Expanding on what I said in the other thread. The biggest impression I walked away with was just how extremely detailed and smooth the SR-009 were(although I have very little idea how amps come into play with electrostats). Not my ideal phone, but, I think it is ideal when it comes to the aformentioned detail and smoothness. Now that I've rested I can readjust to my Amperiors a little better. I primarily listened to Alan Parson's Don't Let it Show on the SR-009 and I don't think it's a song that caters to the Amperior's horizontal, narrower sound stage. The Amperior is weird because some songs sound real airy, clear, and spacious while having great impact and others sound boxed in or too aggressive(and not just over-compressed stuff made after 1993). The impression I got at Canjam 2010 and this year's meet is that a lot of open phones are about getting the technical details right and not about the impact of drums or making heavy metal guitars sound heavy. There tends to be a thinner sound with open phones regarded as reference and whatnot. I've read numerous things saying closed phones have the advantage in bass, and I'd tend to agree. Maybe the closed objective these days is to have more quantity than an open phone while retaining as much quality as possible. I went and listened to the Yamaha 500s at Fry's again today. Was able to do the whole demo uninterrupted. First off, the comfort was awful. They tend to clamp hard and the earpads don't give you much room. The sound is definitely a closed phone attempting to pull off an audiophile experience. In their demo, it's very clear, if slightly sterile sounding. The layers in complex music are all easily distinguished. It's slightly upfront but not as aggressive as an Amperior and seems even less so when compared to the more aggressive Grado phones. The bass and kick drums sound very real and have a lot of impact. I don't feel like there's a bunch of extra sound bouncing back in these phones. The bass comes across as tight, not bleeding. Best closed phones I've heard and best phones I've heard that have real impact with the drums. The timbre of the piano and sax sounded pretty dead on again. I've heard some people say Ultrasones are better. I really didn't like whatever Ultrasones were at Can jam 2010. I think it was ALO who had them. Just found them kinda dark and dull, maybe a tad hollow if I recall.
Hearing the Yamaha a second time really helped. I would definitely like to be able to check out phones a couple times closer together. The repetition after a short break enables me to get a better feel for stuff. 1st impressions aren't always the most accurate way to decide if you're gonna like something long-term. That's probably true for more than just headphones. I've definitely thought about why people who've attended past meets have dropped off. I didn't participate much in head-fi for a couple years because I honestly didn't like any of the phones at Can Jam 2010 better than my RS-1s and I didn't like any of the sources I plugged my RS-1s into better than what I already owned. The K701 and DT990 were phones I liked at Can Jam on the various setups they were available on, so I got em a few months later. Eventually I started using the Dt990 as my main phone until I decided I liked the 701 better. I didn't think that was how it'd turn out the first time I heard them. I'm not sure what expectations people have of meets. Initially I thought of Can Jam as sort of an end all be all for figuring stuff out. A meet is really more of a preview, I think. The best way for me to sort things out is to have the stuff available and see if I have the urge to go back to it later. Although to have that option you almost always have to buy the item.
My guess is some people walk away because they either feel too underwhelmed and frustrated by the current phones/amps/etc out there, or they find something they really like and end their buying of anything else. One reason I really wanted to hear the SR-009 was because of it's place on Tyll's wall of fame. I kept wondering why he'd even bother listening to these other phones if he could listen to something like that. What I think I've figured out is that most phones have some type of relevance. They are all so different and it's tough to find a one size fits all. And a lot of phones that are inexpensive can provide very impressive performance, especially if you're not looking for an ultra-analytical experience. A lot of these expensive phones don't seem to be big on toe-tapping, head-banging, dancing energy. After years of listening to the RS-1 and 701, I began to really miss getting that out of my listening experience. The DT990 had impact, but really lacked clarity compared to those two, so I didn't end up using it a ton.
Anyone ever thought of doing questionaires for people who are new to all this? Just to get an idea what everyone likes and what to recommend they give special attention to. Like if someone puts down they want an amp to warm up their Grados, stuff like that.
thanks again to everyone involved, I'm looking forward to the next one and in seeing this event grow.