Quote:
Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Which meeting are you referring to?
Anyway. Hats off to all those who spend time and money organizing Head-Fi meetings. Your work is highly appreciated!
|
It's the Adelaide, Australia mini-meet which we had today.
ER-4S, UM2, UM1, IM716, HD650, HD595, K701, HD-25, SR-325(i?), Supermicro, Supermini, LDM, iMod, were among the gear that we had.
iMod amazed me. From with the myriad of positive reviews, and not a bad review in memory, I knew it was good. But I didn't expect it to be that good. It was too good to be a portable device.
I was once again pleased with the ER-4S's showing. It scales marvellously with source. Most people agreed that ER-4S's were the only IEM's which stood up to full size cans. I liked them better than Grado SR325i, and Sennheiser HD-25, which had cups too small to be comfortable. They were a fair way behind HD650 and K701.
It was agreed by most of the members that UM2's simply didn't compare to the ER-4S. I had a listen to the UM2's the other day, and I reported just a contrasting sound signature - it sacrifices detail for a bit of bass oomph and colour. Today, we heard that HD650 and K701, which put in perspective what good sound is. They sounded way better than ER-4S did, and they were more detailed than ER-4S. It shows that analytical level detail is a factor in good sound, adding to vibrancy and life, giving one the feeling of being at a live performance, immersiveness. UM2's simply didn't have that. And they were veiled as heck, so they didn't sound intimate, nor involving.
Now for K701 vs HD650. It was pretty unanimous that HD650 had the better bass - more thump, better sounding timbre, but when it came to mids, highs, and sound stage, K701's took the HD650's to school. If bass the main priority, I recommend the HD650's, but for non dark music with vocals, and variety of other instruments, K701's are the go. yylbeethoven, avid advocator of the 650, however, said that the equipment didn't bring out the best of the HD650's. But I think they performed admirably. I was hard pressed to tell the "Sennheiser veil" that's often talked about.
Finally, another thing that surprised me was the Little Dot Micro amp. It was REALLY REALLY GOOD. I was hard pressed to tell the difference between it and my Supermicro IV, but seeing how they only opened up under burn in yesterday, so it's still got quite a bit of improving to do. Still, the LDM is remarkably good for $70. It's built like a tank. And it's about as thick as the Supermicro IV, so very compact.
Those have been my impressions, and as honest as possible.
