[nikongod]

[size=large]ultra-mini-meet at dave's[/size]



Tonight we had a minimeet at Dave's place. It was good even there was no turntable turning.

I will post more when I wake up.

 

[gz76]

This placeholder sucks... I want more info!!!

 

[warrior05]

You would think with four guys that there would be a modest amount of equipment to listen to. But this is one of Dave's mini-meets which requires over the top insane amount of headphone goodness. Lets see if I can account for the headphones alone: D5000, D2000, 3 RS-1s, RS-2, 3 HP-1s, R10, 2 Stax Omega IIs, Stax Signature, Stax Professional, K701s, K601, ATH 950 Limited Edition, ATH W5000, ATH ES7, DT990/600, DT770/600, Darth Beyers... um, and I'm probably forgetting a few. I'll leave it to the others to list the amp goodness!

 

[warrior05]

Unfortunately for my wallet, I now really want to build an electrostatic setup. Listening to a pair of Omega IIs through a KGSS was inspiring. The best way I can describe it is effortless. It was just music and nothing else. And the Omega IIs are so flippin' comfortable! I'm a total electrostat newb and was really interested in listening to the various offerings at Dave's so called mini-meet. I knew in this setting I could get some good critical listening time which you really can't at the major meets due to noise. I still prefer listening to Blues through my RS-1s but classical and vocals are just wonderful.

 

[krmathis]

Looks like you had a nice little mini-meeting, with lots of 'phones to enjoy.

Let us see some pictures, and post some impressions...

 

[gz76]

I wish we had gear like that in Australia. I doubt we could scrape that list together if we got everyone in the country together!

 

[nikongod]

the amp list:

headamp kgss
DIY kgss
Stax SMR-007T
stax SRM-T1
Stax-srm-1 pro

Melos carlo maestrobator
Melos sha-gold
xiang-sheng 708b
grado HPA-1
Grado RA-1
headamp: not exactly sure what to call it.

sourses:
eastsound E5
Shanling tube cd player

impressions to come later

 

[stuartr]

Here are some pictures. Please forgive the distortion and the poor light. It was quite dim in there, and very cramped, so I had to use a 17mm lens.

I will post my impressions later.

 

[purk]

Nikongod,

You didn't bring your Supra to the meet? Love to hear your impressions soon!

 

[nikongod]

First off, with my third post in this thread, it was great hanging out at a mini-meet and listening to everyones stuff. Very fun indeed.

some impressions to follow:
I didnt spend much time with the Grados or stax's. I did briefly listen to the headamp KGSS/O2, and it did sound awesome as anyone would guess. The Grado HP2/Melos synergy was running in full effect, and the spy VS spy comparisons of alll of the grado RS-1's and RS-2, and the like were also cool although I did not partake as heavily as others

I did enjoy the comparisons of the various CLOSED headphones that were present. the sony R-10, Denon D-5000 (DIY markl mod) Denon D-2000, ATH w-5000, and JVD DX-1000 (I think thats the name - the REALLY big ones dave is wearing...)

For pitching brother VS brother we used the headamp gilmore thingy

It drove both (at the same time!) with authority, and control. The D5k with DIY markL mod had a little less bass than the d2k, but FAR better control of it. The highs on both were close. Dave can give better impressions of the differences as I lent him the D5000, holding his W5000 ransom

For the R10 DX-1000 W5000 shootout, things got VERY different indeed. I used the R10 as the reference because its worth more than my car and the xiangh-sheng 708b (a note on the amp later.) The DX-1000 had way more bass than the other 2, but held VERY good control over it. The highs were nice and sweeet. This headphone is more like a STOCK D5k for bass quantity but with the control of the moded D5k OR R10. The bass is quite prominent, but not lacking in quality. The bass impact here was also impressive with a kick drum giving a more realistic impact to my gourd. comfort factor was VERY high.

The W5000 held the bass MUCH closer to the R10, with the highs ever so slightly tipped up. The overall presentation was VERY smooth, without the harshness that often comes from slightly forwards highs. comfort factor: also VERY high. im going to listen more as I have them now.

A word or 2 the amp (xiang sheng 708b). first off, it was made with a linear volume control rather than a audio one. This is a stupid penny pinching tactic. At least its easy to exchange it for a proper one (I just dont have a spare) and I would recommend anyone with the amp to do so (or have a friend) otherwise I like the amp a decent bit. I think everyone thought I was crazy warning them about being careful with the knob, but the difference between 7'oclock and 8'ocklock is about as much as 7 to 10 on the other amps here. My other amazement here was with the output cap size and how it DIDNT have much effect at all on bass. The amp has VERY small output caps, which by most guesses would cause an obvious loss of bass in the low impedance headphones. This was not the case at all playing the deeeeep organ notes on saint-saens symphony #3, which dave has the deepest copy I have ever heard. with all of the low impedance headphones used the bass was full and powerful giving a solid skull-shaking performance when the organ hit.

edited/added:
I did not bring the Supra, although i packed my tubes. I had planned to but decided to take the R10 instead.

 

[mikeymad]

Wow looks like it was cozy and warm in the little space. Watch your step...

Cheers,

 

[stuartr]

Thanks very much to Dave for kindly hosting the mini-meet. It was nice to see Dave and Ari again, and great to meet Scott. I had a really nice time and it was a pleasure to get to listen to so many phones.

My main mission at the meet was to listen to RS-1's and the RS-2, to see how they compared....particularly how they compared to my HP-2's. I should state right out that I love my HP-2's, and I still prefer them overall to the RS-1's or the RS-2...and frankly, to all other headphones I have ever heard. They just work for me. But I was interested in a headphone that had a bit more forward sound as well as a lighter, more comfortable fit for longer listening. The lightness of the RS-1's and RS-2's was really tempting to me, and they have that more involved presentation than the HP-2s, which are just so honest...sometimes I want my headphones to lie to me -- to tell me that the music or recording is better than it really is. I think that is the seductive nature of the wooden grados -- they lend a sweetness, seductiveness and intimacy in the midrange and highs that most other headphones can't approach. Compared to the wooden grados, other great headphones like the Omega 2's and HP-2's seem a bit polite. This is not to say that that's bad...in fact, I still think they are two of the best headphones around overall, and they do things better than the RS phones in several ways. They just don't set the singer in your lap in the same way.

One really interesting thing was how different the three RS-1's sounded. Ari's were the oldest with the tan headband...they were re-cabled in balanced configuration, though we were using an XLR to 1/4" adapter. Scott's used the stock cable, and Dave's also used a balanced configuration, though I am not sure what the cabling was like.
All three had different signatures. I did not write down my exact impressions, but I recall liking Ari's the most, followed by Scott's, followed by Dave's. This is not to say I did not like Dave's, as they were still tremendous, but they seemed to be bassier and pushed a bit darker for some reason. I suspect this is from the cabling. It is certainly a matter of personal preference, but I don't really pay too much attention to bass in my equipment...midrange and highs rule for me (as long as the bass is accurate and present), and I just felt that the other RS-1's sounded better in the mids and highs.
Ari's just seemed to have a special "something"...I don't know what. I heard the same thing at his house when I listened to them there. They are a superb pair of headphones.
Compared to Dave's RS-2's, the RS-1's had more subtlety, a better sense of spatial imaging (you could tell more easily where the singer and instruments), and the notes were more clearly defined. Overall, they were more refined. The RS-2's, however, had a "punch you in the gut" impact that the other phones did not. With some blues from Kelly Joe Phelps and Chris Whitley, the twanging notes, stomping feet and vocals had incredible bite and substance. They just sounded brutally visceral, in the best sense of the word. You were there, and you felt the sound reverb from the guitar vibrating your shirt. The presentation was slightly compressed compared to the RS-1's, but they knocked my socks off in a good way. I found this particular pair a great complement to the HP-2's. The HP-2's are so refined, so accurate and just spot on...everything sounds just right. The RS-2's are so ballsy that they really complement them well. They are great phones for rock, blues and electronic music. Long story short, I had been looking at them for awhile, and I wound up relieving Dave of his, along with his RA-1 that he had been looking to sell. I am listening to them at the moment.
One thing I have noticed is that I like them even better with flat pads. They had some harshness in the highs that seemed to go away with the flats. They have improved even more.

I may post some more impressions a bit later, though that is what I used most of my critical listening time for.

On a side note, I brought all my equipment up to CT after the meet so I could hang out with my dad a bit. He had never heard any of my headphones and knows nothing about their relative costs, vintages, makers, technology or anything. I did not tell him anything, and listening to the Omega 2/KGSS, HP-2 and Maestrobator and RS-2 Maestrobator, he picked the HP-2's as his hands down favorite. He said they just seemed "fuller and more musical" than the other phones. It must run in the family!

 

[warrior05]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeymad /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow looks like it was cozy and warm in the little space. Watch your step... Cheers,

Definitely cozy. Nothing like having to gingerly step around $1000+ headphones.

But not warm thanks to Dave's central air.

 

[robojack]

In the pictures posted on the first page, could someone point out who is who? I'm always curious to put a face to the people I meet online.

 

[warrior05]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robojack /img/forum/go_quote.gif In the pictures posted on the first page, could someone point out who is who? I'm always curious to put a face to the people I meet online.

I'm the one in the yellow t-shirt, Nikongod is in green and... well... now you know which one is daveDerek.

The photographer, stuartr, didn't take a shot of himself. Of course with his monster of a camera it would have been difficult and I wouldn't have wanted to touch that sucker. Looked damned expensive!