jodgey4
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- May 2, 2013
- Posts
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Barry Thornton was awesome, as was his gear... the Black Swan is probably the perfect phono pre-amp! A great piece to learn from as well!
What a great way to spend a day, and what a great space! Thanks Chris for organizing everything and to Dan for hosting. I truly had a blast! So much variety and so many flagships all in one place, plus the opportunity to meet up with the passionate and friendly folks who make this hobby so rewarding. Can't believe it took me so long to make it to my first official meet up.
My impressions:
Sathyam's Enigma + WA5-LE v2 = O.M.G. DAT BASS! I kept having to pick up my jaw from the floor and put it back into a stupid grin the whole time I had them on. Here's a pic me mid jaw-rearrangement:
Sathyam took me on a personal tour through his library and we had a nice moment. Binaural tunes, some stanky rap, sweet and lovingly recorded acoustic indie, etc. I finally asked to swap phones with him, come to find that the LCD-3's he was wearing turned out to house the new LCD-4 drivers, on loan from Peter of Double Helix Cables. (sneaky!) Good-lord, another total revelation. Sweetest and smoothest treble I have ever heard. I've never found Audeze cans comfortable (at all) and never considered owning a pair, but that new driver was so phenomenal that they are now on my radar. I'll have to listen to them side-by-side one day, but my initial impression was even more favorable than the HE-1000s (!)
Pic below is Sathyam the man listening to the stealth LCD-4s. (And just an aside, good-lord those tubes are $weet!)
Stax 009 + HeadAmp's Blue Hawaii. Another complete stunner. Holographic imaging. Detail for days. Smooth and effortless experience every time I put them on and listened. I returned to listen to this rig many, many times (I am sure Peter from HeadAmp got tired of seeing my silly mug) and was rewarded each time with a deeper sense of why someone would spend such stupid money on a headphone rig. If I had it to spend, I'd have ordered that setup right then and there. Pic of the amp below -- I was too involved in the experience to dimly see anything other than the 3 feet in front of me. The rest of the world just melted away...ahhh....
Austin Audiowork's Barry Thornton showed off his prototype but soon-to-be-real products; the "Black Swam" phono pre-amp and the "Sounami" headphone amp (which I reviewed an early prototype before here). The immediacy and control of the all-analog rig (look, vinyl!) was very impressive. There was a robustness and speedy control of his gear that kept everyone who listened hooked, plus it was a great way for people who may have never even heard vinyl to get a taste of what they're missing in this predominantly digital age. Also, chatting with Barry is a blast. His attitude, experience, exuberance, and overwhelming intellect always make for great conversation. Finally, he's an incredible engineer to boot. His gear sounds baller and offers a unique circuit; he's doing things his way and I'm looking forward to seeing his products take shape and flight.
Maxvla's (Chris) Uber Schiit stack (Yggy+Raggy) was a revelation. I too have HD800s but have never heard them so lovingly controlled as with that setup. Whoo-boy I may have to start saving up for some upgrades if I stick with the Sennheisers. It was of course even better to have a chance to thank him in person for putting this whole show together. Cheers Chris!
And of course, the best thing was to see all the happy faces and tapping toes. This solitary and isolating pursuit can really bring people joy and, yes, even togetherness.
Just look at how much this little girl loves those HE1000s!!!
Shout outs to Al, Gio, Zack and anyone else I chatted with that I didn't take pics or mention here. It was all a little overwhelming and exhausting, but I'm already looking forward to the next one.
[snip]
Maxvla's (Chris) Uber Schiit stack (Yggy+Raggy) was a revelation. I too have HD800s but have never heard them so lovingly controlled as with that setup. Whoo-boy I may have to start saving up for some upgrades if I stick with the Sennheisers. It was of course even better to have a chance to thank him in person for putting this whole show together. Cheers Chris!
[snip]
I agree about the HE1000. Also, of you are referring to my rig, the HD800 is stock,no mods other than custom paint.
I agree about the HE1000. Also, of you are referring to my rig, the HD800 is stock,no mods other than custom paint.
All the HD800 needs is a great NOS DAC (not to mention a great amp).
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Thanks, Chris, for another fantastic meet! And you too, Dan, for that great venue. And thanks to everyone else who brought awesome gear, or who just joined in to partake in our minor insanity. (You know you want some 6' speakers, Tom)
Unlike jodgey and gopanthersgo, I unfortunely found that I'm not satisfied with my gear. So, business as usual.