[NA Blur]

  I'm in #1 and #12, but i think they're the same picture. I'm Charlie

Thanks and fixed.

 

[Bill-P]

Since I'm an antisocial being, I shot mostly gears and less people...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 
 

 

 

 
 


 
And... that's the end of my photo dump! Impressions? I liked Stax SR-007 Mk.I out of Blue Hawaii, and HD580/600/650 out of Bottlehead Sex. The end! 

 
 
Seriously, though, it was so fun talking to people that I forgot to critically audition most of the other gears... except for the ones I just mentioned. But hey, I loved it. Hope we'll meet up again soon.

 

 

[DecentLevi]

OK folks I'm just getting around to writing my reviews. They'll be up within 2 hours

 

[Packdemon]

 
 
#16

Packdemon's setup and he also had a JDS Labs Element not shown
https://www.jdslabs.com/products/151/the-element/
 
#24

Some noise cancelling gear from Audio Technica

#24 Would be mine, and I also brought along my hearing protectors (furthest right in picture 16) to pair with them for added noise isolation.

 

[DecentLevi]

Yup I loved it too... after a few hours things just seem to really brighten up at these meets. Without further ado...
 

Here's my top picks (no particular order):​

 
AK240 with DT 1350
This combination completely blew me away! The sheer amount of sonic goodness rushing out of my DT 1350 like a pack of raging bulls! I couldn't believe it - after 4 years of owning these on-ears and trying it with at least 10 setups, this is finally the solution for it's subpar performance on everything else prior: super lifelike and cohesive 3D soundstage, impactful, great imagining, etc... unfortunately it's an un-atainable price for me at about the same pricetag as the Yggy
+ 
 
 
speaking of the Yggy...
 
Yggdrasil / Rangarok with HD 800
This combo instantly struck me with astounding realism. The first thing that came to mind was that this is around 70% of a SR-009 if on a good amp. This really does reveal 'plankton', as they call it, and in a good way. Micro detail galore, fast PRaT, and arguably the best soundstage. Still slightly lacking in bass quantity.

 
 
KGSS with Bifrost and Stax SR-009
The sound that came out of this setup was absolutely electrifying! Up there as one of the best audio experiences of my whole life! Absolutely glorious and phenomenal, refined sound: As much fine details as you could ever want, spot on imaging and dynamics, tonally correct and pleasing midrange, and amazing frequency response! Not to mention the quality and speed of ALL frequencies. No wonder this is widely regarded as an unwavering champion, only to be outdone by the Orpheus at around 25x more the cost. The only downside is that the bass maybe be ever so slightly recessed, but the overall package is so fantastic that it's hard to notice. 
Also trying the SR-009 on the Stax SRM-1 MK2 amp, I was very underwhelmed, seeming underpowered, smaller soundstage and everything that was good above reduced by a factor of 2
Also trying another SR-009 on the Blue Hawaii amp, I was impressed but for some reason it didn't strike me with quite the otherwordly experience as with the KGSS setup 
note: anybody who's interested to know more such as the exact model of amp / DAC used on the above amazing setup can contact @manywelps
 
 
M903 amp/DAC with ATH-R70X
Another truly glorious experience!!! I guess my impressions on the first page were just a preview, because here's the real deal: 
OK to start out, what these headphones, especially with this combo do well is mids, mids, and ohhhh yessss, mids!!! And it's done in a way that is not mid-centric either, yet the entire FR (frequency response) is superbly linear. But the reason I mention mids three times is because the way it handles them mids is just totally surreal - borderlining paranormal! Those mids are spine tingling and oozing with lushness that really smack you on the cheek in a way that you can almost feel it. Listening to some of Michael Jackson's top tracks I had an MJ experience unlike ever before - and it's said to be great for vocals especially. But not just the mids, the treble and bass quality were superb! The soundstage was excellent too. My only gripe however, is that the bass is fairly lacking in quantity, so I recon these 'cans would need a fair amount of EQ'ing or possibly even modding to please most electro or pop fans. 
 
I also tried the ATH-R70X on the Headroom Balanced Ultra Desktop Amp with Bifrost 4490 and I would say it also sounds grand, but the synergy was not quite the same. The lushness and dynamics seemed reduced by perhaps about 15%, but all else remained wonderfully present.
 
I also compared the HD 650 the the R70X on both the same amps, and I actually still prefer the HD 650. The mids were gloriously present / vibrant / lush just like above, slightly recessed treble and improved bass quantity, and the impact was equally good IIRC. The soundstage seemed just as large, but more 'correct' as it seemed more 360' as opposed to having more perceived height than width on the R70X. And the slightly recessed treble can be really a good thing when it comes to reducing listening fatigue.
 
  + 
 
 
 
Eddie Current Zana Deux versus vintage amp (Mcintosh MAC 4100) and Gumby DAC with HD 580 or 650
Zana Deux pairings:
Perhaps this is my #1 favorite setup of the day. Even though the SR-009 is dreamy great, this one has better bass quantity and being SE topology, is compatible with standard headphones. And boy do these ever make a good headphone sing! What you get is super amazing refinement all across: a soundstage 'worth writing home about' that is as large as can be imagined, and done with super realism and cohesion, instrument separation that is uncanny good and also cohesive, excellent details (though not quite as much with the above Yggy / HD 800 or SR-009), phenomenal impact, great FR extension on both ends, and a very 'musical' sound overall.
 
Vintage amp pairings:
It seems that everything mentioned above about the Zana Deux, this vintage amp does almost the same. Notable exceptions would be that the bass quantity is slightly better on this amp, and being a SS, this doesn't have that euphonic tube saturation. This can be a good or a bad difference, depending on the particular song and the way it was recorded. IIRC, it seemed I preferred this amp more with electronic & pop, but the ZD amp better for analogue-ish recordings like rock. It's uncanny the level of energy, detail and bass quality this old receiver has! 
 
    

 

[chuckwheat]

  Since I'm an antisocial being
 

Me too a little bit, but I definitely enjoyed talking with you.

 

[DecentLevi]

I regret not trying the Beoplay H8, Bottlehead 2 or Sex amp, among a few others. Nevertheless, here's
part two of my impressions with a couple mid-tier standouts:
 
Bill-P's modded Sony XB 950 (bluetooth wireless headset)
I can say I was very surprised at the realism coming from this bluetooth headset. It sounded so linear, musical and refined especially from the analogue jazz recording being played on it. It was leagues above the other bluetooth headsets I've tried. Maybe someday Bill will share with some of us the mods he had done to this one.
 
@Packdemon's modded closed-back T1
Very pleasing, natural and refined sound. Great frequency extension and tonality. I should have taken it to a better performing amp than the JD Labs Elements in order to see what kind of 'sonic juice' this thing could be capable of.
 
Beyerdynamic DT-1770
Seemed more refined than the above T1, in terms of soundstage, body, bass quality and lushness in the mids - but only by a small margin. I would have no complaints listening to either one
 
1770 vs. AKG K7XX vs. Hifiman HE 400i
Of these, the 1770 seemed more tonally correct, lush and balanced, while the K7XX seemed slightly dark leaning yet with the best stage, and the 400i, as usual seemed thin and bright
 
Brainwavz S3 IEM
Punchy, smooth, treble detailed yet slightly bright, slight sub-bass roll off and OK soundstage. Overall really good for an affordable IEM
 
 
PS- @Bill-P and @manywelps I would enjoy reading your comments on my reviews (two posts above)

 

[mcluxun]

  Since I'm an antisocial being, I shot mostly gears and less people...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 
 

 

 

 
 


 
And... that's the end of my photo dump! Impressions? I liked Stax SR-007 Mk.I out of Blue Hawaii, and HD580/600/650 out of Bottlehead Sex. The end! 

 
 
Seriously, though, it was so fun talking to people that I forgot to critically audition most of the other gears... except for the ones I just mentioned. But hey, I loved it. Hope we'll meet up again soon.

 

Owner of the rack checking in here.

 

[adamaley]

Thanks for the impressions, guys. @Bill-P , those are some sweet pics. What camera are you using, and could you or the owners of the rigs in the pics talk about those cool headphone stands. They look like a twist on the Omega stands, but more classy. Any idea who the vendor is?

 

[bazelio]

  Thanks for the impressions, guys. @Bill-P , those are some sweet pics. What camera are you using, and could you or the owners of the rigs in the pics talk about those cool headphone stands. They look like a twist on the Omega stands, but more classy. Any idea who the vendor is?

 
 
You know, that's like asking a good cook what kind of oven he uses....  just sayin'.  

 

 

[adamaley]

I'd love to be his sous chef then, lol.

 

[teros1]

  ...I preferred the HD800s or HE-1000....

 
The HD800s and HE1k were my favorites as well. They are just so darn transparent.
 
This was my first Head-Fi event in years and I really enjoyed it.
 
Thanks, Levi. I plan to attend as many of these as I can.

 

[DecentLevi]

What? Did I try the HD 800s there and didn't even know it?
 
also, cross-posting:
 
I personally have no plans to setup another meet, so somebody else would need to take on the challenge to set the next one up. A tip for a possible future meet was posted here. I speculate there may be another official Head-Fi meet later this summer in SF. Any events will be posted here, and the next local meet will likely be posted on this impressions thread

 

[MonsieurNiceGuy]

If only I had found out about this meet sooner. 

 

[DecentLevi]

For those who didn't know, we've got an official meet from Head-Fi on July 16th!!!
http://www.head-fi.org/t/806926/official-2016-sf-head-fi-meet-july-16-2016-wikia-hq