The LA Meet @ The Village 4/22/12: Wow!  

Wow..

 

Wonderful event!! Had loads of fun playing around with Jude's TH900s and some recabled LCD3 compliments of ALO Audio (really great guys btw).

 

The V-Moda Fortress was... a FORTRESS.. Really a unique building, I actually think I read an article on Yahoo a few weeks ago describing how that building is famous for its security - you have to have a key-card to get into any of the rooms and everything is concrete+glass! Haha it was just awesome all around, thanks to Val from V-Moda for opening his doors and letting us party with him.

 

This was my first meet, really cool getting to chat with some fellow head-fi'ers in person, definitely an amazing start to likely many many more visits from my end. 

 

BTW: Great pic of the V-Moda Fortress Jude, it looked just as incredible on the inside, hope to see more of those pics! (:

Edited by Ahzari - 4/23/12 at 12:40am

Awesome meet, I liked the recording studio, I got to hear Anaxilus' Super 7 in its retail form (so awesome) I was also impressed with how well ALO's RX MK II and the CLAS powered the HD800's. I heard Centrance's new desktop speaker set up, They throw a wide soundstage, better than even my digital rigs (maybe if I move my speakers....) They also pack some good low end punch for a pair of bookshelf speakers, I felt they were a tad lacking in the mids, but I was listening to electronic music, which is not really known for it's lush mids ;-)   V-moda was there, they had these headphones, the M80's I have to admit, although bass heavy, they were clear and NOT BRIGHT, and were driven decently straight from a phone. I'm not quite sure they scratch they dynamic itch Beats users seem to like, but out of a phone I'm not sure they were powered fully, I liked them. I did not have a chance to play with the LCD-3's I'll get around to it...

 

Big thanks to the  Generous Val of V-moda who let us into his house, the Vmoda Fortress. It was damn impressive, (I'm a sucker for industrial design) I hope he didn't mind us nerds hanging out :D

That VMA party at his place reminds me of the time I did a photo job at the Kress bldg in Hollywood *sighs* good times

Edited by BattleBrat - 4/23/12 at 12:39pm

First event, it was AWESOME, the crowd was amazing. It was really amazing interacting with the people that we see post here all the time and to finally listen to what it was they raved about.

Not to mention, Val's V-MODA Fortress was amazing, beautiful place, great hospitality, and SICK beats.

Thanks to all who made this possible.

Edited by Hrimthursum - 4/23/12 at 12:32pm

I had a terrific time, and special thanks to my boy Alex Rosson (and Reid, you're a rockstar) from Audeze for putting this together; to Ken & the ALO team for being such good people, and making killer products.  To the Schiit team for also being good people, and making me laugh.  To Jude, my friend, SO glad you could make it, and it was great seeing you as always!!

 

To Mark: I LOVED being asked to share my stories about Arif Mardin and Mr. Ertegun with you, it meant the WORLD to me.

 

 

To VAL - your hospitality, laughs, and I'm looking forward to writing about the M-80's for The Daily Swarm!!

 

Of course Bentley - for the shots, the laughs, the smiles, it felt like an underground event at this AMAZING home

(pix to follow on the CEntrance Facebook page/blog - to be updated)

 

and to BattleBrat - whom I was happy to give a lift to the meet and the afterparty, who also aided me in set-up!

 

He made my day when, without solicitation, I sat him to sit down in front of the CEntrance Audiophile Desktop System, as I

was in the midst of dialing it in - and I asked him what he thought, he said: "Holographic" - I should have left on the high note!

Pulled the George Costanza

 

Also: Admitting this was my first headphone meet, as a sponsor/exhibitor (usually I'm merely the journalist, getting to listen and watch)

I learned that you can't bring speakers to a headphone meet!!  Well, perhaps you can have them, but use them before and after (or at very

select times).  I blame my CEntrance team for setting me up!!  SMILE.

 

I'm used to setting up big systems in hotel rooms, and to be honest, I loved the vibe of this meet - like the very first CanJam in Los Angeles!!

 

I look forward to more!!!!

 

 

The meet was great, and the after party was amazing! Val really knows how to have a good time. V-MODA and the Head-fi community (especially you Jude) rock for putting this on! Thank you!

 

The Fortress was INCREDIBLE - DJ modular, pool table, movie theater, breathe taking views (if there wasn't fog that is). Thanks for allowing us headfiers to party with you Val! Definitely would love to go to some of his other parties I have heard about...

 

Big shout out to Toby for shedding some light on the V-MODA brand! And Jude you are a beast with that camera man. Can't wait to see all the photos!

 

Hope we can have more meets like this!!!!

 

 

I really enjoyed meeting new people and seeing old acquaintances.  Thanks everyone for bringing such interesting and nice gear, and to the event sponsors.  There was only rig I didn't get to hear that I meant to.  Lots of great sound abounded, and the Fortress was highly cool.

It was awesome being at my first meet and actually seeing and experiencing some of the equipment talked about on Head-Fi as well as meeting some of the experts who provide a lot of the valuable information found on this site. Thanks to all the sponsors that made this event happen.

 

Also thanks to Purrin for fixing my BA and allaying my concerns of something happening to my baby. Everyone was so friendly that I felt very welcome there.

 

This is a truly great community and I look forward to future meets.

I would like to thank Audeze and V-Moda (and whoever else) for hosting this event. The venue was really nice. I took some time walking around the place, looking at plaques on the wall and seeing what artists had recorded there. Surprise raffle too with some very good prizes.

 

@Jude: Nice to see you again. Those Fostex you brought were awesome, like a D7000 fixed of its shortcomings. 

 

Also thanks to Jason / Schiit for bringing his beta/prototypes over to my table at the end of the meet. He had to be a brave guy knowing what he was up against. Both Anax and I are actually in the market for a sub 1K USD, and the Gungnir could be it. We are eager to hear the production version after final voicing.

 

 

Not a problem - simple fix. I usually bring tools and backup gear to these events. Something almost always happens.

My girlfriend and I had a fabulous time.  You know the meet was well put together when she was entertained from start to finish .  We enjoyed listening to all the gear, and I was also happy to see many people enjoy my Little Dot MKIII + HD650 setup.  I think people had a ton of fun comparing the HD650 and Audeze LCD3 on my setup.  It was great to hear the wonderful and infamous Orpheus and Stax systems for myself.  A couple other setups also really leaped out at me.  Everyone was friendly and welcoming, which made us feel very comfortable.  It was our first meet, but surely will not the last.      

Big shout outs to Jude, Val from V-MODA and Alex at Audeze.  You guys were really the stars and were great hosts.  Thank you.

Oh, and the fortress/afterparty was incredible, I can't wait to see the pictures Jude took!

 

 

I'm eager to hear it after final voicing, too! However, the analog boards we intended to have at the show (and didn't) are working now, and after some software tweaks, we should know exactly what we're looking at here shortly.

 

Thanks for everyone who came by and had a listen to our (slightly too roasty) Schiit! Blame the low emissivity of the non-anodized aluminum. And thank you to Audeze, V-Moda, Centrance, and everyone involved. It was a great event, and we're looking forward to next year.

Many thanks to Audeze, V-Moda, Centrace, ALO, and Jude for throwing such a great gathering in my backyard. The one block walk was was quite welcome. I got to sample some great gear and meet some very knowledgeable people. Some standout rigs were N3rdling's mighty Orpheus (amazing on many levels), Anaxilus' Super 7 (tube rollers dream), and Moostrkraaft's BA/LCD-3 combo (club-like slam). I'll pick up some V-Modas and mrspeakers' modded T50RPs to introduce friends to the world of head-fi.


Edited by Draygonn - 4/26/12 at 8:07pm

Thanks to everyone who organized and demmoed their equipment.

It was cool to see so many modded T50's, and after hearing mrspeakers's results I know what these are capable of. Next time I may need to bring one (or both) of my vintage rigs.

Special thanks to Val for opening up your pad, and I can't wait for the v-amp, it should be a hit.

 

 

You know I hear BLACK spray paint of the high temp variety has an emissivity around .90 and the thermal characteristics aren't too bad. It's not like you wouldn't offer a black coating right? :p

 

Now I just need to find an anodizing shop nearby.

 

It was great meeting everyone at the event. Val's hospitality was amazing, not to mention how nice his place is. Everyone was great and rarely to I get a chance to indulge in such fascinating conversations. I will admit in a noisy environment you can't fully appreciate some of the quality in the headphones and equipment but it is a very enjoyable time.

 

I have to thank Jason and Rina for the extended conversation at the after party, Val for his amazing hospitality, Audeze or getting this going, Jude for Head-Fi itself and everyone for coming and making it such a great event.

Great meet. I did a pretty quick hour drive by. Wanted to say Hello to Ken Ball & Alex Rossen. The Village was a great place to host this. I look forward to more in the future.
ALO has some great things coming out. I never made it to the other tables
Fantastic job to all that we're involved. Sorry I missed the after party.