[DeadlyNeodymium]

I know there are several Northwest Arkansas Head-fi members, but I'm not sure if there are enough to have a meet.  Anyone around here interested?  As long as you live near Northwest Arkansas, you're fine.

 

[KraziEarss]

I'm searching for the same thing!  I live in Little Rock, but I'd love to meet other head-fier's in our state!

 

[D4NGER BIRD]

I'm in Little Rock too, though I'm in Fayetteville fairly often.

 

[KraziEarss]

  I'm in Little Rock too, though I'm in Fayetteville fairly often.

oh wow, another head-fier!  It's like Christmas all over again!  What's your setup and taste in music?

 

[D4NGER BIRD]

Nothing too crazy, I have the RS1i which gets the most head time. I picked up the HD700 this fall, haven't really been impressed with most Senns, but I like this one a lot, it has a really addicting sound. Right now I'm running them through a Mcintosh MA6200, but I have a Botttlehead Crack on order that was just shipped out today to pair with the HD700. The 6200 and RS1i are perfect, I'm just hoping to squeeze a bit more out of the HD700 with the Crack. I also have a set of BW P5s for when I'm traveling, they're nothing special but they sound decent unmapped out of an iPod and don't look too goofy when wearing them. I don't know much about IEMs but I'm thinking about some in the future. I listen to a lot of different stuff, I used to be a bit of music snob when I was younger but I've mellowed quite a bit and enjoy tons of stuff as long as it pleases the ears. 

 

[KraziEarss]

I'm into the IEM's and plan to venture into the full size cans soon.  I am more portable with the iBasso DX50 and audio technica IM70 and hifiman re-400.  I'm pretty much all over the genre board, bust mostly jazz. Do you order all of your components or is there somewhere locally that sells them?  I know guitar center offers some decent full size headphones but I havent been to check out the full selection myself just yet.

 

[D4NGER BIRD]

I've yet to find a decent audio store of any kind anywhere in Arkansas. There were a few specialty shops, one in Fayetteville and one in Little Rock. They were both terrible. I was looking for a new cart for my turntable once, and the guy in Fayetteville kept trying to get me to "upgrade" my VPI to a Denon that they sold. I kept politely telling him that I was happy with my turntable, I just wanted to buy a new cartridge. He was really pushy. Then instead of showing me what they had for carts, he proceeded to show me cable conditioners that they had just got and how amazing they were. I literally put my hands in the air and said, "I'm out" and left. I think they closed not even a month later, which may be why they were so pushy. I really like headroom.com for ordering, I can test out the gear I'm interested in and if I don't like it, they refund fully or put it towards something else with no problems. When I was going to move from the RS1, I tried a few sets from them before settling on the RS1i. I went through the HD650 to HD800 to LCD2 to finally the RS1i. They were really good about wanting me to find a pair that I really liked. It's as close to having a store to demo gear that we're likely to get here in Arkansas. I haven't been into a Guitar Center for years, I may have to check it out again. 
 
I like Jazz, but I'm not too versed on it and stick to the mainstream stuff like Miles, Coltrain and Thelonious. Giant Steps is one of my most played albums though. I need to branch out a bit and test the waters. I have tons of stuff on my computer setup, about a terabyte of mostly losssless files and about 150 albums on vinyl of my favorites. I have a lot of duplicates of albums just for collectors sake too. Dylan for instance, it says I have 98 Dylan Albums, but it's because I have the stereo version and the mono version of a lot of his earlier work. Or like the White Album, I just looked and I have 8 versions of the White Album, 8! That's just crazy, and I really only listen to the 2009 mono rerelease. I just need to thin things out a bit.

 

[KraziEarss]

Why do you prefer the mono release over all others?  This isnt the first time I've heard someone prefer mono on their rigs.  I think I am about to try the sennheiser hd-25 myself.  I know not a big deal like the RS1 but I'm a young 29 year old on a budget and those have some decent reviews.  I know this may be below your standards but what do you like in 100-200 range for full size cans?

 

[D4NGER BIRD]

Sorry for the late reply. I typically prefer the mono releases that were originally recorded in mono. For instance, Bob Dylan's first record, it was originally recorded in mono but when it was released on cd they did a fake stereo mix where they just separated the vocals to one side and the music on the other. House of the rising sun on that album is awesome in mono, but the fake stereo mix sounds thin and especially hard to listen to in headphones. Until recently, you couldn't even get the mono mixes for Dylan except on vinyl. Early Beatles albums are similar, like With The Beatles, vocals on one side and music on the other. The original mono mix is much more full sounding. Stereo wasn't mainstream till the mid 60s, so a lot of albums are like this. Then some, like The White Album, have a mix for both stereo and mono because a lot of people still had mono rigs, but stereo rigs were becoming more common. I actually am mixed on this album, some songs I prefer mono and some stereo. Strangely enough, you can find the opposite sometimes. Abbey Road was only recorded in stereo, but there is a Brazilian mono mix, but it's just a folded stereo into mono, so not a true mono.  It sounds terrible by the way, I got a bootleg ripped version.
 
I haven't heard the hd-25 myself, but it gets good reviews.  For under $200, I'd look for used to get bang for your buck, there are a lot of good deals in the FS/FT forums. I've seen a lot of HD-600 and even HD-650s go for at or around $200. If you are wanting something more open and forward sounding and easier to drive, you can get the Grado 325i for $150-200 usually. The Grados are more polarizing, some don't like the house sound others love it. I think the 325i is the best headphone under $300 you can get, I like it better than the RS2 and PS500. Good thing about buying used is that you can usually flip them for little to no loss if it's not your flavor. If you do end up getting a higher impedance can like the Senns, I suggest saving your money for a Bottlehead Crack kit. I built it over a weekend and it is an amazing amp for Senns.

 

[styler]

Old thread but I'd be up for a meet. I'm in little rock. Financial desperation caused me to sell my headphone set ups but about to change that soon..