[nmatheis]

Hi to everyone who showed up for the Portland meet today. Please use this thread to post your impressions of the meet, gear, setups, etc.

 

[spyder1]

I appreciate the work in setting up display tables, and answering questions from the "Event Sponsors." Zach Mehrbach did a great job of greeting participants, and attendees as they entered the event room. This was a fun event!

 

[uncola]

anyone listen to the zmf amp?  I'm curious

 

[miceblue]

anyone listen to the zmf amp?  I'm curious

It had a heavenly synergy with the HD800S! My gawd. That was probably the best pairing I heard at the meet.

 

[uncola]

thanks Miceblue.  pants successfully ruined

 

[sbradley02]

I appreciate the work in setting up display tables, and answering questions from the "Event Sponsors." Zach Mehrbach did a great job of greeting participants, and attendees as they entered the event room. This was a fun event!

Very much agree. Appreciate all the effort put into it.

 

[AladdinSane]

Thanks for getting it going all involved.

 

[Oregonian]

Thanks to Zach and all who helped pull this together - it was a lot of fun! 
 
Impressions - amazed how many TUBE rigs there were!  Being a confirmed vintage guy it is amazing how many very high end and very well thought out systems there were - muziqboy next to me had an incredible setup with enough stuff hooked up to spin the electric meter to our utility's utter happiness!  Took an hour to get it running and boy did it sound awesome! 
 
Big Poppa's HD700 rig sounded exquisite - I have always liked that headphone (owned it for a while) and his rig surely brought out its' best - when the bass hit on "Hotel California" it was a smile-inducing moment! 
 
Thanks to all for sharing your learnings and equipment.  I enjoyed letting a bunch of you hear the HE-6 driven out of speaker taps from my Hitachi 100 watt amp - sounded like a lot of you enjoyed the experience. 
 
Met a lot of great guys and enjoyed talking with all of you - there are a lot of really nice folks in this community!
 
Seems the turnout was a bit lower than I expected - sorry Echo couldn't make it and for those who weren't able to join us I hope next time you are able to.

 

[nmatheis]

Being an IEM guy, I had fun spending time at the 64 EARS, ALO/CFA, and Noble booths. Glad to try some new (to me anyway) TOTL IEM!

Glad a few peeps stopped by my portable gear table to check out some of the many DAPs & IEM I had out.

 

[grizzlybeast]

this meet has me wanting to go up to Seattle.
 
Big Ups to Zach throwing the event! 
 
Edit: that post read all wrong because I was glad to meet everyone.  Trying to post really fast didn't work out 

 
Before I went I really wanted to hear the Ether C, Ether, and the HE-6 on Frank's rig but time flew by before I knew it and when you get caught up talking to people about gear etc you realize you hadn't listened to much. I learned a lot, and was impressed by some stuff but I will post impressions here in a bit... Its mothers day...kinda snuck this post in here. 

 

[zach915m]

Hey guys thank you so much for coming. Was a little nerve racking setting this up from out of town but big shout out to @grizzlybeast for helping me out so much! I'm glad everyone had a good time. More soon.

 

[coachenzo]

I had a great time. Thank you to all who help set the meet up. It was nice meeting most of. I found all the set up very inspiring as I'm more of mid-fi guy. I'm definitely going to try to make a Seattle meet this year.

Also, thank you to all the awesome vendors.

Take care all and hope to see you again soon.

Enzo

 

[grizzlybeast]

So I kinda figured out a few things about meets as that was my first real meet. 

 ​

1. I don't need to bring all those headphones and gear. A lot of people won't listen to them anyway. 
2. Meet conditions don't really provide enough time etc for me to pick apart gear etc but I can get a good idea of if it is for me or not fairly quickly. 
 
Personal highlights of the day:
Eating breakfast with @Musicboy and @BIG POPPA. Meeting Zach for the first time. That dude is cool as heck in person and goofy too like me!. Listening to music with @HamSandwich. Talking with @Doc B. about transformer coils and being schooled by him on how it all works. Meeting @Soundsgoodtome in person. Putting the fan on when I was sweating like mad because I was in a frenzy trying to set up. Meeting  @TorqueAudio who is a Mega cool dude. Really everyone was nice to me and I felt free to be myself and comment on gear. 
 
Personal Regrets:
Not really sitting down with the HE-6 on @Oregonians rig and catching up with him. Not getting a good listen to the Ether C and Ether. Not comparing my Nuprime to the Liquid Carbon cause I really wanted to do that. I think my Nuprime bangs the buck pretty hard. Not hearing campfire iems or Nikolaus' portable gear. ughghghg time flys.
 
Insipirations:
I will go to Alo Audio with my headphones and hear their Six!!! Ken says it is one of the best amps out there for the HD800's. 
 

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IMPRESSIONS​

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The ZMF Sonnare AMP
The amp had a good balance and while not super spacious really made my HD800S pop in depth and fullness of tonality. It made them very musical. On the ZMF headphones there were some bass texture issues and as a prototype it is most definitely not done but the balance was really good there as well. I didn't listen for long though so I can't give much. I just know that had I not had my trafomatic I would be on the lookout for the Sonnare release for my HD800S but he is tuning them for the ZMF line up so it may sound different later on. I really liked the wood aesthetic on the front for a face plate. 
 
Continental Dual Mono by Alo
After talking w/ @KB . I began listening to the HE1000 through this DAC/ AMP combo. It sounds really magical with the HE1000. I didn't know portable gear could sound that good. The mids treble and bass were all very clear, controlled yet musical. The HE1000 matched better with that portable DAC / Amp than my Trafomatic Head2 because it had tighter bass for driving the HE1K and overall was a more precise sound though less spacious and dynamic but a little more forward. Desktop sound for your pocket with an instantly agreeable tonality that I couldn't fault anywhere. More than enough power for the HE1K. 
 
Apex Teton
The Teton is magical with the HD800S. It sounded more spacious than anything I plugged the HD800 into, and even smoothed some of the treble up top. It is not aggressive but very technical. The highest light of the day was probably plugging in @HamSandwich's HD650 into the Teton for me. It made that headphone sound way more expensive than it is. I could still hear the treble grain but it was as if it gained a lot of sound stage and the tonality in the mid range was awesome. I missed out on hearing the Ether C but this made up for it. So when I first compared it to my Trafomatic head 2 Amp I was really sad about my own amp. The separation and definition of the african stringed instruments on Ben Harpers "Blessed to be a Witness" were much more distinguishable and realistic in timbre (during home listening... not really fair) but the voices became a little more flat and less projected in the upper mids. I put the stock tubes in the APEX and it was still better on the HD800S but my remorse had lessened and they became closer to eachother. I didn't want to try any orthos with it and still haven't but it is the most spacious and natural sounding amp I have heard for the HD800S. 
 
CAYIN IHA6
Another Amp I have had at home but got a better idea of its sound compared to other amps at the meet. Fast, clean, bright, controlled, kind of neutral sounding with a soft but airy treble. Tons of Power on tap w/ 7wtts into 32 ohms and priced very sensibly for its performance at 999 usd. 
 
Cayin IDAC 6
Again like the previously mentioned this is a very nuetral and unbiased sounding amp that you can almost pair with anything. I had it paired up with the Teton and it practically did it justice. I am sure the YGGY would have exploited the Tetons potential but the Cayin is capably solid in performance.  
 
HOTEL CALIFORNIA ON BIG POPPAS SET UP OF HD700, KIKO STICKS, MYTEK DAC, AND DECKED OUT TUBE AMP
I sat and listened for a while and was very impressed. I have heard the recording several times but never really listen to it on my own gear since I have some personal qualms with the song. But there were a few things that stood out. The timbre was very smooth, the bass was a lot more than the HD700 that I used to have (which was modded) the separation was very good as well as the soundstage, and the highs seemed a lot less sibilant than even the modded pair. I think it was the recording itself but I remember the vocals sounding a bit muted or something like a lot of the older recording do. I was impressed though. I really liked it. 
 
MR Speakers Ether
Shoot me if you like but this headphone was really not my cup of tea. There was a lot of clarity and transparency happening with that headphone that was flagship level. The mids seemed fine as well and I didn't get a really long listen but it seemed to lack a foundation and sound stage for me. Very open sounding though and seemed a little bright but with good treble texture. 
 
HiFiMan HE1000
Definitely the best Planar I have hear. I could want for a little more weight down low and a slightly smoother top end but I preferred it  over the Ether by a whole lot. It's not enough to make me want to sell the HD800S for it like I thought I would end up doing but it is clear, has very good texture, deep bass that while isn't that punchy is firm and detailed. I love the sound stage on it and its basically what I wanted the HEX to sound like technically. A bit over priced but does feel premium in build. I know that sending these back to @Todd is gonna leave a hole in me. 
 
STAX SR-009
Best sounding headphone of the day for sure. I was not expecting it to be and I can't really say it is for me but the clarity and separation that it gave me was pretty much unbeatable. I heard sounds pan out to their appropriate sides effortlessly with a hyper detailed sound. It was kind of bright but not as bright as Big Sound 2015 at innerfidelity made them out to be. The only problem was the bass impact. It was the weirdest bass slam I have ever heard. It hit and I actually felt the vibration around my ears more than most cans but it was missing solidity and density. I can definitely see the appeal of electrostats
 
NOBLE AUDIO KAISER 10U
Call me stupid but I would actually love to have this headphone almost over the he1k. After really listening to the he1k I can't say this sounds better but this being the first TOTL iem I have heard I was really impressed. It had a good balance, speed, enough bass, clear highs that weren't dark or way too bright, and good separation. I didn't hear a huge sound stage though and really don't know what to expect in terms of sound stage with iems but that would have been my only gripe from a first listen. Really liked it.
 
64AUDIO TOTL 12
The presentation of these sounded good but were a little overpriced for me to be honest. I didn't feel they sounded as good as the Noble 10u. They had an agreeable balance but there was some bass and treble roll off. I felt like I heard a good 50 hz but that was a long shot guess at a frequency mark of where the roll off was. The mids were warm though and it wasn't bad sounding at all to me. But again I don't know what to expect from iem's and their respective price points. Since I would use some in ears at a gig for monitors I would definitely appreciate the way these are tuned though. They have a very good focus around the midrange and nice balance. 
 
Torque Audio full sized Prototypes
This is where I believe I had a solid example of how differently we hear. I was the only one apparently that preferred the consumer version over the flat/neutral version. I kept trying my hardest to explain that it wasn't only because of the balance but that the instruments didn't have any attack on the neutral version, even with the aggression tuned higher. The other version had midbass bleed into the mids and the sound stage suffered because of the balance but it sounded more true to life in musicality albeit while being tuned more like beats. I exclaimed that the bassy versions midrange didn't seem too sucked out  even compared to the flat one but even the flat version had a weird mid range. Yasu is such a cool guy and I haaatttee disagreeing with someone so humble, down to earth, and passionate about their gear but I really didn't like the sound. The design, build, and comfort though is pretty flawless. They look sick. 
 
BTW @nmatheis what happed to @MezeTeam sending the classics? I really wanted to compare them to the Torques. 
 
Paradox Slants
First time hearing them and was very surprised that they sound so good in with the original enclosure. I prefer them to the Alpha dogs by quite a bit. They even had a good soundstage and bass. I kinda prefer the upper midrange of the Omnis but they were closer to the Omni in technicalities than I thought they would be. I really liked them a lot. Especially since they were speaker tapped by LaBrowns Cyclopse amp which totally made a great pairing for the Omni as well. I think they would have sounded great on the Cayin IHA6. 
 
HD650
classic for a reason. 
 
Voodoo Donuts
Very sweet and tasty. They only take cash though... wtheck!! oh and paypal. I may put a FS add up for some donuts!
 
Echo audio didn't show up due to some issues that made them space us. Wanted to hear the LCD4 as did many others. Also I barely received the Kennerton Vali today and it sounds great if anyone wants to have a mini meet in the near future to hear it I am down...be on the look out for the tour unit. For now picture an HD650 with a wider soundstage, deeper bass, less grain, stronger treble peak. 
 
 
MT Scott Community College
GREAT spot with tons of outlets, tables and natural lighting. Even if it didn't have carpet I think Zach picked an excellent spot. Not bad for an 'out-of-towner'. Good host too. he managed to check his amp out with the HD800S, make sure most of us paid, listen to other gear, answer questions, and great most everyone that came in. Good Job ZMF!
 
Forgot a few things...lol
 
MicroZotl 2.0
I could hear it as a pairing with the Omnis for those who wanted a flatter sound but it wasn't really for me. I preferred the Decware Taboo MKIII to it by like a whole yard. It was a little bland sounding to me with a slight treble something or other that I couldn't nail down. I do have much respect for what I heard though. Just not a good idea to AB it against the Taboo MKIII.
 
Taboo MKIII 
Really natural and full bodied sound coming out of the yggy. It was instantly agreeable and it paired better with the Omni than any tube amp I have heard them with including my own. I have the same type of impression with the ZMF amp that I do with my Own and that is that it they played  good with the Omni but really well with the HD800S. Well in context, one would think that tube amps then are not for orthos until they hear the Taboo MKIII which was made to match the 50ohm LCD2s when they had less resistance than the current runs. Lovely amp. Heck I may want to skip out on the Black widow if it takes to long and just get the Taboo MKIII. Really liked it.
 
Fleasbaby's headphone
Well this was pretty much the  biggest scare of the day. I picked them up and the cup fell off lmbo lolol. But I finally got a hold of them to listen on my set up and heard a very technically capable headphone with speed, precision, dynamics, and clarity. It has a sound that is a bit bright for me but not nearly as bright as the other grado looking headphone he sent  with the sony headband. I liked those headphones though and think he did a good job tuning them. 

 

[Jimkrell]

I enjoyed the meet very much, and like a few others, it was my first time at one of these. I heard a bunch of things I hadn't before, such as Ether, Ether C, HE-10000, HE-560, HD800S, and more. I loved putting faces with names, as you really never know who is on the other side of forum postings!

Fantastic to meet Zach from ZMF. Not only do I really enjoy his headphones, but I love knowing that my money is going to help support such a gracious and professional (and like Grizzly said, Goofy) individual. May he continue his enterprise long into the future!

The most enjoyable listen, and the biggest surprise for me at the event, was Oregonian's vintage amp and HE-6 combo. I have never heard that headphone before, and I was transported by the experience. Plenty of resolution and detail for me, but with a visceral feel that I haven't yet experienced in this great hobby. Thanks, Oregonian, for letting me spend so much time at your table and learning about how I might proceed with a similar rig.

The only disappointment was that Oregonian looks nothing like his avatar....

I look forward to the next meet, and perhaps I'll have something worthy to show by then!

 

[sbradley02]

I really liked the ZMF headphones. Definitely one of the best T50RP based headphone out there, and I used to own a 'phone in this category. Very well balanced and comfortable.
 
Appreciated getting to listen to the HE1000, always wanted to hear those.
 
Also got a kick out of getting another chance to hear the Denon D7000, on a vintage Hitachi no less. This has always been one of my favorite dynamic headphones.
 
Never had listened much to the high end Sennheisers before. It is amazing what they can do on a good rig.
 
My 'regret' was not getting around to trying out the Chord Mojo someone brought, with my ETHERs. It is supposed to be a great combination.
 
Finally, you can learn things about your own rig that is helpful. I had the JoLida/Bryston/ETHER C setup, and had always used a Music Fidelity V-LINK between the laptop and the DAC. I was asked whether it was really better, and had never really considered that before. I tried taking it out today, running USB straight into the JoLida, and that configuration is a bit better. I guess the JoLida has a good USB receiver setup, and the V-LINK was degrading data transfer in my instance, rather than improving it.
 
Thanks to everyone for bringing all the great gear for us to try out!
 
Looking forward to next year.