[BIG POPPA]

This meet was crazy, Headamp and 1964 where there. Will post impressions and pic's soon. Ready for bed

 

[miceblue]

This was an awesome meet! I'll post more stuff later.

And yes, bimmer100 I got some video coverage. I had to do a second take on the room coverage video since my binaural microphones weren't recording the first time around, hahaha. As for photos, I think most of them turned out to be blurry because the lighting was somewhat dim and I couldn't get a stable hand.

*note to self: spend money on a nice camera instead of another headphone, DAC, or amp*

 

[BobFiggins]

Every time I listen to the HE1000 I die a little inside. It's unfair sound that good costs an arm and a leg. I'm really happy 1964 showed up with great discounts and friendly service!

 

[atomicbob]

Thanks to Big Poppa et al for a great meet. Like others, I only was able to audition a small subset of all the amazing rigs in attendance. Big thanks to Equus and Hammy for both bringing Liquid Fires. Maybe not FOTM, but a very special amp that everyone should hear at least once. The Berkeley Alpha DAC had better synergy than the Geek Pulse xFi. After trying the Norne HD800 balanced cables I bought them on the spot. They solved two very real problems for me. High flexibility eliminates the cable drag on the neck and conducted sound from rubbing against clothing or bumping into elbow or hands. More thoughts later.

 

[nnotis]

I'll second the praise of the HE1000s. They seem to do everything right. Considering they operate at an SR-009 level of resolution, I don't think 3 grand is unreasonable. The HD800s were a complete downgrade by comparison. Listening to one of my mixes, they articulated bass detail better than anything I've previously heard apart from some cost no object Wilson Speakers. Even out of my under powered Lyra2 headphone amp they were special.

The Head-Amp offerings were as good as it gets. The GSX does magic with every headphone I plugged into it. On low gain, even the ridiculously sensitive Roxannes were dead silent, a feat most portable amps can't even achieve. And of course, the BHSE is all that it's cracked up to be.

Huge thanks to Big Poppa. This meet was a knock out.

 

[miceblue]

I couldn't help myself, hahaha. Why. So. Serious?

 

[Ham Sandwich]

I just got back home.  I skipped the Red Hook aftermeet because I discovered I was getting quite tired.  I took a nap instead.  Then ended up getting back home in Portland just after 11:00 PM.
 
Potential danger to my pocket is that the HE1000 managed to give me goosebumps while listening to it.  Even though I was distracted by the things going on in the room and the noise.  It still managed to sneak in the goosebumps.  Goosebumps during an audition get me to consider the gear.  The price though...  So not really a realistic consideration.
 
The Audio Zenith PMx2 headphones were also very nice.  I liked them with the Pono (running balanced) a lot.  Better and more suitable for what I like than the regular Oppo headphones.

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Thanks to Big Poppa et al for a great meet. Like others, I only was able to audition a small subset of all the amazing rigs in attendance. Big thanks to Equus and Hammy for both bringing Liquid Fires. Maybe not FOTM, but a very special amp that everyone should hear at least once. The Berkeley Alpha DAC had better synergy than the Geek Pulse xFi. After trying the Norne HD800 balanced cables I bought them on the spot. They solved two very real problems for me. High flexibility eliminates the cable drag on the neck and conducted sound from rubbing against clothing or bumping into elbow or hands. More thoughts later.

 
I agree about the Alpha DAC.  Which is why I wanted Equus to bring it to the meet.  So I could hear it again with the Liquid Fire.  The combo is sublime, easy on the ears, and presents the music in a way that is able to give me goosebumps.  The Xfi seems to miss some of that goosebump element.  It still gives me goosebumps, but less often than a good DAC for me should.  Good natural sounding vocals, cello, and orchestra swells are the sorts of things that can do the goosebump thing to me.
 
I had the Geek Pulse Xfi set up using the FTM (Femto Time Mode) filter.  I like the FTM filter because it presents a more cohesive and filled in headstage/soundstage than the other filters.  But that comes at a price.  The sound with the FTM filter doesn't have the snap with transients that the other filters do.  For what I think you're listening for the TCM (Time Coherence Mode) filter would probably do better.  Here's the LH Labs brief explanation of the different filters available.  I'm on a bit of a headstage/soundstage kick.  Exploring what can be achieved in trying to get a nice natural deep and filled-in headstage using just the amp, DAC and headphone choise and avoiding the use of crossfeed.  The Liquid Fire in combination with the Xfi (with the FTM filter) does that trick better than I expected.  I also realize that I'm going to need a different flavor of DAC to balance that out.  I'm on a path to have a system with two good (but different) DACs and at least two good amps in order to have balance.  
 
If you tell me the Yggdrasil would have good synergy with the Liquid Fire and Liquid Carbon I'll put the Yggy at the very top of the list for my second DAC. 

 
 
I also really liked your polarity reversing adapter experiment. I'm going to have to try it to see if the Liquid Carbon responds to that.  It certainly seemed to work on your setup at the meet.  I'll either get brave with the soldering iron and make my own adapter or have someone make one for me.

 

[miceblue]

Wear headphones while watching these videos!

[video]https://youtu.be/LIRcLQqpYbo[/video]




[video]https://youtu.be/-2Fg7rmY4tk[/video]

The stereo version of the video (it might be easier to hear Vitaliy and Stephen Ambrose):
https://youtu.be/bol9igi5MIQ



[video]https://youtu.be/8-f62cGBspE[/video]

The stereo version of the video:
https://youtu.be/uIzEYlMrlvo

 

[xtroria]

  Every time I listen to the HE1000 I die a little inside. It's unfair sound that good costs an arm and a leg. I'm really happy 1964 showed up with great discounts and friendly service!

 
I'll take your HD800, brb selling one of my kidneys 

 
Did you get to try the 1964 Qi?

 

[eldss]

@Miceblue, will you get to do a review of the 1964 A12?

 

[TheDukeNY]

Thanks Big Poppa & all for this great meet.
Thanks to Equus and Ham for bringing their Liquid Fires - really cool.
My praises also go out to the HE-1000 which provided an illuminating audio experience. The HD800 have fallen gracefully but not far from the top ranks (I still have much love for them).
Thanks to head-amp for being able to listen to many headphones on their GSX.
While I am not sure of buying them, the Audio Zenith PMx2 headphones were a delight to listen to.
Thanks again this miceblue for bringing those stax - always enjoy those as was your set up.
Also, it was great to try out the many hifiman and Audeze headphones.

 

[BobFiggins]

   
I'll take your HD800, brb selling one of my kidneys 

 
Did you get to try the 1964 Qi?

 
I was at the 1964 booth for a while, so anyone who was behind me, I apologize. One of the main reasons I went to this meet was to buy my first CIEM, so I had to try everything and be sure!
 
xtoria, sadly I didn't. They only had the V6 available from the old lineup. They had the new lineup there yesterday to demo to everyone. I believe they had the A4, A6, A10, and A12. I tried everything they had I think! Might have missed one, but it was interesting listening to them all. I'll talk about them a little bit below. I don't often describe sounds as much as the rest of you guys do, or use IEM's often, so excuse my dry-descriptions.
 
V6: Sounded a bit sterile. I can't describe the sound too well because I took them off shortly. The A6 sounded miles better so I didn't feel it was worth listening any longer. I did notice immediately how the soundstage felt very small compared to the A6. I heard the A6 first so it was like going from a large room to just my head when I put the V6 on.
 
Before jumping into the Adel versions, I have to say the new technology they are using to decrease the amount of pressure is wonderful. Even with bleh earbuds I eventually have to take them out after an hour to let my ears "cool off" so to speak from fatigue. The Adel series seemed to take the pressure factor, and kick 3/4 of it away. You might be wondering how they can still be bassy, but they are, and they are very very well. The bass seems to be way more expansive due to this; It feels room-sized! It did give an impression that the bass was a little bit bloated on the A4, and the bass a bit too weak on the A6 and up, but not enough to make me not love them. These IEM's were the closest thing I've ever heard to a full-size headphone. Yes, even soundstage. When there's no pressure smashing your eardrum, it's easier to relax and hear the sounds from beyond your head.
 
A4: These were the ones I bought, I loved them! I came with enough money to buy the A10's, but the A4's downright impressed me. Highs that weren't sharp for my sensitive ears. The upper mids felt a little recessed, lower mids a bit better. Bass isn't very punchy, but extends very very low like the Westone 4R I was craving. The bass in the Adel series seems to be very smooth, and not so rumbly. I thought I'd prefer the rumbly, but low-pressure bass is just awesome to hear, it's worth the trade. The A4 had this strange quality to me, and I'm thinking it might be the seal. I found that the bass in some songs could be too intense, while in others not enough, or just right. It felt opposite of how I would have expected it. For instance in an orchestrated song the bass felt intensely bloated, yet in Daft Punk's Get Lucky, it sounded just right. Then in some current pop song it felt like there wasn't much of it at all where there needs to be. I get the feeling it was just the seal though.
 
A6: Felt very similar to the A4, except there was a bit less bass, and the upper mids and treble were more detailed and extended. I was tempted to get these, but I figured the treble would be a bit too much for my ears after a long session. I would say for most people, this could be the best all-rounder in terms of price and FR.
 
A10: Didn't last a minute in my ears. Way too treble happy. I can't give a good opinion on these.
 
A12: The greatest sounding of them all, but with an issue to me. Perhaps it was just the demo unit, or the nature of having 12 drivers per ear, but they felt a little bit out of sync. It was really distracting for me. I don't try enough IEM's out to know exactly what I'm talking about, so if it's something else I'm meaning to say, sorry about that. Sync aside, they were incredibly smooth, and put a smile on my face. These were definitely the best for me in terms of smoothness. They felt very neutral to my ears. Not that I'm a good judge of neutral, but that's just my interpretation. I'm extremely sensitive to treble (my virgin ears haven't been ruined by all of you yet!) so the A12 being smooth everywhere, including the treble made it seriously enjoyable.
 
I can definitely see myself buying another 1964 ears Adel in the future. They are just that good.
 
I liked the white CIEM with red ADEL writing on the 1964 poster behind the booth. Inspired me to design mine like this:

 

[nnotis]

Thanks Big Poppa & all for this great meet.
Thanks to Equus and Ham for bringing their Liquid Fires - really cool.
My praises also go out to the HE-1000 which provided an illuminating audio experience. The HD800 have fallen gracefully but not far from the top ranks (I still have much love for them).
Thanks to head-amp for being able to listen to many headphones on their GSX.
While I am not sure of buying them, the Audio Zenith PMx2 headphones were a delight to listen to.
Thanks again this miceblue for bringing those stax - always enjoy those as was your set up.
Also, it was great to try out the many hifiman and Audeze headphones.

I really wanted to hear those Audio Zeniths, but missed them. How did you find they compare with the unmodded stock form? One vender let me listen to her PM-3s, which were amazing for the price they sell for. I believe it was miceblue who also brought his HE1000s. I hoarded them for way too long while listening from my DAC. It was quite informative. Thanks miceblue.

 

[xtroria]

@BobFiggins I guess you really do like the multiple of 4 driver setup. I'm surprised there is no 8-drivers adel. It should have even better sub-bass. How much did the A4 cost you? I tried to open 1964ears website but it seems like they haven't updated their online catalog