[MayorDomino]

  Hi Everyone,
 
Getting all the gear ready and just got more product to play with, i am now bringing the following:
 
Lots of Schiit, yes lots Jotunheim, Fulla2, Yggy, Rag etc etc what fits in the car
Mr Speaker we have both Ether Flow version (open/closed) also Aeon and Ether E (prototype) with King Sound M20 Amplifier.
A few King Sound Headphones and the portable amplifier.
 
If you want to see a certain product let me know and I will see what I can do, hope to see you all soon.
 
Mark

    
vali 2 Please.  Will we be able to buy?

 

[TheAttorney]

I'm aiming to bring my Dave DAC and HEK V2, driven by laptop and a few tweaks.
The "and a few tweaks" will require my wifi router to be on for a minute or so to allocate an IP address.  It's unlikely this will interfere with other wifi routers in the building,  but just in case, my router has IP address 192.168.1.1.
 
I'll repeat my earlier request that I could get a slot in the Quiet room please.
 
As we will have no competition on the day, I'll throw in a little challenge: I reckon my Dave/HEK V2/tweaks combination will kick the ass of any Utopia rig at any price

. In terms of Musical Engagement and Transparency to the original recording. The only component out of scope for this challenge is Chord Blu-2  - in the unlikely event someone will bring this as yet unreleased CD/M-Scaler to the event.     
 
I've decided not to bring my BHSE/Stax setup this time as the total would be just too many boxes to carry around and setup.
 
Question for the organisers: Do we need to worry about the number of mains sockets and their distance from  tables? I.e. do we need to bring extension sockets?

 

[glassmonkey]

I mentioned early that my choice for favourite discovered album/artist of 2016/17 was between Andy Shauf and Your Friend. Without further ado:
 
Album: Your Friend - Gumption (their older album Jekyll/Hyde is also great)
Available on Bandcamp for $7.99
 
I'm a sucker for ethereal, gauzy, flowing female vocals that sift into the back corners of your brain and remain there like a blanket cooled by the night sky beach. The arrangements on the album are lush and inviting but not without peaks and valleys, making for a nice dynamic listening narrative (but more on the lo-fi angle).
 
 

 
I've kept all my entries to two sentences. Should I be saying more?
 
That's all three of my entries. Here are some albums that almost made it: Itasca - Open to Chance (Andy will love it); STRFKR - Being No One, Going Nowhere; Cult of Luna with Julie Christmas - Mariner; Max Richter - Sleep (8 hours of soothing night music, but from 2015, also a serious bass-breaking test on many tracks); Lucy Dacus - No Burden; Car Seat Headrest - Teens of Denial; Eden - Ivy Sole (for those into beautifully performed and composed R&B/Hip Hop). I'm sure I could come up with more, but those were some highlights for me.
 
The other stuff that I've been listening to more than I'd care to admit is stuff that helps my daughter sleep. Max Richter, Mazzy Star, Caspar Babypants (lead of Presidents of USA doing kid indie), and Marconi Union--if you can't sleep, try Weightless.
 
Thanks everyone for sharing your tracks. I've got a lot of listening to do now so I'll be ready to vote on Andy's choices. @smial1966 I recommend having a rating system. First choice is 5 points, second is 3 points, and 3rd choice 1 point. In this way we avoid potential ties and get a real feel for what people liked.
 
People should tell their friends about this competition. The prize appears to be pretty great, and our hobby, when it all comes down to it, is about the music.

 

[glassmonkey]

  A pre meet dinner before it gets messy sounds like a good plan!

We should take the time to get our sponsors 'messy' the night before! Got to celebrate what they are doing. 

 

[Takeanidea]

   
 
As we will have no competition on the day, I'll throw in a little challenge: I reckon my Dave/HEK V2/tweaks combination will kick the ass of any Utopia rig at any price

.

I wonder whether Dillon can beat you with any of his kit? A heavily modded HE6 with some of his kit? It'll be a fascinating contest. Of course my AKG K1000 Mini Beast Mojo wouldn't stand a chance.....or would it?

 

[Acapella11]

Hi there,

Quick question. Do I need to to announce non-displaying/non-Head-fi friends joining in for you to get the number right?

Cheers, A

 

[Takeanidea]

The more the merrier

 

[smial1966]

Nope. We'll be fine on numbers this time so bring everyone!

Hi there,

Quick question. Do I need to to announce non-displaying/non-Head-fi friends joining in for you to get the number right?

Cheers, A

 

[smial1966]

Trev the DAVE is the outstanding component in TheAttorney rig, so unless a comparative setup has DAVE as it's DAC, then there really will be no sonic contest whatsoever.

I wonder whether Dillon can beat you with any of his kit? A heavily modded HE6 with some of his kit? It'll be a fascinating contest. Of course my AKG K1000 Mini Beast Mojo wouldn't stand a chance.....or would it?

 

[smial1966]

Why not set up your rig in the quiet room? We have plenty of room this time so space isn't an issue.

Mark has seen the venue rooms and can advise regarding electrical sockets, but bringing a 4 socket block and extension lead wouldn't be a bad idea.

I'm aiming to bring my Dave DAC and HEK V2, driven by laptop and a few tweaks.
The "and a few tweaks" will require my wifi router to be on for a minute or so to allocate an IP address.  It's unlikely this will interfere with other wifi routers in the building,  but just in case, my router has IP address 192.168.1.1.

I'll repeat my earlier request that I could get a slot in the Quiet room please.

As we will have no competition on the day, I'll throw in a little challenge: I reckon my Dave/HEK V2/tweaks combination will kick the ass of any Utopia rig at any price :devil_face: . In terms of Musical Engagement and Transparency to the original recording. The only component out of scope for this challenge is Chord Blu-2  - in the unlikely event someone will bring this as yet unreleased CD/M-Scaler to the event.     

I've decided not to bring my BHSE/Stax setup this time as the total would be just too many boxes to carry around and setup.

Question for the organisers: Do we need to worry about the number of mains sockets and their distance from  tables? I.e. do we need to bring extension sockets?

 

[glassmonkey]

Hi there,

Quick question. Do I need to to announce non-displaying/non-Head-fi friends joining in for you to get the number right?

Cheers, A

It'll be good to see you again!

 

[pedalhead]

Yep, best advice is that everyone who's bringing gear try and also bring along an extension lead/multi-way block. We may have some spares knocking around on the day, but no promises! 
 
Incidentally, I prefer the HEK v2 to the Utopia anyway so I reckon @TheAttorney has a point
 
On the other hand, I think people may be surprised at how good my modded, hardwired and heavily EQ'd HD800 sounds. Put it this way, after living with this HD800 for a while, I spent my HEK v2 savings fund on 2-channel gear 

.

 

[Tro95]

@TheAttorney's DAVE + HEKv2 vs @dill3000's modded HE-6 + beast vs @negura's modded HE-6 + monoblock amplifiers
 
This is going to be awesome

 

[Acapella11]

Thanks Smial and Glassmonkey! Looking forward seeing too and with a bit of luck I'll bring three friends along...
Cheers, A

 

[glassmonkey]

  @TheAttorney's DAVE + HEKv2 vs @dill3000's modded HE-6 + beast vs @negura's modded HE-6 + monoblock amplifiers
 
This is going to be awesome

Don't forget Andy has a DAVE too. There will also be some surprises there, I imagine. I definitely would like High End Headphones to bring their DAVE. I still haven't got a listen to DAVE or the AK380 Copper et al.--folks tell me the copper sounds better, which makes no sense, but I'll try it.