2013 Bay Area Headphone Meet & Headmasters (CAS4) Impressions Thread (8/9~8/11)
Aug 19, 2013 at 12:54 PM Post #241 of 300
Quote:
 
Ultimately, number of people attending meets shouldn't be a measure of success - unless one is trying to make a profit.

Even if we had 100 people this would never turned a profit. We wanted the attendance so the younger generation would also listen to some fantastic 2 channel systems as well as hear all that the Headmaster event had to offer.  All in all I was satisfied with the traffic from Headfi Members. The adds we bought  from Headfi.org increased out ticket sales and we had 32 percent of the total tickets from Friday alone were form Headfi.org adds that we ran and that was even before the meet on Saturday. We had like 25 members  at the meet in and out on Saturday. I would like to see more members next year for the meet portion but even if we did it the same way it would still be considered successful. The Goal will always remain to increase  the younger generation attendance to the High end shows at least for me that where the future high end generation is residing. The older hobbyist also embraced the headphone portion of the event and traffic flowed steadily in the Headmaster event.  My goal is to keep raising the attendance numbers through the Headphone community and to make the events better next year.
 
As Michael Mercer also stated we allocated more space than any other show except for Denver to the Headfi community and we will continue that trend with next years event. We also were the first show to have an active Headfi Member meet. 
 
Aug 19, 2013 at 3:32 PM Post #242 of 300
Moon Audio at the 4th California Audio Show
August 9-11, 2013
 ​
Moon Audio had a blast at the 4th Annual California Audio Show in 2013. Thanks for stopping by our table, if you did not get a chance to make it, please join us in Rocky Mount at the RMAF 2013 in October. Here are a few pictures that shows you some of our new products, such as audio cables, and much, much more at The California Audio Show 2013, enjoy.
Moon Audio was one of the manufacturers and retailers/dealers that aim for hifi audio affordability mixed with ease, knowledge and dedication to customer service. We hope you'll agree.​
 ​
 ​
 ​
Top In order from right to left:
Bryston BDA-2 Outboard DAC W/ Moon Audio Blue Dragon USB Cable & KingSound M-20 Tube Headphone Amp

Bottom From Left To Right:
KingSound Electrostatic Headphone 1 w/Sieveking Sound Omega Wooden Headphone Stand & Beyerdynamic HD700 Headphones w/ Moon Audio's Black Dragon V2 Headphone Cable
 ​
In order from right to left: 
Bryston BDA-2 Outboard DAC, KingSound M-20 Tube Headphone Amp, & Sieveking Sound Omega Wooden Headphone Stand w/ KingSound Electrostatic Headphone 1
 ​
Top in Order from Left to Right: 
ADL iDevice iD-8A Lightning to USB cable

Bottom In Order from Left to Right: 
iQube V3 Portable Headphone Amp, Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Solo -dB DAC w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon Cables V1 IEM-LOD & JH-3A -dB AMP, HiFiMan HM-901 HiFi Portable Music Player, Colorfly Pocket HiFi C4 Pro portable music player, & Sony PHA-1 Portable USB Headphone Amplifier w/ Moon Audio Black Dragon V2 Headphone Cable.
 ​
Top In Order From Left to Right:
KingSound M-20 Tube AMP & Sennheiser HDVA 800 Headphone Amp w/ Moon Audio Black Dragon V2 Headphone Cable

Bottom In Order From Left to Right:
Beyerdynamic HD700 Headphones w/ Moon Audio's Black Dragon V2 upgraded Cable.
 ​
Top In Order From Left to Right:
KingSound M-20 Tube AMP, Sennheiser HDVA 800 Headphone Amp w/ Moon Audio Black Dragon V2 Headphone Cable, & Beyerdynamic HD700 Headphones w/ Moon Audio's Black Dragon V2 Headphone Cable

Bottom In Order From Left to Right:
Fostex TH600 w/ Moon Audio Black Dragon V2 Headphone Cable
 ​
Fostex TH900 Flagship Dynamic Headphones w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon V3 Headphone Cable & MyTek Digital Stereo192-DSD DAC
 ​
Fostex TH900 Flagship Dynamic Headphones w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon V3 Headphone Cable & MyTek Digital Stereo192-DSD DAC
 ​
In Order from Left to Right: 
Sony PHA-1 Portable USB Headphone Amplifier w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon V3 LOD (Line Out Dock) Cable, Kingsound M-10 Solid State Headphone Amp w/ Kingsound Electrostatic Headphone 1, & Bryston BDA-2 Outboard DAC
 ​
Bryston BDA-2 Outboard DAC & KingSound Electrostatic Headphone 1 w/Sieveking Sound Omega Wooden Headphone Stand
 ​
Top In Order from Left to Right:
Halide Design Bridge & ADL iDevice iD8-A Lightning to USB cable

Bottom Order from Left to Right:
Beyerdynamic T-50P, Colorfly Pocket HiFi C4 Pro portable music player, iQube V3 Portable Headphone Amp, Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Solo -dB DAC w/ w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon V3 LOD (Line Out Dock) Cable, & JH-3A -dB AMP.
 ​
Drew Baird, P.E. President of Moon Audio with Nichole Baird, CFO.
 ​
In order from Left to Right:
Beyerdynamic T-50P, Colorfly Pocket HiFi C4 Pro portable music player, iQube V3 Portable Headphone Amp, Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Solo -dB DAC w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon Cables V1 IEM-LOD, & JH-3A -dB AMP.
 ​
Top in Order from Right to Left: 
ADL iDevice iD-8A Lightning to USB cable

Bottom in Order from Left to Right: 
iQube V3 Portable Headphone Amp, Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Solo -dB DAC w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon Cables V1 IEM-LOD & JH-3A -dB AMP, HiFiMan HM-901 HiFi Portable Music Player, Colorfly Pocket HiFi C4 Pro portable music player, & Sony PHA-1 Portable USB Headphone Amplifier w/ Moon Audio Black Dragon V1 IEM to LOD Cable.
 ​
Moon Audio Silver Dragon USB Cable w/ MyTek Digital Stereo192-DSD DAC & Beyerdynamic HD700 Headphones w/ Moon Audio Black Dragon Headphone Cable.
 
Moon Audio Stay updated on Moon Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/MoonAudio/ https://twitter.com/MoonAudio https://instagram.com/moonaudio https://www.moon-audio.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@moon-audio sales@moon-audio.com
Aug 19, 2013 at 4:15 PM Post #243 of 300
Quote:
Moon Audio at the 4th California Audio Show
August 9-11, 2013
 ​
Moon Audio had a blast at the 4th Annual California Audio Show in 2013. Thanks for stopping by our table, if you did not get a chance to make it, please join us in Rocky Mount at the RMAF 2013 in October. Here are a few pictures that shows you some of our new products, such as audio cables, and much, much more at The California Audio Show 2013, enjoy.
Moon Audio was one of the manufacturers and retailers/dealers that aim for hifi audio affordability mixed with ease, knowledge and dedication to customer service. We hope you'll agree.​
 ​
 ​
 ​
Top In order from right to left:
Bryston BDA-2 Outboard DAC W/ Moon Audio Blue Dragon USB Cable & KingSound M-20 Tube Headphone Amp

Bottom From Left To Right:
KingSound Electrostatic Headphone 1 w/Sieveking Sound Omega Wooden Headphone Stand & Beyerdynamic HD700 Headphones w/ Moon Audio's Black Dragon V2 Headphone Cable
 ​
In order from right to left: 
Bryston BDA-2 Outboard DAC, KingSound M-20 Tube Headphone Amp, & Sieveking Sound Omega Wooden Headphone Stand w/ KingSound Electrostatic Headphone 1
 ​
Top in Order from Left to Right: 
ADL iDevice iD-8A Lightning to USB cable

Bottom In Order from Left to Right: 
iQube V3 Portable Headphone Amp, Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Solo -dB DAC w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon Cables V1 IEM-LOD & JH-3A -dB AMP, HiFiMan HM-901 HiFi Portable Music Player, Colorfly Pocket HiFi C4 Pro portable music player, & Sony PHA-1 Portable USB Headphone Amplifier w/ Moon Audio Black Dragon V2 Headphone Cable.
 ​
Top In Order From Left to Right:
KingSound M-20 Tube AMP & Sennheiser HDVA 800 Headphone Amp w/ Moon Audio Black Dragon V2 Headphone Cable

Bottom In Order From Left to Right:
Beyerdynamic HD700 Headphones w/ Moon Audio's Black Dragon V2 upgraded Cable.
 ​
Top In Order From Left to Right:
KingSound M-20 Tube AMP, Sennheiser HDVA 800 Headphone Amp w/ Moon Audio Black Dragon V2 Headphone Cable, & Beyerdynamic HD700 Headphones w/ Moon Audio's Black Dragon V2 Headphone Cable

Bottom In Order From Left to Right:
Fostex TH600 w/ Moon Audio Black Dragon V2 Headphone Cable
 ​
Fostex TH900 Flagship Dynamic Headphones w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon V3 Headphone Cable & MyTek Digital Stereo192-DSD DAC
 ​
Fostex TH900 Flagship Dynamic Headphones w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon V3 Headphone Cable & MyTek Digital Stereo192-DSD DAC
 ​
In Order from Left to Right: 
Sony PHA-1 Portable USB Headphone Amplifier w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon V3 LOD (Line Out Dock) Cable, Kingsound M-10 Solid State Headphone Amp w/ Kingsound Electrostatic Headphone 1, & Bryston BDA-2 Outboard DAC
 ​
Bryston BDA-2 Outboard DAC & KingSound Electrostatic Headphone 1 w/Sieveking Sound Omega Wooden Headphone Stand
 ​
Top In Order from Left to Right:
Halide Design Bridge & ADL iDevice iD8-A Lightning to USB cable

Bottom Order from Left to Right:
Beyerdynamic T-50P, Colorfly Pocket HiFi C4 Pro portable music player, iQube V3 Portable Headphone Amp, Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Solo -dB DAC w/ w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon V3 LOD (Line Out Dock) Cable, & JH-3A -dB AMP.
 ​
Drew Baird, P.E. President of Moon Audio with Nichole Baird, CFO.
 ​
In order from Left to Right:
Beyerdynamic T-50P, Colorfly Pocket HiFi C4 Pro portable music player, iQube V3 Portable Headphone Amp, Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Solo -dB DAC w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon Cables V1 IEM-LOD, & JH-3A -dB AMP.
 ​
Top in Order from Right to Left: 
ADL iDevice iD-8A Lightning to USB cable

Bottom in Order from Left to Right: 
iQube V3 Portable Headphone Amp, Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Solo -dB DAC w/ Moon Audio Silver Dragon Cables V1 IEM-LOD & JH-3A -dB AMP, HiFiMan HM-901 HiFi Portable Music Player, Colorfly Pocket HiFi C4 Pro portable music player, & Sony PHA-1 Portable USB Headphone Amplifier w/ Moon Audio Black Dragon V1 IEM to LOD Cable.
 ​
Moon Audio Silver Dragon USB Cable w/ MyTek Digital Stereo192-DSD DAC & Beyerdynamic HD700 Headphones w/ Moon Audio Black Dragon Headphone Cable.

Love these guys!!
 
I've been using Drew's Silver Dragon cables in my rigs ever since he sent them to me (at Jerry Harvey's request too, now when a manufacturer recommends another persons cable for their product - most of the time its important to listen) and I gave them a Writers Choice Award last year in PFO because I literally never have a portable rig with me that doesn't contain an LOD from Drew, or a headphone cable too.  
 
Sh__, I even got his Silver Dragon Toslink for my AppleTV!!
 
Plus - those King Sound electrostats, whoa, at 500 bucks I can't think of anything that gets close!
And the tube electrostatic amp that mates with em, at 1200 bucks, is also a STEAL.
 
He and Nicole really care about their customers, and I'm not surprised at the repeat business they experience!
Salt of the Earth these two...
 
Aug 19, 2013 at 4:18 PM Post #244 of 300
and: I can't believe I overlooked the headphone amp in my MYTEK Stereo-192 DSD DAC!!!!
I'm cranking it now w/ my Mad Dogs and I LOVE it!  Spacious, dynamic, engaging, just alot of fun
to listen to tunes through this thing!
 
I feel like an idiot for just viewing this things as a great DAC!
But I saw a bunch on people using it as a DAC/amp at Headmasters so when I got it home I started
experimenting with it.
 
At $1,500 (I think that's what it costs) this thing is a virtual audible swiss army knife!
 
Aug 19, 2013 at 8:55 PM Post #246 of 300
Quote:
So anybody can tell me their take on what they liked more/less than the emperor with tube and ss amp..?

Hell yeah!
 
I loved the Alpha Dogs runnin' on the Burson Conductor at Dan's booth.
Very engaging, (and I'm familiar with the amp so that was cool).  I stopped
thinking about gear and the music just washed over me.
 
Alpha Dogs pre-ordered!!
 
I also LOVED the Eddie Current Balancing Act running my own Audeze LCD3's at the Audeze booth!!
For me - that was the BEST SOUND IN SHOW
(and yes, I helped set that up, for peeps who know, and lent them my dCs DAC and
Sonicweld Diverter - but I still loved the sound of the rig anyway - and I only heard that amp one other time).
The new Alix Perez album (my review HERE) and The-Drum were as dynamic and alive as I've ever heard
them through my LCD3's.
 
The King Sound electrostats at 500 bucks sounded do damn good if I was looking for an electrostatic rig I
would be saving for them and their 1200 dollar electrostat tube amp that partners with them.
Also a very engaging sound, with such upper end sweetness when I played Radiohead's "Pyramid Song"
and Bonobo's The North Borders
 
I also enjoyed the Woo Audio table, nothing there disappointed me.  It's always a treat to hear the WES
driving Stax!
 
there's some flavors for ya.
My show coverage for Part-Time Audiophile is HERE for ya too.
 
The HIGHLIGHT for me???  Alpha Dogs and the latest Audeze closed-back, which did things in a closed-back
design I didn't think was possible w/ regard to planar technology (the extreme BASS and the control, most importantly,
the coherency of the lower-midrange and midrange - which is par for the course, but this was, for me, a virtual looking
glass into the music - I was transfixed)
 
Aug 20, 2013 at 2:18 AM Post #247 of 300
Traitor! 
 
My young Flemish Giant, Arthur, insists on loudspeaker systems. Maybe headphones aren't that comfortable? 
 
Well, he is the only one here with literal Golden Ears.  
 

 
Aug 20, 2013 at 3:01 AM Post #248 of 300
Quote:
Even if we had 100 people this would never turned a profit. We wanted the attendance so the younger generation would also listen to some fantastic 2 channel systems as well as hear all that the Headmaster event had to offer.  All in all I was satisfied with the traffic from Headfi Members. The adds we bought  from Headfi.org increased out ticket sales and we had 32 percent of the total tickets from Friday alone were form Headfi.org adds that we ran and that was even before the meet on Saturday.
 

 
Hi Frank, I'm not sure how you count these, but you can absolutely add me to the list of Headfi referrals. Travel plans forced me to miss the Head-fi meet on Saturday, but I skipped work on Friday to take in the rest of the CA show and the Headmasters meet. I told the man working registration on Friday when I bought my ticket that I was referred by Head-fi but I don't know if they were tracking that info. 
 
Highlights of the show for me, in no particular order...
 
- listening to Safety Dance on my PS500s out of the Schiit Valhalla 
- jaw dropping first experiences with the LCD3s and the 009s
- the Wilson Alexias - I just started to laugh when I walked into the room because they sounded so good. I was not expecting that. 
- hearing Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley on the Dynaudio C2s 
- Sufjan Stevens on the Zu Druids and Soul Supremes
 
Aug 20, 2013 at 9:10 AM Post #249 of 300
The ticket sales on Friday at the show were 32 percent headfi members from the adds we ran. That was a fantastic turnout and we knew there were many headfi members there all three days. The Alexia were fantastic speakers and the Spectral amps driving them effortlessly. The Music Lovers room was well set up. I liked the Zu setup with Sean spinning the tubes. I also liked the Raven room with the 140K Von Schweikert and the Legacy Aerius speakers were also on my favorite  list.  Glad you had a good time and thanks for coming.
 
Aug 21, 2013 at 12:28 PM Post #250 of 300
Quote:
Traitor! 
 
My young Flemish Giant, Arthur, insists on loudspeaker systems. Maybe headphones aren't that comfortable? 
 
Well, he is the only one here with literal Golden Ears.  
 

but with those Golden Ears and he prefers Vandersteens?!?!?  LOL
just kidding
 
I LOVE my two-channel in-room system.  Hell, that the worlds I come from.
But aside from hearing KILLER tunes coming from the Zu Audio room and the sweet sound of the Fritz Speakers/Wywires room (also playing modern music)
I couldn't stand hearing the same ol' music coming from most of those rooms.  MANY playing the same music I've heard since my first CES in 1996!
 
Now when you've been hearing the same music for that long at these shows - they have a problem.
 
But it's OK.  We're all here!!  I s/w Harry Pearson yesterday (Founder of The Absolute Sound and the man who literally coined the term "high end audio"
- not to mention creating the language we use to describe things sonically today) and he thinks the torch is staying lit over here.  He's been listening
on some of his outstanding headphone rigs recently!!
 
Aug 21, 2013 at 4:01 PM Post #252 of 300
Quote:
After meeting you guys I have now created an account. Thank you all!  

Welcome!!
 
It's great to have you here!!
 
As the result of participating at this last Meet at Headmasters, and the LA Meet beforehand, I've been awakened to some 
amazing things about this community.  Things that have inspired me.
 
I'm working on an essay for a side-product of mine (and my buddy Chris Sommovigo from Big Black Disc and Black Cat Cable)
called the High Fidelity Report: The Democratization of the High End Through Personal Audio
 
What you've all built here is something I always sought in the world of high end audio for twenty years:
A true community, one that gives back to itself, and pushes itself forward through unity.  I'm working on this essay and some 
old school audiophiles are gonna be pissed.  But, I couldn't care less...
 
THANK YOU
 
Aug 21, 2013 at 4:03 PM Post #253 of 300
Quote:
and: I can't believe I overlooked the headphone amp in my MYTEK Stereo-192 DSD DAC!!!!
I'm cranking it now w/ my Mad Dogs and I LOVE it!  Spacious, dynamic, engaging, just alot of fun
to listen to tunes through this thing!
 
I feel like an idiot for just viewing this things as a great DAC!
But I saw a bunch on people using it as a DAC/amp at Headmasters so when I got it home I started
experimenting with it.
 
At $1,500 (I think that's what it costs) this thing is a virtual audible swiss army knife!

I concur. Fantastic value for the money!!
 
Moon Audio Stay updated on Moon Audio at their sponsor profile on Head-Fi.
 
https://www.facebook.com/MoonAudio/ https://twitter.com/MoonAudio https://instagram.com/moonaudio https://www.moon-audio.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@moon-audio sales@moon-audio.com
Aug 23, 2013 at 2:11 AM Post #255 of 300
Vandersteen 3A Signature, cherry wood caps, vintage Cardas internal bi-wired speaker cable (I hope it doesn't get nibbled on). 
 

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