Can Session at Stockholm High End Show 2012 impressions  

I really wish I could have come by, but I couldn't escape work. Next time, I promise!

Quote:

Originally Posted by msninja 

I really wish I could have come by, but I couldn't escape work. Next time, I promise!

Me too, had to prioritize school in order to meet two deadlines. I might have prioritized differently now that I've seen these pictures. Looks like it was some serious canjaming going on there! I would like to see a smaller get-together though, with only head-fiers in a not too distant future.

Just adding one pic...

Beyerdynamic A1 with TCI King Constrictor power cable (4.500 SEK for 1.5 m) + T1

My description of myself, "a big ugly fat guy with beard, glasses, pony tail, blue shirt with an exhibitor badge", must have been perfect since head-fi'er Sweden manage to find me! 

Sweden I'm sorry I didn't had the time to help you comparing the LCDs. I hope you found the way to KDM's room and could compare my LCD-3 with their or your LCD-2.

After some hesitation I left my LCD-3 in KDM's room. I then saw a lot of interest in these and KDM's LCD-2. Did any head-fi'er here listen to my LCD-3? Impressions?

BTW The setup was Sony CD player > Violectric V200 > red astrachan cable > LCD-2 or Q-Audio cable > LCD-3.

And my LCD-3 survived the show.

Some impressions:

Colorfly Pocket HiFi C4 - sounded very good! It's a portable player with hand carved wooden case, alps pot, S/PDIF in + out, 24/192 (wav), CS4398 DAC chip, low jitter, supports 300 ohm cans, up to 13.3 mW, 200 mA etc. Battery good for at least 5 hours. Price 7500 SEK. I tried it with T5P and my LCD-3. Very nice with LCD-3, but it couldn't drive it properly, of course, lacked some bass impact, volume almost on full. No problem driving T5P, but I thought the T5P sound was a little bit strange. Would be interesting to try it with Sennheiser Amperior. If googleli ever will buy an "ipod" this will be it. I got a very nice price on it and I was very tempted but I didn't buy it since I (currently) don't use portable players.

Sennheiser wireless headphone RS220 sounded really nice (for a wireless)!

Antelope Zodiac DACs where everywhere, they lent their DACs to other manufacturers, a very smart move! I talked a little bit with Igor Levin, founder and CEO of Antelope. A very nice guy!

I compared HD700 and HD800 on a Zodiac Gold, thought the HD800 had more bass and maybe a tad softer than I'm used to. Very nice. HD700 is a different animal than HD800, though. Like HD800 minus sound stage and exaggerated treble. Still no bass.

Sennheiser Amperior - brand new headphone in HD25 style with lowered impedance for use with i-devices. Price 3500 SEK. Will be released in April, I sadly wasn't allowed to buy one. I tried it on an iPad 2 with Spotify. Sennheiser claim that the sound signature is the same as the old HD25/II, but I thought that the sound was much more clearer and "modern" than my old HD25. The sound was very powerful from iPad, full volume was way to high for anyone. Rich bass similar to HD25/II, mids and treble where clearer. I also tried HD700 with iPad. They lacked the bass that Amperior had on iPad. However transparency, openness and details were much better in HD700, of course.

RED ASTRACHAN Impedance adapted cable for AUDEZ'E headphones - I will get a balanced cable for review. I talked with the guy making the cable. They have sent one to Audez'e, I'd like to hear their impressions. I wasn't the only one hearing a big difference when switching from Q-Audio to red astrachan on my LCD-3 - a clearer sound with enhanced treble. They also claim it also improves the bass, but I wasn't able to confirm that in the noisy environment. It's a pity it's so stiff compared to Q-Audio. You can see the cable in danne's picture above. Yep, red astrachan is white.

Non-headphone impressions:

Wavelit - brand new reference speaker from Sweden shown to the public for the first time!There was a smell of paint in the room... 118dB @ 20 - 20k, room correction with Dirac Live, active with 1 kW built-in amplifier (balanced input), passive cross over @ 1100 Hz, sensitivity 98 dB, 6 x 8" woofers in two separate enclosures, one ribbon tweeter horn in separate enclosure, enclosures separated by aluminium plates with damping material, weight 110 kg, color - any you want, price 146.000 SEK. I really liked these! The goal was to make a two-way monitor with the power of a PA. Setup: PC > Dirac Live > RME Fireface DAC > Wavelit.

Genelec 8260A and Wavelit were my favourite speakers followed by Magnepan and Focal and then the rest... And of course the MBL's are in a class of their own... (1.800.000 SEK for a pair)

I also shortly heard Dirac Live room correction demoed with XTZ speakers, very impressive, I almost bought one.

So my wallet only suffered from the hamburger plate I had for lunch at Saturday, 250 SEK... (incl. hifi discount)  

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanDude 

My description of myself, "a big ugly fat guy with beard, glasses, pony tail, blue shirt with an exhibitor badge", must have been perfect since head-fi'er Sweden manage to find me! 

Sweden I'm sorry I didn't had the time to help you comparing the LCDs. I hope you found the way to KDM's room and could compare my LCD-3 with their or your LCD-2.

 

After some hesitation I left my LCD-3 in KDM's room. I then saw a lot of interest in these and KDM's LCD-2. Did any head-fi'er here listen to my LCD-3? Impressions?

BTW The setup was Sony CD player > Violectric V200 > red astrachan cable > LCD-2 or Q-Audio cable > LCD-3.

 

And my LCD-3 survived the show.

 I had asked  at least 10 big ugly fat guys with beard, glasses, pony tails, blue  with an exhibitor badge if they where CanDude before I asked you .  

Sorry to say I really messed up this one up. I had a false notion that the thing closed at 6 and not 4.. So I arrived one hour before the show closed.

Not one of the friendly show personal had any idea where the headphone area where so started wandering aimlessly in the big hotel till I finally stumbled upon the right floor and rooms.

Finally there I got in the  room and started listening to the HE-500/HE-6 with a  amp. Only problem was that this was the  loudspeaker room ...

When there was silent bits between songs and visitors I got to hear that these where great sounding headphones. Great bass, nice , and  very clear  treble that where never .  is bigger than my .  Comfort is also much better. I didn't get the wow factor I get with my own phones, but that could partly be to blame of the  which I find to be sounding a bit flat with pretty much any headphone I've tried with it. HE-6 sounded underpowered as expected bit still on the level of HE-500.  Anyone know if those clear thin cables where stock?

When the vendors had started packing in gear to close shops I found  LCD-3... It almost  matter that I  had a  to listen to them. I put them on my head and the super soft lambskin pads literally melted over my ears. This is how pads should me made! I have not so soft rev1 pads so the change is huge.

On my way out I tried a pair of very well used Sony CD2000. With the much lighter weight and big super soft foam pads I almost dubbed them to the most comfortable cans I ever , even besting my old -555.

I hope for a real head-fi meet next time so I can show how vintage gear can drive these orthos and talk a bit more to you guys.

You guys gotta invite me next year. Had no idea that there was gonna be a cans (other than the "usual" crap) at the show!

/V