HEY GUYS!! I need your help.
Before I explain, let me first thank Brian for making me not feel like the lone weird guy schlepping old technology like tubed amps and CD players to Head-Fi meets.
And yes, I am bringing my AMR CD-77 and about 50 CDs (not audiophile-approved CDs but the music I like) to the meet because I do not have a PC or computer-based source. I bought a decent server once and it was defective (dealer was gracious enough to take it back) and I haven't gotten off my butt to figure out what I want to replace it with yet.
I know many people at these meets like to audition our equipment with source material they know. So, I will also bring my Bricasti DAC (with USB input) to the meet.
I still use my AMR CDP because it is still my favorite source to use with my headphone gear (but I am really open to hearing and finding a computer or NAS/memory based source to use with my DAC along with or instead of my AMR).
So, if someone will bring their favorite decent USB cable (I will only have a Pangea I use with my computer and Burson), this will allow people to hear my headphone gear with their DAC or my Bricasti on music they know.
OR, if I can be so bold, I would LOVE IT if you could bring your favorite CDs to allow me to hear your music and you to hear why I like the AMR/Headphone amp synergy - but with music familiar to you.
I do not want to try to persuade anyone here about what is or is not good - because musical beauty is in the ear of the beholder and we each have our own tastes. What I will tell you though, is that my Eddie Current Studio with the Focal Utopias has me mesmerized. BUT, to me, it is not a sound that mesmerizes me by screaming out "HEY THERE !Listen to ME!" No, it is all about refined, honest, organic but non-colored MUSIC - pure and simple.
I will leave all of my Head-Fi buddies with the following analogy about the Studio/Utopia synergy and hope you enjoy them tomorrow as much as I do - if you have ever gone to the TV section of a big-box electronics store and seen the demos, you may have seen this scene (before the current super HD curved screen TVs came out).
The sales guys have the contrast, sharpness and the colors on the LCD TV cranked up to ensure that the colors and images JUMP out at you. It is great for that 15-second demo and to impress you when doing a quick comparison on the spot. However, if you take a slower extended look at that same TV, you realize for example that the grass or turf or the player's face color in that football game LOOK so vibrant and intense. However, you think about it and realize that REAL grass just does look that GREEN or that INTENSE. If you get the chance to then look at the Plasma TV where the colors have been purposely and professionally calibrated to be as close as possible to reality with no accentuated contrast or sharpness hype, you see and prefer that realistic looking grass or realistic skin tone or hair color etc. It just looks more real - period.
As a former professional musician (in a prior life), the most important quality to me in my listening is accurate or honest tonality and timbre. I want the tone and timbre of a trumpet to sound like a trumpet and cymbals to sound like cymbals. If it can't get the tone right, all the audiophile tricks in the world will not save it for me.
To me, that is what the Utopias and Studio do for me in spades. The music seems to light up from the inside out and simply sounds more alive while not calling attention to itself. I look forward to finding out if you hear what I hear!!
Have a great night guys and please bring your favorite old obsolete 5" poly-carbonate discs with you!!!!!
Frank (TOPNut) Tower Of Power Nut!!!