First off huge thanks to Gene, Schiit (
@Jason Stoddard ),
@Audeze , Modhouse and ZMF for supporting this event. Also thanks to everyone who came and was willing to let other people demo their gear. This was such an invaluable and enjoyable experience to try some amazing audio gear and meet a bunch of people that are also obsessed with chasing the optimal music experience.
So this was my first time attending an audio event of any kind. I definitely had that kid-in-a-candy-store feeling right off the bat. (I was the guy in the third pic of the first post of the thread). My current daily driver and baseline for all my headphone test drives is the Focal Elex. Forgive me if my audio vocabulary is lacking. I am still learning how to verbalize things.
Ether 2- Wow these headphones are light! Slightly warmer guitar sounds than the Elex. Treble is slightly recessed compared to Elex. Sound stange is a bit smaller than the Elex. These had warmer slightly punchier bass but maybe slightly less precise. I didn't wear them for an extended period but the enhanced clamping force was noted.
Audeze LCD3- I find the Audezes (LCD- 2C and LCD-2) overall to be a bit too dark and treble to recessed for my liking. Gene's LCD3 really surprised me. It was much more balanced than any of the other Audezes I have tried. It had the best treble of the lineup. Imaging seemed a little weak which I think is consistent with the rest of the lineup. I spent alot of time with this headphone, it was my second favorite of the day.
Aeolus- Slightly more bass than the Elex. It has a big warm sound. Not as precise as the Elex. I liked this quite a bit more than the LCD2s but it left me wanting just a bit more clarity in the treble.
Auteur- Easily my favorite headphone test drive of the day. I did not want to take these off. I could have demo'ed my whole library. HUGE sound!!! Slightly warmer and more full than the Elex. I was just blown away that it sounded a bit warmer and more musical yet was still so sharp and revealing in the highs. This checks the biggest box for me with a headphone: Can I stop listening to the headphone and get lost in the musc? This was a resounding yes with this headphone. I could sense the space inside acoustic guitars. There was noticeably more bass than the Elex but it was still so tight and refined. It is easy to make a bassy headphone but when you can peel back the layers of bass than you know its a good headphone. This headphone is so beyond anything I have purchased up until now but I think I may need to own this one!
Argon- I actually won these in the raffle. Thank you Modhouse!!! I haven't spent a ton of time with these but they are pretty damn impressive for their price point. They are so light despite how massive they look. Massively wide sound stage. Ample quality bass though it is no where near as precise as the Elex and Auteur. Highs are definitely more resolving than the LCD2s but are still a bit more recessed than I like. Man these things need some juice. I have to turn my Jotunheim to 1 or 2 o'clock to get a decent volume level out of the SE output. Very cool cans.
This was my first time experiencing a tube amp. I tried the Valhalla 2 and Lyr 3. I didn't spend a ton of time on these but I will say the really enhanced rock music, specifically guitars.
My biggest take-aways are that I consistently favor a very neutral sound in my headphones. I used to be leery of resolving headphones but when they are done right it is such an immersive and engaging experience. I know it may be a little lame but I might suggest name-tags next time around. I am so bad at remembering names even after introductions! What a great group of audio-holics! I really enjoyed meeting a bunch of you and thanks against to Gene for making this happen. I look forward to the next one.
~Dave
Is next year likely going to be around the same date?
