( that would be all of the top tier cans except the R10s and I'd still take these over them).

I found that amp but the end result and journey will be posted after a night of sleep. I did want to post up a big thanks to all that attended members and MOTs that once again proved that team NorCal ( and mid cal/socal) is amazing.
post #20 of 154
8/9/09 at 3:46am
[QUOTE=FallenAngel;5916893]
I really liked the O2 from the Woo amp, definitely my favorite electrostatic headphones I've heard so far. I never heard Sting - Desert Rain so beautifully before.

Agreed! That was the highlight for me in the meet-along with the K1000 in the BottleHead Audio corner. I had the good fortune to be right next to them and spent a bit of time comparing the HD800 to the K-1000 with their amps. Both great headphones but to my ears K-1000 were just a little more detailed and open. Another nice moment for me was listening to the only vinyl set up on Eddie Current's table-a relatively modest but legendary Technics SL1200. It was analog heaven!
We had pretty much all the top Grados from all ages except for the PS-1000 . It was fun going back and forth between them.
Two other minor findings:
1)There was another Brit in the house-Grahame .
2) JP doesn't look like Jimi Hendrix.
By the way, big thanks to you (FallenAngel) for the advice on my Melos and Grados. It was my pleasure to meet you the all the other friendly members.
post #21 of 154
8/9/09 at 3:52am
Yes, an absolute pleasure to meet the people I haven't before and seeing again people I've met at past meets.

A great thanks to Justin of HeadAmp on his simple awesomeness Helped me with pinout to build a PSU for a buddy for his Gilmore Lite and of course the fantastic contribution to the DIY community offering DACT stepped attenuators at a great discount, I have bought 3 already, one sitting nicely in my personal Beta22. You rock dude!

Of course it was a pleasure chatting with Ti (amb), you're an evil man (in a good way), I'm starting to plan for the inevitable Beta24 build.
post #22 of 154
8/9/09 at 3:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by FallenAngel View Post
I do believe that he tested those headphones with my extremely modified Melos Maestro (one level up from SHA-Gold).
Haha, I am glad he did! I bet you put him off the idea of getting the Benchmark DAC1 with you Melos Maestro.
post #23 of 154
8/9/09 at 4:02am
Big shout out and thanks to FallenAngel who donated an amp and held a raffle that got the meet to break even status!!! We raised $65 over the meet room total so thanks to all that contributed and special thanks the FA for the raffle and amp.
post #24 of 154
8/9/09 at 4:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jp11801 View Post
Big shout out and thanks to FallenAngel who donated an amp and held a raffle that got the meet to break even status!!! We raised $65 over the meet room total so thanks to all that contributed and special thanks the FA for the raffle and amp.
You're most welcome, it was a pleasure to help with funding such a great meet, a tiny price to contribute to the support and great attitude of the community. Congrats to the winner, hope you enjoy the amp as much as I enjoyed building it for this purpose.
post #25 of 154
8/9/09 at 4:19am
Oh, The raffle was another sweet moment for me-did you see how happy the young couple were? I talked to them. She was a nurse and he was an accounting student. They drove all the way from a small town in nevada and spending the weekend here. Such sweet couple.
post #26 of 154
8/9/09 at 4:51am
I want to thank JP and all the people that showed up today and made it happen.

This was my first meet. Unfortunately I was only there for about 3 hours until the end, but I had some nice experiences. The first one was with Keko Audio and the Luxman amp. Really sweet sound and very clean. Made my 702 sing in multiple languages...lol.

The second was the DNA. Such a well designed tube amp and high quality sound. Almost did it for me with the 702, but I guess I'll remain an SS dude.

The third big surprise was Voltron's Super Battle Station, at last I got a chance to compare the Stax 4070 monitor to the 702. For me, the heart of the Battle Station was the Sonic Studio Amarra and the Berkeley Audio Design. And the biggest surprise was the Amarra headphone amp, which can drive the 702 with honor and a lot of authority.

The most fun and strange thing was the Bottlehead little battery tube amps. Crazy design, and impressive.

I got a chance to listen to the HD 800. It was cool to listen to them with a single power tube amp. I missed a few things, but there will probably be a next time and I'll definitely be there.

Thanks again!
post #27 of 154
8/9/09 at 4:53am
FallenAngel, was that neat Logitech Squeezebox Duet yours? I'm curious if it can be setup to a computer this way:

Laptop (foobar2000) - Ethernet cable - RCA out - integrated amplifier - speakers

Thanks!
post #28 of 154
8/9/09 at 5:06am
Nope, that was Grahame's Transporter transport/DAC. A great thanks to him for saving me - in a crazy rush this morning, I forgot my Buffalo32 at home and he came through with a Terabyte of music feeding through that monster! Very impressive convenient to use and pretty damn good sounding. I love the idea of that piece of equipment, very cool.
post #29 of 154
8/9/09 at 5:11am

Pics!

Here are some photos I took at the meet:

NorCal/San Francisco Bay Area Head-fi Meet - August 2009
post #30 of 154
8/9/09 at 5:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMarchingMule View Post
FallenAngel, was that neat Logitech Squeezebox Duet yours? I'm curious if it can be setup to a computer this way:

Laptop (foobar2000) - Ethernet cable - RCA out - integrated amplifier - speakers

Thanks!
Are you talking the Transporter that sits above/below FallenAngel's Melos? That's Grahames'. The Transporter uses the same controller as the squeezbox Duet but comes with a very good built in DAC. There has been an on going debate about whether a squeezebox+ DAC would ever be as good as the Transporter. I myself couldn't find anything wrong with the Squeezebox plus my own DAC. Some people think otherwise.
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