"Milton" (as we're calling him) is now protecting our house from intruders. Bit scary sometimes actually when I forget he's there and walk into the hallway...
2017 UK Head-Fi meet (02/Apr/2017 - Milton Keynes) - Impressions Thread
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It was a very enjoyable day with a chance to meet so many enthusiats. Always better than any CanJam imho.
And thanks to all those who said nice words about my SJS Aoide.
Having my equipment at the show meant I got to hear a number of headphones through my set-up.
I admit I do like 50+ genres of metal and rock and lots of other noises. Usually I like my Audeze LCD2.1 pre-fador with Toxic SW22 for that.
Some days I dont list to rock, metal or hip-hop and try folk, classical, early music, world, jazz, funk, R&B, blues - the general rule is no pop, easy listening, opera or country!
These can benefit from different headphones. And sometimes I listen in a noisy environment. So I also have Ether C.
I compared my own Ether C against an Ether C Flow - same cable.
Certainly I felt the Flow upgrade improves the overall feel particularly the lower frequencies - but the upgrade isn't cheap at post-Brexit prices - about 70 albums worth.
I also tried the Ether Flow (open) - upgrading Ether C to Ether Flow is an option - a more costly upgrade - and I still don't take to them as much as the the Ether C
HE1000 that someone tried on my amp was very power hungry and I'd probably want some more headroom on my volume dial most of the time.
Reminded me of that feeling of low efficient speakers like the Celestion driven by muscle amps when compared to horns like the Living Voice driven by 1W amp.
Edition X2 V2 sounded very synergetic and easy to drive on some CDs but became very power needy on others.
The various HD800 I tried all sounded clear and open - allowing for them being a little bright for my tastes and very open/affected by the noisy room.
Certainly happier than when I tried them on my Schiit Mjolnir. If I saw a pair cheap I'd consider buying and moding.
The HD800S I didnt like - the bass was more but wrong.
Sadly the Focal Utopia sounded awesome on my amp. Vastly better than the Ether or LCD for all music. Time to start selling off all the old equipment in the loft?
I didn't try the Elear, and now wished I had. A darker Utopia sounds just the thing for me.
And of course there's the MrSpeakers Electrostatic due soon. I didnt get a chance to hear them either but Mark and others enthused so I'll wait for CanJam.
I also suggested to Mark we need a regular "Favourite 3 albums of the month" thread - like the competition - just to keep us all talking. What do you think?
And thanks to all those who said nice words about my SJS Aoide.
Having my equipment at the show meant I got to hear a number of headphones through my set-up.
I admit I do like 50+ genres of metal and rock and lots of other noises. Usually I like my Audeze LCD2.1 pre-fador with Toxic SW22 for that.
Some days I dont list to rock, metal or hip-hop and try folk, classical, early music, world, jazz, funk, R&B, blues - the general rule is no pop, easy listening, opera or country!
These can benefit from different headphones. And sometimes I listen in a noisy environment. So I also have Ether C.
I compared my own Ether C against an Ether C Flow - same cable.
Certainly I felt the Flow upgrade improves the overall feel particularly the lower frequencies - but the upgrade isn't cheap at post-Brexit prices - about 70 albums worth.
I also tried the Ether Flow (open) - upgrading Ether C to Ether Flow is an option - a more costly upgrade - and I still don't take to them as much as the the Ether C
HE1000 that someone tried on my amp was very power hungry and I'd probably want some more headroom on my volume dial most of the time.
Reminded me of that feeling of low efficient speakers like the Celestion driven by muscle amps when compared to horns like the Living Voice driven by 1W amp.
Edition X2 V2 sounded very synergetic and easy to drive on some CDs but became very power needy on others.
The various HD800 I tried all sounded clear and open - allowing for them being a little bright for my tastes and very open/affected by the noisy room.
Certainly happier than when I tried them on my Schiit Mjolnir. If I saw a pair cheap I'd consider buying and moding.
The HD800S I didnt like - the bass was more but wrong.
Sadly the Focal Utopia sounded awesome on my amp. Vastly better than the Ether or LCD for all music. Time to start selling off all the old equipment in the loft?
I didn't try the Elear, and now wished I had. A darker Utopia sounds just the thing for me.
And of course there's the MrSpeakers Electrostatic due soon. I didnt get a chance to hear them either but Mark and others enthused so I'll wait for CanJam.
I also suggested to Mark we need a regular "Favourite 3 albums of the month" thread - like the competition - just to keep us all talking. What do you think?
"Milton" (as we're calling him) is now protecting our house from intruders. Bit scary sometimes actually when I forget he's there and walk into the hallway...
He looks so friendly - he definitely needed the power of "Quiet Please" to empower him. I miss him.Maybe the next meet I am hoping to do down in the South west in the Autumn?
He's coming to every meet now, although I may superimpose someone's face on him 
I'm surprised nobody has suggested we've been visited by the carpet police...green...zoiks!
I'm surprised nobody has suggested we've been visited by the carpet police...green...zoiks!
smial1966
Headphoneus Supremus
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That carpet is the same colour as Micah's meet T-shirt! Hahaha. 
He's coming to every meet now, although I may superimpose someone's face on him
I really enjoyed the Aoide, thanks for bringing it along. The favourite three albums of the month idea is right up my street... I keep a list of favourite albums and collate them into a final list at the end of each year to share with my buddies etc. Which reminds me, I never published my 2016 list. Zoiks!
Middy
1000+ Head-Fier
I have a complaint to make about Richard. He deliberately brought along an Utone LPS1 to the meeting knowing full well I have my first baby coming.
Now I want one and the new Uptone Iso.
I dont think he should be banned as he has the Dave.. I like the name. but never meeting me before..he should have known this.
Please be gentle with him but he is killing the nappy fund with his outright temptations.
Sincerely
Dave
Now I want one and the new Uptone Iso.
I dont think he should be banned as he has the Dave.. I like the name. but never meeting me before..he should have known this.
Please be gentle with him but he is killing the nappy fund with his outright temptations.
Sincerely
Dave
Let me fix this for you Middy:
In a few weeks time, SOtM will bring out their SMS-200 Ultra (with super clock) that may (or may not) blow the microRendu out the water.
Most likely, the Ultra will require more power than the LPS-1 is able to produce, so will probably have to be pared with their own never-connected-battery power supply thingy. Or even more wonderous power supply.
There will then be months of ensuing chaos and turmoil (in the NAA/networked audio/ Server Endpoint world), whereby it won’t be clear if getting an LPS-1 is a good or bad idea. During these months you can save the $395 cost of the LPS-1, and use that time to build up a stock pile of nappies and baby food.
There you are. Sorted!
You then only have find the means to stump up an estimated $1,200 + $500 for Ultra + power supply. But determined audiophiles will always find a way of empting their wallets if they really put their minds to it.
You can thank me later.
In a few weeks time, SOtM will bring out their SMS-200 Ultra (with super clock) that may (or may not) blow the microRendu out the water.
Most likely, the Ultra will require more power than the LPS-1 is able to produce, so will probably have to be pared with their own never-connected-battery power supply thingy. Or even more wonderous power supply.
There will then be months of ensuing chaos and turmoil (in the NAA/networked audio/ Server Endpoint world), whereby it won’t be clear if getting an LPS-1 is a good or bad idea. During these months you can save the $395 cost of the LPS-1, and use that time to build up a stock pile of nappies and baby food.
There you are. Sorted!
You then only have find the means to stump up an estimated $1,200 + $500 for Ultra + power supply. But determined audiophiles will always find a way of empting their wallets if they really put their minds to it.
You can thank me later.
Hi there, folks! Well that was fun. I had some whisky that improved my cough--thanks Andy and Ardbeg. I listened to some great headphones. My favourites in order:
I'm glad I finally got a chance to listen to the LCD-4 again. The funny thing, last time I listened I was powering with the same amp, Questyle CMA600i, and they sounded awful. Maybe the LCD4 that I heard was the 100ohm model, before?
Some pictures, forgive the watermark--I'll be using these in a blog post later.
In case you couldn't see how many LEDs the Questyle CMA400i has... and yes, that is a 2.5mm balanced jack. Sweet.
That was High End Headphones table. They brought a treasure trove. I borrowed the Focal Utopia, and the LCD-4 for listens off my own gear from their table. This is something that you can't do anywhere else but a local meet, listen to high end gear on your own varied set-up. I love this about HeadFi meets. I can't wait for Trev's in the fall. I'll probably plan one for April next year.
The next pair of headphones photographed lovely, but the CD player source they were playing from had some issues, so I only got to listen for about 30 seconds. I won a pair of headphones for proffering the oBravo HAMT-1 as a guess to some clues in the meetup to the meet. The Mitchell & Johnson GL2 SE that I won were in attendance too.
The 20 tube dual monaural amp from Angstrom Audio, below was really pretty to look at and intimidating to pack up. I watched the fellow nail shut a crate for transport. Heavy duty. Unfortunately I didn't get a listen, but it sure were pretty.
@Turrican2's Beyerdynamic T1 v2 was one of my surprises of the meet. I loved the sound. I might have even liked it more than the HE-1000. I think I might be getting a bit more into vivid visceral tones. I tried the T1 with the iCAN Pro, the Beyerdynamic A2 amp, and the Feliks Audio Euforia that @hypnos1 brought. I liked it best with the Beyerdynamic A2 amp, unsurprisingly perfect synergy.
Calum is older than he looks, and as nice as the smile indicates. It was a pleasure to see Calum again. I look forward to our next meet-up in London. I'm betting that RHA will be releasing their first full-size headphone at CanJam London--no insider knowledge, just my unfounded theory. They are about due, and they need more to pair with the DACAMP L1.
Speaking of Colin's new Feliks Audio Euforia...
Matt Esau of SCV Distribution, purveyor of Questyle, Meze, Fostex and other fine gear in the UK, was there demonstrating the new 99 Neo, as well as some interesting new tech. The most intriguing part of the table is those Even headphones. They give you a hearing test and then adjust DSP to perfectly match your hearing. I tried these out at Headroom but it was a bit loud to do properly. I'd love to get some more quiet time with these. It's an excellent idea.
@Middy needs a headphone amplifier! His Mytek Brooklyn DAC isn't quite enough for his red Ether Flows. I can recommend a few...
What the heck is that big black thing? It's a power supply. It was bigger than almost every amp at the meet. Blimey.
If I had some photoshop skills the man pointing the finger would be saying 'I want you... to come to the next UK HeadFi meet.'
- Ether Electrostat
- LCD-4
- Utopia
- Beyerdynamic T1
- HD800 (now a superb bargain used)
I'm glad I finally got a chance to listen to the LCD-4 again. The funny thing, last time I listened I was powering with the same amp, Questyle CMA600i, and they sounded awful. Maybe the LCD4 that I heard was the 100ohm model, before?
Some pictures, forgive the watermark--I'll be using these in a blog post later.
In case you couldn't see how many LEDs the Questyle CMA400i has... and yes, that is a 2.5mm balanced jack. Sweet.
That was High End Headphones table. They brought a treasure trove. I borrowed the Focal Utopia, and the LCD-4 for listens off my own gear from their table. This is something that you can't do anywhere else but a local meet, listen to high end gear on your own varied set-up. I love this about HeadFi meets. I can't wait for Trev's in the fall. I'll probably plan one for April next year.
The next pair of headphones photographed lovely, but the CD player source they were playing from had some issues, so I only got to listen for about 30 seconds. I won a pair of headphones for proffering the oBravo HAMT-1 as a guess to some clues in the meetup to the meet. The Mitchell & Johnson GL2 SE that I won were in attendance too.
The 20 tube dual monaural amp from Angstrom Audio, below was really pretty to look at and intimidating to pack up. I watched the fellow nail shut a crate for transport. Heavy duty. Unfortunately I didn't get a listen, but it sure were pretty.
@Turrican2's Beyerdynamic T1 v2 was one of my surprises of the meet. I loved the sound. I might have even liked it more than the HE-1000. I think I might be getting a bit more into vivid visceral tones. I tried the T1 with the iCAN Pro, the Beyerdynamic A2 amp, and the Feliks Audio Euforia that @hypnos1 brought. I liked it best with the Beyerdynamic A2 amp, unsurprisingly perfect synergy.
Calum is older than he looks, and as nice as the smile indicates. It was a pleasure to see Calum again. I look forward to our next meet-up in London. I'm betting that RHA will be releasing their first full-size headphone at CanJam London--no insider knowledge, just my unfounded theory. They are about due, and they need more to pair with the DACAMP L1.
Speaking of Colin's new Feliks Audio Euforia...
Matt Esau of SCV Distribution, purveyor of Questyle, Meze, Fostex and other fine gear in the UK, was there demonstrating the new 99 Neo, as well as some interesting new tech. The most intriguing part of the table is those Even headphones. They give you a hearing test and then adjust DSP to perfectly match your hearing. I tried these out at Headroom but it was a bit loud to do properly. I'd love to get some more quiet time with these. It's an excellent idea.
@Middy needs a headphone amplifier! His Mytek Brooklyn DAC isn't quite enough for his red Ether Flows. I can recommend a few...
What the heck is that big black thing? It's a power supply. It was bigger than almost every amp at the meet. Blimey.
If I had some photoshop skills the man pointing the finger would be saying 'I want you... to come to the next UK HeadFi meet.'
digitaldave
500+ Head-Fier
Lol I have no idea what I was pointing at in that last photo!
Middy
1000+ Head-Fier
No offence Dave. Reminds me of the scene from "Invasion of the Headphone snatchers"
Middy
1000+ Head-Fier
My first stall looked more like a church jumble sale. I panicked and brought everything... Taking Micahs advice next time. I'll see what works best to drive My Ethers. And bring tweaking elements for people to try rather than a grumpy wife and half my bedroom 
Can be a little daunting meeting a close nit group from the Tinternet.
But a bunch of genuinely nice people with a lot of passion and fun.
Cheers Glass.. Et Al. ..
Can be a little daunting meeting a close nit group from the Tinternet.
But a bunch of genuinely nice people with a lot of passion and fun.
Cheers Glass.. Et Al. ..
MayorDomino
100+ Head-Fier
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Can anyone tell me which amp was powering the Mr Speakers electrostatics?
smial1966
Headphoneus Supremus
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Middy
1000+ Head-Fier
One thing suprised me was how loud everyone seemed to have thier headphones playing. I know it's a loud room but I had to turn it down on everyone's rig. I have got paranoid now after years of loud rock metal and engineering. I just did the hoovering with ear plugs the wife made me jump six foot...Speaking to Richard we both listen in a darkroom.
On the day impressions..Loosely
Ether Electrostatic A very strange experience lovely but hard to get my head around for my first electrostatic.
Like it.
I didn't like the LCD3 to mushy even with nice bass. Elear was magic in the top end. Digi Dave's 600 not for me.
The fostex really suprised me.
The HE6 solid but driven by an uber amp not for my little set up.
HE1000 very airy but lacked a meaty middle even driven by the uber Dave.
So much I missed out on equipment wise.
But made up for by the conversation and people.
Most of what I have read is true but nothing beats hands on. Shame the UK doesn't do the try buy system like a few US firms do.
Have a good weekend all
Dave
On the day impressions..Loosely
Ether Electrostatic A very strange experience lovely but hard to get my head around for my first electrostatic.
Like it.
I didn't like the LCD3 to mushy even with nice bass. Elear was magic in the top end. Digi Dave's 600 not for me.
The fostex really suprised me.
The HE6 solid but driven by an uber amp not for my little set up.
HE1000 very airy but lacked a meaty middle even driven by the uber Dave.
So much I missed out on equipment wise.
But made up for by the conversation and people.
Most of what I have read is true but nothing beats hands on. Shame the UK doesn't do the try buy system like a few US firms do.
Have a good weekend all
Dave
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