[darinf]

     The mods are pretty extensive and there is not a single part of the set left original, even the case. During this past year more then 1000 measurement tests were performed each with a different mod before the sound was finalized. Mods and tests started with the prototype PM-1s first, then continued on the stock production PM-1s when they were released, then continued on the stock PM-2s when production units became available.
   They now measure within +/- 1.5db throughout the entire frequency range. Please note my measurement rig for headphones is calibrated with certain compensation for a gradual slope within human hearing range. In other words it is -1.5db at 20Hz smoothly sloping down to -6.5db at 17KHz which is about three times more linear then anything I have ever measured on my rig including the original PM-1s and 2s.

 

Oh damn!

You said it, @kazsud. That's what I said when I first heard them. I've heard the stock PM-1's and PM-2's many times, but these mods are not your typical mods in that they completely change the sound (for the better IMHO) from their stock form. It reminds me of the transformation that happens with TR50p mods (not the sound. The TR50p's and their mods don't sound anything like these modded PM-2's.) What I mean is that if it wasn't for the looks, you wouldn't know it's the same headphones. 
 
The other great thing is that you still get the great form factor and easy to drive PM-2's but with greatly improved sound. 
 
So, @FFRESPONSE , when can we buy these? 

 

[audiofrk]

damn guys really making sad I missed these.  More so than the prime as I know that the  prime will be at the next meet.

 

[darinf]

  damn guys really making sad I missed these.  More so than the prime as I know that the  prime will be at the next meet.

I have a feeling you'll be hearing his modded PM-2's at the other SoCal meets too. @FFRESPONSE was at the last LA Head-Fi meet too. I am also sure he'd be willing to host a mini-meet sometime just for anyone local to hear them. He lives in San Diego.

 

[FFRESPONSE]

   
You said it, @kazsud. That's what I said when I first heard them. I've heard the stock PM-1's and PM-2's many times, but these mods are not your typical mods in that they completely change the sound (for the better IMHO) from their stock form. It reminds me of the transformation that happens with TR50p mods (not the sound. The TR50p's and their mods don't sound anything like these modded PM-2's.) What I mean is that if it wasn't for the looks, you wouldn't know it's the same headphones. 
 
The other great thing is that you still get the great form factor and easy to drive PM-2's but with greatly improved sound. 
 
So, @FFRESPONSE , when can we buy these? 

Will try to get reviews out first, then a loaner program to make sure all interested could get a good idea of what these cans really are. I suppose then it will be a good time to start sales. You on the other hand can get a first pair Tomorrow .
   Lastly, Darin is right, anyone local is welcome to pm for a private audition. Cheers

 

[reddog]

First of all, I'd like to sincerely thank Darin for organizing the meet and doing a great write-up of it as well.  Everything seemed to go really smoothly and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.


Secondly, thank you guys so much for all kind words about my PRIMA headphone stands.  This was my first time showing them and I had a great time doing it.  I can't wait to do it again at the next LA Head-Fi meet/show, whenever it is.


I'd also like to give a micro-review of a couple of the stand-out demos I was able to check out in-between tending to my own table at the meet.

____________


FFRESPONCE Modded OPPO PM-2 :  These things are amazing!  They have a ruler-flat FR from the low-bass to the ultra-highs.  The mid and high freq. detail they are capable of is incredible.  If I had to sum them up in one word it would be "HD800 Jr." or maybe "HD750" (I know, those aren't words).   Anyway, Alex is definitely on to something very good with these.

MrSpeakers Alpha Prime : WOW!  I got to do a direct comparison between the Alpha Dogs and the Alpha Primes using the same source and amp.  The sound?  Imagine taking the overall sound of the already excellent Alpha Dogs, evening out the FR to perfection, increasing the audible resolution by 2X and reducing the audible distortion by 4X!  These things are the real deal and sound spectacular.  The A-Prime's are an across-the-board improvement over the A-Dog's in every parameter and I honestly cant think of any other sealed headphone that betters them by any significant margin.  Dan the Man has done it again!

WyWires RED headphone cables : These cables are so wonderfully thin and flexible that its hard to believe that there are actually multiple Litz-type solid-core conductors inside them.  They also were very well-made and looked like they would be quite durable, which is another huge plus.  Whenever I get the itch to get some upgraded cables, these will definitely be the ones I will go with.

_____________

Thanks again to everyone (esp. Whitetriton, super cool guy) and I'll see you guys soon!

Thanks for your fantastic description of the Alpha Prime's. I am glad I have volunteered my Alpha Dogs to be modified into the Alpha Prime.

 

[burnspbesq]

Another excellent day in Coronado, thanks to Darin and all the other vendors and enthusiasts who turned out.
 
Special thanks to the guy who took all my leftover Halloween candy with him at the end of the day.
 
Rag was definitely worth the wait, and thanks to OJ I got to hear it with the same gear I would use it with (a Hilo and my HD 800s). Show conditions are generally not optimal for evaluating gear, so all I will say is that I am definitely interested in hearing it again under better conditions.
 
Thanks to Brannan from Noble for putting up with me for the better part of an hour while I painstakingly evaluated the universal PR against my UERM.  Short version: I bought the PR.  They may not be for everyone, but they landed smack in the middle of my sweet spot in terms of FR and faithfulness to instrumental timbres, and they are sensationally light and comfortable.
 
Already have 11/7/15 blocked off on my calendar.

 

[Genjisleeps]

Has there ever been a meet up like this in Las Vegas, NV? I live in vegas and would really go to a meet up like this. It seems you meet a lot of headphone companies in this meet up and since I'm a future electronic engineer, I would like to work with headphones, amps and stuff like this. Also are all these headphone companies based in San Diego?

 

[dubrobot]

Awesome video!!  I was wondering what the GoPro was doing up there.  Great meetup!!  Thanks Darin

 

[Kamakahah]

Likewise, I had a great time at the meet. It was a nice chance of pace from the LA meets. As usual, I ended up doing more talking than listening. 
 
I do regret not making may way over to a few tables. The Ragnarok and modded OPPO PM-2 are two of the things I wish that I had heard. Additionally, I really wanted to take a crack at @OJNeg's torpedo amp. I told myself that last meet as well and once again failed to stick to my game plan. Guess i'll have to wait until March. 
LFF's offerings are always high on my priority list. Still loving the sound of the paradox, and the new Enigmatic was an interesting addition though I need more time to adjust to it's sound. 
 
Had the chance to compare the new Alpha Prime at Dan's table running SE and Balanced. Assuming the two were as close to identical as possible and the only differences were cables and termination, it's surprising how different they were. The attack of the guitar strings being plucked was significantly different in the track Dan had me listen to, (Frevo Rascado - Friday Night in San Francisco). There was also a distinct difference between the background of the two. It was my first time listening to the track. While I wasn't able to pinpoint some of the nuances that Dan had mentioned listening for, the difference was apparent. While many would likely prefer the balanced norne cable for it's detailed, strong attack and cleaner, blacker background, I did not. The main reason was fatigue. I couldn't see myself listening for longer than perhaps 20 minutes though some of Dan's Doggy Treats could remedy that. 
 
I always make a point of dropping by @darinf's stations for a listen. Watched the transformers on the Stax unit. This time the setup didn't resonate for me as it had in the past. After trying a variety of settings, I settled on the Egyptian Theater. While the sound did give me the feeling of sitting in a theater, I found the volume levels and overall tonality suffered greatly. In particular, all midrange vocals were very distant and difficult to distinguish. I distinctly remember hearing a girl screaming during the sequence of the office building falling that sounded very unnatural. Then the whole computer froze after trying to switch to a different setting. I'll put the blame on the computer. Look forward to hearing it again at the next meet and hopefully finding a combination that pushing me into a purchase. 
 
Had the chance to talk with @Whitetriton, (I'm the headphone happy face t-shirt guy), about his thoughts between the Bottlehead crack and Valhalla amps. 
Also, thanks to @mksuen for letting me monopolize his modded SR-60 for a while. Had a good time chatting with him and his significant other about the cans and some portable amps I brought. 
 
I'll be sure to make it next time as well. Thank you Darin, the vendors and other members for sharing your gear with us. 

 

[audiofrk]

Likewise, I had a great time at the meet. It was a nice chance of pace from the LA meets. As usual, I ended up doing more talking than listening. 

I do regret not making may way over to a few tables. The Ragnarok and modded OPPO PM-2 are two of the things I wish that I had heard. Additionally, I really wanted to take a crack at @OJNeg
's torpedo amp. I told myself that last meet as well and once again failed to stick to my game plan. Guess i'll have to wait until March. 
LFF's offerings are always high on my priority list. Still loving the sound of the paradox, and the new Enigmatic was an interesting addition though I need more time to adjust to it's sound. 

Had the chance to compare the new Alpha Prime at Dan's table running SE and Balanced. Assuming the two were as close to identical as possible and the only differences were cables and termination, it's surprising how different they were. The attack of the guitar strings being plucked was significantly different in the track Dan had me listen to, (Frevo Rascado - Friday Night in San Francisco). There was also a distinct difference between the background of the two. It was my first time listening to the track. While I wasn't able to pinpoint some of the nuances that Dan had mentioned listening for, the difference was apparent. While many would likely prefer the balanced norne cable for it's detailed, strong attack and cleaner, blacker background, I did not. The main reason was fatigue. I couldn't see myself listening for longer than perhaps 20 minutes though some of Dan's Doggy Treats could remedy that. 

I always make a point of dropping by @darinf
's stations for a listen. Watched the transformers on the Stax unit. This time the setup didn't resonate for me as it had in the past. After trying a variety of settings, I settled on the Egyptian Theater. While the sound did give me the feeling of sitting in a theater, I found the volume levels and overall tonality suffered greatly. In particular, all midrange vocals were very distant and difficult to distinguish. I distinctly remember hearing a girl screaming during the sequence of the office building falling that sounded very unnatural. Then the whole computer froze after trying to switch to a different setting. I'll put the blame on the computer. Look forward to hearing it again at the next meet and hopefully finding a combination that pushing me into a purchase. 

Had the chance to talk with @Whitetriton
, (I'm the headphone happy face t-shirt guy), about his thoughts between the Bottlehead crack and Valhalla amps. 
Also, thanks to @mksuen
 for letting me monopolize his modded SR-60 for a while. Had a good time chatting with him and his significant other about the cans and some portable amps I brought. 

I'll be sure to make it next time as well. Thank you Darin, the vendors and other members for sharing your gear with us. 

Thanks for the ride man it was fun chatting about cables and science